The Official Unofficial Seminole Heights Blog

By KENNETH KNIGHT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 27, 2009

TAMPA - A New Tampa Regional Library renovation project has received an unexpected boost from the board that recommends unfunded Hillsborough County library capital improvements.

In a surprise move Thursday, the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library Board rejected the recommendation of its planning committee, which two days earlier ranked new library projects in Wimauma and Bealsville as top priorities.

The board agreed to adopt the 2008 capital improvements list with a few changes, namely removing the previous top two ranked priorities, which were land acquisitions for future projects and replacing the Seminole Heights Library.

The new ranking pushed the New Tampalibrary renovation project – a 5,000-square-foot patio enclosure included in a broad expansion proposal that was ranked third last year – to the top of this year’s list.

Before the vote, Joe Stines, director of Hillsborough County Library Services, told the citizen board that the planning committee’s priority rankings were a departure from previous years, when it prioritized existing libraries ahead of new ones.

That was the position of New Tampa residents Said Iravani and Gary Nager, who urged the library board to support the request to enclose the exterior patio estimated to cost from $500,000 to $1.2 million.

Iravani, who asked the board to incorporate the 2008 priority ranking with this year’s list, said he was delighted with the board’s decision.

“This is an achievement for common sense and fiscal responsibility,” said Iravani, who heads the New Tampa Friends of the Library committee pushing for expansion. “This is the first step toward the master plan for the New Tampa library.”

The board’s decision did not include a 10,000-square-foot addition the New Tampa library the supporters also requested.

Backers of the New Tampa Regional Library at 10001 Cross Creek Blvd. are hoping the county will eventually double the size of the 25,000-square-foot facility to accommodate growth.

Tampa City Councilman Joe Caetano, who said he has been working behind the scenes to line up a private donor to help finance the expansion, welcomed the news of the board’s revised ranking.

“At least that’s a start,” Caetano said.

The board’s action was a stunning blow for some members of the planning committee, who on Tuesday ranked the renovation project ninth among the county library projects seeking funding from Hillsborough County.

James Harkins, one of the two planning committee members who voted against adopting the 2008 list, said the library board’s action made him feel that all of the planning committee’s work had been for nothing.

“We established a criteria, followed the criteria and this is the results,” he said.

Stines and Laura Vickers, a member of the planning committee who supported adopting last year’s ranking, said the board’s decision would give the planning committee more time to review and improve the criteria system used to rank the library projects. Each project was awarded points based on service needs, building conditions, library standards, master plan concurrency, building and operating costs and an average of bonus points.

New library proposals for Wimauma and Bealsville didn’t fair well under the 2008 county library priority list. The Wimauma and Bealsville projects were ranked sixth and seventh, respectively.

Stines said the library projects would be submitted to Hillsborough County Administrator Pat Bean, who would decide whether to include the requests in the proposed 2009-10 budget she plans to present to the county commission in June for consideration.

Reporter Kenneth Knight can be reached at (813) 865-4842.

From Forbes Magazine:

Wishing you’d left the game earlier is a time-honored Las Vegas tradition. Today, that’s true not only for gamblers but for homeowners there. The last time Las Vegas properties were worth more than the average mortgage? August 2003.

Blame overbuilding and risky loans, a gambling mentality or even the desert sun, but based on today’s results from the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index, which measures metro home prices in 20 cities through December 2008, Las Vegas is the weakest market in the country. Prices are dropping quickly (down 4.81% since last month and 33% in the last year), the pace of decline is accelerating at the third-fastest rate in the nation, and based on lost equity, homeowners are out 65 months of mortgage payments.

“Vegas is a market unto its own,” says Steve Cesinger, chief financial officer at Dewberry Capital, an Atlanta-based real estate investment firm. “I don’t know what those guys were drinking when they thought all this building made sense. If it does work out soon, then there’s some force out there in the universe that I’m not aware of.”

The S&P/Case-Shiller home price index, released monthly, examines repeat home sales in 20 metro markets, including the city core and surrounding suburbs. This means that while prices in tony San Francisco neighborhood Pacific Heights might be holding up, the net effect of including a bankrupt suburb like Vallejo brings down the metro area’s score. Each city’s score is assigned based on the price difference from 2000, which is scored as 100. So San Francisco’s score of 130.12 means prices are up 30.12% from 2000. It still has the potential for a further fall, given the 31% year-over-year drop.

Forbes also analyzed monthly declines and year-over-year declines in home prices to determine where prices were falling fastest and where those drops were picking up momentum. It’s not a good thing for San Diego that prices from November 2008 to December 2008 fell 2.13%, but as prices declined by 2.29% from October to November, and 2.44% from September to October, the speed with which prices are falling is slowing.

