Historic Old Northeast Neighborhood Newsletter - June 2010

Historic Old NOrtheast NeighbOrhOOd News

in this issue

continued on page 8

St. Pete’s Jewel on Tampa Bay

HONNA Neighborhood Meetings are held the third

Monday of each month (except August and December)

at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 126 11th Avenue NE

Social: 6:45pm--Business: 7pm

Volume 38 Issue 2 / June 2010 / www.honna.org Published Quarterly

UPCOMING MEETINGS Mark your calendar!

continued on page 2

June 21st Neighborhood Potluck Dinner

July 19th

To Be AnnouncedAugust: No Meeting in August

Enjoy HONNA’s favorite “new” traditionOur June Monthly Neighborhood Meeting is a

POTLUCK...an Informal Opportunity to Enjoy Good Food and the

Company of Neighbors and Friends, Both Old and NewCome to the second of this year’s Potluck Dinners in

lieu of the usual monthly ”business-oriented” neighbor-hood meeting. The date is Monday, June 21st, at our regu-lar gathering place, Westminster Presbyterian Church at 126 11th Avenue NE.

HONNA will provide the main entrée (meat and meatless), beverages and you can bring a favorite dish to pamper our palates.

Neighborhood families enjoyed another successful Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by Old NE residents Cynthia Serra and Connie Lancaster of Smith & Associates Real Estate. Over 100 tod-

dlers and kids dressed in their best Easter outfits participated in the annual tradition held at Coffee Pot Park on April 3rd, the Saturday before Easter. Elementary-age children and tots, competing with the resident squirrels, hunted and found over 2,000 candy-filled plastic eggs that were hidden in the park. Those who found the “golden” and “silver” eggs received special gifts. The event ended with a special visit from the Easter Bunny who presented small stuffed bunnies to several lucky children.

Special thanks are in order for all the volunteers who helped stuff and hide the eggs – with extra special thanks to Cathy Leonard for sponsoring the egg-stuffing party at her home. And thanks, of course, to Bob Glaser from Smith & Associates -- this year’s Easter Bunny.

Bunnies and Squirrels and Eggs…Oh, My!

Sundial Project ........ 3

4th July Parade ......... 7

The Answer Lady .. 18

Porch Parties ........ 20

Replacing Your Roof............................... 22

Pots Of Pleasure .. 26

Tracey Locke is a former TV reporter and more recently a publicist. Running a summer program for middle school stu-

dents is not something she ever imagined her-self doing. It was the senseless death of a child that changed her course. Now she spends her time recruiting volunteers, developing community partnerships and organizing

events for “The Paris Project” (www.theparisproject.org).

The Paris Project is

The Power

of 1This article is the first in a new series entitled “The

Power of One.” Featured will be residents of The Historic Old Northeast who are making a difference – be it major or modest, creating change, defining a vision, saying “we can” when others say “it can’t be done,” planting a seed -- in the community. Know someone we should consider profiling? Send us an e-mail at [email protected].

“Who is Your Neighbor?”Tracey Locke -- Creator, The Paris Project by Barbara Marshall


*Preprinted inserts that you provide are delivered within the newsletter. Due to delivery restrictions, inserts are available on a limited basis.

The newsletter quarterly publication dates are March, June, September, and December. The deadline for accepting new ads and ad changes is three weeks prior to the publication month. The next deadline is August 7th. Payment for new ads should be submitted at the same time that the ad layout is provided and should be addressed to “HONNA Advertising.” The newsletter is distributed by mail to all homes in The Old Northeast (boundaries are 5th Ave N to 30th Ave N, and 4th St N to North Shore Dr/Coffee Pot Bayou Blvd). There are approximately 2,500 active home mailing addresses.

Contact Rachel Sartain: [email protected] space is limited so please make arrangements early.

Ad SizE 1 Qtr 2 Qtrs 3 Qtrs 1 Year Business card 50 93 128 1601/4 page (H 4.9” x w 3.7”) 100 186 256 3201/2 page (H 4.9” x w 7.8”) 200 372 512 640Full page 400 744 1024 1280Back Cover 1/2 page 1400*Inserts and Premium Placement: Rates Upon Request

Ad RATES

Potluck from page 1

Published quarterly – March, June, September and December and mailed to all households in The Old Northeast

P.O. Box 76324, St. Petersburg, FL 33734 e-mail [email protected]

The Newsletter of the Historic Old Northeast Neighborhood Association

Editor Rick Carson Columnists and Reporters

Mike PanettaJohn Gee

Circulation Joe O’ConnorContributors All our Old Northeast neighborsNewsletter Layout & design Sharon Bond: [email protected] information Rachel Sartain: [email protected]

Mike DaileyYvonne Swanson

Jill McGrath Sue Strott

Here’s our request of you. Depend-ing on where you reside, here’s what you can bring:

Between 5th-9th: bread or appe-tizer

10th-14th: a salad of some sort (ex-amples: greens, pasta or Jell-O)

15th-22nd: a dessert23rd-30th: vegetable dish (hot or

cold) Make enough to serve 6-8, depend-

ing on what it is you’re bringing (of course, you get to take home any leftovers – unlikely!).

If you are kitchen-challenged – or even if you’re not – we encourage you to bring a can or package of non-perishable food which we’ll donate to the church’s food pantry to pass along to those in need.

Plan to arrive between 6:45-7pm so we can lay out all the food and begin dining by 7 or so. There will be no formal program – just neighborly conversation at tables over dinner. If you can’t arrive by 7, come when you can as the food should hold out until we start to close down around 8pm. Not a HONNA member? You’re definitely invited anyway. And if you decide to join, we won’t stop you.

The President’s PerspectiveMary Alice LangeAssociation President

Our neighborhood has been honored with two most prestigious awards for our updated Neighborhood Plan and the user-friendly format that was inspired by the consultants at My Town Team. The first award comes from the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation in the field of Preservation Education/Media, which was presented on May 14th in Sanibel. The Historic Old Northeast is a finalist for the second award from Neighborhoods USA, acknowledging our contributions to neighborhood planning, although we must complete a final presentation at the conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, at the end of May (after this newsletter has gone to press). That evening, former President Bill Clinton will present the awards at the dinner.

There are many wonderful neighborhood events and programs coming up including the June Pot Luck dinner, 4th of July Chil-dren’s Parade, Crime Watch meetings and much more. Check this newsletter and our website, www.honna.org, and watch for broadcast e-mails containing updated information about what is happening.

HONNA and our neighborhood have been blessed with the spe-cial commitment and contributions of many individuals in recent months, including — but certainly not limited to — past president Bob Watts (who orchestrated the very successful Candlelight Home Tour), Jonni Watts (who has created extremely effective broadcast e-mail notices), former Board member Tracey Locke (who has put together a wonderful schedule of monthly speakers and very successful special events, like Halloween), our Historic Preservation chair Robin Reed (who spearheaded the award-winning Neighborhood Plan effort and the Views from the Vinoy book), Cynthia Serra (who organized the recent Easter Egg Hunt) and Karen Reese (who coordinated the popular neighborhood-wide yard sale). These neighbors and others have done much to improve our association’s management and communications and to provide entertaining and diverse programs for our residents to enjoy. Thank you for the hard work and passion that you give to the neighborhood!

Happy faces at this year’s Easter Egg Hunt

To see a slideshow of more happy faces at the 2010 Easter Egg Hunt, go to www.honna.org.


completed. The site, including the retaining walls, will then be painted. The Parks Department is sharing the cost of the painting and restoration work with HONNA.National Register Update

HONNA’s resident historic preservation professional, Emily Elwyn, is close to completing her review of our National Regis-ter Historic District. Now that many more of our homes are 50 or more years old, a number of them qualify for inclusion in the district as “contributing properties.” The revised list of properties

Association News & Activities

Committee Reports

The usual monthly neighbor-hood meeting in March was the first informal Pot Luck of the year, attended by about 60 local residents who enjoyed a delectable variety of homemade desserts, salads and appetizers along with the meat and vegetarian pasta main dishes.

Police Chief Chuck Harmon and several members of the force were on hand at the April meeting to dis-cuss crime in the City and The Old Northeast in particular. After Chief Harmon presented an overview of how his department is addressing the matter of crime and safety, he and his officers took questions from the audience on subjects ranging from substations and pros-titution on 4th Street to panhandlers, the homeless and Dumpster

diving. We learned that one arrested burg la r on Snell Isle was asked why he operated in that neigh-b o r h o o d and replied, “ T h e y a r e stupid – they d o n ’ t c a l l the police.” Police had a presence in our ne igh-borhood 465

times during one recent four-week period, responding to 911 and non-emergency calls, ticketing cars and otherwise cruising our streets.

