Page 12 - Florida Sentinel 2-16-16 Edition

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West Tampa Residents Voice Displeasure At Final Meeting On Riverfront Park
Kidney Transplant Survivor
Alerts Community To Address
‘Epidemic Of Violence’
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Almost three years have passed since Margie Bell- ware successfully underwent a kidney transplant, and now she says when the Spring comes, she looks to challenge someone to a tennis match.
Ms. Bellware said last week, the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) held their 28th annual “Day on Capitol Hill” to address the “Epidemic of Violence: NBNA’s Call To Action.”
“The NBNA addressed sev- eral important topics during the conference, among them how gun violence dispropor- tionately impacts young adults, males, and racial eth- nic minorities,” said Ms. Bellware.
“It’s also important that funding continues for Title VII and Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act. It is for the expansion of federal appropri- ations to support professional nursing education and nurse faculty loan repayment pro- grams. It’s vital to allow more diversity in the workplace.”
Also discussed was the con-
MARGIE BELLWARE
tinuation of the Affordable Health Care Act (Obama Care).
“It’s also important that the funding continues for people with behavior problems.
“This is a plea for everyone to continue to write their members of Congress in ad- dressing these vital issues.”
Ms. Bellware asks that people ‘tweet no community should have to live with gun violence’. Please protect our communities @(insert our Member of Congress tweeter name) #NBNA Call to Action 2016.
“It’s also important that you contact your Senator on these issues, and let it be known you support these is- sues and that it’s vital that they be kept in place.”
DEE JACKSON Vice President West Tampa Alliance
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
On Wednesday night at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center in West Tampa, the final meeting was held on the redesign of the 25- acre Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park.
The Denver-based Civitas, Incorporated team, hired by the City of Tampa for the proj- ect, told those in attendance that the final plan was the result of what the people in the community said they wanted to see at the park.
However, some in attendance said that wasn’t the case.
Dee Jackson, Vice President of the West Tampa Alliance said he, along with others in the community, felt none of the things the community asked for were a part of the final plan.
“First, I’d like to say that Wednesday night’s meeting more clearly represented the West Tampa community than the four held at Blake High School.
“In those meetings, when the surveys were presented, the majority of those in attendance
The New Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park.
either didn’t live in West Tampa, or were new arrivals and have no history in the commu- nity. It was their suggestions that were ac- cepted by the group.”
Jackson said making matters worse was that no one in the community was contacted about the art and history that will be on dis- play at the park.
“All they did was to show us what the park will look like once the project is completed. Any input for changes or suggestions for added features were not addressed.
“As a community, we will continue to voice our outrage over being ignored about the re- design of the park, and it is the opinion of the West Tampa Alliance and others that the re- design of the park intentionally was not inclu- sive of what the residents of West Tampa wanted.”
The presenters said work on the redesign will start later this year, and the project is ex- pected to be completed by April 2017.
The cost of the redesign of the park is ex- pected to exceed $30 million, according to city officials. Also, funding sources for the project are still be sought by city officials.
Solid Waste Department Expands
Disposal Service To Control
The Spread Of The Zika Virus
Residents will be allowed to drop off up to 8 tires for disposal.
Stagnant water in old tires can become a haven for mosquitoes. The City of Tampa is taking proactive measures to protect citizens and visitors from the Zika Virus. From Saturday, February 13, 2016 through Saturday, February 20, 2016, City of Tampa residents are being offered several opportunities to dis- pose of unwanted/unused tires that serve as mosquito breeding sites through the tire amnesty collection event.
The tire amnesty collection event is open to all City of Tampa residents. Dur- ing this amnesty collection period, each resident will be allowed to drop off up to 8 tires, without rims, at the McKay Bay Refuse-to-Energy facility, 114
South 34th Street, Tampa, 33605 during normal hours of operation. City of Tampa residents are also reminded that their nor- mal collection service allows them to place up to four tires, without rims, at the curb for disposal on their scheduled garbage collection day.
Please note, free disposal at the McKay Bay Refuse-to-Energy facility will require a City of Tampa utility bill and matching identification. Normal disposal fees will apply to business owners.
For additional information, please call the City of Tampa Utilities Consolidated Call Center at (813) 274-8811, or visit http://www.tampagov.net/solidwaste.
New Tampa residents are encouraged to contact Hillsborough County Solid Waste Management at (813) 272-5680 for information on their tire collection event.
PAGE 12 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2016