Annual Pinellas County Hurricane Expo

The very best way to get interactive information from professionals on the approaching hurricane season is to plan to attend the informative PINELLAS COUNTY Hurricane Expo, 9am-2pm, Saturday May 17 at the Largo Cultural Center, 105 Central Park Drive. Largo, Fl. It's FREE to all residents.

This will be an exciting day of important information for the community. Learn all about the valuable resources that are available to you from the city and the county by visiting exhibitors with information on emergency assistance. Ask questions and get answers on insurance issues from the Florida Department of Financial Services. Find out how you can get connected to government resources through SW County Connection. Visit with the City of Largo Fire and Rescue and Emergency Management teams to learn how
communities can be prepared through CERT. And what are the new laws & resources regarding your pets during a storm? Get the answers from Pinellas County Animal Services. And the Red Cross and United Way; what would we do without them? From Pinellas County Utilities, learn about conservation and ways to prepare for storm waste reduction.

And what about the commercial items that you need to purchase to protect your family, home and property? Talk with the retail experts who can help you make your decision about which products and services to buy. There will be many displays from wind resistant windows, to ways of bracing your garage doors and a way to permanently document your homes' possessions .

Meteorologists from BayNews 9 will be available to answer questions & pass out information. Attendees will be able to register for door prizes from a variety of businesses.

Indeed, this is a "must attend" day of valuable information that you won't want to miss. This event will help you organize your Storm preparedness TO DO LIST.

Need more information? Please call Patricia Calvert, event organizer, at
727-825-0018.

SPPI - Historic Evening at the Bradshaw Mansion

We hope you will join us next week on Saturday, March 29, 6 to 9 p.m., at the historic Bradford Mansion, 609 Ingleside (11th) Avenue South.

You will find parking easy - on Ingleside Avenue and in two grass lots across from the mansion.

Unfamiliar with the Roser Park Historic District?
http://www.stpete.org/RoserPark.htm

http://www.roserpark.net

For an introduction to the Bradshaw Mansion, see the attached file.

If you come for the pre-party tour (and gravestone rubbing) in the Greenwood Cemetery between 5 and 6 p.m., you may come directly to the cemetery (3 blocks west of the mansion) or to the front gate of the mansion at 5 o'clock to join other walkers.

The event committee has been working busily to prepare a memorable evening on a historic theme, including food and drink, music, art, costumed historical characters of early Saint Petersburg, and much more. We will be welcomed inside the mansion and in the lushly landscaped garden/patio surrounding a new pool. Dress comfortably for this gala party.

We have received many generous contributions to our silent auction - several on a historic Saint Petersburg theme. One of these is a new, framed, oil on canvas of the Vinoy Hotel tower, by local artist Carrie Jadus. For a sneak preview of "Morning Moon" visit her website, http://www.xephyrart.com Or, you may go home with a gift certificate for native plants from "twigs & leaves" or a basket of collectibles from the Soreno Hotel.

If you have questions, or want to tell us your check is on it's way ($30 or $50 couple) - to save you a place - please call one of the following:

824-7802 SPP Message & Events Line
894-0514 Rebecca Falkenberry
504-9651 Irma Wehle
or reply by e-mail

Looking forward to seeing you on March 29!

Saint Petersburg Preservation, Inc.
P. O. Box 838
St. Petersburg, FL 33731
www.stpetepreservation.org

Seeking Home of the Year Award 2008 Nominations

Home of the Year Award 2008

One of the activities of the City Beautiful Commission has been the City Beautiful Awards Program. This program seeks to recognize building design. Categories vary from year to year, and generally include businesses and professional offices, places of worship, multilevel dwellings and annual categories such as neighborhood streetscape or special beautification projects.

Last year a new category of “Home of the Year” was added. This landscaping award recognizes outstanding achievement in residential properties for exterior curb appeal, landscaping design and yard maintenance, and overall contribution to the character of the neighborhood. Each Neighborhood Association may submit one nominee from within its boundaries to the City Beautiful Commission for consideration. Entries are due by July 15, 2008. The award will be given at the City Beautiful Annual Beautification Awards held in October.

I. Basic Rules
A. Property must be within city limits
B. One home can be submitted by each Neighborhood Association
C. Landscape must be in place for one full year
D. Judges must not be local residents
E. Photograph of the property

II. Judging Criteria
A. Overall curb appeal
B. Professionalism in landscape, design, color, and balance
C. Quality of landscape and building maintenance
D. Preservation of trees and natural amenities
E. Contribution to character of the neighborhood

Last year there were nine nominations.

The winner was Alice Roess, 401 Appian Way NE, Snell Island.

There were also two award of merit winners.

They were Wendy Wesley and Kevin Bailey, 1819 12th Street N, Euclid-St. Paul
and Alan and Sharon Pulnik, 163 20th Avenue S, Old Southeast.

This year we are hoping to expand on the number of entries. We are asking for your assistance in supporting this program and assist us in distributing the information to all neighborhood associations.

Application are available on the City of St Petersburg Web’s site: www.stpete.org/parks/citybeautiful.htm . If you have any questions, please call the Parks Department at 893-7335.

