Meet With the Chief Neighborhood Meeting
Posted by Sandy on February 21, 2022 · Leave a Comment
The day former Mayor Muoio term ended so did the Neighborhood Meetings with the Mayor, City Administrator, City Attorney, City Commissioner for the district, Code Enforcement and the Chief of Police were present to hear residents concerns, and all meetings were held at City Hall in the Flagler Room.
Before the neighborhood meetings were ended in 2019 I attended the monthly North end meetings because of the crime rate in that section of the city. I remember asking a regular attendee at the meetings if he thought the meetings would improve the crime in the area. He admitted he didn’t know, but at least the mayor and others took an interest in meeting and listening to residents concerns. That helped knowing they were heard.
Good news, the meetings have resumed and has a new name “Meet with the Chief”
I attended the Downtown residents and business owners meeting held at the Police Department on 2/16/2022.
Missing was the Mayor, City Administrator and the City Attorney. Present was City Commissioner Christy Fox, a representative from code enforcement, Police Chief Adderley, Deputy Chief Morris and Officer Seth Buxton who led the meeting, along with other officers.
People bought their condo’s downtown so they could live and play in the heart of the city. This is where the action is. What they have is sleepless nights that the TV and AC can’t block out the noise.
Sadly the resident count was 7-10 residents, but they did share their concerns and it was all about noise and various issues such as speeding, blocking intersections, going wrong way on 1 way streets, very loud mufflers , doing wheelies, drag racing and a new one I haven’t heard of before and it’s called “smoking” or “lighting-up.” A resident at the meeting mentioned it and understood the concept and he shared with the police and later with me, and the harm that can be done when drivers add a “line lock” to cars.
Line Lock Explained by a resident at the meeting, and later to me in an email. Best part of the story is his explanation where I simply cut & pasted his response.
“A “Line Lock” is an aftermarket component you can purchase and add to your car which will allow you to lock your front brakes enabling you to spin your rear tire while remaining stationary. In doing so, your rear tires will heat up (friction) and smoke.
Line Locks were designed for drag racing at drag strips; not for street use.
The driver would release the line lock and the car would lurch forward, tires heated, sticky, and spinning. This is dangerous on public streets for obvious reasons.”
Now imagine a pedestrian waiting to cross an intersection pushing a baby stroller or walking their dog, the walk sign is lit, they start to cross and the line lock fails. I get it.
Not one resident at the meeting complained about traffic noises during the day, as one resident stated it’s not a problem and expected. The problem begins early evening and continues at times until 2:00 AM.
Can you picture cars “smoking” or “lighting-up at 2:00am as the noise bounces off the many tall buildings, much like drivers going through an underpass where the childish drivers beep their horn to enhance the noise as it bounces off the roof and sides of the tunnel.
Here’s the problem as I see it. These meetings were just re-started and it’s a good chance for residents to meet with the police and discuss their concerns.
A downtown resident sent out 198 e-mails, and placed the upcoming meeting on Facebook inviting them to attend. There were 7-10 residents at the meeting. People complain about the noise but wouldn’t attend a meeting and have a conversation with the police.
It does no good to sit in a neighbors apt, drinking coffee, saying “did you hear the noise last night, wasn’t it terrible?” Downtown resident’s should make an attempt to attend the meetings to help their neighbors who are trying to make a difference for you as well as themselves. There is strength in numbers.
Dogs
A resident told the story of how the noise affects her dog when they are out for their nightly walk. The noise starts, the dog cowers and pulls against the leach in an attempt to run from the offending sound.
“Do dogs hear louder than humans?”
“Dogs do have a much stronger ability to hear a wider range of sounds than humans do. In fact, dogs can hear sounds between 40 hertz and 60,000 hertz. … This improves their hearing and as a result, allows them to hear louder noises than humans. If noises get too loud, your dog will let you know”
Meet with the Chief- Downtown meetings will be held 3rd. Wednesday, every other month @ 6:00 PM at the WPB Police Dept. 600 Banyan Boulevard.
Upcoming meetings: 4/20/22, 6/15/22, 8/17/22, 10/19/22, 12/21/22.
I would like to end the story on a positive note along with an apology to Allison the owner of “Blue Mountain Coffee House, located at 540 Clematis St.
I recently visited the Police Dept and was invited out for a cup of coffee and Blue Mountain was the destination. An easy walk from the station house. It was truly the best cup of coffee I ever had.
I suggested to a friend who was going to the meeting meet me @ 5:00 and she would have a great cup of coffee while we discussed the upcoming meeting @ 6:00 PM.
I took a booth ordered a coffee and waited for my friend to arrive.
We looked at the blackboard and saw hamburger and fries. We were told they were “sliders” and consisted of 2 burgers. OK we both ordered the sliders.
Hot damn, the best burgers ever. Fries were delicious. We took our time and enjoyed every bite.
Now the apology: I didn’t realize the restaurant closed at 5:00 but remained open for us, and the owner was so gracious, fed us, and it wasn’t until we were leaving she mentioned the closing time.
Have a craving for hamburger, bring your appetite and it will be satisfied. I highly recommend Blue Mountain.
Ready to close the story and a news report catches my attention.
“Paris inaugurated its first noise radar on Monday as part of a plan to fine loud motorcycles and other vehicles in one of Europe’s noisiest cities. High on a street lamp post in the 20th district in eastern Paris, the city installed the first noise radar that is able to measure the noise level of moving vehicles and to identify their license plate.”
Good enough for Paris, good enough for WPB
The end