In two Board changes, Bob Watts resigned as president of the Association and Tracey Locke stepped down as a Board member. Mary Alice Lange was elected by the Board to fill the remainder of Bob’s term. Both Bob and Tracey are to be thanked for the energy and commitment they gave to the Association and the neighbor-hood during their time on the Board.

Historic Preservation Robin Reed, Chairdolphin Restoration

As part of the COA process for local landmarks, letters have been sent to adjoining property owners notifying them of the res-toration work proposed for the dolphins and the Venetian steps at Granada Terrace. Once the work is approved by City preservation staff, work will begin. To avoid confusion, a sign will be placed at the site notifying residents that the dolphin on the right has been removed for restoration and will be returned once work is

JohnSamaha (L) and Jay Marshall (R) with Chief Harmon

Sundial ProjectThose of you who walk along the waterfront may have noticed

an old concrete pad located near the intersection of North Shore Drive and Coffee Pot Boulevard. After much research, it was discovered that this area was called “Vista Point” and until the 1970s was the location of a sundial and planting beds.

It seems that in the first half of the 20th century, the ladies of the North Shore Garden Circle took great interest in the planning the landscape for North Shore Park, actually doing much of the planting themselves. Over the years, they donated two different sundials for that location. Today, the Parks Department has the original design plans for both sundial planting areas.

Armed with so much historical information, it seemed that an opportunity was presenting itself to restore a sundial to what is now a rather unattractive section of the park. Sculptor Eric Higgs, who lives near the site, was contacted about creating a new sundial. He came up with a somewhat unique and unusual idea -- a “human” sundial. A semi-circle of markers, each with an hour denoted on it, is placed at ground level. When a person stands facing north in front of the half circle, his or her shadow is cast upon the correct hour marker. A design of this type has much to recommend it: it is educational, interactive, does not obstruct views of the water and would, of course, be appealing to children!

As St. Petersburg is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the waterfront parks this year, it seemed appropriate to propose restor-ing the concept of a sundial to the park in honor of the occasion. It will remain for years to come as a permanent memorial not only to the founders of the park but to residents who have cared about and enjoyed our waterfront park system. Not surprisingly, the idea has received a very positive response.

Eric estimates that the project will cost about $17,000. He is donating his design work and providing the materials at a discount. HONNA has pledged $1,000 and will be working with the Centennial Committee to raise the remaining money. We hope that you will con-sider making a personal tax deductible donation to HONNA toward this project. Please contact me at 825-0480 or [email protected] for more information and how you can contribute to this exciting interactive and educational project. You will be continuing a longstanding Old Northeast tradition of beautifying “our” park!

continued on page 4


Candlelight Tour of Homes: Chair, openC.O.N.A. Rep: OpenCrime & Safety: Jay Marshall Historic Preservation: Robin ReedMembership: Barbara MarshallPlanning/Neighborhood Design Review: Mary Alice LangeNewsletter: Rick CarsonPorch Parties: Larry SmithPrograms: OpenTraffic: Mark LawsonWebsite: Joe O’Connor (interim)

To contact a chair via e-mail, go to www.honna.org/board-and-committees.html

where you can click on the name of the person you wish to contact and send him/her a message.

Your volunteer involvement in one of our committees will help enhance your neighborhood and our association.

Please contact any committee chair for information.

Historic Old Northeast Neighborhood AssociationOFFiCERS and BOARd

President: Mary Alice Lange 251-2034Vice President: Maureen Stafford — Secretary: Larry Smith — Treasurer: Douglas Haan, 488-5514DirectorsRick Carson 898-7834 Bob Hunter 898-7987Rick Kantner — Robin Reed 825-0480Mark Lawson 365-3155 Barbara Marshall 385-4746Ron Magray 502-9065 Jay Marshall —

To contact an officer or Board member via e-mail, go to www.honna.org/board-and-committees.html where you can click on the name of the person you wish to contact and send him/her a message.

HONNA Board meetings are held the second Monday of each month at 6:30pm at Westminster Presbyterian Church and are open to the public. Check beforehand with the Board president in case the meeting day has been re-scheduled.

Like our neighborhood?Want to make it even better?

Volunteer with one of our committees!

will go to the State Preservation Office for approval before being sent to Washington. You will remember that being listed on the National Register of Historic Places is an honor but does not offer protection for properties.HONNA Exhibit

We are currently scheduled to have an exhibit about our neigh-borhood at the Tampa Bay History Center in December and Janu-ary. The museum has a “community display case” that they offer to organizations on a rotating basis. HONNA is the first group outside of Tampa selected to participate. We hope to have the exhibit move to the St. Petersburg Museum of History following its showing in Tampa. Florida Neighborhoods Conference

HONNA will participate in the state conference this year by once again sponsoring supper and a tour of our neighborhood. Last year our tour was a favorite of participants and garnered rave reviews from many of those attending! If you would like to attend the conference (July 8th-10th), please contact: Susie Ajoc at the Neighborhood Partnership office, 893-7356. Awards

Mary Alice Lange and I attended the Florida Trust Conference in April to accept an award for our new Neighborhood Plan in the category of Preservation Education/Media. This is the second year in a row that we have received an award from the Trust. Larry Smith, Mary Alice Lange and I will also be attending the Neigh-borhood, USA (NUSA) Conference in Little Rock May 26th-29th (as this newsletter goes to press) and making a presentation about our plan. We are one of four finalists for their “Neighborhood of the Year” award which carries a $500 first prize. Former President Bill Clinton will be presenting the awards!Walking Tour

HONNA’s re-scheduled Spring Walking Tour was a great suc-cess. The focus of the tour was the 4th Street Business District, former home to car dealerships and buildings in the Art Deco style of architecture. Many thanks to Rob Wertz and Mike Dailey for planning and leading a most informative and interesting tour.

Crime & Safety CommitteeJay Marshall, Chair

We were blessed with cold weather in the first three months of the year. This sounds a little unsympathetic to all of us who shivered through a period when Florida could be at its best. But the weather did have a “chilling” effect on crime: we recorded fewer crimes. Adding to the weather, our community was active in reporting suspicious activities, denying the opportunity of criminals from carrying out their plans. This is especially true for day-time burglaries.

However, the crime tempo picked up in March and has con-tinued to increase through May. And we can expect the trend to continue for the rest of the summer. High on the list of offenses is no surprise: burglaries, vehicle thefts, and thefts from vehicles, followed by general theft of property.

Here’s what we know about how these offenses are committed and why. Groups of juveniles and adults target a neighborhood over a short period of time and then move on to another neighborhood in City. Those groups committing burglaries, most often during the work hours of 9am-4pm, use a tried and proven technique. They assess particular blocks to target and watch how residents go about their lives. When they believe a resident is not home, they knock on the resident’s door to confirm, and if there is no answer they go through either the front or back door depending on how well

JOiN OUR COMMiTTEES interested in working on publicity for the Association? Getting involved in upcoming special events like the Easter Egg Hunt or the 4th of July Children’s Parade? Contact Mary Alice Lange at [email protected] .


screened they are from observation and easiest point of access, like an unlocked door. Once inside, it takes them no more than five-seven minutes to leave with your computers, television sets, iPods, and other valuable items. This is about the time it takes you to go next door to your neighbor’s house to borrow a cup of sugar or to a hand tool. The perpetrators plan, watch and strike. The method of operation is quick and successful.

Thefts from vehicles and vehicle theft generally take place during the hours of darkness. Again, the groups target a neighbor-hood for a few days and move on. Their easiest prey are unlocked vehicles, especially those with valuables left inside (computers, cell phones, GPS units, iPods, even money left in the coin tray). If the vehicle is locked, a simple screwdriver is the tool of pref-erence. It takes less than 10 seconds to defeat the lock, grab the contents in the vehicle and move on to the next target. Vehicles without steering wheel locking devices or audible alarm systems are the best targets for juveniles wanting your car for a joyride, adults wanting the vehicle for commission of other crimes or for those wanting car parts.

Our summer is approaching and this is what we can expect:School is out and our youth will have time on their hands. As

the City struggles with its budget, summer youth programs will undoubtedly be trimmed, giving them more time on their hand s. Residents are going on vacation, long weekend trips or leaving

the area to return to the north, resulting in unoccupied homes.Garage and residential doors are left open when we go about

fixing our property, spending more time visiting neighbors or simply taking a short walk.Vehicle windows are left open to mitigate the heat. The Historic Old Northeast Neighborhood Crime Watch is

ramping up to meet these challenges and we need your help in three ways.

