Spring 2011 | Wingfield Springs Community Association Newsletter
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t’s spring and time to get your yards in condition. Members of the community are expected to get their lawns in an acceptable condition in a reasonable amount of time. By Memorial Day, they should be looking good. At the last meeting, homeowners were brought up to date on our new patrol service and on landscape enhancements throughout our community. Articles detailing those projects are included in this edition of Hawk Talk by the members of the board that spearheaded the projects. Several homeowners also asked us about the security of our neighborhoods and about the neighborhood watch, in particular. We have done research and have gathered the following information:
Start a watch z Contact local law enforcement to tell them you plan to start a neighborhood watch and ask that representative for tips to help you and if they would attend the first meeting. In Reno and Washoe County, call Teresa Aquila, a Washoe County Sheriff’s Office reserve officer, at 775-240-2308. In Sparks, call Officer Alex Mendoza at 775-353-2242. All homeowner’s desiring to start a neighborhood watch, contact our new patrol ESI.
Photo by Deanna Hearn
z Telephone your neighbors or go door-to-door and invite them to a meeting to discuss their concerns and ideas. Print flyers and hand them out. z Start a list with participating neighbors’ names, addresses, phone numbers and any special information, such as neighbors who have a disabled member or pets in their homes in case first responders need to be informed during an emergency. z At the first meeting, hand out copies of the list of neighbors’ names, etc., a map of the neighborhood and any tip sheets and telephone numbers law enforcement representatives provide. Officers also will make presentations to interested groups. z Discuss what each person in the group can do to help improve neighborhood safety. z Hold meetings to review the progress of past initiatives and create new ones. Keep law enforcement posted on the group’s progress. z Appoint an organized leader and keep involved. A neighborhood watch group is effective only if the residents are active and communicate. z Set up a website where residents can see when meetings will be held, what projects are planned and where they can exchange information or comments.
Good new site provided by Washoe County To get alerts about reports of crimes happening in your neighborhood, visit AlertID, a national online program, at www.alertid.com. AlertID is a free online web service that allows instant, twoway communications between citizens and federal, state and local authorities to provide immediate information on crime, terrorism or natural disasters. Hope this information is helpful. See you at our next meeting at Red Hawk on May 5th at 6 pm.
Lou Dauria
President Wingfield Springs Community Association