City of Bellemeade

We on Chadwick are certainly appreciative for Officer Stivers service and for her willingness to volunteer some of her off-duty time.  I wasn't asked, but but our driveway is available if she needs it.  I am also thankful for the time that Larry spent and for Margaret Wright suggesting that Larry talk to Office Stivers.

As thankful and appreciative as I am for all of that, it kinda hits me like putting a band aid on a ruptured artery and it further causes me to wonder why it takes so long to address issues that have been around without sufficient remedy for ages.  If this were happening on a red dirt road in the Dog Days of August further south, it might be more understandable; note that I said understandable, not acceptable.

As numerous residents of North Chadwick, and even non-residents such as Miss Kitty, and others have asked over and over and over and over, why will the leadership of our city NOT admit the speed humps were put in improperly thus allowing the speeding to continue AND do someting constructive to remedy their own error. Granted, the speeding is not as bad as it was before the speed humps, but it is still bad, very bad!.   Can you imagine how the Romans must have felt as Nero fiddled as the city burned to the ground?  I can because I know how I have felt for a long time about the speeding problem.  Could the leadership of this city please explain why I have to live on a dangerous road?

At first, one leader posted that according to the speed hump regulations that he had, the humps had tp be 1200 feet apart.  That turned out to be wrong; no such requirement.  Then, one leader stated that some residents think speed humps are a waste of  tax-payer money.  Does that mean that it is a waste to attempt to insure public safety?  Some residents think planting trees, or cleaning out a ditch that is in the Metro area of responsibility, or plowing a small amount of snow leaving an ice sheet, or over-irrigating the Moorgate entrance, or sending out a newsletter, or whatever are wastes of tax-payer money, but that doesn't stop the expenditures from happening. 

Just where in the heirarchy of Bellemeade City Government responsibilities does public saftey rank?  Apparently it ranks only high enough to warrant a band aid.  I know all four of the Commissioners; know some of them very well; would love to have them all four as friends.  I have no reason whatsoever to not like any one of the four, but I certainly do not like this seemingly nonchalant, blase approach to solving the long-standing speeding problem; AND, even more aggravating, I know that every one of them is a conscientious, caring, concerned, capable, cooperative, commissioner AND person.   Knowing that makes it even harder to understand why the speeding problem has been allowed to continue.  Can we get our heads together and solve this problem so we can move on to deal with other things?  All kinds of misassumptions and errors in thinking occur when there are no lines of communication;  a city commission meeting once a month in a closet that affords admission to only a few residents is not a line of communication. 

Thank you.

I am glad to know that you are still involved in the SPEED problem.  I was afraid you were giving up on it.   Also thanks to Officer Stivers for her help.  Are we getting Block Watch signs ?  I would let them put one in my yard.

Last things first; according to what our mayor told me, there were a number of Neighborhood Watch signs supposedly ordered to post one at each entrance into Bellemeade.  That was months and months ago.  Since I am no longer Neighborhood Watch Captain, I don't know the status of that part of the project.  Ordinarily, I would assume that our mayor can tell you the answer.

Thanks for the support on the SPEED PROBLEM!  Now that the weather is getting better, more people will be out walking,and children playing, the speeding becomes an even greater threat.  Honestly, I expect NO HELP from our mayor at all, but I can't help but believe that the four commissioners would be willing to understand the problem even though none of them live on our street.

Our mayor told me some time ago that there was a lot of public opposition, so it appears that he is not willing to buck that sentiment be it great or small. There was/is a lot of opposition to the Beautification Ordinance and using tax money to plant or maintain trees on privately owned property, but it is still happening.

I am exhausted contacting Metro, LMPD, and Jon Ackerson to get help.  They have been responsive, but the LMPD 8th Diivision is huge compared to the available manpower.  The speed alert machine has been placed in my yard 5 or 6 times.  I have been totally amazed at the number of beer bottles, vodka bottles, whiskey bottles, drink cups, half-eaten Big Macs, and other junk that have been thrown at that machine that I have had to pick up.

Is there sufficient support for speed humps on our street?  Let's find out:  I am asking the residents whose property borders on North Chadwick Road to vote "yes" or "no" on the SPEED HUMPS by sending their vote via email to pajowm@insightbb.com.   If you know you neighbor does not have a computer, please ask them if they would like for you to send their vote.

I also understand the growing threat of criminal activity because of the bad economic conditions and just plain old sloth.  But I think if we attack each problem individually, we are more likely to be successful with each.  For those folks who keep asking for increased police patrols, I am with you, and I will lobby just as doggedly for resolution to that issue as I have for resolution of the speeding problem.  Working together, we can get it done. 

Oh, and for the levity that Miss Kitty yearned for, I have learned by picking up the junk targeted at the speed machine that there is a LOT of cheap whiskey, beer, and vodka sold (I'm talking rot-gut stuff.).  I have yet to find one premium brand bottle out there.  Must have something to do with the class of the people who throw junk at speed machines.