Grace Episcopal Church In Tampa Palms Breaks Ground On New Sanctuary

Local dignitaries and church members turn dirt where the first row of pews will begin in Grace Episcopal Church’s new sanctuary. Bishop Dabney T. Smith, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida looks on.

On an April Sunday morning twenty years ago, the Rev. Larry Hooper led a joyful procession of Grace Episcopal Church’s congregation from their temporary home at Tampa Palms Elementary to the Promised Land at the confluence of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., Tampa Palms Blvd. and Amberly Dr., where their newly constructed worship building was completed.

Parishioners’ spirits were similarly raised, along with some earth, on June 3 while breaking ground on Grace’s new sanctuary, in a ceremony that united members of New Tampa’s religious and civic communities in celebration.

Referred to as the “Amazing Grace Building Project,” the finished structure will provide 4,500-sq.-ft. of worship space for the church’s 300 parishioners. It is being built by Waterford Designs, Inc. at a cost of $1.5 million.

Etta Green, chair of the Amazing Grace Visions capital campaign, expresses optimism that the labor will be finished in time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

“We’re hoping it will be done by Christmas,” she says.

So far, the capital campaign has raised more than $160,000 of a $450,000 goal, according to Green. Parishioners have the opportunity to contribute to the campaign through donations which can be designated to specific spaces or needs of the project, such as its nursery, carillon or even individual pews, bricks and benches. The remaining cost is being funded from cash the church has on hand.

The groundbreaking was presided over by the Rt. Rev. Dabney T. Smith, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida. Featured speakers celebrating the occasion included Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who was introduced by Luis Viera, a Hunter’s Green resident who represents New Tampa’s District 7 on the Tampa City Council

“Communities are defined by their institutions and this church is a great strength and support to the families of New Tampa,” said Viera. Grace’s current Rector, the Rev. Canon Benjamin Twinamaani, known affectionately as Fr. Benjamin, served as the event’s master of ceremonies.

A Little History…

Grace Episcopal Church had its genesis in 1992, when it held its first services in a storefront in the nearby City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center. It was one of the few places of worship in New Tampa at the time, and Mayor Buckhorn recognized the relationship between the church and the community it has served in the 25 years since then.

Artist rendering of the new sanctuary.

“We have watched the amazing growth of this community and this church has been an important part of the growth of Tampa,’’ Buckhorn said. “Go make us proud; continue to grow and continue to prosper.”

The event was a bit of a homecoming for Shawn Harrison, who represents District 63, which includes most of New Tampa, in the Florida House of Representatives. He is a former parishioner of the church who said he recalls the relationship between Grace Episcopal and Tampa Palms, which donated land for the church. “This has always been the little community church of Tampa Palms,” Rep. Harrison said.

Bishop Smith turned the soil at the place where the sanctuary’s future altar will be. As he did so, he noted the significance of the occasion, which he referred to as “a moment of aspiration for the church. What we are doing today in simply turning dirt will create a space of transcendence.”

Among members of the congregation who gathered for the groundbreaking, the consensus is that Grace Episcopal is, above all, a welcoming place.

Bernard and Nancy Guss are founding members of the church, and also are a mixed-religion couple. Bernard is Jewish and Nancy is Episcopalian. They say Grace has been a spiritual home that has accommodated both of their respective beliefs.

Bishop Dabney T. Smith, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida, turns dirt at the future site of Grace Episcopal Church’s new altar. He is flanked by (left) Fr. Benjamin Twinamaani, the church rector, and the Revd. Deacon Lynn Grinnell.

“Nancy and I visited several churches before coming here,” Bernard said. “We felt like it was open to a variety of beliefs. It’s truly a unifying place where I have felt welcome.”

Zainaba and Charles Forster are both from the West African nation of Sierra Leone who now make their home in Heritage Isles. Charles said that Grace Episcopal Church is a tranquil place that is always open. “It is indeed what church is supposed to be,” Charles said.

