Eagle Eyes (Forest Hills Grid 18)

SEASON'S GREETINGS 2009

It has really been nice to be out and about in the cooler, drier weather -- checking out all of the holiday decorations and seeing neighbor offering a helping hand to neighbor to get them set up. (If you haven't put up any holiday decorations because you didn't think you could handle them by yourself, but you would LIKE to decorate, contact the web master. We could probably find you a helping hand -- or 2!)

Remember, we can upload photos to this web site. If you'd like to show off your handiwork, let's get a photo of your decorating skills uploaded, so that the whole neighborhood can enjoy the decor!

2009 has been a year of progress. We have accomplished quite a lot, from partnering with Grid 10 to help eliminate a suspected drug house from our grid up on Linebaugh -- as well as help to prevent a homeless shelter from being placed in the former Floriland Mall -- to getting new & additional  traffic signals & signs installed at the crosswalk on Linebaugh at Ola, in order to slow down the traffic during arrival & dismissal times for Forest Hills Elementary School (and it is REALLY helping to slow down the cars!!). We have made new friends, exchanged plants for the yard, and now we are aware of the activities of our neighborhood -- the normal ones as well as the suspicious ones! We have begun to keep the litter picked up within our grid, which is especially an issue along Ola and Patbur/Floriland, since they are the main streets in the neighborhood. It all comes together with interest & communication. Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen. Let's move it forward in 2010.

There are some family-oriented events taking place at OUR neighborhood schools. Let's consider attending the Winter Craft Night at Forest Hills Elementary, or the music department productions for the holiday season at Adams &/or Chamberlain.

Pleae utilize the discussion page section of this web site. Beginning in January we plan to use this as our MAIN method of communication. It will be everyone's responsibility to check the web site for updates/safety tips/reports. If you know your neighbor doesn't have a computer, please walk over and update them on the information you read about on this web site. Utilizing the discussion page will enable us to get the information out to you faster -- not to mention the time and the number of trees it will save (paper conservation).

Use the City of Tampa's web site -- TampaGov.net -- to locate events around town of interest, many of them free. The city's web site is hotlinked into the Eagle Eye web site, for your convenience, as are other web sites of community interest.

The incidence of suspicious persons & suspicious vehicles reports have already begun to increase, so don't let down your guard. It might just be folks viewing the holiday lights (some of your displays are REALLY pretty!!) OR it might be someone looking to make you a victim. When in doubt, call 231-6130. Remember, TPD plans their deployment of officers based on the number of calls they receive. CALL WHEN IN DOUBT.

Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season, as well as a prosperous new year.

See you on the sidewalk.