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New Palmetto Park group to fight crime

By LORRIE LYKINS
Published June 11, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG - Palmetto Park residents have organized a new group to address rampant drug activity and associated crime in city neighborhoods.

The group, the United Neighborhood Alliance of St. Petersburg, held its inaugural get-together two weeks ago at the home of one of its organizers, Wade Burghardt-Culp.

The mission of the alliance, which will function independent of the neighborhood crime watch group, is to gather leaders of neighborhood associations from around the city to effectively fight crime.

Burghardt-Culp said that 15 people representing seven neighborhood associations attended the first meeting over the Memorial Day weekend and he is hopeful that the alliance can help get a handle on crime in neighborhoods around St. Petersburg.

"We've met with the mayor's office and the deputy chief of police and they all tell us the same thing - that these issues take time to resolve. We understand that, but we also feel like we aren't being taken seriously about what's happening in Palmetto Park. There is a huge disconnect somewhere in the system and it needs to be fixed," Burghardt-Culp said.

Palmetto Park is bounded by Central Avenue to Eighth Avenue S and 22nd Street to 34th Street S.

Criminal activity has steadily worsened in Palmetto Park in the past two years, Burghardt-Culp said, to include daytime burglaries, open drug trade and the brandishing of guns. He referred to some of the incidents as "hate crimes" and said that residents involved with the neighborhood crime watch have been targeted and threatened with violence.

"But this is our home, and we aren't going to let a couple of thugs run us out of the neighborhood," he said.

Notices of future alliance meetings will be posted on the Council of Neighborhood Association's Web site's blog page online at www.conastpete.org.

Meetings

n The North Kenwood Neighborhood Association will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Edward White Hospital Auditorium Room 1G, 2299 Ninth Ave. N. in the one- story building next to the hospital, east side. Look for meeting sign in front of building. The speaker will be Cathy Wilson, and there will be a discussion of the City Council Police Review.

n The Campbell Park Neighborhood Association will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at the Campbell Park Neighborhood Family Center, 1201 Seventh Ave. S. The association will be dedicating the old McLin Bathhouse in honor of Mr. Vearl Scott on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. All are welcome.

n The Palmetto Park Neighborhood Association will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Word of Faith Church, 558 28th St. S.

n The Mel-Tan Neighborhood Association will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Brister Temple Church, 2901 18th Ave S. The scheduled speaker is Regina Wade of the city's Neighborhood Partnership program.

n The Lakewood Terrace Neighborhood Association will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at Lake Maggiore Baptist Church, 4000 Martin Luther King Jr. St. Petersburg fire Chief Bob Ballou will talk about hurricane preparedness. The association will also hold its annual yard sale and cookout Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lakewood Terrace Neighborhood Park, Seventh Street and 30th Avenue S.

n The Disston Heights Civic Association meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at St. Petersburg Community Church, 4501 30th Avenue N. This will be a social evening preceded by a brief business meeting. "Disston's Annual Day in the Park" is scheduled for Oct. 14 at Gladden Park. There will be no association meetings in July or August; meetings will resume Sept. 12.

n The Council of Neighborhood Associations will meet June 21 at The Sunshine Center, 330 Fifth Street N. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the meeting begins at 7 p.m.

Readers wishing to submit information for the Neighborhood Notebook can e-mail Lorrie Lykins at SPTimeslistings@yahoo.com.

[Last modified June 11, 2006, 08:36:46]