That slowing rate of decline, also seen in places such as Denver, Washington, D.C., and Boston, helped rank those cities as some of the stronger markets in the country.

It’s your turn to decide the topics. You decide you discuss. Ask or answer questions, etc. Until Monday.

The Bay Area Renaissance Festival is here! 
February 21st through April 5th, 2009
Open Weekends Plus: A Special School Day
Open 10:00 am to 6:00 pm • Rain or Shine
 
If you need your costume, Sherry’s Yesterdaze (Right here in the neighborhood) has a  selection of Renaissance Costumes to rent for those folks wanting to attend and dress the part.  Women’s, Men’s and even some pieces in childrens sizes.   You can rent a full-tilt fancy Royalty costume, or just some more casual bits and pieces….like peasant blouses, skirts, bodices, knickers, poet style shirts and more. 
 
Sherry’s YesterDaze Vintage Clothing & Antiques
5207 N. Florida Ave.
Tues-Sat 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. Noon - 6 p.m.
(me too —- Rain or Shine!)

From the SESH Email Group:

Here’s another fine example of the outstanding citizenry living amongst us (13th and E North Bay).  The pic wasn’t up yet on this record, (His Pic has since been added) but he has a list of similar arrests.  Look him up so that you know what what he looks like.   http://www.hcso.tampa.fl.us/pub/default.asp?/Online/qdisp/bn=09011346

From an Email:

Blogger, thanks for offering to post for local businesses. Please feel free to post the following

We are Cloud 9 Design, a national Marketing and Graphic Design firm with new offices here in
Tampa! We have recently opened in Historic Seminole Heights and are offering a few specials on 4 color Postcards and 4 color business cards. Both are 2 sided, heavy stock and excellent quality.

Postcards: 1000 = $99.00
Business Cards: 1000 = $59.00

We also can create pocket folders, letterhead, envelopes, brochures, flyers, etc.

We offer quick turn around and excellent service. If you would like more information, please contact Kyle at 813-236-4858, ext 206.

Cloud 9 Design http://www.enjoycloud9.com/

ATTENTION: THE OFFER STILL STANDS. IF YOU ARE A BUSINESS OR SERVICE WITHIN GREATER SEMINOLE HEIGHTS, WE WILL PUBLISH YOUR BUSINESS OFFERINGS ON THE SITE FOR NO CHARGE. PLEASE EMAIL YOUR INFORMATION TO SEMINOLEHEIGHTSTAMPA@GMAIL.COM
 

Last week, Sherry had left a comment regarding Trader Joe’s. She had mentioned writing a letter to them encouraging them to open in our neighborhood. If you recall, last summer we tried a similar campaign with Whaley’s, and almost convinced them to move to
Seminole Heights. Currently, Trader Joe’s is one of the few grocery store chain that is still experiencing success and growth. With their unique approach and business model, this store could fit into our diverse neighborhood.

 

Our neighborhood has been experiencing our own success and growth—in a down economy. We have received much positive publicity in our local papers as new businesses are being built in our neighborhood. (Ella’s, Sangria’s, The Independent, Ricky’s, Gastro, etc) If this many business owners are considering our neighborhood, maybe we can share this enthusiasm with Trader Joe’s. I encourage each of you to contact them to persuade them to consider Seminole Heights.

 

Why Seminole Heights?

 

• Diverse neighborhood with disposable income
• Largest organized neighborhood in City of Tampa
• Active Neighborhood Associations
• Centrally located to all areas of Tampa
• Neighborhood still experiencing growth and revitalization
• Inexpensive rent/buildings for sale
• Many available properties
• Easily accessible from interstate

 

I am sure you may be able to add to the list of positive reasons to invest in our neighborhood! Keep the list growing and the emails flowing. Let’s send a message that we need and want Trader Joe’s!

 

http://www.traderjoes.com/location_requests_form.aspx

Friends of the River has just learned that it will be necessary to postpone the scheduled installation of shoreline plants at Sulphur Springs run adjacent to the City Parks Department pool. Saturday’s planned planting at Sulphur Springs pool has been delayed to allow time to assess the impact of emergency drought-related use of the Springs’ water, as well as City construction plans at the Springs’ weir. When this planting event is rescheduled later this Spring, Friends of the River will send out further information.

