Credit: Leo Gomez Studios

Hello there.

Welcome; we're glad you're here to check out the 7th edition of The Lealman Voice. 

 We've got events, career opportunities, and great ways to support your neighborhood this week!

Our mission is simple: To help connect the people of Lealman.

The Voice of Lealman is growing, if you have news, ideas, or events you'd like to share, please click the button below and send it our way. 

Program Gives Youth a Taste of Fire and Emergency Services Work

The Lealman Fire Cadet Program is launching its second year giving young people exposure to careers in emergency medical and fire services.

The instructors are seasoned Lealman firefighters. The Cadets, aged 14 to 20 years old, meet every Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. for hands-on experiences with the real-life daily tasks of fire fighters and EMTs.

In addition to exposure to a high-demand career, the program delivers benefits such as physical fitness, leadership experience, and life-saving skills that create a sense of mastery and confidence on the path to young adulthood.

According to Lealman District Chief Ed Robertson, the Cadets love the program, and their retention rate is great. But they can handle 8-12 more participants and want to get the word out among Lealman and other Pinellas County students with a curiosity about these professions. 

Asked about some of the specific skills the Cadets learn, Chief Robertson provided examples.  

"The Cadets bunk out in full firefighting gear, for example," he said. "Getting geared up quickly is an important part of the job, and the ability to do so in 2 minutes takes work. Cadets practice forceable entry with tools, and how to pull hose lines and spray water, which is also challenging. And learning how to precisely reload the hose line on the truck is another skill," Robertson added.

Cadets also learn about basic anatomy and how to check vital signs like heart and respiratory rates. They get exposure to radio communications and how hard it can be to talk on the radio and communicate clearly in stressful situations.

Physical fitness is an important job requirement-- entry into the fire academy depends upon it. Cadets do pushups and develop leg strength and cardio endurance by running in gear and with fire hoses.

Chief Robertson says that while consistent attendance is expected, the Cadet Program works with students to accommodate school, part time jobs, sports, and other activities. "Summer is a great time to start the program and get established while there is a bit more freedom and fewer competing commitments," he said.

Four out of the five Fire Cadet Program instructors were cadets themselves or involved with other explorer programs as youth. The Fire Cadet Program is Florida-wide, with the state organization of Fire Chiefs providing insurance and other supports. There's even a statewide competition among programs, featuring activities like hose lines pulling and mock victim triage, etc.

"We'd love to field a team to go to the state finals eventually," Robertson said.

One of the first class of Lealman Fire Cadets is graduating from high school and entering EMT training, and the Fire Commission may provide support for his schooling. For students entering the field, it's a great career with good benefits, attractive work schedule, a pension and full health insurance, Robertson says.  

If hands-on training like this sounds appealing to you or a young person you know, contact Fire Chief Ed Robertson for more information. 727-687-0056 or at erobertson@lealmanfire.com.

CRA Update

A big thank you to Creative Pinellas for completing another round of murals in the CRA!  This included two on Haines Rd. – one at the longtime Lealman business Tommy Todd Landscape & Design, and the other at the recently opened pottery studio, Atelier St. Pete, which offers wheel throwing hand building/sculpture classes and memberships.  The third in this round was at the Lealman Innovation Academy - designed with help from the students!  That makes three murals on 28^th St. N., with two more just down the street at Red Mesa Restaurant Group’s warehouse and Mother Kombucha’s brewing warehouse (which was painted by Lealman’s own Miss Crit!).  A big thank you to the muralists for bringing their talent to our community.

-Lealman CRA

Lealman affordable housing project moves forward

When Pinellas County Commissioners dedicated $12.5 million to four affordable developments Tuesday, one stood out due to its scope and anticipated impact on an oft-overlooked area.

Over 20,000 people call Lealman home, and many lack transportation, grocery and safe affordable housing options. County officials have designated the underserved community just north of St. Petersburg as a community redevelopment area (CRA) and have recently increased efforts to promote its growth and sustainability.

That continued Tuesday as commissioners approved spending $2 million for construction financing to advance the Lealman Heights project. Jeremy Heath, chair of the Lealman Community Redevelopment Area Advisory Committee, said the stalled development became the area’s “first major affordable housing initiative taken on by the commission and the CRA” after they purchased the land in 2016.

“There’s been other smaller projects here and there … those are still kind of in planning phases,” Heath said. “Nothing to this scope.”

