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© St. Petersburg Times, published February 14, 2001
Re: Neighbors to hear of desire to raze church and Downtown churches have seen better days, Feb. 7.
Waveney Ann Moore states in the second of these two articles, "As the imposing neoclassical revival sanctuary that once housed First Baptist Church of St. Petersburg awaits its fate, it stands testament to the demise of numerous old downtown churches across the nation." The Cathedral Church of St. Peter does not want to meet the same fate that four other downtown St. Petersburg churches have met within the last decade.
St. Peter's is committed to growing in its downtown location. Growth is the reason St. Peter's acquired the First Baptist sanctuary and the education building more than 10 years ago. Hundreds of parishioners come to St. Peter's throughout the week to serve the more than 50 ministries offered by the church, including three daily services. Adequate parking is essential to continuing and growing these ministries.
Efforts by St. Peter's to acquire parking spaces in the 400 block of Second Avenue N fell through, and there are no available parking spaces in the lots owned by the church's neighbors. The only alternative St. Peter's has in order to gain much-needed parking is to replace the Baptist sanctuary. Without it, the future of the 1,000-member cathedral is in jeopardy. St. Peter's is committed to constructing a decorative wall and heavily landscaping the parking area to make it an attractive downtown location.
The president of the North Downtown Neighborhood Association said he was sympathetic to the need for parking, but he could not accept that it should come at the expense of the old Baptist sanctuary. I am sympathetic about the demolition of the Baptist sanctuary, but I cannot accept that saving the building should come at the expense of the Cathedral Church of St. Peter.
-- Jon Gaston, chapter member and treasurer Cathedral Church of St. Peter, St. Petersburg
Traveling in St. Petersburg on First Avenue N and S while going to and from work the last four years, I have seen infinite, seemingly random changes: parking this side, that side, swerve this way, swerve that way. But the one thing that never changes is the lack of advance warning for road work or detours.
On a recent morning, as I approached 34th Street on First Avenue S in the right lane, all the cars in front of me slammed on their brakes, swerving and nearly missing each other. I nearly rear-ended the car in front of me. (And I was not speeding, not after the $200 ticket I got three weeks ago, part of an attempt to cash in on the Super Bowl, no doubt.)
I ask: What is it? An accident, a breakdown? No! A big yellow flashing arrow, lane ends, and equipment on the other side of 34th Street. Is that all it takes, just put out a sign and go to work, no "lane ends ahead," or "merge left ahead," no officer with his lights on to warn of the approaching hazard (only for Rays games)? Is this even a city-controlled operation or do contractors do their own thing, just put out some pink pylons when they want to change the flow of traffic without warning during hectic rush hours with limited forward visibility?
From now on I'll play it safe, go out of my way to take Interstate 275 and get off the exit near work. At least the interstate is safe and well managed. That way I'll spend as little time as possible on the risky, mismanaged and radar-patrolled streets of St. Petersburg. I can't handle the stress of discovering what new surprise will be sprung on an unsuspecting public the next morning.
-- John Ayers, Seminole
First, clean up Pinellas Park
Re: Chamber's new chief has wide agenda, Jan. 24.
I'm so happy that Housh Ghovaee is enthusiastic about his new position as president of Pinellas Park/Mid-County Chamber of Commerce. I'm all for improving the city's image, but until they hire more code enforcement officers and start enforcing the codes, our city will never be able to shed the reputation that hangs over what could be one of the nicest areas in Pinellas County.
Why is it that some of the most blatant examples of code violations can only be corrected by neighbors' being forced to call and report them? Perhaps Ghovaee can convince our city fathers that if we clean up the residential areas, then businessmen and women will naturally become more attracted to our city.
Peggy L. Duncan, Pinellas Park
Roadside litter in Florida is a disgrace of gigantic proportions. Everyone living in the state should be ashamed to call him or herself a Floridian.
Everywhere you go in the state -- the highways, byways, yards, fields, roadsides, parks -- the scene is the same: deplorable.
No matter what it is -- food, cigarettes, bottles, cans, paper, plastic, bags, garbage -- just fling it anywhere. Who cares? No one!
"Litterbug" is sure an appropriate name for a lot of people who call themselves Floridians. I call them useless, careless slobs, too lazy physically and mentally to dispose of litter properly.
Is it ever going to stop? What can and should be done about it?
This letter is being sent to every newspaper, senator, congressman and state representative to see what can be done to erase the blight of litter in Florida.
Wisconsin and Michigan are good examples of what can be done to beautify a state. They are clean and beautiful. The container deposit law in Michigan has been a godsend. You have to look a long way to find litter of any kind anywhere there.
Florida could be the same. If there is anyone out there that feels the same way about litter in Florida, please write to Bob Broadhead, 1654 Clearwater-Largo Road Lot 607, Clearwater, FL 33756, or call (727) 585-4924.
Let's see what can be done.
-- Bob Broadhead, Clearwater
When our children were very young, we often came to Florida for our vacations. We always found it a beautiful place to enjoy. Now we are retired, and this is our first winter in Florida, but something very disturbing has become apparent: roadside litter. Once you leave the main highways, the ditches are littered with plastic, paper, bottles, cans, tires, and sometimes even furniture.
Many ditches look like garbage dumps. It is not uncommon to find bags of garbage and beer bottles that people have thrown out of their cars as they drove down the road. Each morning, my wife and I walk down the road and try to pick up as much litter as we can, but it is a losing battle. There is no way that a few people can keep up.
I'm sure most Floridians are proud of their state and hate to see it trashed. It's just a shame that a minority of them do not have the pride and ambition to preserve Florida's beauty. Yes, it is still a beautiful state, but it is a shame that you have to look beyond all the roadside litter in order to see it.
-- Lee Breuer, Rochester, Minn.