Month: September 2019

Proposed Boundaries Offer Big Changes

The Seven Oaks community escaped being rezoned for different middle and high schools in 2016, but it doesn’t appear it will do so this time around.

Pasco County Schools staff is recommending that the entirety of Seven Oaks be rezoned to attend the new Cypress Creek Middle School, as well Cypress Creek High School, according to new school year 2020-21 maps posted on its website.

Wiregrass Ranch High will host a public workshop in its gymnasium on Monday, October 7, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., where the new maps will be displayed. District staff will be on hand to answer questions.

Almost every student living in Seven Oaks is currently zoned for John Long Middle School and Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH).

The rezoning is expected to help ease school overcrowding. JLM was at 110-percent capacity of its in 2018-19, but will have 400 fewer students with the new boundary, according to projections posted by the District staff, putting it at 80.5 percent capacity for 2020-21.

WRH was at 122.7-percent of its capacity in 2018-19, and will have roughly 540 fewer students with the new boundary, or 89.7 capacity.

Cypress Creek Middle and High schools also will have its boundaries extended north and draw students formerly zoned for Pasco Middle School and Pasco High in Dade City.

The new boundaries (above) also will be a change for students living in the Terrace Park, Timber Lake Estates and New River Ranchettes areas located just west of Morris Bridge Rd., between S.R.s 54 and south of 56, with roughly 100 or so students headed to Zephyrhills High School.

Quail Hollow Elementary’s boundary (above) is proposed to be extended north to the San Antonio area.

To view the new maps and the data, visit pasco.k12.fl.us/planning/page/rezoning. There also is an online form to file public comments.

The Latest On The Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus Of Pasco County!

After years of staring at renderings and blue prints and imagining what the new sports complex in Wiregrass Ranch will actually look like, general manager and RADD Sports CEO Richard Blalock’s vision is now coming into focus.

The Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County is no longer just a large patch of cleared land, it has gone vertical, and the current schedule is looking towards a July 10, 2020, completion.

After three failed efforts since 2001 to build an athletic complex on the property located northeast of the Shops at Wiregrass and two miles east of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., off S.R. 56, the 98,000-sq.-ft. indoor gymnasium is on its way.

Blalock, however, is not letting his excitement get the best of him. While the $45-million facility — which will share a campus with a full-service, Marriott-branded, 120-room Residence Inn hotel featuring a rooftop bar — is a big part of transforming the Wesley Chapel area — and Pasco County — into even more of a sports tourism hotbed, he intends to proceed slowly out of the gate.

“We’ve got people lined up that want to sign a contract now,” says Blalock.

*A drone photo of the progress on the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus.* ***Photo by Charmaine George.***

He is proceeding, though, like a quarterback with plenty of time on the clock. It’s not that he doubts the projection. But, he’s leery of Florida’s cranky wet weather that often slows down construction, most recently during Hurricane Dorian’s trip through the Atlantic.

“We had to take all of the cranes down,” says Jannah Nager, who was recently hired as RADD Sports’ director of marketing after working for more than four years as the marketing and events coordinator at the Pasco Education Foundation. She is the wife of Neighborhood News publisher Gary Nager.

With more bad weather lurking, it may not be the last time the cranes and other equipment have to be removed from the site for safety reasons.

“Everybody is beating us up, ‘When are you going to start booking events?,’” Blalock says. “But, I will not start booking events until after this hurricane season. Once the roof is on, or the side panels, I’ll be more comfortable.”

Blalock says a new facility in North Carolina jumped the gun on its opening and, thanks to Hurricane Dorian, had to postpone that opening.

“That’s the last thing we can afford to have happen here,” he says.

By October of 2020, Blalock says, he hopes to have events ready to go at the new facility, which broke ground in June of 2018. He hopes to book at least 25 events in the first 12 months the sports facility is running. Nager’s job is to help spread the word in the community while marketing the facility to sponsors.

