DOT Sign Crews….. Reaction Time Slow In Sanford

Street signs in our city need some attention.  There are leaning signs, faded signs, over grown signs, and worse of all damaged signs. 

The City of Sanford street crew replaces and maintains any sign located on a city maintained street.  This includes speed limit signs, stop signs, and street markers.  The city crews have done a good job maintaining the signage on city streets.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the state DOT sign crew.  Signs on state maintained roads and leaning, twisted, faded, over grown and damaged.  Many request have been turned into the state for sign maintenance and repair.  Although some request are honored……many go for a great deal of time before action is taken, if at all.

In the first picture above a highway information sign was damaged during an accident on Carthage Street.  Although this has been reported to DOT several times, the sign is still on the side of the road almost a year later.

The second picture shows a damaged speed limit sign located on Carbonton Road.  When reported to DOT the sign was simply removed, not replaced. 

The third sign is an adopt a highway sign and was damaged last week on Wilkins Drive.  This sign has been reported and awaiting action. 

It makes a person wonder why these signs were there at all if it’s not worth replacing. It also gives the appearance that the city does a poor job of maintaining their signage.  This is simply not the case.  It is truly the states responsibility. 

If you have any sign issue in your neighborhood or onany street located inside the city limits, please call -Street Superintendant Magna Holloway at 919-775-8326 or Steve Brewer at 919-770-9587.  State sign of city sign, we’ll be glad contact the proper department for you.

Sanford Police Officer Appreciated by Fayetteville Family

 

We often are disappointed when we hear of individuals in law enforcement acting inappropriately.  It is great to hear positives in a world that is so quick to find the negatives.  The city council received a copy of a letter concerning the actions of a Sanford police officer.  I thought this letter was worth sharing.

The following is the above letter that was written by Mr. Harry Grafinger on September 12th, 2008.  Concerning Officer Marshall L. McNeill of the Sanford Police Department. 

Dear Mr. Hegwer and Chief Yarborough,

     I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the devotion to duty and assistance rendered to me and members of my family, from the above noted officer, while traveling through your city on September 5, 2008 on or about 2100 hours.

I live in Fayetteville, and was on my way home from Raleigh with my son.  I stopped at the Kangaroo gas station at 1130 Horner Blvd. because I needed gas.  I discovered that I had left my wallet in my other car that morning.  I tried to work out some plan of action with the clerk at the gas station, but to no avail.  I tried to explain to the clerk that I had 3 businesses in Fayetteville.  I asked to let me have enough gas to get home still to no avail.  So I requested that he call the police.  One of the kindest officers I’ve ever met in law enforcement arrived.  When I explained my dilemma, this gentleman pulled $50.00 from his wallet and told me to fill it up, with no hesitation what so ever.

This officer conducted himself in a truly professional manner.  He is a credit to his department.  My family and I are indeed grateful for a job well done and his assistance in my time of need.

This is the kind of service our police officers display on a daily basis.  Remember to thank them for their hard work and their contributions, and making our city a better place to live……and in this case, to travel through.

Street Light Enhancements Are On The Way For Many Neighborhoods in Sanford

 In the weeks ahead, Progress Energy will begin work on the first phase of the new city street lighting enhancement program.  Sanford is one of the first cities in our state committed to making lighting improvements of this type and on this scale. The goal is to raise street lighting levels throughout the city, and comply with the ASHTO (American Association of State Highway Transportation) lighting standards. This should almost double the amount of existing street lighting in our city.

There will be improvements in each Ward in Sanford.  East Sanford, Forrest Hills, Currie Drive and Martin Street are areas slated for improvements.  Areas were chosen by city staff on a worse case basis. 

The lighting will be a three part process:

• Areas marked Red (1) represents the first areas to be enhanced   
• Areas marked Green (2) represent areas pending fund availability and would be second.
• Areas marked Blue (3) represent areas pending fund availability after the second.
• State roads are in PURPLE. Request for enhancements on state roads have been submitted, however take 6 to 9 months for approval.

All areas are throughout the city are unique and will require different levels of funding depending on existing poles, etc.  It is believed that each Ward could receive approximately 90 lights if all goes well. 

