Davis Islands Today

From the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Davis Islands:

Bring your best friend to the first Paws for the Cure January 17 at Sea Plane Basin Park. The event gives the Davis Islands Community the opportunity to:

• Help adorable and adoptable animals find new homes.
• Raise money for The American Cancer Society.
• And give your canine a chance to show their best stuff.

The day will include a dog show and most importantly, a Pet Cancer Survivor relay lap. You will also have the opportunity to meet with pet rescue groups and pet care professionals. Including local veterinarians, Wag Pet Boutique, Pet Photographers, Pet Artists, Trainers, dog walkers and more!

Face it… cancer affects everyone… including your pets. Many people have pets that have fought the battle against cancer and won. Sadly we’ve known others who have lost the fight. In honor of all of our pet angels, the American Cancer Society is hosting Paws for the Cure. This event will be a precursor to our annual Relay For Life of Davis Islands, which will honor and remember all of our two legged friends that have fought the battle.

Visit the Relay For Life tent and find out how you can be a part of this years event. The Davis Islands event needs sponsors, teams, volunteers and most of all Survivors. You can visit our website to find out more details, dates and times of meetings. Relayforlife.org/davisislandsfl

Event opens 11 a.m.
Canine Cancer Survivor lap 12:00
Dog Show Begins 12:15
Early Registration $15 at Wag Pet Boutique
$20 Event Registration at booth 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
All Dog Show Registration monies go to:
The ACS Relay For Life of Davis Islands

Of Life and Limb
By Irene Potter

My spunky friend Betsy has an incredibly bucolic slice of bliss in her little backyard in Palma Ceia. She complains constantly about the damaged wood planks on the deck, about the gunky pond or the lack of grass in the backyard, but I never notice these things. And even when I look closely, I still can’t see these supposed deficits.

All I know is when I’m sitting in one of Betsy’s Adirondack chairs, gazing at the most exquisitely purple water lily, and breathing in the contented sighs from her tomato plants grown in Earth Boxes, a wave of peace engulfs me. Not the kind of feeling you get from hanging around the manicured beauty at “Bloom”, but a contented peace you might call “good vibes.”

Gardeners all seem like such jolly, kind-hearted people, but really, we’re not. We are always contriving ways to recreate something we’ve seen before and will go to all kind of measures to make this come to fruition. Who amongst us has not resorted to tip-toeing through a neighbor’s coleus plants and “ooops,” finding a piece just broke off? Betsy’s incredible success with her Earth Boxes fills me with those underhanded notions.

Sensing my veggie envy, Betsy drove us down to Ellenton to check out the Earth Box store. This is a magical place just off the Ellenton exit from I-75. Turn left and you enter Outlet Mall Nirvana, turn right and you enter the Garden of Eden. This little store is a treasure trove of the best kind of stuff: good, solid, no nonsense advice. And then there’s the vegetable plants… lots of them, in shades of green that just seem to glow.

It’s not too often that you actually get to meet the creator behind the creation, but here in Ellenton, he exists! (more…)

By Rick Scherer and Kevin Reder

When trying to sell your home, one of the most significant aspects (besides pricing, of course) is curb appeal. Curb appeal is important because this is your hook, if you will, to peak the interest of potential buyers…

The front yard and driveway are the first things that prospective buyers see, and it gives them a sneak preview of what is to follow once they are inside of your home, so think of it as “staging” for your outdoors!

In fact, recent studies have shown that most buyers have made their decision before even entering the home. Once inside, those customers are just looking for reason to justify - or nullify - their purchase.

A home looks much more enticing if it is noticeably well maintained and has fresh, clean, landscaping, along with something to draw their eye straight to the home. Most buyers believe that if a yard is un-kept and not maintained, it is an indication of how the rest of the home has been treated over the years.

Landscaping is probably the biggest piece of the puzzle, but don’t think it has to cost an arm and a leg. Start with what you have in place – clean all of your palm trees and remove older fronds & seed pods. If you have large oak trees, you should have those cleaned up as well, to give the tree a more dignified, majestic look (you also might want to consider illuminating it at night).

(more…)

Dear Island Neighbors:

Annual Meeting Notes
We had a fun and informative Annual Meeting in November, and we have many people to thank.