“Jannah knows the community, she knows the people, she knows the ins and out, and she knows the politicians,” said Blalock. “We need somebody that knows community and is popular in the community. That makes our job so much easier.”

The primary sports at the new complex will be basketball and volleyball, and cheerleading is expected to be the third core sport at the facility, which can run eight basketball courts or 16 volleyball courts at any one time.

There also is room for multiple mats for wrestling and judo tournaments, with gymnastics also a possibility. Blalock said he even has been contacted by a youth soccer team in the United Kingdom that is interested in training for a few weeks at the new facility, which will have two outdoor soccer fields and plenty of room to train inside if the weather turns bad.

Local Use During The Week!

Weekend sports tournaments, however, will be just part of the big picture at the new facility.

Blalock says there will be plenty of sports programming for local athletes to participate in, too. He says there will be a three-tier system for each of its three core sports — Academy, Competitive and Development — which will allow opportunities for all level of athletes starting at the age of 9 and going all the way through high school

*Jannah Nager and Richard Blalock are just beginning to market the complex to local sponsors.*

The Academy will be for training elite athletes for travel teams, but will also include an educational component and require participants to maintain a certain grade-point-average. He says the sports will be programmed to not interfere with the local high school seasons.

“The ultimate goal is to change the culture of how these kids are trained,” Blalock says, adding that it is well-documented that youth sports are susceptible to being overrun by overzealous coaches and parents, as well as entitled athletes.

The Competitive program also will be in-house, with three days a week of practices and games — and the chance for advancement to the Academy level, Blalock says.

The Developmental program will be “quasi-recreational,” according to Blalock. Volunteer coaches will run the teams, although those coaches will have plenty of access to paid coaches on the complex’s paid sports staff to help develop more drills and gameplans.

The programming also will be competitively priced with the local market, according to Blalock.

For those who like sports but don’t play for whatever reason, the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus will offer a Sports Administration & Hospitality program, where kids can gather data, travel with the teams and serve as managers.

And, now that ground has broken on a nearby 55-over community in Wiregrass Ranch (see story on pg. 8), more programming for older residents also may be in the offing, like pickleball and Rock Steady Boxing for those with Parkinson’s disease. There may even be room for some golf cart parking spots, Blalock says.

In addition to its youth and adult sports programs, the facility is able to provide space for conventions, banquets and other non-sports events.

Blalock and Nager are putting together sponsorship packages now, and also are accepting resumes for positions, although Blalock stresses that the actual hiring process is likely several months away.

For more information about sponsorships and more, visit RADDSports.com or email Jannah@raddsports.com.

RADD Wiregrass Ranch

New Owners Promise To Continue The Fitting Little Feet Tradition

*The husband-and-wife team of Ramon Rivera and Nicole Barber have owned Little Feet shoe store for a few months now, but they’ve been fans of the store much longer than that.*

When Ramon Rivera and Nicole Barber bought Little Feet Shoes earlier this year, it represented more than just a new business venture for the couple.

They consider it their opportunity to help others the way the store helped them.

Located on S.R. 56 in front of Sam’s Club, Little Feet is a shoe store just for children, carrying brand name shoes and more with sizes that fit infants and toddlers up to boys and girls size 6, in regular, wide and extra-wide widths.

For Ramon and Nicole, who are married with three children, Little Feet is a place that helped their middle daughter, Sophia, as she learned to deal with a sensory processing disorder.

Back in 2012, Nicole says that Sophia never wanted to put her shoes on. Sometimes it took 30 minutes to get them on her feet to get out the door in the morning, sometimes even longer.

Ramon and Nicole were tired, stressed and frustrated when Sophia began therapy and they learned that socks and shoes are a common trigger for kids like Sophia.

It was a therapist who suggested they take Sophia to Little Feet, which carried sensory-friendly brands, and have a fitting with then-owner Diana Ciccarelli, who was known to get on the floor with the kids and help them find the perfect shoes, showing patience as they tried on endless pairs, if necessary.

