ST. PETERSBURG - A public forum on crime will bring residents and police face to face.
Guests in the discussion, sponsored by the Council of Neighborhood Associations, are police Chief Chuck Harmon, NAACP president Darryl Rouson and Police Benevolent Association president Mark Desaro.
CONA vice president Steve Plice hopes the format will lead the group down a more productive road than in discussions past.
"We always get bogged down in how many police are on the street, and other details that run us around in circles," Plice said. "Now we can look at the total numbers and ask: How can we get better? What will it take?"
Plice and Harmon differ over crime numbers. Plice recently compiled statistics from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports and concluded that St. Petersburg's crime rate is 37 percent higher than other mid sized cities, and twice as bad per capita as New York City.
In a response in the CONA newsletter, Harmon disputed some of Plice's conclusions. The chief also said that factors such as favorable climate and residents' fear of reporting a crime can make some statistics appear misleading.
The discussion starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Sunshine Center, 330 Fifth St. N. Anyone may attend.
Avenue has two names after Friday ceremony
Residents of two southeast neighborhoods have a stake in a street name change, set for Friday at 1:30 p.m. at the corner of Sixth Street and 11th Avenue S. While the name "11th Avenue S" will not be removed, the street's original name, Ingleside Avenue, will be restored with a new sign to be unveiled by Mayor Rick Baker.
The street, which borders Historic Roser Park to the north and Bartlett Park to the south, will operate under both names.
An ingle is a fireplace. "Ingleside" refers to the area beside the fireplace in Craftsman bungalow homes, said past Historic Roser Park president Chris Kelly.
Crescent Lake president maps out year's remainder
Since taking over as Crescent Lake's president March 25, Mary Giglio has already lined up monthly meeting agendas for the rest of the year.
The marketing director for an assisted living facility said she would like to make it easier for working couples with young children to attend meetings, starting with Thursday's 7 p.m. family social at Outback Steakhouse, 1900 Fourth St. N. Crescent Lake and Historic Uptown will meet for a July 4 family social in Crescent Lake Park, and the neighborhood plans a block party for October. Specialized subcommittees will meet throughout the year to work on neighborhood design, bylaws review and other issues.
"If you put things down as tentatively scheduled, it makes you tend to do them a bit more," Giglio said. There is another reason for doing as much as she can now. Giglio, 33, and husband Richard Giglio are expecting her first child. The baby is coming in November.
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Meadowlawn on Saturday hosts its annual yard and plant sale from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Check it out at Hope Lutheran Church, 1801 62nd Ave. N.
