1st Quarter WGNA Meeting Summary 1/25/19 K.Agee

Our 1st quarter WGNA meeting was held on 1/24/19 at the Hollabaugh Recreational Center, 3925 W. Walnut St. The meeting started at 7:02 p.m. and was chaired by WGNA President Ricardo Rocha.

After leading the Pledge of Allegiance, President Rocha introduced Officer David L. Wade of the Garland Police Department. Officer Wade is one of our Neighborhood Patrol Officers (NPO).

The good news is that crime in our neighborhood is down from historic levels. No noticeable gang activity was detected and routine crimes such as burglaries & domestic violence was reported to be at a manageable level. Two attending residents reported gunshots in their neighborhood, which caused a discussion about the difficulty of responding quickly enough to be able to arrest the suspect(s). The conversation drifted over to street-racing, because it is also the type of transient event that is hard to catch. Officer Wade said that NPO’s should be able to accept home security video as evidence, but the quality needs to be good enough to see faces, license plates, etc. An audience member suggested that when buying a home video system, to look for one using a “NVR” (Network Video Recorder) instead of a “DVR” (Digital Video Recorder) – the difference being that NVR implies a 100% digital system that provides better quality video.

Officer Wade also reminded us to be more careful when we leave our cars and run into a store… we still need to hide valuables and lock the car! Another reminder was to always cut up cardboard boxes left over from major purchases or gifts… don’t advertise to thieves that you now have a giant new television in your house!

One resident complained about large trucks being left parked in the streets along Purdue, etc. Officer Wade recommended calling in complaints to the City – either by calling 911 so the dispatcher can direct the call, the Police Non-Emergency number (972-485-4840), or Code Compliance (972-485-6400). Another meeting attendee suggested getting the truck’s contact information and calling their company office directly – the theory being that the driver won’t worry much about a parking violation warning, but they may suffer when their boss finds out that they are so careless.

After Officer Wade finished, we turned to regular business. David Morehead acted on behalf of Treasurer Robert Vera who was absent due to his role as District 6 City Councilman. David reported no new incoming or outgoing revenue, so the current WGNA account remains at $1688.11.

David Morehead happens to be on the bond proposal team that recently provided three levels of suggestions for the upcoming City Bond request (to be voted on this fall). Common items for all three levels (“good, better, & best”) was funds to upgrade the Hollabaugh Rec Center’s kitchen so it can be used for cooking classes. There will also be a serious attempt to have an indoor gymnasium added, and have the large meeting room modified to make it more suited for community meetings. They also hope to make strategic changes to the current City program for upgrading unpaved alleyways so that they can get matching funds. David noted that the citywide bond-study teams all wanted improvements to make Garland more “walkable”, meaning additional funding for better sidewalks and trails.

After a short open discussion, President Rocha adjourned the meeting at 8:03 p.m.

Next meeting is scheduled for April 25^th at the Hollabaugh Rec Center, 3925 W. Walnut St, starting at 7 p.m. in the main meeting room.