Dengue fever

Can someone in the know please bring readers up to date on dengue fever in Key West? One of the recent articles i read in the Citizen said that a few people in old town had exhibited dengue-like symptoms this spring. Maybe the paper doesn't want to scare tourists away by saying that some folks actually have been diagnosed with "the fever," but in fact they have. And i know that at least one of them had not traveled anywhere outside of the keys where she might have contracted it.

Thanks in advance for any edification...

The Rotary Club of Key West Fireworks Needs Your Donations

Dear Neighbors:

Since 1976 The Rotary Club of Key West has sponsored the Key West 4th of July Fireworks display. We receive no city funding and rely on community support to raise the $30,000 it costs for this production. We would appreciate any donations you can provide.

Please join us at the White Street Pier to view the fireworks for free. There are different levels of donations from $50 to $5000. Every single dollar raised goes directly to this cause.

You can download the donation form by clicking on:

http://www.clubrunner.ca/Data/6990/3856/HTML/56435/Fireworks%20Mailer%20'10%20(1).pdf

Warm Regards,

Rudy Molinet
President-Elect
The Rotary Club of Key West
www.keywestrotary.com
305-240-1090

Angela Street Near Cemetery Gets New Direction

Here is a notice from the City of Key West. Drive safely!

THE CITY OF KEY WEST
General Services
Public Facilities/ADA Coordinator
P.O.Box 1409, Key West, FL 33040

June 9, 2010

NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNERS

In an effort to provide for a better flow of traffic surrounding the cemetery, and a more safe traffic pattern at the intersection of Frances and Angela Streets, the City has decided to reverse the one way direction of Angela Street. Effective Monday, June 14, 2010, Angela Street from Frances Street to Margaret Street will become one way traveling to the west. Olivia Street will remain unchanged and will continue one way going east.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 809-3951. Thank you for your patience in this adjustment period that will follow.

Diane Nicklaus
Public Facilities/ADA Coordinator
809-3951
dnicklau@keywestcity.com

Effort Mounted to Save Wisteria Island

Time is urgent. We need to have at least some of the June meetings moved to Key West. As a practical matter, the die may be cast in these actions this month.

Learn more about this issue here: www.savewisteriaisland.com

Nils Muench
700 Margaret Street
Key West, Florida 33040
305-394-1144

Key West Parking Ordinance Changes to Address Waste Issues

Our January 18th meeting considered a draft ordinance that would prohibit storing and disposing of "any manner of waste" in a vehicle on the public right of way "unless such vehicle is being actively loaded for immediate hauling." Fifty-eight residents signed a petition supporting it, and it was sponsored by Commissioner Jimmy Weekley. City Attorney Shawn Smith retained the key provision, divided the ordinance in two -- one for waste and one for parking -- and provided fair and effective penalties that will encourage compliance and facilitate enforcement.

On June 1st the City Commission by a vote of 7 to 0 enacted the ordinances. The ordinances became enforceable when the City Clerk posted their enacted versions at http://www.keywestcity.com/egov/docs/1275497487_304412.pdf
and at
http://www.keywestcity.com/egov/docs/1275497546_497528.pdf


Any neighbor who observes a violation of these ordinances may report it to Code Compliance, either at 809-3740 or through the Citizen Request Action Line (which is anonymous if you wish): http://mygovhelp.com/keywestfl/_cs/RequestSelect.aspx

Karl Haffenreffer
525 Frances Street

Truman Waterfront Park- A Jewel In The Making

Commissioner Jimmy Weekley will be hosting a public meeting to inform us about the plans for the Truman Waterfront.

There will be a presentation from the developers who have been awarded the contract to develop this now barren piece of surplus navy land. The Truman Waterfront is a beautiful parcel of land and I hope our neighborhood comes out in force to learn about this very important project.

The meeting will be held at Old City Hall on Greene Street, Wednesday, March 31, 2010at 6:00pm. Everyone is invited!

Check out this website for more information on the project: http://www.trumanwaterfrontpark.com

Disney-style Landscaping in Old Town

Is anyone else concerned about what seems to be the impending invasive spread of the artificial Flexipave material into the residential areas of the important Key West Historical Area.

This material, now widely used on Duval Street, certainly has a value in high traffic areas such as the Duval corridor but seems terribly inconsistent with the HARC guidelines for the maintenance of historic accuracy. Homeowners need to comply to very high standards to retain the character of the historic district and it seems like this Flexipave material is being installed without any review at all unless I missed something.



I know that it is being installed in the name of "safety" but other changes to the nature of the historic district while proposed for seemingly "good" reasons like the white roofs are still subject to HARC review and evaluation. The design and placement of these elements should respond to the historic and architectural character of the district.

I really despair of seeing our neighborhood streets turned into walkways that Disney would be proud of!




A real part of our historic street character is seen it the care and maintenance of the sidewalk tree islands such as has been done so elegantly in many places along Frances Street. And even the somewhat scruffy, unkempt places with their assemblages of grass and flowering weeds and just plain dirt are also an integral part of the character of the streets for each neighborhood in the district. I believe that it would be very unfortunate to see this pervasive use of such an obvious artificial material dominating the streetscapes of our beautiful historic district.

I can understand the safety issues on Duval and perhaps adjacent to high use areas such as restaurants in the Historic District, as has been done at Cafe Sole on Frances and Southard, but to spread this material and contaminate the remainder of the historic district appears to be against the goals of HARC.



I will send my comments and concerns to HARC to see if they will respond but meanwhile I would like to hear any of your thoughts as well.

Thanks
Phil Schaeffer

FSNA February Meeting Report

Our February meeting was hosted by Jan Koos Oostdijk and George Rutgers-Oostdijk at their beautiful new Interior Design Studio. George also supplied us with some images from this very well attended meeting.

FSNA February Meeting Report

Dr. Mark Whiteside, an infectious disease specialist, opened the meeting with a discussion on Dengue Fever. He addressed the critical need for everyone to police their own homes and neighborhoods for standing water. He suggested that people should call Mosquito Control for any issues that are observed that could lead to proliferation of mosquitoes. Here is a link to the Dengue Fever Information Flyer.

Officer Steve Torrence of the KWPD said that 2 arrests have been made (both related to burglaries) in this neighborhood in the last month. It was pointed out that another prime burglary suspect has not yet been apprehended and that vigilance is still important. Anyone observing suspicious people or behavior should call the KWPD at 809-1111.
He also told us that he had met with bar owners on lower Duval and pressured them to pick up more security. He also explained that more security would come in the form of off-duty police officers (paid for by the owners).
He also notified us that the police department was starting both a twitter page and a Facebook page.