This is the first year of many that will focus on street light enhancement.  Be patient, the plan is not to stop until every neighborhood is complete.  This project will take time.  

Improved street lighting is just one pieces of the puzzle that will help make our city a safer place to live.  If you have any questions on this issue please call City Manager Hal Hegwer at 919-775-8201 or Steve Brewer at 919-770-9587.

 

Rain & Wind From Tropical Storm Hanna Certainly Not Good….. But Not Too Bad

 

  

Tropical storm Hanna brought 5 to 7 inches of rain to the area early Sunday morning and wind gust up to 40 miles per hour. 

Some businesses prepared for the worse.  Payne Insurance lined sand bags along the front and rear of the building to prevent rising water from flooding their location.  All was well, because the water never reached the sand bags or the building.  Their neighbor, Wright Travel, also received no damage from rising water.  The water stopped just short of the entrance to their building.

The high winds and saturated ground caused a large oak tree to fall on the home of former Mayor Winston Hester.  No injuries were reported, however several large limbs crashed through one of the bedrooms in the home.  Phil Stone’s Tree Service was there early this morning to begin removing the tree from the house.

A dead pine tree fell across Carbonton Road.  Progress Energy crews were restoring power this morning to the residents in that area. It may be a few days before all the street lights are fully serviceable in that area.

The creek behind Riverburch Shopping Center was overflowing its banks this morning.  Mullins & Sherman Architects office on Carbonton Road had the pumps going.  The Pond at the Porches subdivision was as full as I”ve ever seen it.  Heritage Points pond was over flowing along with Carbonton Coves.

I’m not sure if the storm was the cause, however the train signal at Charlotte and Chatham was ringing and flashing all morning.  The only train in sight was the one in Depot Park. 

It appears that our area was spared from a great deal of damage from Hanna. We were lucky……this time. Hopefully, Hurricane Ike will stay far away from our area.  Our saturated ground needs no wind for quite a while.

Demolition and Property Cleanup in Sanford… How? When? Why? Who Pays for the Cleanup?

Video by Randall Yow from You Tube on East Sanford decay.

Condemned house on 7th Street in 2007

Same house as of August 21st, 2008

Corner of Ray Ave. & Seventh Street

 

 

Randall Yow has produced a five minute video on You Tube that shows several unsightly areas in East Sanford. He makes a point to show how nice areas like Depot Park, the old city hall, and the Kelly MarCom building on Charlotte are today. He then shows three properties that are in need of demolition or repair. He ask people to call the city manager and county manager. 

 

Some important question or information has been left out of this video.

 

• What is the history of each property? 
• Who is responsible for these properties?
• Who will pay for the cleanup of these properties?
• Why hasn’t Randall Yow called the governing bodies to discuss this issue? 

 

There are several houses in our city that have been condemned by Code Enforcement.  This doesn’t mean the building will be destroyed.  This means that currently minimum housing requirements have not been met and/or the property is unsafe. Most condemned buildings are refurbished. Buildings that cannot be refurbished begin the demolition process.

 

There is a lengthy, legal process the city must go through to demolish a property owners building.  A hearing is held through Code Enforcement.  Hopefully, the property owner will take care of the problem through voluntary demolition.  The city has been very successful with this approach.  If voluntary demolition is not an option, the City Council must vote to demolish and award the bid for demolition.  The property owner is informed of the Council’s decision. The building is demolished and the property is cleared of debris.  Keep in mind, from the very beginning, after each decision is made during the process, the property owner has a set period of time to respond.  That is what makes demolition a very lengthy process.

 

It is important to note that the house in the video was demolished on August 18th, 2008.  This house had been scheduled for demolition for some time.  Equipment problems suffered by the contractor delayed demolition.

 

There are two collection processes that city uses for demolition.  During voluntary demolition the city assist the owner in obtaining a contractor to demolish the building.  The property owner pays all fees for the demolition.  Forced demolition is paid for by the city.  A tax lien is placed on the property at the courthouse.  This helps assure the city will be reimbursed for the cost of demolition.

