Edition 3 March 17th, 2023
No images? Click here
Credit: Leo Gomez Studios
Hello there.
Welcome back to The Lealman Voice, Edition 3!
Our mission is simple: To help connect the people of Lealman.
You have the ideas, the projects, the events, and the energy - everything needed to keep Lealman thriving. The biggest challenge is often simply getting the word out. The Lealman Voice will help us meet that challenge.
Thank you to everyone who reached out to share their updates, news, and happenings; keep them coming!
-The Lealman Voice
Advanced workforce training center opens in Lealman
-Mark Parker St. Pete Catalyst
Local manufacturers and job seekers have a new resource as AmSkills is opening a long-awaited Neighborhood Training Center at the Lealman Exchange.
The nonprofit career training organization held an open house Wednesday for its new satellite location. Dozens of representatives from companies like Bausch & Lomb and GE Aerospace attended and toured the facility, which will provide hands-on training in mechatronics, machining and robotics.
A $383,000 United Way Suncoast Community Investment Grant supports the Neighborhood Training Center. Recipients must use the money to serve an economically disadvantaged community with a significant minority population, and AmSkills officials chose the Lealman Exchange due to the previous success of several area Career Discovery Bootcamps.
Tom Mudano, president and CEO of AmSkills, noted that manufacturers increasingly struggle to find skilled job applicants and employees. He and local leaders believe the pre-apprenticeship and specialized courses taught at the facility will benefit employers and job seekers in Lealman and throughout the county.
“A lot of people have no idea they have job opportunities in their backyard,” Mudano said after the presentation. “Having a facility like this really opens up a lot of people’s eyes.”
March 24th @ 10 AM
March 25th @ 7:45 AM
April 29th @ 10:00 AM
Healthy Kids Day
Resources for readers
-Keara McGraw, St. Petersburg Foundation
According to a 2019 Pinellas Education Foundation study, just 56% of third-grade students read at their expected level, and only half met the minimum passing requirements. Data from the Florida Department of Education reveals that a meager 14% of students who are not on track in third grade manage to catch up by 10th grade, underscoring the critical significance of early literacy in determining a student's long-term literacy prospects.
Establishing a solid foundation in early literacy is essential for the future success of students in Pinellas County. Exposure to books at an early age facilitates the development of robust language skills - including grammar and vocabulary - which are crucial for academic achievement. As a community, there are numerous ways to support access to early literacy, with public library systems being one of the most significant.
Pinellas County Library officials have now recognized the Lealman Exchange as an official extension of their system. That enables children and families to register for library cards at no cost. Among the available options is the 3-for-me card, a fresh addition designed specifically for youngsters and adolescents aged 4 to 17. This card grants complimentary admission to all electronic resources, allows children to borrow up to 3 books, and provides a straightforward sign-up process that only requires one's name, date of birth, and contact details – identification is not necessary.
Make this a Summer to Remember – Day Camp at the YMCA
With the arrival of spring break, summer and all the fun that goes with it is just around the corner! Camp can be an important time for kids to stay engaged and connected while they are out of school. They have the opportunity to make friends, have fun and build confidence in the Y’s renowned curriculum, developed to help close the summer learning gap, while integrating physical exercise, structured and spontaneous play, literacy, STEM-based activities, field trips and more.
This summer, YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg is offering day camp again at its Lealman location. Ten weeks of traditional summer camp, each week with a new theme, is available for campers age 5-12. New this year, specialty dance camps will take place at Lealman with themes such as Frozen, Knights &; Princesses, and Under the Sea, for 3 – 7-year-olds.
Registration is now open, but spots are filling quickly. Learn more and register today!
Pinellas Park: New sports complex to spur growth
Youth sports is a lucrative and growing industry. According to the Sports Events and Tourism Association, $39.7 billion in national amateur and youth athletic spending generated a $91.8 billion total economic impact in 2021.
Diebold said the project “will directly improve” Lealman, “positively impacting both the county and the City of Pinellas Park through new economic and social improvements.”
“This state-of-the-art sports complex will revitalize the blighted areas and provide opportunities to those underserved in the surrounding community,” Diebold elaborated. “Additionally, it will be a driver for redevelopment by attracting and supporting commercial resources to the area, which will encourage more people to live, work, shop, dine and vacation in Pinellas Park and other nearby vicinities.”
In Pinellas, industrial land could yield to more mixed use, including housing
Pinellas County was already running out of space 15 years ago when county officials decided they ought to preserve whatever industrial land they could. If it got built over with homes or retail, the logic went, there would be no more room to attract potential high-wage employers.
So they put strict limits on what could get built on 13,000 acres across the county, including in the mid-county Gateway area and Lealman and St. Petersburg’s Warehouse Arts district.
Christopher James
Please introduce yourself to your neighbors.
I’m a Technical Director by trade. I work on lighting, sound and set designs as well as fabrication and artist photography
How many years have you lived in Lealman?
59yrs, which is born and raised. I’m 3rd generation on the same land. Back when Lealman was mostly dairy farms, horse stables and produce stands. Back when you could swim at Joe's Creek, dive off the trestles, and eat crawdads and fish. When there were lightning-bugs, quail, Mulberry trees, wild raspberries on the tracks. Back when they used to oil the roads to keep the dust down, and there was food on every corner of the main streets. There were restaurants, local shops and a small mom-and-pop grocery and from the tallest to the smallest, you were safe.
What organizations are you involved in?
Pinellas cleanup and theater. Lealman doesn’t have a theater, but it should. It’s a very good way to bring people together in the community. Rather than tearing down the old fire department, repurpose it into a local theater. Or have a theater at the Leaman Exchange - make it the Lealman Community Center for the Arts? Nice ring, just saying.
What gets you out of bed every day?
Work and various hobbies like aquaponic farming. I built my own greenhouse during the pandemic. I’ve engineered a custom 600-gallon system where I’ve grown pretty much every vegetable and herb including saffron. I share the bounty with friends and neighbors.
What is one thing you've seen change for the better in Lealman in the last few years?
The outdoor areas and parks and recreation.
What's next for you?
I would like to travel now that the world is opening back up. I would also like to go further with my art.
Hello Lealman