Join our Crime Watch Program and help us with our Citizens on Patrol effort. Whether you drive, bike or walk, get out into the neighborhood and actively watch for suspicious persons and activities. We have five patrol sectors throughout the community. Those of us who are out patrolling need your time and talents to make a difference. The Crime Watch meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month; upcoming dates are June 10th, July 8th and August 12th at Westminster Palms, 830 North Shore Drive NE beginning at 7pm.

Our Crime Watch Program will be distributing yard signs that say: We Notice and Report Suspicious Activities. This is another tool in our kit to warn perpetrators that we are serious about crimes in our neighborhood and that we watching. Put a sign in your yard and let them know. In addition, the members of our Citizens on Patrol will be sending out contact cards that will let residents know how they can improve their crime prevention measures, like closing garage doors, closing back fence gates and repairing inoperable motion or dusk to dawn lights.

Another way you can help is to take personal responsibility in protecting your property and be watchful for your neighbors. LOCK UP your property, even if you will be gone for a short

period. Look out and report suspicious persons or activities by call-

ing 727/893-7700.Get a steering wheel locking device or an alarm package for

your vehicle.Take all valuables from your vehicle at the end of the day.

Don’t open your door to strangers but make noise in the house so that it appears occupied.

To reinforce these principles, Chief of Police Chuck Harmon and our community policing team assigned to The Old Northeast visited with us at the April HONNA general meeting. The St. Pe-tersburg Police Department is responding to reports of suspicious activity and wants us to step up the pace. It takes the Police De-partment less time to follow up on a call involving a suspicious person or activity than it does to investigate a crime. Chief Har-mon and his department greatly appreciate the crime prevention work ongoing in our community and wants to build on our exist-ing partnership to make it better. By our exercising our personal responsibility, we can make a huge difference.

You may have noticed four brand new Neighborhood Watch signs in the neighborhood. They are located at: 30th Avenue N at 1st Street, 22nd Avenue N at 4th Street, 5th Avenue N at Beach Drive and 5th Avenue N at 2nd Street.

As mentioned in the last newsletter, we have several residents of The Historic Old Northeast giving of their time and resources voluntarily serve

Crime Watch Fact SheetName _____________________________________

Address ___________________________________

City/State: St. Petersburg, FL Zip: _____________

Home Phone: _______________________________

Office Phone: _______________________________

Cell Phone: ________________________________

E-mail: ____________________________________

Emergency Contact Person ____________________

Contact’s Phone # ___________________________

HONNA Member: Yes____ No____

Would like more info on membership Yes___ No___

Signed: ___________________________________

HONNA PO Box 76324, St. Petersburg, FL 33734

CLIP AND MAIL


our neighborhood. We thank them for everything they have done and continue to do. Please consider joining our Crime Watch Program in this effort to make our neighborhood safer for us, our children and our neighbors. It is our responsibility and the right thing to do. Please contact me by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone 703/609-2139 if you are interested in joining or want more information.

MembershipBarbara Marshall, Chair

Our membership continues to increase — we are now just a few shy of 350! Thanks for your continued support and interest. New members and those who have renewed their membership, please come to HONNA’s monthly meetings so we can acknowledge you. To those neighbors who have not renewed membership, how can we get you back? We welcome suggestions on how HONNA can encourage neighbors to join as new members and former members to re-join. Even if you haven’t joined or renewed, please be sure to pro-vide your e-mail address so that you receive various announcements about neighborhood events and activities. Any new residents to the

neighborhood who’d like further information about HONNA and what we do, please don’t hesitate to contact Larry Smith (Meet and Greet chair) at [email protected]. Look for the membership application form in this newsletter where any new residents/members can also indicate areas of interest in which to become involved.

NewsletterRick Carson, Editor

As always, we welcome residents who’d like to share their tal-ents -- no matter at what level – in any of the tasks involved with the newsletter. This includes writing, securing new advertisers and working with the layout. Feel free to contact me at [email protected]. And we appreciate receiving feedback from you, whether in response to a particular article or ideas you may have on issue, concerns or subjects you feel we should address.

Check out the ever-evolving website (honna.org) as it works to become even more user-friendly and information-providing. If you haven’t been there recently you’ve missed the new calendar, which is going to make it easier to find upcoming events. Anyone with some interest in helping with the website, let us know at [email protected].


New Members

Shari Barnhart, Lee Dickson...........................19th Avenue NEKim Cromwell, Kathleen Kote .........................16th Avenue NEPete & Charlene Gunn ...................................16th Avenue NETrevor Capone, David Nixon ..........................12th Avenue NERosemary Romero ......................................... 21st Avenue NEAlicia (Rhodes) & Scott Greer ........................... 9th Avenue NGretta Paige Bellas........................................... 21st Avenue NNancy Beck, James Parker ........................ Brevard Road NEFrank & Laura Fage.......................................... 20th Avenue NHarry Favre ......................................................... 9th Avenue NCynthia Beaulieu ...........................................20th Avenue NEKristopher Isler ................................................. 14th Avenue NSimone Tieber Wemple .................................14th Avenue NEMarilyn Garateix ............................................... 21st Avenue NAnne Glover....................................................16th Avenue NEBret Lee ...................................................................Tuttle AveMelissa Clark ...................................................8th Avenue NERonald Hiemann ....................................... West Newbury, MAPeter McGahan .................................................112th Street NKathleen Whittington ........................................ 27th Avenue NSandra Johnson .............................................18th Avenue NESharon Boulter..................................................8th Avenue NEGary & Julie Kliner ........................................... Oak Street NEElena Cano, Andrew Coundouriotis............. Cherry Street NEAnn & Dan Vickstrom .....................................20th Avenue NEBrigitte & Jim Williams ....................................20th Avenue NESteve Grande, Cori Hunsaker ..........................22nd Avenue NPauline Chan ..................................................17th Avenue NEJanice Herbert ...............................................14th Avenue NE

A fire at the Westminster Palms retirement complex at 830 North Shore Drive NE required a woman with second and third-degree burns to be helicoptered to Tampa General Hospital. The incident, which occurred about 9:15pm on April 17th, appeared to have been caused by a burning mattress and was extinguished within 20 minutes. More than 30 units responded to the alarm and 30 people had to be evacuated from the 14-story building. [source: St. Petersburg Times, 4/18] The on-going saga of “packs” of bicyclists “hogging the

roads and disregarding traffic rules” was once again the focus of Dr. Delay in a recent newspaper column. Readers wrote in to complain about cyclists who do not stop for stop signs or traffic signals, do not use bicycle lanes when they exist and spread out three-four abreast. Dr. Delay admitted she “cannot account for why some folks choose to follow the traffic laws and others do not…All we can hope for is that common sense will prevail, since I have yet to see a pack of riders pulled over by law enforcement.” [source: St. Petersburg Times, 4/11] Question: Do the organizers who dispatch groups of cyclists from the North Shore Pool parking area on Saturday mornings remind their riders about following the traffic rules before they send them off up and down North Shore and Beach drives?

in Case You Missed it: Updates and Follow Ups

Keeping You Current on Some Neighborhood Stories That Have Been in the News

Please Support Our Advertisers

Children’s ParadeTentatively scheduled

for Sunday, July 4th* at 10amCoffee Pot Park

(1st Street NE at 30th Avenue)* May be rescheduled to Saturday, July 3rd

if feedback from residents suggest this is preferable:

Contact us at [email protected] Check honna.org for updates


POUND FOR POUND, INSECTS CONTAIN MORE PROTEIN THAN BEEF!*

Only 10% of insects can �ind nutrition from non-native plants.*

No insects, no baby birds. 96% of our land-dwelling birds rely on insects to feed their babies.*

Insects pollinate our fruits and vegetables.

Add some native plants to your garden and see who comes to visit!

BEEF UP YOUR GARDEN!*From Douglas W. Tallamy’s book Bringing Nature Home, How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants.

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OT

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IGH

Call 727-743-5543Mary-Beth Wagner B. S. Horticulture, Owner Advanced Art of Gardening.com

named after eight-year old Paris White-head Hamilton, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in her Bartlett Park home a year ago this past April. The tragedy not only brought outrage over ongoing gun violence, it spotlighted a serious problem with attitudes about snitching. Many wondered if Paris would be alive today if someone had reported the illegal guns or the escalating feud between rival gangs.

Inspiration for The Paris Project came from Tracey’s training as a docent at the Florida Holocaust Museum and a film called “Freedom Writers.” The movie is based on a true story where a first year teacher had great success using lessons of the Holocaust to relate to teens at a failing school in California. Her students (150 teens) became known as the Freedom Writers who chronicled their collective journey dealing with gangs, drugs, and crime in diaries similar to the young Holocaust victim, Anne Frank.

