C.O.N.A. of South Pinellas County

Building Together, Our Second Century

Jun 16, 2003

POLICE ISSUES? COME AND CHAT WITH THE CHIEF

Chief of Police, Charles ?“Chuck?” Harmon will be our featured speaker this month. Since he was appointed Chief of Police on December 18, 2001 by Mayor Baker there have been continuous questions as to how the Police Department is performing. The Chief and his staff have met with CONA representatives to discuss issues and concerns for over a-year-and-a-half. We have now asked that Chief Harmon attend our June meeting and bring us up to speed on the issues that concern us most -- drugs and prostitution, assault weapons (both for the officers and from the criminals), gangs, CPOs in and out of our neighborhoods, staffing levels and retention, traffic and speeding in the City. We have asked Chief Harmon to address these issues and what we can expect for the future of our police department.


DEAR NEIGHBORS,

Summer is here and it seems to be going by quickly. This last weekend St. Petersburg celebrated its 100th Birthday. I don?’t know how many of you came out to the various functions, but the Friday night ?“Get Down Town?” party was packed and at the Saturday party at the Pier Mayor Baker cut up over twenty sheet cakes donated by Albertson?’s. The entertainment was a blast and the tour buses and residents just kept coming. The neighborhoods that celebrated in their areas had a great turnout, and it is always nice to meet new residents.

The meeting for June is going to be very enlightening. Chief Harmon is coming to answer the questions that you have had the last couple of months. We should also be prepared to talk about the retention program, CPOs and the newest idea of police-issued assault rifles. I have found Chief Harmon to be very accessible when questions arise, and I feel that it is best that you hear answers to your questions directly from him. The major portion of the June 18th meeting will be a ?“State of the Police Department?” with a Q & A session. Bring your questions and your neighbors.

We are planning another presentation in regards to Albert Whitted Airfield, the proposed park, the compromise that Mayor Baker presented. Mayor Baker is preparing a written report and would like public input on what to do once the ?“Times?” Bayfront Arena in taken down. The keeping or removing of the airport is going to be an important issue on the November ballot. Please get you organizations involved and get the whole story. St. Petersburg is too important to all of us to not know what the choices are and what the future could be. That?’s why you are involved as much as you are in you community.

Looking forward to seeing you at the meeting.

Sincerely your neighbor,

Brent


AGENDA

Pledge
Minutes
Treasurer?’s Report
Committee Reports:
Codes
Neighborhood Partnership Office
Guest Speaker:
Chief of Police Charles ?“Chuck?” Harmon
Old Business
New Business
Announcements


MAY BOARD OF DIRECTOR'S MEETING MINUTES

The May C.O.N.A. meeting was held on May 21st, 2003, at The Sunshine Center, 330 5th Street North, St. Petersburg.

President Brent Fisher called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

?˜ The President inquired if all had received our May Newsletter. He then called for any corrections or additions to the published April Minutes. Hearing none, he approved the April Minutes as printed.
?˜ Libby Steele gave the Treasurer's Report noting a current balance of $3,471.00 following April expenses of $113.00, renewal of our bulk mail permit $150.00, and Leadership Program costs of $518.00.
?˜ Though the expected speaker from the Devil Rays could not attend, Brent invited the audience to take team brochures available at the rear.
?˜ Reporting on the bi-monthly CONA meeting with Police Chief Harmon, Brent spoke of the current crime sweep which has required temporary redeployment of many Community Police Officers. The Chief assured us that the results of this campaign would gratify the community.
- Brent also discussed the possibility of a rotation of the venue of the meetings with Chief Harmon among the police districts to assure broader representation in those meetings.
?˜ We also heard from the CONA committee working with city staff on the revised codes and permits process. They hope to have the proposed texts at our June meeting, which will go to City Council in July.
?˜ We next heard a presentation by Dr. David McKalip describing the present emergency faced by Florida physicians who encounter unacceptable expenses in escalating malpractice insurance rates. He urged that the only effective solution would be a legislative maximum ("cap"), on claims for non-economic compensation, (i.e. pain and suffering). He appealed for our support in contacting our Florida legislators.
?˜ Brent Fisher repeated an appraisal by Rick Smith, of the city's Historic Preservation Staff, that efforts would be made to convert and save the Lealman School building despite not qualifying as an historic landmark.
?˜ Our meeting attendees next heard of plans to operate the Bay Village Charter School in the facilities of the Maximo Presbyterian Church.
?˜ Rebecca Stewart of the Neighborhood Partnership Office reminded us:
- June 6 - 8 will mark the joint city birthday celebrations with St. Petersburg, Russia. Neighborhoods that plan coordinated celebrations will be able to buy discounted birthday cakes at Albertsons.
- The state Neighborhood's Conference will be in Sarasota, Sept. 11-13th.
- New applications for partnership grants will be available in a few weeks.
?˜ Linda Testa of Venetian Isles Homeowner's Association came to urge CONA support for resolution requesting that the City Permitting Department require all permit applicants submitting plans for neighborhoods that have deed restriction covenants in force must submit evidence that the impacted neighborhood has reviewed the proposed construction drawings.
X- Moved, (Testa/Baker), CONA supports the Venetian Isles resolution to City Council that the City Permitting Department would require that building applicants in deed restricted neighborhoods would confirm that their plans have been submitted for review by the impacted neighborhoods. [Approved]
?˜ Cathy Wilson of the CONA Traffic Committee reported that new criteria have been proposed that modifies the prioritization scheme to add an additional term to account for added traffic flow on streets adjoining thoroughfares that have been modified with traffic calming measures.
?˜ Capt. Ron Russell again spoke of the Amber Alert System citing three recent successes in recovering abducted children and offering to speak before any of our neighborhood monthly meetings.
?˜ Mort Sherman of our CONA Reclaimed Water Committee gave an update of his efforts to persuade the city to further develop their reclaimed water system before a drought emergency arrives. Linda Testa and Karl Nurse volunteered to assist Mort in pressing the city for more action on this program.

