PAC 2 Meeting
Monday, June 14, 2010
Durham Public Schools Staff Development Center
2107 Hillandale Road
Durham, NC 27704
6:00 to 8:00 p m
Facilitators: Cheryl Shiflett –scjdurham@aol.com
Bill Anderson – TheOcean1@aol.com
Self Introductions
Old Business: Cheryl Shiflett was officially nominated, and a motion to elect was seconded and unanimously elected as the Co-Facilitator for two more years.
Sherry Coulter volunteered to become the new secretary. There were no further nominations from the floor and she became the new secretary on a motion made and seconded with a unanimous vote.
We are very fortunate to have Cheryl and Bill continue in the positions they do so very well.
Announcements: (Made by Bill Anderson in absence of Cindy Bailey) Do not leave your pets in the car during this extremely hot weather. It does not take long for death to occur under these circumstances. The Anti-tethering law for animals outside goes into effect July 1, 2010. If you are aware of this continuing, please report them to Animal Control. As of July 1, they can enforce this by issuing a warning first and then a fine if non-compliant.
No Solicitation signs are available and also Durham Pace Car signs for your vehicle.
You may take a No solicitation sign for a neighbor if they are not able to attend a meeting. These were printed using money left in our budget for the year that would have been lost if not used.
COMMUNITY CONCERNS:
There were a lot of questions about Tenants & Landlords and their responsibility. The major problem at 400 E. Trinity is being solved in that they are being evicted. A background and credit checks are done on all nothing showed up on these folks. Neighborhood Improvement Services will be doing a program at next Months meeting and all questions will be answered.
The Bar-B-Q Pit applied for ABC Permit. Will we be notified if they get one? Yes.
A suggestion was made to bring an ABC Board representative to a future meeting. We have never seen the ABC Board reject an application based on community concerns. That is why it is important to report all suspicious activity so the police can respond and track the problems.
One suggestion was to get rid of the ABC Board in NC.
A House was torn down and removed from the corner of Wake Robin and Omega in River Forest. There is a very large tree left that is overgrown with vines. Please have the City cut this tree down.
Is there somewhere we can go to find out if someone has an outstanding warrant? Yes, that information is available.
DEPARTMENTAL UPDATES:
Durham Parks and Rec: Audrey Gill and Ann Harrison reports that Edison Johnson reopened today after complete renovations. The ‘sneak peek’ scheduled for June 9, did not happen because construction was not finished. Please come by and see the finished product and sign if for one of the many programs offered. There will be a Senior Picnic on June 26, at Edison Johnson. All summer camps are up and running and all pools are open. Picnic shelters can be reserved for private functions. Soccer registrations are available to girls ages 7-13. There is a cost for most activities but anyone who is receiving assistance from Social Services, there is no charge and a sliding fee scale is available for discounted rates. Passes that were purchased before the renovation began will be honored.
Neighborhood Improvement Service:
Cynthia Mebane –Watts reports that a successful Landlord Training program was held with 52 participants attending. There is a Tenant Training program in process with several Landlords signed up to facilitate the training.
Please have questions ready for Zoning Enforcements for presentation at next months meeting. City Council has approved a policy for NIS to be involved in property demolition.
Projects: Safe Neighborhood.
Jennifer Snyder encourages everyone to become involved and be recognized for your involvement in Projects Safe Neighborhood. There is definitely Safety in Numbers. A City-wide event will be held at the Durham Police Department on July 24 from 10:00 to 12:00. Please come or send someone to sign the Banner and you will receive a bag of promotional items for National Night Out. There will be lots of entertainment and two area coaches will attend. At the end of this outing at 12:00 there will be a walk against Gun Crime if enough sign up. If you are interested, call Jennifer at 560-4438, ext 29230. Meetings to walk through neighborhoods after a crime event will now begin at 6:00 p.m. This will give opportunity for others to join in.
PROGRAMS:
Durham One Call:
Carmen-Murphy Hall, Joanne Harper and others gave wonderful information on when to call Durham One Call. This number is 560-1200. The operating hours are 8:00 to 6:00 and they have 10 employees. A member present at this meeting gave accolades to service from Durham One Call. Wonderful job on all calls except for one and this is a good ratio. It is hard to determine when not to call and Pot holes is an example because some of these are handled by the State and some are handled by the City. However start with DOC. This is a non-emergency number. Do not call if you have physical problems. Call 911.
Due to the volume of call, we cannot call everyone back, but there is a process you can use if your problem is not solved. By logging your problem on-line, rather than calling, you can receive an e-mail with a confirmation number or a message “problem” solved.
Any time the City makes a change in programs, the volume of calls increase. So be patient. Also please fill out the surveys of how your call was handled. This gives valuable information for improvement.
Durham City/County Planning & Zoning Enforcements:
Karen Burd, Senior Planner, answered tons of questions concerning the Planning andZoning Department. A hand-out of frequently asked questions and answers was very helpful. There are five officers for the City and County. For Planning Department, call Durham One Call. If you witness a violation and report it, you must be willing to testify or take a picture of it, because unless the Officer is a witness to the violation, they cannot issue a violation. They do not tow vehicles. When there is a violation, a Certified letter is sent within 24 hours. A $500 a day fine can be levied after that. Several examples were presented. If you are planning to expand or designate a drive way, you will need a permit from the Planning Department. If an inoperable vehicle is on the street, call the Police Department. Community Life Court is still in operation and this is the Court that will hear these cases. If someone blocks your drive-way or parks on your property call the Police.
Posting signs: Non-profits are allowed to post signs. A lot of the signs posted are not “non-profit” and all signs must be removed after the event is over. Lost pet signs are not legal, but most times are overlooked. All signs must be removed after the time completion of the event. Anonymous calls are impossible for follow up. If you report a possible violation you must provide the address of the violation. A property owner can repair his own vehicle in his yard if he lives in the house. You are not allowed to put items for sale in your yard.
Problems involving over grown yards for abandoned houses are handled by Neighborhood Improvement Services, not Durham One Call.
Accolades to Bill Anderson for great job on Code Red and to Fire Department Representative at tonights meeting.
Meeting Adjourned
Carolyn Best
Recording Secretary