The 25,000 students who tour the Florida Holocaust Museum annually learn firsthand the devastating effects of intolerance and silence. At the museum, they use terms like “silent bystander.” Docents, like Tracey, encourage kids to be “upstanders” or some-one willing to speak out on behalf of themselves and others in the face of injustice. On the streets, teens call that snitching.

Last summer, Tracey organized a Florida Holocaust Museum-

sponsored seven-week pilot program at Wildwood Recreation Center working with 100 middle school age teens. She recruited volun-teers who donated more than 200 hours to help with lesson plans and art activities and to help run the program. The students studied the Holocaust in the context of human be-havior. They explored ev-erything from self identity to who they feel obligated toward beyond their fam-ily. Guest speakers ranged from a Holocaust survivor to a mother whose son was recently murdered.

Paris Project students took a pledge to speak up for

justice. As part of that pledge, they produced artwork for a public awareness campaign called “Break the Silence.” Student artists appeared on several news stations over the summer to kick off the campaign. The art exhibit was displayed for several months at the Florida Holocaust Museum where it attracted other families who have lost loved ones where snitching played a role.

On the April 2010 one-year anniversary of Paris’ death, the exhibit was displayed at the Frank Pierce Recreation Center for

Power of One from page 1


Worship Service: Sundays 10:30am

Ad courtesy of HONNA in appreciation of Westminster’s generous support of HONNA

Potluck and Easter Egg Hunt on March 28 and Easter Worship &

Communion on April 4th.

Come celebrate Easter with us.

a celebration of Paris’ life. A community-wide celebratory event on April 5th highlighted several new programs like the NAACP’s book drive and reading program in Paris’ name. Green Florida planted several front-yard gardens called “Paris Gardens” meant to beautify and bring together the Bartlett Park community. The city renamed Preston Avenue to Paris Avenue. Neighbors are hopeful that the changes go beyond a new street sign. Rebuild Together Tampa Bay is fixing up Paris’ home and nine others on the block -- a block that has been the crime scene of four murders in just 18 months.

As Tracey expresses, “I think these events illustrate what can be accomplished when people work together. We are doing our small part with The Paris Project. Someone recently expressed surprise in my interest because it does not affect the neighbor-hood where I live. I think that goes right back to what we talk to the kids about. Who is in your universe of obligation? For me, neighbors do not have to live next door.”

Tracey is now leading a committee of 15 volunteers as they grow The Paris Project into a permanent outreach program of the Florida Holocaust Museum. They are expanding the summer program this year to reach up to 300 young people. The “Break the Silence” exhibit will become a year-round traveling exhibit. There is even a video about snitching in production that will be made available to thousands of students.

A version of this article appeared in the May issue of The Northeast Journal.

Please Support Our Advertisers...and remember to tell them that you saw their ad here.

Tracey Locke (above left) lives in The Historic Old Northeast with her husband, Kenny, and two young children. She was re-cently awarded the 2010 Florida Holocaust Museum’s annual Loebenberg Humanitarian Award, named after the Museum’s founders to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the museum and furthering its mission. Barbara Marshall serves on The Historic Old Northeast Neighborhood Association (HONNA) Board of Directors and is chair of its Membership Committee.


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if you enjoy reading this newsletter….

if you appreciate learning about upcoming events happening in the neighborhood and nearby…

if you value neighborhood events like the Easter Egg Hunt, 4th of July Parade, Garden Stroll, Candlelight Tour of Homes, walking tours and the neighborhood-wide Yard Sale….

if it matters to you that the neighborhood association is involved on your behalf regarding code, preservation, crime/safety and quality-of-our-surroundings issues….

if you can say “Yes” to any of these and you are NOT a member of The Historic Old Northeast Neighborhood Association (and maybe feeling just a little bit guilty)…

Then it’s easy to join. Clip and mail the membership form in this newsletter along with a check for $30 (tax deductible!) or go to honna.org/membership-information.html and sign up via PayPal or with a credit card.

Wishing Well Finds a New HomeThe Wishing Well which had been tucked away next to the parking lot on the north side of 22nd Avenue and 4th Street was finally moved to its new location on the south side of 22nd Avenue alongside the new Rally gas station. It is a lot more visible and also can now be seen by drivers entering the neighborhood.


A Bargain Hunters’ Bonanza by Karen Reese

The Old Northeast neighborhood-wide yard sale on Satur-day, March 13th, was a great social activity that seemed to coalesce many of the neighbors. In some ways it was

invigorating. Conversations among neighbors stemmed from the topic of the yard sale. There seemed to be a buzz in the neigh-borhood of things people wanted to sell. Once the list came out, conversations shifted to items they wanted to purchase (I heard about a kayak that got a lot of attention). People I spoke with outside of The Old Northeast were excited about the prospect of finding antiques and furnishings.

Creating the flyers and organizing the distribution while running my chiropractor practice was a chore, I won’t lie. But it was so pleasant to walk along our beautiful streets. It was great exercise and frankly very relaxing. It was a reminder of why I bought here in The Old Northeast. It was nice to see the different architecture and how the homes were enhanced with creative colors, shut-ters, siding and plants. Many had little sitting areas that looked so inviting. In fact some people were out enjoying their friends around the pool and other outdoor nooks. Much of the landscap-ing was inspiring.

Neighbors and those from outside the neighborhood who responded to the HONNA yard sale signs and advance publicity were directed to Westminster Presbyterian Church where they were able to pick up “locator maps” listing the 62 homeowners who had signed up in advance to be included on the maps. A Goodwill truck was on site at the church after the sale concluded to receive donations from homeowners who had items which didn’t sell.

As a “thank you,” participating homeowners were encour-aged to contribute a small portion of their proceeds to HONNA toward the restoration of the dolphin sculptures at the Venetian Steps in Granada Terrace, and as a result over $500 was donated to that end.

I would like to thank everyone for being so generous. I was very worried that I wouldn’t get all the flyers out, but so many people graciously donated their time to place these flyers on every door. I especially appreciate Maureen Stafford for contacting volunteers and businesses for me. She was great at encouraging me when I thought the task was too daunting. Tracey Locke was great in offering experienced advice and keeping me on task as was Robin Reed. My walkers are prob-ably too numerous to mention but included Jim and Cathy Leonard, Helen Torres, Larry Smith, Bob Watts, Bob and Jean Hunter, Anne-Marie Stephenson, Kimberly Wolfe, Barbara and Jay Marshall, Ellen Burkhart, Ron Magray, Jeanine Clark-Dunlap, Sarah Marston, Dawn Goddard, Susan Lewis, Julie Lawson, Sharon Kantner, Donna Guil-laume, Janet Avallone, Gayle Musseau, Douglas Haan, Lynne Mormino and Nancy Tait. And thanks to Westminster Presbyterian Church for generously allowing HONNA to use it facilities as “Yard Sale Central.”

All of the homeowners I met at the end of the yard sale seemed to have genuinely had a good time meeting neighbors while ridding their clutter. It seemed that many were surprised of how enjoyable and easy it turned out to be. So watch for next year’s yard sale extravaganza, likely to be held again in March.

Special thanks to Karen, an Old NE resident and chiropractor, for organizing this year’s project.


Over The Back Fence…is a collection of what we’ve heard exchanged in the aisles of the supermarkets,

shared waiting in line to pick up the kids from school, read in the papers, overheard in the pew behind us in church and, yes, even passed over the back fence. If you have something you’d like to share about a special recognition, award received, birth, graduation, good-deed-done or observation around the neighborhood please pass it along to the Editor. “Over the Back Fence” is only going to be interesting if we hear from you!

S S and by

Over The Back Fence is a

Soapbox... STep On up

and

leT’S hear FrOm yOu

e-mail: [email protected]

Fun Times at Westminster Church….”Family Fun Fiesta” is name the children of Westminster Presbyterian Church have given to its newest fellowship event. The next two fiestas are scheduled for Saturday, June 19th, from 4-8pm, and Saturday, August 21st, 4-8pm. There will be board and card games, ping pong and Wii, snacks and a meal, toddlers and senior citizens and there will be a lot of laughter and conversation. The church, at 126 11th Avenue NE, invites all its Old NE neighbors to join them for these events. If you would like further information, please call the church office at 821-5259.

Strobel Recognized….Old NE neighbor Don Strobel (Strobel Design Build) has received the 2010 “Spirit of Education” achievement award from the National Asso-ciation of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) for excellence in training and education in the construction industry. Don has spent the last 13 years dedicating himself to the training and certification of other remodeling contractor members of NARI both locally and nation-ally, personally mentoring and helping over 90 member contractors attain their NARI-recognized certifications. Another job well done, Don!