Lealman Heights includes five parcels totaling 5.08 acres along 40^th  Street, 58^th Avenue, 29^th and 56^th Avenue North. The $23.59 million development will provide 86 units for those earning less than 80% of the area median income (AMI).

Commissioners selected the developer, SP Pinellas II, through a competitive process in January 2021. A Land Use Restriction Agreement mandates a 30-year affordability period for homes in a particularly low-income section of an already underserved area.

“It’s a fairly major corridor in one the more impoverished areas in CRA,” Heath said. “A lot of the houses there have been converted into … temporary affordable housing until the full development goes in there.

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HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER WORKSHOPS (9-12^th graders):

Keep Pinellas Beautiful is excited to announce the return of our Youth Environmental Leadership Workshop Series. This summer we will be hosting 2 FREE week-long Youth Environmental Leadership Programs for grades 9-12 that will engage students in hands-on skill building activities that will empower them to become environmental leaders in their community. Students in these programs will gain an understanding of environmental issues, develop skills to take action and inspire others through leadership, as well as participate in hands-on activities including cleanups, plantings/invasive removals, and kayaking. In addition to the experience gained, these programs will serve as a great opportunity to receive community service or Bright Futures Scholarship hours.

Register

How Parkinson’s Disease Programs at YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg are Changing Lives

Have you or a loved one been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease? There are many ways Parkinson’s can interfere with life on a daily basis.
According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, people with Parkinson’s disease may experience:

• Tremor, mainly at rest and described as pill rolling tremor in hands; other forms of tremor are possible
• Slowness and paucity of movement (called bradykinesia and hypokinesia)
• Limb stiffness (rigidity)
• Gait and balance problems (postural instability)
• Parkinson’s patients may also experience non-motor related symptoms such as depression, anxiety, apathy, hallucinations, constipation, orthostatic hypotension, sleep disorders, loss of sense of smell, and a variety of cognitive impairments, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation.

Individuals and families affected by Parkinson’s may find it difficult finding resources to consistently manage symptoms. At YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg, resources are available to help individuals and families receive support and feel a sense of community. Here are a few ways the Y’s Parkinson’s Programs can help mitigate daily challenges of living with Parkinson’s, as well as promote inclusion.

Maintaining Adequate Mobility

The Y’s Total Parkinson’s Program as well as one-to-one personal training, offers fitness specialists who assist participants in maintaining adequate mobility. Through evidence-based research, specialists instruct participants on ways to cope with symptoms such as altered balance, stooped posture, walking rigidly, slowed movements and more. Each 60-minute class
is designed to support each participant with symptom-specific exercises adapted to the individual’s level of needs.  Ken Knaebel, a Total Parkinson’s Program participant since January 2020 says he joined the program after being introduced to it by a family friend. Knaebel was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2019, and has struggled with mobility, especially doing multiple movements at once. “If they are teaching marching and hand movements at the same time, I can just do the hand movements and it helps me,” he says. “I’ve really enjoyed the exercises.” Karen Ardiff, another Total Parkinson’s Program participant, is also involved in Mindful Movement for Parkinson’s (the new adaptive yoga program). Ardiff joined after experiencing several falls. She says, “They (fitness specialists) taught me how to get up from the floor. You need to have a strategy when your muscles are doing different things.”

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Commissioners fund 307 affordable housing units

Less than two weeks after Pinellas County and municipal leadership collectively pledged to increase affordable housing efforts, commissioners dedicated $12.51 million to advance four developments in St. Petersburg, Largo and Lealman.

One in three Pinellas residents struggles to remain in their homes, spending over a third of their income on monthly rent and mortgages. Nearly half of the 301 new units will help alleviate that strain in St. Pete.

Elderly residents on fixed incomes are particularly susceptible to soaring housing costs – and the Burlington Post II apartments will provide 75 homes for seniors earning 80% or less than the area median income (AMI). During Tuesday afternoon’s board meeting, Commissioner Renee Flowers thanked its development firm, the Green Mills Group, for its commitment.

“We are continuing to build upon the decisions that were made some time ago from this body to really look at those areas,” Flowers said. “We’re always looking for opportunities for our seniors to have a place that they can afford.”

Like many previously approved affordable housing projects, Burlington Post II stalled due to soaring construction costs, interest rates and inflation. The developer secured $4.255 million in state and national funding, and the City of St. Petersburg committed $5.625 million in federal emergency rental assistance (ERA), American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and community redevelopment area (CRA) money.

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Career Corner

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