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Size, safety key to value requirement for home tour

Re: Tour of Homes value requirement is insulting, letter, Oct. 4.

The Dunedin Youth Guild prides itself on raising funds for the children of Dunedin for the past 42 years. We have raised more than $500,000 in that amount of time.

Our largest fundraiser has always been our Holiday Tour of Homes, where gracious homeowners open their lovely homes to paying guests as a donation to the Youth Guild.

In the 35 years we have organized the tour, there have been many things we have learned from trial and error.

We have found that patrons of the tour spend that day with friends, going around the city on a "treasure hunt," looking for some ideas to take home and incorporate into their homes.

We know that not everyone has the opportunity to view that lovely home they have always admired from the outside. We have found that guests are more willing to pay to view a home they would not normally have access to, as opposed to a home such as the neighbor next door. Our guideline is that the home must possess at least three of the following criteria: charm, interesting architecture, flair, or an appreciation of the holiday spirit. We are thrilled when homeowners display their talents throughout the home with do-it-yourself ideas.

The home also needs to be able to accommodate a large group of people in and out throughout the day. Our attendance during the tour is not just a few hundred, but anywhere from 700 to 1,000 people, which then creates a safety concern, and having safety in mind is of the utmost importance. We have received numerous complaints when a home is so crowded that access becomes difficult. We would by no means suggest that a less valuable home lacks charm or character, but we usually find a home of that size is unable to host the large number of patrons that participate in our tour.

We are so proud to be recognized as one of the oldest volunteer organizations in our delightful Dunedin. With the enormous real estate boom, we now know that the average home in the Tampa Bay area is valued at $243,000. Keeping that figure in mind and with the qualification criteria that we have in place, we feel that we are insuring that our patrons enjoy a tour day held to the standards they expect from us.

We look forward to continuing ongoing support from the community in continuing our quest to benefit the children in the greater Dunedin area.

Bay area landmarks appear to do a disappearing act

Re: Safety put first in blast, story, Oct. 6.

As the Adam's Mark Hotel on Clearwater Beach faces its demise this weekend, I can only recall the good times spent at this tourist destination for out-of-towners and a place to spend a nice sunny weekend afternoon on the back deck for us locals. Anyone who has lived in one locale can often date themselves by the landmarks in the area.

I'm currently out of state, having been put on active duty for one year and up to two, as a drill sergeant at Fort Jackson, S.C. It seems that while I've been away, many of the landmarks that have connected me to the area have been leaving or changing.

While attending Tarpon Springs High School, I worked part time at (the soon-to-be-flattened) Pappas Restaurant, from 1978-1981. Many fond memories there. I probably worked too many hours as a 16-year-old high schooler, but I was able to pay for my own car, insurance and clothes, giving my parents with four kids a break. One time the adult workers at the restaurant even put me up to asking Tony Houlis, one of the owners, for a paid vacation. I guess they thought I wasn't going to get it, but Tony came through for this 10th-grader, and I had $60 for band camp at Saint Leo College and a week off.

It looks like by the time I get back, the new overpass at Drew Street and U.S. 19 will be done. The new Memorial Causeway bridge has finally done. I used to jog over the old drawbridge during my midnight shift supervising the Clearwater police communications center, but that new bridge looks like it will be more of a workout.

"Schools' of bicyclists shouldn't mob Pinellas Trail

I ride my bicycle on the Pinellas Trail for exercise and fresh air. There is a disturbing trend of huge "schools" of cyclists (in groups of 20 or more) monopolizing the trail (both lanes of traffic) and forcing oncoming pedestrians as well as bicycle traffic off the trail or onto the shoulder.

I implore these fellow cyclists to abandon their "mob mentality" and show a little consideration for others who want to enjoy the Pinellas Trail safely and without the fear of being run over and trampled.

Our screams of "Hey, Lance Armstrong, how about a little room on the trail?" seem to be falling on deaf ears.

Cut speed on Curlew Road during major construction

Curlew Road between U.S. 19 and County Road 1 has been under major construction for months. Why is the speed limit still set at 45 mph? The road is narrow and is continually modified as construction progresses. Also, it is dark; the new lights are not yet working. Earlier this year a high school child was hit by a car while walking in the early morning on the way to school. Eventually, the road will be much improved, but until then the speed limit should be reduced to a safe speed consistent with the level of road construction.

[Last modified October 7, 2005, 01:50:23]