Council of Neighborhood Associations

Statement from State Attorney Bernie McCabe

2008-08-14T09:32:00.002-04:00

Letter of Statement from Bernie McCabe's office about the Javon Dawson shooting.

Download the PDF here.

SPPD-JavonDawson.pdf

August President's Message

2008-08-04T06:48:00.001-04:00

CONA Challenges. CONA members have been dealing with a wide variety of issues this spring and summer. CONA thanks everyone who participated in the lengthy process. Many issues are still unresolved and we will continue working hard on them. So fasten your seat belts because we have a lot to accomplish in the next few months. Here are some of the items (and some new ones):

• Public Safety (CONA Goal #1)
• Homeless (CONA Goal #2)
• Affordable Housing (CONA Goal #3)
• Preservation / Landmarking of historic resources (CONA Goal #6)
• By-Laws updating
• Baseball visioning – (A Baseball Community, the coalition)
• St Petersburg Pier Visioning
• Codes – new policies

Please volunteer for these Committees and offer your suggestions. Can’t join a Committee? Use e-mails, US mail and phone calls to make your case to the Committees working on the issue. CONA needs to hear from your neighborhood as to where you stand on these
issues.

You cannot expect to push your solution if you have never been part of the process. Please take the time and make the effort. The loudest voice in the room many times does NOT completely understand the problem. Loud no longer works here at CONA. Doing the research, learning the facts, finding reasonable solutions does work and moves all of us forward. Please participate.

Neighborhood Concerns – we can help. We have many mentors who are ready and willing to assist you with your neighborhood challenges. Please contact Tom Killian or any officer with your problem and you will be put in touch with a mentor who can help your association find a solution.

Vote – August 26th Primary. Our forefathers paid heavily for us to have the opportunity of free and unfettered elections. Please honor them and this country by casting your ballot in the August Primary and again in the November General Election. CONA hopes that you are working to find a solution and making a difference in your neighborhoods.

Because that is what you and we do best – find solutions!!

Annual Pinellas County Hurricane Expo

2008-04-30T09:10:00.000-04:00

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

2008-03-20T08:18:00.003-04:00

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

2008-03-12T10:57:00.003-04:00

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

2008-03-10T15:24:00.001-04:00

***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

2007-10-04T14:11:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-04T14:04:00.000-04:00

More details available on www.historickenwood.org.

Download PDF here.
1420BungalowFest_Watermark.pdf

Historic Kenwood - Art in the Park

2007-09-18T10:57:00.000-04:00

Download PDF

Historic_Kenwood_poster2.pdf

September President's Message

2007-09-18T07:44:00.000-04:00

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

2007-06-19T10:55:00.000-04:00

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

Workforce Housing Social

2007-05-17T17:22:00.000-04:00

May President's Message

2007-05-17T17:04:00.000-04:00

To tax or not – that is the question
I am writing this on May 1st without knowledge of what our friends in Tallahassee will decide about insurance rates, tax cuts and other related issues. We all need to be very aware of what is happening and why. We need to understand that any tax cut will also have some effect on our daily life beyond our pocketbooks.

Things (and you and I can only guess at what these “things” are) will be reduced, delayed or eliminated entirely. No one can really say with 100 % accuracy what will have to be trimmed, but trimmed these “things” will be. I lived in California before, during and after Prop 13 was voted into effect. Lots of “things” were trimmed, delayed or eliminated entirely and residents soon found out what a tax cut truly meant to their services right in their own neighborhoods and own backyards.

We need to be prepared for what is ahead. We need to understand that no tax cut can be made without a counterbalancing cut or reduction in the services provided by that funding. We can forge ahead in these difficult times. This is when the neighborhoods can really shine AND really make a difference. We will need to be extra creative when working on our projects to find ways to literally fund them with “no funds available.”

We can do this. Our parents and grandparents and great grandparents lived through a terrible depression and wars and economy downturns. They survived. We are built of that same wonderful stock. We have a tough job ahead as does every city government in Florida, but we are all more than up to the task.

Let’s come together neighbor to neighbor and neighborhood to neighborhood to make 2007 a great year in spite of these “challenges.” Please join your CONA friends in “working together for a better St. Petersburg.”

Mark your Calendars – A very important June meeting
To honor our CONA heritage, we will be having a special President’s Night June 20th.
We are inviting all our past CONA Presidents and city officials to join us for a Social Night We want to share our history with all our newer members. Let’s see what has changed in the neighborhoods and what “challenges” we still face.

PS – Please pay your overdue CONA dues now to Keith Locke, Treasurer.

