The long-awaited and 450-page traffic study requested by the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has been posted here.
The year-long study looked at the pros and cons of connecting New Tampa’s Kinnan St. with Meadow Pointe’s Mansfield Blvd., as well as making connections from Meadow Pointe Blvd. to the not-yet-completed K-Bar Ranch Blvd., and Wyndfields Blvd. to K-Bar Ranch Blvd.
Kinnan-Mansfield was not under study to be the lone connection. The study primarily considered three connections: Kinnan-Mansfield and Meadow Pointe Blvd.; just Meadow Pointe Blvd.; and all three connections.
The study also dealt with myriad of other suggested road improvements such as repaving, widening and additional traffic signals — roughly $13.8 million worth — in the area bordered by Bruce B. Downs Blvd. to the west, Morris Bridge to the west, S.R. 56 to the north and County Line Rd. to the south.
If any connections are made, that would increase the costs to $15.4 million.
We are still making our way through the detailed and thorough report. You can read it all for yourself, or just wait until Tuesday, May 29, from 6-8 p.m. when an open house will be held at Pasco-Hernando State College, Room B-303.
Pasco County District 2 Commissioner Mike Moore and MPO Staff will provide a brief introduction, followed by a condensed version of the report that hits on the major points, and public comment session.
Meadow Pointe II resident Chris Dillinger is trying to rally support to stop a connection at Mansfield Blvd. in MP & Kinnan St. from being made.
Meadow Pointe II resident Chris Dillinger has been anxiously awaiting the results of a Wesley Chapel Roadway Connections study, which is expected to issue its findings on three potential connection points between Pasco and Hillsborough County on the county line separating them.
That report could be published as soon as today.
The one connection Dillinger fears the most is the one everyone is talking about — from Mansfield Blvd. in Meadow Pointe to Kinnan St. in New Tampa’s K-Bar Ranch
Dillinger thinks he has a good basis for that fear, and he wants to know who else agrees with him. To that end, he has started an online petition Change.org in an effort, however unscientific as online polls can be, to find out.
“I really wanted to wait for the Roadways Connections study to come out (it is scheduled to be published online May 15), so I could include their data,” he says. “Basically, we’re running out of time.”
As of May 11, 361 people had signed it — you can find it by clicking here — with many sharing the same concerns that have been debated for the past few years — dangers of increased traffic in school zones, the frustration of more cars on already clogged Meadow Pointe roads and fears that Mansfield’s two lanes are just not equipped to handle more than it already does.
For Dillinger, a 39-year-old high school counselor at Sunlake High in Land O’Lakes, it’s also a personal matter. He has two young children who spend their days on Mansfield Blvd. — one attends daycare, the other attends Wiregrass Elementary.
He would rather see a connection made three miles east of Mansfield at Meadow Pointe Dr., a road that doesn’t have any schools on it. Mansfield Blvd. runs by Dr. John Long Middle School, Wiregrass Elementary and Wiregrass Ranch High.
However, there is currently no road in K-Bar Ranch to even connect to Meadow Pointe Blvd.
“I just want to raise awareness of this issue,” he says.
On the other side of traffic barriers that stand between the connection is another Change.org petition, one which is in favor of the connection.
That petition, started by New Tampa realtor Gary Vermani two months ago, had 500 signatures after the first few days, and now is closing in on 800. To find it, click here.
Like Dillinger, Vermani has his reasons for wanting the connection made — to create another pathway for emergency service vehicles or in case of evacuations, to provide easier access to local businesses and to help reduce commute times as well as traffic on both Cross Creek Blvd. and Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
(Not to be outdone, and maybe for comic relief, there is actually a third online petition concerning Kinnan-Mansfield, which has 28 signatures of people who oppose those who oppose the connection. (“There is a group petitioning to stop the road from being completed between Kinnan and Mansfield,” the petition says. “They are stupid. Stupidity should be stopped, not roads.”)
But, it’s no joke to Dillinger, who says the proposed expansion of K-Bar Ranch, which sits along the Pasco-Hillsborough border right off Kinnan St., should be enough of a reason for all Meadow Pointe residents to oppose any connection.
The Tampa City Council held a second hearing May 3 on a proposal to build 700 more homes in K-Bar Ranch, and decided to postpone any decision until June 28 in the hopes that Pasco County can be persuaded to make three connections — one at Meadow Pointe Blvd. and K-Bar Branch Pkwy., one at Wyndfields Blvd. and K-Bar Ranch Pkwy., and a third one at Kinnan-Mansfield.
Dillinger has no problem with the first two connections, which he says would be made into less populated areas along the county line.
However, with three schools, a popular mall on S.R. 56, and plans for things like the Raymond James Financial Complex, a movie theater, sports complex, green grocer and other businesses and restaurants, Dillinger sees a Kinnan-Mansfield connection as disastrous.
“That’s a lot of cars driving through our neighborhood,” he says. “It has to stop.”
While online petitions are unlikely to sway any politician’s opinions — they will likely rely more on public meetings and more official government-run surveys to gauge the public mood — Dillinger has had success with them in the past.
