Eagle Eyes (Forest Hills Grid 18)

August, 2010

AND SO IT ENDS . . . . school starts back in Hillsborough County on August 24^th, drawing to a close Summer of 2010. Not a typical summer: a 4 day manhunt for a cop assassin. Implementation of fees to use city/county facilities. Heat index of 106 degrees in the shade.  Kinda glad to be moving into a new season! Chamberlain’s Band Camp is gearing up, so listen for the sweet sounds of half-time music, courtesy of “The Band of the Mighty Chiefs”,  to filter over from Adcock Stadium! The school calendar for the upcoming academic year is available on this web site under “Community” – click on Chamberlain High School to view it via their new web site, and make plans to attend a few athletic events as a way to support your local school and the kids who are our future.

Florida Tax Free Weekend is August 13 – 15, 2010. http://singleparents.about.com/od/taxfreeholidays/qt/FL.htm

Thanks to a grant from a private citizen, the City of Tampa pools have extended free open swim times (like they always used to have) from July 1^st thru September 6^th. Check the web site for the link to the pools for information on hours, days, etc.

There have been complaints of increased & suspicious foot traffic within our grid over the past few months – at ALL HOURS of the day & night. Keep your Eagle Eyes open and do not hesitate to place a suspicious persons report with TPD’s Non-Emergency # (231-6130). If your dog is barking, don’t just assume he’s barking at a raccoon!

And folks – PLEASE don’t bypass TPD with incidents: many folks don’t report auto burglaries, etc to TPD but say to us, “Well, you’re Crime Watch so I figured I’d just tell you”.  WRONG!! YOU NEED TO make these reports yourselves to TPD, and you need to report these incidents ASAP (although there is a special department you can call which will take delayed reports of a crime). Crime Watch is NOT a substitute for the police: we don’t pack heat or fingerprint kits, and we don’t place reports on your behalf with TPD. We are simply liaisons between you and TPD, as well as between you and each other. It is very helpful for you to let us know what has happened, but your first contact for ANYTHING needs to be TPD. If you see a suspicious person/vehicle, call TPD first – THEN call your block leader or another Crime Watch member to alert him/her.

We’re asking for a group effort by all within this grid to keep litter picked up, particularly along the main streets (FloriLand/Patbur and Ola)  – and especially near the CHS stadium. These streets are the introduction to our neighborhood, so they should reflect the respect we have for ourselves by remaining litter free and mowed. High grass and weeds collect the litter and hold it in place. And litter begets more litter. A well kept neighborhood does not attract the criminal element like a littered-up neighborhood does that is a proven fact. If you need help maintaining the right-of-way at your house, please notify this web master, and I will find someone to help you.

We want to point out to you once again that this web site is YOUR web site. It is for you to post items of interest to you and/or other residents of this grid. Placing notices of yard sales, etc. on the calendar is welcomed. Also the discussion page is for anything you wish to discuss, not limited to Neighborhood Watch topics – for example, if you happen to trim or cut down a tree in your yard and want to notify anyone who may be interested in picking up the wood to utilize in their fireplace or for use in a barbecue grill, please notify via the discussion page. Also yard sales could be advertised here, as well as plant exchanges (or, like if you thin out your bromeliads and want to get rid of some), questions/advice about yard maintenance techniques, help with a project, etc.

                 Neighborhood Watch = Neighbor Helping Neighbor

In addition, this web site is a great resource for information not necessarily related to Crime Watch. Please note that when time permits for us to research for information (“we” are a party of one), we attempt to post city-wide events of interest. If, in these lean economic times, we can provide information about events that are low/no cost to you and your family for entertainment, we want to do so.

Enjoy the last month of summer with your family. Batten down the hatches in preparation for the upcoming storm season (traditionally hurricanes are more serious in the autumn months). Exchange contact info with your neighbors (if we lose power for days due to a storm – you’re gonna be wandering the streets looking for somebody with a camp stove and a percolator!!) Remain vigilant. Call in suspicious activity to TPD right away.

SEE YOU ON THE SIDEWALK . . . . . . . . . .