New Business:
- Casimiro Rael, (North Kenwood), invited all to attend their neighborhood picnic, June 14th at Booker Creek Park.
- Brent reminded members to keep our Newsletter Editor, Paula Engel, informed of coming events planned for their neighborhoods.
- Steve Plice, (Jungle Terrace), offered some statistics related to the proposed new city budget. His numbers suggested a scale of pay cuts graduated by the pay levels of city administrative executives.
- President Fisher requested that our CONA representatives on the City Planning Commission, (Jeff Danner and Karl Nurse) recluse themselves prior to a floor discussion of pending city staff activity.
?· It was urged we have a 6-month moratorium on staff variance approvals pending resolution of the new codes plans.
?· Property values that include vacated alleys and easements should reflect the market value of the accrued real estate acreage.
?· Tim Baker, (North Downtown), cited several aspects of the proposed zoning ordinances, which he feels CONA must oppose before City Council. Our June meeting will provide an analysis of these proposals.
?· Cathy Wilson, (Greater Woodlawn), criticized the current reallocation of our Community Police Officers and requested that CONA invite Police Chief Harmon to address our June meeting to respond to questions.
?· Tim Baker urged member associations to invite him to present an alternate use for Albert Whitted Airport to their neighborhoods speaking on the theme: "For A New Waterfront Park".
?· In a similar offer, representatives of the new Bay View Charter School would like to speak to our neighborhood associations about their immediate and long term plans for their developing institution.
X- Moved, (Plice/Baker), to adjourn at 9 p.m.
[Approved]

Respectfully submitted,
Conrad Weiser, Secretary


PARTNERSHIP NEWS-

Florida Neighborhoods Conference
It's time to register for the 7th Annual Florida Neighborhoods Conference, September 12 & 13, 2003, in Sarasota. Registration booklets will be mailed to all neighborhood
associations or can be found on the City of Sarasota's website:
www.fnc.sarasotagov.com.

All-State Neighborhood Team
The Florida Neighborhoods Conference is accepting nominations for the
All-State Neighborhood Team -- to be announced at the closing luncheon on
September 13, 2003, in Sarasota.

Do you know someone who:
a.) Is an active member of a neighborhood group - association, watch, or block captain?
b.) Is a trailblazer in neighborhood initiatives or grassroots efforts?
c.) Goes above and beyond in neighborhood improvement efforts?
d.) Is proactive in promoting good neighbor relationships?
AND is
e.) A proven leader in the community?

Submit your nomination when you register for the Florida Neighborhoods
Conference.

1st ?“Neighborhoods at the Trop?” Tickets Request!
Kudos to Holiday Park Neighborhood Association for submitting their
request for 62 tickets for the September 20th Devil Rays vs. Yankees
game.

We heard that a neighborhood association in Hillsborough County will be
ordering 50 tickets. Have you ordered yours? The game date and time is:
Tampa Bay Devil Rays vs. New York Yankees, September 20th, 6:15 p.m.
Tickets are $5.00 each. Make checks payable to Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Please send your checks and number of tickets requested to the Neighborhood Partnership Office.

A New St. Petersburg Goes Online

There's a whole new virtual city to discover on St. Petersburg's official Web site,
www.stpete.org. Mayor Rick Baker unveiled the website on Monday, May 30th,
demonstrating features, such as online utility bill payments, the St. Pete Shines
business site, additional interactive opportunities and more.

Bob Gilder's Volunteer Paint Day, June 28th,
8 a.m. ?– 2 p.m.
In recognition of Mr. Gilder's devotion to improve our city, we're asking volunteers to come out and help paint-up, clean-up & fix-up our
neighborhoods. Bob and the N-Team have completed more than 2,500 projects in St. Petersburg. To volunteer, or for more information, please call Vel Thompson at 551-3150. The volunteers will meet at the Wildwood Recreation Center at 1000 28th Street South


LISTBOT OPTIONS
By Conrad Weiser, CONA Secretary and Listbot Moderator

There are two listbot subscriber options that some of our readers may want to consider.

(1) "No E-mail" is an option that you can select or cancel at will. [Note: Tell me of your intention, only a Moderator can implement the change.] Under this mode, you will not be sent the posted messages from the listbot but?…?…you can still send your own comments AND you are free to access the archive to read any messages that you have missed.
To gain access to the archive, found on our website home page: www.groups.yahoo.com/group/stpetecona you must first have selected a Yahoo I.D. and Password. [The Yahoo system typically rejects your admission, but if you ignore that rebuff and click on "Sign in now" you will open a window to enter your I.D. and Password. Then click the "Sign in" button and you will view the message archive.]
In this mode, you may find it convenient to check the archive while traveling, visiting a friend, or stopping at a public library. If you go to the above website and enter your I.D. as described, you can read our listbot AND post your own comments, (click on "Post" in the left margin of the home page), from ANY computer with Web access.

(2) "Daily Digest" is another alternative mode you might find attractive. Once each day, (early), Yahoo sends you a list of yesterday's postings. It is a brief listing of the subject lines of the previous day's messages. Scrolling down through the digest, however, you can read the full text of each message. [Note: In this mode you cannot download any attachments on the messages. You will have to visit the archive, as above, to do the attachment downloads.] Some users prefer this mode rather than have the listbot postings scattered throughout their mail inbox all day long!
Need I add that all of the above presumes that you are an enrolled subscriber to our listbot. None of the above applies to non-subscribers.

If you are not a recipient of our Listbot news, you must contact Brent Fisher. He is the
only person authorized to add your name to our list.


NEIGHBORHOOD BRIEFS

Neighborhood 100th Birthday Celebrations

The following neighborhoods have celebrated St. Petersburg?’s birthday with neighborhood association events: Mangrove Bayou (June 3), Fruitland Heights (June 6), Euclid-St. Paul (June 7), Uptown and Roser Park (June 7)

These neighborhoods plan future events: Crescent Heights, Fruitland Heights, Harbordale, Highland Oaks, Wildwood Heights, Casler Heights, Meadowlawn, Campbell Park, Cromwell Heights, Snell Isle, Causeway Isles, Riviera Bay, Euclid Heights, and Historic Uptown.

North Kenwood Neighborhood Cleanup
Annual Neighborhood Cleanup Day for North Kenwood Neighborhood Association
is scheduled for June 30th. The area to be covered is: 9th Avenue North (north side) to 22nd Avenue North (south side) and I-275 to 34th Street North - US 19 (east side)
All items need to be placed at normal garbage pickup location by 7 a.m on June 30th.
For more information, call Phil Wysong, President, NKNA, at


Family Fun Festival at Campbell Park
The Garnelle Jenkins Annual Family Fun Day Festival will be held on Saturday, July 26th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at Campbell Park, 601 14th Street S. The festival, now in its 7th year, is sponsored by the Successes Unlimited Women & Youth Business Center, Inc. It focuses on bringing residents, police and other city staff, social service providers, advocates for children, educators, businesses, community and economic development agencies, health care providers, local community groups and churches together for a day of fun, peace, unity, sharing of information and positive interactions. There will be games, entertainment, food and giveaways. Contact Tee Lassiter at 906-4887 for more information. Booth space for vendors is also available. Contact Greg or Delores Duckett at 866-1508 to reserve one for your business.