Delicious refreshments were made possible courtesy of our association, and we also received donations from Sweetbay Supermarket on Swann, the Press Box, and Publix Supermarket on Bayshore. Java & Cream donated gift certificates for door prizes.

For our program, we thank Ms. Laurie-Potier Brown, along with Angela Kranjic and Bernadette Cory, all from the City Parks and Recreation Department. These three women set up the extensive display, created a presentation, and led the discussion on the concept plan for the South Davis Trail, which is about to become a reality (more info coming soon). The architects and the engineer of record from Sprinkle Consulting were also present. One of the issues that came up during discussion was a desire by some residents for having as many trees as possible along the trail, both for appearance and for shade.

We also want to thank the Glazer Children’s Museum (Tracy Clouser), the Tampa Bay History Center (Audrey Roňon), and the Tampa Museum of Art (David Bryant) for bringing very interesting displays and information about the progress of their capital projects downtown.

City Councilwoman and DI resident Linda Saul-Sena attended and provided an update on the TECO franchise agreement approval issue. The Davis Islands Civic Association also presented Councilwoman Saul-Sena with the Silver Ice Cream Scoop award for tirelessly serving ice cream for three years running at the Davis Islands Spring Ice Cream Social.

The most EXCITING part of the entire evening was the announcement of “Charner’s Challenge” by our immediate past Davis Islands Civic Association president Charner Reese.

In order to fund capital improvements on the Island identified by residents, such as repair and refurbishment of the swimming pool, or a community center, some private funds will be needed. One way to raise money is to begin an account at the Community Foundation, but that requires a minimum balance of $10,0000.

Charner, who also chaired the Stewardship Implementation Team, issued a challenge to the community to raise $5,000 in pledges in six months; if this goal is met, Charner promises to donate the remaining $5,000 necessary to open the account.

Why does Charner Reese care about Davis Islands so much? I learned that Charner was raised in the house on Davis Islands that her late father built 55 years ago. Her maternal grandfather, Houstoun Wall, was a founding member of the DI Yacht Club, and the annual sailing race trophy is named for him. Her great-grandfather, Perry Wall, was mayor of Tampa when D.P. Davis was seeking support from the City to create Davis Islands. We can’t thank Charner enough for her leadership and generosity.

If you would like more information, or would like to contribute, email us at davisislandscivic@gmail.com. You can read more about Charner’s Challenge elsewhere in this issue of the Davis Islands Community News.

Finally, please welcome new board members elected in November: Patti Bancroft, Ken Elmore, David Whigham and Antonio Amadeo. We are looking forward to a productive year in 2009, with community-oriented improvements and social events. Please consider taking part: a list of committees is available online at www.davisislandscivic.com. If you have any questions or comments, email us at davisislandscivic@gmail.com or call me at 813-259-9744. With best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season.

Sincerely,

Lisa K. DeVitto, Out-going President 2008

A DIFFERENT WAY TO SAVE NEW ORLEANS, SPEEDING UP THE JAPANESE BATH, GOLF BALLS FROM HEAVEN & MORE…..
by Wayne Shattuck

A DIFFERENT WAY TO SAVE NEW ORLEANS…. Most of the attention on saving New Orleans from the next catastrophic hurricane has been directed toward building bigger and higher levees but a group of scientists funded by the National Science Foundation believe they have a better idea. And that idea is to replenish the soil of the Mississippi Delta, thereby restoring the wetlands and producing a natural storm barrier. According to the researchers the Mississippi Delta naturally sinks into the sea under its own weight. But nature’s method of replacing the Delta soil with sediment from the river has been interrupted by the manmade levees which funnel the sediment toward the Gulf of Mexico. As the land sinks with no replacement, the shoreline moves north, increasing the potential for damage from storm surge. The plan would be to open up strategically placed gaps in the levees to direct sediment from the river to the areas that need it most. The goal would be to create more land between the city and open water, but if accepted, that plan would be long and expensive. Right now the scientists estimate that rebuilding the land of the Mississippi Delta will cost $15 billion dollars and take 30 years.

