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

A City of Pride and Progress

Mar 08, 2005

CONA NEWSLETTER

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
By Karl Nurse

The new neighborhood reporter for the Times, Katie Wilson, called to introduce herself last week. We agreed to meet and tour some neighborhoods. Our job as neighborhood leaders is to highlight both the positives and negatives in our community. We highlight both, in an effort to encourage more of the good and to
stamp out the bad. We are agents of change in our community. I consider that to be an honorable avocation.

I showed her both the rapidly improving neighborhoods like Kenwood, North Shore and Old Southeast. But I also showed her the trouble spots where crime, slum lords, too little code enforcement and deferred maintenance of public spaces cause us to sound negative. We need to highlight both ends of the spectrum in an effort to speed the improvement of many neighborhoods and to fight for those neighborhoods at risk. If we do not fight for the neighborhoods, no one will. The visible public money for sidewalks, alley repairs, water and sewer replacement, trees and public art serve are sparks to the community and communicate that this neighborhood matters to the city. Most of the time and money for improving or maintaining neighborhood comes from the property owners. However, you can not overstate the impact our government can have.
That is why we push so hard!

CONA is embarking on a major effort to use technology to communicate with neighbors and government leaders. You will read about this the newsletter over the next months. You will also hear discussion at the meetings as to how we can use the Internet and emails to spread the word when action is needed. The ability
to quickly let neighborhood activists know when an issue is coming to a head will allow us to make a difference on issues across the City and County. Please help us help you! Sign up for the email lists, share the opportunity with your email lists and help us build a community of neighborhood activists. Together, we can
improve our community


CONA BOARD MEETING
Wednesday, March 16th
7:00 PM at the Sunshine Center
330 5th Street N.

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PARTNERSHIP NOTES
Neighborhood Partnership Office
Susan P. Ajoc, AICP, Director
Neighborhood Partnership Program
City of St. Petersburg
P.O. Box 2842
St. Petersburg, FL 33731-2842
Phone: (727) 892-5141 Fax: (727) 893-5323
Email: Susan.Ajoc@stpete.org

Neighborhood Partnership Matching Grant applications are now available at
http://www.stpete.org/pdf/ngrant05.pdf.
Future grant workshops are being held at the City Hall Annex (440 2nd Avenue North) on the following dates:
Tuesday, March 15 @ 1:00 & 6:00 p.m. (neighborhood plans)
Wednesday, March 23 @ 1:00 & 6:00 p.m. (landscaping)
Monday, July 25 @ 1:00 & 6:00 p.m. (general)
Associations may also contact Terese Hilliard, Neighborhood Planner, at 551-3249 for more information.
Reminder to the new presidents:
Please contact Sharon Cimarik at 892-5141 with updated information about your Neighborhood Association.


WHAT EXACTLY IS OPEN SPACE?
By Tim Baker

What exactly is open space? That question had real significance in the debate about the proposed Bayway Lofts projects on 3rd Avenue North. In his application for the project, developer Grady Pridgen asked for approval of a number of development bonuses. One of those bonuses required that 20 percent of the project site be developed as open space, compared with the base requirement of ten percent.
The site in question is about 50,000 square feet, meaning that some 10,000 feet would have to be left as open space in order for the bonus to be awarded. A careful examination of the plans showed that a 2,000 square-foot paved driveway was being counted as open space. In addition, other portions of the designated
open space were actually beneath portions of a building, and not open to the sky. Much of this was paved, too.

City zoning official John Hixenbaugh recommended that all of this space be counted. The Downtown Neighborhood Association argued that the driveway shouldn't be counted. Both sides offered evidence to support their claim. On Mr. Hixenbaugh's side, it seems that the zoning codes do not actually contain any definition of what constitutes open space, and the practice is to count everything that isn't actually covered by a building. There are some rules about how much of the open space can be paved, and how much must be landscaped, and also about how much can be under a cantilevered building, so at least it isn't possible to have 100 percent paved open space that isn't even open. But, it is possible to have, say, a driveway that is under a building be counted.

The neighborhood association, on the other hand, offered a definition of open space found in the city's Intown Redevelopment Plan, a master plan for downtown that was adopted in 1982. That definition clearly doesn't allow parking lots or driveways, although it would allow paved pedestrian areas.

