Eagle Eyes (Forest Hills Grid 18)

January thru March, 2009

Mar 25, 2009

January

WOW! What a great job the neighbors on Hamiller & Tampa Streets did, keeping those kids safe by chasing down that peeping tom and holding him at bay for the police to arrest! As we said back in December: it's not the meetings that keep us safe, it's the communication among ourselves and the vigilance. Way to go, folks!! Someone please let us know how the 15 year old is doing after such a traumatic event. If you missed the newspaper report, it has been linked within this web site.

Of course, the meetings ARE important, also. We have to get together occasionally to make each other aware of problems &/or concerns among us, and toss around some ideas. So please come to the next Neighborhood Watch meeting on January 29, 2009 @ 7pm in Larrick Hall, Forest Hills Presbyterian Church. We will have a guest speaker from a safe & locksmith company, discussing those aspects of safety as well as camera survellience.

If you can't make the meeting but have a topic you would like to be addressed, please either speak to your block leader or contact the web master about it. We will address it at the meeting and get back to you. We really don't need for you to get a topic on the meeting agenda, but we may be able to do some "behind-the-scenes" footwork on your topic and have an answer for you and the rest of the neighbors during the meeting.

Have you noticed the progress on the new North Tampa Library?? That is going to be one nice set-up. (I can't wait to get back to walking over there to check out the latest Piers Anthony novel!) Suddenly the construction is moving along at top speed. Last we heard the re-opening is set for October, 2009.

See you on the sidewalks . . . . .


February
OK--lots of increased activity this month: burglaries, suspicious people/cars. Florida Lanes had a breaking & entering. Strong-armed robbery with physical injuries at the Rec Center (basketball courts). As we said before -- it's gonna get worse before it gets better. PLEASE keep your eyes and ears open. Call the police about ANY suspicious activity -- better to be safe than sorry. The more police have to come around, the more they will patrol. Also, if every suspicious occurrence is investigated, it lets the criminal element know that we are watching out for our homes & ourselves (and our neighbors)-- they'll soon stop sniffing around.

If you want to receive the Morning Reports from TPD, let us know -- we will forward them to your email address as we receive them (Monday - Thursday, plus on Mondays we get one big one that combines Friday - Sunday). We won't forward them to you unless you request it.

Spring is almost here (the plants don't quite know whether to go dormant or drop their leaves & bloom!!) bringing that "Chamber of Commerce Weather"along with it, meaning that you will want to be able to open your windows & doors to exchange the winter germs for the nice, fresh springtime germs. Great idea -- cuts down on your electric bill as well. But be careful not to leave windows/doors open or unlocked unless you are where you can keep tabs on them. If you're starting to get the yard prepared for new plantings or doing maintenance, be careful not to leave the front of your home un-secured while working in the back yard. There is a high incidence of burglaries that take place on Saturday am via the front door while homeowners are working in the side yard, or back yard. Keep your Eagle Eyes & Ears open!! And, don't give the bad guys the opportunity to make you a victim!!

Check out the latest schedules for the local city swimming pools, listed under "Links". YES!! They ARE open to the public during the winter & spring months!!

Looks like the new North Tampa Library is moving along ahead of schedule. Last projected re-opening time frame we saw was late summer, 2009 (originally projected to be October, 2009).

AND . . . . we're still looking for solutions to the school traffic problems. Any suggestions? Anyone? P L E A S E ???????

See you on the sidewalks . . .

March

Big increase in suspicious vehicles, suspicious people, door-to-door solicitations. Be careful! Write down those tag #s!! Call the police!!

Thank you to the neighbors who have begun to walk down a couple of streets with remote handling tools, picking up garbage -- it certainly is appreciated. A reminder to the occupants of houses which back up to Ola: if you are physically impaired & need help maintaining the right-of-way behind your house (on Ola), please speak to your neighbors or let us know; there are any number of volunteers who would assist you. Please don't pile trash along the right-of-way unless there is a scheduled pick-up for it; please don't let the weeds grow & build up to look unsightly & attract litterbugs. For a while that section of the grid was looking pretty good, but it's starting to collect trash again.

Be careful about leaving your house & car open in this nice weather, unless you are able to keep an eye on it. Lots of incidents of folks being burgled while working outside around the corner from the unlocked door/window. That fresh air sure feels nice, though, doesn't it?