John Wilkins (the city's new parking manager) joined us to explain his position at the city and the challenges facing the community in terms of parking and traffic.
He told us that many of the departments that had previously been operating separately from each other were now overseen by his department. This included the city parking lots, meter enforcement, etc.
He spoke at length about residential parking permits and different options that the city is reviewing going forward. He explained that simple changes (such as allowing people with vanity plates to be able to apply for a Residential Parking Pass) were being corrected by his department. The possibility of a bike path on Eaton Street was discussed as well as the deferential pricing when it came to getting Residential Parking Passes. We closed out the meeting talking about a parking summit to be held by the city in the next few months where the public would be able to give input to city wide changes.

Meeting notes thanks to Quincy Perkins.



Images of the Meeting



Dr. Mark Whiteside

John Wilkins


City Councilman Jimmy Weekley





Officer Steve Torrance, KWPD Community Affairs

recently, I was awakened (as i often am) by the cockophony (pun intended) of the multitude of roosters residing in the cemetery, and wondered what could be done about it. it is essential to keep the numbers of chickens in the cemetery as low as possible (or better yet, nil) because i think it is from there that they spill out into the surrounding streets. you may recall that a number of years ago the city hired the guy who ran a clip joint on fleming street (the old town barber shop) to catch them, but in the end all he wanted to do was sell t-shirts online.

so i wrote to commissioner lopez with a suggestion:

commissioner

i live right next to the cemetery on grinnell st (on the 5 brothers side), and i am painfully aware of how many more chickens there are in the cemetery now than ever before. (to be honest, everyone i talk with feels that there are way more chickens throughout old town than ever, and i agree.)

i have a suggestion/request: could catching chickens in the cemetery be a part of the sexton's job? he and his assistants could get traps from the wildlife rescue center (next to the bocce courts near higgs beach), bait them and catch the chickens. the wildlife rescue center would gladly receive the trapped chickens and transport them to the mainland as they get the minimum number to justify the trip.

i know the tourists love the chickens, but for the most part we residents don't; yet again, the tourists come first and we residents get the short end of the stick.

i'd love to hear your opinion on this idea.

thanks,

rob sprogell

============

[the commissioner's reply]

Mr. Sprogell,

I have nothing to add, as my opinion is EXACTLY the same as yours. I am including the City Manager in on my response to your email as a directive for action. I think your suggestion is a good one. For the benefit of the Sexton and his staff, I want to be clear that I am not asking them to engage in running around after or collecting chickens. However, your traps idea is an excellent one. Let's see how it works!

Thanks for your suggestion!

Clayton

===========

i believe that it would be helpful if others contacted commissioner lopez (and jimmy weekly, too) and asked that this plan be implemented. if you don't already know, their email addresses are as follows:

clopez@keywestcity.com

jweekley@keywestcity.com

thanks for any encouragement FSNA members can provide to these commissioners,

rob sprogell

Frances or Francis Street?

By Mary & Karl Haffenreffer

Locals often joke that the longest street in Key West is Duval Street because it runs between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. For me the longest distance traveled has been between Frances and Fleming Streets. Last month, after writing a brief history of Frances Street, I turned into Fleming and thus began, with Karl, a journey of detours, dead ends, and unexpected discoveries as we leafed through a thicket of historical documents.

Much of Key West’s written history is based on Walter C. Maloney’s A Sketch of the History of Key West, Florida (1876). Maloney arrived here shortly after the departure of William A. Whitehead, who in 1829 pencil-sketched the early settlement and surveyed the island, laying out and naming its streets. The raging fire of 1886 destroyed the first City Hall where the earliest documents were kept. Thus we do not know upon what evidence Maloney based his statement on p. 81 that “Frances” Street was named “after a daughter of Mr. Fleeming.” John W. C. Fleeming was a friend and business partner of John Simonton and John Whitehead. After his death Fleeming’s surname mutated to “Fleming”. Maloney’s undocumented sourcing of our street’s name has been quoted and relied upon by historians and writers for 134 years.

Then in 1966 Colin G. Jameson [“What’s in a Street Name?”, Martello, No. 3 (1966), reprinted in Florida Keys Sea Heritage Journal (Summer 1998)], citing no evidence, stated that “Francis Street” was named after a gentleman whose surname was so cacophonous that it never achieved street-sign status. This was Francis Rotch, a merchant from New Bedford. … Rotch’s stepson (and husband of his niece) was W. C. Fleming [sic], English-born, a prime developer of Key West. Rotch’s given name was reasonable enough, and it now decorates our Francis Street, bravely resisting repeated attempts to feminize it.

Named after Francis Rotch? Francis was an unsuccessful whaler and hapless inventor whose innovations included “sundry kinds of fly traps,” a whaling gun “not fired” on its only test voyage, and “two-hulled boats with a canal in the middle.” However, he played a significant part in American Revolutionary history at the Boston Tea Party of 1773, where he represented his family’s ships, the Dartmouth and the Beaver, laden with the East India Company’s cargo of precious tea.

In The Rotches (1947), John M. Bullard gives this account of Francis’s role:
On the arrival of the Dartmouth feeling ran so high that the consignees and the British Governor found it necessary to retire to the fortifications known as “the Castle. It fell to the lot of Francis Rotch to go back and forth between the two factions, in neither of which he was particularly interested. His entire energy was devoted to endeavoring to save his vessels, a far from easy task. … This affair was a very troublesome one for a young man of twenty-three to manage, as there was a tremendous pressure brought to bear upon him by Samuel Adams and other influential patriots, to return the teas to England. … Rotch pleaded that a compliance [with the Patriots’ demand] would ruin him, and as he could not obtain [a clearance from the Collector of Customs, and, thus] a pass [from the Governor] for his ships, they would either have been sunk by the British batteries, or captured and confiscated under the revenue laws.

No agreement could be reached and tempers broke loose. The Patriots, disguised as Mohawk Indians, “gave the War-Whoop,” boarded the ships, and dumped the tea into the drink. [The Boston Evening-Post, December 20, 1773.] However, Francis escaped the impasse with no financial loss, his family’s ships intact, no person harmed, and little personal criticism. It was said that over the long twenty days of negotiations he conducted himself with “dignity and ability.” [Bullard, pp. 45-50, 53, 62-69.] Francis Rotch died in New Bedford in 1822, the very year that Fleeming arrived in Key West, bought a quarter share of the island, and left for New Bedford.

The first available street map of Key West is a copy, not the original, of Whitehead’s 1829 survey. There our street is named “Frances,” as it is on the “Bird’s Eye View” of 1884, and as it is today. Yet in 1966, according to Jameson, the street signs said “Francis”, and so it is spelled in “The Street Map to the Lower Keys … used by Law Enforcement and Emergency Personnel” (1975).

Did Fleeming ask that a street be named after his late stepfather? If so, did Whitehead’s pen alter “Francis” to “Frances”? Or did the distance between author and printer occasion a typographical error? In all our research we have not found the names “Frances” or “Francis” attached to any other relative of Key West’s four Founding Fathers. One thing is certain: the street is not named “after a daughter of Mr. Fleeming”. According to Bullard, p. 412, Fleeming sired just one child. Her name was Caroline.

