Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News

Page 1

Volume 21 Issue 26

Inside:

Check Out This Year’s Dining Contest Results!

December 14, 2013

See Neighborhood Magazine!

The Direct-Mail News Magazines Serving New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Since 1993! THIS INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY NEWS MAGAZINE IS DIRECTLY MAILED TO: WESLEY CHAPEL: Aberdeen • Belle Chase • Bridgewater • Brookside • Chapel Pines • Country Walk • Lexington Oaks • Meadow Pointe • New River • Northwood • Pinewalk • Pine Ridge Saddlebrook • Saddleridge Estates • Saddlewood • Seven Oaks • The Lakes at Northwood • The Villages of Wesley Chapel • Watergrass • Wesley Pointe • Westbrook Estates • Williamsburg NEW TAMPA: Arbor Greene • Cory Lake Isles • Cross Creek • Easton Park • Grand Hampton • Heritage Isles • Hunter’s Green • Hunter’s Key • K-Bar Ranch Lake Forest • Live Oak Preserve • Pebble Creek • Richmond Place • Tampa Palms • The Hammocks • West Meadows

PHCC Porter Campus To Open As Pasco Hernando State College! By Gary Nager Even though, at our press time, the new Pasco Hernando Community College (PHCC) Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch (located on Mansfield Blvd. at S.R. 56), still looked like more of a construction site than a college campus, PHCC Porter Campus Provost Stanley M. Giannet, Ph.D., said that school officials were expecting to receive the Certificate of Occupancy for the newest of Florida’s 29 two-year college campuses on Dec. 10, with the building actually opening on Jan. 2 and classes for the Spring 2014 semester set to begin on Mon., Jan. 13. Dr. Giannet gave a complete update on PHCC — which actually will be renamed Pasco Hernando State College (PHSC) when the five-campus community college receives its expected final accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Commission on Colleges later this month (which will transform the current four-campus PHCC into a fully-accredited, four-year state college the day it opens) — at the Dec. 4 meeting of the Wesley Chapel Rotary Club, which meets Wednesdays at noon at Ciao! Italian Bistro in the Shops at Wiregrass mall. The high-energy Provost of the (for now) PHCC Porter Campus explained that

the new campus is playing an integral role in PHCC’s transition to a four-year state college because it will be the home of the new PHSC’s first two Bachelor’s degree programs — a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Management & Supervision. And, although the many of the two-year Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree programs to be offered at PHSC’s Porter Campus will be in allied health fields, including pharmacy tech and surgical technologist programs. “Two full floors of the Porter Campus will be devoted to nursing and allied health Dr. Stanley Giannet (left) is the new Provost of the Pasco Hernando Community College Porter courses and degrees,” said Dr. Giannet. Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, which will open for classes on Jan. 13 as Pasco Hernando State College. “And, we already have an affiliation in place hosting of a three-evening information seswith Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel nearby on S.R. 56 and the other large comsion about the school, attended by, “about (FHWC) and are still finalizing opportunities panies that may soon be coming to the area. 180 people.” And, Dr. Giannet told the Rotarians, at for our students at the new North Tampa BeAnd, speaking of people, although Dr. havioral Health (NTBH) facility, both just a seven stories tall, the beautiful main building Giannet said the total 2014 enrollment at couple of miles from the school. This campus at the 60-acre Porter Campus will be the PHSC is expected to be about 2,500, “we is really going to be fully tied in with this tallest building in Pasco County when it opens, but “the real story is everything that may have to up that estimate because we’ve community.” only been accepting registrations for three In fact, the Provost also was hopeful that will be going on inside the buildings...and the weeks (at press time) and already have 1,050 the other two-year degree programs at people who will be staffing them.” The Provost called those who already students registered for the spring semester. PHSC’s Porter Campus, which will include We’re all very excited about opening.” paralegal, financial services, heavy workforce have filled the first 47 of 50 available positions at the Porter Campus, “a superstar team of For more info about PHCC’s Porter business programs and information technolCampus (2727 Mansfield Blvd.), call 527ogy, will help PHSC grads get jobs at the faculty, professionals and staff,” and thanked 6615 or visit PHCC.edu. planned Raymond James Financial office FHWC CEO Brian Adams for the hospital’s

Flocks Of ‘Wiregrass Wobblers’ Brave The Cold To Walk, Run & Raise Money By Gary Nager As a native New Yorker who used to run on cold fall and even winter days in Central Park, the first-ever Wiregrass Wobble 5K race & 1-mile fun run— held at the Shops at Wiregrass mall Thanksgiving morning — was an icy cold blast from the past for me. Thankfully, I wasn’t running in the event, where the start-time temperature was only 35º, I was just there to shoot it, but a spectacular total of roughly 1,500 deter-

mined men, women, teens and children did come out to compete, burn off a few hundred calories before indulging in their respective Thanksgiving feasts later in the day and raise money for a number of charities. The New Tampa Rotary, New Tampa Family YMCA and the FitNiche store in the Wiregrass mall co-sponsored the event, with each sponsor selecting its own charities to benefit, and benefit they did, as approximately 500 of the day’s 1,500 participants (at least 1,100 of which ran the full 5K)

Also Inside This Issue! NEWS, BUSINESS, SPORTS & EDUCATION UPDATES

NEIGHBORHOOD MAGAZINE!

Pasco Continues To Consider Elevated S.R. 54/56 Corridor, D & E Couriers Can Get Your Packages Across Town & Plenty Of Other Local Business Features!

Wing House Ladies To ‘Dress To Impress’ As Santa’s Helpers, Our 2013 Dining Survey & Contest Results & Some Savory New Neighborhood Nibbles & Biz Bytes!

Pages 1-30

Pages 31-40

showed up on race day, which was hundreds more people than the organizers were expecting or even hoping would show up for a firsttime road race with limited pre-publicity. And, even though we went to press too soon after the event itself to find out how much money was raised or to even be able to announce all of the And they’re off! The frenetic start to the ‘Wiregrass Wobble’ Turkey Trot 5K. age group winners of the 5K, the bottom line was that a lot of local folks came out to “enjoy” a spirited walk or run on the coldest day in months.

See “Wobble” on page 8.


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