The Forsters were married by Fr. Benjamin, who has been the church’s spiritual leader since 2005. Fr. Benjamin, who is known throughout the New Tampa area, considers the new sanctuary to be a tangible expression of Grace Episcopal’s commitment to the local community.

“We are renewing our identity as a church that anchors the community,’’ Fr. Benjamin said. “In today’s world, we need that.”

Grace Episcopal Church, located at 15102 Amberly Dr. in Tampa Palms, holds services each Sunday at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Visitors are always welcome to attend services. For more information, visit online at GraceNewTampa.org or call (813) 971-8484.

Will The Diverging Diamond Fix The I-75/S.R. 56 Interchange?

This rendering of the recently-opened Sarasota DDI is nearly identical to what will will be built at S.R. 56 and I-75 in Wesley Chapel, which the major exception being I-75 passes over the intersection, while in Wesley Chapel S.R. 56 passes over I-75

A diamond could be a commuter’s best friend, according to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

A diverging diamond, that is.

That was the message delivered by Ryan Forrestel, PE of American Consulting Professionals, LLC, as he presented what he feels will be the solution to the snarled mess that is the S.R. 56 interchange of I-75 to the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) on May 23, during a meeting at the Mercedes-Benz of Wesley Chapel dealership located just a few hundred feet from where the construction of the diverging diamond interchange (DDI) will begin.

Forrestel, the consultant design project manager for the $24.1-million Diverging Diamond Interchange project, told a group of roughly 20 representatives from affected  businesses like Havertys, Tampa Premium Outlets, Chick-Fil-A, Florida Hospital Center Ice and others that it will be a good news, bad news proposition.

The good: engineers say the DDI is going to make traffic smoother and more efficient and in the long run yield improved results for local businesses.

The bad: during the long-awaited construction beginning in fall of 2018, the already-congested interchange is likely to become even more clogged.

No one, however, was surprised.

“I think this is a good opportunity for us,’’ said Stacey Nance, the general manager of TPO, located just west of the DDI. “Is it going to be cumbersome? Absolutely it is.”

Forrestel’s presentation seemed to assuage some of the concerns of representatives from those local businesses, many of whom are concerned that shoppers already are avoiding the area because of the traffic.

Ryan Forrestel

The project, moved up twice from its original 2024 and then 2020 start dates, is expected to expedite traffic through the much-maligned interchange, which handles roughly 100,000 vehicles a day and connects many of the residents of Wesley Chapel, Lutz and Land O’Lakes to Tampa.

Forrestel said he will have the DDI plans drawn up by January, and then in June of 2018, bidding will begin to find the company to build it.

Construction should start by the fall of 2018, and Forrestel said it could tentatively take anywhere from 18-36 months to build.

“We haven’t gotten that far yet,’’ Forrestel said. “That’s just a safe range.”

The timing of the construction is a concern to local businesses, as it will likely conflict with the busiest shopping time of the year.

“The fear was starting in the fall,” Nance said. “If there is any concern, it’s that it is hitting us all at prime time.”

Forrestel said the current LOS, or Level of Service, of the interchange is “F,” and “it is only going to get worse before it gets better” as development continues on the north and south sides of S.R. 56, both on the west and east sides of the interchange

Much of the traffic is caused by morning commuters trying to get on I-75 southbound, and evening traffic trying to exit northbound, which can back up two miles from where I-75 splits to S.R. 56.

“On the northbound off ramp and southbound on ramp, we’re making a lot of changes,’’ said Forrestel, who said he drives past TPO every morning and sees the eastbound traffic backing all the way up to Old C.R. 54 (or Wesley Chapel Blvd.).

As part of the DDI project, however, that mile-long backup during peak morning hours is projected to be reduced to 300 feet once a second lane is added to the exit for people getting on I-75 southbound.

The other change, which Forrestel describes as minor but really important, is widening the northbound off ramp. He said the original design had four lanes, with a center lane serving as a shared lane for travelers going east or west. But, they found that it created confusion for drivers and had a significant impact on the traffic, so the exit will be widened where the barrier wall on the east side of the ramp ends, and will now be five lanes.

