PP Neighborhood Meeting Minutes
October 24, 2024

PP Neighborhood Meeting Minutes
Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, 5:30 - 6:45 PM
Charlie Joseph Senior Citizen Center

5:30 - Pot Luck + Joseph’s Pizza!!!
5:45 - Open Meeting - there were seven in attendance. Each shared their favorite drink flavor.

6:05 - Minutes from the last meeting read (Moved: Agnes_ Seconded: Bill_ Accepted: Yes__ )

6:10 - Community Garden Committee

Workday this Saturday the 26th (painting and shoveling) Planting some seedlings too.
Next Workshop is Nov. 9th 9:00 AM -Strawberries $5.
Jan - Reported on our last workshop and its attendance and shared what she learned about planting seeds and choosing the right vegetables for the season.
Tool Shed has arrived, still needs to be placed in correct location.
Pole for signs - Bill has found a pole that will work.
Deck the Garden Progress - still need $2000 more to get supplies.
The Garden Club 2024 Community Gardens Summit. Rescheduling.

6:35 – New Business:

We signed a letter that will be sent to Councilwoman Pittman.
- Side walks - 50th street and Buffalo
- Buffalo Sewer Work and neighbors not happy.
- Dogs - pack on Buffalo and Kenilworth
Water leaks turned in.
Saving Water Quiz - https://static.sjrwmd.com/sjrwmd/water-conservation-survey/#
There is a Bicycle ride for the library at Willow Branch Library.
Roxie will ask Beth Marlo to post our garden information when she comes to see the garden.

6:40 – Old Business:

Jerii reported on the Sheriff's watch meeting and the new venue. The Sheriff’s Office now has a task force who watch public cameras and would like to encourage you to register your camera just in case they need to ask you for footage to help solve crimes.
Need a volunteer to connect with local High Schools to let them know we can give Community Hours to their students. Roxie has written to one person at Andrew Jackson.
Next 2 meetings will be the 3rd Thursday due to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

6:45 - Close meeting with the announcements below…

● Our Website: www.panamapark.net Police (904) 630-0500 One call 630-CITY (2489)
● Next Door - Get the app or sign up online at nextdoor.com
● Facebook Page - Panama Park Neighbors @PanamaParkNeighbors
● NW CPAC meeting Nov. 14 , 6:00pm Legends Center, 5130 Soutel Dr.
● Next Sheriff’s Watch - Joint one on Nov. 22nd at 1st Baptist. ● Next Month’s PPNA Meeting is 21 (3rd Thursday) Bring a neighbor!

Mission Statement:

“Cultivating a flourishing neighborhood by leveraging our resources to build a safe, resilient and inclusive community and promote neighborhood pride.”
Vision Statement:

“Uniting Panama Park Neighbors to produce a thriving community”.

Highlights

Garden Workshops - Don’t miss the next one Saturday the 9th! Garden Workdays - Don’t miss the next ones! 2nd and 4th Saturdays

Letter to Councilwoman Pittman signed by all present.

Next 2 Neighborhood Association Meetings will be 3rd Thursdays. (November 21st and December 19)

Meeting Highlights

Garden Workshops - Don’t miss the next one Saturday the 9th!

Garden Workdays - Don’t miss the next ones! 2nd and 4th Saturdays

Letter to Councilwoman Pittman signed by all present.

Next 2 Neighborhood Association Meetings will be 3rd Thursdays.

(November 21st and December 19)

Next Garden Work Day: Saturday Nov. 9 from 9:00 - 12:00 AM

Letter We Wrote and signed to Councilwoman Pittman:

November 24, 2024

Good afternoon, Councilwoman Pittman.

The Panama Park Neighborhood Association would like to thank you for being our Councilperson. We have been praying you are healing and doing well. We know you get things done and so as your constitutes, we would like to ask you to look into the following needs and concerns.

1. Sidewalks We would like to request a sidewalk the length of East 50th Street and Buffalo. We have video footage of children, bike riders, and women with baby strollers trying to get home from school or go to the grocery store while semi trucks are passing them. There is no sidewalk and no shoulder the length of 50th street from Main street to Buffalo. Also there is no sidewalk from 6478 Buffalo Ave. to 5700 Buffalo Ave.

We live in a food desert and the only grocery store these people can get to is across main street and they have to take these two roads to get there. In the past when we asked we were told that 50th has no residential, however there is no other way out of the neighborhood without walking another 5 miles to go down 44th or 63rd street. We have also been told that the section of Buffalo includes 5 railroad crossings and the sidewalk would have to be built by CSX. We have tried several times to call CSX and they are not available and the web site does not have a way to state our concern.

