The Tampa Tribune from Tampa, Florida • 13

Wednesday. Mardi 10, 1982 AN EDITION OF THE TAMPA TRIBUNE Commission OICs Loan To Keep Hospital Afloat receivable that basically just doesn't exist" "You don't show something on the books you don't expect to collect," Figurski said. The error resulted in an incorrect financial report being issued prior to sale The report showed West Pasco being $252,000 in the black when it was actually $566,000 in the red, he explained. And that has thrown a monkey to show the figures on the hospital's assets and liabilities and was compared to an audit prepared last September. That comparison showed a $839,000 discrepancy in the fund balance the difference between assets and liabilities, Figurski said.

After a thorough search of the books, the discrepancy was traced to several hundred thousand dollars in receivables that should never Have more difficult to resolve and the commission voted to delay a final decision on that matter until Thursday. The auditing error surfaced last week as county officials and representatives for American Health Care were nearing the end of their negotiations for the sale of West Pasco, said County Attorney Gerald Figurski. A new audit had been prepared been listed, he said. In layman's terms, that means books showed $839,000 in outstanding bills that had never been collected by the hospital but still could be collected. In reality, the hospital had no chance of collecting that money and Figurski said it should never have shown on the books.

He termed the $839,000 figure "a By TONY BRIGGS Tribune Staff Writer DADE CITY West Pasco Hospital's immediate financial problems were solved Tuesday when the Pasco County Commission authorized a $500,000 loan to keep the 102-bed hospital operating. But a new and more complex problem dealing with an $839,000 error in the hospital's audit proved wrench into the negotiations for the sale of West Pasco to American Health Care. Prior to the discovery of the error, the firm had offered to take on all the hospital's liabilities when the sale was final. But American Health Care made that offer based on incorrect information. Company representative Richard See HOSPITAL, Page 3 Pasco To Study Alternatives To New Landfill Av 7 "iff A 1 1 -v vw v' -a- A i i i 4 4 5 By TONY BRIGGS Tribune Staff Writer DADE CITY The Pasco County Commission backed away from making a quick decision on the selection of a new landfill site Tuesday and agreed instead to first do an in-depth study of alternative methods of solid waste disposal.

There was no vote on the matter at Tuesday's commission meeting here but Commission Chairman Barry Doyle said he wanted to call a special workshop session in the "near future" to discuss the options. "I think we need to look at any alternative sources other than a landfill," Doyle said. The annoucement was cheered by a group of about 40 Shady Hills residents who were in the audience to voice opposition to the landfill. A consulting engineering firm advised the commission several weeks ago that two large-acreage sites on Shady Hills Road were the best one's available in west Pasco for a landfill. But residents who lived around the proposed site weren't happy about the prospect of being the new dumping ground for the county's garbage and quickly organized to protest.

Several of them spoke during Tuesday's meeting. They told the commission they were concerned about the possible contamination of their wells and worried about the impact of the landfill on their children. Some of the residents suggested Pasco consider entering into an agreement to ship its garbage to Pinellas or Hillsborough counties where it could be incinerated. "This is one of the areas we are looking at," Doyle said. "We are looking at all aspects." Commissioners Sylvia Young and Sandra Lee Werner agreed and tried to reassure the residents they would investigate the alternatives before making a decision.

"We have the interests of Pasco County at heart," Werner said. But Commissioner James Holl-ingsworth was less optimistic. "We have in the past looked at some of the alternatives," he said. "But what I have found so far isn't very encouraging." Hollingsworth said his research has shown that such methods as incineration are very expensive and require a huge volume to be economically feasible. Pasco has neither the money nor the volume to justify such an alternative, he said.

"I hope there is going to be some magic cure," said Hollingsworth, who has jokingly dubbed himself the landfill lightning rod. "But a lot of these (alternative methods of disposal) are still in the theoretical stages." "I don't think there really is a guarantee that there is an alternative to a landfill," he said. "I would hope we can move on this thing and move very quickly to get it resolved." Hollingsworth got little support for that suggestion, however, and was told by one resident he had "a bad attitude." The commission decided instead to go along with Doyle's recommendation. It also directed county staff to investigate any alternative landfill sites that may be suggested in the weeks ahead. The county has been looking for a new landfill location since last summer, when it was informed the Ridge Road Landfill was nearing capacity.

Ridge Road closed last week but the selection of a new site has yet to be made. In the meantime, all west Pasco garbage is being transported to the east Pasco landifill near Dade City. Brian Duncan is co-author of a book that tells Pac-Man enthusiasts how to play for hours by paying only one thin coin. Tribune Art by Walt Johnson Fever ac-iviian Packing In Hours Of Fun On One Quarter Is Secret Of Game now selling a book that offers hours of Pac-Man pleasure for one thin coin. "Hopefully we're going to get back some of those quarters we've been spending," said Duncan with a smile during a recent visit to a north Tampa video game emporium.

