Matching Grant to Replace Identity Signs APPROVED! 

Hello, members, friends and neighbors!

In the March 27, 2018 General Meeting, members were briefed that on March 13, 2018, GPPCA President Barbara Ellis signed our approved matching grant application! Grant author and GPPCA Director Danny White accompanied Ms. Ellis to the 'signing ceremony' at City Hall, Community Services Office. The signing culminates research and discovery work that began in April 2016. 

With this grant comes the duty to match the $14,400.00 that will be used to pay for the design, removal of the old and installation of the new signs, and the permitting associated with the five signs (Dr. MLK St at 54th Ave S; 4th St at Hillside Dr S; and Pinellas Point Drive at Roy Hanna).

This is where YOU come in! Along with your Board of Directors, and committed members, we can repay the grant through civic volunteer activities that take place from today through March 13, 2019. Qualified volunteer work is paid at $24.00 per hour... a very fair wage!   

To get us started toward paying our debt, here are three imminent volunteer opportunities that we can leverage and report in our matching grant accounting. To report your time AFTER you complete the work , please send an email to greaterpinellaspoint@gmail.com. We will continue to send you qualified volunteer opportunities as they become available. 

Your support is GREATLY needed and appreciated! 

• Mainsail Arts Festival, April 21 - 22, 2018. Multiple opportunities to staff varied positions. Sign up at https://www.mainsailart.org

• St. Pete Green Thumb Arbor Day Festival, April 28 - 29. Earn a T-shirt by showing your support of the earth! Check it out and sign up at http://www.stpeteparksrec.org/greenthumb/

• Skyway Marina District May Day Race, May 6, 2018. You do not have to be a runner to participate! Find out the details at http://skywaymarinadistrict.org/event/3rd-annual-may-day-race/

LED Streetlighting in St. Pete

On Thursday, January 4, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman and Duke Energy Florida state president Harry Sideris announced the citywide installation of new, energy-efficient LED street lights.

Prior to the announcement, Mayor Kriseman said, "We are happy to move forward with Duke Energy on this important upgrade. More efficient lighting moves us closer to our goal of reducing our city's carbon footprint, saves money, and will help to make our neighborhoods even safer."

https://youtu.be/s5afaD5F-4A

SPPD Chief of Police Anthony Holloway presents $1,000.00 check to GPPCA Board of Directors/Grant Author Danny White

For the second year in a row, the Greater Pinellas Point Civic Association has merited grant funding from the SPPD's Forfeiture Grant Program.

In a ceremony held Jan 12 at the Sunshine Center, GPPCA Director and grant author Danny White accepted a check for $1,000.00 from SPPD Chief Anthony Holloway which will be used to fund the Association's annual Youth Summit. GPPCA President Barbara Ellis and Director/Co-Project Lead Sandra Robinson also attended the cermony.

The GPPCA Youth Summit is focused on engaging neighborhood youth to encourage them to avoid negative behaviors and actions. The Summit is a full day of activities and interactive lectures by professional leaders and is held in July just prior to the start of the school year. Stay tuned to this Facebook page for more details about the 2018 Summit. Inquiries can also be sent to the Association at greaterpinellaspoint@gmail.com.

Information about the SPPD Forfeiture Grant Program can be found at
http://police.stpete.org/get-involved/forfeiture-grant.html

St. Pete Collects Mobile App

Never miss another residential trash and/or recycling collection day with St. Pete Collects! Download the app for personal reminders before collection days and automatic notifications when holidays or bad weather impacts your schedule. Make recycling easy with mobile collection events, tips for a greener lifestyle and our Waste Wizard to look up accepted materials.

http://www.stpete.org/sanitation/residential/collection_days_map.php

Publishers Note: The City informed residents via a flyer in the January utility bills that, thanks to Saint Petersburg residents, Pinellas County has the highest recycling rate in the state! 

New Water, Sewer Rates for the New Year

St. Petersburg, Fla.  (December 29, 2017) -- Starting January 1, 2018, a new rate structure will be in effect for St. Petersburg Utility customers.  Due to expected increases in water and sewer rates, bills will adjust to the new rate plan starting with the new year.   Rate increases for stormwater will appear on January bills, while increases for water, wastewater, and reclaimed water will be reflected on February bills. 

