Pasco MPO To Get A Look At Possible Meadow Pointe Connections In December

Following a few months in stagnation, the long-running debate about which, if any, roadway connections to make between the southern portion of Wesley Chapel and New Tampa’s K-Bar Ranch area will be renewed Dec. 13 when Pasco County’s Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) meets in Dade City.

At the scheduled Pasco MPO meeting, its nine Board members will be presented a scaled-down version of the findings of the Wesley Chapel Roadways Study, which was presented to roughly 75 local residents on May 29.

Ali Atefi, Pasco County’s transportation engineer, said originally the MPO was supposed to receive the report, compiled by consulting firm AECOM, in August, but a crowded agenda forced it to be postponed until next month.

Once the MPO is presented the findings of the study, a citizen survey will be scheduled, likely for early spring.

The online survey will be for Pasco County residents only, and will present the options for yes or no votes for various connections.

The study looked at four potential solutions to connecting Wesley Chapel and K-Bar Ranch:

(1) connecting Kinnan St. in New Tampa with Mansfield Blvd. in Meadow Pointe and K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. to Meadow Pointe Blvd.

(2) connecting only K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. to Meadow Pointe Blvd.

(3) doing all of the possible connections: Kinnan-Mansfield, K-Bar Ranch Pkwy.-Meadow Pointe Blvd., and Wyndfields Blvd. to K-Bar Ranch Pkwy.

All three proposed connections, which are shown with red circles on the map above, have been in the county’s Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) for many years.

There was also a fourth option — a no-build option — that would put up a gate for emergency vehicles, which was very popular among constituents on both sides of the county line, and bicycle and pedestrian accommodations at Kinnan-Mansfield, but no motor vehicle connection for general public use.

Connecting Kinnan to Mansfield — with those two streets still separated by a 30-foot-or-so patch of dirt and bushes and whose linking has been a point of great contention between the two counties — was considered an alternative, but only in conjunction with the other connections

The Roadways Study report states that Kinnan-Mansfield was not evaluated as a standalone connection.

When presented this information, members of the public had a month to weigh in with their opinions, either with forms at the workshop or online. The responses, all of which were reviewed by the Neighborhood News, don’t offer many surprises.

There were 12 forms filled out at the May presentation, with only one in favor of the Kinnan-Mansfield connection.

Of the 175 emails we reviewed, 100 of them were actually forwarded responses from a Change.org petition.

Among the remaining 75 emails, there were a number of duplicates, but 36 emails were clearly opposed to connecting Kinnan-Mansfield (though many were open to other connections) and six emails were in favor of connecting the two roads. Of course, these are the Pasco County responses only.

Since the Wesley Chapel Roadways Study was finalized, the City of Tampa approved a rezoning that will permit M/I Homes to proceed with building 700 new homes in K-Bar Ranch, which borders Meadow Pointe directly to the south.

The Pasco MPO is expected to make its recommendation in May, which would then place the final decision in the hands of the Pasco Board of County Commissioners for a potential vote in the summer.

The Ever-Changing Landscape In The Chap; Plus, My Take On ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

For those of you who remember (as I do) when Wesley Chapel’s “hotel scene” was Saddlebrook Resort and no others, and the restaurant scene included only Denny’s (which actually was located inside a motel), Waffle House and Brewmasters, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype that is “The Chap” these days.

Yes, almost all of the new restaurants that have been opening on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) and S.R.s 56 & 54 are chains, but many of them are at least chains I had never tried before — including MOD Pizza, Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar and even our under-construction Earth Fare grocery store — and the hotel scene continues to add not just more hotel rooms but some really nice, upscale, tourist-friendly places to not only stay, but also enjoy some really great food.

The North Tampa Bay Chamber “Celebrating Excellence in Business” awards gala at the new Hyatt Place Hotel & Sierra Conference Center was the first time I sampled the hotel’s catering fare and it was pretty good. I enjoyed the crusted fried chicken on the bone, grits and collared greens, as well as both the salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing and the muffin-cup-sized mousse for dessert, which was available in both chocolate and strawberry.

