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Meeting Notes - June 2, 2003
6:30 Pizza Social - Members arrived and enjoyed the pizza and drinks. Pizza was provided by Checkers from down the street at a discounted rate. Members signed in on our sign-in sheet, socialized, and ate pizza.7:00 Meeting
- Welcome - Meeting was called to order at 7:05 PM. Tonight's agenda was modified to accommodate special guest, Councilman Benson Kirkman.
- Councilman Benson Kirkman addresses the community watch:
First stated that he was glad that we had formed our community watch group and that we were an active group. Next, he discussed the Lake Wheeler Road improvements, going into detail about the pros and cons of widening the road. He urged us as citizens to attend the City Council meetings so that our voices could be heard. He also encouraged us to attend the CAC meetings so that we could discuss what the community wants as a whole for the Lake Wheeler improvement project. The floor was then turned over to Janet Cowell (City Council Member At Large).
Janet Cowell went over the ETJ (Extra Territory Jurisdiction) of the Lake Wheeler Improvement project and briefly went over other points of the unfunded project.
We thanks Councilman Kirkman for stopping by at our meeting. He again urged us to attend the next CAC meeting, July 14, 2003, at Ray Price Harley Davidson. He left his number, (919) 565-8154, for members of the community watch to contact him for important concerns. He is in the phone book listed under W. Benson Kirkman. - Beat Officer/Crime Prevention Officer
a. Police Activity - No breaking & Entering for the first time, Yeah!
b. Questions for RPD - Officer Upchurch took questions and concerns from members. - Sign-Up Sheets on Wall
Jeannie Inskeep went over the signs / posters on the walls. We desperately need block captains to lessen the burden on the chairs. She went on to explain the responsibility of block captains. Jeannie also pointed out a poster that asked, "What do you want the Community Watch to do?" Finally, she mentioned the Titanic Exhibit and urged us to visit that if we could. - Follow-up from May Meeting
a. Email/Website - Jason Hibbets went over the web site. He asked for suggestions, if anyone had any, and requested that they email him with anything they would like to see on the web site as well as any items for the calendar. He also explained how to join the mailing list and how the mailing list worked.
b. Watch Grant - Jason Hibbets went over the grant we received from the City of Raleigh. The grant was 18 pages and was submitted for the City of Raleigh Neighborhood Improvements Matching Grant Program. We received $500.00 from this grant: $150 for our June Social, $80 for flyers, and $270 for community street signs (not mailbox signs).
c. Signs - Jason Hibbets also went over the ordering process for the Community Watch mailbox signs. We elected to choose the "blue" sign for placement at neighborhood entrances. Anyone wishing to order signs should contact Jason or see him after the meeting. Signs will be ordered next week and should arrive in 3-4 weeks.
d. Mark Breja was introduced. He is from Brinks Home Security and has a small display set-up in the back of the room. He will be available after the meeting for questions about Brinks. - Community Watches Merge - Tabitha Groelle addressed the group regarding the addition of a Community Watch group from Henslowe Drive. Our original group outline includes Henslowe Drive, however, when beginning this group we were not aware that this group was still active. We welcomed Don Flowers and thanked him for combining efforts to make our watch program that much stronger.
- Traffic Issues
a. Speed checker on Sierra - Tabitha Groelle went over why we can't have the mobile radar unit on Sierra drive. A 6 day speed check on Sierra in February only yielded 5 speeding tickets (whose average speed was 48mph) Demand for checker is high in Raleigh, and it couldn't be justified putting it in our neighborhood. The fact that there is only one unit for the city of Raleigh doesn't help either.
b. b. Patricia Brezny to give a brief synopsis on Petition that she filed that addresses some of our concerns. She emphasized that the petition was NOT filed on behalf of the Community Watch Program, but on behalf of herself and several members of the community. The City Council PUBLIC meeting will be held tomorrow at 7:00 PM. The petition does address some of the traffic safety we have talked about, at our meetings, in the past. - HOT TOPIC: Are You Properly Insured? - Tabitha made this presentation. She informed us that this is the time of year for insurance agents to be re-tested, otherwise, she would have had an insurance agent available. If you missed this topic, you can ask Tabitha for a handout.
- Open Floor for questions
- Summer Activities
a. Get to know your neighbors
b. Possible Block Social
c. Community Watch Yard Sale - Upcoming Meetings:
Next Community Watch Meeting: September 2003
Next CAC Meeting: July 14, 2003
No More Flyers will be handed out. - Adjourn/Order Signs
Thanks to Merri Beth Hibbets for taking notes.
