East CAC Meeting Minutes
May 2010
Submitted by Secretary Sue Sturgis
Chairman Mark Turner called the meeting of the Raleigh East CAC to order shortly after 7 p.m. on Monday, May 17 at Lions Park Community Center. There were about 28 people in attendance. The meeting was streamed on the Internet. The April minutes were approved.
In good news from the community, Mark reported that he took part in a meeting with the management of Raleigh North and the Food Lion shopping center to discuss organizing a neighborhood festival for mid-August.
The East and Mordecai CACs are planning a cleanup of the Cemetery Branch Creek along Brookside Avenue for Saturday, June 5. Everyone’s invited to take part.
Vice Chairman Van Alston noted that someone had cleaned tires out of Crabtree Creek along the greenway between Crabtree and Raleigh Boulevard. The CAC would like to know who did it so it could recognize and thank them.
Inspections Report: Dudley Winslow with Raleigh’s Inspections Department discussed his work in the community. The department has been heavily involved with an initiative at Raleigh North Apartments at Raleigh Boulevard and Glascock Street, where inspections found extensive electrical problems. They’ve gotten about half of the needed repairs made.
During the question and answer, a resident of Brighton Road reported that she had called Inspections about very tall grass at a neighboring rental property, and the department took care of it.
Someone asked about the criteria for considering vehicles abandoned—for instance, what about a car with a flat tire parked in the street? Mr. Winslow said the police department, not inspections, handles issues with cars in the street. As for cars on private property, residents are permitted to have only one unlicensed, unregistered vehicle.
In response to a question about garbage and rotting furniture, Mr. Winslow said his department handles such problems if they’re in someone’s yard.
Someone asked about a burned-out and boarded up house. He said that if there are no exterior violations inspectors can’t step in. Owners have one year to make repairs before Inspections can take action. For the status on a particular property, call the department directly.
Regarding poison ivy in someone’s yard, the department can take action if the plant is encroaching on neighboring property.
Police Report: Raleigh Community Police Officer James Kryskowiak distributed a crime report for the past 28 days and offered details on some of the cases.
There was a report of arson of crops/grasses at 1100 N. Raleigh Boulevard on April 22. The incident took place in the no man’s land behind Food Lion, Raleigh North and the old DMV building that houses a convenience store. The police are still looking into it. There’s an older woman who hangs out in the area smoking cigarettes, so there’s a possibility the fire was accidental.
Of the 32 simple assaults reported for the period, 30 were domestic in nature. There was an incident on Brookside Drive that may have been random, and investigators are still getting details. A woman found lying in the road partially unclothed was confused and unsure what had happened.
Larcenies from motor vehicles continue to be a problem, with 10 during the latest period. However, seven of those involved the theft of items left in plain view. Officer Krysko reminds residents to “lock, take and hide.”
There were a number of cases of stolen license plates that were domestic in nature, involving disputes over titles and such. There were also two motor vehicle thefts that were domestic, in the sense that they involved people who knew each other and not random victims.
There were three cases of robberies from persons, with the one at 901 Marlborough Road thought to have been gang-related.
Officer Kryskowiak reported that loiterers at the Food Lion have disappeared since the eviction of the clothing store Messiah Fashions. He’s hoping to finalize the plans for the police substation in that shopping center by the end of the month. Mark encouraged area residents to support the store since the new management is working hard on improvement efforts.
Officer Krysko also updated the CAC on the anti-crime initiative at Raleigh North Apartments. He reported that he canvassed the area and invited residents to attend the CAC meetings; several were in attendance. He also reported that the management is preparing to carry out two more evictions. Residents of one of the targeted units are believed to have been behind assaults in the area.
Officer Krysko is involved in helping to organize the community festival Mark mentioned, along with WakeMed, Food Lion and PK Management, the company that manages Raleigh North. It began with the idea of a customer appreciation day at Food Lion but has turned into something more ambitious. Businesses in the area are invited to participate and can and write off their contributions on their taxes.
