Let's go back to the need for TWO (not one) more speed humps on Chadwick. Metro originally planned for a total of six humps. We got four. Don't think the speeders are all at the South end of the street....they also speed on my end of the street. For the new members of Bellemeade maybe you haven't noticed that the Moorgate section does not have door to door mail delivery,,,our boxes are on the street....some even have to cross the street to get the mail...it is dangerous to pick up the mail during rush hour. We really need to be heard.
Yes Ma'am, you are exactly 100% correct about the need for SIX speed humps, you are 100% correct about it being dangerous at rush hour and at various times on week ends, and you are also 100% correct in your last sentence - we DO need to be heard!!
The way I read that new Commission Oversight plan, Brian Hill is responsible for streets and Larry Odom-Groh is responsible for Public Safety. So, either one of them, or both of them, needs / need to hear us and put in the speed humps. I am asking either or both of them now to tell us if we have to go through the petitioning process again or will the first petition suffice?
I really don't want to spend money we don't have for a rental police officer. We already pay taxes to Metro and have Metro occupational taxes taken out of our pay to pay for police protection among other things. If parts of Bellemeade feel that LMPD is not adequately policing their area, then do as I did and write to the 8th Division Commander or even Chief White on the Metro website. I have found LMPD to be most gracious in responding to our requests. When I was organizing the Bellemeade Neighborhood Watch, Officer Pickett was quick to help. The LMPD visibility really slowed down the speeders last week. But, they have a huge area to cover, so it is not even sensible to expect them to be that visible all the time.
Lack of police protection is NOT the problem. Lack of sufficient speed humps is the problem. Councilman Jon Ackerson (Metro 18th) called me in response to my email about the speeding and upfront told me he was a PROPONENT of properly spaced speed humps in sufficient numbers to slow down the speeders. After our conversation, he called Mayor Larry Odom-Groh, but I do not know what, if anything, was accomplished. Larry has chosen to NOT share the crux of that conversation - I don't know why since I was the person who once again went to Mr. Ackerson about keeping his pre-election promise to do something about the speeding on Chadwick.
In one post, Larry referred to those of us who have loudly called for more speed humps "the opposition." We expect the speeding issue to be dealt with decisively; certainly there can be no opposition to that. We want to feel safe crossing the street; are there opponents to that desire?
Instead of putting in the number of speed humps originally deemed necessary, Mayor Odom-Groh has proposed a rentacop plan. The rent a cop plan appears to have a couple of serious flaws: one, the liability if someone brings legal complaints against us for some action by our rental officer; two: the cost of several hours of court appearances and travel time resulting from citations being contested. Could we get the mayor to address those two concerns in public forum or do we have to wait until the second Monday of February and crowd into that tiny coat closet of a "room" where the Bellemeade City Commission meets?
How can we be heard? How can we be understood?