A Familiar Neighborhood Friend Passes

Stanley Edmund “Ropes” Higgs, 81, a lifelong Key West Conch, passed away on Sunday morning, March 20, following a sudden decline. Stanley grew up in Key West when it was very different than today and he treasured his memories of wonderful times and dear friends. Before a fractured hip and age slowed him, he avidly enjoyed boating, water-skiing, sailing, photography, flying, cars, stereos and dogs. Stanley was an accomplished do-it-yourselfer and was handy at anything he set his mind on. To the end, he was sharp as a tack and kept a wry sense of humor.

Stanley spent many hours walking out to sit on the bench in front of Mangia Mangia with his little dog where he engaged many of us in pleasant conversation.

Shortly before the New Year, Stanley lost his beloved Girlie, who barked at him for the past fifteen years. Many recognize Stanley from the decades he spent with the U.S. Postal Service. A few of his longtime friends remember him from his days at Evans Sporting Goods. He was preceded in death by his parents, Irene and Edmund “Old Rope” Higgs, and his brother Hillary. Stanley was one of the few old timers left who could remember what he was doing on Labor Day, 1935, when the Great Hurricane struck the Upper Keys. As Stanley told it, the weather in Key West gave no hint of the devastation, but said that his father, a fisherman, learned of the storm before coming home from the docks. For the rest of the day, Old Rope never let go of him. Stanley’s remains will be interred in the Higgs family vault in Key West Cemetery.

There will be a celebration of Stanley's life at 9 a.m. Thursday, March 31, 2011, at the Kennedy Cafe. Friends of "Ropes'" are invited to share stories and memories over breakfast. Please RSVP to RopesKW@Aol.com.

SPECIAL MEETING: FSNA and the Strategic Plan

A Special Meeting just for members of the Frances Street Neighborhood Association to discuss the Key West Strategic Plan is being offered by Perry Johnson. Perry, a member of the Strategic Plan Committee, will make this presentation on April 11 at 5:30pm, the location to be announced. This meeting will introduce you to the Strategic Plan and give you a chance to provide suggestions and comments so that your input can be included before the final plan is presented to the City Commission in early May.

Please respond to Perry Johnston at john4031@bellsouth.net if you are planning on attending. We need your reply to determine the numbers for the meeting venue.

MARCH 2011 MEETING REPORT

FSNA Meeting Notes – March 21, 2011
Notes by Margaret Schaeffer

A big Thank You to Jeremy and Cindy Emmet for hosting our March Meeting.

And to Chuck Sherman for moderating the meeting.

Our first speaker at our March meeting was Jim Young, Manager of the Key West Code Compliance Department. Jim explained that the City of Key West Code Compliance Department has the responsibility of investigating complaints and ensuring compliance with the City Code of Ordinances, building standards, zoning issues and licensing regulations.

His main discussion at our meeting was the Sound Control Ordinance. He clarified that construction can occur every day of the week, 8 am – 5 pm, including Sunday, and that the only limitation is that on Sunday only hand-held tools, such as lawn mowers, leaf blowers, etc, can be used (large construction equipment cannot be used). He also explained that the department must receive a complaint from a citizen or the City Manager before they can act. Once they get the complaint they can issue a citation, and there is a hearing before a magistrate, who decides on the validity of the infraction and the penalty to be charged. However, the department does try for conciliation before they issue citations – they try to have neighbors work things out with each other.

When asked about Special Events he explained that groups apply for a one-time permit that exempts them from the normal noise ordinance rules (like the recent Conch Fest in Bayview Park). He also said he is asking his officers to spend more time out on the streets to look for problems such as graffiti.

Finally he said if you have a problem call 809-1000 for the police or 809-3740 for the Code Compliance Department (Inspectors work until 10 pm Wednesday – Sunday). You can also contact Jim via email at jjyoung@keywestcity.com.



The second speaker was our City Commissioner, Clayton Lopez.
Clayton opened the floor to questions and concerns.

- The Bicycle Tour Company that is abusive to residents was mentioned. He said he would check on whether the owner had a tour operator’s license.

- The City Pool being closed on April 1 was a concern. Clayton said this was an important priority for him and they hoped to have all the work done by June. The constraint was the budgeted money that had to be used by the end of October, forcing them to start work as soon as possible.

- He told us to email him at claytonlopezkw@gmail.com on any quality of life issues before they evolved into real problems.



Our third speaker was Phil Schaeffer who gave us an update on the proposed Friends of the Cemetery. He said the group would be part of the Historic Florida Keys Foundation and work under their auspices. The purpose of the Friends group would be to educate visitors, provide conservation, restoration and financial assistance, monitor problem areas, and engage in beautification efforts.

We would work with the City Manager and the Sexton to set clear ground rules and we would not be a contentious organization. Volunteers will be needed for an array of activities and recruitment will commence once the ground rules are set as a part of our discussions with the City staff.

The next official Meeting of the Frances Street Neighborhood Association will be on Monday, May 9th at 5:30pm.

We need a host home for this meeting.

Please contact Jan Oostdijk Rutgers at jan@jangeorge.com if you are willing to host this meeting on May 9th.

Margaret Schaeffer
for the Frances Street Neighborhood Association
keywestmargaret@gmail.com

Dengue

Hello! This is my first time Blogging!

