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Davis Islands Toy Drive Signs Taken By Grinch

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By JAMIE PILARCZYK

jpilarczyk@tampatrib.com

Published: December 4, 2008

While Davis Islands is far from Whoville, it appears the Grinch still knows how to find the neighborhood.

Signs advertising the annual Davis Islands Toy Drive have gone missing – a total of four since Tuesday – for the toy collection scheduled for Sunday. Now in its seventh year, organizers and sisters Jeanne Lavettre and Eileen Goldenberg can't fathom why someone would remove their signs.

"It's just a shame," Goldenberg said. "This isn't a garage sale. Why would they want to tamper with our toy drive after all these years?"

More than 3,000 toys have been collected at events in past years distributed to about 10 different charities, including Second Harvest's Kids Cafe, The Spring and RICH House in Sulphur Springs.

Families plan parties around the date and children look forward to seeing Santa, played by Java and Cream's jolly Dennis Cavanaugh. A fire engine even follows the sleigh down the curvy island streets.

The city's code enforcement director, Jake Slater, said it wasn't his office that removed the signs. A Davis Islands resident, Slater had noticed the event's informational sign at the entrance apex to the island was gone this morning.

"We normally don't take signs for community events," Slater said.

Division manager Jim Pinkney, with the city's Clean City department, said he had no knowledge of his office picking up the signs.

"There are lots of other offices besides Clean City and Code Enforcement that are charged with removing signs that are on medians and right-of-ways," Pinkney said.

Lavettre, who owns Serendipity, said she knows the signs were on city property, which probably violated city codes. In the past, though, they haven't been touched.

The missing items include one at the entrance to the island and another at the apex of East and West Davis boulevards. They are 2-feet by 3-feet large. A sign at Davis Islands Seaplane Basin park was about 18 inches wide.

Just to be safe, they attached a note in a plastic bag to the sign in the park, with a contact number in case the sign needed to be removed. This morning, though, there was no sign and no phone call.

The sisters said they hope to retrieve the signs which Goldenberg, an artist, paints by hand. She also hopes residents hear about the event and participate on Sunday.

"That's all that this is about," she said, "the joy of giving."

IF YOU GO
WHAT: Davis Islands Toy Drive
WHEN: 4:30 p.m. Sunday WHERE: 25 stops on Davis Islands marked with numbered signs
CONTACT: Eileen Goldenberg at (813) 789-2301 or go to http://davisislandstoydrive.com.

Reporter Jamie Pilarczyk can be reached at (813) 259-7661.

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