More details here.

OCTOBER 20, 2007 | 7pm to 11pm
Centennial Park | Ybor City
$20 in advance | $25 day of | $50 VIP

More details here. 

Position now filled!  Karen Goss has been appointed Treasurer to fill the remainder of the term.

If anyone is interested please respond to Kim from the YCDC.  Neighborhood input would be a good thing. 

 YCDC would like to set up a meeting to discuss the possibility of having Wi-Fi in the Ybor City area.  If you are interested in sitting in on these discussions with YCDC and the City’s IT Department, please reply me your interest via email.  Discussions will be open to Board and non-Board members.  
 
To those who are interested, finalized meeting information will be forthcoming.
 
Kimberly Bogush
Ybor City Development Corporation
Economic & Urban Development Department
City of Tampa
2015 E. 7th Avenue
Tampa, FL 33605
813-274-7936 - office
813-274-7935 - fax
E-mail:  kimberly.bogush@tampagov.net
http://www.tampagov.net/dept_YCDC

One of the Ybor Chamber’s biggest events is here. Remember, we still have free tickets for HYNCA members. You must be a resident of Historic Ybor City and be a registered member to receive two complimentary tickets.  To become a member visit http://www.hynca.com/membership/   For more information or to request tickets contact HYNCA President Tony LaColla at alacolla@hynca.com.  All ticket requests must be made by Mon. Oct. 22.

As always, HYNCA wishes you a fun and safe Guavaween!

Please see below for details of the event.

Tampa, Florida - October 13, 2007 - Guavaween Family FunFest is Tampa Bay’s BEST Family Halloween Celebration and offers endless exciting activities for children of all ages!  Family FunFest takes place on Saturday, October 27th, 2007 from 10am to 3pm.  Admission is only $5 between the hours of 10am and 2pm.

Beginning at 10am will be continuous free entertainment on the Mix 100.7 Stage at 7th Avenue & 18th Street, the Daytime Entertainment Stage presented by Relevant Church at 7th Avenue & 15th Street and the Gaspar’s Grotto Stage, located in the Gaspar’s Grotto Courtyard at 7th Avenue & 18th Street.  You won’t want to miss this year’s fantastic lineups, featuring performances by Jump 5, Cali, Mr. Bones, local dance groups and area schools, Veggie Tales and many more!  For complete Family FunFest stage schedules, please visit our website at www.cc-events.org.Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - Please call 800.937.0010

Family FunFest not only features multiple stages of entertainment, but also boasts Safe Trick-or-Treat, Spooky Story Time (also featuring Miss Deaf Florida, Kim Wright), Hands-on Activities, Pumpkin Giveaway, Terror Theatre - Ybor’s Haunted House, appearances by Tampa Bay Buccaneer Cheerleaders, Children’s ID Services and Safety Education by TPD, exhibits and demos by Tampa Bay’s best area attractions, the Mix 100.7 Pet Costume Contest, the ever loved Children’s Costume Parade and Contest at 2:30pm and so much more!

Guavaween Family FunFest fills Ybor City with family fun on Saturday, October 27th between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.  Admission is $5 between the hours of 10am and 2pm - children in costume are free (limited to children 10 years of age and younger, must be accompanied by a paying adult).  A Guavaween Bus Shuttle will be available beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the Florida State Fairgrounds and offers round trip daytime service. 

Joe Caetano (District 7, New Tampa area), speaking of crime in Ybor on October 4th at a regular City Council meeting said that our neighborhood "is never going to get any better" and that the City "can’t be spending all our money on police" to patrol the area on weekends. To anyone living in Ybor, those statements seem, at best, mean-spirited, but it also says something about the Councilman’s familiarity (or lack thereof) with Ybor and its recent history.

But there is something unfair about the whole situation that requires going a little more than a decade ago to understand.  In  the early to mid  90’s,  our very own City Council handed liquor licenses left and right to anyone who wished to have one, despite our neighbors’ efforts to stop them. The environment created by such a high concentration of large drinking venues resulted in the Ybor of today: a hard-partying, crime-prone area. The City  then tried to curve crime by saturating the area with police officers on weekend nights. Fast-forward to 2007, when a City Councilman wants to cut back funding for solving a problem the same Council created?

Is Ybor ever going to get better? Of course. Unlike Mr. Caetano, the rest of the Council and the Mayor understand (read: learned the hard way) that communities must be diverse, with a mix of business and residential. In fact, we are seeing the transition now, with every new neighbor that moves in. We just wish that our elected officials had a little faith.

Here is the snippet of the Council’s meeting transcript where Caetano comments on Ybor and crime related to bars:

11:22:58 I personally don’t think Ybor City is going to get any
11:23:00 better.
11:23:02 It’s costing us a tremendous amount of money for
11:23:05 police down there.
11:23:06 And I don’t think it will ever get better.
11:23:11 I just know recently as Westshore, we turned down a
11:23:15 project because they wanted to be open till 2:00 in
11:23:18 the morning because people are calling in.
11:23:19 It’s going to be another bar and there’s going to be
11:23:22 drunks around.
11:23:23 I think we better be more vigilant when we give out
11:23:27 these permits.
11:23:30 I supported the permit for Westshore.
11:23:34 But if this is the case we can’t be spending all our
11:23:37 money on police down in Ybor City.