Even better, however (at least in one editor’s opinion), is the Garden Grille & Bar at the new Hilton Garden Inn (located across both S.R. 56 and I-75 from the Hyatt Place), which celebrated its official Grand Opening on Oct. 7, with everything from housemade egg rolls and fried wontons to a beef tenderloin carving station and most impressive of all, a pasta station featuring four delicious offerings — one with ground sausage and spinach, another a putanesca style, one a unique primavera and the last was fettuccine with white clam sauce. The clams (thankfully, I’ve never had my shellfish allergy to them, at least not yet) and the sausage pastas were my favorites, but all four were served al dente and they were all excellent. Really.

That gives me even more hope for the next major hotel with a restaurant on the horizon — the Marriott-branded Residence Inn that hopefully will soon begin construction off S.R. 56 in Wiregrass Ranch, adjacent to the new RADD Sports indoor sports complex (see page 1). The Residence Inn will not only have a full-service restaurant, but also Wesley Chapel’s first rooftop bar. The hotel is being developed by the same Mainsail Lodging & Development folks who developed not only the Epicurean Hotel in South Tampa, but also recently renovated the beautiful-again and historic Fenway Hotel in Dunedin, which now features the Hew Chophouse that Jannah and I will be sampling sometime soon.

In other words, the dining scene in Wesley Chapel is going to continue to evolve and will give those of us who live and/or work here a lot more reasons not to leave The Chap.

Have You Seen ‘Bohemian Rhapsody?’

I was living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in the 1980s when I first really saw with my own eyes how many men and women there are sharing this planet with us who were attracted to people of the same sex.

I’m not going to lie, I was shocked when I first saw two men kissing on the street, as well as some of the flamboyant “costumes” and makeup some of them wore. I even assumed that lifestyle was actually a creepy “choice” they made.

Even more shocking to me around that same time was when I found out I had not only friends, but also members of my family, who were gay. Worst of all for me (and many other heteros) was that also was when the AIDS epidemic first took hold in the U.S., primarily in the homosexual male population. So, it was easy for some people to hate on those we blamed for turning the “Free Love” generation of the late-’60s and early ’70s into the “must use condoms” generation of the ’80s in one fell swoop.

My sister Bonnie was working as an intensive care Registered Nurse at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan from 1982-85, when the first AIDS patients, largely in New York, San Francisco and other major cities, began dying from it. It was a scary time and it was easy to blame the gays, even though they also were fully responsible for re-energizing previously blighted neighborhoods like the West Village and others.

But, the thing that really turned my attitude towards homosexuals around was the rock music of that era. If geniuses (please don’t even try to argue that fact) like David Bowie, Mick Jagger and Elton John (I was never a fan of the latter) were reputedly at least bisexual, I was willing to stop judging those who loved the same music I did who also happened to be gay or bi.

So, when it was first announced that the late Freddy Mercury of the rock group Queen had AIDS, I was as heartbroken as I was when L.A. Lakers star Magic Johnson (who is still alive today) announced that he was HIV-positive.

As chronicled in the Oscar-worthy new movie “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Freddy (portrayed by Rami Malek, right) was another musical genius who at first tried to pass himself off as hetero.

But, Mr. Mercury truly was more than just another gay rock star. His music forced millions of heteros who were literally dancing in the aisles at Queen concerts to accept that just because someone was gay, it didn’t mean they didn’t have talents and abilities that could transcend the hatred so many automatically felt towards them, if those folks didn’t think their sexuality alone made them bad people.

I hope those who are still certain that everyone who is LGBTQ is “diseased” and “all going to hell” will see the movie, sing along to Queen’s hits with Malek and at least try to understand that someone would have to have other serious mental problems to choose that life.

Pasco County’s Principal Of The Year Is Cypress Creek’s Carin Hetzler-Nettles!