Gulf Oil Spill….As we went to press and now as you are reading this, the huge oil spill in the Gulf is threatening our coastline and our beaches. The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary is asking for the com-munity’s help to prepare for injured birds and coastal cleanup as the disastrous spill moves toward Florida. The sanctuary is asking for volunteers and items to be donated. Staff and volunteers were a significant workforce in the disastrous Tampa Bay 1993 oil spill and has experienced avian care staff on standby to assist Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research. The sanctuary is a local drop-off center for the needed donations of linens, kennels, towels, sheets, Dawn detergent, Pepto-Bismol and toothbrushes. Please bring the items to the sanctuary at 18328 Gulf Boulevard, Indian Shores; see sea-birdsanctuary.com or call 391-6211 for more information.

Saturday Morning Market Hiatus….If you’re a frequenter of the Saturday Morning Market, you’ve undoubtedly discovered by now that it has closed shop for the summer. Here’s what the SMM operators reported in an e-mail message: “We had a somewhat successful experiment last summer running a market in the Ma-haffey Theater parking garage. Unfortunately we didn’t succeed in getting a sufficiently high customer turnout to make it viable for many vendors. We’ve decided for a number of reasons to not run the market this summer. We will be carefully evaluating how to potentially develop the Summer Market as an annual event going forward.”

Tree Trimming Travesties?....A neighbor recently reported that she arrived home one day to find two City trucks loading branches that had obviously just been cut from her oak trees. After screaming

at them to “stop,” she learned the branches had been cut to allow for better visibility of the stop sign. She thought the cutting had been excessive and had the foreman of the crew put her in touch with the City department. She was told that it is the homeowner’s responsibility to maintain street-side trees according to code and that, in this case, the City had been providing her a service. Sounds like something for “The Answer Lady” (see page 18) to check into

for the September issue.Walking for Your Health…The May 9th

“Neighborhood Times” section of the St. Petersburg Times contained a really nice piece on resident Karen Reese, about the walking club she started a few months ago. As a chiropractor, she’s keenly aware of the value of exercise, which inspired her to launch this venture. The group meets on Mondays at 5:30pm in Coffee Pot Park at 1st Street NE and 30th Avenue (on Friday evenings there’s a group at Upham Beach in St. Pete Beach). The walk is about two miles in length and takes about an hour, everyone at his or her own pace. Motiva-

tion, safety in numbers, socializing – all these good things. To learn more, phone 821-7400.

Neighborhood Homes in Spotlight….A new coffee-table book, Casas to Castles: Florida’s Historic Mediterranean Revival Ar-chitecture by photographer Justin Nylander, features four St. Pete homes and two are in The Old NE. They are the homes at 1730 Beach Drive NE (owned by Dr. and Mrs. Vinay Badhwar) and “The Gargoyle House” at 1400 Beach Drive NE (currently on the market by owners Greg Hill and his mother, Helen). More can be seen at casastocastles.com. [source: St. Petersburg Times, 2/17].

Old NE -- Party Cen-tral?...It seems as though Vinoy Park (and Straub Park) are increasingly Ground-Zero when it comes to hosting popular weekend events. What this means for the southern and eastern portions of the neighborhood, particular-ly, are parking headaches – and the accompanying noise and litter -- way beyond the normal. After the Honda Grand Prix at the end of March into mid-May we experienced Blues Fest, Mainsail, St. Anthony’s Triathlon, Funk


In the top two photos we’re looking north on the 1200 block of Cherry Street NE and all the cars on the right side of the street are parked illegally. The law states that on two-way streets it’s “passenger wheels to the curb.”

In the top left photo the car is not only parked on the wrong side of the street but it’s parked too close to the intersection and stop sign. Residents and visitors parking on this particular block can always be found parking illegally. In the right photo, these three illegally parked cars on 2nd Street N each received a ticket.

Fest and a couple of charity walks and swim meets and water polo tournaments at North Shore Pool. While we are proud of our neighborhood and are glad others are able to enjoy it, the spring and fall months when so many events are scheduled here can test our patience and hospitality. If only our guests would tone it down with the loudspeakers and be more considerate when it comes to parking and safety (our intersections are dangerous enough as it is without cars blatantly ignoring the law: see photo below left).

What’s Wrong With This Picture?No, they’re not one-way streets

The GREEN PAGE

will return in September


Neighborhood Book Group

As The Pages Turn...by Susan Coffey

ONE Great Book club met again in March at the home of Barri Boudreaux on North Shore Drive. Barri chose the play by Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie.The

play also has his essay, The Catastrophe of Success, poignant words from Williams regarding his depression surrounding his success. Those of you familiar with his work will understand why he finds success to be a useless existence: people waiting on him hand and foot, being upgraded to premier suites and people wanting his presence every minute was too overwhelming for Williams.

The Glass Menagerie was Williams’ first successful play, catapulting him to become one of America’s most highly regard-ing playwrights. The play consists of four characters. Amanda Wingfield, the mother, once a Southern belle who was abandoned

by her husband 16 years earlier; she is still cling-ing desperately to that past even though it’s no-where near the reality of her life. Laura Wing-field, her daughter who has a crippled foot and crippling shyness. Tom Wingfield, her son, who works in a warehouse but dreams of being a writer. And Jim O’Connor, a co-worker of Tom’s, who Laura has been in love with from high school. Of course, Jim has no idea and no romantic interest in Laura.

The play is set in the 1940s and is about this unfortunate family, being abandoned by the father

which seems to be the underlying reason for all their frustrations and underachieving lives. Amanda with her desperate attempt to have her daughter “married off,” Tom’s frustration with working in a factory rather than living his dream of being a writer. And finally Laura, so socially inept that she is unable to live anything close to a normal life for a young women. It all comes to a head one night when Jim is invited over for dinner and to Amanda‘s surprise he is not a “gentleman caller” for Laura. He in fact has a fiancé. That night is a metaphor for their lives, and the reader

hopes things will change but they don’t. Williams does not disappoint with this dark portrayal of this

American family.Barri being the actor she is had each of us take turns being a

character and reading excerpts from the play. The group gave this play a thumbs up.

Our next meet-ing was held at the home of Patricia Calvert of Almeida Way NE. The book she choose was Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, a memoir of one eventful year of her life. The book starts with Gilbert being in a marriage that she no longer wants to be in lead-ing to a very dif-ficult divorce. She then finds herself in a tumultuous relationship with her lover, David. All this being too much for Gilbert, she decides to take a year off from her job as a journalist and “find herself.” What makes it fascinating is that she chooses to do so in three different countries -- Italy, India and Indonesia.

Each country is fascinating to Gilbert and the readers as she first takes us through Italy, taking Italian lessons and eating the best pizza in the world in Naples. She begins to let go of her “baggage” that she brought with her through the people she meets and the wonderful food of Italy. She leaves Italy healthier, happier and 24 pounds heavier.

In India she eventually finds self actualization through her guru, prayer and meditation. At first she finds this an impossible task, but with hard work and listening what her mind, body and spirit are saying she leaves India actually finding what she was looking for -- herself.

In Indonesia she returns to a healer she had met two years prior who helps her see that she is capable of loving again without los-ing herself. Gilbert does just that and falls in love with a Brazilian man 18 years her senior. His feelings for her are the same, and we are left with Gilbert accomplishing everything she set out to do, hence the title.

The group gave this book a thumbs up.

ONE Great Book Club meets every other month, the second Thursday of that month in the evening. There continues to be a waiting list; I can be reached at [email protected]. Our sister/brother book club meets the last Wednesday of each month in the afternoon. Contact Colleen Grant at [email protected] for more information.

Check out the HONNA website www.honna.org


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What do you think when you’re on vacation and you see a home with a beautiful bronze plaque on it? Perhaps you wonder if someone famous lived there? Or if

there is something special about the architecture of the building? Or if something important happened there years ago? Any or all of these things could be the reason a house has been “landmarked” or specially designated as “historic.”

For the past several years, HONNA’s Historic Preservation Committee has been considering a plaque (or marker) program for our local historic landmarks. If you have been following Jill McGrath’s series of articles on our landmark homes in recent is-sues of this newsletter, you will know that there are currently five in our neighborhood.

