Wesley Chapel puts events committee on hiatus, cancels four major events and appoints planning-board members

Wesley Chapel’s council voted to put the town’s Events & Programs Committee on hiatus and cancel four major community events while the park and dam remain under remediation. The canceled events listed by council were the spring fling, the car show, the fall bash and cookies & carols.

Council members cited volunteer shortages, the limited availability of the park while work is underway and the difficulty of recruiting committee members who are town residents. Several council members recommended pausing committee activity until dam remediation is complete and then restarting recruitment closer to reopening.

The council also appointed Karen Iso to Planning Board seat No. 2 (term end to be confirmed by staff) and later appointed Debbie Royce as a planning-board alternate; both actions were announced as unanimous. Two applicants — Jared, who described construction and utility-scale solar experience, and Debbie Royce, who said she had 14 years of teaching experience and local civic involvement — introduced themselves before the council selected Royce as an alternate.

Council members thanked staff and volunteers for organizing recent events and noted that a third-party operator at a recent community festival (identified in the meeting as Sunny Days) had prioritized vendor revenue and did not prominently brand the event as a Wesley Chapel program. Staff and volunteers stepped in to keep the event running and the council praised their efforts.

Council adjourned after brief closing remarks and expressions of appreciation for staff service.