The Environmental Development Commission sided with Mr. Hixenbaugh and awarded the development bonus. One thing is clear: the downtown zoning districts have requirements for quantity of open space, but not for quality.



Featured Neighbborhood-
NORTH KENWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD

HISTORY
The Neighborhood Association was formerly a part of the Kenwood eighborhood Association. To better accommodate the neighbors' interest and address relevant problems, Kenwood split into the Historic Section, (south of 9th Avenue North), and Northern Section, which is our Association. It was formed in 1995 and the association incorporated in 1996.

ORGANIZATIONS/PROGRAMS
Our Association sponsors an Annual Neighborhood Association and Crime Watch Picnic at Booker Creek Park with the generous support of Edward White Hospital. It is very successful with many children attending. The City's Police and Fire Departments have contributed many long hours to make the picnic a success.

In cooperation with Historic Kenwood, we have erected street signs with the North Kenwood logo at a number of corners and added shrubs around them.

The leadership of North Kenwood Neighborhood Association works closely with the community police officers assigned to its area and keeps a close watch on undesirable activities, such as those of unruly youth from outside areas. In addition, it works closely with the code compliance officers to correct the deterioration of structures and yards.

In 2002 the Association was awarded a grant for a Tot Lot(playground equipment)at Booker Creek Park as a new playground for neighborhood children. Many future projects are planned for this
Park.

Our general meetings are held the second Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Edward White Hospital, 2299 9th Avenue North, Room 1-G. The Board meets before the general meeting at 6:30 p.m. Everyone is invited and encouraged to come. Coffee, soft drinks, and snacks are served after the meeting, thanks to the generosity of Edward White Hospital.

BOUNDARIES
Are boundaries are from 9th Avenue North (north side) to 22nd Avenue North (south side) and from I-275 to 34th Street North (US19).

ARCHITECTURE
Of the approximately1200 homes in the neighborhood, the styles of the residential area are varied, typically with one story homes having two bedrooms, porches, and garages. There are a few two story homes, and a number of industrial buildings and two 2 mobile home parks. Some new homes have been built. On the western side (34th Street North) and on the northern side (22nd Avenue North) there are stores such as Home Depot, Kash n' Karry and Office Depot with their typical box structures and parking lots.

AMENITIES/CHARACTER/ETC.
North Kenwood has two lakes, one in Booker Creek Park and the other, Emerald Lake, separating residential homes from the commercial section where the St. Petersburg Times has its printing plant. The neighborhood's central location makes it very convenient for shopping and easy access to all of St. Petersburg and Interstate 275. In 1973, a 35-acre lake and park were proposed on the site that is now Booker Creek Lake. The Association plans again to develop the lake and park into neighborhood amenities.

North Kenwood is a mix of residential homes, mobile home parks, a hospital, a nursing home, and commercial and industrial buildings. Its character changes quickly as one moves from street to street. Trees are everywhere and North Kenwood is famous for its towering oak trees that distinguish it from other neighborhoods. In fact, the oak tree has become its symbol. In the sections that were farms before houses were built, one finds big fruit trees such as avocados, mangos, grapefruits, and oranges.
North Kenwood is fast becoming a mecca for young families looking for affordable homes. North Kenwood just gets better and better!


KATIE WILSON is the New St.Petersburg Times Correspondent for Neighborhood Issues
By Steve Plice

Andy Meacham has written about St. Petersburg neighborhoods for the past five years. Andy served as the St. Petersburg Times correspondent writing the Neighborhood Notebook feature in the Sunday Neighborhood Times. We all got used to Andy's emails and phone calls as he kept track of Neighborhood Association meetings and agendas.
Now, Andy has accepted a new assignment at the Times Brandon bureau. It is a great and well-deserved career move for Andy, but we will miss him here in St. Petersburg. Congratulations, Andy. We all wish you the best. "It's a strange sensation, knowing I don't have to call anyone to ask whether they are going to meet next week, and if they have a speaker or topic or any agenda items planned ", Andy said.

Now, the St. Petersburg Times has announced the appointment of Katie Wilson as the new correspondent to continue covering neighborhoods in the City. CONA extends a warm welcome to Katie. Karl Nurse has already taken her on a tour of neighborhoods, pointing out some of our challenges and success stories.

