At the OSHNA Board meeting last night, the Board of Directors decided to remove myself, Susan Long and Randy Baron as members of the Association. According to the OSHNA By-laws, a member can be expelled when their action or conduct embarrass or jeopardize the best interest of OSHNA (Article VI, Section 4, [4]). The motion, made by Evan St. Ives, was something to the effect that these members should be removed for actions that have damaged the good name of OSHNA. It was seconded by Kacy Curry and was voted on in a unanimous roll call style vote.
What does this mean for this blog and our yahoo email group? Christie Hess will continue to work to reduce crime as the Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Watch Coordinator and additionally as the Grid Coordinator for Evelyn City, Grid 45. The OSH NW Group was defined several years ago, by TPD, to maintain and track the activities in our area. In fact, TPD has always and will continue to interact with us through their Neighborhood Watch umbrella. Susan Long will continue to disseminate items of interest. Now that Susan serves on the Code Enforcement Board, she is not in a position to function as a Code Enforcement Liaison.
At this time, I am recommending that we have some serious discussions about what we expect a neighborhood association to do for us. In the coming weeks the Hampton Terrace Neighborhood Association will be applying to the city to be recognized as a fully functional neighborhood association. Those residents have gone through a great deal of effort to get to this point. Is that the path we want to go down?
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Welcome to the Evelyn City Neighborhood
Evelyn City is a subdivision of a large Tampa neighborhood known as Old Seminole Heights and was initially developed in the early 1900s. For the purposes of this blog, the boundaries will be: the Hillsborough River to the north, 275 to the West, 22nd Street to the East and Sligh Ave to the South.
There are many issues that need to be addressed and resolved in the area, however I feel that this is a great neighborhood to live in. We have a wonderful diversity of homes, people, parks, and businesses.
There are many issues that need to be addressed and resolved in the area, however I feel that this is a great neighborhood to live in. We have a wonderful diversity of homes, people, parks, and businesses.
10 comments:
I don't mean for this to sound sarcastic, it just does when I type it...
Is there anything that OSHNA hasn't done or won't do for the neighborhood that the Seminole Heights neighborhood needs or wants them to do?
I don't know the complexities of Hampton Terrace seeking a separate Association, but, why would "we" (I assume you mean Evelyn City?) want to form a separate association?
The idea of breaking away from OSHNA is not a new one. There are people in this neighborhood who have been snubbed by OSHNA in the past and basically told that they did not belong in OSHNA. Talking with one past president last night, it was again brought up that north of Hanna was never intended to be part of OSHNA and maybe it would be best if that area were its own neighborhood.
I am in the middle here, I see advantages to both sides. But we, as a neighborhood need to decide what we want from a neighborhood association and then figure out how to make that happen. Do we form a new one, what would the boundaries be and how would it function? Do we work as a group to force OSHNA to be the association that truly represents us in some fashion? Either way, what do we expect a neighborhood association to do for us?
To answer your question about what has OSHNA not done for us:
Since learning of the Evelyn City sign 5+ years ago, Susan and I have wanted to have it reproduced and have repeatedly raised it as a project to OSHNA. Their standard response: Go put a plan & committee together, figure out the cost, find someone to do it, raise the money and we will talk to you about it, followed by a chuckle.
With all due respect, I can't say that I agree that OSHNA has disregarded any particular territory within the boundaries of OSHNA, but, I haven't the history nor the intricate relationship you have with them.
If there were some other clear examples that OSHNA truly has ignored the area to the north of Hanna, because it wasn't meant to be part of OSHNA, then I would say we go to OSHNA with those issues and see if they can be resolved.
In this instance, my first instinct is to try to mend.
In order to maintain recognition of this area that OSHNA helped to create in the last 20 years, I think we would be woe to break it apart and start anew. OSHNA is much more capable of making things happen for a neighborhood because of its size than the neighborhood breaking up into smaller associations.
Eventually we would be competing for the same grants, the same city monies and that doesn't seem like a battle worth fighting - to me.
Again, my apologies for speaking without knowing all of the details of why all this started, but, I see this as an opportunity to try to have OSHNA revisit the issues that have brought us to this juncture.
Here was my recommendation to Bill Hunter, chair of the By-laws Committee to try and balance the representation:
"Write the bylaws such that there is a representative from each area of the neighborhood; break it out however you want, but into 9 sections. The persons elected to the board would then select the President, VP, Secretary and Treasurer, much the same way that City Council does it. Then limit the consecutive years on the board to 8 years."
While you two discuss this, I have some thoughts. OSHNA can be a great mechanism for our neighborhood. However, at this point in time, it is not. I hate to recreate the wheel, but I also feel that that decision is not for me or any ONE of us to make ut for the residents assd a whole.
I have been approached by several people about secession. To date, I have discouraged it. But, as the secession interest grows, I have to think longer and longer.
I must say that those who discuss secession do not want to hold office, chair a committee or go to city council. That makes me think that we should not secede.
Susan Long
Susan, you are absolutely right about those who "say" they want secession and those who will actually put the effort through to make it happen. Breaking away from the largest City of Tampa neighborhood association is not an easy task. You must have dedicated people to spend up to what could be over a year or more in the process.
That being said; if you do have core folks committed to their mission and enough neighbors who are not happy being represented by the current neighborhood association, it can be accomplished !
My suggestion to you and the Evelyn City neighborhood would be to get a consensus of how your home owners really feel with their everyday lives living in their area of OSHNA. Based on what you find out, take that into account and go from there.
From what I know, the Hampton Terrace area of OSHNA majority of home owners have felt their concerns have not mattered when it came to important decisions regarding what happens to their lives and property. Folks in H.T. are generally fed up being represented by such a huge organization of thousands and want a say for themselves. Can you blame them?
Can you blame Evelyn City neighbors for feeling the same way? Every specific neighborhood of the greater Seminole Heights neighborhood has their own particular issues of concern and maybe it is time to break away so those specific pockets of S.H. will have their own voice heard by the City of Tampa. Maybe the time has come for Evelyn City, just as the time has come with the folks in Hampton Terrace.
Just my thoughts.
H.T. Resident in support of a H.T.N.A.
to: H.T. Resident:
I totally agree. No one knows what portion of the E.C. residents want to secede and no one knows what portion would be willing to work if we did secede. If the people who have spoken to me are ALL the people interested in secession,k it'll never happen.
The city has just passed a rule that from first petition signature for secession to last must occur within 6 months. So, it cannot be a several year operation.
Susan Long
H.T. Resident here.... Susan, how would it be confirmed exactly when that first petition signature is obtained to actually start the official clock of 6 months with the city? Would it be a date that the City and the secession folks would agree on together? Or, the City decides what date?
Do you know the details of this rule change?
Read through the thoughts expressed here. I am not in EC and I have for 20 years opposed breakaway efforts as reinventing the wheel. Much has changed. Kicking people out of the association. Wasting money on attorney fees. Unwillingness to use association funds for the benefit of the neighborhood. It has grown quite old. While I know that OSHNA gave some portion of it's profits to 3 community groups following the home tour, the bank account still grew by more than 6k.
I am taking a wait and see for now but am looking to see what happens with the next election cycle. However, more bullshit from the OSHNA board and I will do whatever I can to split everything north of Hanna from the river to 22nd st.
They can keep their damn money it doesn't do the neighborhood any good anyway.
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