Cypress Creek Middle High School principal Carin Hetzler-Nettles was vacationing in Europe on Nov. 4, when she got an unexpected video call from Kurt Browning, the Superintendent of Pasco County Schools.

“Hey, Carin,” Browning said, “I know you’re in the middle of vacation, but we wanted to let you know that you are Pasco’s Principal of the Year.”

Hetzler-Nettles was chosen to represent Pasco County Schools as its nominee for Florida’s Principal of the Year.

“Carin’s colleagues nominated her from among all district principals,” says Linda Cobbe, public information officer for Pasco County Schools. “The nominations were narrowed to three finalists, based on the number of votes each received, and then we had a vote among all administrators for District Principal of the Year, and she won.”

School Board chair Cynthia Armstrong and School Board member Colleen Beaudoin joined Browning on the call, which was posted on Pasco County Schools’ Facebook page, and offered their congratulations.
“We’re excited for you,” Browning said. “You’re a great principal. We’re excited about what you’ve done in the district and what you’re doing at Cypress Creek.”

“Thank you so much,” Hetzler-Nettles responded, smiling. “I appreciate it. I’m very humbled.”

Hetzler-Nettles, “embodies what a leader is,” said the nomination. “She drives the learning community forward in every way, while supporting staff growth. She always places kids first.”

“She’s an awesome teacher, mentor and friend,” says Tim Light, an assistant principal at Cypress Creek who has worked with Hetzler-Nettles since 2011. “I’m the administrator I am because of her.”

Light says that Hetzler-Nettles is deserving of the designation because of her hard work and commitment to opening Cypress Creek, which opened in the fall of 2017, and her dedication to building the community within the school and all of its stakeholders.

It was no easy task, say those who laud Hetzler-Nettles for her success. She had to find the right balance and build unity at Cypress Creek with students — not all of whom were happy to be switching schools after the rezoning process — from three high schools, three middle schools and several elementary schools.

Hetzler-Nettles was not only tasked with bringing these diverse groups together, but with it being a brand new school, also was responsible for things like figuring out furniture to coming up with a mascot for the school.

“She was charged with…creating its mission and motto, and getting a staff on board to live and breathe the mission and motto every day,” Light says. “She took a very difficult job and got the buy-in from all the stakeholders and created the culture here that is like no other. That’s why she got the award and why she deserves it.”

Hetzler-Nettles was previously the principal at Wesley Chapel High. Dee Dee Johnson succeeded her as principal when Hetzler-Nettles was chosen for Cypress Creek.

“She had a lot of work ahead of her,” Johnson says. “She started as a team of one, went in there full steam ahead, and knew she would go in and do what’s best for kids, and make the school great.”

Her focus is on making the experience of learning enjoyable for the students, Johnson and Light agree, and building a staff that can accomplish that. With any new school, developing traditions and pride — like creating a code of personal behavior called “The Coyote Way” — can go a long way towards making that school successful.

“I feel very fortunate that I was able to work for her for several years and learn from her,” Johnson says, “She’s very deserving.”

Construction Of Cypress Creek Middle School Is Under Way; Plus, Hurricane Help

At its meeting on October 16, the Pasco County School Board approved a contract for Ajax Building Corporation to begin construction on Cypress Creek Middle School.

The school site is located adjacent to the current Cypress Creek Middle High School on Old Pasco Rd.

Construction is expected to be completed by June 2020, and the school will open to new students in grades six through eight that fall for the 2020-21 school year.

When Cypress Creek Middle opens, the current Cypress Creek Middle High will be converted to a high school only. That school’s younger students will transfer to the new middle school campus next door.

Mike Gude is director of construction services and code compliance for Pasco County Schools. He says the school is being built with the continuing growth of Wesley Chapel in mind.

“There will be 1,600 student seats,” he says of Cypress Creek Middle School. “That is larger than the middle schools we’ve built in the past because of the area it’s in.”

The school will include a three-story classroom building of nearly 80,000 square feet, plus a multi-purpose building of more than 55,000 square feet, a 24,000-square-foot gymnasium, and a two-story administration building of 33,0000 square feet.

