FSNA - December Event Notices

Commissioner Jimmy Weekley Announces Traffic Carrying Capacity Workshop
Wednesday, December 14th at 6:30pm
at the Ferry Terminal Meeting Room on the Key West Bight

There will be a presentation and discussion regarding the City's Traffic Carrying Capacity Study.
Everyone is invited to attend and learn of the status of this important effort.

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December Meeting of the Frances Street Neighborhood Association Scheduled

At the home of John Padget and Jacob Deckker, 611 Frances St
Tuesday, December 27th at 5:30pm

Please join us following the Christmas Holidays for our last meeting of the year! We will send our agenda as a meeting reminder later this month.

Help Needed: We need folks to host our 2012 meetings starting in January. Can you provide us with a venue for the meeting? If you are interested in helping the Neighborhood Association by doing this please contact
Jan Oostdijk-Rutgers for more information and available dates.

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Frances Street Neighborhood Association
Meeting Notes - November 15, 2001

A big Thank You to Jay Scott and The Studios of Key West for hosting our November Meeting. And to Chuck Sherman for moderating the meeting.

Before the meeting started, and while there was still light, Jay Scott offered everyone a tour of the newly renovated Residences on Ashe Street to see the progress that has been made. These residences will be used for visiting artists to spend a month in Key West immersing themselves in the community and sharing their talents with us.

Our first speaker was Kim Gable, Extension Agent and University of Florida Horticulturist who spoke to us about the rugose spiraling Whitefly infestation in Key West. Kim explained that this infestation is not limited to the Gumbo Limbo tree, but has infested fruit trees, palms and other ornamental plants and shrubs. However, as annoying as it is, thus far, it has not caused severe plant damage or plant death.

For small plants it is best to wash the plants with a strong stream of water, followed with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil once a week for 3-4 weeks. For larger plants and trees one should again wash the leaves with a strong stream of water. If you decide to use a systemic insecticide, this can be applied as a drench, as a granule or as a tablet. They may take several weeks to be effective but are long lasting (9-12 months). However if used on fruit trees remember you have put a poison into your tree and you cannot safely eat the fruit.

Kim indicated there has been signs of the appearance of natural predators starting to play a part in controlling this infestation and nature may eventually strike a balance in the control of the infestation. Please visit the Monroe County Extension Service website for more information http://monroe.ifas.ufl.edu

The second speaker was Phil Schaeffer, who gave a brief update on the upcoming kick-off meeting of the "Historic Key West Cemetery Friends Committee". Phil said that a small group has been meeting with the Sexton to overcome the controversy that arose over the closing of the Frances Street gate. This group is forming the Historic Key West Cemetery Committee whose volunteer members will engage in the enhancement of the Cemetery by Monitoring and Education Programs. Volunteers will be trained as general guides to inform cemetery visitors on the history of the cemetery and its natural environment. The program will focus on the hours when the Sexton is not on duty to provide a visual presence to deter unlawful or negative activities from occurring (weekend days and evening between 5-7 pm). Those who are interested can take it a step further and be trained as docent guides, or help in restoration projects. The first meeting will be Monday, November 21st at the Harrison Gallery at 825 White Street at 530 pm.

Our last speaker was Jay Scott, the Executive Director of The Studios of Key West. Jay told us about all the different opportunities one could take advantage of at The Studios of Key West from classes to concerts to exhibitions. The Studios of Key West is celebrating their Fifth Anniversary in 2012 with a Gala Soiree on February 18th and a Birthday Bash on March 3. For more information on all of these activities please visit their website at www.tskw.org

The next Meeting of the Frances Street Neighborhood Association will be hosted by John Padget and Jacob Dekker, 611 Frances Street, on Tuesday, December 27 at 5:30 pm.

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

First Meeting of the Friends of the Key West Cemetery Meeting Scheduled

Monday, November 21st at 5:30pm

Historic Key West Cemetery Friends Committee

A Committee of the Historic Florida Keys Foundation
Dr. Diane Silvia, Executive Director

Please consider joining us at our first organizing meeting on Monday, November 21st at the Harrison Gallery at 825 White St at 5:30pm.