Historic Old Northeast Spring Garden Stroll

***PRESS RELEASE***

HISTORIC OLD NORTHEAST SPRING GARDEN STROLL
“Enchanted Gardens”
Sunday, May 4, 2008, 12:00-4:00 PM


A much-loved rite of spring, the Historic Old Northeast Neighborhood Association Garden Stroll returns to St. Petersburg on Sunday, May 4 from 12:00 to 4:00 PM. Visitors will have a rare opportunity to wander through a diverse selection of private gardens featuring lush landscape designs, native and exotic plants, creative patio designs, and unique water features and garden accessories.

Ticket prices are: $10 advance, $15 day-of.

This year the ticket price includes admission to Sunken Gardens on the day of the stroll. Sunken Gardens, a 4-acre botanical garden is located in the neighborhood at 1825 4th Street North. Bill O’Grady, Supervisor of Educational Programming at Sunken Gardens will be at one of the private gardens to answer all of your Florida gardening questions.

Tickets can be purchased in advance for $10 either by mail, (check should be made out to HONNA and sent with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to HONNA Garden Stroll, c/o Nona Peebles, 136 19th Avenue NE, St. Petersburg, Florida 33704) or beginning on March 28th at the following outlets:

Dolins Garden Center
801 62nd Avenue N

Bloom
3005 S. MacDill Avenue, Tampa

Jene’s Tropical Fruit Trees
6831 Central Avenue

Marion’s
1301 4th Street N

Savannahs Nursery
2601 34th Street S

Advance tickets will be redeemed at the Westminster Presbyterian Church at
126 11th Avenue NE.

Day-of-event tickets can be purchased for $15 at Westminster as well.

For further information see www.honna.org or call 727-825-0479.

October President's Message

VOTE City Council Elections on November 6th
Are you going to let 11% of the voters tell you what to do? If you sit home and do not cast your vote on November 6th, that is what will happen. Eleven percent is the predicted turnout for Council Races in Districts 1, 3, 5 and 7. Those elected to these four City Council seats
will help set the direction and pace for St. Petersburg for the next four years.

Freedom to cast a ballot is a right we have that our forefathers gave their lives for and our current service men and women continue to fight for. They made a difference for us – now you can repay them by making a difference too. VOTE on November 6th (or earlier by Absentee Ballot).

Pinellas Hope – Pilot Program for the Homeless
“Pinellas Hope” is an innovative pilot program aimed at reducing street homelessness in Pinellas County. It will provide a centralized location for assistance, counseling, placement and shelter. Built on the three C’s of community, commitment and compassion, the proposal calls for the donation of land by the Catholic Diocese. Private commitments will cover capital costs and the County will fund the operations costs. Pinellas Hope backers already include Progress Energy, St. Pete College, Religious Community Services of Pinellas County and the Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless Pinellas Hope will continue to rally community support for its efforts, as current plans call for it to open its doors as early as the first of December. It will give all of us a chance to help others less fortunate. Pinellas Hope supporters also understand that, as a pilot project, it will be as much a learning experience as it is a provider of crucial services.

Neighborhood Associations grow in Pinellas County
In July, CONA welcomed the formation of CNCN (Council of North County Neighborhoods). CONA provided guidance and the framework for their by-laws and organizational setup. Cass Rael is our CONA liaison to them and attends their meetings. We now look forward to working with the City of Largo as they develop a plan for their various neighborhoods. This is in the very beginning stages and we are excited for them. As we have done in the past, CONA will offer them assistance and guidance as requested. We hope that, in time, they will also form a CONA like umbrella association to assist all their neighborhoods. CONA continues to work closely with CNCN (and any new groups) on all relevant county items. We are all committed to making Pinellas County a great place to live.

Crime Watch Coordinators Meeting – October 9th
St Petersburg Police Department hosted their annual Crime Watch Coordinators meeting on Tuesday, October 9th at the Main Branch Public Library. Officer Johnny Harris brought everyone up to date on latest practices and techniques. CONA’s Public Safety Committee
members were introduced and answered questions from the various neighborhood coordinators.

Snipe Sign Patrol
Please remember to e-mail Travis Jarman with locations of snipe signs. The City is developing a database of these offenders. Please do not remove these snipe signs. Let City personnel do that for us. Just keep reporting those locations. We are making progress. Thanks everyone.

Barbara Heck, CONA President

Historic Kenwood - Bunglow Fest 2007

More details available on www.historickenwood.org.

Download PDF here.
1420BungalowFest_Watermark.pdf

Historic Kenwood - Art in the Park

Download PDF

Historic_Kenwood_poster2.pdf

September President's Message

St. Pete Homeless Connect
Saturday, September 22nd
Project Homeless Connect will be at the St. Petersburg Coliseum from 8:30AM to 3:30PM. It is a one-stop “customer focused” venue connecting homeless individuals with a variety of services such as, medical care, legal counseling, substance abuse treatment, employment and a variety of social services that can help lead to self sufficiency

Your participation is important and we hope to see the community step forward to volunteer their time and talents to ensure that this will be a successful and meaningful day and a means to a make a marked difference in the lives of those who are homeless. Thank you for volunteering.