The City has approved our proposed design of a 5”x7” solid bronze plaque [see sample in photo] which will have the name of the property, the date it was built and the date that it was of-ficially designated a landmark by the City. The HONNA Board of Directors feels that recognition of these unique properties is so important that the Association will be offering the plaques — and assistance with their installation — for these landmark homes at no cost to the owners: Boyce Guest House, 635 Bay Street NE (HPC# 96-03)Monticello Apartments, 750 3rd Street N (HPC# 05-01)Ridgely Residence, 600 Beach Drive (HPC# 09-03)Thomas Whitted House, 656 1st Street N (HPC# 95-01)Robert West House, 101 6th Avenue NE (HPC# 95-02).

The City currently has no plaque program in place for historic landmarks in neighborhoods (although St. Petersburg Preservation has created a plaque program for the Downtown Local Historic District). We can be proud of being the first to honor our historic landmarks in this time-honored way.

For more information on the individual landmarks, please see the City’s staff reports at: www.stpete.org/historic_preservation/historic_landmarks/designation_staff_reports_2000_thru_pres-ent.asp.

Coming Soon! Plaques for Our Historic Landmarks


Property TransfersFollowing is a listing of recent property transfers in

our North Shore neighborhood. The individuals listed are new owners of the properties cited but not neces-sarily the residents of those properties. The properties are listed in chronological avenue and chronological and alphabetical street order.

If any of these folks live near you, make sure you wel-come them to the neighborhood.

125 5th Avenue NE #320 .....................................Renee Buchanan204 7th Avenue N #204 ....................... Richard and Joanne Cattell308 11th Avenue N ........................Anthony and Patrice Redington230 12th Avenue NE .......................... Jonathan and Morgan Smith535 12th Avenue NE ................................................Leslie Wharton248 14th Avenue NE ................................................. Mark Wemple110 15th Avenue N.......................................David and Rita Cathey216 15th Avenue NE .......................... Matthew and Tammy Zybura236 15th Avenue NE ......................................Bridgette Vanderlaan446 15th Avenue NE ............................................ Joseph Redinger136 16th Avenue NE ............................Bernard and Karen Whalen203 20th Avenue N .................................Frank and Laura Fage235 20th Avenue N ............................... James and Daryl Turner125 22nd Avenue Ne ....................................... Marilyn Donahoe106 26th Avenue NE ....................... Margaret and Thomas Imler320 27th Avenue N ................................................Bryan Smith807 1st Street NE ............................................D. David Morris2121 1st Street NE .............................. John and Rebecca Barie1917 Bay Street NE ..........................Peter and Marlene Mazer1048 North Shore Drive NE #2 .......... Alice and Dennis Crowley833 Oak Street NE ...................................... Julie and Gary Kliner

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H e e x -p r e s s e d a s imi la r n e g a t i v e attitude on any sale of City stock-piles with respect to A u g u s t a B l o c k s , which are needed con-tinually for the repair and replacement of the bricks for our streets in The Old Northeast and elsewhere. They are considered historical items, as well. Further, he explained that it takes a very specific crew and extra Time to be able to do all of these repairs and, con-sidering the loss of many employees due to the economy, speed in some repairs will probably not be forthcoming for a while.

Reclaimed Water Some parts of the City have access to reclaimed water (recycled

wastewater) that is used for lawn and garden watering (except for edi-bles). To determine when and if reclaimed water will be available to Old Northeast residents, we spoke with a City representative (892-5111). She explained that the City is setting up a new website (stpete.org/water_resources/reclaimed_water, which should be in service when you read this) for anyone to register as a potential user. She said that the City plans to extend this service after at least 51% of an area has expressed interest.

At present portions of Cherry and Locust Streets are among the streets which have this service available. Other neighborhoods that have it include Snell Isle and Coquina Key. Present cost to hook up (if available in an area) is $15.84 per month plus a hookup fee of $4.35 and up.

A few folks in The Old Northeast have been asking some questions about various City supplies and they’ve been wondering WHEN and IF some City services will be

open to us. Here is a brief overview of discussions we have pur-sued to date.

Hex Blocks (Hexagon Sidewalks)Having spoken to Carl Blahut, Director of Traffic, Pavement

and Storm Water Operations for the City of St. Petersburg about the stockpile of hexagon sidewalk blocks -- which he says is “not huge” – I was informed that the City is not considering selling any of these pieces. They are needed by City workers in order to pursue repair and replacement of these historical items as they break and crumble. They are obligated to use their stockpile by

City ordinance. You may wish to check the local classifieds such as tampa.craigslist.org, where they have been spotted for sale.

Are you one of those people who goes about your day-to-day life noticing things happening around you (or not hap-pening) in the neighborhood and our City and you wonder why (or why not) but never get around to discovering the answer? We’ve decided to ask one of our neighbors, Sue Strott, who’s lived in The Old Northeast almost forever, to track down the explanations for some of those puzzling questions which bug, bedevil and frustrate us.

So here’s a start with some of those nagging, niggling WHYs? and WHAT’s?. Let us know if you have a particu-lar issue or query you’d like The Answer Lady to check out and we’ll see what she can learn. Like FiOS…..will we ever “hear them now”? Contact The Answer Lady at [email protected].

by Sue Strott


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I f you’ re a HONNA member and have given us your e-mail address, you’re already on the list to receive e-mail “blasts” of HONNA events in the neighborhood which might be of interest.

Not a member now but still want to know what’s going on? Send us your e-mail address and we’ll place you on the e-mail blast list, even though you’re not a HONNA member. Send your address to [email protected].

Want to Hear About Neighborhood Events of interest?

As a point of interest, St. Pete’s Water Reclama-tion System is not only the first to be built in the U.S. but it remains one of the largest in the world. Initial reclaimed water distribution was constructed in the late ‘70s and served golf courses, parks, schools and large commercial areas. In 1986, a $110 million system expansion serviced a limited number of residential customers and commercial sites. Con-tinued expansion has significantly contributed to reducing potable (drinking) water demands. (Info as per Southwest Water Management District 1/800/423-1476 or .Watermatters.org.)

The City presently provides more than 37 million gallons a day to over 10,600 customers, primarily for lawn irrigation. In St. Pete, a typical residential lawn can require 30,000 gallons of irrigation water per month during the growing season. Average residential customers discharge 5,000 gallons per month. (Therefore, it takes six wastewater custom-ers to produce enough reclaimed water to supply one residential customer with irrigation water. As a result, it is not possible, at this time, to supply all residences in St. Pete with reclaimed water.)The ad-vantage of using reclaimed water is, of course, that there are only voluntary restrictions on its use but still no more than three times a week. However, if the system experiences an increase in low pressure due to demand exceeding supply, the Mayor may enact mandatory restrictions on reclaimed water.

For additional info, call 892-5111 or stpete.org/water/reclaimed_water/index.asp.

Sue was born in Chicago and lived in Canada before moving to The Old NE in 1973 where she continues to run an apartment rental business. She lives with her dog, Foxy Lady, and is one of those people who enjoys being busy!

June/July/August speciAl

Have you been to a

See page 20 for the upcoming schedule

Porch Party lately?


PORCH PARTIESPorch Parties are held the third Friday of the month from 7:30-10pm (except December). Porch Parties are strictly social and provide and informal and fun way to mix and mingle with your neighbors. Bring your own beverage. Cups, ice and light snacks are provided. Ask a neighbor to ride or walk over with you. For more info, contact Larry Smith, [email protected].

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August 20th

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that got lost in the recession, leaving the area a sleeping ground for the homeless. I don’t know the full story about this reincarnation, but sometime over the few years that it was left to rot, some people had the notion to reinvent the area and the results are wonderful. My wife has an office in that area so I have been watching what the local entrepreneurial spirit can do when out-of-town developers fall flat. Go to the galleries and stores and buy something or sign up for an art class. There is much more to St. Pete than Beach Drive. An actual crosswalk has been built on 4th Street. The

best part about it is that it is a crosswalk that has to be obeyed. Once you push the button, the signs start flashing and drivers are demanded to stop and obey the laws that are in effect anyway. Not only does it demand cars to stop, it also has a calm and reassur-ing recorded voice that explains quite clearly what is expected of the pedestrian during this crass interruption of a driver’s need to never stop forward motion. It’s great -- and now is it too much to ask for some more?

A Rally Gas Station has arrived as we all knew it would. There were talks at the neighborhood meetings where many people expressed displeasure of having this station in our neighborhood but, nevertheless, there it, is-car wash and all. Our house is three blocks away and time will tell if we will hear the blowers and suffer the increase of traffic we anticipated. But since it doesn’t make any difference anyway, there it is looking every bit as out of place in our historic neighborhood as an episode of “American Idol” on a PBS station.

So there you are, in spite of the relentless onslaught of progress, our town and little neighborhood continue to defy the odds and remain the place we try to hold together.