SPEEDING UP THE JAPANESE BATH…. No surprise that Japan is growing like crazy, and along with that fast growth comes an increase in energy use. Now, the Japanese government, thinking of ways to cut back, has made a suggestion to its citizenry. No long baths! You see, most of America uses a shower but the Japanese have a different method of bathing. They wash outside the tub first then soak in the water, which is then used by the next family member. While this conserves water, if the person in line takes too long, the water has to be reheated. And hot water use in bathrooms and kitchens accounts for 39% of energy consumption in Japan. So the word from the Japanese government, “keep that bath line moving!”

GOLF BALLS FROM HEAVEN…. (From Freaks of the Storm) On September 3, 1969 hundreds of golf balls apparently fell during a thunderstorm that produced 5 inches of rain in Punta Gorda Isles, FL. A police investigation failed to explain the pile of golf balls that had fallen into gutters, on the streets and sidewalks. Two patrolmen, from the Punta Gorda Police Department, picked up a huge number of golf balls while a security patrolman collected enough golf balls to fill a satchel case and complained that he was tired of picking them up. A check of local golf courses and country clubs failed to find any missing golf balls.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL…. December is “Read A New Book Month”

Approximately 1,200 pounds of food – enough to feed about 400 families – filled a room at Tampa General Hospital last month. The sight was overwhelming to the two Metropolitan Ministries representatives who were there to receive the bounty.

“Your generosity is amazing,” said Angie Pattison, coordinator of community donations for Metropolitan Ministries.

The hundreds of pounds of canned food, pasta, rice, cereal, and other items were donated by TGH employees. Over the past two months, the food was dropped into barrels located around the hospital. Beside the food, people donated about $300 in cash and supermarket gift certificates.

The food drive was a project of the TGH Cultural Diversity Committee, which saw the need after a moving presentation by Metropolitan Ministries during an internal cultural diversity program in September.

“Afterwards, we got tons of telephone calls from people asking what more we could do,” said TGH Recruiter Cora Edwards, who co-chairs the Cultural Diversity Committee with Pastoral Care Director Rev. Bill Baugh and Acute Care Nurse Manager Julie Dudash.

The need for food donations is large and growing bigger as the economy continues to decline, said Angelo Flukes, director of food services and environment services for Metropolitan Ministries.

Over 15,000 families have registered for assistance with Metropolitan Ministries, which provides food, shelter, job training, and other assistance for poor and homeless people in the Tampa Bay region. Just in October, 5,000 more families signed up, Mr. Flukes said.

“We used to see 67 families a day. Now we see about 105 a day,” he said. “People are trying to make it from Friday to Friday. They’re having to choose between buying gas for their cars or food.”

By Charner Reese

Dear Davis Islands Residents,

At the Annual Fall Civic Association Celebration on Nov. 12th, I announced a challenge to the residents of Davis Islands to match my $5,000 pledge toward $10,000 needed by the Davis Islands Civic Association to establish a Davis Islands Capital Improvement Fund account at the Community Foundation of Tampa.

The Community Foundation, a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization, requires a minimum balance of $10,000 to establish and maintain an account. The advantage to such an account is the fact that the organization has 501(c)3 status, which allows donors to the Davis Islands Capital Improvement Fund to deduct their contributions from their federal income taxes.

Once the Davis Islands Civic Association establishes the DI Capital Improvement Fund account at the Community Foundation, an association-led campaign to raise funds for improvements to the community will begin. The Association will seek donations to the Fund for capital improvements identified in the community-approved DI Community (Vision) Plan and prioritized in the accompanying Strategic Action Plan. To read these documents, you can go to the Civic Association’s website at davisislandscivic.com and look for Davis Islands Community Plan and Strategic Action Plan.

Identified improvements include completing the envisioned greenway trail and walkway from the Tampa General Hospital to Seaplane Basin Park beach, restoring the historic Roy Jenkins swimming pool, and building a recreation/community center, among others.

Raising significant private funds is the surest way to make these improvements, given the City’s many priorities and limited funds. The preferred funding approach will be to partner with the City, thereby sharing the costs of improvements and leveraging dollars.

My $5,000 pledge toward the needed $10,000 will stand for 6 months starting November 12, 2008. If within the 6-month period, total pledges reach a minimum of $5,000, I will contribute $5,000 toward creating the DI Capital Improvement Fund at the Community Foundation of Tampa. If you are interested in making a pledge to help match my challenge and raise a total of $10,000, please email or call the Davis Islands Civic Association at davisislandscivic@gmail.com or 251-5421 with your name and contact information, and a board member will contact you. No donations will be collected by the Civic Association until the additional minimum amount of $5,000 in total pledges has been reached.