Neighborhood Watch

On Thursday, January 22d, a number of members of the Frances Street Neighborhood Association and other unaffiliated neighbors met at the Colliers home on Fleming Street to discuss the exceptional number of invasive home burglaries that continue to plague our neighborhood. At this meeting, attended by Key West police officers Lt. J.R. Torres and Officer Steve Torrence, we were given a very complete update on the circumstances of what is going on in the neighborhood as well as a glimmer of hope that our police department will solve this fairly soon.

As a part of the officer's presentation it was suggested that we start a "Neighborhood Watch" for our part of Old Town. I would like to ask that we consider formally establishing such a program for our extended neighborhood. Please comment here if you have any thoughts or interest in that subject. This isn't something that is scheduled for discussion at our next meeting but is something that I hope folks will volunteer for. We will have a separate meeting to look at this possible program and how it might be structured to see if we can add another level of safety to our neighborhood and bring a quick end to this current spate of burglaries.

Phil Schaeffer

February 22, 2010 - Frances Street Neighborhood Association Meeting

Hello Everyone!

The next meeting of the Frances Street Neighborhood Association will be on Monday – February 22d at 5:30pm. We will be guests of Jan and George Oostdijk-Rutgers at their beautiful new interior design studio at 600 Frances Street (site of the old Haitian Art Co.).

Hello Everyone!

The next meeting of the Frances Street Neighborhood Association will be on Monday – February 22d at 5:30pm. We will meet at Jane and Tom Vetter’s house – 624 Frances Street.

If you have any issues you wish to discuss during this meeting, please let me know – we are also hoping to have a representative from the City there regarding the new City View Trolley service.

See you then, and bring a neighbor!

MaryBeth McCulloch

Frances Street Neighborhood Association - Meeting: Monday, January 18, 2010

Hello Everyone!

The next meeting of the Frances Street Neighborhood Association will be next Monday – January 18th at 5:30pm. We will meet at Jane and Tom Vetter’s house – 624 Frances Street.

If you have any issues you wish to discuss during this meeting, please let me know – we are also hoping to have a representative from the City there regarding the new City View Trolley service.

See you then, and bring a neighbor!

MaryBeth McCulloch

Important Reminders to Start Our New Year!

Happy New Year to Everyone!

The City Commission will meet on Tuesday, January 5th at 6pm in Old City Hall. The second reading of the CityView Trolley Franchise agreement is on the agenda. If you have strong feelings regarding this issue, contact your Mayor and City Commissioners or make plans to attend the meeting. The agenda does not look too terribly overcrowded, and this issue is scheduled early on after the resolutions. You can review the proposed franchise agreement at this link: http://www.keywestcity.com/egov/docs/719511262191926.pdf. The links for the mayor and city commissioners are at the end of this email.

There is also a very interesting article by Mary Haffenreffer below – with a link to pictures of many of our homes from the 60’s.

Phil Schaeffer has also locked in our association web name and domain (www.francesstreet.org) – this will also direct you right to the blog and make it easier to tell your friends and neighbors how to reach it online.

Finally, a reminder that the Police Department is having a crime prevention seminar on January 7th at 6pm in the Police Department’s Emergency Operations Center - it is free and open to the public – the link for information is http://www.keywestcity.com/egov/docs/1262105963498.htm. The EOC is somewhat restricted as far as space so please RSVP by calling Officer Steve Torrence at 809-1007.

MaryBeth McCulloch


City Commissioner's email addresses:

Commissioner Jimmy Weekley: jweekley@keywestcity.com
Commissioner Mark Rossi: mrossi@keywestcity.com
Commissioner Billy Wardlow: bwardlow@keywestcity.com
Commissioner Barry Gibson: bfgibson@keywestcity.com
Commissioner Terry Johnston: johnston@keywestcity.com
Commissioner Clayton Lopez: clopez@keywestcity.com
Mayor Craig Cates: ccates@keywestcity.com

A Brief History of Frances Street

524 Frances Street in 1965

A Brief History of Frances Street

By Mary Haffenreffer

One of the earliest settlers of Key West, William Whitehead, surveyed and mapped out Frances Street in February of 1829. At the time it was probably nothing but uncleared tropical scrub, with not enough nutrients to sustain a cow. The most accepted theory of the name’s origin is that “Frances” was the daughter of John W. C. Fleming, another early settler.

Known in Spanish as “Calle Francia,” Whitehead’s vision of Frances Street appears on the 1884 Bird’s Eye View Map showing the early grand homes built by John T. Sawyer and John Roberts among others. They were built – many by shipwrights - without building permits or HARC approval, but we’re lucky enough to have them “grandfathered in”. Local artist Linda Todhunter has recently completed a restoration of the Bird’s Eye View Map that’s bright, crisp and readable. The prints are available at High Wire Framing on Truman Avenue and Key West Light Gallery on Duval Street.

We may boast that most of the illustrious old families, the scions of commerce and industry – the deliciously lavish, the happily unsuspecting, the simple, the thoroughly difficult, the perfectly pious, the naughty, the notorious – all ended up in the Frances Street area, some earlier than others, because this is where in 1847 the City purchased the greater part of what is now the City Cemetery. From time to time it was enlarged as land became available in the outskirts of Key West. To this day a sense of eternal peace pervades for those walking or bicycling through or past the cemetery where no “slow down” sign need be posted – it goes without saying.

The Tax Appraiser’s 1960s photos of houses, viewable on the library website

www.keyslibraries.org, are worth viewing. You can also go to http://www.flickr.com and type in your address. Most Old Town homes can be found there.Included with the images are legal descriptions, street addresses (when known), and approximate construction dates derived from the Historic Sites Survey produced by the City of Key West. The photo site is still a work in progress, but the entire area of the Frances Street Neighborhood Association is complete.

If this piques your curiosity for more information, stop by the History Room of the Public Library for a conversation with Tom Hambright. He’ll surely be able to pull out old maps and photos of your area of interest. He is a cornucopia of hard factual information and colorful local lore.

For a more information on Key West Historic Architecture read this interesting piece at http://www.rudymolinet.com/key-west-houses.html

Year End Meeting - Next City Commission Meeting

Dear Neighbors:

We will have our last meeting of 2009 on Monday, December 28th at 5:30pm at the home of John Padget and Jacob Gelt Dekker (611 Frances St.) We will have a brief meeting summarizing the year’s accomplishments and then have a social hour to celebrate the holidays with our neighbors.

We still have some important business happening at the next City Commission Meeting:

The City Commission will be hearing 2nd reading of the proposed franchise agreement for City View Trolleys. Your input is invaluable. The more neighbors who attend and make clear to our Commissioners what our desires are regarding this issue, the better. It is clear that they are listening to us. Please check out the other blog entries here to see some of our neighbors’ opinions and concerns regarding this issue.