2. Dogs The stray dogs have become a pack. They aggressively attack any person, bicyclists, and even cars on the corner of Buffalo Ave. and Kenilworth Street (8026 Buffalo Aveis the vacant most frequented). Four different residents have opened numerous tickets for Animal Control to come get the dogs. The tickets get closed after APCS drive by and see no aggression happening at the moment. The current open ticket is # 241017-000384 (and others are listed and attached at end of letter). We have photos and footage of children walking home from school who have to carry large sticks. We have a bicyclist with doctor bills willing to produce because of being knocked down off their bike by these dogs and needing to get stitches. These dogs have been actively aggressive and multiplying for over two years. Officers tell us they cannot do anything because the shelters are full and they must actually see the aggression or if the dog is in distress. It seems that only if the dog is in distress it will get city care, nevermind the distressed humans. The dogs do not attack the APCS vans and are often napping so officers do not even see them, so the case gets closed. We are not faulting the officers of APCS, they and we are limited by the no kill laws.

3. Buffalo Sewer (Please see second page) We were still drafting when these signatures below were collected at our October meeting.

Continued letter to Councilperson Pittman…

3. Buffalo Sewer In mid April 2024 there was a sink-hole in the middle of Buffalo Avenue at 7353 Buffalo Ave due to a deteriorating sewer line. JEA came out as soon as it was reported and worked into the night on a weekend to dig in and temporarily mitigate the emergency. The 12+ affected residents never missed a flushed toilet!!! KUDOS to JEA!

It is now November- 6.5 months later and several contractors later and the situation is still not repaired. They have been trying, we can see that, but the impact on the neighbors is compounding. Here are a few examples, but there are more!

Emmanuel Hervey and his new bride live at 7353 Buffalo Ave. and had just that week put their “for sale” sign in their front yard when the emergency happened. Needless to say they have not sold their home. Due to the hole in the street and equipment the Hervey’s have had to park in front of a different home on Lawton Avenue, which is now a dead end due to the construction. They have to carry groceries over and around the construction to get to their home (for 6.5 months). Just this month the equipment for the construction has also been parked on 63rd Lawton Street and so they now park down the road 4 houses away on Kenilworth Street. The Hervey’s car has also been damaged due to people turning around at the dead end that GPS guides them down to get to Buffalo Ave. The traffic has to come down and do a three point turn at the end because the detour signs are not well placed.

These detour signs need constant maintenance due to the wind knocking them down and some signs have gone missing altogether.

Mr. John Rollins is 92 years old and has not been able to sit on his porch at 8001 Buffalo Avenue, something he used to do daily, ever since the construction started. The hole in the street requires 24-7 pumps to keep the water out (we are close to the tidal river and this is Florida, so the 18 foot hole is always flooding). These pumps are diesel run and the noise and the diesel fumes make if unsafe for anyone, much less Mr. Rollins to enjoy his own front porch. Again, let it be known that these neighbors are grateful for flushing toilets that still work due to the by-pass sewer line first installed and these neighbors have not complained. A JEA realtor came out and offered Mr. Rollins money for JEA to use 10 feet of his front lawn (that is over half his yard which only has a few years to enjoy). He told them no. JEA may report that these neighbors have been non-compliant, but I, Roxie McLeod have watched this up close and was the one to turn in the emergency in the first place and I tell you all these neighbors have been very tolerant.

The McLeod family at 8029 Buffalo Avenue with a child frequently get woken by the beeping of equipment and banging of more pavement being torn up or more steel reinforcements pounded in. When they are working, it starts early. Frequently there is no work (between contractors) but the loud diesel water pumps are still going.

Mrs Agnes Fredericks is a quiet neighbor who lives at 636 Lawton Avenue. She has trouble getting to her car in the mornings to go to work because those faithful never ending pumps are pumping water down Lawton and flooding her driveway. She doesn’t complain when she sees the Hervey’s having to walk and jump over the same water to get to their cars.

Councilwoman Pittman, please come down and see the situation. Please take note of the Hervey’s smashed car in front of 647 Lawton Ave., the equipment on several resident’s yards, the poor detour signage, and the depth of the hole in the middle of Buffalo. We can’t help but question why the whole road was not torn up and the sewer replaced. It appears JEA has tried several patch techniques by themselves and several contractors which still have not done the trick. We are questioning that if there was a hole in a major road in your neighborhood, would it remain that way for over half a year?

This letter of concern is from the concerned neighbors of Panama Park who know that you are able to speak for us. We have tried.

With much appreciation,

Roxie McLeod

Panama Park Neighborhood Association

(904) 515-7944

“MyJax” service tickets for dog pack (more not listed here - just closed)

Reference #

Service

Service Type

Status

Date Created

241017-000384