City Council Elections
CONA along with other groups has been working to have the City televise candidate forums for all residents to view. There are a number of hurdles (legal and otherwise) to this. CONA feels televising these is in the best interest of the residents of St. Petersburg. An informed voter is what we all want.

With current budget cuts and possibly more in the future, the City needs good stewards on City Council. With 4 seats (out of 8) up for election, this November general election is very important. Please take every opportunity to learn about the candidates and their vision for this great city of ours. The next years will be really tough. We need tough Council members.

My next request is to get out and vote. Let’s prove the odds maker wrong and make this a fantastic turnout. Look around you – if only 10% of those able to vote did, that means that one person voted and 9 did not. 20% voted means you voted and 4 did not. 25% voted means you voted and 3 did not. Encourage your family and friends to get out and vote. Volunteer to drive friends to the polls who do not have transportation. Vote absentee ballot if you will be away and encourage housebound voters to do the same.

My final request – please do not complain about those elected, if you do not vote in this our upcoming election. My first question to you will be “did you vote in November?” If you can answer yes, then talk away. If your answer is no, then walk away. We want you to make a difference. Your vote will do just that. Please vote November 6th.

CONA Goals
We are making progress on these. We had quite a few diversions over the past months starting with the CPO changes, through the homeless situation up to the budget crisis/cuts and department reorganizations. We are back on track and working hard on each. Over the next few months, CONA will have various speakers at our meetings to educate us on these areas. We are working on a “report card” to tell us where we are and what we have to do to reach our goal. Right now, we still have a long way to go to reach that “A” grade.

Snipe Signs
Technically they are the ones tacked onto the poles that advertise a “for-profit” business. We have morphed that name into any of those signs that seem to “pop up” in the right of way at busy corners or entrances to neighborhoods. Some are professionally printed, some are handwritten and ALL ARE ILLEGAL ! ! !

Travis Jarman is working closely with City staff on this project. While I would love for us all to be able to go out and pull up those signs, we would be putting ourselves in danger. Many locations are very busy. Stopping your car in the middle of a busy street to pull a sign off the median is not safe. Some signs may have jagged edges meant to cut you. That is not safe. So, with the encouragement of City staff (and Legal Dept), we are going to just report those worst locations and let the professionals remove them. They are doing that now, but need our eyes to direct them to those really bad snipe sign locations.

Can you help us? E-mail your list to Travis Jarman and he will let the city know. Just report only those “for-profit” signs that are in the median or right of way. If the sign is advertising a restaurant and it is in front of the restaurant, it is legal. Do not report political signs either.

Barbara Heck
CONA President

June President's Message

The last few weeks have seen a flurry of challenges for our neighborhoods. We have been bombarded with looming tax cuts, looming staff and services cuts, looming high rise condos, looming dissection of a Preserve and on and on.

As we move forward on these issues, let’s take a moment and B-R-E-A-T-H-E. Yes, I mean, stop what you are doing and breathe in a deep refreshing breath of fresh, wonderful Florida air. OK. Now that we are a bit calmer, here is what I think we need to do to be successful.

Tallahassee and Proposed Tax Cuts
CONA and the neighborhoods have some very challenging days ahead of us. Impending tax cuts from Tallahassee mean counterbalancing budget cuts and possible staff reductions here in our beloved city and county.

Each neighborhood needs to decide what is most important to them that might be slated for cuts or elimination– and do that very quickly. Once decided, bring those concerns forward to your state representatives, City Council persons and your County Commissioners.

Call, fax and write letters and e-mails. Make certain your voice is heard. CONA can also help. Check our CONA website for further contact information.

Brooker Creek Preserve
CONA voted at the May meeting to join with our North County neighbors to ask the Board of County Commissioners to “preserve the Preserve.” We need your help to let each of our County Commissioners know that we in south Pinellas County are just as concerned about this issue. It is not just a small group from north Pinellas County – this plan affects all of us. Again, please call, fax and write letters and e-mails to tell them to “please do not disturb the Preserve.”

Inappropriate Development
I would like to see City Council place a moratorium on all site plan requests until the new LDR’s are in place. By trying to squeeze in under the old and outdated LDR’s, some developers are submitting very inappropriate plans that do not reflect the character or the ambiance of the surrounding neighborhood. Within a few weeks, the new LDR’s will be law. These new LDR’s were crafted over the past 7 years with input from everyone and truly reflect what we want to see St. Petersburg become as outlined in our Vision 2020.

CONA CAN – do it ! ! !
In the months ahead as the City and County make their budget adjustments, there will be programs that are reduced or deleted. CONA is asking the neighborhood associations to work in partnership with the city, each other and CONA to help find volunteers, golden angels or whatever it takes to support those programs we want to keep up and running. We do not yet know what they are, but we do know there will be a substantial need for help. Our new motto is going to be – CONA CAN . . . do it. With your help, CONA CAN.

Hurricane Preparation
You heard it all at our May meeting. PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE. Neighborhoods, please look at working on a neighbor to neighbor appeal in your areas. The first two to three days you may be on our own until help can arrive. Be safe, but be ready for whatever my come your way.

Barbara Heck
CONA President