Earlier this year, his online petition to stop the county from considering allowing a 7-Eleven to be built on Mansfield Blvd. and County Line Rd. — right in front of his son’s daycare — attracted more than 1,100 signatures. He also got the support of Pasco County District 2 Commissioner Mike Moore.
The county’s Development Review Committee elected to postpone a decision until a later, and as yet, unscheduled date.
He says he is hoping for similar success this time around.
(L.-r.) Lindsey Overland, Madison Gulley, Gracie Evans and Katelyn O’Neil show off their Alfredo Smothered Roasted Red Pepper & Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Swirls.
Quail Hollow Elementary (QHE) students Gracie Evans, Madison Gulley, Katelyn O’Neil and Lindsey Overland will be competing in a “Gridiron Challenge” on Saturday, May 19, at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ training facility at One Buc Place.
But, don’t expect the 10- and 11-year-old fifth-graders to be knocking anyone down with ferocious hits.
Instead, they will be trying to knock some people out with their Alfredo Smothered Roasted Red Pepper & Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Swirls.
The Wesley Chapel girls will take part in a culinary competition against students from three other schools in the annual Gridiron Cooking Challenge, part of the “Fuel Up to Play 60” initiative, an in-school nutrition and physical activity program run by the National Dairy Council and the NFL.
The event is free and open to the public to attend. And, while it’s still a few weeks away at our press time, the girls say they are already getting nervous.
“I think about it a lot. I’m very excited,” Katelyn says, with her teammates nodding in agreement.
At the competition, the Quail Hollow quartet will have an hour to prepare their signature dish for a panel of judges, including a Florida dairy farmer, the Bucs’ executive chef, a representative from Publix and teenage culinary whiz Zac Kara, a former MasterChef Junior competitor on FOX-TV.
The QHE team has its own culinary whiz and former television competitor in Gracie. In 2016, when she was just 9-years-old, she battled against nine other kid cooks from across the country on Food Network’s “Star Kids” cooking show.
On that show, Gracie had to present a live audition to judges, prepare dishes on the fly and incorporate social media — such as a Snapchat cooking tip — into her cooking presentation. She still maintains a popular Instagram page, where she posts her most current dishes.
It’s a skill set she picked up from her mother, Juliana, a well-known dessert maker who has appeared on NBC-TV’s “The Today Show,” as well as the Food Network and local TV. She describes herself as a “freelance food stylist,” and her daughter is following in her footsteps.
It was while both were giving demonstrations at the Southern Women’s Fair last October that Gracie was introduced to the Florida Dairy Council, which suggested she take part in the council’s upcoming competition.
The idea of a team competition appealed to Gracie, as opposed to the kid-to-kid cooking combat she went through at Food Network. She decided to team up with Madison, Katelyn and Lindsey, with fifth-grade teacher Alysha Moscarelli and Juliana helping to guide the girls.
“It will definitely be better than my first time,” Gracie says. “You will be able to rely on other people. It helps you relax more. You won’t be as nervous.”
The Power Of Teamwork
In fact, each girl has her own role to play on the team, forming a finely-tuned unit.
Gracie started brainstorming immediately after finding out about the competition. She pitched the Council with one of the recipes she served on the Food Network, modifying it by replacing the recipe’s marinara sauce with Alfredo sauce, as the competition calls for dairy-based recipes.
“I changed it a little bit,” Gracie says. “It was really easy to make and it is an interesting dish because it has a lot of components that, all together, taste really good.”
One of those components, which provides a secondary dash of dairy, could be called the “secret sauce” — yogurt.
“It made it a little creamier, and yogurt has that tart kind of a bite,” Juliana says. “It plays very nicely.”
Katelyn also helps with the Alfredo sauce. “We put a lot of work into it and practice and tasting, making sure it’s real smooth,’’ she says. “And, we have a lot of back-up plans, in case it’s not perfect.”
Lindsey’s job is the lemon ricotta filling, which she says she makes with ricotta cheese (still more dairy), zested lemon, salt and black pepper.
“We mix it all up and put it (on the noodles) and roll it all up,” she says.
Madison is responsible for the roasted pepper sun-dried tomato, which is blended with pesto, baby spinach, parsley and olive oil before being incorporated into the lasagna noodles.
“It’s very delicious,” says Madison, who is dubbed the “Pesto Queen” by her teacher.
Lindsey and Madison both say that since joining the Gridiron Challenge team, they have taken a greater interest in cooking and now make more dishes around their homes.
“I really enjoy doing the cooking,” Lindsey says. “But, I think it all started with this competition.”
The team has been practicing for three months now, sometimes at home, other times at school, where they push three desks together and set up their stations.
Moscarelli, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) teacher who has all four girls in two separate math and science classes at Quail Hollow, says she has enjoyed watching them work together in preparation for the upcoming competition, not to mention all the taste-testing she has been able to indulge in.
“It’s nice to see them use their critical thinking skills, communication skills and teamwork in everyday life,” she says. “And, the recipe is delicious.”
