ST. PETERSBURG - Opening the front doors made a huge difference. The small room adjacent to Moore's African Methodist Episcopal Chapel on Fairfield Avenue S served just fine Tuesday as a meeting place for the Palmetto Park Neighborhood Association, except for that initial matter of ventilation.
But within minutes, someone had retrieved a large fan from the kitchen, and then the double doors were opened. About a half-dozen residents gathered from the area bounded by Central Avenue to Eighth Avenue S between 22nd and 34th streets.
After an opening silent prayer led by president Lurlis Simmons, Tom Ostermann and Don Morris of the Albert Whitted Airport Preservation Society put on a slide show and made their case for airport expansion.
Ostermann told residents they want to add a new terminal building and extend a runway 400 feet into Tampa Bay. Both improvements are years down the road if they happen at all, Ostermann said.
Residents were impressed enough to ask for a tour of Albert Whitted, which Morris said he would arrange.
Also at the meeting, Community Police Officer David Girardo ticked off a list of concerns and took notes from new ones raised by neighbors: an unlicensed auto repair business, where residents have spotted people drinking; suspected drug and gambling houses; noise from a neighbor who owns several dogs.
Some residents seemed surprised to learn that the police have dispatched an officer to work full-time on illegal dumping, another bane of the neighborhood. The officer had staked out by popular dumping spots and made arrests, Girardo said.
But much of the buoyant mood surfaced when residents talked about the Nov. 8 work day in Palmetto Park's vegetable garden. Begun in 2001 by a Front Porch grant, residents have taken the land at 2519 Third Ave. S and turned it into a growing space for squash, peas, tomatoes, turnips, collard and mustard greens.
Saturday morning they also had help from about nine volunteers from Eckerd College. Brian MacHarg, Eckerd's director of service ministry, said students and residents turned over soil, planted vegetables, spread fertilizer, weeded, tilled and mowed.
"There's a rich tradition of oral history, community mobilizing and social levels in play there," MacHarg said. "For some environmental students, it's a promotion of an environment in the middle of an urban landscape. Some may be doing it for career exploration, some for religious reasons, some for civic duty."
Around the neighborhoods
Lakewood Terrace starts its annual Fall Fest with help from the county's health department, which is offering flu shots as well as blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol checks. The event is 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 4201 Sixth St. S.
Guides from the Audubon Society will lead Meadowlawn neighbors on a bird walk Saturday morning. Meet at 9 a.m. in the parking lot south of Fossil Park Fire Station 7, 6975 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N. Children welcome; some binoculars will be available for lending.
Meetings
CENTRAL OAK PARK: 7 p.m. Tuesday (6:30 p.m. Crime Watch). St. Luke's United Methodist Church, 4444 Fifth Ave. N. Elections for 2004; planning for association.
COUNCIL OF NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS: 7 p.m. Wednesday (6 p.m. social). The Sunshine Center, 330 Fifth St. N. Police Chief Chuck Harmon on proposed changes to redistricting; neighborhood transportation manager Michael Frederick on traffic calming and the bicycle and pedestrian master plan; Doorways Program representative Jim Gillespie; Neighborhood Partnership update.
CRESCENT HEIGHTS: 7 p.m. Tuesday. American Baptist Church of the Beatitudes, 2812 Eighth St. N. Officer elections; representative from the Audubon Society; marketing agent Brian Smith, General Home Development Corp. will update residents on townhouse project at 605 24th Ave. N.
FIVE POINTS: 7 p.m. Wednesday. Wesley United Methodist Church, 301 37th Ave. N. Officer elections; planning for 2004.
FOSSIL PARK: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Grace Healthcare, 521 69th Ave. N. Nominating committee reports; nominations from the floor.
GREATER PINELLAS POINT: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (7 p.m. social). Bay Vista Recreation Center, 7000 Fourth St. S. Representative of St. Anthony's Hospital ($15 flu shots available); review of commercial development on 34th Street S; holiday decorations demonstration; award recognizing special contributions to the neighborhood.
HARRIS PARK: 7:30 p.m. Monday. Vietnamese Alliance Church, 4344 21st St. N. Fire awareness and public safety representative; officer elections; door prizes.
HISTORIC OLD NORTHEAST: 7 p.m. Monday (6:45 p.m. social). Westminster Presbyterian Church, 126 11th Ave. NE. Crime update; engineering, stormwater and transportation director Michael Connors, on neighborhood improvement projects.
HOLIDAY PARK: 7:30 p.m. Monday. 7:30 p.m. Monday. Garden of Peace Lutheran Church, 6161 22nd Ave. N. Neighborhood transportation manager Michael Frederick will lead first open forum on proposed traffic-calming plan.
JUNGLE TERRACE: 7 p.m. Monday (6:45 p.m. social). Walter Fuller Recreation Center, 7891 26th Ave. N. Public Defender Bob Dillinger. Special Law & Order award to be presented.
LAKEWOOD ESTATES NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH: 7 p.m. Wednesday. St. Petersburg Country Club, 2000 Country Club Way S. Metro Crime Prevention of Florida, on personal safety.
LAKEWOOD TERRACE: 7 p.m. Thursday. Covenant Presbyterian Church, 4201 Sixth St. S. Officer elections.
MAGNOLIA HEIGHTS: 7 p.m. Thursday. Woodlawn Presbyterian Church, 2612 12th St. N. Open forum.
MEADOWLAWN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Hope Lutheran Church, 1801 62nd Ave. N. Slide presentation by the Audubon Society.
PERKINS: 7 p.m. Monday. Perkins Elementary School, 2400 Queensboro Ave. S. Open forum.
PERRY BAYVIEW: 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Bethel Metropolitan Baptist Church, 3455 26th Ave. S. Open forum.
PONCE DE LEON: 7 p.m. Thursday. Gladden Park Recreation Center, 3901 30th Ave. N. Presentation by Metro Crime Prevention of Florida.
TWINBROOKS: 6:30 p.m. Monday. Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church, 3500 18th Ave. S. Presentation on economic development; New Philadelphia Church and Twinbrooks plans to join Adopt-a-Neighborhood program.
GRAND CENTRAL DISTRICT: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Republic Bank, 100 34th St. N. Conference recap; officer elections.