In today’s TBT there was an interesting blurb (That’s all they print) about a ranking by Forbes.com. After many of the comments regarding the current real estate market and economy, I thought I would share. The list ranked
America’s cities by how empty they are–actual dwellings sitting empty. According to this poll, the Tampa Bay Area ranks 13th in America for “America’s Emptiest Cities”. They used the Census Bureau data to determine the data from the end of 2008. At this time, 15.6 percent of the Bay area rentals were empty (11th worst) and 3 percent of the homes were empty (28th worst). Florida dominates the national list of “most abandoned cities” From 1-15 they are: Las Vegas, Detroit, Atlanta, Greensboro, Dayton, Phoenix, Orlando, Kansas City, Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Miami, Chicago, Tampa Bay, Bakersfield, Cincinnati. You can read more at www.tinyurl.com/bhdojo.

 

 

From the Tampa Tribune:

TAMPA - Jessie LaDon Albach has been like a ghost haunting her family.

A brother who was supposed to take her to a ballgame the night the 15-year-old vanished can’t shake the knowledge that he never found her. Denise Yand, the sister she was to visit that summer, sees traces of her in the long hair and the walk of passers-by.

“Not long ago I saw a girl in the mall who looked like her,” said Yand, 47, of Defuniak Springs. “I had to chase her down to make sure it wasn’t her. I made a fool of myself doing that.”

After more than 20 years, Tampa police are investigating whether Wayne Tompkins, executed Feb. 11 in the murder of Jessie’s friend Lisa DeCarr, killed Jessie too. Both girls vanished three months apart in 1983 and were found strangled a year later.
Yand said she and her siblings are grateful for the renewed attention. Police said years ago they didn’t have enough evidence to charge Tompkins and ever since, the family has felt like Jessie was ignored.

“We need peace in this family,” Yand said.

To them, Tompkins’ execution is irrelevant. “We’re not looking at this for him,” she said. “I want acknowledgment for Jessie. No baby sister deserved that.”

Tampa police Detective Eric Houston, who specializes in cold cases, said last week that he wants to obtain justice for the family. He is resubmitting evidence for DNA testing and looking for witnesses.

The detective said he tried to re-examine the case a few years ago but held off because of Tompkins’ pending appeals, many of which mentioned Jessie. Tompkins’ attorneys had accused prosecutors of withholding possibly favorable evidence regarding Lisa’s slaying from police reports about Jessie’s disappearance, such as a rumor the girls might have run away from Seminole Heights and East Tampa to Hyde Park. The Florida Supreme Court concluded those reports only made general statements about the girls’ friendship.

The youngest of nine children, Jessie preferred to be called by her middle name, LaDon. She was shy, not apt to be blunt. “She had a sweet disposition about herself,” Yand said.

Lisa’s mother, Barbara Williams, remembered Jessie as being like a sister to her daughter, trading clothes because they were about the same height and shape.

Jessie and Lisa became friends living in a Tampa mobile home park. The girls stayed close after Lisa’s family and Tompkins, who was Williams’ boyfriend at the time, moved to Southeast Seminole Heights.

Tompkins also knew Jessie’s mother, who died in 2005, and worked with one of Jessie’s brothers, Yand said.

Lisa disappeared in March 1983. Tompkins told Williams she had run away, according to Williams and police.

That June, Jessie was looking forward to spending the summer in North Florida with Yand, who was having a difficult pregnancy. She never made the trip.

On June 7, 1983, Jessie went off to cancel plans with a friend so she could go to a nearby softball game with her brother. “My brother was supposed to pick her up and take her to the ballgame,” Yand said. “She never returned home.”

Yand, who was 21 when Jessie vanished, said her sister’s disappearance caused a flood of tips from people who claimed to have seen the girl. “I watched my grandparents, parents and brothers go from place to place with these coldhearted people saying they’d seen her. They’d go there and look and look and nothing would come of it.”

In May 1984, Jessie’s strangled body was found under debris in a vacant lot in the 5000 block of North 43rd Street, police said. A month later, Lisa’s body turned up buried under her family’s former home in Southeast Seminole Heights.

Testimony from a jailhouse informant was among the evidence used to convict Tompkins of first-degree murder in 1985 in Lisa’s death.

“Once Wayne was charged in Lisa DeCarr’s murder, that was the last my mom heard of them,” Yand said of police. “She Jessie was just pushed to the side.”

Williams said last week that she and her family often thought of and prayed for Jessie’s family.
Yand said she thinks of Lisa’s family too, saddened for their loss but tortured by a lack of resolution for Jessie.

“I’m ecstatic over the fact the DeCarr family has the justice they deserve,” she said.

When she learned of Tompkins’ execution, she said, “I cried for days.”

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/feb/23/na-slain-teens-case-revisited/