Some area neighborhood and civic association leaders gave their outlooks on the New Year and what their expectations are for their communities. These are their responses.

Barbara McGill, President, Florence Villa/Beasley/Oak Park Civic Association: “I’d really like to see more participation from the homeowners in this area when it comes to our needs and any problems they may be having. Overall, we need improved street lights, speed bumps and more services from the city.

“We’ve been cut off from the city by the interstate and all of us are still using septic tanks. There are mostly seniors out here, and we can’t afford the fee to get connected to the city. We’d like to get a grant so we can get connected to the city system. We went to City Council a couple of years ago, but nothing happened.”

Mrs. McGill said her area is a fairly old community and she’s been living there for 33 years.

“We’ve been denied for so long that trying to get things done has really been a struggle. I’m happy that we did pull together to stop the crime in our community.”

Betty Bell, President, Highland Pines Neighborhood Association and Crime Watch: “Our outlook for 2011 is for sidewalks, getting our streets resurfaced, and more unity between the churches, schools and law enforcement.

[private]“We are proud of the work the Weed and Seed group has done in our area. We’re getting upgraded lighting this year, and we’re looking forward to it.”

Ms. Bell said she was sad to hear that one of her neighbors who has been living in the community for 40 years was planning to move because of the crime.

“I called every agency I could think of to assist her so she won’t have to move. She decided to wait and see what’s going to happen. I hate to see people driven from their homes because of lawbreakers who have no history in this community.

“We need more police presence in our area, because we have certain families who are causing problems for everyone.”

Ruth Fleming, President, Woodland Terrance Neighborhood Association: “First, I’d like to say Mayor Pam Iorio has done a lot in East Tampa, but we still need updated street lights. I will work on that as well as trying to get our streets resurfaced. We want to reach out more to the unemployed and homeless. We want to increase our efforts and get more people involved.”

Mrs. Fleming said she, her husband, Levi, and other family members hand out 100 lunch bags a month to the homeless at the Salvation Army.

“One of our association members, Gloria Smart, got her church involved. We also sponsored a couple of families for Christmas and we plan to do more families this year. We really want to help people find jobs, because so many have lost everything.”

Mrs. Fleming said they need to reach out to their seniors who need assistance, and she’s proud to have so many men as a part of their association.

“We will get together and come up with a plan to see how we can help our seniors. We want to get our community in order, but we also want to have fun and fellowship more as a community.”[/private]