The techniques for outsmarting the Pac-Man contest, and other video puzzles, are being marketed by a host of enterprising game wizards. At least six books, including the latest By DON HOLT Tribune Staff Writer Pac-Man fever is a quarter-gobbling epidemic in the arcades of America, but two University of South Florida students claim to have discovered a painless cure. Brian Duncan, an 18-year-old junior prettied student from Dade City, and David Wilson, a 23-year-old chemistry major from St Petersburg, have written, published and are entry authored by Duncan and Wilson, are on the market. Duncan naturally was playing Pac-Man, a Japanese import that has taken in an estimated $1 billion in quarters since its introduction to the United States 14 months ago. "We've built probably in excess of 95,000 games since November 1980," said Larry Berke, sales director for Midway Manufacturing Company of Chicago.

See PAC-MAN, Page 3 Bullets Designed To Help Police Killed Florida Trooper, Visitor 1 fvm 'ifSk ItUT i I iff If" a i i Nkv Xw By DON HOLT Tribune Staff Writer Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Phillip Black was shot to death on Feb. 20, 1976 with "killer" bullets, the type of bullets Hernando County Commissioners are considering banning. The 39-year-old Fort Lauderdale officer, a nine-year veteran of the patrol, was checking a battered car in a Broward County rest area off Interstate 95. Black, and a visiting Canadian constable riding with him, died in a hail of high velocity, Teflon-coated bullets originally invented to help police deal with heavily armed or shielded felons. His killers, two convicts wanted for other felonies, were captured and sentenced to Six years later, the deaths of Black and Constable Donald Irwin may become arguing points in a federally proposed ban of certain high-powered bullets, including the plastic-coated ones that killed those men.

"It is one of the cases we've been able to document in which a police officer was killed by a KTW. bullet," said Craig Floyd, a congressional aide in Washington, D.C., researched handgun ammunition for three years. Floyd is an administrative assistant of Rep. Mario Biaggi, D-New York, who introduced a bill Feb. 3 that would identify bullets which can penetrate 18 layers of Kevlar material in body armor.

Kevlar is a heavy metallic-type fabric used in the 18-layer bulletproof vests used by federal agents. "It's the most widely used police vest," said Floyd, speaking on behalf of Biaggi, a New York City policeman for 23 years who was wounded 10 times in his career. "Any handgun bullet capable of penetrating 18 layers of Kevlar would automatically be banned from the market place." a Most area dealers contacted by The Tribune said they did not stock the bullet because it is expensive ammunition that is rarely requested and which is not used by hunters. "I could order it," said Neil Summers, owner of Pasco Gun Workers and a National Rifle Association member. "It would cost around $20 for a box of 50.

But I won't order it unless requested by a law enforcement officer," he said. Summers said the ban would be senseless. "A .22 Magnum will penetrate most body armor so I don't know what the hell the politicians are talking about," he said. But supporters of the ban argue that increased handgun sales, skyrocketing murder rates in major metropolitan areas, and easy access to bullets that will penetrate a policeman's armor demand restrictions. The proliferation of handguns in the U.S., increasing attacks on police officers, and the open sale of the KTW and at least five other "super" bullets, are reasons Biaggi gave for his proposal.

Biaggi has two proposals before Congress. One, co-sponsored in the Senate by Fiona Sen. Paula Hawkins, R-Winter Park, and others, would require the Department of Treasury to identify handgun ammo that can penetrate body armor. Another proposal, co-sponsored by congressmen including Florida Rep. Claude Pepper, D-Miami, would prohibit such bullets from being manufactured, imported, sold or used in the U.S.

The bill also would create a one to 10-year mandatory sentence for anyone who uses the bullet in the commission of a felony. The proposal has created a new controversial front in the long-standing verbal warfare between advocates of hand- tr gun control and those who see it as a threat to their Constitutional right to bear arms. "It's ridiculous," growls 77-year-old Jerry Chassman, secretary of the 110-member Dade City Rod Gun Club, a senior affiliate of the National Rifle Association. Echoing the national organization's stand on the issue, Chassman said the proposal has little meaning. "The way those guys (ban proponents) talk, every murderer, hoodlum and rapist around lines up at the local gun shop on Friday night to load up on ammo," he said.

Chassman, a shooter since 1939 "and I haven't aimed at a person yet," said the ban "is opening a door to (firearms) registration." That the bullets are available in Florida is not questioned. Kurt Gell, a part owner of Open Season Enterprises in northeast Pasco County, said he does not stock but could obtain the bullets. "I probably could get them, but I wouldn't sell them to anybody, just law enforcement officers," he said. Gell, a part-time deputy, said he would oppose a ban "because it (the sale) is still free enterprise." He added that "there are other bullets you can get or make yourself' that would penetrate vests. 1 But he admitted that less reputable dealers market the KTW or other armor-piercing ammo.

Spokesmen in the Pasco, Hernando and Citrus sheriffs offices said the KTW bullet is not part of their standard ammunition supplies. Area gunsmiths said they rarely have requests for the KTW. See BULLETS, Page 3 7 Passing Through Robert Poirier, 32, of Edmonton, Canada, passes through Holiday recently as part of a cross-continent bicycle trip. He started May 8 and has covered 9,000 miles from Fairbanks, to Florida. He wants to ride into every state.

Photo by Jennv Teeter.