We would really appreciate an RSVP message. Just acknowledge if you will be at the meeting by sending a quick email to KeyWestCemeteryFriends@gmail.com. If you can't make the meeting but still wish to participate at some level let us know that too!

The purpose of this meeting is to establish our group and its volunteer members as a working committee that will be engaged with enhancing the Historic Key West Cemetery by becoming involved in one or more of the following efforts:

Participate in the Cemetery Monitoring and Education Program

• Volunteers will be trained as general guides to enlighten and inform cemetery visitors on the history of the cemetery and its natural environment. This program will generally focus its efforts on the hours when the Sexton is not on duty to assist in providing a visible presence to deter unlawful or negative activities from occurring in the cemetery. This would be both weekend days and all evenings from 5:00 -7:00pm, although volunteers may also work at other times as well if they wish. An online calendar will be available for scheduling purposes. Members of the Cemetery Friends Committee will wear clearly marked items identifying them as a cemetery "VOLUNTEER" to cemetery visitors for both security and safety reasons.

• Volunteers who wish to can also be trained as a Docent Guide by the Historic Florida Keys Foundation staff to assist them in accommodating school class and other group tour visits.

Participate in the Cemetery Maintenance and Beautification Program

• Volunteers can engage in light clean-up while on duty as a Monitor or at any time on their own. This effort will be directed at collecting bottles, cans, paper debris, etc. New Volunteers will be provided with specific instructions and guidance on the “DOs and DON’Ts” of this activity.

• Volunteers can participate in Team Cleanup Projects. These would be 3 hour cleanup sessions of limited areas of the cemetery, determined by the Sexton, that could really use our attention and help. The first of these Team Cleanup Projects will be on Saturday morning December 3rd from 8:00am to 11:00am. You can volunteer for as much or as little time as you wish during this cleanup session.

• Under the direction of Dr. Silvia, volunteers can also participate in tombstone and monument cleaning and restoration. Training and materials will be provided and the schedule for this activity will be flexible.


This is just the beginning of what we envision for the future of this committee as we look into beautification of cemetery grounds stressing the incorporation of native plants along with other traditionally important Key West flora. We also hope to initiate fundraising activities and events to raise money for restoring damaged stones and markers in accordance with the preservation plans of the Historic Florida Keys Foundation.

Again, please consider joining us at our first organizing meeting on Monday, November 21st at the Harrison Gallery at 825 White St at 5:30pm. We would really appreciate an RSVP message.

Just acknowledge if you will be at the meeting by sending a quick email to

KeyWestCemeteryFriends@gmail.com. If you can't make the meeting but still wish to participate at some level let us know that too by send an email to us.

Historic Florida Keys Foundation
Old City Hall 510 Greene Street Key West FL 33040
305-292-6718 www.historicfloridakeys.org

WELCOME BACK!

The first meeting of the season for the Frances Street Neighborhood Association will be hosted by Jay Scott at The Studios of Key West on Tuesday, November 15th, at 5:30pm. We will meet outside in the Mango Treehouse Garden, off of Southard St at the back of the Armory building. Enjoy this beautiful setting with a glass of wine, available with an opportunity to make a donation to the Studios!

Our agenda will start with Extension Agent and University of Florida horticulturist, Kim Gable, who will talk to us about the very annoying infestation of the rugose spiraling whitefly. Then Phil Schaeffer will update us briefly on the coming kick-off of the "Historic Key West Cemetery Friends Committee".

Following their presentations we will hear from Executive Director - Jay Scott, on all that is new at the Studios! He will bring us up-to-date on their coming programs and special events, as well as provide us with a sneak preview of the work that is being done on the two houses on Ashe Street. At the end of the meeting folks who are interested can go on a "field trip" with Jay to visit these properties to see first-hand how this renovation is progressing.