Katie does not really need an introduction to St. Petersburg. She has lived here her whole life. In fact, she is a fourth generation St. Petersburg resident. Currently, she is a senior in the Journalism school at the University of South Florida here in St. Petersburg, and before that, she earned an AA at the University of Florida in
Gainesville. She went to Shore Acres and Campbell Park Elementary, John Hopkins Middle School, and St. Petersburg High School. "I'm looking forward to this new job for many reasons, but most of all I am excited to get to know the city and the people in it in ways that I would otherwise not have the chance to." Said Katie.

To get your neighborhood stuff in the Times, contact Katie at Phone number: 727.742.8838 or
E-Mail: KTWils@aol.com

CONA E-MAIL LISTS ARE EXPANDING
By Steve Plice

CONA is expanding its use of the internet to communicate better with all residents of St. Petersburg. The new email list, CONAnews@yahoogroups.com, is the latest effort to take neighborhood's ability to communicate to the next level.

The CONAnews email list will be used in conjunction with the CONA website (http://StPeteCONA.org) to provide information and foster a dialog with all St. Petersburg residents. The objective is to provide periodic email notices without clogging peoples email accounts with too many messages.

In the coming weeks, the CONA website will include significant enhancements that focus heavily on interactive features allowing residents to more easily participate in community affairs by using the internet. The key to participating easily and effectively will be through the CONAnews email list. This is a public email list and everyone is invited to join.

The easiest way to get on the new email list is to contact Steve Plice and ask to be added. Contact Steve at stevelplice@verizon.net.


CONA BOARD OF DIRECTOR?’S MEETING MINUTES

The Sunshine Multi-Service Center February 16, 2005

Our joint meeting with The League of Women Voters opened at 7:00 p.m.

?˜ Pinellas League President, Karen Burns, noted the 85 anniversary of the before introducing our guest speaker, Betty Castor, former President of The University of South Florida. She addressed the issue of ?“Reapportionment?”.

Mrs. Castor offered extensive statistical data to illustrate that the voting district boundaries, set by the legislature, results in bazaar configurations, (dictated by recent detailed census data) have such severe party imbalances as to make them free of second party competition, effectively depriving the minority party residents of their elective voice.

She leads a group pressing for district boundary reforms relegating the legislator?’s ?“Mapping?” authority to an independent commission.

Their strategy will be to propose three revisions to the Florida Constitution, to be approved by the Florida Supreme Court and submitted to the electorate as independent ballot issues.

?˜ President Karl Nurse reopened the CONA Business Meeting began at 7:40 p.m. in another, private room in the Sunshine Center.

?˜ Cathy Wilson, (Greater Woodlawn), provided an update on the neighborhood challenge to the rezoning petition of the Rutland property on 30th. Avenue North.

?˜ Beth Connors, (Greater Pinellas Point), described the city?’s development program for the Clam Bayou section, insisting that the impacted neighborhoods have not been adequately involved of these extensive plans

?˜ We next heard of a brewing struggle to resist the development of a supersized Wal-Mart on Gandy Boulevard.

?˜ Our meeting then focused on the Jungle Terrace Civic Association, the featured neighborhood association for February.

We heard an array of data defining the neighborhoods makeup and history.

They publish a 20 page monthly newsletter, for members and prospective members.

Volunteers maintain trees and shrubs for some local schools.

Jungle Terrace shares joint meetings with contiguous neighborhoods.

Their November 5th picnic in Walter Fuller Park will invite leaders of other CONA neighborhoods.

Monthly meetings include refreshments and contributed corporate door prize drawings.

A relocatable lawn sign is awarded to the winning ?“Home Of The Month?”.

?˜ We were reminded of the Florida Neighborhoods Conference in Lakeland from October 20th through 22nd.

?˜ Laura MacDonald told of a major renovation of the St. Petersburg Historical Museum, (near The Pier), that currently features displays of historical artifacts of specific early city neighborhoods.

?˜ The list of 7 CONA priorities for 2005 was distributed as a survey. Members were asked to poll their neighborhoods to rank their priorities. The results will be posted on our web sites.

The prioritized ranking of the survey conducted at our meeting was:
1) Police Staffing
2) Quality of Life Laws
3) Vision 20/20 and LDRs
4) Sidewalks, Alleys, & Bike Paths
5) Green Cities
6) Underground Utilities.
7) Homelessness

Our meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.

Respectfully submitted-
Conrad Weiser, Secretary