We encourage you to post your opinions as well. Not only on this subject, but certainly on other issues which affect us. (The ordinance link is: http://www.keywestcity.com/egov/docs/935881260480667.pdf)

Another important Agenda item is the 1st reading of the “clarification” of the height restrictions for buildings in the Historic District (you can read the Ordinance at this link: http://www.keywestcity.com/egov/docs/789331260480307.pdf). Again, your input on this issue is valuable.

Thank you for your continued support – and hope to see you on the 28th.

MaryBeth

We Don't Need Another Trolley Company In Key West

Letter to our Neighbors from Mary Haffenreffer:

Dear Neighbors,

The December 15th meeting of the City Commission will make a decision that will affect our neighborhood's quality of life, convenience, and public safety for many years to come. The Commission will be deciding whether to grant or deny a franchise to City View Trolley Tours.Why do we need another sightseeing company: we already have the trolleys and trains of Historic Tours of America ("HTA"), and a court has ordered that Duck Tours must be granted a franchise, so there is no issue of monopoly. Another company will not bring one more tourist to our town, and will probably add only negligibly more sightseers to our streets and dollars to our City's revenue, since virtually all of City View's customers would be taken from HTA and the Ducks. City View would only add more congestion to our streets, which, as retired Fire Marshall Alex Vega wrote the Commission, could seriously impede the swift passage of emergency vehicles.

How responsive City View would be to our legitimate concerns has been made all too clear by the litigation threats and personal slurs that its principals and attorney have made toward the Commissioners. Why do we have to have them? We don't. We DO need as many people as possible from the neighborhood to attend the meeting because the Commissioners are aware of our presence. Hope to see you there.

Mary Haffenreffer

A big thanks to Mary and Rudy and everyone else following and participating in the process that hopefully will keep Frances Street (and the rest of Old Town) from being overrun by tour vehicles. (BTW: a friend opines that it is important to keep the numbers of vehicles down in the short term, but that in the long term the market will regulate itself. New tour companies will not create more riders, so the various companies will be fighting over a fixed number of passengers, and before long some of the start ups will shut down. Let us pray...)

The subject of tours on our streets gets me going about noise in general-- motorcycles, scooters, garbage/recycling trucks, blah blah. My grandmother always told me not to worry about issues I can do nothing about. One noise I CAN do something about is roosters. Just this week I had a friend-- the chicken whisperer-- catch and remove two cockaphonous (error intended) critters from the cemetery near the sexton's office, and oh my nights' sleep since has been something to crow about. If any roosters are bothering you, or your beautifully landscaped garden is being ruined by a "scratch" of chickens, let me know and I'll hook you up with my friend.

Cheers, Rob Sprogell

295-0647

I have read the ordinance in your Email (Sightseeing Tours) and I am pleased to see that it says the term says Not More than 10 years. That I can live with, however:
-I think that this needs to require use of earphones instead of loudspeakers on vehicles.
- The ability to control the frequency of trips per hour down a street
- The ability to control the hours of trips (ie) 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

I am wondering what others think about the ordinance and what they are concerned about as it is currently written. All this is VERY important to us in the 600 block of Frances St. as for certain ALL the tours will want to go by the cemetery and are unable to turn until at least Southard Street. Recently between 10:00 and 1:00 we had 12 Trains go by our house, and this was only HTA!!

More important I think, is that there is also scheduled the First Reading of Ordinance A - Cityview Franchise. The time to act is on the 1st reading by acting now, not reacting as we are having to do with the ordinance. It can be printed out from the agenda. It is listed as First Reading Ordinance A (708 kb) and it calls for:
- A term of 20 years
- No ability to conform it to a revised ordinance in 2015 when HTA franchise expires and major adjustments can be made without problems from either HTA or
Cityview Tours.
- No requirement of earphones instead of loudspeakers on vehicles
- No control of the frequency of sightseeing tours down a street per hour or hours of operation.


I do not see anything about the Duck tours. What does anyone know about their status?

Phil Wheeler
623 Feances St.

Sightseeing Vehicle Ordinance - Meeting on Thursday, December 3rd

Rudy Molinet requested that we distribute this message to our neighbors –

City Commissioners take our presence at the meetings very seriously. Additionally, if you would like to have input into this matter, but cannot attend the meeting, you can email the commissioners directly (or call them!). Their email addresses are at the end of this email for your convenience.


Dear Neighbors:

The next Key West City Commission meeting will be held on December 3, 2009 at 6:00pm at Old City Hall located at 510 Greene Street. The second reading of the ordinance for the sightseeing vehicles will be held this evening.

I have spoken with several commissioners and they each mentioned how much our presence was felt at the last meeting. If you can make it to the meeting to express your concerns and opinions, that would be great. We need another show of force like we had during the last meeting to make sure that when these vehicles operate in our neighborhoods there are ample controls in place to assure our safety and quality of life in Old Town.

The item is number 10 b on the agenda. The meeting starts at 6pm. If you don’t want to sit through the whole meeting, have dinner first and try to arrive at City Hall by 7:30. It is hard to say what time they will get to this item but if you arrive by this time we should be OK. If you want to speak, please sign up when you arrive using the clipboard located behind the city clerk on the handrail.

Thanks and see you there!

Rudy Molinet
510 Frances Street
Key West, FL 33040

Mobile: 305-240-1090
Office: 305-295-6565
Fax: 305-768-0808
rudy@rudymolinet.com
www.RudyMolinet.com

If you are interested in reading the revised ordinance you can find it at this link: http://www.keywestcity.com/egov/docs/512691259171281.pdf


City Commissioners emails:

Commissioner Jimmy Weekley: jweekley@keywestcity.com
Commissioner Mark Rossi: mrossi@keywestcity.com
Commissioner Billy Wardlow: bwardlow@keywestcity.com
Commissioner Barry Gibson: bfgibson@keywestcity.com
Commissioner Terry Johnston: johnston@keywestcity.com
Commissioner Clayton Lopez: clopez@keywestcity.com
Mayor Craig Cates: ccates@keywestcity.com

Public Comments on Key West Ordinance re: Sightseeing Franchise Ordinance

My name is Rudy Molinet. I live at 510 Frances Street.

I represent the Frances Street Neighborhood Association. It represents 150 households in Old Town. Last evening 40 of us met to discuss the impact of the ordinances before you tonight.

Old Town will suffer the greatest impact of any additional tour vehicles and routes. A professional traffic and environmental impact study and, then, a comprehensive, well-planned ordinance, should be in place before the Commission considers licensing any new tour operator, any more tour vehicles, or any new kind of tour vehicle.

