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Broadwater wants to put $25,000 grant to good use

Meetings will begin Wednesday on how to spend the grant. Meanwhile, the rekindled Asian Crime Watch will meet Monday.

ST. PETERSBURG - Broadwater neighbors are looking for help in transforming their streets. Residents want to use a $25,000 grant secured from the city's Neighborhood Partnership to develop a comprehensive neighborhood plan.

They are seeking input from all who live in Broadwater, between 38th and 48th avenues S from 37th Street S to Boca Ciega Bay, and also residents of Maximo, Bayway Isles, Isla del Sol and Childs Park.

Two mailings have gone out to all of these residents, one from Broadwater Civic Association and one from the city. The neighborhood also has notified absentee landlords and owners of vacant lots, board member Jeff Lynass said.

"This is everybody's money," Lynass said of the grant, which requires a $25,000 match in donated labor or materials from residents. Lynass acknowledged that coming up with that match is part of the reason the neighborhood works so hard to drum up attendance at planning meetings: Everyone who attends is then counted as a worker for that meeting, and "paid" $15 an hour in money subtracted from the neighborhood's obligation to the city.

Twenty-four other neighborhoods have used grant money to draw up a comprehensive plan, partnership director Susan Ajoc said. Broadwater interviewed five firms before selecting architects from Wedding, Stephenson and Ibarguen. It also conducted a preliminary survey of the area's 540 homes and found common concerns among residents in sidewalks, lighting and security.

Residents also wanted to establish more monuments identifying the neighborhood.

The kickoff meeting is at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Florida National Guard armory, 3601 38th Ave. S. Architect Marcos Ibarguen will speak. Further meetings will be held March 10, April 14, May 5 and June 9, all at 7 p.m. at the armory.

"If you're active in the association or not, we want people there," Lynass said.

Asian Crime Watch will meet from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday at the Asian Neighborhood Family Center, 1801 62nd Ave. N. The schedule includes introducing the group to volunteer road patrol and Crime Watch coordinator Tonia Nave, learning about crime trends, and taking questions.

The group had functioned until the retirement of Officer Bobby Ortiz, but has been dormant for more than a year, police spokesman George Kajtsa said.

"But then the Asian community said, "We really do need an Asian Crime Watch."'

AZALEA: 7 p.m. Thursday. Azalea Recreation Center, 1600 72nd St. N. Open forum.

BARTLETT PARK: 6:30 p.m. Thursday (6 p.m. refreshments). St. Petersburg Neighborhood Housing Services, 1600 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. S. Home ownership opportunities for you and your family; deciding on future meeting location.

CAMPBELL PARK: 7 p.m. Wednesday. Association headquarters, 1525 16th St. S.

DISSTON HEIGHTS: 7 p.m. Tuesday. Community Covenant Church, 4501 30th Ave. N. Codes inspector Linda Phillips.

EAGLE CREST: 7 p.m. Wednesday. St. Petersburg Catholic High School cafeteria, 6333 Ninth Ave. N. Dave Levia, Brantley Emory and Sons Termite and Pest Control.

JUNGLE PRADA: 7:05 p.m. Tuesday (6:45 p.m. social). Saffron's Caribbean Cuisine, 1700 Park St. N. Officer elections.

MEL-TAN HEIGHTS: 6 p.m. Tuesday. Brister Temple Church, 2901 18th Ave. S.

NORTH KENWOOD: 7:30 p.m. Monday. Edward White Hospital auditorium, 2323 Ninth Ave. N. Neighborhood transportation manager Michael Frederick, on traffic calming; neighborhood planner Andy Garr.

PALMETTO PARK: 7 p.m. Tuesday. Moore's AME Chapel, 3037 Fairfield Ave. S.

THIRTEENTH STREET HEIGHTS: 1 p.m. Saturday. Enoch Davis Center, 1111 18th Ave. S. City staffers to speak on zoning; celebrating Valentine's Day.

WESTMINSTER HEIGHTS: 7 p.m. Tuesday. Agape House, 4824 Second Ave. S.

WILDWOOD HEIGHTS: 7 p.m. Thursday. Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church, 2580 12th Ave. S. Meet new officers, open forum.