April President's message

2007-04-17T17:30:00.000-04:00

Mark your Calendars – Important upcoming May and June meetings
In preparation for Hurricane Season, we will devote much of our May meeting to “being prepared.” We will have the experts here to talk to you. We want you to take this information back to your neighborhoods. Put the facts in your newsletters, set up a neighborhood policy on how to deal with a catastrophe now while you have time to work out all the details. Better to be safe and ready now then very, very sorry later.

To honor our CONA heritage, we will be having a special President’s Night for our June meeting. We are inviting all our past CONA Presidents and city officials to join us for a Social Night of Celebration. We want to share our history with all our newer members.Hopefully, our past Presidents can take 5 minutes each and tell us the major concerns they faced during their administration. Let’s see what has changed in the neighborhoods and what “challenges” we still face.

CONA Meeting – April Programs
As part of our monthly City Department Program, Mike Connors will be here to discuss the Budget and the potential changes depending on what tax cut passes the Florida State Legislature. It is very important that we all stay informed and understand what the proposed changes will mean to our City and to each of our Neighborhoods.

CONA Service Officers Program Review
Thanks to each of the neighborhoods who turned in their survey. The Committee has received and tallied the results. We appreciate the time you spent answering the questions or making suggestions for additional assistance.

CONA By-Laws
Thank you to the Committee and CONA members for working to update our CONA By-Laws. We have added members to the Executive Board to help us keep up with the extraordinary workload this year. Please call any of your officers or Board members with your questions, concerns, issues. Also, where available, please use e-mail. It allows us to pass that concern on to the appropriate person or city department for a quick resolution to your problem.

As you can see, 2007 is going to be very busy. We need your help and your participation. Please join your CONA friends in “working together for a better St. Petersburg.”

PS – Please pay your overdue CONA dues now to Keith Locke, Treasurer.

Barbara Heck
CONA President

Neighborhood Partnership FY 2008 Grant Application

2007-04-17T17:24:00.000-04:00

City of St. Petersburg
Neighborhood Partnership
Matching Grant Program FY 08

Download the application

2008-GRANT-APPLICATION.pdf

Florida African American - Heritage Preservation Conference

2007-04-17T17:16:00.000-04:00

2007_Florida_AAHP.pdf

City of St. Petersburg P.O. Box 2842, St. Petersburg, Florida 33731-2842
The Sixth Biennial
Florida African American
Heritage Preservation Conference

Preserving African American History and
Revitalization of Historic Sites
In the
African American Community

April 24, 2007-April 27, 2007
Hilton Bayfront Hotel
St. Petersburg, Florida

Hosted by
City of St. Petersburg
Midtown Economic Development

Sponsored by
The John Gilmore Riley Center and Museum
Of African American History and Culture
And
City of St. Petersburg
Midtown Economic Development

Citizen's Police Academy

2007-02-05T22:21:00.000-05:00

Please join us April 2—May 21, 2007 at St. Petersburg College—Allstate Center

When:
Monday Evenings
6:00 PM—9:00 PM
April 2—May 21, 2007

Where:
St. Petersburg College
Allstate Center
3200 34th Street South
St. Petersburg, Florida

Who should attend the Citizens’ Police Academy?
Citizens and business owners or managers that live or work in St. Petersburg

The St Petersburg Police Department and the Florida Regional Community
Policing Institute are pleased to announce an upcoming Citizens' Police Academy.

The purpose of the Citizens' Police Academy is to provide citizens and business owners or managers with a better understanding of the St. Petersburg Police Department. The academy consists of eight (8) weeks of instruction, beginning on April 2, 2007 and ending on May 21, 2007. Classes will meet Monday evenings from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the St. Petersburg College, Allstate Center,3200 34th Street South. Attending the academy will not certify you to work as a police officer, but it will give you insight into police work and you'll have fun along the way.

Students will have the opportunity to:

- Learn about sexual predators and internet safety
- Understand what happens when you call the police
- Learn how officers make use of force decisions
- Learn how K-9 units are trained and utilized
- Walk through a mock homicide scene with a homicide detective
- See the Tactical Apprehension and Control Team in action
- Learn about volunteer opportunities with the police department
And more...

Class size is limited to 30 applicants. Please fill out the attached application and
return it by mail or fax to:

Community Awareness Division
1300 First Avenue North
St. Petersburg, FL 33705
Phone: 893-7128 / Fax: 893-7773

All applicants must pass a background check.

CitizensCommunityPolicingAcademySpring2007.pdf

City of St. Petersburg Offers Public Art Tours

2007-02-05T22:16:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ann Wykell, 551-3250

City of St. Petersburg Offers Public Art Tours

St. Petersburg, Fla. (1/31/2007) – Perched on the roof of the Fleet Maintenance building lies a lizard taking in a mid-day snack. This isn’t any old gecko, he is made up of 2 tons of recycled steel, garbage truck parts, car bumpers, street lights, license plates and other industrial equipment created by popular local sculptor Paul Eppling.