“In addition to typical school spaces,” Gude says, “the fine arts wing will include not only band and music and chorus rooms, but there will also be a small black box theatre that will be for students to learn performing arts and technical aspects like lighting and theatre rigging.”

Cypress Creek Middle School will cost $40 million to build.

While the school site is adjacent to Cypress Creek Middle High, Gude says the construction won’t affect those students.

“We won’t even use the entrance to the existing school,” he says. “We’ll come onto the construction site from a different entrance.”

Pasco County Schools has worked with the Oldsmar-based Ajax Building Corporation before. Gude says the last school they constructed was Sanders Memorial Elementary in Land O’Lakes, which was completed in 2015.

Pasco County Schools doesn’t typically do groundbreaking ceremonies, but a dedication ceremony will be held once the school has been completed.

Pasco Employees, Buses Help With Hurricane Recovery
After Hurricane Michael devastated Florida’s panhandle on October 16, employees from Pasco County Schools stepped in to do what they could to help.

The district gave 20 buses (photo) to the Bay County school district, which includes Panama City.

On November 1, school bus drivers from Bay District Schools traveled to Pasco County, where they each drove a bus back to Bay County.

Pasco’s Superintendent of Schools Kurt Browning was on hand to welcome the bus drivers. He thanked employees who collected donations to fill one of the buses with supplies for the people of the area, such as bottled water.

In addition, Pasco County Schools sent 21 maintenance employees to Bay District Schools for a week of work to prepare the schools that reopened on Nov. 12.

The crew, which left on Nov. 3, included laborers and experts in site development, tree trimming/heavy equipment, electricity, HVAC, carpentry, plumbing, and mechanics.

“I can’t imagine what our colleagues are going through in the Panhandle, and we just wanted to give them the same kind of support I know they would give to us if we were in the same situation,” said Browning.

It appears at least some of those affected by Hurricane Michael have taken notice.

“You all are awesome,” posted Susan Holt Stanley on Facebook. “Thank you so much for all your county has done to help us in the Panhandle.”

Another Facebook user, Kellie Banks, posted, “I have a child in Pasco County Schools and a child in Bay District Schools. I can’t begin to express the gratitude of how much compassion and help I’ve seen from Pasco to my hometown of Bay County.”

Wesley Chapel Center Of Pasco Sports Efforts

Pasco County tourism director Adam Thomas made the announcement that Pasco County will be rebranded as “Florida’s Sports Coast,” with Wesley Chapel’s sports facilities playing a major role.

Pasco County’s tourism department is rebranding the county & going hard after the sports market; Wesley Chapel will be a major player in that effort.

Pasco County is changing.

Once sleepy, it is now wide awake.

Once quiet and serene, it is now bustling.

Once regarded mostly for nature, it is now being rebranded.

“Let’s Play!”

That will be the new slogan that drives the county’s evolution from Nature Coast to Sports Coast, as Pasco looks to capitalize on a number of sports offerings it feels will, if marketed properly, bring in millions of dollars annually to local businesses and hotels, and much needed tax dollars for the county.

Pasco’s tourism agency, Visit Pasco, is expected to rebrand the county as “Florida’s Sports Coast” after January 1, 2019. It has a $326,000 contract with The Zimmerman Agency to help with the rebranding and marketing.

“This is a destination that is changing and changing,” says Adam Thomas, Pasco’s tourism director. “We are charging ahead to become that premier sports destination: Florida’s Sports Coast.”

Thomas emceed the East Pasco Economic Development Summit on Nov. 2, which brought together government officials like District 2 commissioner Mike Moore and county administrator Dan Biles, as well as heavy hitters in the sports tourism market like Jason Aughey of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, Pat Ciaccio of Saddlebrook Resort, Richard Blalock of RADD Sports and Gordie Zimmermann of Florida Hospital Center Ice (FHCI).

