The Official Unofficial Seminole Heights Blog

From an Email:

First I would like to thank you for the energy you put into maintaining the site. If it weren’t for the site, I would not have learned about the recent shooting at Gidden’s Park. After reading the post on the site, and not being able to find information online, I finally emailed the contact I had for our officer at TPD. Can you please share this information with your readers. Below is TPD’s response. K


From TPD:  

Thank you for your email. The shooting that took place at
Giddens Park was a gang related shooting. The suspect in that case was arrested the following day. Due to the nature of the offense, we received government funding to increase police presence in the park. We have not had any serious offenses at Giddens Park since that shooting.

TPD and the Southeast Seminole Heights community leaders have a great relationship. We communicate with them almost on a daily basis. We told them about the incident and they in turn passed on the information to the residents. Keep in mind, they only have the contact information of the residents that choose to participate in the association. Communication and participation is the key to any successful neighborhood watch program.

I hope that I have been of some assistance. If you or any of your neighbors have any other questions or concerns please feel free to call me on my cell 310-8529.

Captain “Rocky” Ratliff is the Sector E Commander and has offered his assistance as well. His direct line is 242-3897.

SEMINOLE HEIGHTS - At long last a promised gazebo is on its way to Giddens Park.
Installation is expected to take about two weeks, city parks and recreation officials said.

“Awesome,” said Sherry Genovar-Simons, president of the Southeast Seminole Heights Civic Association.
An ice cream social that was canceled last summer for lack of the gazebo and an interactive fountain to celebrate is on again. Simons said the party would be set sometime after schools close for the summer.
In 2006 the East Tampa Community Revitalization Partnership offered up about $25,000 for the gazebo, with the civic association donating additional dollars. Later, Leadership Tampa Alumni, Class of 2003, ponied up $16,000 and pledged to help install landscaping when the gazebo arrived.

The partnership is a volunteer advisory group that works with the city to redevelop an area bordered by Hillsborough Avenue, interstates 275 and 4, and the city limits. A portion of property taxes from the area is re-invested in community projects.

Improvements at the park, including the fountain, have been ongoing since 2003 when Giddens, 5202 N. 12th St., was selected as the pilot park for a 10-year “greenprinting initiative” to upgrade one inner-city park a year.

The citywide initiative last year reined in its ambitions but not its money.

The F.E. Lykes Foundation initially donated $75,000 for each park with the goal of building interactive fountains with public art features. The foundation partnered with the city and the nonprofit Mayor’s Beautification Program.

Robles Park in Tampa Heights was second on the list and is slated to get an interactive fountain, a garden, entry plazas and a bridge over a retention pond. In September the foundation donated $1 million to Curtis Hixon Park, the third and possibly final park in the greenprinting initiative and the only one to have public art with its fountain.

Nothing came easily to the Giddens’ project.

The public arts part of the fountain was dropped amid a dispute over designs from two New York artists and higher-than-expected costs. Instead, a standard interactive fountain was ordered, but even that met with delays.

Installation, including repairs to the cracked concrete pad, was completed in September. A green and blue starburst design recently was painted on the concrete.

A site plan for Giddens holds the promise, though no certain date, of more to come: bocce, tennis and volleyball courts.

Reporter Kathy Steele can be reached at (813) 259-7652.
http://centraltampa2.tbo.com/content/2009/feb/18/gazebo-coming-giddens-park/news/