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MINUTES of MEETING

NAC 3 -- Dec. 12, 2005

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Contents:

* Overview of meeting

* Minutes of working committees

--Police/Safety

--Code Enforcement

--Parks & Fields

* Upcoming meetings

* Contacts

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OVERVIEW OF MEETING

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NAC 3 met on Monday, Dec. 12, 2005, from 7-8:15 p.m., at Monocacy Elementary. It was a great turnout. We were 25 strong. Also attending were:

* Sara McGill, Community Outreach Assistant, City of Frederick

* Corporal Earl Stanley, City of Frederick Police

* Roelky Myers, Director of Recreation, City of Frederick

* Jesse Goode, Park Enforcement Officer, City of Frederick

After initial made, we got down to business, breaking up into three working committees:

* Police/Safety

* Code Enforcement

* Park & Fields.

These committees correspond to the three top areas of interest to NAC 3 members. This, of course, doesn't mean that we won't address other issues or that new members won't be able to voice their specific concerns. Our goal, as always, is to work together to effect positive change in our neighborhood.

The three committees met for approximately 30 minutes. We reconvened and a spokesperson from each group shared what the group discussed and what actions it would be taking.

The evening ended with a holiday raffle, which was made possible by some very dedicated, community-minded businesses right here in our own backyard:

* V & A Nails

* Rocky's Pizza & Italian Cuisine

* Vocelli Pizza

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MINUTES OF WORKING COMMITTEES

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POLICE/SAFETY COMMITTEE

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Minutes presented by Judy Hill

Committee attendees: Amanda Agee, Andrea Arnold, Bob Dollar, Ken Painter, George Pappas, Rita Sharpe, Connie Shiplett

Also present: Corporal Earl Stanley, City of Frederick Police. He is an assistant supervisor and of our beat officers.

We discussed speeding on residential streets and the usage of speed boxes to help slow people down. Speeding is a major concern because of all the small children playing and crossing streets in the neighborhood.

We talked about police response time. Officer explained that there is only one officer assigned to a beat, which in our case includes NACs 7, 4 and 3. This is a very large area and in some cases an officer may be called to assist in another beat if there is a serious incident. Of course the more serious the call, the quicker the response which is why some calls may have a long wait (up to an hour in some cases).

A question was asked regarding known criminals such as sex offenders living in the area. It was noted that past sex offenders are listed at the following website: http://www.dpscs.state.md.us. The website can be accessed directly from, or by search of, the City of Frederick website. Recently committed crimes are reported in the crime log of the Frederick News Post.

The group went on to discuss teenagers loitering at the park next to the townhouses and on some streets (Valley Side Drive in particular). It was noted that some of these teenagers have had past drug offenses and are frequently drinking. Unfortunately, there is no curfew and no loitering law. Since the park belongs to the townhouse HOA and is not considered public property, the police do not have jurisdiction to make the kids leave. This can only be accomplished by one of the HOA board members asking the kids to leave, with the police there to enforce the request. There was some discussion regarding adding lighting to the park, but it was noted that this is expensive and would have to be paid for by the HOA. Also, those who live right next to the park don't want the bright lights shining on their property.

There was a discussion regarding the number of calls for police assistance in a one- month period for our reporting district. Apparently, Frederick is broken down into three categories, the "beat," which consists of NAC 7, 4 and 3; the "NAC" (Amber Meadows is NAC 3); and the "reporting district." There were 191 calls for our reporting district, but many of those were for things such as house alarms that ended up being false alarms etc. Overall, there were only 51 calls that would be cause for concern. It was noted that this is very good compared to some other neighborhoods.

The City of Frederick will be setting up a new sign with a lockable cabinet at Amber Park. This can be used for posting community information such as the NAC meetings, etc.

Corporal Stanley requested that the following number be used for non-emergency calls: 301-600-2100.

It was agreed that when dealing with an issue with a neighbor who is causing problems, like playing music too loud, it is best to confront the owner of the house before calling police. Should the house be a rental, it is possible to find out who the owner is by typing in "Real Property Search" at Google.com, then clicking on "Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation," then clicking on "Real Property Data Search" and entering "Frederick County," then selecting "street address."

PARKS & FIELDS COMMITTEE

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Minutes presented by Connie Pryor

Committee attendees: Connie Pryor, Cathy Dollar

Also present: Roelkey Myers, Director of Recreation and Parks, and Jesse Goode, Enforcement Agent, City of Frederick

The following topics were discussed and action taken, suggested or considered:

** PROBLEM #1

Repairs needed at Amber Meadows Park, Amber Drive:

1) Broken bench (near tire swing)--repair middle board.

2) Graffiti on back of turn-cylinder playground equipment; check for gang connections/remove.