The summit was held at the Pasco-Hernando State College Porter campus in Wiregrass Ranch, and the message, emphasized by keynote speaker Carolynn Smith, was simple: 

“You need to be ready,” Smith said.

Smith, a former college basketball standout at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville who now owns 7 Marketing & PR, stressed to local businesses the importance of preparation for an influx of new customers. She said to look at the schedules at the local sports facilities, be staffed properly when big events are in town, and ready to capitalize.

The panel drove home a similar message. The heart of the engine that will drive much of the transition from nature outpost to sports destination is right here in Wesley Chapel, with the soon-to-be-built $44-million Wiregrass Sports Complex, the booming FHCI facility and popular Saddlebrook Resort expected to attract hundreds of thousands of tourists annually.

Aughey, who has helped bring Super Bowls and NCAA Football National Championships and men’s and women’s NCAA Basketball Final Fours to Tampa, says that sports tourism had a $57.4-billion impact on the national economy last year.

But, it is youth and amateur sports, he says, “that are truly the bread and butter” of sports tourism.

One reason: they are recession proof, according to Aughey. No matter the economy, he says, parents are not likely to cut out their children’s sports because they provide physical and social benefits as well as college scholarship opportunities.

In fact, according to U.S. News & World Report, a 2009 study by the National Association of Sports Commissions and Ohio University showed that participation in youth sports travel still increased from 2008 to 2009 despite the Great Recession.

“Regardless of the economy, sports is going to continue to pull through,” Aughey said.

Ciaccio, the general manager at Saddlebrook Resort, said that is good for everyone in Wesley Chapel. “Everyone benefits from the ancillary benefits,” he said, citing everything from walk-in clinics to local mom-and-pop shops, sign makers, restaurants and retail and grocery stores.

“There’s a little niche for everybody,” Ciaccio says. “You have to see how you can benefit, and find your place.”

FHCI has already made its mark with more than 1 million visitors since opening in 2017. Most recently, the complex hosted a 68-team event, which can translate to 1,300 players and just as many parents needing hotel rooms, places to eat and things to do in their downtime, like shop.

Zimmermann said that events like that at FHCI are commonplace almost every weekend, and often are much larger.

Aughey added that back in May, Tampa hosted a cheerleading competition that filled 22,000 rooms over two days. A volleyball tournament this year brought 900 teams, resulting in 10-20,000 visitors.

The Wiregrass Sports Complex being developed by RADD Sports is expected to handle large indoor events like that, hosting hundreds, even thousands of athletes and their parents every weekend, all looking for ways to spend their money.

It’s no wonder there has been a rush to build new hotels in Wesley Chapel.

The popularity of youth and amateur sports is only going to grow bigger. According to the National Association of Sports Commissions State of the Industry report in 2017, visitor spending associated with sports events was $10.47 billion in 2016, a 10 percent increase from the year before.

But, Pasco County’s rebranding goes beyond just the sports tourism market in Wesley Chapel. It also includes things like the sand volleyball courts at Sunwest Park in Hudson, zip lining at Treehoppers in Dade City, and fishing and boating on the Gulf coast.

“Show me any place (else) around where, on the same weekend, you can have a beach volleyball event going on at the same time as an ice hockey tournament is happening,” said Biles. “You can go scalloping, you can jump out of a plane (in Zephyrhills), you can go biking on trails….how many destinations offer that kind of variety?”

And, there’s still more to come. While the RADD Sports facility broke ground earlier this year, it won’t be ready to host events until late 2019. There is talk of a large aquatics facility being negotiated in Land O’Lakes and a new tennis complex is scheduled to be built in Zephyrhills.

“We have a lot of assets, and more will come because they will follow,” said Moore, comparing it to Orlando, where DisneyWorld was the first amusement park, but not the last to build in that area.

Commissioner Moore even had his own suggestion for anyone interested — equestrian facilities for those who like to ride horses.

“We aren’t going to build it, but you can,” he said, to laughter. “You gotta figure out a way to get in the game!”