Three of those northbound exit lanes will be dedicated to go west (turn left onto 56), and two lanes will be dedicated to go east (or right onto 56).

“It will be a significant improvement,’’ Forrestel said.

The first DDI in Florida was recently completed in Sarasota — at the University Pkwy. exit (No. 213)  — and has drawn positive reviews (including from Neighborhood News editor Gary Nager, who will provide a video tour of the Sarasota DDI in the episode of WCNT-tv that will premiere on YouTube and Facebook on Friday, June 9), after nearly four years of construction that involved rebuilding everything. Forrestel said that the Wesley Chapel DDI project will involve no expansion of the overpass, although it will be reconfigured, so it shouldn’t take nearly as long to complete.

The median on the bridge, as well as the current walkways, will be eliminated to create an additional westbound lane, and the bridge (which is technically two bridges) will be connected. Pedestrians will be able to cross right down the center of the bridge.

Forrestel added there will be plenty of signs directing drivers. The fourth eastbound lane on S.R. 56 is being pulled back 500 feet, so signs can alert commuters much sooner about the interchange directions.

“All of these changes will be improving the efficiency of the interchange dramatically,” Forrestel said.

The real key to making it all work, however, remains the DDI’s signature crossovers, where the east and westbound lanes appear to cross over. Though other solutions were considered for the interchange — like a flyover similar to what was built an exit south at Bruce B. Downs Blvd. — the DDI was chosen for its ability to handle large swaths of traffic from both directions.

“Huge left turns lanes work best for the DDI,” Forrestel said. “In some places, they are a great solution; in other place they are a terrible solution.”

The Wesley Chapel interchange, however, it is expected to move more cars through the interchange in a free-flowing manner, as the left turn lanes will no longer be crossing in front of other traffic and only entail two phases of lights.

Forrestel showed a video of a DDI in Atlanta (which can be seen at youtu.be/gY8xU-UAQWs) which has fewer lanes but otherwise resembles the one coming to Wesley Chapel.

Forrestel said the timing of the lights will be adjusted to accommodate the busier traffic in the morning and evening.

The scope of the DDI project takes into account a model that projects traffic out to 2038 and considers the lengthening of S.R. 56 (one of the signs at the interchange will point you to Zephyrhills, in fact) as well as projected land uses in the Wiregrass Ranch area.

Local businesses asked that they be kept updated so they can inform customers of the construction. “We want everybody to be prepared,’’ said WCC CEO Hope Allen.

Democracy In Action At Bilirakis’ New Office; Plus, Congrats, Bartell Family!

So, I saw democracy in action about three weeks ago and it made me smile. Unfortunately, the people who saw me smiling thought I was laughing at them, but I wasn’t, even though some of what was happening did make quite a few people who were on hand to see it laugh, even if a little uncomfortably, and others, maybe a little afraid.

I was just doing my job — covering the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting for Congressman Gus Bilirakis’ new office at the Chamber office in The Grove plaza in Wesley Chapel on May 9 — when an obviously organized protest with about 25 people holding signs basically blocked the Chamber’s front door.

Thankfully, it was a peaceful protest…those holding the signs and chanting certainly did not keep anyone who was there to celebrate the ribbon cutting from going in. On the other hand, several attendees mentioned that they were happy a deputy from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) was on hand to ensure that peace was maintained.

It seemed, from the signs and the chanting going on, that most of the protesters weren’t happy that Rep. Bilirakis voted for what the Congressman called the ‘first phase’ of the bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. I understood why some people were upset with that. What surprised me were the sign-holders who claimed that Bilirakis didn’t support veterans health care.

That really surprised me because, as long as I’ve known Gus (who is the senior Republican on House Committee for Veterans Affairs) veterans’ issues have always been at the top of his agenda, even though Rep. Bilirakis’ last challenger for his District 12 Congressional seat,  Democrat Robert Tager, consistently tried, unsuccessfully, to show that Bilirakis wasn’t the supporter of U.S. vets that he claims to be.

