Over the past couple of months, Journeys in Journalism has been working on a documentary examining the history of the Gas Plant neighborhood and the proposed redevelopment of Tropicana Field which will be showcased April 24.
This documentary will discuss broken promises within the Gas Plant neighborhood which was split up in the 1980s due to the opening of Tropicana Field. This documentary will showcase past residents of the community, the upcoming of the community, and the reactions about this project within the St. Petersburg community.
Although there will be a new stadium coming it is smaller making space for the renewed version of the Woodson African American Museum of Florida, entertainment venues, retail locations, and affordable housing.
Journey in Journalism students from Lakewood High School, John Hopkins Middle School, and Melrose Elementary School have been working closely with the Poynter Institute and St. Petersburg College to complete this documentary. Students have been taking various trips to locations such as Tropicana Field, WMNF 88.5, and the Woodson African American Museum cover various topics which will be discussed in the documentary.
Some people you can expect to see in the documentary include Tampa Bay Rays President Brian Auld, community activist Gwendolyn Reese, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, and Executive Director Terri Lipsey Scott.
Funding for this documentary was accessible through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Special thanks to coordinator of The Journeys in Journalism program Kenya Woodward and Lakewood High School journalism teacher Chris Mosher.
Be sure to come out and visit students from various journalism schools who have worked hardly on this project over the past couple of months.