The purpose of municipal franchises and licenses is to regulate the quality and efficiency of businesses engaged in a certain service, in order to guarantee the quality and delivery of that service, and to protect the residents of the neighborhoods in which it operates. That’s why you limit the number of taxies, cruise ships, hotel rooms, liquor licenses, and street vendors. Past lawsuits have in no way diminished the Commission’s right, power and obligation to control traffic safety, traffic congestion, visual pollution, and noise pollution in our neighborhoods – all of which would be affected by adding unvetted tour operators and more and new types of tour vehicles.

At the first reading of this ordinance Key West was compared to Boston, Savannah, and Washington, D.C. These cities have larger tourist areas, more regulators, and more police. Increasing the number of tour vehicles here will increase neither the number of tourists who come here or who use its tour vehicles. Thus, adding more tour companies and vehicles won’t increase the City’s income. It will increase the mass of tour vehicles, traffic danger and congestion, noise and visual pollution, and the taxpayers’ expense of controlling and regulating them.

We respectfully ask the Commission first to conduct a professional impact study and then, to amend the proposed Ordinance to require of any applicant:

1. Personal, financial and business background checks of all its principals.

2. Credible safety and courtesy training programs.

3. Limiting advertising on tour vehicles and requiring ear phones instead of loudspeakers.

4. Florida registration of all tour vehicles.

5. A public hearing and the written approval by a majority of impacted homeowners of any new tour route.

6. Limitation of leases to no more than 6 years.

7. Minimum passenger load of 25% on each vehicle.


We deserve an ordinance that will preserve our quality of life.

(Note: Also see the comments by Mary Haffenreffer below.)

Frances Street Neighborhood Association - Meeting: Monday, November 16, 2009

Dear Neighbors:

Dick and Norma Klein have graciously offered to host our meeting this month. It will be held next Monday, November 16th at 5:30 at their home at 524 Frances.

Mary Haffenreffer will give us a brief overview of the meeting she attended regarding the new potential franchise agreements for sightseeing tour vehicles. She has also posted information on our blog regarding that meeting, which you can read below.

If anyone has an issue they would like addressed this month, please let me know by Thursday, if possible, so we can do any necessary information gathering prior to the meeting.

We begin promptly, so please arrive a couple of minutes early to get settled – and bring a neighbor!

See you next week.

MaryBeth McCulloch

The City Sightseeing Franchise Ordinance by Mary Haffenreffer

Hi Neighbors,

I attended the City Commission’s November 5th hearing on the proposed sightseeing franchise ordinance. The ordinance passed on its first reading. The second reading will be held November 17th. Our Old Town neighborhoods will suffer the greatest impact of any new twenty-year franchises. The right ordinance can save Old Town from being overwhelmed with sightseeing vehicles. A well-planned ordinance should be in place before the Commission considers licensing any new tour operations.

How many more sight-seeing operations will be allowed? How many tour vehicles will be added to our streets? Before a new tour operation is franchised, will the City conduct a study by independent consultants of the operation’s impact on traffic congestion, traffic safety, and noise, and pay the study’s cost with application fees? Will financial and business background checks of the applicants be required? Must applicants submit credible safety and courtesy training programs? Must they have sufficient insurance to indemnify the City for the company’s operations? Should they be required to hire most of their employees locally? Will the City need another department to regulate all these sightseeing operations, necessitating more City employees, offices, salaries, benefits, and taxes?

The purpose of a franchise is to limit the number of businesses engaged in a certain service in order to guarantee the quality and delivery of the service, and to protect the residents of the neighborhoods that it serves. That is why we are served by one electric company, one water company, one trash company. And that is why the City limits the number of taxies, cruise ships, hotel rooms, liquor licenses, and street vendors, among others.

At the Commission meeting Key West was falsely compared with Boston, Washington and Savannah, whose larger tourist areas can accommodate two or more tour companies. Key West has a much smaller and more residential tourist area than such larger cities. Increasing the number of tour vehicles on our narrow streets will not increase the number of tourists: it will increase traffic congestion through more neighborhoods as at least twice as many and larger tour vehicles traverse new routes, creating more noise and hazards.

We have all gotten behind a Conch Train or a pedicab or several ill-driven scooters. Has it really been that bad? YES. But not as bad as getting behind a Conch Train, a pedicab, several ill-driven scooters, an out-of-town trolley, a mammoth Duck tour vehicle, and a double-decker sightseeing bus.

Visitors are being adequately served by the two existing franchise companies. Doubling the number of franchise companies immediately – and who knows how many others in the future – is not something to be done hastily and without proper impact studies and neighborhood input.

We deserve an ordinance that will preserve our quality of life. Please attend the next reading of the sightseeing franchise ordinance at Old City Hall, on November 17th at six o’clock, and let your voice be heard.

Mary Haffenreffer

Grinnell Street Pocket Park Clean Up A Success

On Sunday, October 25, 2009, over 12 neighbors came together to do a major clean up at the Grinnell Street Pocket Park (Grinnell Street and Angela Street) . They were joined by Cynthia Domenech-Coogle, Landscape Coordinator for the City of Key West and Rudy Molinet, Chairperson of the Key West Tree Commission.

We had a great time and in a few hours managed to trim all the trees to encourage further growth and fruit production and removed all the invasive vines that were choking many of the trees.

In the next few weeks, we will mulch the beds courtesy of donated natural mulch from the city.

Thanks to all who worked so hard to make our neighborhood park shine in time for season!

If you want more information on our historic district, check out this link on my website about Key West Architecture. I think you will enjoy it.

Harris School Available for Lease!

Now that the lot has been cleaned up it is on the market. Anyone want a school?

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At the last meeting, a question was raised about the weeds and generally trashy look of the Harris School on Southard Street since it was sold. Jim Young from Code Compliance said he would call the new owner: Here is a copy of the email I received from Jim the next day:

MaryBeth,

I spoke with the property owner of Harris School and he advised he would have the weeds cut and the lot cleaned up.

Jim Young

The next day, Jim (McCulloch) and I walked by the school, and there were people out there cleaning up the lot! Great news, and fantastic reactions from both Jim Young on behalf of the city, and the new owner.

MaryBeth

Frances Street Neighborhood Association - Meeting: Monday, October 19, 2009

Dear Neighbors:

The next meeting of the Frances Street Neighborhood Association will be held Monday, October 19, 2009 at the home of Lynn Sherman – 706 Ashe Street. We will begin at 5:30, so please arrive a few minutes early to get a drink and settle in.

We have invited the new Mayor – Craig Cates, as well as our “new” commissioners – Jimmy Weekley for District 1 and Clayton Lopez for District 6. Also, we have invited Chief Donnie Lee for a discussion of safety in our neighborhoods and what we can do to help the Police Department and ourselves.

If anyone has any additional issues they would like to address, please let me know and we can add them to the agenda as time permits.