3) Repaint red brick restroom building; graffiti on front of building reads "You don't need a better job, you need a revolution."

4) Repair broken trash can lid in fenced tots' playground area.

5) Paint brown pavilion near basketball court.

DISCUSSION:

Roelkey Myers told committee that the upgraded playground equipment cost $44,000 and was designed to accommodate toddlers as well as older children. Cathy Dollar mentioned the removal of the waist-high sandbox from the tots' park as having been important piece of play equipment for her disabled niece when she came to visit. Also discussed was searching for grants, such as the Playground Safety Grant, to further upgrade and beautify the park.

Roelkey mentioned the amount of trash clean up has increased at the park. A possible solution might be English/Spanish signs reminding users to keep the park clean for neighborhood children. Roelkey also noted that the city will soon install a lockable message board at the park, which will be updated monthly by Officer Goode. The board may be used for neighborhood information, such as NAC meeting dates, park pavilion information, sports leagues sign-ups announcements, city park program information, summer day program schedules, etc.

ACTION TAKEN:

Roelkey Myers will put in work orders for all of the above repairs, although some may not be done until spring.

** PROBLEM #2

Teens hanging out on corner of Carriage Way and Amber Drive, especially sitting on power boxes.

1) Discussed planting thorny bushes, such as pyroncantha, as a beautification effort, using NAC 3 budget funds.

2) Beautify park by planting more flowers.

3) Some discussion of the possible use of axle grease on boxes as a deterrent (would have to investigate to check legality).

ACTION CONSIDERED:

Kathy Dollar, a teacher at West Frederick Middle School, is aware of the Schoolyard Habitat program, which provides native, non-invasive plants to community groups and schools. Contact person: Ginny Brace of Waterside (Rock Creek Estate).

** PROBLEM #3 -- Condition of Monacacy Middle School field.

The poor condition of the middle school field was caused overuse in 2004-05 by non-registered adult leagues and possibly by a change in maintenance policy. Whereas TJAY league used to do many of the maintenance tasks, the Board of Education is now responsible for maintenance. TJAY soccer league is less involved for various reasons, although they are very interested in the condition of the field. Considerable trash was left after an October tournament weekend that TJAY did not sponsor.

ACTION TAKEN:

Roelky Myers said he would check to see which league had the weekend tournament and left trash, and will notify NAC 3.

ACTION CONSIDERED:

Roelkey Myers mentioned that TJAY can be reimbursed for aerating and seeding. Registering a formal complaint from NAC 3 to the Board of Ed was also suggested

CODE ENFORCEMENT COMMITTEE

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Minutes presented by Kathy Griffee

Committee attendees: Carl Gentile, Don McCardell, Jim McGaughran, Jimmie Toms,

Maureen Ridge, Dave Shankle

Various residents discussed their concerns and complaints with the activities on Stonehaven Lane and Willowcreek Ct.. Some of the problems regarding the houses are: 8-12 working adults, numerous vehicles (as many as 10), no property maintenance, noise violations, improper use of vehicle licenses, major car repairs going on most every day and all day long.

The Group came up with the following ideas:

1) Contact the owner of the property first.

In a few instances, the owners weren't even aware that this activity was going on at his property. On one or two instances, a simple phone call informing the owner of the activities at his rental property brought the owner there immediately and there was improvement. Use a positive, non-confrontational approach first.

2) If not successful contacting the owner or the contact doesn't result in any positive results, then contact Code Compliance, requesting an official letter sent from the City of Frederick.

The Group agreed that the NACs all need to work together and present our need and show of support for a Rental Licensing Program that was introduced by Vincent Hughes (former Chief Operating Officer, City of Frederick) several years ago and presented to the Board of Alderman. The program wasn't approved for lack of support and interest from the community. We need to try again. Such a program would give the City, police or code compliance, more authority to regulate these residents that have overcrowding and disruptive, nuisance behavior to the community. At previous NAC meetings some of these residences have been referred to as "illegal boarding houses" because many of the residents are very transient. The houses have a high turnover rate. The one constant factor is the overwhelming number of people, too many vehicles, lack of maintenance on the property, commercial auto repairs most all of the day, noise violations and disregard for the Motor Vehicle Administration's rules. The people residing at these various properties regularly switch license plates from one car to another then drive off.

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TAKE NOTE!

The Code Compliance Committee will meet at Maureen Ridge's house on Monday, January 9, at 7 p.m.

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UPCOMING MEETINGS

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Mark your calendars! Our next NAC 3 meeting will be:

Wednesday, Feb. 1, 7 p.m.

Monocacy Elementary School

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CONTACTS

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Have questions? Want to learn more about NAC 3? Contact:

* Connie Pryor, cwpryor@adelphia.net

* Sara McGill, smcmcgill@cityoffrederick.com