WakeMed will be providing volunteers, and others who are interested are also invited to pitch in. Raleigh North will create T-shirts, and the city Parks and Recreation Department will be there promoting programs along with other organizations.
In other news from Raleigh North, PK Management is offering use of a community room for Food Lion Manager Mr. Ronneil Robinson to utilize for an after school program. The PK Management also plans to start a community garden.
Officer Krysko took questions from residents. Someone noted that the 1300 block of North King Charles is turning into a racetrack. Concerns were also raised about speeding on Glascock, Millbank and Brighton.
Officer Krysko also noted that he had gotten complaints about motorbikes and ATVs riding recklessly and on the greenway, where motorized vehicles are not allowed. Someone also reported they’re a problem in Worthdale Park. He visited a home where some of the problem vehicles were thought to be coming from to deliver a warning.
Residents reported a drug-dealing bicyclist in the area around Kennington and North King Charles.
Regarding the speeding problem on Bennett Street, Officer Krysko reported that a speed survey is now underway. Once that’s completed, police will launch an enforcement initiative. They will observe a strict no-tolerance policy and write tickets for anyone going over 25 mph.
Parks and Recreation Report: Lions Park Director Christie Jones noted that Pullen Park is closed for the season for renovations. Anyone interested in riding a carousel should go to Chavis Park.
The first public meeting about the master plan for the renovation of Moore Square in downtown Raleigh will be held in July. For details, visit Raleigh.nc.gov/parkplan.
A community center and playground are being built at Marsh Creek Park, with the facilities slated to open in July. The Park is located on in Northeast Raleigh near the intersection of New Hope Road and Marsh Creek Road.
The Teen Outreach Program, which has been meeting from 3 to 6 p.m. daily at Lions Park since 2006, has its first high school graduate, who was in attendance. Lorenzo Conyers is graduating from Enloe High School in June and will be going to Elizabeth City State University in Elizabeth City, N.C., where he will play basketball. The CAC offered its congratulations and best wishes to Lorenzo.
Playground Update: Dave Berra, a landscape architect with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, updated the CAC on the area’s playground builds.
Installation of the rubber surfacing at Lions Park was delayed because of rain. Once it’s completed there, the same surface will be installed at Lockwood Playground. The target date for the public ribbon cutting at Lions Park is June 14 at 1 p.m. Because there was some vandalism of the new surface at the renovated Lions Park Playground, the department has requested stepped-up patrols.
CAC Vice Chair Van Alston reported that he took part in the community build at Lions Park along with his basketball buddies. He said it was fun and a “very life-affirming thing” to do. There are photos of the community build on the department’s website, and Ms. Jones thanked everyone for their participation.
A question was raised about how a neighborhood goes about getting a mini-park. Mr. Berra suggested that people begin by talking with Mark Turner, who would then probably want to talk with Parks Superintendent Wayne Schindler.
Capital and New Bern Corridor Project Update: Mark reported that there was a meeting earlier in the month involving Bobbie Poole from the ECAC Planning Committee and more than 20 officials with the N.C. Department of Transportation, who were enthusiastic about the planned corridor redevelopment projects and pledged their cooperation with the upcoming study.
On June 24, there will be a meeting to give the public more details about the projects. Ken Bowers, the city’s assistant planning director, will be heading up the New Bern Avenue piece of it.
Urgent Report from Powell Elementary: Ann Quarles, an ECAC resident and teacher at Powell Elementary School on Marlborough Road, reported that a fifth-grader at the school was hit by a car. The child had surgery and is getting ready to come home. She will post information to the ECAC listserv about the family’s needs.
She also said that a school social worker reports a high number of homeless families at the school, with upwards of two-dozen families affected. She observed that the recession has hit a lot of people very hard.
Ms. Quarles is interested in forming a committee at the school to involve concerned citizens, church groups and other interested parties in exploring short- and long-term solutions to the crisis. She is also looking into the creation of a fund where donations could be made to help students in need. She will keep the CAC updated on those efforts.
The meeting adjourned at about 8:25 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 21 at Lions Park.