Hallie Hills North 1/6/09

I visited with residents from the Hallie Hills North community at the neighborhood recreation center off Creel Rd. in College Park. The community is made up of mostly senior aged residents, however, over the past few years there has been an influx of renters, specifically Section 8 according to the secretary of the neighborhood association. The meeting was attended by 16 residents and apparently was a significant increase over previous meetings. Residents had multiple concerns but the central theme seemed to be crime in their community and the response time of local law enforcement. I listened to many of their concerns and suggestions and finally offered my own.

When the subject of how to increase turnout to meetings came up I suggested using email in addition or instead of the flyers they have used to announce meetings. Furthermore I suggested placing a contact name and email on the flyer so that those unable to attend the meetings could respond. I also suggested the officers obtain the original covenants which one member stated may be 30 years old from the county and plan to update them. The present community members could add new language and vote to make it binding and hold owners accountable whether they physically live in their properties or choose to rent them. Finally, I suggested that neighbors have to watch out for each other. I believe that is the most effective policing available when we show concern for our neighbors and are willing to call the police if we observe unusual behavior. I was invited to come back next month and am excited to do so when city and county representatives will be present.