 

The McIver School building is privately owned by Sandra Wilson.  She is currently working with a group to restore portions of the building.  This group has an active soup kitchen that serves citizens on the weekends at that location.  It will take time to restore this old building.  Remember W.B. Wicker took years.  It also had grants, public-private partnerships, etc. to transform that property into a nice facility. McIver School will be a very slow process, and be very costly. The good news is that the process has begun.  The building is secure and is fenced in the front for safety.

 

In the case of the API building (old Roberts Company) on Market Street, the building collapsed into the street.  The city pushed the debris out of the street, back onto the property.  The owners were then contacted and advised of the situation.  The company is bankrupt. The final cleanup, and cost associated with the cleanup, may fall on the city and county. The legalities of this issue are complicated.  The city is working very hard to resolve the issue with this property.

 

I am very glad Mr. Yow is concerned about our city.  His heart is in the right place. He is just not aware of all that has been done, and is being done.  In 1995 Depot Park was an old parking lot with a junk pile, a rusty train, and a building in disrepair.  The old city hall and Kelly MarCom buildings were in disrepair before renovation. 

 

 

Progress is being made.  This progress is taking place faster than you think.  If you compared 2006 to 2008, you would see a great deal of improvement in our city on many fronts.  We still have a good ways to go. I can assure you….we are headed in the right direction.

If you have any questions about these issues, please call City Manager Hal Hegwer at 919-775-8201, or Steve Brewer at 919-770-9587

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT

Slowing Neighborhood Traffic

One of the many questions asked on National Night Out was how to slow down traffic in the neighborhood.  Depending on what type street you live on will depend on the method of speed control that may help.  This is an on going concern. The city has had some success in areas and is working in several others areas where citizens have reported excessive speeds.

One of the first steps is to conduct a traffic study of the area in question.  The city has a small device that is temporarily installed on the road itself.  This device counts the number vehicles coming and going each day, and the speed of those vehicles.  After reviewing the information from the traffic study, a plan for that particular street or area is developed. 

There are several different ways that you can attempt to slow traffic. Different situations dictate the success or failure in each case.  Some solutions are:

• Reduce the speed limit to a lower speed
• Post more signage and possibly highlight as a reminder
• Temporary signage to bring new awareness to the problem
• Speed humps or bumps (The city has considered but has not tried this.)
• Stop signs, to break up traffic flow
• Speed indicators are temporary devices that make you aware how fast you are going
• Police car decoy
• Police using radar

A neighborhood that has a great deal of thru traffic is the most challenging.  Winterlocken, located in the Long View Acres and West Landing subdivisions, and Gulf Street in the Rosemont McIver Park Historic District, are good examples.  These neighborhoods had an average vehicle speed of 5 to 10 miles per hour (mph) faster than the posted speed limit.  Unfortunately, at times there were a few vehicles traveling on in excess of 50 mph.  A speed indicator and a four way stop were chosen to help slow traffic on these streets.  Combined with police patrols, this seems to be slowing the traffic in these areas.

Carbonton Road, in the Kiwanis Park area, presented a different challenge.  This area has a speed limit change from 45 mph to 35 mph located on an incline.  Posting more signage, speed indicators and police using radar seem to be a winning combination that is slowing traffic on this stretch of road.   There are still some that choose to speed, but the majority of drivers are slowing down.

Neighborhoods such as Brentwood, Carbonton Heights, Westcroft, Bellaire, Planters Ridge, Muirfield, Westlake Downs, etc., have no main thoroughfare leading to other areas of the city. There is a limited amount of traffic in these type neighborhoods and most of the people driving too fast are the neighbors. Temporary signs and police patrol will help in these areas; however the neighbors may be the key.

It is impossible to have a police patrol in your area all the time.  Getting involved and discussing problem speeders with your neighbors may help solve some problems.  Community Watches can help with this problem too.  Many times in these areas it is a young neighborhood driver who is traveling too fast.  They either live close by or are visiting a friend.  Either way, someone in the neighborhood, usually knows who these individuals are and where they live or visit. You may need his or her parents contacted to help with the problem.  Children tend to play more in the streets in these areas and no one ever wants to see anyone get hurt. 

Our traffic flow is always changing. New streets and neighborhoods are increasing traffic volume.  As our city grows, so will traffic concerns.  The City Council and Police Department are continually working on different plans for problem areas.  If you have a concerns about an area please call Major Gray with the Sanford Police Department at 919-775-8346, or Steve Brewer at 919-770-9587.

