Letters to the Editors

Church can gain parking elsewhere

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 14, 2001

I am against the demolition of First Baptist Church by St. Peter's to make room for 20 extra parking spaces.

I understand the position of St. Peter's, but I think we can have a win-win situation if the city would build a parking structure on the city's employee parking lot by City Hall. Then St. Peter's can pay for the use of one entire floor, another floor can be dedicated to city employees, and a third floor can be available for the public.

Once the parking situation is resolved, St. Peter's will not have a reason to demolish First Baptist Church. All it wants is additional parking for current needs and to grow the congregation.

St. Peter's does not want to abandon downtown like so many other churches have done over the years. The BayWalk parking garage is too far for the members of St. Peter's, and the surrounding two-hour parking is insufficient during the week for church programs.

We really do not want to encourage the demolition of more and more historic landmarks to make way for parking lots. This ruins the pedestrian scale of a downtown.
-- Alicia Addeo, president, St. Petersburg Preservation Inc., St. Petersburg

St. Peter's has an alternative

With its distinguished columned facade and central position overlooking St. Petersburg's original town square, the former First Baptist Church is one of the city's most prominent structures. Its demolition would not only ruin views from Williams Park -- which, considering some of its current users, needs all the beauty it can muster -- but would expose the sides, backs and, not incidentally, the service equipment of the five landmark and landmark-quality buildings that share the block with the church. The resulting eyesore could easily lead to further deterioration of the area and needs to be considered one of the costs of the demolition.

St. Peter's costs are also quite high. As I understand it, the property appraiser values the First Baptist sanctuary at nearly $700,000. Add to that the $200,000 the cathedral would spend on demolition, paving and landscaping, and you have a cost of $900,000 for a net gain of about 25 parking spaces. It looks as though neither cathedral nor public wins.

A better alternative would be the sale of the First Baptist sanctuary for renovation. That seemed like an impossible dream 10 years ago, but conditions downtown have changed, and enlightened individuals are renovating historic buildings just one and two blocks away. The cathedral should take the sale proceeds and the money set aside for demolition and look for leased parking within walking distance. As an urban institution, it needs to give up the park-by-the-doorstep mindset that has turned so many American downtowns into bleak asphalt deserts.

At the same time, the city needs to bear in mind that St. Peter's is historic in its own right and has made a costly and frustrating effort to maintain First Baptist over the last decade. There once was talk of building a parking structure on the city lots along Second Avenue N to serve City Hall, St. Peter's, a renovated First Baptist and other churches and businesses in the area. In the light of St. Peter's contributions and needs, the city should make every effort to bring that project to fruition.
-- James Brennan, St. Petersburg

"Plantation" has undeniable connotation

Re: "Plantation Inn' raises eyebrows, March 4.

As a 48-year-old native of Gulfport, I was happy to see that a new business has plans to move into the old Bayview Hotel.

The article by Amy Wimmer presented both sides of the naming of the Plantation Inn fairly.

While it is true that the word "plantation" does have an innocuous definition, how could anyone not realize that in the United States the word has inflammatory and divisive meaning. Ms. Kingzett, the owner of the Plantation Inn, says: "I was kind of disappointed that the race card would even be played. It never occurred to us. How that would be linked to slavery and oppression, I have no idea."

Ms. Kingzett implies that we need a more worldly view of the term. I think she should take a more local view about the history of race relations. Ms. Kingzett's final statement, "I think it's much ado about nothing," says it all as to why race relations here in America are so tense.
-- Eric Folsom Jr., Gulfport

Campbell Park: a fine place, school

Re: Busing's last divide, March 4.

The parents in the article are paranoid, narrow-minded and prejudiced. I understand why their children grow up to be bigots, too.

I have lived in St. Petersburg since 1958, and I am familiar with the Campbell Park neighborhood. Yes, there is crime there, but I don't agree that it's extremely high, especially in the area of the school. Those parents aren't being honest when they say that homeless people are sleeping in the park.

Since I've lived in St. Petersburg, I can't remember anything criminal happening to any child at Campbell Park, nor a parent, and to say that wearing a cap backwards means a person is a gang-banger is stereotypical. Children at Campbell Park are protected, and it's a good school.

Those parents need to spend more time teaching their children that life is full of changes and they have to adjust to them sometimes.

The two worst shootings in the last two years have been by white children at schools in predominantly white, suburban neighborhoods. In my 30-plus years in St. Petersburg, I can't remember anything so tragic happening in a predominantly black neighborhood.

Wake up and stop panicking.
-- Louise Mobley, St. Petersburg

Campbell Park Elementary is great

Re: Busing's last divide, March 4.

I was appalled to have read certain parts of this article. I attended that fine school for four years (two years bused there), and those years were some of the best of my life. I achieved so much there and it was the best school I could have asked for. The teachers, staff and principal are exceptional and so is the curriculum.

For Debbie Ciechowski to object to sending her students there because of the neighborhood is absolutely absurd. She said, "You should have seen the characters walking around. You know when they wear their hats backwards they are gang-bangers." This really infuriated me. Why must you judge people on the way they look?

Mrs. Ciechowski, I ask you to look at Campbell Park Elementary for what it is on the inside and not for what it looks like on the outside. I know you are concerned for your children's safety, but I know that the school is very secure. I never felt in danger when I attended there. The school has excellent supervision. I know you probably won't listen to me since I am only 15 years old and a minority, but maybe someone will listen and gain some sense. You're missing out on a great school.
-- Kimberly Moonasar, St. Petersburg

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright