The Advisor The Official Publication of the Neighborhood Association (OSHNA) Published Since 1988 - Our 31st Year “To promote and encourage the preservation and restoration of the area known as Seminole Heights” Annual Circulation 11,000 Spring 2020 www.oldseminoleheights.org From the OSHNA President By Tim Keeports It’s spring in The Heights and that means we were eagerly anticipating our annual Home Tour! With the current COVID-19 situation, we cancelled the 22nd Annual OSHNA Home Tour that was to be held April 5th and are planning for a wonderful home tour on the second Sunday of April 2021 as Easter falls on the first Sunday of April 2021. Occasionally I’m asked why OSHNA exists or why did we take a certain stance on some of the changes happening within our neighborhood – such as a development or road project. Our organization’s bylaws contain a very important section I try to keep in mind when answering: "Section 3 Purpose" states, “to promote and encourage the preservation and restoration of the area known as Seminole Heights while revitalizing a sense of community in a safe and healthy residential neighborhood….” This “Purpose” is important as it sets the tone at our Board meetings and guides our decision making. It also helps frame the issues we focus on and when it’s more appropriate to allow individual neighbors to handle their challenges or occasional differences. Additionally, the OSHNA Board participates in a bimonthly meeting with our neighboring associations to discuss and address our common efforts. Even though March and April 2020 felt like an entire year had gone by, I was reflecting on this past December 2019 when we held our annual holiday party at American Legion Post 111. It was an experiment of sorts as we tried something new and held the event after Christmas and before the New Year. While everyone who attended had a terrific time, our participation did suffer due to the absence of a certain jolly fellow in a red suit! We, therefore, have committed to holding our next holiday party on December 12th, 2020. Our Neighborhood Involvement Committee has been in discussion with our neighboring associations for a combined party. Continued on page 3

THANK YOU TO OUR CONTINUING SPONSORS FOR 2020

81 Leadership Team

OFFICERS Tim Keeports (571) 527-6018 President Lynn Hurtak [email protected] Vice President Bill Hunter (813) 238-3036 Secretary Jeffrey Silverstein (917) 838-3647 Treasurer TRUSTEES Michael Guinn (352) 208-1663 Debi Johnson (813) 230-3517 Martha McNamee (813) 300-1997 Alyssa Getzoff (813) 401-7614 Charles Schaub COMMITTEES Code Enforcement Debi Johnson [email protected] Land Use Charles Schaub [email protected]

Greenspace Sue Bingham [email protected]

Historic Preservation Heather Culligan [email protected]

Safety Awareness Michael Guinn [email protected]

Yard of the Quarter Cinda Hitchcock [email protected]

Membership Rich Yates [email protected]

Neighborhood Involvement Martha McNamee [email protected]

Home Tour Tim Keeports [email protected]

Digital Presence/Webmaster Lynn Hurtak

ADVISOR STAFF Alyssa Feliho (404) 849-4480 Editor-In-Chief [email protected] Heath Friar (765) 425- 4278 e-Advisor (765) 425-4278 Tim Keeports (571) 527-6018 Advertising Representative

Board of Directors Meetings Held on the third Tuesday of every month at 6:30 PM at Seminole Heights Library, 4711 N. Central Ave. General Membership Meetings Held on the fourth Tuesday of January, April, July, and October at 6:30 PM, at American Legion Hall, 6918 N Ave. Meeting locations are subject to change. Please refer to the OSHNA website for up-to-date information: www.oldseminoleheights.org

28 Continued from page 1 A Note from the SH Boards to While this has happened in years past, it will also be an experiment designed to increase participation. If Introduce the SH Phone Tree you would like to help shape this event or any of our By the Boards of SH Neighborhoods, the Urban Core future activities, please send an email to involved@ Chamber, and Sharlene Hartford oldseminoleheights.org Seminole Heights is well known for its strong After the holidays, OSHNA Board members helped community ties and a place where we work very hard man the All Neighborhood Association welcome tent to connect, "Neighbor to Neighbor." This is evident at the Sunday Morning Market at Hillsborough High. every day throughout our neighborhoods when Once the Market resumes this fall, be sure to stop by we support our local businesses, social events, and to purchase your OSH neighborhood flag and the fundraisers. We came together STRONG in recent new OSHNA Neighborhood Watch signs. years when faced with random, senseless murders, and when hurricanes and strong storms damaged our Also in the works is a potential art installation later homes and trees. this year. Sue Bingham, Chair of the Green Space Committee, is leading this project and we hope to Our country and the world are now faced with place the art in one of our river parks. a pandemic and again it's time to work together, take care of our neighbors, and support our local The Green Space Committee is also focusing on businesses. How about donating a hot meal to a first getting OSHNA involved in the annual Paint Your responder or a healthcare worker? Heart Out – Tampa (PYHOT) event. For those Because we care about the well-being of SH unaware, PYHOT is a one-day volunteer program residents—especially our home-bound, elderly, or designed to identify, prep, and paint, a low-income at-risk individuals who are living alone during the or elderly residents home. Borrowing from the COVID-19 outbreak—we developed a Phone Tree. PYHOT website – “the idea for this program [came We are trying to locate people who don’t have anyone from] Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and brought to to check in on them every day. Tampa in 1988. In September of that year, a fifty member Steering Committee was formed to organize Each of these individuals who meets the the first Paint Day, which was to be held in the qualifications listed below, and who asks to join the spring of 1989.” We have tried for several years to daily neighborhood call tree, will be accepted into the find a home meeting the program guidelines within Phone Tree. Each individual will be asked to make the OSH footprint – and we hope 2021 will be our one phone call per day to let us know they are okay. year. If not within OSH, we may look to supplement The qualifications to join the phone tree are: another group or tackle a painting project in a nearby 1. You must live in Old Seminole Heights, South community. Seminole Heights, Southeast Seminole Heights, or Hampton Terrace to participate. I always want to thank our porch party hosts. In January, we visited with Angi Britton at her EvaClair 2. You must be physically well enough to receive and facility on Nebraska, while the hosts for February make one phone call per day. were Courtney and Jared Holmes. Both were terrific 3. You must email [email protected] evenings with amazing turnout and weather. Check to ask to participate. Include: out the pictures on our Facebook page. We are now • Participant’s Name looking forward to seeing everyone at the porch • Specific Neighborhood parties later this year (always the third Saturday • Age (optional) of the month), and at our quarterly Happy Hours. • Phone Number These events continue to be a great way to make new4 • Home Address friends. The details for all our events will be updated Email [email protected] for more on the OSHNA Facebook page. 4 information on the Phone Tree. 38 A Peek Behind the Curtain at the The River Tower Festival By Caitlin Albritton, Freelance Writer, 83 Degrees Media

A few years ago, Keith Malson, owner of the Sandwich Shop, and Tampa realtor Debi Johnson were floating down the Hillsborough River, looking up at the Sulphur Springs Tower when they finally jumped on an idea. “We always thought we should have a music festival at the River Tower Park, so we did,” Johnson says. What started as a plot to bring music to the park quickly turned into a proposal to improve and preserve a well-recognized Tampa landmark that many people see every day as they drive along I-275 about six miles north of downtown. Built in 1927 by Grover Poole, the water tower then served the Sulphur Springs Hotel that used to reside there. With the natural Sulphur Spring nearby, the resort wanted to capitalize on this local treasure and create a bus- tling tourist attraction with Florida’s first shopping mall, Mave’s Arcade, located on the first floor of the hotel. This business venture led by Josiah S. Richardson failed six years later due to the collapse of Tampa Electric Company dam, which flooded and destroyed the arcade. Serving a short stint as a drive-in theater among other operations, the land is now a neighborhood park that holds memories of Florida’s past. Spearheaded by Johnson and Malson, Preserve Our Tower is a grassroots campaign run by an eight-member committee to raise funds to preserve and restore the Sulphur Springs Tower and River Tower Park. Their inaugu- ral River Tower Festival, held last November, was the first large fund-raising effort to start shedding some light on this oft-forgotten park. “We had 10 live bands, seven DJs, five food trucks, and 24 additional vendors for various things, mostly art,” Johnson says. “The festival happened to be on the coldest day we had all year last year. It rained that morning and was very windy, so attendance wasn’t as good as we expected. We sold 700 tickets, most of which were pur- chased in advance. Around 450 people came out that day. We were excited because that’s a really good turnout for such a bad [weather] day.” Despite feeling like they were flying by the seat of their pants, everything came out well. “It was interesting to hear people coming through the front gate where some had no idea what this place was, while others reminisced about what it was like when they were growing up and there was a pool here, so it was nice to hear different per- spectives of the park,” says Jeffrey Silverstein, a member of the Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association and Preserve Our Tower. Including a grant from the Hillsborough County Cultural Assets Commission and donations from sponsors, Preserve Our Tower raised around $17,000 from the River Tower Festival. “It’s going to cost a lot of money to restore the tower. It wasn’t our expectation to get everything we need this time around. Our goal was to bring attention to the park and these needs, and hopefully create public-pri- vate partnerships while continuing to seek grants and other ways to fund these renovations,” Johnson says. Big ticket fixes like repainting the tower, which was quoted over $80,000, maybe out of the question at the moment, but Preserve Our Tower’s first order of busi- ness is to get this Tampa jewel on the National Register of Historic Places and add a plaque with the tower’s history. “People keep asking if the tower will be open to the public, but we’re not trying to get it restored to the point of it func- tioning; we just want to get it restored to the point where it’s not falling apart,” Silverstein says. Continued on page 7 4 the park will be emptied out Saturday mornings so Henry & Ola Park Update everyone else can enjoy it. So, come on out when By Andrew Carranza and Jamie Bivens the parks reopen and let's show the Master Plan We’d like to start off with a big thank you to the consultants just how much we use, love, and support friends and neighbors who filled out the Henry & Ola our park—and why it’s our time to see some long- Park survey. We had tremendous results, with 469 overlooked improvements! responses representing in excess of 3,700 people, which You can stay updated on programming and park is an 8% response rate; that is an enormous success. changes by joining the “Friends of Henry & Ola” We sent the results to Brad Suder, Superintendent of Facebook group (now over 140 strong) or by visiting Planning, Design & Natural Resources Division for the park trailer when it's open between 11:30 am and City of Tampa Parks & Recreation. He plans to share 6:00 pm to speak with one of our terrific coaches. the results with the outside consulting firm Parks & Rec recently contracted to work on the Comprehensive Tampa Parks Master Plan. The Friends of Henry & Ola Group is planning to hold another meeting in the near future to discuss these final results. Our meetings are always open and we hope to see you all there; both those who support our efforts and those who have raised concerns. Day-to-day, we have seen some really positive developments. On the park staffing front, we are fortunate to get a replacement for Coach Sandy who retired six months ago. Even better, the person who filled her shoes is her daughter, Coach Sequoia. We are truly excited to have such great continuity for our kids, as Coach Sandy and her family have been around the park for many years and this will now happily continue into the future as the park improves. Regarding the physical facility, a new water fountain was installed next to the softball diamond with a built-in bottle filling station. Parks & Rec Facilities personnel also completed the much-needed replacement of our parking stop-blocks, and most important the front door of our trailer was redone, making it a much more inviting classroom space. On the programming front, Spring Camp was moved, just for 2020, over to the MLK park. Our coaches felt that after having been short-staffed for so long and with soccer season now upon us, they needed a reprieve. We had been told Parks & Rec was preparing plans for Summer Camp, but due to the COVID-19 situation, all camps are currently on hold. The first games of this soccer season were played at the Police Athletic League (PAL) fields. These games may stay there for the entire season. For some, this makes attending games less convenient (although PAL is only 15 min away), but for everyone else, it means

85 Welcome and Thank You Thanks to all the neighbors who have recently joined or renewed with OSHNA. Coming together as mem- bers to represent the interests of our neighborhood is a tremendous part of what makes Old Seminole Heights such a wonderful community.

New Members Spotlight on Local Heroes Nereia Cormier, Michael Cornn, Chiara Escobar, Part 1: Our SH Unicorn!! Joshua Frank, Michael Gonzalez, Amanda Heffernan, SH resident Corey Jurgensen has been spotted by Jessica Lavine, Dennis Oliver, Charlie Piatt, Jeremiah residents and local media running along East Henry Street, William Tait, Vintage Post Avenue wearing an inflatable unicorn costume. She has been wearing the costume during runs several times a week to cheer up others during this time of Renewing Members isolation and also finds it therapeutic to run through her neighborhood wearing a silly costume. You can Nancy Alfredson, Janet Altman, Becky Anctil, Kenn read more about her antics in an interview by Tampa Antonelli, Steve Antonelli, Marina Arnon, Brenda Balla, Bay Times reporter, Paul Guzzo, at this link: Ralph Barbon, Thea Barnes, Dave Bauman, Tim Belcher, https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/04/17/to-spread- joy-a-seminole-heights-woman-runs-through-her-neighborhood- Susan Bingham, Heidi Bissell, Christopher Boulton, Lysa dressed-as-a-unicorn/?fbclid=IwAR2d4BBYwbk3XaxF45_oS-ETjJAh- Bozel, Brew Bus (Anthony Derby), Amanda Brown, James kp7t4tgsuRDsmN9zi2xIkWXYRjIlp8 Burdett, Jessica Chapman, Moe Colors, Susie Cooke, Mi- Photos by Martha Asencio Rhine, Times Photographer. chael Cornn, Joseph Costa, Debbie Crockett, Josh Crockett, Eduardo Cunill, Ashley Davidson, Ryan De Jong, Michelle De Jong (Fighter Foundation), Ann Delach, Bob Delach, Michael Diab, Becky Epperson, Chiara Escobar, Megan Fate, Mitchell Feickert, Tracie Ferguson, Chris Fisher, Mi- chael Gaspar, Rebecca Gleason, Elizabeth Graham, Danielle Grenier, Chuck Harlow, Christine Hegarty, David Hensel, Alfred (Al) Hill, Cynthia Horton, Nicole Idziak, June Inge, Heather Jezorek, Marcela Kant, Tim Keeports, Patrick Kelly, Charles (Chick) Lane, Debra Logrono, Rebecca Lopez, Florence Marsan, Janice Martin, Lauren McFadden, Martha McNamee, Stefanie McNeeley, Nathaniel Meyer, Carol Meyers, Laura Miller, Ryan Nadeau, Diana Nix, Anna Oliver, Mike Pearson, Amanda Reid, Bradford (B.J.) Rent- frow, Steven Rice, Mauricio Rosas, Mary Gail Russ, Alvin Santos, Eddie Santucci, Charles Schaub, Autumn Schwab, Jim Shirk, Kimberly Sinclair, Shirley Smith, Leah Stanton, Kelli Stocker, Janeen Stokes, James Sullivan, Jenny Thomas, Ann Thomas, Patrick Thorpe, David Tiberia, Cori Toler, Constance Trojanowski, Rafael Urena, Jennifer Wiggs, James Wood, James (Chris) Woodard

6 Continued from page 4 Neighborhoods (THAN) organization regarding the Besides garnishing the tower with a new plaque, decline in neighborhood participation and the future Preserve Our Tower is working with Old Seminole of this organization. Heights Neighborhood Association to set up its own • Citywide Parking Enforcement: To provide a re- non-profit to process funds. “We are trying to partner port on the possibility of creating a citywide parking with USF’s Digital Heritage & Humanities Collection enforcement division that would be self-funding and so we can use their tools to save money for the stud- reduce the burden of police force ies that need to be done for this cause,” Johnson says. • Party Houses: To research the creation of an illegal “Once we preserve our tower, there are many things party house or house party ordinance in residen- we can do like put a boardwalk or walking path along tial areas, and define exactly what an illegal house the river. There are many places for improvement.” party or party house is; further, that an ordinance be drafted and provided. Looking up at the tower, committee member Amber- France recalls her experience at the first Gasparilla • Tampa Scorecard: Follow-up discussion resched- Music Festival when the crowd was small. Now, over uled regarding the presentation made by Council- 20,000 people look forward to this yearly gathering. member Carlson during Council’s Workshop Session on October 24, 2019 pertaining to Tampa’s economic Preserve Our Tower hopes that this coming Novem- metrics and “Tampa Scorecard” (www.tampascore- ber, the River Tower Festival will be on more people’s card.com) radar to keep growing and garnering bigger donors. • Code Violation Fund: Legal Department and “It was a great festival. We felt like for the first year Code Enforcement staff to discuss options for the fees we did this, we got some great responses with spon- and/or fines collected as a result of code violations sors. Some people trusted us to do this and gave some to be removed from the General Fund and depos- substantial funds, which was nice to see,” Johnson ited into a separate account that could be utilized by explains. “In my mind, River Tower Festival will be returning it to individuals that do not have the funds a mini Gasparilla Music Festival that people will be to bring their property into compliance. looking forward to every year.” Reprinted with permission from 83 Degrees Media. To read more stories in 83 Degrees, visit their website: http:// www.83degreesmedia.com Caitlin Albritton is a freelance writer based in Tampa with a BFA from Savannah College of Art and Design and a MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art. When she's not looking at art throughout town, she can be found mak- ing it. You can keep up with her visual art on Instagram @ caitlinalbritton or on her website caitlinalbritton.com

Tampa City Council Update By Bill Carlson,

2020 is clearly shaping up to be quite the year. Tampa City Council (TCC) continues to seek ways to im- prove city processes and implement a common-sense approach to updating our local ordinances, code, and government. Below is an updated list of reports TCC has requested and will be discussing at upcoming meetings to improve the lives of our citizens. • Neighborhood Participation: To report on the Tampa Homeowners, An Association of

78 COVID-19 Update: MRG 3D - on ABC News, Fox News, NBC, CBS, and other digital media. Several Tampa Bay hospital systems Operation Halo Shield have already reached out to “MRG 3D: Tampa By Michael R. Guinn, Safety Awareness Committee Chair Ready” requesting over 6,000 face shields, and the COVID-19 surge has not even hit Tampa yet. If you have been following the local news or on social We are printing almost 500 units per day, but as time media lately, you have probably heard about how our goes by, we are trying new 3D design elements and residents have been working tirelessly on multiple making processes more efficient. All of this non-stop efforts related to COVID-19 support. On March work means the 3D printers need repairs, material 28th a small 4-person team, including Tim Keeports is constantly consumed, and there are other supplies and myself, discussed the critical need for personal needed to fuel this community cause. protective equipment (PPE) for our local medical professionals. To donate a tax-deductible donation, please use the following options: My professional background as a Biomedical www.venmo.com/OSHNA Engineer for the Department of Defense—and as www.paypal.me/OSHNA an Advanced Manufacturing subject matter expert, which includes 3D printing (also called Additive Visit this link for two videos and an updated article Manufacturing—equipped me with the knowledge from ABC News: https://www.abcactionnews.com/ and skills I needed to set up MRG 3D, a 3D printing news/coronavirus/3d-printers-in-seminole-heights- facility to print face shields we are calling "Halo church-making-thousands-of-shields-for-healthcare- Shields" for our medical professionals. workers I brought one of my 3D printers to the first meeting There is also a larger donation program to Adopt- of the MRG 3D team to demonstrate its capability A-3D-Printer! If you have questions about this pro- and then quickly went through what an operation gram, you can email me at [email protected] to 3D print, post process, store, assemble, package, Please see other news links, and follow along with and deliver—plus create an area to safety-check our these efforts at www.fb.me/MRG3D volunteers—should look like. Our team decided on the plan and the following day we set up all 14 of my 3D printers. It has been a 24/7 operation for more than a month, and to date, our team of 12 local volunteers has 3D printed over 16,000 “Halo Shields" in-house. We have given them all away to medical professionals and first responders in our area, free of charge to them. We want to protect those who are protecting us, and all of this has been funded by our community through donations. Additionally, we developed a network across Central Florida to link the MRG 3D printers at our Tampa facility to about 80 other printers all collaborating with local MRG 3D hubs in Orlando, Sarasota, Winter Haven/Lakeland, and Ocala. Through this network, we bring in several hundred more prints a week to create a broader bubble of protection. This tremendous effort has been made possible via collaboration between OSHNA, Christ Fellowship Church Tampa, and myself (MRG 3D), supported by the team of volunteers. News coverage about the printing operation has aired 8 Expansion: Spotlight on Local Heroes Part 2: Recent Developments Cassie Plumridge By Doug Jessup The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has completed its Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the TBX project, which has been re-named “Tampa Bay Next.” The project has changed somewhat from the original TBX plan. • There is no proposed widening of the I-275 footprint north of Martin Luther King Boulevard, although additional traffic lanes will be squeezed into Hampton Terrace resident Cassie Plumridge has the current right of way. been keeping busy during the pandemic by providing • There are no longer proposed toll lanes on I-275 a much-needed respite for residents enjoying their north of Malfunction Junction; however, there will be daily time outdoors. "House Plumridge" served as toll lanes on I-275 extending from Pinellas County the official site of the Walk-by Dance Party on alter- thru to the Junction, and then further west on I-4. nating nights throughout the week. The dance party •There will be a significant expansion of Malfunction was featured on a news segment by Tampa's CBS Junction, a rebuild of the Howard Frankland Bridge, news the week of April 13 and has been a real crowd- and significant lane additions at the I-275/SR 60 pleaser since Cassie started hosting it at the begin- interchange in . ning of April. OSHNA has consistently opposed the plans to In addition to volunteering as a dispatcher for the expand the interstate. Although the current proposals Heights Citizens Bicycle Brigade (see article on page pose less of a threat to our neighborhood than the 10), Cassie was interviewed by Ryan Smith as part original TBX plan, we can expect the nuisance that is of a feature on Tampa's ABC Action News regarding I-275 to become worse. www.openintheheights.com, a new website connect- ing customers with businesses in the greater Heights. There were two public hearings on the Tampa Bay She is part of a group of passionate volunteers work- Next SEIS in late February: one on the evening of ing to better connect businesses in SH with custom- the 25th at the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough ers amid the pandemic. Community College, and one on the evening of the 27th at the Port Tampa Bay Cruise Terminal "Here in Seminole Heights, everyone is so about #6. Representatives of the community used these supporting local; shopping local, eating local, drink- hearings to speak out against the proposed interstate ing local," Cassie said. She helped launch Open in expansion, and public sentiment was decidedly in the Heights, a one-stop website that updates what is opposition to the proposal. open, hours of operation, and how to order. The site allows users to search for specific food within the The timetable for construction remains unclear. greater Heights area. Although the SEIS process is nearing completion, there is not yet funding for construction. If state David Routen is the developer of the open source and federal funds become available, construction website and a brand new resident of Hampton Ter- will likely begin in 2021 or 2022. OSHNA remains race as of mid-April! The site also features informa- opposed to the interstate project and will continue to tion on businesses outside of food and drink options, press for alternatives. such as laundry, home improvement and tutoring services. David said, "We wanted to get something built, something live as soon as possible. We have no idea how long this is going to last." As of April 13, there were 80 businesses listed on the website. If you want your business added to Open in the Heights, contact [email protected] 89 Spotlight on Local Spotlight on Local Heroes Heroes Part 3: Part 4: Heights Citizens Bicycle TRIBE Seminole Brigade (HCBB) Residents of the greater Heights are thankful our area Heights has a burgeoning food and beverage scene, and when the pandemic shut down several of our restaurants, Have you seen random displays of pinwheels in the food trucks, and beverage stores, we knew we had to ground with chalk art around the Heights lately? step up and help SH businesses stay strong. We have Kristen Brown, creator of TRIBE Seminole Heights to thank for that! They started with a display In a feature article about the situation by Bay News at the Garden Center on Central Ave, and kept 9's Ashley Paul on April 13, SH resident Brenton expanding to other areas in the Heights. Wiernik told her, “... one of the fears I had when the COVID-19 crisis started was how are these Thanks to TRIBE's friends at The Stano Foundation, independent restaurants going to be able to handle TRIBE was able to refill their pinwheel displays at and respond to that?” Brenton is now a volunteer for Park, Park Circle, Plymouth Park, SH the Heights Citizens Bicycle Brigade, a group that United Methodist Church (SHUMC), and Southeast bikes to different local restaurants and food trucks, Seminole Heights. and delivers take-out orders to the community for no The Stano Foundation is one of TRIBE's nonprofit added cost. partners. They ship care packages to service members Brenton told her, “This was a great opportunity overseas. Pre-pandemic, TRIBE held a weekly art to be active while helping out our neighborhood,” class, “Art for the Troops”, where students made cards sharing that he sometimes bikes up to 25 miles a day and other small art projects to be included in their delivering food to help community members who are care packages. supposed to stay at home, and to help the restaurants To find out more about TRIBE Seminole Heights keep up business. He continued, “It really kind of and their classes for children and adults, go to www. is about the people in the community helping each tribeseminoleheights.com or their Facebook page: other." https://www.facebook.com/tribeseminoleheights The volunteer bicyclists give any tips or gratuities they recieve from customers to the restaurants to help them keep afloat during this shutdown. For a full list of participating restaurants and food trucks, go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/heightsbrigade/

108 EB: I am happily surprised by all of the support I’ve Spotlight on Local Heroes Part 5: received from so many other leaders including those of a Ellie Bagett generation before me that have offered their time, knowl- edge and connections to help someone who is young, who doesn’t know a lot but has a lot of passion, to help me craft a neighborhood that can be the best it possibly can be. JM: What’s been the biggest or most impactful lesson you’ve learned in your time as president? EB: People get very passionate about what they believe in and I’ve learned that it takes some skill and some finesse Jason Marlow (JM) interviewed Southeast Seminole to help them turn that passion into them wanting to make Heights Neighborhood Association (SESH) President, change. Sometimes people just need a guide to help them Ellie Baggett (EB), in February. Ellie is 34, a Seminole figure out how they can make the changes they want and Heights native, and the founder of the locally famous I’d like to eventually be that guide. Ladies Heights Happy Hour (LHHH). JM: What would you say to folks to try to convince JM: What brought you to live in Southeast SH? them to join SESH or the neighborhood association EB: I grew up in Seminole Heights; I lived on Central where they live? Avenue four houses down from Hillsborough High EB: Do you want to make your neighborhood better? Do School and I always loved it. I wanted to come back to the you want to have some input on making it better? Do you neighborhood because it's beautiful, historic, and differ- want it to be better for the generation after you? There are ent. It accepts people that are unconventional and I find many different ways to make this happen but one of the a lot of beauty in that. I just happened to find a house in easiest and most rewarding ways is to be part of a group the Heights that was both of those things, beautiful and of people with the same common goal and it requires rela- unconventional. tively little effort to be a member. JM: At a time when younger people like yourself are However, I’d encourage people to be more than just a often denigrated for their lack of involvement, what member; [to]take a piece of the pie, have some skin in the drove you to join a neighborhood association and ulti- game, join a board, join a committee, be part of something mately pursue a leadership role in it? so you can walk away and say, “I made this better, this is EB: That’s a good question. I think being involved has better than it was when I got here.” There are few things in always been a part of the structure of who I am. I’ve been the world more rewarding then that. involved in things since I was a kid: I was the president JM: What are the next events coming up for SESH? of the Red Cross Youth [and] I was the president of my EB: As always, we have Taste of The Heights. One of the student government association in college, [and] being in- things we’d like to do with Taste in the future is make volved is a part of being me. So, when I found a group that it more focused on sustainability. We have hundreds of supported neighbors and wanted to bring a community of people who attend, [generating] hundreds of plastic cups, people together, I knew I had to be part of it. [and] we’d like to start using more sustainable products. JM: What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced We [also]have Giddens and Ghouls on Halloween and we since becoming SESH's president? have porch parties. EB: I think there’s a challenge bridging different groups SESH is proud to have brought the first progressive dinner that have varying opinions as to what constitutes a com- concept to greater Seminole Heights as a neighborhood munity or what brings people together and getting them association, and we think it’s a great way to meet your to have a common goal...getting them to see themselves neighbors, walk through your neighborhood together as a as all a part of their community, not just small pockets of group and experience the beauty of it. similar people, but a large group of diverse people with For more information, search for the Southeast Seminole different wants and needs that have a common goal. Heights Civic Assocation (Official) Facebook page and JM: What’s been your biggest surprise since becoming the Ladies Heights Happy Hour Facebook page, or visit SESH's president? www.seseminoleheights.com