National Night Out a Great Success!

Coordinator Elizabeth Smith with Chief Barber & firemen from Station #3

National Night Out in the Sanford was a great success.  Twenty-nine neighborhoods organized their own event, planed the great tasting food and beverage, and invited friends and neighbors to join in the fight against crime in their community. 

 

I enjoyed visiting several different sites.  From what I am told, all the sites had very good turn outs despite the 100 degree temperature, and everyone seemed to have a very good time. It’s nice to take time to see old friends and neighbors, and to meet some new ones too.  The world is such a busy place these days that we sometimes forget just what makes a neighborhood……..it’s our neighbors.

 

There were fire trucks, the Fire Chief and firemen that visited each site. The police mobile command post went to the new locations this year, and police officers, detectives, city staff, the Mayor, and Council members all taking part and visiting as many sites as possible. 

 

I was part of a very good question and answer session at an event on Valley Road.  The Police Chief explained how and why the city uses radar in certain areas rather than others to control speeders.  He also spoke about some new high tech equipment purchased this year that will help fight crime. How community policing works was discussed and more. 

 

All and all it was a great night.  Councilman Walter McNeill and City Clerk Bonnie White worked with the neighborhood organizers and made it a night to remember.  This was Sanford’s largest National Night Out since beginning the program.  We’ve gone from nine in 2006, to twenty-nine in 2008. I would like to thank everyone for their hard work and for making the City of Sanford a safe place to live.

 

If you would like any additional information about the National Night Out program, please call City Clerk, Bonnie White at 919-775-8364 or Steve Brewer at 919-770-9587.

Crime by the Numbers

 Sanford Crime Index for the Past 10 years.  Based on 2007 population of 26,633

Offense	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Murder	5	7	1	1	6	4	2	6	2	3
Rape	7	12	4	10	10	14	10	9	9	5
Robbery	62	61	50	65	87	91	67	62	64	59
Aggravated Assault	92	99	71	80	107	87	101	70	48	48
Violent Crime	166	179	126	156	210	196	180	147	123	115
Burglary	616	547	283	521	573	532	538	397	373	429
Larceny	1,757	1,682	996	1,788	1,765	1,651	1,284	1,251	1,153	930
MV Theft	123	110	90	88	112	93	127	111	79	93
Property Crime	2,496	2,339	1,369	2,397	2,450	2,276	1,949	1,759	1,605	1,452
Index Crime Total	2,662	2,518	1,495	2,553	2,660	2,472	2,129	1,906	1,728	1,567

Statesville population 26,094
	Offense 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Murder 3 4 4 0 1 2 2 4 2 7 Rape 7 5 6 11 8 14 8 8 6 10 Robbery 88 74 66 88 49 86 60 72 100 84 Aggravated Assault 349 210 179 111 139 144 142 180 135 174 Violent Crime 447 293 255 210 197 246 212 264 243 275                       Burglary 401 404 331 322 334 296 489 616 777 650 Larceny 1,318 1,140 1,533 1,603 1,402 1,483 1,250 1,318 1,273 1,013 MV Theft 113 114 74 86 89 76 98 93 124 131 Property Crime 1,832 1,658 1,938 2,011 1,825 1,855 1,837 2,027 2,174 1,794                       Index Crime Total 2,279 1,951 2,193 2,221 2,022 2,101 2,049 2,291 2,417 2,069

Kinston population 22,962
	Offense 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Murder 1 2 2 6 4 5 4 3 5 1 Rape 13 12 17 10 18 12 8 8 9 12 Robbery 78 51 63 73 75 64 46 60 44 63 Aggravated Assault 185 187 157 293 179 179 197 218 179 214 Violent Crime 277 252 239 382 276 260 255 289 237 290                       Burglary 524 379 325 404 637 487 589 526 396 359 Larceny 1,647 1,552 1,461 1,562 1,649 1,674 1,594 1,688 1,396 995 MV Theft 102 66 78 107 92 70 114 100 93 53 Property Crime 2,273 1,997 1,864 2,073 2,378 2,231 2,297 2,314 1,885 1,407                       Index Crime Total 2,550 2,249 2,103 2,455 2,654 2,491 2,552 2,603 2,122 1,697

Each year the SBI (State Bureau of Investigation) releases the crime statistics for cities across the state.  These statistics are broken down into categories of violent crime and property crime. They are then broken down further in each of these categories.

