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Markets enliven Williams Park

Saying the park is not the sole province of the homeless, a few organizers take matters into their own hands.

By CRISTINA SILVA, Times Staff Writer
Published December 12, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - On a recent Saturday morning, an unusual scene unfolded atWilliams Park.

Dozens of artists showed off their merchandise as crowds milled about, casually taking in the scene. On a patch of grass, children kicked around a ball.

Not a homeless person in sight.

The Saturday Arts Market is part of the latest effort to return Williams Park to its former role as St. Petersburg's hub of activity.

Business and community leaders, fed up with the park's reputation as a gathering spot for the city's neediest, want to transform Williams Park into a place where residents can sit down for a peaceful lunch or enjoy a leisurely stroll.

"That's what that park was intended to be," said council member Leslie Curran, who launched the Saturday Arts Marketthis month.

For years, city officials have tried to dispel residents' bad impressions of the park. In 2005, Mayor Rick Baker created the Williams Park task force, but plans moved slowly.

Advocates for the homeless argued that the homeless had to sleep somewhere.

But this year, community organizers decided to take matters into their own hands. The homeless didn't have to leave, they said, but residents needed to feel comfortable at the park, too.

In February, organizers of the popular Saturday Morning Market launched the Wednesday Midday Market at Williams Park. During its eight-week run, it gained popularity with the lunch crowd.

The market could return as early as next month, founder Mark Johnson said.

It would join the arts market, which Curran created after she became fed up with sitting through seemingly endless meetings on what to do about Williams Park.

Williams Park will also be the site of a regular fashion show. Designer Ivanka Ska hosted her first fashion and art show at the park last week. Ska, who recently opened the boutique House of Ska across from Williams Park, said it will become a regular event.

"People are afraid of the park. They say, 'Oh, that's the homeless park,' " Ska said. "But we all have to coexist. We all should be able to enjoy the park."

Williams Park is the city's first park. It is between First and Second avenues N and Third and Fourth streets.

In its heyday, families gathered there for picnics, concerts and various celebrations.

But over time, dozens of homeless men and women lured by services offered at the handful of churches that surround the park eventually began sleeping and hanging out at Williams Park.

Subsequently, office workers and families stopped frequenting the park, council member BillFoster said.

"They refuse to walk through it," he said. "It is just no longer an attractive setting."

To combat crime and beautify the park, city officials introduced new lights and flower beds to the park in recent months, said Clifford Footlick, the city's parks director.

St. Petersburg College and Progress Energy have also pledged to help restore Williams Park to its former glory.

The college has started construction on an administrative building that would also house retail offices, a restaurant and the America Stage Theatre near Williams Park.

The building could help transform the park into a bustling scene, where students and faculty could regularly enjoy lunch or concerts, said Susan Reiter, director of facilities.

"We all want to see it developed as a community asset," she said.

Cristina Silva can be reached at 727 893-8846 or csilva@sptimes.com.

[Last modified December 11, 2007, 23:43:24]