It was just what Sophia needed.

Diana passed away last year, leaving the future of the store uncertain.

“Our daughter was devastated,” says Nicole. “She was so upset as she asked us, ‘Where am I going to get shoes?’”

As an orthopaedic nurse, Nicole also knows how hard it can be for kids with orthotic braces to find shoes that fit over the braces. Little Feet carries those hard-to-find shoes, and helps each kid find the perfect fit.

So, when the store became available for purchase, Nicole and Ramon say they jumped at the chance to buy it.

Shoes For All Children

While Little Feet can be life changing for children with special needs, Ramon and Nicole emphasize that the store carries great shoes for all children.

Top-quality brands, specialty shoes and current favorite trends are all available at Little Feet. Some of the store’s most popular brands include Tsukihoshi, Pediped, Stride Rite, Mini Melissa, Livie and Luca, New Balance, Sperry, Saucony, and Plae.

“We carry everything from trendy shoes to formal shoes, or something that’s fun for parties, to school shoes in specific colors and specialized shoes for kids who need them,” explains Ramon.

Nicole adds that the store sells washable shoes, too, which can be a great benefit for a toddler who is potty training.

Little Feet also offers Capezio dance shoes, leotards and tights, and carries socks and bows.

Many customers travel long distances to get to the store, which is local to Neighborhood News readers.

“We are the only kids’ shoe store in the Tampa Bay area,” explains Ramon. “We have customers who come from Dunedin, Tarpon Springs and South Tampa.”

He says similar stores have closed because people no longer appreciate how important it is to have kids’ feet sized for proper growth and long-term development.

“In other stores,” he says, “it’s up to the parents to figure out what size shoe to buy their children.”

Parents don’t always do a great job of it. In fact, even Ramon and Nicole were once parents who didn’t know what size shoes their children needed.

“The first time I came in to Little Feet, my kid was in shoes that were two sizes too small,” laughs Nicole. “I had no idea.”

Ramon explains that kids can’t often articulate the problem with their shoes. They just take them off. However, he says, it’s really important for a child’s foot development to get them in the right size right away.

“Their bones are very soft, so if they’re in the wrong shoe, you can actually have damage,” Ramon explains.

“We provide a lot of education,” adds Nicole. She says they also encourage kids to run around the store to try out the shoes thoroughly. Plus, the shoes they carry have more stability, promoting proper balance.

Erin Guilbeault is a mom to a six-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter. She says she’s been buying her kids shoes at Little Feet for the past couple of years.

“I love their selection and how patient they are when it takes a while,” she says. “Sometimes it’s a few minutes and sometimes it’s an hour. Everyone is always really helpful and lets them try on as many pairs as they need to find the perfect (shoes).”

Experienced Staff

Nicole is the first to admit that she has a lot to learn about running a shoe store. She gives credit to Alexis and Robin (see photo on previous page), employees of the store who have been there for about three years now, for teaching and helping her.

“They kept the store going through the transition, before we bought it,” says Nicole. “If it wasn’t for them, Little Feet would have had to close its doors.”

In fact, Erin says if she hadn’t heard that the previous owner had passed away, she probably wouldn’t have even known the store had been sold, because she says the transition has been seamless and the customer service has remained consistently excellent.

So, Little Feet remains open and ready to be discovered by families who want high-quality, trendy and fun footwear, fit by an expert.

“From a business standpoint, we’re hoping this model works,” says Ramon. “Others have given up on it, but we want to bring it back and even expand it. We hope to be able to allow people to purchase online, too, but they can still come in and get fitted for the right size.”

Erin says she will continue to take advantage of all that Little Feet has to offer.

“I kind of wish I had found them sooner,” says Erin. “I go in there and there are all these adorable toddler shoes. I’m going to be sad when my kids outgrow them someday.”