Be showered by the warmth of the sun as you gaze through the rainbow of stained glass in Bayou Rhythm, the artful entrance at the Fossil Park Recreation Center. Or take in a moment of reflection at Meditation, a Zen rock garden nestled in the back corner at the Azalea Adult Center.

Experience all of this and much more through a public arts tour, the newest addition to the city of St. Petersburg’s Art in Public Places Program. A docent will lead groups of up to 23 on customized tours through St. Petersburg’s downtown and historic neighborhoods where public art has been installed. Tour participants will learn about the artists, their creative process and receive maps outlining all of St. Petersburg’s public art.

The city began commissioning works of art in 1990 with the passage of a per cent for art ordinance, which sets aside one percent of the total construction cost of city buildings for the Public Art Fund to purchase public artworks. The Public Art collection includes over 30 projects that highlight many of Florida's outstanding artists as well as artists from across the United States, and is on display in public buildings, parks, recreation centers, water towers, highway entrance ramps, fire stations and libraries. The diverse collection includes photography, sculptures, paintings, textiles, stained glass, neon, murals and ceramics.

The Public Art Tour costs $285 and includes an air-conditioned mini-coach that can seat up to 23 people. If your group has its own vehicle and driver, the tour cost is only $65. For more information or to book a Public Art Tour, call 727.893.4140.

-end-

SUMMIT ON HOMELESSNESS – Feb 24

2007-02-05T22:11:00.000-05:00

On January 29th, city, county, state and federal officials announced a five point initiative designed to accelerate the county’s "10-Year Plan to End Homelessness." One point of the initiative is to host St. Petersburg’s Neighborhood and Business Summit on Homelessness within 45 days.

The Summit will be held on Saturday, Feb. 24 from 8 a.m. to noon at the USF St. Petersburg Campus Activities Center. Don Shea, president of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership, Barbara Heck, president of the Council of Neighborhood Associations, and City Council Member Leslie Curran will chair the summit. The event is designed to create an opportunity for neighborhoods and businesses to provide input on addressing homeless issues in Pinellas County, and how to build relationships between social service providers and those who live and work in surrounding areas.

The summit is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required.
To register, please contact the City of St. Petersburg at 893-7539.

Dell Holmes Park - Grand Opening & Dedication

2007-01-20T16:33:00.000-05:00

Penny for Pinellas

2007-01-16T17:07:00.000-05:00

Announcement from the Neighborhood Partnership Office

Are you aware of what the Penny for Pinellas has done for our community? The Penny is a one-cent sales tax that funds new capital projects all across Pinellas County. Ever since voters first approved the Penny in 1989, it has added value to our county with projects like the Bayside Bridge, Pinellas Trail, environmental restoration of Lake Maggiore, new fire stations, libraries, recreation centers, athletic fields and more.

On March 13, 2007, voters will be asked whether they want to renew the Penny for another ten years. It’s important to remember that this is not a new tax – it is a renewal of a one-cent sales tax paid by all who spend money in the County, including tourists and other visitors who contribute approximately one third of the Penny revenue. The Penny for Pinellas funds these projects without relying on higher property taxes to make Pinellas County a better place to live, work and visit.

A renewal of the Penny would provide funding for some exciting future projects like a new expressway linking US 19 to I-275, public safety and emergency preparedness enhancements, expanded bicycle and pedestrian trails, Pier improvements and more. Please visit http://www.stpete.org/penny to find out more information about past and future projects and see what our citizens have to say about the Penny.

And please don’t forget to vote on March 13, 2007

If someone would like to have a speaker come to your association meeting, please call Budget and Management at 893-7436.

January 07 Message

2007-01-08T08:09:00.000-05:00

Welcome neighbors. 2007 is going to be a spectacular year for CONA. As I keep telling everyone, we are a new CONA and our # 1 charter is to work hand in hand with city staff, all neighborhood associations city-wide and all our wonderful residents. We will do our very best to better represent the interests of the neighborhoods of St. Petersburg. We all want the same thing – to make St. Petersburg even better ! ! !

First, let’s take a moment to thank some very special people who worked so hard to help us meet our goals for 2006. Karl Nurse, thank you for leading us. Tom Killian, thank you for mentoring us. Annie McWilliams, thank you for keeping us solvent. Conrad Weiser, thank you for documenting us so meticulously. Ingrid Comberg and Patricia Guaveia, thank you for training our future leaders. Steve Plice, thank you for PLGE. Mo Eppley, thank you for making our newsletter, website and pamphlets look great. CONA members, thank you for making these successes possible. There is not enough space to individually list everyone’s names. To all who worked so hard to make 2006 the success it was, we say

THANK YOU, THANK YOU,
THANK YOU, THANK YOU ! ! !

