Triangle Neighborhood Association Meeting

Monday, September 11, 2006

 

        A meeting of the Triangle Neighborhood Association was held on Monday, September 11, 2006 at Warner Elementary School in the library.  A summary of the presentations made and the discussions held at the meeting follows:

 

 

1.                  Frank McKelvey, TNA Vice President, began the meeting at 7:03PM.  Howard Sholl, TNA President, was not able to be present for the meeting; due to work commitments related to September 12th Primary Elections. Frank asked for a moment of silence in recognition of the fifth anniversary of the 9-11 disaster. There were 26 persons present at the start of the meeting.   Three persons joined after meeting started.  A sign-up sheet was circulated among those present.

 

2.                  Captain Michael Maggitti addressed the group:

·        There will be police officers on duty during the Primary Elections to ensure proper conditions for the polling.

·        Another police academy started on September 11 with 39 officers enrolled in the class.  It is hoped that at least 35 will successfully complete the training.

·        Arrangements have been made for a Neighborhood Watch training session this fall.  A possible date is October 26 at Tom Baker’s home.

·        Copies of the crime stats have been issued to Tom Baker, who has made them available at the meeting.

·        The neighborhood experienced a run of burglaries at the end of July.  Mrs. Pat Joyce notified the police.  The incidents ended as quickly as they began.  Two suspicious individuals were approaching neighbors asking for work.  The points of entry were porches and open second floor windows.

·        Be careful of anyone soliciting for AIDS Walks.  Ask for ID.

·        The Deerhurst neighborhood on route 202 has experienced burglaries, also.

·        A www.snopescom email was distributed concerning missing license plates.

·        Request: Mr. Frank Joyce asked for information on the “Reverse 911.”   Response: It is used only for emergences, and limited in effectiveness, since “no telemarketing” controls on phones block the message.

·        Sergeant Steve Elliott of the Wilmington Police (576-3162) is able to place phone numbers on the Reverse 911 list.

·        DEMS, a Texas company, is used by the State of Delaware for emergencies.

·        Question: How many parking tickets does a vehicle have to be received before it is towed?   Answer: To trigger the towing of a vehicle, the car must be reported as abandoned.  The accumulation of parking tickets does not result in the towing of a vehicle.

·        In the last calendar year, the Police towed about one thousand vehicles.

·        After a series of parking tickets have been issued, the vehicle can be “booted”.

·        There will be more training on “community policing” made available.  The possible dates are Oct 6, 8, 21 and 22.   It consists of two full days of training.  The local councilman selects a few participants and the Community Relations Police Officer selects other participants.

·        If anyone is interested in a citizens’ police academy, call Captain Maggitti (576-3187).

·        Chris and Sean, the two officers assigned to the Triangle Neighborhood have been working evening shifts.

 

3.                  Norm Griffiths, Councilman for the Second District, addressed the group:

·        Sept 12, Primary Election Day, is important.  It is the first time the polling will take place on a normal workday.

·        A report was made on abandoned properties.  The owner of 1902 N. Broom Street has made arrangements for the payment of a delinquent water bill.

·        AIDS Walk brochures are available.  Be sure to ask for an ID from anyone soliciting funds for any charitable activity.

·        Expect to see more vehicles booted.   The city has acquired the services of a company equipped with cameras mounted on trucks.  Computer software is able to trace the owners.  There is a traffic component to illegally parked vehicles.

·        There could be two vacancies on City Council based on the results of the upcoming general election.   On September 21, a committee formed by the President of City Council to formulate procedures.  In the event of vacancies, a committee will nominate replacements, which the entire City Council will subsequently need to approve.  Care will be taken to retain political party affiliation and residency in the open district. 

·        Delmarva has forms for reporting street lights which need replacement.

·        The Blood Bank of Delaware continues to need donations of blood.

·        Question: Is the 1901 Franklin Street home vacant?  It looks bad.  Answer: It is not vacant.

