Wellswood.net

Such an exciting time of year! Now, we get to see which of our neighbors are grinches. We have quite a few neighbors that put out the effort. With temps still in the 60’s at night, an evening walk is a great idea for spending time with the family.

I called Manny’s to see if they sold Christmas trees. Unfortunately, the answer was no.  H   owever, they did tell me that they have good friends with a Christmas tree site set up down at Hillsborough and 22nd street. If you stop by and tell them that Manny’s sent you, they will give you a deal, which, he said, “is much better than the price at Home Depot.”   Sounds like it might be worth the drive!

When I moved into Wellswood, the Neighborhood Watch program was actually talked about. There were meetings. After a recent hello to someone in the program, I learned that the group is no longer meeting regularly and were on a “holiday break” of sorts. To my knowledge, “Crime Watch” (as the Wellswood Civic Association has dubbed it), also takes a “summer break” due to low participation.

We all know that crime rises when homes are vacant, as is often the case during summer vacation and Thanksgiving or Christmas. Shouldn’t groups be more active during these times? Are we really turning a blind eye to the goings-on next door? The answer, simply, is no.

You do not have to meet in a building to actively discourage crime in your neighborhood. Nor do you have to be a member of any organization. Crime prevention starts right on your front porch, with your watchful eye. Your neighbors may think you are nosy and annoying, but they will thank you when you got the license plate of the truck that was in their driveway on the day their house was vandalized.

Report an anonymous crime tip to the Tampa Police here. Or call the District 1 switchboard at (813)354-6600.

Anonymous crime tips are taken very seriously by the TPD.

Everyone enjoys a good garage sale. In fact, most of us will drive by just to see what kind of junk our neighbors are trying to unload on the unsuspecting future junk collectors down the street. Six days later, the advertisements are still poking out of the ground. The sale was rained out (or was over before it really started) and the person who placed them “forgot” to pick them back up.

Another familiar Wellswood decoration: We buy houses. CASH! CALL NOW!

You’ve seen these signs. They litter Wishart and Rome. They clutter Rome and Hillsborough. They multiply exponentially near the CTA River Apartments. Did you know they are illegal?

A recent article in the Tampa Tribune summed it up nicely. Click here to read it.When you start to see the signs piling up, report the intersection to Code Enforcement by using this form. Code enforcement will sweep the area and remove the signs.

Every year, St. John’s UMC peddles pumpkins for Halloween. This year, we took so many pictures that I had a hard time choosing the best ones. Not many people in my corner of Wellswood know about the pumpkin patch. We learned about it by reading the newsletter that the church mails out periodically. I don’t think the pumpkin patch is a great money-maker for the church, but we visit every year and are so glad that they go to the trouble of having it.

It seemed that there were twice as many pumpkins this year. We were greeted by scarecrows and straw-covered grass - a nice decorative touch. The pumpkins were spaced so that you could walk through the entire patch. After inspecting every pumpkin, we headed over to the picture area. For $3 we received a laminated photo with the Peanuts Gang in the background. Overall, a fantastic bargain!

If not, you need to report non-working streetlights to TECO for repair.

Don’t have time? Nonsense. It takes less than 3 minutes to fill out the report. Give them as much information as possible and you will most likely see a repairman within the week.

Here are some possible scenarios for which TECO will accept reports:

Broken globe on light
Light stays on
Light stays off
Light flickers on and off

Your streetlight should turn on at dusk and off at dawn. If your light is on in the daytime, it is wasting electricity. If your light is off at night, your street runs a higher risk for criminal activity. If your light flickers on and off….well, that’s just annoying - and TECO will fix it.

TECO will ask for a pole number. Don’t know it? Provide a detailed location description. I found it to be just as effective.

*If you are reporting a hazardous condition, please call TECO at (813) 223-0800.

Welcome to the old (new) Wellswood blog.

Living in Wellswood is always an adventure. With neighbors who are family, and family as neighbors, it’s easy to see why we love it here.

This page will contain some helpful information, community kudos and even some odd rambling.  Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave a “hello” in the comments so that we know you are reading!

Next up: Street lights.