The need for cameras in the garage was reported in the New Britain Herald on 7-27-08 by Staff Reporter Rick Guinness “Mayor calls for security cameras in senior housing parking lot.”
The Mayor, quoted in that same article, further demanded the city property manager to obtain a cost estimate of equipping the D’Amato parking garage with security cameras and to have this report ready by the end of August.
The Mayor’s action was generated after the police department reported, in the same Herald report, that they responded to the Garage more than 80 times with many reports of property damage to parked vehicles.
To date, the action to rectify this existing problem has not been initiated either by the Mayor or the City Property Management Department.
The petition that was signed by tenants of the garage apparently has not been sufficient to cause the necessary action in order to provide both the customer’s safety and protection for their vehicles as well.
Therefore, I recommend that the City Common Council take the action to mandate the resolve. The Mayor promised action by the end of August and it is now the end of October with no apparent action on this problem. Do we need to buy the mayor a calendar to remind him that August has come and gone?
8 comments:
I sell calendars for a living, should I send one to city hall?
But who would teach the mayor how to read a calendar? You would really have your hands full on that challenge.
maybe we should get him one of those little dashboard calendars for his little golf cart!
06/24/2008
Seniors demand security
RICK GUINNESS , Herald staff
Mayor: plan is in the works
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NEW BRITAIN — In response to having their cars smashed at the Szczesny parking garage, senior citizens from the D’Amato Apartments on Chestnut Street are calling on city officials for help.
Tenants said they dropped off a petition with 37 signatures at Mayor Timothy Stewart’s office, calling on him and the Common Council to “appropriate sufficient funds to provide security cameras in the Sgt. H. J. Szczesny parking garage to protect the senior citizens and the general public who park in this garage – many of whom have already been the victims of crime in the past.”
But Stewart — who has not yet seen the petition — said Tuesday that security upgrades are already planned for the city garages:
“The city has addressed the security situation at the parking garages with a bond authorization for security upgrades and major improvements in the garages,” the mayor said. “It does not happen overnight. It will not happen overnight. We have a process and a procedure that needs to take place. When the time comes — and the bids come in, we will do the necessary upgrades in that garage.”
But the seniors are growing impatient, fearing a repeat of last summer, when there was a rash of vandalism in the garage. One tenant, Ken Sniadack, who circulated the petition, was hit repeatedly, and had his windshield smashed after several other incidents.
The total number of vandalism incidents in 2007 at the city-owned garage was 15, not counting a stolen car.
This year, three cars were broken into, one was stolen, and there were two acts of criminal mischief reported prior to June, according to police records.
However, one resident said he was hit three times in the past month — he only reported the third incident last week.
A lot of residents can identify with his problem.
They said their safety should be of a higher priority than providing anti-vandalism cameras on a hiking trail, referring to a recent purchase of hidden surveilence cameras at Stanley Quarter Park.
The residents added that they “further petition the Mayor and Common Council to extend the current garage security officer coverage to include nights and weekends to provide safety to the senior citizens....”
Stewart lamented the city’s current budget constraints, saying, “We don’t have the money to have staff in there [the garage] full time, 24/7. It’s unfortunate. But there is a budget crunch. That is the reality of the city today.”
Stewart pointed to a budget deficit of $2.2 million.
In addition, the Common Council is expected to give the school board $518,000 tonight.
He noted that while the garage is owned by the city, the actual apartments are owned by the New Britain Housing Authority.
“They should be sending a petition to the New Britain Housing Authority,” Stewart said.
But the tenant who delivered the petition — he requested anonymity fearing retaliation from the housing authority — said the city should be able to find some remedy to the problem of vandalism at night in the summer months.
“It just doesn’t make sense,” he said. “They should be able to do it some way. Even if it was tapped into the police station. That would work to catch these people.”
Like the anonymous tenant, many residents are afraid to speak out, he said, because “whistle-blowers always get messed up. And I don’t want New Britain Housing Authority to take it out on me.”
There are a total of three city garages slated for massive upgrades as part of the city’s downtown revitalization. Szczesny is already being used for events, and will be used by the police department once the new police station is constructed on the corner of Main and Chestnut streets according to the plans.
The cries for help from residents have not fallen on deaf ears. One city official said Monday that it comes down to the logistics of installing a system that cannot be easily disabled. And there is still the problem of who will monitor the camera images.
Although Stewart would not reveal the details, he indicated that help is on the way, saying, “We have a company engaged to do the design work on the garages.”
From that point, it will be a matter of choosing a contractor.
The date of that article was June 24, whereby the mayor is quoted as saying "help is on the way." How are they arriving, on a slow boat from China?
Apparently the mayor couldn't care less about the safety of a bunch of old people, but maybe on election day he will be reminded of the fact that no group votes in larger numbers than the elderly.
In reply to anonymous who stated that the mayor could care less for old people well it is not just old people that are involved. The downtown business personnel, the college students that attend the Main street campus,the downtown church goers,hole in the wall customers,the Court House lawyers and last but not least those who eat out.
the way this idiot drags his feet on everything, most of them will be lucky to live long enough to see any action on this problem
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