But, what shocked me the most that afternoon was that Rep. Bilirakis didn’t in any way try to insulate himself from the obviously angry crowd. To the contrary, as soon as his ribbon cutting (which was held inside the Chamber office) was over, the Congressman first stepped outside to address those who were unhappy with him. He answered several questions, with people chanting in his face, and invited the protestors inside, 5 or 6 at a time, so he could address their criticisms and concerns as individually and completely as time — and his protesting constituents themselves — would allow.

As a long-time non-politico in a too-political world whose job it has been to cover more politicians and elections than I ever thought possible, there’s no doubt I was smiling as I witnessed democracy in action months removed from any election. Whether you were on the side of those laying on the concrete, chanting and holding signs, or the U.S. Congressman who gave every one of those antagonists the opportunity to be heard by an elected official they supposedly hated, if that tableau didn’t make you proud to be an American, then you’re very different than I am.

“Rep. Bilirakis, I have disagreed with every vote you’ve made since you took office.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Were you in favor of or against the federal budget this year?”

“Against, why?’

“Because I voted against it, too. Maybe we don’t always disagree on every issue?”

“Then yes, maybe that is true.”

Ahhh, democracy. Ya gotta love it!

Congrats To The Bartells

Congratulations go out to my friend Paul Bartell, his wife Jamie and their son James, as the Sean Bartell Foundation held its second annual spaghetti dinner, held a WCCC ribbon cutting and gave away its 10th $1,000 to Wesley Chapel High grad ((and future WCNT-tv contributor) Chase Oknefski from the proceeds from the Foundation’s previous events. The dinner, donated by Little Italy’s Family Restaurant & Catering (see ad on page 40) at the Trinity Church of Wesley Chapel Fellowship Hall on S.R. 54, attracted more than 100 people, served as the official launch of the Foundation, which is why a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held.

I’ve seen the effort the Bartell family has put into the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life for many years. Now that Paul is focusing more of his “free time” on the nonprofit named for James’ brother Sean (who lost his battle with a rare skin condition in 2014), watch out!

Terry Tan Turns Vision Into Valedictorian

Freedom High’s 2016-17 Valedictorian Terry Tan is an “old soul,” because sometimes that’s what it takes. Despite being the youngest of two sisters, she has the mature vision and work ethic of someone successfully balancing the pressure of academics with the richness of life.

In addition to being Freedom’s Valedictorian, Terry also volunteers at other schools, works a part-time job, plays sports and yet, still finds time to relax.

“I don’t like to focus too much on one, specific thing in life,” Terry says. “My goal is to be a well-rounded person.”

The daughter of second generation Chinese immigrants, Terry has discovered balance in her life, in which academics has played a huge role.

She is a member of the National Honor Society (NHS), the Science National Honor Society (SNHS), Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), and Mu Alpha Theta, a math honor society.

Terry walked across the stage on May 23 at the Florida Expo Hall with a weighted GPA of 7.27 and unweighted 3.98.

She says that Valedictorian wasn’t even a goal until somewhere in her sophomore year, when she says she first paid attention to it.

“It was something exciting I could pursue,” Terry says. “I knew that if I set my mind to it, I could become Valedictorian.”

It hardly became an obsession, however. Terry went on about her life, and only found out she’d earned Valedictorian honors sometime in January, when some of her friends congratulated her in the hallway at school. She initially asked why they were congratulating her.

“I definitely could not believe it,” she says. “I was very happy. With  all that hard work, it felt really good.”

Terry spent the spring term in the closest thing to a college setting outside of an actual college setting. She took three dual enrollment classes that gave her college-like responsibility. She’ll enter the University of Florida in Gainesville next fall with 31 college credit hours already under her belt.

“Dual enrollment is completely on your own, it’s all based on if you can motivate yourself,” Terry says. “Even with AP classes, you still have your teacher there.”