Sales and promotions are often announced on Facebook and Instagram, along with photos of some of the store’s in-stock shoes. Search “Little Feet Shoes” on either social media platform.

Little Feet is located at 27607 S.R. 56 (next to Wolf’s Den, in front of Sam’s Club). The store is open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., 10 a.m.–6 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call (813) 991-1785 or visit LittleFeetShoes.net.

shoes

Atonement Lutheran Church Cuts A Ribbon On New Fellowship Hall

A ribbon was cut on Sept. 7 for Atonement Lutheran Church’s new building, which has added more space for the church’s many ministries, including a food pantry that feeds up to 250 families each week.

The newly built structure in front of Atonement Lutheran Church may be somewhat nondescript, but the fact that it exists at all is something of a miracle, considering the church was once facing its last rites.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Sept. 7, to officially mark the opening of the church’s new Fellowship Hall.

At about 2,800 square feet, it is triple the size of the church’s former multi-purpose room, which only held about 70 people. The new room’s capacity is 200.

Pastor Scott Lindner says it’s an exciting sign of growth for the small church, which has been a part of the community for 30 years, but almost closed its doors for good in the early 2000s.

Lindner says instead of giving up, a former pastor sold five of the church’s original 13 acres to a developer to create the neighboring office park.

“When I got here in 2006, they had just burned the mortgage,” Lindner explains.

As Wesley Chapel has grown, the church has grown, too. Atonement Lutheran church regularly sees about 100 families in worship during the summer, and that number doubles in the winter when the “snowbirds” return to Florida.

The church also just celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its food pantry program, which feeds up to 250 families each week with 15,000 pounds of food.

“Our ministries have grown so much in the past five years,” says Rebecca Parker, a church member who also is a volunteer and chair of its worship and music committee. “We needed more space, so this is very exciting for us.”

Pastor Lindner agrees: “We’ve known for years this time would come.”

The new building will be used for not only Atonement’s own full congregation, but also for some ministries and outside groups to use. In fact, the New River Branch Library plans to host some of its programs in the building when it closes for renovations this fall.

The Fellowship Hall also will be used for a weekly family service the congregants call “Child of God,” which is held every Sunday at 11 a.m.

The entire family hears a message geared toward children from the pastor. Then, the kids break off to do a craft or activity, while the pastor goes over what he calls a “home blueprint” relating to the message.

“It’s like children’s church, but also a parent support group,” explains Lindner. “There’s a story, questions, prayer guides and suggested activities, so you can make your house an extension of the church.”

Five years ago, Atonement Lutheran held a capital campaign that raised $300,000 to fund the building.

“It took us years to figure out what would work and what we could get permitted and what we could afford,” Lindner says. Over those years, prices increased, and the church will take a loan to cover the rest of the costs, which are expected to come in at about $125,000, once all of the final expenses are tallied, including permitting, landscaping and other expenses.

“We’ve been able to be generous to nonprofits by allowing them to use our building at no cost, and we will continue to do that,” says Lindner. “We believe this is a special place; that’s what keeps us going.”

The Wesley Chapel Noon Rotary Club also has announced that it will again feed hundreds of people in need at Atonement Lutheran for the club’s annual “Turkey Gobble” meal on Thanksgiving morning.

Atonement Lutheran Church is located at 29617 S.R. 54. To learn more about the church, visit DiscoverALC.com or call (813) 973-2211.

atonement Church lutheran

Browning Hoping For Smoother Rezoning Process This Fall

With Cypress Creek Middle School scheduled to open separately from the existing high school in August of 2020, Pasco County is about to tackle the difficult job of drawing new school attendance boundaries again. But, Pasco Schools superintendent Kurt Browning has his fingers crossed that things won’t be nearly as tough as they were in 2016.

They couldn’t be worse, right?

In Wesley Chapel, the process was contentious and exhausting, as families argued over various options and how best to alleviate the overcrowding at the area’s existing schools while filling the classrooms at Cypress Creek Middle/High, which was opening the following year.