Every year Ybor wins a slew of flattering (Best Neighborhood) and not-so-flattering (Best Place to Drink in Public) awards from the local alternative magazine Creative Loafing. This year we see no change:

• From the obvious: BEST HISTORIC BUILDING The Cuban Club (Critics’ pick)
• To the encouraging: BEST NEW MUSIC VENUE Crowbar (Critics’ pick) BEST NEW OPEN MIC NIGHT Tre Amici @ The Bunker (Critics’ pick)
• To the plainly bizarre: MOST SURPRISING SUCCESS FOR A BAR GIMMICK Dwarf Wrestling at the James Joyce Pub (Critics’ pick)

From Tony:

On Thursday, October 4, 2007 Item #44 on the City Council Agenda is "Administration to provide a written report regarding the jet-fueled pipeline being proposed to be installed from an area near the port to the airport." City Council meets at 9:00 a.m., but there is no set time for this item to be heard.

Check out Channel 15 to see what the report says.  I will also request a copy of any documents that are provided to City Council.

By Officer Bob Barrett, District III Crime Prevention Team

There are simple steps that one can take to reduce the likelihood of their home being burglarized without having to spend thousands of dollars on a state-of-the-art home security system.

The easiest crime prevention practice one can take to prevent break-ins is simply to walk around your home and think like a burglar.  Look for items that are lying around the outside of your home that could aid a burglar to get into your home.  Secure tools inside your home or in a locked shed where a burglar can’t get at them.  The item I most commonly see lying outside homes are ladders.  If a ladder can’t be secured indoors, lock it up somewhere in your yard with a chain so it can’t be used.

The single area that I have found deficient at most home sites is lighting.  One should make sure that exterior lighting is mounted out of reach so burglars can’t easily unscrew or break out light bulbs.  We also suggest buying motion-sensitive lights for the exterior of your home.  They have become relatively inexpensive in recent years.  I purchased a fairly attractive set for my home this past weekend for $35 each.  Also, remember to keep your trees, shrubs and bushes trimmed to reduce shadowing and areas where intruders like to hide.  Lastly, illuminate your house number and make sure it is easily visible from the street.  This will help the police and/or emergency services find your home much quicker in case of an emergency.

Inside your home, be sure to keep a log of all your valuables.  Keep track of brand names, model numbers and most importantly serial numbers.  After a home is burglarized, often the items are sold at pawnshops for cash.  In most cases, the only way the police can find and return stolen merchandise is if the victim can provide this important information regarding their personal items.  In cases where there is no serial number (jewelry for example) take photographs for your records.  Remember a picture is worth 1,000 words.  Lastly, engrave your valuables with an identifying mark to prove ownership in the event the item is stolen.  This will also greatly aid the police in recovering stolen property.

Maybe it is a sign of a demographic change in Ybor. Or maybe it is a sign that Ybor has not changed at all, as a melting pot of cultural diversity. The latest group to claim a stake in Ybor is the gay and gay-friendly business. HYNCA welcomes the Coalition and hopes that it is able to achieve its goal of attracting residents, businesses, and tourists to the neighborhood. The group has received some press coverage past week (Fox 13 excerpt):

TAMPA - There have been a lot of visions for Ybor City: an entertainment district, a place for families.

One of the latest is to turn the historic district into a gay Mecca.

"Since there’s a uniqueness to Ybor, we thought ‘Gaybor,’ that’s perfect for the uniqueness of Ybor City," said Carrie West, the Gaybor Coalition founder.

West runs MC Film Festival on 8th and 15th - what he describes as an eclectic gay gift shop.  When West and his partner moved to Ybor in July, they say they saw the potential for revitalization - and gay tourism.

The couple started the Gaybor Coalition, and 35 businesses have signed up so far. The Coalition is targeting west Ybor City for a "Gaybor" district.

The goal is to bring in gay tourists, and add new businesses, and residents, to compete with other major cities with popular gay districts. West says he hopes to produce a bohemian feel.

"It’s going to be filling in shop areas, not with just bars and nightclubs but variety, eateries coffee shops, that’s what’s going to make the uniqueness of Ybor City come to life," West explained.

Despite efforts by the city and local businesses, what Ybor’s been known for recently is it’s violent crime rate. But promoters of the Gaybor brand hope it can give the entire Ybor area an image makeover.

The Gaybor Coalition is working with the city and chambers of commerce to make their vision a reality.

The Hampton Inn on 7th Avenue and 13th Street has already had success working with West to bring in gay tourists. The Ybor City hotel offered a "Play and Stay" promotion in August, targeting gay couples, and the response was overwhelming.

"The tourism potential is unbelievable," said sales director Becky Fox.

The Hampton Inn is currently hosting Pentecostal convention participants, but sales manager Becky Fox says, there’s room in Ybor for everyone.

"I actually feel sorry for people who aren’t open-minded enough to see what this will do for our economy and this area," Fox said. "I honestly think this is a great opportunity for Ybor City to shine."

But not everyone wants Ybor to star as a gay destination.

"To each his own, but just being a Christian it’s not something I’d condone," said Tampa resident Vikkie Franchina, who was shopping in Ybor City.

But most area businesses are eager to bring in extra tourism dollars any way they can. The feeling is that, while we all may be different colors of the rainbow, everyone’s money is green.