See you Monday, and please, bring a neighbor!

MaryBeth

Let There Be Light!

For several months one of our neighbors has led a campaign to get a street light on the 700 block of Frances. It seems that the light was removed because one neighbor complained it was too bright. Never mind that this is a public street and never mind that the block was dark. The area was very dark and a trip hazard because the beautiful mahogany tree has uplifted the sidewalk. The city is working on installing a new sidewalk product that will allow the tree to grow and provide a better sidewalk.

Our last neighborhood meeting at John and Jacob's home on Frances Street was attended by several elected officials and candidates ( yes, of course it is that time of year again) and by our City Manager Jim Scholl. In Key West, the City Manager form of government places the executive decisions of running our city in the hands of the City Manager. If you want something done, he is the man who can make it happen. And happen it did, in record time! Several residents asked the manager to intervene immediately and replace the light. The block is dark and we wanted the area lit for safety.

I was on my way today to show one of my listings and voila, much to my delight, there was the light. Beautiful, industrial, protruding from the pole hovering over our beloved Frances Street...waving a big "hello" to our quiet neighbors across the street at the Cemetery.

Of course I had to go by tonight to see if it really was true. So Harry and I went on our usual evening walk...and wow, there was the light!

Check out the pictures. Isn't it glorious? I guess Harry and I have been living in Key West too long that the sight of a street light should bring such delight. That is one of the joys of living in Key West. Imagine telling someone in New York or Boston or Atlanta that were are going out on a Friday night to look at a street light...they would think we were nuts, but isn't that why we all live here, but I digress.

Please take a moment to email and thank the City Manager Jim Scholl jscholl@keywestcity.com

Indeed one person CAN make a difference. Try it out. Next time you see something in the city you would like changed, don't just complain, but be part of the solution. For example, spend 10 minutes a day sweeping your sidewalk, or helping your elderly neighbor sweep hers; take in your neighbors garbage can if they are out of town, keep an eye out for each other, pick up litter rather than just walking by...you get the picture!

After all, that is what neighbors do and what makes our neighborhood the best place to live in Key West!

For all sorts of good information on Key West please visit my website www.rudymolinet.com

Iguanas on Frances Street

At Monday's July 20th Meeting of the Frances Street Neighborhood Association we had Kim Gabel of the Monroe County Extension Service discuss the services available to us from her organization, and to fill us in on the Iguana situation.

Kim indicated that we can turn to the Extension service for any horticultural problems we might have by calling her at 305-292-4501, or dropping by her office in the County building on Simonton Street.

She then discussed the Iguana situation. Not only do iguanas destroy people’s gardens and treasured plants, but they can make quite a mess, and are not welcome visitors in most people’s yards.

Unfortunately as Iguanas have no natural predators in the Keys there is not too much that can be done.

• On a personal basis you can have your pest iguana removed by a Wildlife Control Officer (more on that to follow).


• Do not feed the iguanas as that will encourage them to stay in your yard and breed there, producing more iguanas to torment your neighbors.


• You can plant shrubs and trees that iguanas do not like to eat. Most native plants are not high on an iguana’s list. They love orchids, impatiens, and hibiscus, but milkweed, pentas, oleanders, plumbago, porterweed, wild coffee, lantana, croton and citrus are not preferred food choices. Trees that are not desirable to iguanas are Buttonwood, Ironwood, Gumbo Limbo, and Jamaican Caper. They will avoid toxic and thick-leaved plants.


• If you find their nests destroy their eggs. One study recommended by the University of Florida Museum of Natural History is to create nest boxes to trap them during the nesting season (December-May). To learn more about nest boxes visit their website .
  

Chris Guinto, a Florida Keys Wildlife Control Operator also spoke to the group. He is available to capture unwanted iguanas. Contact him at 305-896-5572 or by email at whiteapeman@gmail.com. Chris said the three areas in Key West that have the most iguanas are College Road, The Salt Marsh area, and the Key West Cemetery. Chris said the old caved in graves in the southwest quadrant of the cemetery are ideal nesting sites for the iguanas, and due to the nature of the graves, it is almost impossible to catch the iguanas and stop them from nesting. Therefore we have a major breeding ground in our neighborhood, producing hundreds of iguanas. The only real solution – get a dog.

Haitian Art Company Building Welcomes New Owners To Key West

You may be wondering what is going on at the corner of Frances and Southard at the Haitian Art Company Building at 600 Frances Street. Well, I have the inside scoop.

The property in under contract for sale and will close in a few weeks. I am representing the buyers in this transaction. The buyers have given me permission to share some details:

The two gentlemen who are purchasing the property are from the Netherlands. They are a married couple (yes, they have same sex marriage over there...hopefully soon here! ) and have a very successful interior design business in Belgium.

"The Boys" as I call them (Jan and George) have been visiting Key West for several years and have fallen in love with our Island. They will be opening a high-end interior design studio in the commercial space and will live upstairs in the apartment. They are planning to do a beautiful renovation of the building that will only improve the neighborhood. These guys are a class act and will be great neighbors and new friends!

Jan and George will be moving full time to Key West to pursue their own version of the "American Dream". I will introduce them to you in the future. Take a minute and drop in to their studio after they open. They will be renovating and are scheduled to open in time for season.

Welcome To Frances Street Boys!

More Violent crime in the Neighborhood!

From the Key West Citizen: City Commission candidate airlifted after assault

Tom Milone, a Key West City Commission candidate for District 1, was brutally attacked near the city cemetery late Monday night or early Tuesday morning. (reportedly on Angela Street near Frances, alongside the cemetery around 11pm and they took off up Francis then west on Truman)

Milone was airlifted to Miami with a broken jaw and other injuries. This was the second attack in two weeks in the same area, but the victims' descriptions of the suspects do not match, police spokeswoman Alyson Crean said Tuesday. Police are continuing an investigation.

UPDATE From the Keynoter: Here is a link to the latest update on Tom. He is facing overwhelming medical bills and you can help him by sending a check to The Thomas Milone Benefit Fund, Centennial bank, 1229 SimontonSt, Key West, FL 33040.

See the Keynoter



UPDATE: Tom is scheduled to return to Key west at 8pm tonight. Due to injuries to his jaw he can't talk at this time so you should probably email your thoughts rather than calling him.

UPDATE From Key West Citizen 7/15/09:

Four teenagers arrested in connection with Old Town muggings

Key West police late Tuesday arrested four teenagers who allegedly beat and robbed two men in Old Town Monday night. The local suspects include 18-year-old Jonathan Bien-Aime, along with juveniles: Christopher Harris, Cornelius Jones and Thomas Reza.

One of the two victims, Caroline Street resident and City Commission candidate Tom Milone, was airlifted to a Miami hospital with a broken jaw and other injuries.