That setup suited Terry just fine. She says she enjoyed the flexibility and freedom and was able to balance her nine college credit hours, her job (and own personal workouts six days a week) at LA Fitness, track season and volunteering at Chiles Elementary in Tampa Palms and at St. Mark The Evangelical Catholic Church on Cross Creek Blvd.

She ran cross country for the Patriots for three years, as well as the 800 and 1,600 meters and the 4×800 relay on the school’s spring track team.

“You will go insane if you focus on only one aspect, if all your focus is on academics,” Terry says. “What about the other aspects of life that you could be missing out on?”

She strives for perfection in everything that she does. The one “B” she got in high school, a sophomore year pre-calculus class, still gnaws at her.

“I’m also the type of person that when something’s almost perfect but not quite perfect, it becomes a pet peeve,” Terry says.

It turns out that the “B” in pre-calc was the only one she would receive in her high entire high school career. In fact, it was the only one from elementary school on up. However, Terry’s old soul quality she uses for balance keeps her from obsessing over it.

“I feel like the children, my generation of my family, are all more mature and have old souls,” Terry says. “Whereas my mom and dad are really young at heart — they make jokes, they poke fun at me in a sweet way — they’re just goofy and like to have fun.”

They also keep Terry grounded.

“I hope that my, ‘kid at heart’ attitude will continue to remind her ‘old soul’ to slow down and celebrate her hard work,” Terry’s mother Sylvia said.

Terry’s older sister Tammy also attended UF, and is similarly motivated with her own big-picture mentality. Tammy thinks Terry has just scraped the surface of what lies ahead.

“I don’t think Terry realizes her accomplishments are a reflection of how much potential she has in doing even greater things in the future,” Tammy says. “I am thrilled for this new chapter that is coming for her because I want her to finally see her potential come to life.”

Tammy has been a constant source of motivation for Terry, who says her older sister has inspired her and made her mature faster.

Tammy will graduate from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine on the same day Terry graduates from Freedom.

Terry isn’t sure whether or not she’ll follow her sister’s path into a medical profession, as she says she is considering a couple of different fields. She took a microeconomics class her first semester of her senior year and a macroeconomics class at Hillsborough Community College this past semester.

“After those classes, I thought about maybe looking into finance,” Terry says.

On the other hand, she adds, she really enjoyed working with children at the local church and elementary school. Terry says she likes how the field of orthodontics opens up the opportunity to work with children.

“If I do pursue orthodontics, it will be in pediatrics,” she says. “I really love working with kids.”

Whatever field Terry does decide to pursue, you can bet she’ll pursue it with vigor and passion, while always finding time to stop and smell the roses. She says she is grateful to her entire family, including her grandfather — whom she says was a major source of inspiration — for providing the support necessary to accomplish some of the things she has already accomplished to date.

She says they have taught her to, “be yourself, that’s all that really matters.”

What doesn’t matter? That darn “B” from sophomore pre-calculus.

“Ummm, that, B?,” she says. “That’s in the past.”

Wildcat Baseball Bidding For State Final Four

Senior SS Drew Ehrhard leads the Wildcats in almost every offensive category this season.

By the looks of things midway through the 2017 season, the Wharton High baseball team was nothing special.

It was, however, nothing that a few lineup tweaks and a bolt of confidence couldn’t fix.

After back-to-back losses to Freedom and Newsome dropped the Wildcats’ record to 8-8 on April 6, the team has been, well, perfect.

“We saw everything was kind of going downhill,’’ said senior shortstop Drew Ehrhard. “We kind of looked at each other at one practice, and just decided it was time to pick things back up.”

The Wildcats have now won 10 straight games, including a second straight Class 8A, District 4 title and regional playoff wins over Ocoee and Ocala Forest.

Tonight, the Wildcats travel to Tallahassee to take on Lincoln High in the regional final, with the winner advancing to the state final four starting June 2.