Four times a week I commute over the Skyway Bridge. This has been going on now for ten years and every day the bridge offers me a dif-

ferent view. Of course the bridge, the bay, the toll booth and the highway have changed little over the years, but life on the big, wide and beautiful bay is in a constant state of flux that always grabs my attention. Two times a day, morning and afternoon, I have the privilege of watching the life of this natural phenomenon coexisting with us mere humans in what appears to be a happy relationship.

Depending on the day, I see big and small boats, birds, schools of fish, dolphins, fishermen, sailors, windsurfers, kiters, swimmers, sunrise gazers and kayakers. Also, depending on the time and the

season, I see predawn, dawn and afternoon suns that never look the same and at times are jaw-dropping gor-geous. Sometimes the sunrise is so beautiful that you just have to stop and savor. On foggy days, the bridge sometimes disappears from view and at times you can only see the

tall spires sticking out from the gloom. Our bay is a beautiful thing and we are now at risk at losing it all to an oil spill. Did anyone really think that this type of catastrophe was something that could be avoided forever? Losing our bay is bad enough, but the worst feeling is that I am driving a gasoline powered car 100 miles every four days all by myself so I am a part of the problem. There has to be a better way of running this planet. If you haven’t gone over to see the new shops in the Crislip

Arcade on the 600 block of Central, you have to go and look. This was the block that was handed over to some development group

Ponderings

Stuffby John Gee

John and his wife Kathy moved to St. Pete from New Mexico six years ago, and he currently teaches history at a Sarasota high school. He has served on the HONNA Board where he co-chaired its Historic Preservation Committee. You can also read more from John in the Northeast Journal.


Preserving the Character of Old Northeast Houses

by Mike Daily

if You’re Going to do it, do it Right

What started out as a simple roof replacement for our house turned into a much larger project last year as we encountered new code requirements, new ways

to solve old siding problems and new options for keeping our cooling bills low.

We’d had occasional leaks in our roof and brown spots on our ceiling almost from the day we bought the house. They would start, then stop, change locations, then stop permanently and move to other locations. Finding the source of the leaks was difficult, even for the professionals. In 1999, when our house was on the Candlelight Tour of Homes, heavy rain and wind the night of the preview tour flooded our downstairs bedroom so much that we had to close it for the tour. Still, since the roof was fairly new when we bought the house, we just repaired the leaks as best we could, repainted the ceiling and postponed reroofing the house for a later date. Last summer’s rains left puddles on our dining room table and water running down the wall in a bed-room closet. The granules were coming off the shingles and end-ing up in piles in the gutters, and the edges of the shingles were ragged with pieces missing. It was time for a new roof.

The new building code required us to “harden” our roof to better withstand hurricane-force winds. Basically this requires installing metal straps at each rafter to fasten them to the top of the wall and bracing the gables (the triangular walls at each end of the roof) to keep them from blowing out in high winds and collapsing the roof. In addition, the roof must be protected by what’s known as a “secondary water barrier” by using a sticky self-sealing membrane under the shingles to protect the structure in case the shingles blow off. As a consolation prize for all this

extra expense, Citizens and other property insurers are required to give you a discount on your premium.

Since we were replacing our roof, we decided to also replace our second floor siding with HardiePlank, a cement-fiber siding that almost exactly matched the siding we had on the house in size and style. The second floor is a pop-up in the middle of the first floor roof and the joint where the roof and wall intersect has leaked since we’ve lived here. Replacing the siding would allow us to get at the joint to flash it right. Cement fiber siding like Hardie is resistant to rot, termites and impact and they come with long warranties. They also hold paint beautifully -- we installed some as a test on the back of the house about eight years ago and the paint finish still looks perfect. The original cypress siding was nearing 100 years old and was badly cracked in places and letting rain (and humid-ity) into the walls. There was no felt paper or any other weather barrier under the siding so we also specified a layer of Tyvek housewrap over the wood sheathing. Tyvek sheds any water that does get behind the siding.

With all the construction work it seemed to be a good time


Mike, an Old Northeast resident since 1996, holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of South Florida.

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to spray foam insulate the attic. Our attic was previously insulated with blown cellulose on the attic floor and we had large gable vents at each end of the roof. Even with those gable vents there was very little air circulation, and with a cloud of hot humid air in the attic we had an ongoing problem with mold in our closets and on our ceiling registers where the hot and cool air mixed. I’d been reading about Icynene insulation for years and thought that our house would be a great candidate for the product. Icynene is a soft foam insulation that expands 100 times in volume within a few seconds of being applied and works as an air barrier as well as an insulator. It’s typically installed on the sloped underside of the roof instead of the attic floor, creating an unvented (sealed) attic. The R-value is 3.6 per inch, but the real value for us was that by sealing the attic our air conditioner and ductwork would be within the conditioned space and operate more efficiently. The installers first vacuumed out the old cellulose insulation and then sprayed 5” of new foam on the underside of the roof and onto the gable walls. Already the moisture and mold problem in the closets is gone, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the insulation performs in keeping our house cool and dry once summer comes. Our first electric bill with the A/C on was dramatically lower than the same one last year, but of course you need more than one month to really compare due to varying weather conditions.

The project was a lot more complicated and cost us more than what we originally budgeted for just a roof replacement, but we’re also getting a better, longer-lasting house with lower maintenance requirements, higher comfort, and lower utility bills.

We’ve got dinner in the bag

1545 4th Street NMon – Thurs 9:00 – 6:30

Fri & Sat 9:00 – 6:00727.894.7751

Fresh Meats and SeafoodPrepared Meals & sidesFresh Baked BreadsBeer & WineMilk and CookiesVegetablesBoar’s Head Deli Sandwiches

Stop in today. You will be pleased with

the prices and smiles that greet you!


June 4-6 Tampa Bay Home Show, The Trop; 893-8523Taste of Pinellas (benefits All Children’s Hospital) Vinoy Park; 767-2308June 5-6 Living Green Expo, Coliseum/Sunshine Cen-terJune 5 Beginning Bonsai, Sunken Gardens; 551-3102

JUNE 10HONNA CRiME WATCH MEETiNG (see page 5)

June 10-August 23 Summer Camp, Great Explora-tions; 821-8992June 12 Hibiscus Fest Sunken Gardens; 551-3102June 12 Tampa Bay Caribbean Carnival, Vinoy Park; 327-1277June 12 Discover Our Classroom Weedon Island Preserve; 453-6500June 14-August 20 Summer Art Camp, Morean Arts Center; 822-7872 x21June 15 American Stage Summer Camp, American Stage; 823-1600

JUNE 18 PORCH PARTY (see page 20)June 19 Family Fun Fiesta, Westminster Presbyterian Church; 821-5259June 20 Father’s Day, Sunken Gardens; 551-3102

JUNE 21 NEiGHBORHOOd MEETiNG – POTLUCK

(see page 1) June 23 City Budget Forum, City HallJune 25 Dancers 4 Cancer (benefits Gulfcoast Oncol-ogy Foundation), Coliseum; 424-6945June 26 St. Pete Pride Parade and Street Festival, Grand Central district; 388-1382June 26 Repotting and Mounting Orchids, Sunken Gardens; 551-3102

July 4 HONNA 4th of JULY CHiLdREN’S PARAdE

(see page 7)July 4 Opening Event: The Chihuly Collection, 400 Beach Drive NEJune 26 Extravaganza and Fireworks, Pier and Spa Beach Park; 893-7441

JULY 8 HONNA CRiME WATCH MEETiNG

(see page 5)July 8-10 14th Annual Florida Neighborhoods Confer-ence Bayfront HiltonJuly 10 Mid-Summer Coastal Clean Up Fort DeSoto Park; 533-0402

JULY 16 PORCH PARTY (See page 20)

July 17-18 Cool Art Show Coliseum; 892-5202

JULY 19 NEiGHBORHOOd MEETiNG

ON THE dOCKET: Some Upcoming Events In and Nearby Our Neighborhood

July 23 Vans Warped Tour Vinoy Park

AUGUST 12 HONNA CRiME WATCH MEETiNG (see page 5)

AUGUST 20 PORCH PARTY (see page 20)August 21 Family Fun Fiesta, Westminster Presbyterian Church; 821-5259

RECURRiNG EVENTSMONdAY

Celebrity Critter of the Week, The Pier Aquarium; 895-7437AMO: Art, Music, Poetry (last Mon of the month), Studio@620; 895-6620Pilates, Sunken Gardens; 551-3102Great ART Explorations, Great Explorations Museum, 821-8992Lunchtime Yoga, Sunken Gardens; 551-3102

TUESdAYAwaken Yoga, Sunken Gardens; 551-3102Hoop Dancing fitness, Sunken Gardens; 551-3102