Your CONA officers have been busy over the holidays working with City Staff on a number of projects. We hope to have a Neighborhood Retreat set up within the next two months for all Association Presidents to attend to discuss their concerns. We know you have a number of “hot” issues that need more than just a 90 minute discussion at our CONA meeting. Look for an update and an invitation very soon.

Each month we are inviting our City Departments to give a brief presentation of just what they do and then take
questions from the audience. We will start with Julie Weston, Development Services. With the new LDR’s in March, there are a lot of questions. As in the past, we also hope to regularly see our City Council members, County Commissioners and other elected officials at our meetings.

2007 is going to be busy. We need YOUR help and participation to represent YOU. It was only a few years ago when our US President was decided by a few towns in Florida. Time Magazine just named YOU the most influentialperson of 2006. YOUR attendance matters. The issues CONA focuses on and the work CONA does is decided by YOU. Help support YOUR neighborhood at CONA this year by voicing YOUR concerns. Do not miss this opportunity to be heard. Remember, the third Wednesday of each month is YOUR CONA time. Make it in red on your calendar.

See YOU at the next CONA meeting.

Please join in “working together for a better St. Petersburg.”

Barbara Heck
CONA 2007 President

December 20th CONA Meeting makes the News!

2006-12-20T23:23:00.000-05:00

Two news organization filed these reports after the Wed, December 20th CONA Meeting.

Channel Fox 13 coverage

Search for Community Police on the WFLA site. We can't link directly to the segment.
WFLA - NBC Channel 8

The End of Community Policing !!

2006-12-16T07:33:00.000-05:00

The Chief of Police announced yesterday the end of community policing as we know it. It is being merged into the patrol officers and patrol officers will be called "Community Patrol Officers".

This is the same kind of spin the called cutting down the Natural Forests, the "Healthy Forests" program. Even using the best case argument for the changes, there will be 12 "Community Service Officers" left, instead of 41 Community officers.

1) Community policing is the most important tool we have to take back neighborhoods from criminals. Ending this is a huge mistake.

2) There was NO community input to the most significant change in policing in 15 years.

3) This was announced as soon as City Council choose the consultant to do the management review of the police department. The Mayor and Chief opposed the review, tried to narrow the scope of the review and opposed City Council's selection to do the review.

4) This is clearly a slap in the face of the City Council, the police officers and neighborhoods.

5) The goal is clearly to kill community policing before the community has an opportunity for input during the management review.

Karl Nurse

CONA Pres.
(for 5 more days!)

December Message

2006-12-08T10:31:00.000-05:00

After three years as CONA President, this is my final President’s Corner. I have enjoyed the job of representing the interests of neighborhoods of St. Petersburg. I am happy to be handing off this to the very capable hands of Barbara Heck. She has a different style and different priorities that will allow us to continue the efforts to make every neighborhood in our community better.

2006 has been a successful year in making progress on the CONA priorities. They were: policing, environmental issues, implementing the LDR’s, under grounding utilities and traffic calming. In all cases, we were able to raise the issues and get the decision makers to respond to our requests. The answer was not always yes, but there was always an answer.

The top priority of neighborhoods is always policing. We worked on improving the Court Watch program. We saw one of our greatest allies, an assistant state prosecutor, get elected Circuit Judge. Another state prosecutor has come forward to work with us. The City has agreed to do a major review of the police department. We hope this will result in a better police department. The Sheriff has come into the City and worked on several major drug busts.

Environmental issues played a large role during the year. CONA took the lead on the hugely successful Pinellas Living Green Expo and is working on the 2007 event. We helped convince the City and the County to join the “Green Cities” effort. Dunedin joined them late in the year. We have regularly worked with several environmental groups on projects throughout the City.

The LDR’s (zoning) process was completed with buy-in from all groups across the City. Neighborhood leaders contributed thousands of volunteer hours on a project that will serve us well for decades to come. The new regulations will take effect in the Spring. The downtown zoning changes are still in the works.

Traffic calming will be revisited in 2007. CONA has been requested by the City to re-activate a traffic calming committee to review the current process and consider changes. Volunteers may contact Barbara Heck to begin this process.

The other thing that happens as CONA president is that you get asked to serve in other volunteer positions. Therefore, I am currently the Secy/Treas of the PSTA, the VP of Neighborhood Housing Services, a member of the Homelessness