CPOs on COPNA Agenda
Central Oak Park Neighborhood Association presented petitions on May 23rd to Mayor Rick Baker, Police Chief Chuck Harmon, and City Council representative Rene Flowers (who serves our area) stressing the importance of keeping community police officers in our neighborhoods and in the budget. Chief Harmon's office responded quickly with a request to address our June meeting, and arrangements for his appearance are complete. For other CONA members wishing to attend, the meeting is June 17th at 7PM at St. Luke's United Methodist Church, 4444 5th Avenue North (rear of building). For more information contact Dan Spice, President, COPNA,
at 328-2852 or centraloakpark@aol.com.


22nd's A MESS!
Pinellas County's Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) along with consultants Tindale-Oliver & Associates are conducting a traffic study of the 22nd Ave North corridor. The MPO periodically surveys major roadways in the county to see if there are ways to reduce congestion/constraints to make them more drivable. The study area is from MLK (9th) to 68th Streets and from 13th to 30th Avenues N. Public input is welcome and necessary for them to do their job. Meetings are being held to find problem areas and to get ideas for improvement. Contact Pinellas County Program Planner Jairo Viafara at 464-4751 or go to www.co.pinellas.us/mpo for more information and meeting dates, times and places.


CONSOLIDATED NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS?
by Tim Baker, President, North Downtown Neighborhood Association

Two downtown neighborhood associations have begun merger discussions. If the merger goes through, it would create one of the largest associations in the city, in terms of size and population. The neighborhoods are the North Downtown Neighborhood Association and the Unviersity Park Neighborhood Association. Membership votes on the merger are planned for next January. The new association would represent the area bounded by 5th Avenue South to 5th Avenue North, from Tampa Bay to Martin Luther King Street. Currently, NoDo covers the area north of Central Avenue, and University Park the area south of Central.

One of the reasons for the proposal is that the issues that face the two neighborhoods are generally the same. For example, the city is currently working on a project to rewrite the zoning codes for the city, including the residential parts of downtown. It could be beneficial to have the two neighborhoods speak with one voice on any proposed changes in those codes. Another issue that faces both neighborhoods is waterfront development.

The NoDo board of directors on May 8 took the first official step towards the merger when it voted to approve the merger in principle, and to cooperate with University Park in putting together a detailed proposal that would be voted on in both neighborhoods. Once University Park approves a similar resolution, a committee will be formed to work out a detail proposal that the association members can vote on in January.

The University Park neighborhood has been changing rapidly of late. It is now home to the Madison - a large, upscale rental complex; a number of small townhouse projects are under way, and construction has begun on a new Publix supermarket and an Eckerd drugstore. North Downtown, meanwhile, may soon have two new waterfront high-rises under construction, along with some condominium conversion projects.

According to the 2000 Census, the population of the NoDo neighborhood is about 3,200, and of University Park about 1,500. The combined neighborhood would then have a population of 4,700.


A NEW TWIST TO NEIGHBORHOOD TOURS-
by Tim Baker, President, North Downtown Neighborhood Association

In recent years, a number of St. Petersburg's neighborhoods have conducted successful home tours, which can raise money for neighborhood associations and other good causes, and also help advertise a neighborhood's best qualities.

The North Downtown Neighborhood Association decided this year to conduct its first-ever tour, with a couple of differences. Instead of inviting people to view homes, NoDo invited people to visit some private courtyards. Also, NoDo decided that instead of a self-guided tour, it would do a group tour with a limit of 50 people.

The results were as good as could be hoped. The tour was sold out, and before it was over, people were talking about doing it again in six months or a year. The association raised $1,000 in ticket sales, half of which was donated to the St. Petersburg Free Clinic. Expenses were only about $150, leaving $350 for the association treasury.

The tour took in six courtyards around the neighborhood, including at the Mansion House Bed and Breakfast, the Flori di Leon, Fareham Square, the Huntington, St. Peter's Episcopal Cathedral and the Snell Arcade roof. Beer, wine and hors d'oeuvres were served on the Snell Arcade roof. Among the highlights of the tour was the chance to look at a scrapbook of memoribilia at the Flori di Leon, which included post cards from one-time resident Babe Ruth. The party was, of course, another highlight. The association paid for the beverages, while the food was catered by the Cafe Monet on Central Avenue, in exchange for an ad in the association newsletter.