118 intentionally left overgrown so the creatures can find We Gave our Hearts Out for ground cover. Susan is a member of the National Christmas 2019 Wildlife Federation, and her yard has been certified By Martha McNamee as a Wildlife Habitat -- part of the worldwide network of mini-refuges for animals. Thank you, OSHNA! In response to our call for Many of the plants you see were found or were gifts hygiene items to distribute to local children, OSHNA from friends and neighbors; sometimes plants just came through in December! We were able to fill and show up! Susan found the little polka dot plants donate 100 bags filled with toothbrushes, toothpaste, growing within her brick walkway last spring. mouthwash, and soap or body wash to give to children who do not have access to those things. We While strolling along the pathway in her garden, you also had enough extra to add items to a school pantry. can spot a bit of Tampa History: salvaged bricks from The pantry will help provide these same items to the now torn-down High School, which was families in need. built in the 1920s. As a former educator, Susan loved finding a special place for the bricks in her landscape. In addition to the hygiene donations, we helped nine children experience a holiday to remember. Each Susan's knowledge of historical homes in Seminole child was provided with clothing, shoes, socks and Heights is much appreciated during preparations for toys for the season. We had one anonymous member the annual SH Home Tour (save the date for April who made a very generous donation allowing us to 11th, 2021). She takes the time to study the history partner with Famous Tate Appliance Center to fulfill and lineage of each home and collaborates with other a wish list for one of our two families. If you have the SH residents to write the descriptions of each home opportunity, please thank Famous Tate for helping a in the tour book. SH family in need. Garden of the Quarter: 1003 E. Broad Street By Beth Kancilla and Cinda Hitchcock Susan Elbare bought her home in 2002 from the granddaughter of the family who had lived in the house since 1923, making her only the second homeowner. Both the home and lots (she also purchased an adjacent empty lot) needed much work when she acquired them. Today, after extensive rehabilitation, the landscape is thriving. There are many beloved little critters that dwell in and around the yard, including squirrels, opossums, birds, and raccoons. Birdseed, Florida- friendly vegetation, and a fountain to provide water promote visits from wildlife. Portions of the yard are OSHNA Calendar of Events

Check the OSHNA Facebook page and website for more details about upcoming events! If you wish to host a porch party in 2020, please contact us at [email protected] If you prefer to receive updates and alerts from OSHNA via email, please be sure to sign up to receive Bungalow Alerts on the OSHNA website: www.oldseminole- heights.org OSHNA sends these emails to notify our community about upcoming events, time-critical news, and other happenings such as changes in local crime statistics, municipal meetings, etc.

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