UPDATE From KWPD: A potential candidate for the Key West City Commission was one of two victims of two separate attacks that occurred minutes apart Monday evening.

Tom Milone, 63, was assaulted on Frances Street just after 10 p.m. Just minutes before that, the Key West Police Department received a call that Don Sullivan, 65, was attacked on Elizabeth Street.

Investigators believe the two attacks may be linked. However, they do not believe the attacks are related to a brutal assault that occurred on July 8 on Fleming Street.

At this time, there is no evidence to suggest these crimes are based on anyone's sexual orientation.

Milone, who has filed to run for the District I commission seat, was airlifted to Jackson South Hospital in Miami as a result of the injuries. Sullivan was treated by Key West Rescue.

Criminal investigations is currently interviewing people of interest and pursuing all leads.

"We're working round the clock until these suspects are apprehended," said Police Chief Donie Lee. "Once they're arrested, we will seek full prosecution of the law for these vicious attacks."

Crime in Our Neighborhood: Public asked to help find violent robbers

KEY WEST (Key West Citizen Crime Report) -- Detectives are asking the public's help in finding two robbers who assaulted a tourist last Wednesday night.

Two young men stole the man's wallet after one of them hit him, knocking him to the ground about 10:15 p.m. at Grinnell and Fleming streets, reports say. The assailants took off toward the cemetery. The tourist later was airlifted to Miami for medical care.

The robbers were both described as in their late teens or early 20s, between 5 feet, 6 inches and 5 feet, 9 inches tall, clean-shaven, with short hair. The victim said one of them was thin, and the other had "a bit of a beer belly."

Anyone who saw anything suspicious between 9:30 and 10:30 p.m. Wednesday should call the Key West Police Department at 305-809-1111. To make an anonymous report, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-346-TIPS. If a Crime Stoppers tip leads to an arrest, the caller may be eligible for a cash reward.

Tipsters can also call the Key West Police Department, Detectives Division at 305-809-1015.

If you have information that could help solve a crime in the Keys, call Crime Stoppers, (800) 346-TIPS.

AN UPDATE 07/13/09: Chief Lee told me by email yesterday that " The victim is recovering and apparently doing better. We have an ongoing investigation but no arrest(s) have been made so far."

Tosh Comes Through with our New Logo!

Thanks to Jon McIntosh we have a new logo for the association!! Enjoy and leave a thank you comment for him here for this terrific contribution!

Phil

Campaign and Happenings

I just want to take a space here and thank you for letting me listen to your concerns and issues, along with meeting most of the group! I enjoyed the evening and look forward to the next neighborhood meeting.

Please feel welcome to come to my campaign kick off happening this Monday, June 29Th, 5 - 7 pm, upstairs at La Te Da.

With regard to the Duval Corridor I am pleased to hear the discussions continue and the Chamber is taking interest appropriately so with private funding. We must capitalize on what we have here with Art, Music, etc., and use them to attract and keep visitors coming to our little island.

I am keeping an eye on all of the activities at the Truman Waterfront and can only say 'follow the money' for the best decision for We The People.

Side note, I enjoyed meeting with Mr. Greg Wythe, VP Key West of City View Trolley Tours. I am relieved to know he is open minded to look into the GLEE and Bahama Village, Black History areas of our Island. We had a wonderful discussion and I am looking forward to our next meeting. Contrary to what you may hear, he stated publicly at the Innkeepers Social he is only bringing 6 Trolleys to Key West.

James Marquardt


Here is the political disclaimer if needed:

Paid for and approved by James Marquardt candidate for District 6 City Commissioner.

Westernmost Key West

Perhaps this entry can be called a civic concern, or aesthetic, political, economic or all of the above. There is the appearance of major planning activity on the west end of our island. Specifically, there are three centers of activity concerning the Truman Waterfront and Duval Street Corridor:

A. The Duval Street Committee (chaired by Jimmy Weekley) has been meeting on a rather regular basis for a year and a half and is for the second time asking an urban planning firm to make a presentation to suggest ideas of how to rethink Duval as the hub of social life in Key West as it once was as well as an attractive area for visitors. Meanwhile, some six months ago, the Chamber of Commerce also showed interest in Duval redevelopment (my term) and initiated a similar effort with a different firm. The City’s committee and the Chamber are joining efforts in a City Commission workshop on Duval on June 30. Meanwhile, the Chamber is raising private money to inventory Duval businesses and perform related studies.

B. On another front, the city has received two responses to its Request for Qualifications to develop a commercial marina at the Truman Waterfront. One response, by “Key West Harbour” which claims local entrepreneurs and experienced port developers, deals with a marina only (2.4 acres) and the other, by “Meisel and Spottswood”, also a local and marina developer partnership, proposes developing the 23.9 acres that remain in that Navy conveyance. The City Commission workshops on those responses will be June 23^rd and 24^th.

C. Also in the mix is a Request for Proposals due June 30 for what is titled “Duval Street/Truman Annex Improvements”, significant money ($491,000 total but that may be shared with another project) from the Federal Department of Transportation to “provide design, engineering and construction engineering service [my italics; my understanding that this is just design money, not construction] for roadway transportation enhancements.”

Many efforts have preceded those currently underway, but this combination of efforts could be worthy of our attention (???)

Perry

Leaving the Mainland

We're new to the neighborhood - thought we'd introduce ourselves:

We're Chuck and Pauline Sherman, and we're in the little yellow house on the corner of Frances and Fleming. We've had it for about a year and a half now - been getting it ready for full-time residency, starting in about a week's time.

To say we like our little piece of the Rock is an understatement. No, not as a tourist would; rather as a member of a community out of time and place in today's high-speed access world. We've tried to explain the attraction to folks up north - yet to hit on the perfect combination of what makes the place. It's different - and in a good way.

Pauline is the reason for leaving the mainland - she has a rare genetic disorder which renders downward changes in temperature painful. It would be amusing to think she's allergic to the cold - perhaps that's the best way to explain it. Anyway, in our search for the perfect place to reset life we've landed here...and it's a great feeling.

We'd like to get to know our neighbors - the ones we've met so far have been great! It's a blessing to be able to live in a place as this - and discover the real benefit of the Rock are the people. Houses, palm trees and weather are all quite nice, but a community is comprised of the folks who populate it. So...please do not hesitate to stop by and introduce yourselves. in the meantime, we'll be doing the same - getting out and about to learn more of this wonderful place we now call...home.

Thanks,

Chuck and Pauline.

