Expert Contributor
Since We’re Neighbors, Let’s be Friends By Linda Kralik, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services/ Drysdale Properties, Resident since 1984
T
he beauty of living in a community is the feeling of belonging. In Blackhawk, you are not just buying a home, but buying into the lifestyle that is Blackhawk and belonging totally to its community. The reasons for selecting this very desirable neighborhood are many, but the reason I hear the most while talking with prospective clients is the safety factor. They talk of the desire to be located in a gated community and find Blackhawk, with 24 hour live guards at three of the entrances and restrictive coded entries for the other 4 neighborhoods, a perfect choice. In addition to the live guard gates the matter of having our own Fire Station adjacent to the Silver Oak townhomes, as well as our own Police Services on property, gives an extra layer of protection for these potential homeowners. But having all of this does not guarantee safety. It guarantees a certain amount of privacy, a quicker response for first responders, and satisfaction of controlled street traffic etc., but not safety. Is Blackhawk more safe than other communities? Yes. Because Blackhawk has privacy gates, because of the nearness of a Fire Station and a Paramedic’s Ambulance, because we have our own Police Force, yes we are safer than adjoining communities without these amenities. But can we do more to enhance and protect ourselves? And the answer is yes. My January article touched on many security measures an individual homeowner can make to ensure their own personal safety. Perimeter lighting, Burglar Alarm systems, Home camera surveillance systems, (Nest or Ring) just to name a few. And last but not least, there are your neighbors. Yes, they are the ones most likely to see or hear what is going on in the neighborhood. There are many structured security type programs. And it is a proven fact that Neighborhood Watch, Block Watch, Town Watch, Crime Watch, or any local name given to a program, is one of the most effective and least costly ways to prevent crime and reduce fear. By working together, neighbor to neighbor, you can fight the isolation that crime both creates and feeds upon. It forges bonds among area residents, helps reduce burglaries and robberies, and improves relations between police and the communities they serve. With a similar type of program this also becomes a springboard for emergencies, for example, wild fires or earthquakes. So, be a good neighbor. Find out who your neighbors are. Get to know them. And let’s protect each other.
12
MARCH 2020