My son, 15months old, had Dengue Fever about 4 weeks ago. It started on Feb.13, Valentines day weekend and my poor heart sank as his fever reaced 104 and only came down to 101 with ibuprophen. This lasted for 5 days consistently. He didn't really sleep, and neither did I. He didn't eat and he preferred to be carrried as standing on his legs hurt him terribly.

It was a horrendous ordeal, but he has survived.

My husband, Michael, had it also in November 2010. His fever lasted longer, and he was in tremendous pain. I have known him for 14 years now, and never experienced him so down.

Our three year old daughter and myself have not gotten this bite, and I doubt we will. I am super vigalent now about keeping us guarded.

I am now selling avon, because they have a deet free Bug Guard in easy to carry wipes. These work great and I feel comfortable putting it on all of us. If you want a sample, email me, or check out my online store at www.youravon.com/heatherbarnes

I would love to hear about your experiences with Dengue. I am so grateful we have a venue to get info out about this mosquito. We need to Band Together to get rid of these critters!

Be Bite Free!
Heather Barnes

FSNA MARCH 2011 MEETING NOTICE

AGENDA
FRANCES STREET NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

March 21, 2011

Welcome Frances Street Neighbors:

The next meeting of the Frances Street Neighborhood Association will be at the home of Jeremy and Cindy Emmet at 1020 Southard Street, at 5:30pm on Monday, March 21st.

We will have brief presentations on the following topics:

• Code Compliance Director, Jim Young will discuss the current code compliance rules and how they relate to our various community concerns.

• Key West City Commissioner, Clayton Lopez, will give us an update on District 6 and other community issues.

See you March 21st.

Margaret Schaeffer
for the Frances Street Neighborhood Association
keywestmargaret@gmail.com

FEBRUARY 2011 MEETING REPORT

FSNA Meeting Notes – February 28, 2011
Notes by Margaret Schaeffer

A big Thank You to Jan Oostdijk-Rutgers and George Rutgers-Oostdijk for hosting our February Meeting.

And to Chuck Sherman for moderating the meeting.

Our first speaker, Police Chief Donie Lee, gave us an update on the Key West Police Department’s new crime prevention program with residents and businesses. He wants to break down the barriers and have the police talk to the people in the neighborhoods.

This outreach consists of several new programs begun as of January 1:

• Police getting out of their patrol cars and walking the neighborhood for at least an hour a day in order to talk to residents and business owners. He said, “no introverts wanted” on his force. They have to document these visits to prove they are fulfilling this new duty.

• The Mounted Police Unit is now full-time with two Officers on horseback, 7 days a week, patrolling the neighborhoods. Jimmy Weekley later told us the Mounted Patrol won 5 ribbons in a recent competition with seasoned Mounted Patrols from around the state.

• The Police Bike Force has been increased to patrol the neighborhoods.

• He has added one more motorcycle policeman.

• He is gathering data to utilize the police more effectively.


He also discussed the recent break-ins on Frances Street and said they caught two of the burglars and hoped these men were the source of the recent crimes.

Chief Lee encouraged the members to email him with any problems they had in the neighborhood and that he would be quick to act upon these requests.



The second speaker was our City Commissioner, Jimmy Weekley.

Jimmy started off by saying Donie Lee was the most active Police Chief we have ever had in Key West, and that we were very fortunate to have him as our Police Chief.

He then gave us several community updates:

• The Frances Street Cemetery Gates should soon be open as 5 out of the 6 Commissioners passed his ordinance. There was to be one more reading on March 1 (Update: The Ordinance to keep the Frances Street Gate open except for an hour before or after a funeral was passed at the March 1st Commission Meeting).

• A Residential Parking Ordinance was being worked on. Residents would purchase tags for a minimal fee allowing them to park in Residential parking spaces. These spaces are going to be painted a different color and they will be able to be read from the street side to avoid confusion. Once this is done parking will be strictly enforced by the Parking Patrol.

• The first draft for the Strategic Plan for Key West will be submitted on March 2. Jimmy encouraged everyone to be part of the process. He is planning on holding a District Meeting in March or April to get input from the residents.

• Jimmy discussed the request by Jim Scholl for $6 million from the Federal Government to fund a study to widen the Channel for large ships and indicated he was against this as were several other Commissioners. He felt Key West should try to attract the smaller boutique cruise ships instead of bringing the hordes of passengers that make it unpleasant for locals and tourists alike. (Update: At the March 1stCommission Meeting Jim Scholl was instructed not to include this request for funds to do the study to widen the channel as part of the request for Federal Funds).

• Jimmy discussed the renewal of Jim Scholl’s contract. He said the Commission had several seats up for election and the Commission felt it was better to wait until after the election, and just extend Jim Scholl’s contract for one year. He also felt Jim Scholl would not ask to remain City Manager past 2012.

• Jimmy discussed the Key West Bight Plan and said they intended to make the Bight more inviting to tourists and residents with more lighting, landscaping, and a new plaza. He said a plan by the Half-Shell Raw Bar to build a garage was rejected, as it would obstruct the view of the water.



The Meeting adjourned with a request from Chuck Sherman for some suggestions for topics to discuss at upcoming meetings. He also indicated a petition was available for those concerned with the noise from Leaf Blowers.

The next Meeting of the Frances Street Neighborhood Association will be hosted by Jeremy and Cindy Emmet, 1020 Southard Street, on Monday, March 21st at 5:30pm.


Margaret Schaeffer
for the Frances Street Neighborhood Association
keywestmargaret@gmail.com