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Neighbors pack work session

By LORRI HELFAND
Published January 11, 2007

LARGO - Officials hoped there would be a good turnout for the city's first neighborhood work session in almost two years.

But the public's response exceeded their expectations, as about 100 people showed up at the Largo Public Library on Tuesday night.

"I think we were all surprised and excited about that," said Mayor Pat Gerard.

The evening included discussions on recreation, sign codes and downtown development. But the most popular segment was the general comment period. Dozens of residents spent more than an hour venting their concerns on an assortment of topics.

"I was really impressed with the attendance and them being so frank with their ideas," said Commissioner Rodney Woods. "That's what a city commission needs to hear."

One of the top issues was crime. Dan Stemmler, who lives on Rosery Road, joined a chorus of residents who asked the city to crack down on prostitution and drug dealing in their neighborhoods.

"We have very little law enforcement presence coming through our area," he said.

Another key issue was poor drainage in some neighborhoods.

"It's no fun to have to wade through water that deep in my driveway," said Richard Baker, one of several residents who said their yards routinely flood after storms.

Others asked the city to enforce codes in their neighborhood and hold off on high-density redevelopment downtown.

There were also a couple of guys who were pretty upset about dog feces at public parks.

Officials vowed to follow up on every concern.

In 2004, the city started holding the work sessions in various city neighborhoods, but a couple of years ago the meetings tapered off.

Previous neighborhood work sessions rarely attracted more than 40 people, and most who attended chose not to speak, Gerard said.

This time, in an effort to increase attendance, the city targeted about 3,700 homes in a 2-mile radius of the library.

Some who attended Tuesday said they came because they received personal invitations in the form of hang tags on their doors and recorded phone messages from the mayor.

There are no set dates for future community work sessions, but the city intends to have them about four times a year.

And City Manager Steve Stanton said the city may use the same approach to beef up attendance at various meetings throughout the year.

[Last modified January 10, 2007, 20:49:54]