·        The house at 2105 Baynard is slated to be repaired under the Façade Program.  No one knows when the work will be completed.

·        A handout on curfew law was made available.

·        All rental properties are required to undergo a pre-rental inspection.

 

4.                  Chris Coons, New Castle County Executive,  addressed the group:

·        The new Woodlawn Library will be opened by the first week of November 2006.   It is a beautiful building.   The neighbors in the area of the library did some fund raising to help retain some attractive features.

·        The New Castle Paramedic Center is near Wilmington Trust on Washington Street.

·        A task force will be established to determine the best use of County   assets.   A whole series of issues will be investigated.

·        The County is in good shape for the current and the upcoming fiscal years.  Some steps need to be taken to ensure that Fiscal Year 2009 will be stable, as well.

·        A new Mosque was opened on rout 273.  This is a sign of the diversity of our people.

·        The County is doing a better job than ever with planning for police, fire fighters and first responders.

 

5.                  Harris McDowell, State Senator District 1, addressed the group:

·        World tensions would subside or at least lessen, if we could lessen our dependence on foreign oil.

·        At the state level, Senator McDowell formed a task force aimed at building sustainable energy supplies.   Solar power and wind power would be a cheaper and cleaner forms of energy.  An executive report will be available by March 13, 2006.  A draft copy was distributed.

 

6.                  Loren Grober addressed the group:

·        The “Meet the Candidates” night of September 6, 2006 was successful.

·        Loren proposed the organization of a similar “Meet the Candidates” night prior to the November General Elections.

·        We could invite the three neighboring neighborhood associations to join with TNA.

·        Salesianum School has offered the use of its facilities for the forum.  A few dates were reviewed.

·        Chris Coons suggested that we check the various websites of the political parties in an effort to select the best night with the fewest conflicts.

·        The group entrusted Loren with the task of selecting the best date, and of informing the group of the date at the October 2 meeting.

·        It was agreed that if a candidate does not RSVP by the specified date, he or she should wait to the end to speak.

 

7.                  Lee McKelvey addressed the group:

·        The TNA checking account has $3,400.

·        A membership drive is underway for the new season.

 

8.                  Frank Joyce addressed the group:

·        He first thanked Meg Hudson for the well organized neighborhood yard sale.

·        Our neighborhood phone tree is a quick system of communication in time of imminent danger.

·        Each of us should find out who our Block Captain is.

·        There are 30 blocks in Triangle Neighborhood, and we have 30 block captains.

·        Maps of the neighborhood are available.

·        Tim Sharpe is in charge of the Neighborhood Watch, which patrols on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

·        We are in need of five persons to distribute newsletters.

·        On October 29, we plan to have our usual Halloween Parade.

·        In the fall, the City of Wilmington will notify us of a leaf pick-up date.

 

9.                  Tim Sharpe, Coordinator of the Neighborhood Watch, felt no need to address the group, since a few speakers mentioned the program already at the meeting.

 

10.              There were no reports on the community garden, nor the garage sale.

 

11.              Beth Copson spoke of the “Progressive Dinner Party”, and she made available fliers describing the event.  The cost is $15 per person.  The date is Saturday, October 7, 2006 from 7 to 11 PM.

 

12.              Frank McKelvey asked if  any matters should be considered under New Business:

·        We need a coordinator for the Halloween Parade.

·        The group by voice vote allocated up to $250 for the Halloween Party.

·        Envelopes will be attached to the next newsletters in an effort to remind persons, families and corporations to pay their yearly dues.

·        Membership checks should be made payable to TNA.

·        Pat Joyce made a plea for address plates to be visible on houses.  The house address is essential in times of emergency.  It was decided that a reminder would be placed in the next newsletter.

·        Frank Joyce asked the block captains to compose a list of houses without visible addresses in their blocks.  Once a master list is created, individuals can be notified.

 

13.              The next meeting will be held on Monday, October 2, 2006 in the Warner School Library.

 

Compiled by

Fr. J. Dalton

September 17, 2006