KEY WEST: Home of Presidential Vacations

I thought that folks might be interested in this email that was sent on to me by a friend that originated with Bob Wolz:

"President Obama has heard about the Little White House. Congressman Kendrick Meeks was here a few weeks ago and purchased one of our presidential vacation shirts for the President. On board Air Force One , the Meeks presented our shirt to the president and the president's smile says it all !!!! . Photo courtesy of Kendrick Meeks

Bob Wolz, Executive Director, Harry S Truman Little White House SHS"

Piper and I just spent a magical afternoon with three VERY special ladies.  We met at the lovely home of our good friend Liz Lumb who hosted the "meeting on Frances Street".  First came Norma Dopp and then Ann Gardiner. We talked for almost two hours about what they remembered of life in Key West from 1912 on.  We spoke of water from cisterns, mosquitoes, promenading on Duval Street, the Remembering Tree, life, passing on, children, WWII and blackouts,John T. Sawyer and Miss Agnes and......well, you're just going to have to wait for us to get it all down.  This was one of the most wonderful afternoons and days of our lives.  We promised to get together soon and do it again.  We're all going to bring picture and share them. Chris and Piper

MEETING MISS AGNES

I came to Key West in 1973. August to be specific. I had made several trips in the previous months from my Coral Gables home after being thoroughly and totally enamored with the charm, grace and faded elegance of Key West during this period. As it turns out, it was also fortuitous for it was the time when Key West probably went through its greatest changes from a small fishing community dependent upon navy payroll to one of the premier destinations in Florida.

The house that I moved to was located at 609 Frances Street. Buying it was one of the most singular experiences of my life. At the time it was owned by Mrs. Agnes Sawyer Reardon, whose father, John T. Sawyer, built the home circa 1887. She was much advanced in years but had lived a storied life. Her husband was Lcdr. William Reardon. I never got to meet the man for he passed away in 1955. Miss Sawyer had no children and apparently had to rely on taking in boarders in the grand house which, bathrooms included, contained 17 rooms.

I remember well the first time I went into the house when it was divided up into several living units, the lower of which Miss Reardon occupied herself. You would enter through the front door, turn right and be in a formal parlor room that was divided into the dining area by huge sliding doors that were very elegant and the hardware of which was very intricate and beautiful. The subsequent owners have removed this wall.

Mrs. Reardon, known in the neighborhood as ‘Miss Agnes’, was a very quiet, demure … and the only word I can think of is lady. Her people came out of Spanish Wells. Her hair was coiffed silver grey and she always wore a dress, looking like she was expecting the officers’ wives for tea at any moment. I look back on this time with great regret that I did not spend more time speaking with her about the history of her family and the house. When she left she could not take, and subsequently gave me, several pieces of original furniture.

The house itself was extraordinary in many ways. First of all, it was built by John T. Sawyer who was a carpenter architect who built many of the homes after the great fire of 1886. He apparently became fairly wealthy doing it, for his house was not the biggest on the island but certainly quite large and commodious. It was the home he built for himself and I felt honored to be the first family to live in it after his daughter, Miss Agnes, could no longer care for the house.

Several features of note regarding the house were that it had an original porch that extended out from the now existing porch. It reminded me of the curved ribs of a boat and extended out almost to the sidewalk. The sidewalk itself was alternating blocks of white and grey six-sided concrete tiles. These have subsequently been removed and replaced with brick. The fence contained the original pickets now there but were arranged so they made arches in between each of the posts. The entire house had a decided feature of leaning toward the center which was because there was an extraordinarily large safe under the stairwell painted with John Sawyer’s name on it. I used the safe myself for many years not thinking about the fact that the weight was pulling the house toward the center. I’m not sure if the safe still survives.

One of the most interesting features about the yard is the breadfruit tree in the northeast corner. This breadfruit tree, according to Miss Agnes, was smuggled in by her father. Breadfruit trees are grown from root sections and he, apparently, cut a root section in the Bahamas and used it as a walking stick which got by the Customs of the day.

Another interesting feature of the property was the privy and the woodshed. The privy was a three-holer, small, medium and large. This was attached to the woodshop of John Sawyer in which were many of his original tools including caulking hammers and other marine tool implements.

The bathroom had a tile floor, marble wash basin and claw and ball bathtub. Miss Agnes told me that these were salvaged from a shipwreck which I thoroughly believe.

Certainly the most stunning feature in the house are the cranberry glass entry doors and transom. They are, I have been told, made from a process of using gold for the red coloring. They were etched with a very typical mid-Victorian floral design. One of my greatest fears was that the newspaper boy would throw the newspaper and break them. It was quite indescribable how beautiful they were standing on the inside when the sun was setting in the west The entire entryway was flooded with red light.

On purchasing the house, we put in one of the very early swimming pools. There was a well on the property and, without thinking, I used it to fill the pool. It filled the entire pool without ever running dry. I remember the water was as sweet and delicious as any water I’ve had before or since.

The neighbors – Frances Street at that time was much different to what it is today. There were many families, both old and retired and young with children. On the corner of Southard and Frances Street was the home of Allen Cleare. It was my understanding that he was the county attorney. Later, the famous writer, Nancy Friday, moved into the house next to the Cleares on Southard. The house immediately next door at 611 Frances was split up into apartments and was the primary reason for our moving away for it was constantly inhabited by hippies and drunk shrimpers. The next house down at 613 is where Mary and her mother lived. Some people called her Crazy Mary for she was a very large, loud and somewhat erratic woman who at one time held off the police with a .45 pistol from her doorway. Her mother was a mail order bride. The family immediately behind the house were old conchs and I remember once when I was talking to the grandmother about the fact that my daughter had hiccups, she suggested I lick a small piece of brown paper bag and put it on my daughter’s forehead which would cure the malady. Believe it or not, it worked. She also told me the way to get rid of termites was to put a bare bulb in the middle of a room with a washtub full of water beneath it. The termites being attracted to the light would thus fall into the water. This worked, too … sort of. Across the street, Judge Lucien and Kathryn Proby bought a house and named it “Katie Did”. The retired judge served a stint as county attorney. Kathryn wrote several definitive works on John James Audubon.

The commercial structure across the street and on the corner which is now the Haitian Art Gallery was a ship chandlery that was owned by Mr. Sawyer. I have also heard he was one of the owners of the City of Key West, a ferry boat that operated in the late 19th century. I have never been able to confirm this.

Meeting Miss Agnes and moving into this glorious house was one of the most wonderful things of my life. It entailed meeting old conchs and hearing their stories and living in a home of extraordinary beauty and design. I will never forget my first night sleeping in the upstairs corner, large, seven-sided bedroom with the windows full open and being caressed to sleep by a gentle breeze scented with jasmine from the tree just below. As a more tangible way to say thank you, Piper and I restored the Sawyer mausoleum in the cemetery. It was, and I imagine is, a great house. I wish I still owned it. For now, my wife owns a cigar maker’s house two bocks up the street and that will do just fine.

Recent Bike Thefts

Last month a bike that was very firmly locked to a fence along the street at 925 Southard was stolen during the night.

Last week another bike, also locked to a fence, at 919 Southard was stolen overnight!

Has anyone else in the neighborhood been experiencing this problem?