PAC 2 Meeting
Monday, December 8, 2008
Durham Public Schools Staff Development Center
2107 Hillandale Road
Durham, NC 27704
6:00 to 8:00 p m
Facilitators:
New Number for non- emergencies 560-4600. Use this number to report events that do not need an immediate response by a public safety officer. However, when in doubt about the severity of a situation, call 911.
Bill Anderson urged all neighborhoods in PAC2 to join the InterNeighborhood Council. They meet the 2nd Tuesday of each month and the cost to join is $25.00 per neighborhood. It is a very worthwhile organization and many past PAC2 facilitators are also past Presidents of INC. The list would include David Harris, Cheryl Shiflett, Bill Anderson, and Mike Shiflett twice! Colin Crossman is now President Elect of InterNeighborhood Council.
For more information contact Bill Anderson
SELF-INTRODUCTIONS
First Program: Crime Prevention Officer, Steve Hall made an excellent presentation on Holiday Safety Tips. Burglars view this Season as a great time of opportunity and they are going to be out and about taking advantage of every opportunity.
Remember the 3 A’s of Crime Prevention:
1. Be Aware of your surroundings at all times.
2. Be Alert to suspicious people and vehicles.
3. Avoid dangerous situations
Park in well-lit areas, as close to the building as possible. Lock your car, close all windows and store all packages in the trunk. Pay close attention to the people around you and place your wallet in front pockets and purses close to your body. Have your keys ready in your hand when returning to your vehicle and do not unlock any door except the one to enter the vehicle and lock your door immediately.
In your Home: Do not display gifts that can be seen from the outside; If you go out, leave lights and radio or TV on; Lock all doors even if you are just going out for a little while.
Take Holiday Inventory: Take photos and put in a secure place for future reference. Make sure items like TVs, DVDs,VCRs, stereo equipment and power tools are on the list and write down all serial numbers. Having a detailed inventory can help identify stolen items and make insurance claims easier to file.
These are only a few of the tips presented. Details are outlined in the PAC Newsletter
December 2008.
Second Program:
Katie Kalb, Director of Public Works for the City of Durham presented
Operation Green Light. This is a new project for the City of Durham to enable them to do a Pavement Condition Survey. The methodology for rating the condition of pavement was developed by NC State University. This is done electronically and has been used by the City for about 20 years. They do a survey every 5 years and a complete Inventory is due in the Spring of 2009.
There are 652 miles of paved streets in the City and 60% of these need some attention.
222 miles need resurfacing - City contracts this out by bids.
171 miles need other type maintenance and the City does this.
Overall rating for City of Durham streets is 71% or a C.
The cost to repave a street is $170,000 per mile. Hopefully with the price of oil on the decrease, this will decrease as well.
Operation Green Light has a Website and Logo called “Pavenator.” You can access the website at “operationgreenlight.org to get your own street rating and find out when it is due for repairs.
DEPARTMENTAL UPDATES:
Durham Parks and Recreation: Audrey Gill, Director at Edison Johnson and Jenny Smith, Aquatics Director reported on activities and programs going on there. The last Teen night for 2008 will de December 12. The Durham Christmas Parade had over 10,000 in attendance. Day care will be provided during the time Schools are closed for the Holidays. The Center will be closed 12-21 to 12-26 and Jan. 1st.
Cynthia Mebane-Watts’ Community Relations Coordinator: reports that the problem with the Solid Waste Containers being left out in the streets has been addressed.
A training Workshop for Landlords was held and it was a success. Feedback from the attendees rated the workshop 4.8 out of 5. Good job!! They are working on a Tenant Training Workshop with the help of Attorney C. J. Riley. A Workshop on Foreclosures will be held on February 21, 2009 at Hillside High School.
New Initiative is in place to help folks pay their mortgage if they have lost their jobs and are enrolled in School. It is reported another Company is closing their doors and 459 more will be losing their jobs by the end of December. HUD is very pleased about this Initiative and wants to Partner in this project.
Police Department: Captain Larry Smith, Commander for District 1, recognized Officer Taylor who is retiring with 30 years service. He spent most of this time at the Edison Johnson Recreation Center and they are sad to see him go. His replacement, Nathan Keith was introduced and welcomed.
Captain Smith also reminded us to be extra cautious this Holiday Season and write down all serial numbers of any electronic items you have. Very important.
COMMUNITY CONCERNS:
Argonne Hills has a concern about unsolicited advertisements that are left in our driveways and on our streets. Most of these are a week behind and create a lot of clutter and trash. It was suggested that we contact the publisher and let them know about the ads coming too late and also tell them, we do not want them.
A large amount of broken asphalt has been dumped on a site that is sublet by the Corps of Engineers. Send an email to Katie Kalb and she will check on ways to get this moved, if possible. Corps has some strict rules.
West Point Park had thanks and praises for the Police and Parks and Recs for cleaning up the homeless camp in their Park.
Walltown had praise and thanks for cleaning up the drug house in their community. The new facility for Walltown has been put on hold again and equipment from their playground has been taken away. Audrey Gill will check on the schedule for the new facility and get back with them.
Lochhaven Hills reports they were greatly pleased in getting their “Neighborhood Watch” signs erected in 3 days. They recently formed a Neighborhood Watch in their Community.
Facilitator Cheryl Shiflett asked for a show of hands on how many had written down the serial numbers for their possessions. We only had one positive response. Cheryl put on her Santa hat and sang a ditty for us to the tune of “Santa Claus is coming to Town” that she had written stressing the importance of recording serial numbers. It was well done and quite entertaining. A great job of showing us the importance of doing this. Kudos to Cheryl.
Meeting Adjourned.
Carolyn Best
Recording Secretary PAC 2