WEdNESdAYCoffee with a Curator (first Wed of the month), Dali Museum; 823-3767Oldies but Goodies dance (2nd and 4th Wed of the month), The Pier; 821-6443Tea dance (1st and 3rd Wed of the month), Coliseum; 892-5202Coffee Talks (2nd Wed of the month), Museum of Fine Arts; 896-2667Hoop Dancing fitness, Sunken Gardens; 551-3102Lunchtime Yoga, Sunken Gardens; 551-3102 Terrific Tots, Great Explorations Museum; 821-8992Great ART Explorations, Great Explorations Museum, 821-8992

THURSdAYArtist’s Table (3rd Thur of the month), Morean Arts Center; 822-7872Awaken Yoga, Sunken Gardens; 551-3102dali & Beyond Film Series, Dali Museum; 823-3767Artist Exhibition (thru 7/31), Weedon Island Preserve; 453-6500Poster Exhibit: Earth from Space, Weedon Island Preserve; 453-6500

FRidAYGet downtown Music Series (1st Fri of the month), Central b/w 2nd-3rd; 393-3597St. Pete Shuffle, St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Courts; 822-2083Grand Central Hop (3rd Fri of the month) Grand Central busi-ness district; 643-7512Friday Night Wine & Music Series (3rd Fri of the month), Bay-Walk; 824-8888S’Real Fridays (Jul & Aug), Dali Museum; 823-3767Terrific Tots, Great Explorations Museum; 821-8992Great Weedon Bird Quest (2nd Fri of the month), Weedon Island Preserve; 463-6500Artist Exhibition (thru 7/31), Weedon Island Preserve; 453-6500Poster Exhibit: Earth from Space, Weedon Island Preserve; 453-6500

SATURdAYdali Family Fun Saturdays, Dali Museum; 823-3767FiSH-ful Saturdays (1st Sat of the month), Pier Aquarium; 895-7437Face Painting by Joanne Cone, The Pier; 821-6443Saturday Afternoon Fun (2nd and 4th Sat of the month), The Pier; 821-6443


For a current and more detailed listing visit the City’s website at www.stpete.org

Guided Hikes, Weedon Island Preserve; 463-6500Saturday Antiques and Green Market, Central at 13th; 895-0368Walking & Trolley Tour “Westward Ho to the Waterfront” (last Sat of the month), starts at Central at 2nd; 824-7802Family Flicks! Movies on the Waterfront 93rd Sat of the month), The Pier; 821-6443Gallery Walks (2nd Sat of the month), various downtown loca-tions; 323-ARTSSaturdays at the Morean (1st Sat of the month), Morean Arts Center; 822-7872Walking Tour “North by Old Northeast” (3rd Sat of the month), Central at 2nd; 824-7802Walking Tour of Historic downtown (2nd Sat of the month), Central at 2nd; 824-7802Pancake Breakfast (1st Sat of the month), Albert Whitted Field; 821-1532Horticulture workshop, Sunken Gardens; 551-3102Artist Exhibition (thru 7/31), Weedon Island Preserve; 453-6500Poster Exhibit: Earth from Space, Weedon Island Preserve; 453-6500Super Special Saturday Family day (3rd Sat of the month); Museum of Fine Arts; 896-2667

SUNdAYMusic Fest on the Water, The Pier; 821-6443Sunday Afternoon Family Fun (1st and 3rd Sun of the month), The Pier, 821-6443Photography Hike (1st Sun of the month), Weedon Island Pre-serve; 463-6500


How does Your Garden Grow?

Pots of

Pleasure

by Laura Fage

It was a tough winter for all of us when it comes to our landscaping…you can stroll through the neighborhood and see the toll the unseasonable weather took on our beloved

plants. Many of us have spent the last several months trimming, fertilizing, replacing and cajoling our little bit of nature back to life – hopefully with some success.

Now that the heat of the summer is upon us, the best and quick-est impact we can make in our yards is with container gardening. It’s easy, mobile, there’s less weeding and stooping and it provides instant gratification – and the WOW factor if done correctly. While there are many types of container gardening, here are a few tips on creating lush, full and colorful pots of pleasure.

So Many ChoicesConsider the traditional container choic-

es: stone urns, half whiskey barrels, troughs, hanging baskets and containers made of concrete, terra-cotta, clay or lightweight synthetic materials. Your choices are lim-ited only by your imagination and some of the most beautiful “portable gardens” are found in the most unique containers from vintage and flea market finds – including a water garden in an old claw foot bathtub to a coco fiber liner inside a bicycle basket. When choosing containers, make sure they will be the right size for the plants, have excellent drainage and coordinate with your home and surrounding landscape.

Scale is very important to overall suc-cess in any landscape. Vary your levels of containers by placing plants on a sturdy pedestal, benches or stairs. Suspend hanging baskets at chest level where people can see them or more than six feet high where there is no danger of bumping into them. Plants at waist level or lower should be located off beaten paths and out of the way of rambunctious pets and children. As a practical matter, you may want to group and locate containers to ease watering.

First Steps FirstVirtually any form of flowering or foliage plant and compact veg-

etables or edible herbs will feel at home in a container if you provide the proper conditions for growth. First of all, there must be drainage.

Most ready-made containers have one or more holes in the bottom to provide good drainage. Drill holes, if possible, in containers you’ve made or found. Layer shards of terra-cotta pots or pebbles on the bottom so roots won’t clog drainage holes and instead of garden soil use soilless potting mixes, which are lighter, absorb more water, drain better and many of which include a slow-release fertilizer. To be more economical with the potting mix, you may want to use a “false bottom” for pots larger than 18” (a small disposable plant pot from the nursery works well). While plants in containers are generally less susceptible to pests and diseases, be mindful that containers need to be watered regularly and fertilized at least once during the season.

The WOW FactorFlowers, color, texture and varying heights are the most impor-

tant elements of a great-looking container. The wrong combination can be boring, but the right combination will instantly create the WOW factor for your garden. The best plants for a container garden will be a variety of upright, mounding and trailing plants – or the thrill, fill and spill as they are sometimes referred to.

The upright plant will be the focal point, so choose one with a pleasing flower, color or texture. The mounding plant will fill

in the dead spaces. The trailing plant spills over the edge of your container for added dimension and interest. A mistake often made when planting containers with a mix of flowers is the gardener doesn’t use enough plants; a trade secret is to pack the container with plants from the get-go for that “magazine-cover” look.

If you think of containers as simply seasonal accessories to your land-scape, you’ll find your choices of plants are limitless. You can use all annuals for high-impact color or use an evergreen perennial as the upright focus and then change the surrounding plants with the season. Make sure you choose plants that have the same light and moisture requirements, and from there choose the ones you think look great together. Keep in mind where you’re going to be putting your con-tainer garden, and buy plants that will thrive in that amount of lighting. Once you have the right plants, in the right pot, in the right place, ENJOY!

A resident of the Old Northeast, Laura Fage is the proprietor of Casa Terra Design which specializes in curb appeal, outdoor rooms, interior redesign, staging for sale and inspiring home owners to live a more beautiful life. She has owned a home and garden boutique, hosted a garden TV show and conducted workshops on all aspects of home decor. www.casaterradesign.com or [email protected].

Author’s Personal Note: My husband Frank and I recently moved into our dream home in The Old Northeast and have been revitalizing our landscape – complete with interesting and colorful containers. We look forward to seeing you in the neighborhood!


126 11th Avenue NESt. Petersburg, FL33701727-822-5906

Ages 2 - VPKState ApprovedLIC. #C610108

APPLE ACCrEdItEd

Individual and Business Tax Returns

Small Business Accounting &

Consulting

St. Petersburg424 22nd Avenue North, St. Petersburg, FL 33704

Seminole 7700 Seminole Blvd, Ste 200, Seminole, FL 33772

(727) 393-1922 office • (727) 392-3266 fax

Monica M. Vernon • Garth A. Vernon

Historic OLD NE APARTMENTS

727 895-6090www.TerrierProperties.com


Historic Old Northeast Neighborhood AssociationP.O. Box 76324St. Petersburg, FL 33734www.honna.org

PRSRT STdU.S. POSTAGE PAidST. PETERSBURG FL

PERMiT #1020

Neighborhood Potluck: Monday, June 21st, at 6:45pm(see p.1)

All neighborhood residents invited

iN THiS iSSUE

• The Power of 1

• Yard Sale Recap

• Parking NO NOs

• “Stuff”

• Easter Egg Hunt

• Summer Fun Things

To do

... and more!

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Historic Old Northeast Neighborhood Newsletter - June 2010

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