There
was a special meeting of the Flemingsburg City Council Monday, July 23, 2007 at
6:00 p.m. in the City Annex. Council
members present were Ricky Hurst, Scott Manning, Meredith Story, and Van
Alexander. Council members absent were
Marty Voiers and Georgianna Sparks.
Councilman
Alexander led the Pledge of Allegience.
City Clerk Joy Roark presented the second reading of Ordinance No.
7-07-1 regarding the E-911 interlocal agreement. Councilman Hurst moved to approve. Councilman Alexander seconded the motion. A roll call was given with all voting in
favor.
City
Council had a public hearing for discussion on making Ingram Ave. and Garr Ave.
one way. Residents attending were: Doug Hamm, Dickie Welch, Terry Hurst, Amos
Bramel, Kathryn Voiers, Angie Lee, and Joan Harmon. Chief Sergent, who is also a resident of the area in question,
addressed the group regarding the proposed plan of action. Sergent noted that there are a lot of
children living in the area and the flow of traffic was creating safety
issues. The Safety Committee
recommended making Ingram Ave. and Garr Ave. one way with access from Foxspring
Ave. Garr Ave. could be accessed from
E. Main with right turns only or Kay St. with left turns only. McMullin Ave. and Crawford St. would remain
two ways, but there would be no turns onto these streets from Ingram Ave. This should help eliminate traffic by people
using the streets as short cuts.
Speeding has also been a problem and the committee recommended lowering
the speed limit from 25 to 20.Randy - most no votes came from McMullin. Lowering speed limit to 20.
Joan
Harmon complained of drug dealers and people walking the streets all hours of
the night. The traffic problem didn’t
exist until the drug problem and it won’t get better until the drug problem is
cleaned up. Council also heard
complaints of vehicles broken down and left sitting on the streets for
months. Harmon complained that a large
number of people were living at one rental property with little or no parking
and the tenants had a lot of vehicles.
Property owners were having trouble finding places to park in front of
their own property. Terry Hurst stated
that someone had parked in his yard, but moved his vehicle when asked. Harmon complained that people would pull up
in front of certain homes, block the street, run in for a few minutes and
leave. Amos Bramel stated that he had
to weave in and out of traffic on Ingram Ave. the traffic problem had gotten so
bad.
All
residents agreed the area used to be a nice, quiet neighborhood, but it wasn’t
any more. Chief Sergent said the
committee could look at setting a curfew.
Sergent suggested trying the proposed plan for six months. They would monitor the area and get feedback
from the residents. It was a consensus
from the group that something needed to be done and they were willing to try
the proposed plan.
Mayor
Flanery suggested forming a community watch group. They could monitor the area and report suspicious activity. Flanery cautioned that having suspicion is
one thing, but getting in court and proving it is another. It’s a tough job.
Chief
Sergent said the first month or so after the changes are in force would be hard
until people adjusted. Residents were
advised to report the tag numbers of vacant cars to City Hall. Mayor Flanery said the Codes Enforcement
Officer and police officers would be monitoring the area for abandoned
vehicles. Tom MacDonald stated that an
ordinance was required to make the streets one-way, but the speed limit could
be changed now. Kathy Voiers commented
that the presence of the police in the community would discourage illegal
activities and asked if the sheriff and state police were driving through the
area as well. Chief Sergent said they were
not monitoring the area, but encouraged forming a community watch group noting
that their presence would help discourage such activities. Sergent said it would probably take six
months to start a community watch group, but once it was formed the neighborhood
could be posted. Suspicious activity
has to be documented and the property watched.
Witnesses also have to testify.
Councilman
Manning suggested a trial period of six months with review in three months.
There
being no further business Councilman Manning moved to adjourn at 6:50 p.m. Councilman Alexander seconded the
motion. All were in favor.
____________________________
Louie
Flanery, Mayor
ATTESTED:
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