The adjustments were necessary for maintenance and improvements to an aging infrastructure, as well as to offset higher market-driven operating expenses. 

A typical customer using 4,000 gallons of water per month will see an increase of $11.02; if reclaimed water is used, the increase will be $16.45. A complete listing of charges are available at stpete.org/utilityrates.

“Our residents have been able to take advantage of 100 years of infrastructure development,” said Water Resources Interim Director John Palenchar – whose department has been in the midst of most of the work.  “It’s now time to re-invest in that infrastructure and pay it forward for future generations.”

“Over the past year, some $70 million dollars in repairs and resiliency-building work has taken place in our city’s sewage system,” added Public Works Administrator Claude Tankersley.  He went on to say that, “our rate-payers have been very understanding that the costs associated with those improvements are our responsibility.”

Tankersley was quick to point out that the work is not done… with more than $250 million already earmarked for future water and sewer projects over the next three years.   

“Additionally,” he said, “we are looking to create a master-plan where we look at our use of all water.  We are all invested in this."

Doc Ford's at the St. Pete Pier

After careful consideration, including meeting with interested parties and consultation with staff, Mayor Rick Kriseman has selected Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille to occupy the restaurant planned for the St. Pete Pier's Pelican Lot.

 

With three locations just south of Tampa Bay, Doc Ford's has already established a reputation as a highly successful destination restaurant. The restaurant's name and Florida theme, based on the novels by New York Times best-selling author Randy Wayne White, will appeal to both residents and visitors. Market studies show that regional appeal is integral to the Pier's success.

 

The group behind Doc Ford's, HM Restaurant Group, LLC, has an extensive history of community involvement and charitable giving in southwest Florida, and they have committed to continuing that in St. Petersburg. Mayor Kriseman stated, "I am also excited about the opportunity to link "Doc Ford", a marine biologist, to the Pier's education center and wet classroom. I am confident that a Doc Ford's at the St. Pete Pier will further elevate and diversify St. Pete's restaurant scene and provide our downtown with family-friendly dining."

Tenant outreach and selections for the Pier head and remainder of the Pier District will continue throughout 2018.

 

Learn more about the new St. Pete Pier, click here .  

Over the next two years, the City of St. Petersburg will plant a variety of trees along major corridors around the city.

For Greater Pinellas Point, tree planting is scheduled for 54th Ave S, 62nd Ave S, and Pinellas Point Drive (between I-275 and 28th St S). To learn where the trees will be planted and the variety of trees that will be installed, please go to: 

www.stpete.org/sustainability/trees_and_greenspace.php

AUGUST 5, 2016
NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION IS HEADING BACK TO SCHOOL
Just in time for the sales tax holiday weekend, the Greater Pinellas Point Civic Association (GPPCA) is heading to Maximo and Lakewood elementary schools to show their support. The GPPCA – along with matching funds from anonymous donors and business partners like Sharon Ally, Branch Manager of BB&T Bank and Dan Fiorini, owner of Tyrone Frame and Mirror – raised $1100 for the two principals to disburse to teachers as they see fit. The effort was spearheaded by Tom Lally who is a community activist and Secretary of the GPPCA. “Whenever possible associations, local businesses, and residents should consider supporting local schools with their talent, time, or treasure” Lally said, adding “this should be just the beginning of what we do for our schools”. The schools were chosen for support by Ryan Cobin, a health care executive and member of the GPPCA Board of Directors. “I am still shocked that our entire neighborhood is zoned for two of the five schools featured in the Tampa Bay Times article ‘Failure Factories'” Cobin said. “I hope our members see this [support] and say ‘that is not enough’ and ask the principals what else do the students need, or sign up to be tutors or volunteers at the schools”. Florida teachers are given about $270 to spend on school supplies for the entire year. They frequently go over that amount and the difference comes out of their own pockets. The GPPCA is committed to improving the quality of life in our neighborhood, and it begins with our youngest residents.