When comparing crime statistics to other cities, it is important to use cities with the same population and density make-up as your own.  Population density is an important factor.  The more people you have living close together, and the more interaction, the better possibility of more crime. The SBI suggest the cities of Statesville and Kinston as likely comparisons for the City of Sanford. 

The City of Sanford’s crime index is a great deal lower now that in 1998.  This is a result of hard work from local law enforcement.  Any crime is too much crime.  Local law enforcement continues to work very hard make our city a safe place to live.  With our growing population this is not an easy task.  We thank them for the hard work they do for our community.

If you have any questions about this issue, please call The Sanford Police Department at 919-775-8346, or Steve Brewer at 919-770-9587. The web site for this information is
http://sbi2.jus.state.nc.us/crp/public/Default.htm
 click 2007 on the left hand side. Click index crime in the far right column. Click Agency Index Offenses at the bottom of the center column.  Choose the city you would like to view.

Starting a Community Watch

National Night Out is just a few days away. This is the perfect time to consider ways of make your neighborhood safer for you, and your neighbors.  A Community Watch is a great way to start. This is a Crime Prevention program that involves neighbors working with each other, and local law enforcement, to reduce crime in their neighborhood.  

A Community Watch is the same as a Citizen Alert, Neighborhood Watch, Block Watch, or Community Watch.  The names may be different, but the idea is the same.  Neighbors watching out for each other. 

A Community Watch involves:

• Residents protecting themselves & their property by using common sense crime prevention practices. 
• Neighbors getting to know each other, watching out for each other, and acting on and reporting suspicious activities.
• Residents working with groups, community leaders, and law enforcement to make the entire community safe & free from crime.

A Community Watch is a great idea.  We all know law enforcement officers cannot be on every street and every corner. They need our help and participation to fight crime.   The people in the neighborhood are the ones that really know what’s going on on their street.  By getting involved, the residents become a key element in securing the safety of their neighborhood, and their neighbors.

Community watches are very successful.  The goal of a Community Watch is to make criminals aware that the neighbors are watching and they know what may look suspicious. That they will also quickly report any suspicious activity to the police.   

To Start a community Watch Program in your neighborhood:

• Contact the Police Department if you live inside the city limits.  Contact the Sheriff’s Department if you live outside the city limits. Ask for Crime Prevention or Community Police.
• Schedule a meeting with your neighbors.
• Invite the Community Police to speak at your first meeting to help get your program started.
• Contact every resident in your neighborhood and invite them to the meeting.  You can go door-to door, make phone calls, or mail out flyers. Do what ever it takes to inform everyone of the meeting.
• Hold your meeting.

Community Watch works when people get involved and stay involved.  Any crime is too much crime.  Help us improve our quality of life by making our community a safer place to live. 

For more information on this subject, please call the Sanford Police Department at 919-775-8346, or Steve Brewer at 919-770-9587.

National Night Out in Sanford

This is the 25th aniversary of the National Night Out program.  Each year, on the first Tuesday night in August, cities across the U.S. host this event.  There are also several locations hosted in Lee County outside the Sanford city limits. (Outside city events not organized by City of Sanford.)

Councilman Walter McNeil brought this great idea to Sanford many years ago.  It first began as just a few neighborhoods taking part.  This year there are 29 groups from many different neighborhoods in the city making plans for the event. 

This is a great time for neighbors, local police officers and fireman to learn who lives in their neighborhoods.  Discuss ways to have a safer neighborhood and enjoy some good food and fellowship. 

This is also an opportunity for a question and answer session with your council member.  So if there is something on your mind, or a project you’d like to know more about……this is the perfect opportunity to get answers. Although there has not been a great deal of support from Ward 1residents for allowing chickens in the city……this will be one of the topics that I will be discussing with residents. 

If you need more information on National Night Out please call City Clerk Bonnie White at 919-775-8364.

Hope to see you soon!