Lincoln, ranked No. 6 in the state by MaxPreps, has won 16 straight games, but face a Wharton team that seems to be peaking.

The recipe for the Wildcats’ success has been right out of the baseball handbook: great pitching, solid defense and clutch hitting.

Aaron Cohn

In the 7-6 extra-inning win over Ocoee in the Region 8A-1 quarterfinal, the Wildcats got a tremendous relief outing from senior Aaron Cohn (6 innings, 2 hits, 1 run and a season-best 7 strikeouts), two hits from Ehrhard, two RBI from senior catcher Zach Sirois and a walk-off sacrifice fly from Brian Baughman to win the game in the eighth inning.

“And, that was not a routine fly ball,’’ said coach Scott Hoffman. “That was a missile.”

The Wildcats improved to 18-8 with the win over Ocala Forest a week later, as junior leftfielder Ricky Viloria singled in Duncan Pastore in the bottom of the seventh in a 6-5 win.

Wharton has outscored opponents 78-17, and 11 of those runs surrendered coming in the last two games.

“We always thought that If we get hot, we feel good about our chances,’’ Hoffman says.

Not too many of the ‘Cats have been hotter than Ehrhard, who will play next season for the Division II powerhouse University of Tampa Spartans.

Wharton’s on-field leader is hitting .438 with nine doubles, four homers and 24 RBI, all team and career highs.

He has played every inning of every game for four years, and this season, he has hit safely in 22 of the team’s 26 games.

“Drew is the most unbelievable player we’ve had here,’’ said Hoffman, as he watched his star blast three batting practice pitches over the centerfield fence at a recent practice. “He’s a dream kid as an athlete, academically and with his character.”

He has not been alone in putting up big numbers for the Wildcats.

Pitchers Austin Appel, Pastore and Cohn also have played big roles in Wharton’s charge down the stretch. When the year began, pitching was one of the team’s biggest question marks.

However, Appel stepped up to be the team’s senior ace, and is 7-1 with a 1.81 ERA.

Pastore fit into the relief role successfully, with a 0.93 ERA, and in eight appearances, he has allowed hits in just two of them.

In arguably the team’s biggest regular season win of the season, Pastore struck out four in two innings to get the victory over highly-touted Plant, 2-1.

“I definitely think it was the Plant game that turned everything around,’’ Ehrhard says. “We played some competitive games before that, but the game against Plant was to see what we were really made of. After that, we knew that everyone who steps on the field in front of us, we have a chance to beat.”

Cohn, a Fairleigh Dickinson University (in Teaneck, NJ) signee, has turned in some fantastic late-season performances as well. In his six appearances (including three starts) during the winning streak, Cohn has gone a perfect 6-0, allowing just 13 hits and two earned runs in 27.2 innings (for a tidy 0.50 ERA) while striking out 28.

While the Wildcats thrived with great pitching and hitting from Ehrhard, junior Leo Alfonzo (.307) seniors Ricky Nieves (.328, 16 RBI) and Clayton Coringrato (.275, 17 RBI), Hoffman was expecting another player to surprisingly emerge in the late season run.

“One of you guys will be the difference maker,’’ he told them at a practice. “I don’t know who it is, but it will be one of you.”

It turned out to be Sirois. In the past six games, the team’s catcher is 12-for-24 (after going 11-for-61 the first 19 games) with seven RBI (compared to four the rest of the season).

“He’s emerging, he hasn’t done that all year,’’ Hoffman said. “He’s a different person.”

And against Ocala Forest, it was Viloria getting his first game-winning hit to lift the Wildcats, who now appear to be a different team, hoping to make it back to the State final four for the first time since 2012.

“This is a great group,’’ Hoffman says, touting the team’s work ethic and 3.4 cumulative grade-point-average, second in the county. “We get overlooked a lot. The newspapers like to talk about the same schools all the time. Find another school that has played for the district championship five of the last six years, and won it three times. There aren’t many. I think they think because we’re in New Tampa (we can’t play), but every time it’s tournament time, we’re there.”