On the west side of the county, it was even worse, as the boundaries for Mitchell and Anclote high schools ended up in court.

Browning says this time around, things will be different.

In 2016, a School Boundary Committee (SBC) made up of parents, district staff and school administrators was formed to help define the new boundaries. But this fall, the plans will be the sole responsibility of the District staff. “I’ve done away with that committee, and now it’s a District-driven process,” Browning says.

Gone are the community workshops from the last rezoning, which resulted in a packed gymnasium, or two, of angry parents. Instead, Browning says Chapter 120 of the Florida Statutes will be followed.

“The irony is that under Chapter 120, there are no opportunities early on for community involvement in this process,” Browning says. “We got dinged because we were not following Chapter 120, so what we did is we said ‘Fine, we’ll follow Chapter 120.’”

That process is more “sterile,” Browning says.

District staff, led by planning director Chris Williams, will come up with a new map of boundaries for high schools and middle schools, with data to support those maps.

Chapter 120 does still allow for public comment, however. And, on Monday, October 7, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., in the Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) gymnasium, area residents will have the opportunity to view the maps and ask questions of District staff. They also will be allowed to offer opinions, either at the meeting or online.

Browning says his staff will read every question and comment. Some could lead to changes or adjustments, and once finalized, there will be a public hearing before the Pasco School Board on Tuesday, November 5.

That will be the last time the public will have an opportunity to voice any opinions or concerns, as on Tuesday, November 19, the School Board will make its final decision.

A Little Contentious History

In 2016, the SBC’s recommendation of Option 20, which rezoned the bulk of the students living in Seven Oaks to Cypress Creek, was rejected by Browning, setting off a long dispute.

As a result of Seven Oaks being spared back then, however, Browning says it is likely that the new maps, which will soon be revealed, will rezone much of Seven Oaks.

“I said last time there will come a day, sooner than later, that Seven Oaks will have to be looked at, and now is that time,” Browning says. “We have to look to get those numbers down at John Long Middle School and Wiregrass Ranch High, and the most logical place to do that is Seven Oaks.”

While the idea of sending their kids to different schools further away ruffled feathers last time, Browning doesn’t see the same discord this time around.

“I don’t think it will be as contentious as (2016),” he says. “You know, they were going into an unknown and even the students who got rezoned were going to a brand new high school that was coming up out of the ground,” Browning said. “There wasn’t any track record. Now we have two years under our belt at Cypress Creek Middle High and they’re doing wonderfully well. It’s a great administration, great kids, great teachers and the academics are solid. I think it will be easier from that perspective.”

Even after redrawing the boundaries to relieve overcrowding, it is likely that some schools will remain at or above capacity. Browning says the county doesn’t have enough money to build schools fast enough to accommodate the growth in Wesley Chapel.

Based on enrollment numbers that average the first 20 days of the current school year, 11 of the 14 Wesley Chapel schools are already over capacity.

“Even when we rezone kids out of Wiregrass Ranch and John Long Middle with this rezoning, those schools are still going to be at, or near, capacity,” he says.

This year, Wiregrass Ranch High is at 139 percent of capacity, and John Long Middle School is at 119 percent.

Cypress Creek Middle High currently has 2,100 students, but nearly half of those will be moving to the new 1,600-seat middle school.

The middle school will then be able to absorb roughly 600 additional students without exceeding capacity. And, according to Browning, Cypress Creek High, which has a capacity of 2,090 students, will be able to take 800 new students from other high schools and those graduating from local middle schools and still remain at or under capacity.

More help could be on the way, too. A new magnet high school is on the horizon for 2022 at the corner of Keifer Rd. and Curley Rd. north of WaterGrasss, which Browning says will draw students from Pasco, Zephyrhills, Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch high schools.

Until then, while the new middle school will provide some relief, overcrowding will continue to be a way of life in this bustling area.

boundaries rezoning