Monthly meeting of the SE CAC was held on December 11, 2014 at Barwell Road with Chair Tim Sit presiding. Others present were Vice Chairs Ulysses Lane and Bill Lynn, Secretary Viola Bullock and Community Specialist Jonathan Edwards.
Raleigh Police Report was given by Officer Roderick Lee who cautioned residents about scams taking place through phone calls that may include false information such as (1) checks in the mail; (2) persons impersonating Police or Sheriff who will ask resident to wire money to help someone in jail. Officer Lee stated that home and vehicle burglaries/larcenies are still going on and he asked residents to be very careful in securing properties.
Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources report was given by staff member Matt Johnston who reported that ongoing activities at Barwell include adult basketball, youth activities and meet/greet Santa.
Wake County Sheriff report was given by Deputy Phillip Sutton, Crime Prevention Officer who stated that Wake Co. larcenies are down 30% and burglaries are down 10%. He warned residents: (1) keep garage doors closed; (2) lock doors to residence; (3) be careful about postings on Facebook, especially about being out of town; (4) do not leave mail in boxes or allow newspapers to pile up on lawn/driveway when away from home for these are signs that “would be burglars” look for to break into houses. He cautioned everyone to “think smart” when driving during the holidays and be careful about their surroundings.
Housing & Neighborhood Preservation report was given by Mel May. Ms. May shared that her Department enforces guidelines on housing, inspections and yards. She said everyone has the right to call and report neighbors who are in violation of city ordinances. She informed residents to be extremely careful in the cold weather with the use of kerosene and electric space heaters since they require proper ventilation so that vapors can escape rooms. She also asked everyone to make sure that batteries are charged in smoke detectors.
Traffic Light Placement report was given by Jed Niffenegger, Public Works, Transportation Operations along with Kelly Becker, NC Dept. of Transportation. Mr. Niffenegger gave the following report after signal control monitoring and careful review of the Eva Mae/New Hope Intersection: (1) there was no conclusive evidence to install traffic lights; (2) the Dept. will work on improving lighting in the area; (3) installing unwarranted stop lights in area could increase accidents; (4) Dept. will also work on installing high density stop signs. Residents are concerned about the number of crashes observed at the intersection. Mr. Niffenegger stated that future signalization may be warranted for area. Other concerns of residents: (1) Red Light Program – vehicles passing stopped school buses; (2) RT turn from Ricker Rd. onto southbound Marshlane Way is dangerous; (3) Street lighting needs to be brighter; (4) Barwell Road/Rock Quarry Rd signal light is very infrequent; (5) Eastbound Ext. 300 (LF) has two turn lanes and RT has one which causes traffic backup; (6) adding more pavement onto RT turn lane on Rock Quarry Rd. onto Pearl Road would help vehicles from falling off pavement; (7) Font sizes on signs seem to be smaller on some State traffic signs.
Graphic Identity was presented by Jennifer Mangum who showed several designs. By a show of hands and consensus vote, white T-shirts with blue lettering and logo were accepted. A motion was made and seconded to spend money on T-shirts that will not exceed amount of money in budget. Motion carried.
Neighborhood Reports Ulysses Lane reported that he met with some staff from Barwell Road Community Center, some residents and other City staff about improvements/additions to play area outside of Center.
A survey will be go out to community residents and a follow-up meeting will take place. Items for discussion at the meeting will include: (1) development of outdoor activities (tennis court, playground, picnic tables, etc.). A working group is needed to brainstorm concrete ideas for Parks and Rec. Mr. Lane asked residents to submit their names if interested in serving on a committee to work on projects for presentation to Parks and Rec.