I hope you will join me in this worthwhile endeavor.

Charner Reese is a longtime resident of Davis Islands.

By Mark Misner, Certified Personal Fitness Trainer

December brings to mind a plethora of great memories and a time to revive wonderful family traditions. Many of you may be surprised to hear this from me, but I encourage you to enjoy every minute of what makes our holidays special! The key to making sure you do not regret your behavior following the festivities, is “MODERATION.” Did you really think I was just going to tell you to enjoy the season without a few healthy guidelines? (This is where my passion as a personal fitness trainer comes out.)

I believe that your actions should be dictated by your goals. While back-to-back-to-back holiday events can put a large dent in your health and fitness progress, every effort in the spirit of MODERATION is a positive step. For example, selecting a small serving of Grandma’s special pie is better than the large wedge that she usually offers you. And limiting yourself to two glasses of wine, instead of four, will save many calories. Opportunities for MODERATION are available throughout the holidays; such as, choosing a small golf-ball size serving of stuffing over a softball size portion. Please note that the premise of “moderation” only works on first servings; second helpings have no place here!

Do you know what your health and wellness goals are for 2009? Do you think the time for these resolutions are after January first? Well, the best time to determine your objectives is before the New Year. (more…)

Escape from the hustle and bustle of the season and bask in the refined music and reflective sounds presented by Florida Pro Musica. For the sixth year running, this professional ensemble returns with its extraordinarily popular concert performance of Gregorian Chant downtown at Sacred Heart Church, only a few minutes drive from Davis Islands, on Sunday, December 14, at 4 pm. Presented in a shorter concert style, rather than a church service, the program offers listeners a chance to experience the beauty of a sung mass as it might have sounded in the 11th or 12th centuries.

The program is the Mass for the 3rd Sunday of Advent. Selected lessons are read in English, and the printed program offers an English translation of the chants. The chants are sung from the loft at the rear of the church, and the music floats down to the listeners below, through the magnificent marble and stone interior of Sacred Heart Church. Larry Kent, Music Director of Florida Pro Musica, has been a resident of Davis Islands with his family for 12 years. He is proud to bring this tradition once again to the downtown area.

Admission to this event is free, as a gift to the Tampa Bay community. For more information, as well as directions to Sacred Heart, visit www.FloridaProMusica.com or call 813-293-4594. Florida Pro Musica is also celebrating its ten year anniversary, and has exciting plans in the works for spring 2009 concerts.

I’m Helping Myself this Holiday Season.

Last month, all of us gave thanks for all of those things that make our life all that it is. Some of us enjoyed the company of family and friends and made our thoughts known to them, while many of us – in moments of private reflection - simply thought fondly of all of those who directly touch our lives.

Perhaps what we did not consider is that nearly every single person in this community has some sort of impact on our lives. Although you may not see him, the chef and the cooks at the local bistro helped to make that meal scrumptious. There were others who helped make that dinner enjoyable, too, such as the dishwasher, the waitress, the hostess, and maybe the bartender. Other hidden folks include the business owner, and the property owner, too. Not to mention the hundreds of other diners who kept that place in business over the years.

We could go on and on about the builder, the developer, the waste haulers, the street sweepers, and the traffic engineers, but that would be overkill.

This month, we would like to make a concerted effort to understand that how all of those people act have an effect on us. Likewise, everything we do – every decision we make – has an impact on countless others.

And ourselves.

I’m talking about a community. I am reminding you that we are ALL in this together. I’m talking about the ability to show some love which results in love reaching back to you.

Sometimes directly!

If possible, do business with your friends. If that is not possible, I encourage you to do business with your neighbors. It does take a bit more work than heading out to the big box store, but the reward is much greater.

Throughout this issue of the Community News, you will find hints on how to keep your own money, as well as plans to save money, and ideas on how the money you do spend can find its way back.

We are fortunate to live in a community where many of the residents love this place in which we live. During these tight times, I encourage all of you to make an effort to think local first always.

We wish each and every one of you happy holidays, and best wishes for the upcoming New Year.