LDR COMMITTEES MEET-
By Cathy Wilson, President, Greater Woodlawn
Some of you may not be aware of this yet, but the City of St. Petersburg is now in the middle of rewriting all of their zoning code. Committees made up of citizens and City staff are now meeting to decide how new zoning maps should be drawn. The committees meet twice each month and are open to any St. Petersburg resident who wants to participate. The work they are doing is vital to our City's future because it will influence the way our City grows and develops for years to come. The current meetings run through July 14th. The areas now being covered are: Traditional Neighborhoods, Traditional Corridors, Suburban Neighborhoods, Suburban Corridors, Residential Corridors, and Industrial Traditional. There is another meeting series after this one that will cover Grandfathered and Non-Conforming Uses and other topics. Please call Lynn Moore with the City at 893-7867 or lmmoore@stpete.org for definitions of the committees and a copy of the meeting schedules.


NEW IDEAS FOR "CRIME WATCHING"?
By Conrad Weiser, Mobel Americana
The following newspaper excerpt was sent to the CONA Executive Board, to our Neighborhood Partnership Office, and to some staff at the SPPD. I am soliciting, within each group, their appraisal of the prospects for developing similar tools here in St. Petersburg. May I also ask you to consider programs that might be successful here?

Two ideas that come to mind are the "City Watch" telephone alert system currently under development by Officer Chip Wells, (SPPD), and our own CONA Listbot, which currently has 47 subscribers. Consider these points:
- Would new limited networks be of advantage?
- Would all similar business groups want to be tied together for phone or Internet alerts? [Recall the rash of oriental restaurant holdups, a few years ago by a Vietnamese gang.]
- Would a network of our local real estate brokers profit by a media reporting phony client callers? Would a business group, (e.g. Fourth Street Business District) find protection in having phone access to the City Watch Program to report robberies? [Currently only Chip has the authority to record the alerting phone messages.]
The City Watch System in currently in place. Any number of special group listbots can be setup at no cost. [CONA can assist.] Read on, think about the possibilities and share your ideas at the next CONA meeting.


THE VIEW FROM MY FRONT PORCH
By Chris Kelly, President, Roser Park Neighborhood Association
Streetbowling Came to Uptown Last Week
Equal parts David Letterman skit, block party, good-natured competition and yet all fun, in Uptown streetbowling provided a catalyst to get scores of neighbors together. Closing Granville Court north of 9th Avenue, the neighborhood saw its largest event in decades as tenants and homeowners, longtime residents and rehabbers added another event to the 100/300 Anniversary weekend. Neighborhoods from across the City were represented, with the grand prizes in the Children?’s Division going to 12-year-old Harold Hood of Greater Pinellas Point and the adult winner being your humble writer.
We?’d worked out some of the bugs in the first two bowling parties in Roser Park, experimenting to figure out that about 36 adult bowlers can participate in a two-hour session. We established a rule that every child gets to bowl, regardless of how long it takes. The used bowling pins come from a local alley, the balls from a thrift store, the rest of the event is as rigid or flexible as you like. We hit on the idea that each bowler throws a ?‘frame?’ composed of two balls, and that the roster is divided into groups of four. As the groups complete their first frame we determine who advances to the semifinals, and so on.
Uptown N/A President Kristy Light was surprised by how thoroughly the Uptown neighbors embraced the idea, with one donating and smoking a pig the day of the event, another donating a ball, and another donating a 1960s PBA bowling shirt as prizes. Neighbors from Crescent Lake and Mirror Lake areas attended, and all had a great time.
A simple press release garnered a positive story in the Neighborhood Times and the Northeast News, and while Channel 10 didn?’t show up, the neighborhood did get a good shot of free and positive publicity. Similar PR opportunities for traditional neighborhoods near downtown St. Petersburg have never been greater, for Uptown and North Downtown, Roser, Bartlett and Campbell Parks. An army of home rehabbers and restorers are bringing attractive finished homes to the market, a vital downtown is no longer a dream, and an increased proportion of homeowners are making the neighborhoods safer.
As these neighborhoods repopulate, the new residents have an unprecedented opportunity to develop their own traditions and dynamic events. Before the meltdown of urban St Petersburg in the 1970s we celebrated, through the Festival of States and other events, being from elsewhere. In Uptown on Saturday, under towering banyans and charming two story craftsman bungalows, we celebrated being here, in this place, with children, today.
Photos of St Pete's 3rd Annual Streetbowling Tournament are online at www.uptownneighborhoods.com.


QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it."?….Dwight D. Eisenhower