The girls are all friends and have each brought their own special talents to the cooking table — with a mix of brainstorming and experimentation.
“They started to talk about it at lunch,” Moscarelli says, “and they would say, ‘Ooh, what if we added this to the recipe?,’ and then would go home and try different things and alter the ingredients. They all jumped right in.”
The recipe is finalized, and the team is now working on the little things, like plating and timing. They will have to plate and present four dishes for the judges, and also are responsible for producing 50 samples for the audience.
The girls are confident they will do well and deliver a hit at the Gridiron Challenge. The delicious kind.
“We have been working hard,” Madison said. “It will be good.”
(Left to right) Micah, Mason and Maurice welcome baby sister Nylah Grace to the family. Mason and Nylah have something unusual in common — both were born in a car!
Michelle Knox seems to be able to take things in stride.
When she woke up around 6 a.m. on Tuesday, April 17, it was one day before her due date with her fourth child, her first girl.
She was feeling strong contractions that were only three minutes apart, but she didn’t panic.
She just followed the plan.
Nate, her husband, called the kids’ grandparents to take their three boys to school.
As her contractions got stronger, she felt the urge to push. Nate told her to put on pants. In case she needed to deliver her baby in the car, the pants would help catch.
Nate jumped in the front seat, Michelle got in the back. They headed to Florida Hospital Tampa near E. Fletcher Ave. on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.
Michelle knew from experience that she didn’t want to be in the front seat while she delivered her baby.
That’s where her last child was born.
Yes, you read that correctly. This is Michelle’s second time delivering her own child in a car.
This time, she was in the back seat when her water broke, near their home in Wesley Chapel.
Michelle was still in the back seat when she knew it was time. She told her husband, “Next contraction, I’m pushing.”
Michelle says they were on S.R. 54, near Wal-Mart and the Nissan dealership, in crowded morning traffic, when their baby girl was born.
“I couldn’t catch her,” Michelle says, so she kind of just fell into those useful pants.
“She cried automatically,” says Michelle. “I just wanted to make sure she was okay. As soon as I heard her cry, I was good.”
She pulled a blanket out of the bag she had packed for the hospital and swaddled her baby. “I wanted to feed her,” Michelle says, “but the umbilical cord was too short.”
When they arrived at Florida Hospital Tampa (FHT) — the hospital where her obstetrician has admitting privileges — the staff was ready for them.
“We have an emergency alert called Code Noelle, which not all hospitals have,” explains Richelle Hoenes-Ahearn, FHT’s director of corporate communications. “It means there is an obstetrical emergency and part of the plan for response includes a medical cart that is fully supplied with everything needed to help a mom in labor and deliver a baby. When Michelle’s husband came in and we called a Code Noelle, that cart was brought outside and had everything needed! It allows for complete care wherever the patient is, rather than waiting to bring Mom to a room.”
Michelle says she was grateful there was a team waiting for her outside the hospital. They cut the umbilical cord right there in the car.
“It was a relief knowing all he had to do was get me to the front door,” says Michelle. “They were prepared.”
She was then admitted to the hospital, where the baby weighed in at six pounds, 15 ounces. The baby and her mom were found to be doing just fine.
Maybe the harder task was agreeing on the name for their precious new baby.
Michelle says Nate didn’t like any of the suggestions she offered — he was still pushing for the girl name they agreed on when they first started dating, which was in high school in Fort Walton Beach in the Florida panhandle.
When hospital staff asked the baby’s name, Nate suggested Nylah Grace, and Michelle agreed.
Nylah joins her brothers Maurice, 14, Micah, 11, and Mason, 5.
If you’re worried about the state of the back seat of the family’s car after this experience, don’t be. It just so happens that Nate owns Everyday Car Wash, a mobile auto detailing business.
“He couldn’t focus until the car was clean,” Michelle says. “Now it’s like new. He does a great job.”
While I agree that Chuy’s Tex-Mex, which opened on April 24 on the north side of S.R. 56 (across from the Tampa Premium Outlets) is a cool-looking, fun place, following my first two visits to the Tex-Mex favorite of many of our readers (who previously had to go as far as Orlando to enjoy it), I’m still searching for my favorite dish at Chuy’s.
The bar area is a little smallish, but bright and cheery and some of the space is taken up by a very cool-looking 1950s-era chips & salsa-loaded car that Elvis himself might have driven and, speaking of Elvis, he is big at Chuy’s, where his birthday in January is celebrated every year with an Elvis impersonator (see page 3 for the local impersonator who should probably get the gig at our Chuy’s location).
Although I thought the loaded nachos and chicken flautas that came as part of the appetizer combo platter were excellent, I wasn’t thrilled with my chicken and steak combo fajitas (photo below left), as both were overcooked, although several people I spoke with after the VIP pre-opening event on April 23 said I should give the fajitas another try because theirs were excellent.
Chuy’s Tex-Mex is located at 25750 Sierra Center Blvd. For more info, call (813) 948-2211 or visit Chuys.com.
