Wednesday, December 12th

From a PCA Member:

Wednesday night the motion sensor behind my garage gave an alert at 7PM. I have some heavy steel yard tending equipment stored there which would bring a few dollars at the scrap yard.  I went with my spotlight to see why the alarm sounded and saw a 40 - 50 year old white male trying to move one of my implements through a hole he'd opened up in my chain link fence.

When I yelled he dropped my property and returned to his car which was parked in the rear of a Main St. property behind mine. All I could make out was an older model white Chevrolet Cavalier. The license plate had been folded up from the bottom onto itself so it could not be read, but I could make it as an older blue and white license plate. He had an accomplice waiting outside the car.  I called 911 right away, half an hour later an officer showed up, looked around my yard and said there was nothing that could be done.

On Friday night while walking my dog on Starin Ave. at Woodbridge around 10pm, I came up on but the same vehicle pulled up behind another at the curb, the driver of the white Cavalier returning to his car. The plate was unfolded so it could be read.  The driver said "Hi" to me as he got in then made a U-turn heading toward Amherst St. I got a good look at his face.

I called "D" District right away and explained the situation and was told to call 911 if I should see the car again, there was nothing could be done now.  Be aware of this vehicle and grubbily dressed, small, dark haired and bearded man.

 From Ben Johnson at the PCA

 

We're looking to organize a series of regular play dates, coffees, or general gatherings for parents of young children. The Elam Jewett cafe is offering both the use of their nursery with a variety of infant toys and games, as well as the use of their TV and couches should you want to play an educational video for your kids. There is no fee, no commitment to attend each week, no restrictions to PCA membership, or even Parkside area.

The PCA office will be handling the initial logistics and outreach, but we're tentatively looking at the first Monday in January for the first Mom on Monday event, January 7th at 10:00am. (Yes, dad's are of course welcome. My apologies to all fathers for not offering equal billing, but the alliteration just didn't work)

We however need your help in identifying those households with young children that may be interested. If you know of any new parents or parents with toddlers, let them know that we're working on this, or have them contact the PCA directly for more information. Thank you all and best wishes for the holidays.

Ben Johnson
PCA

Little Libraries coming to Parkside

Nice article about Parkside

http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121127/CITYANDREGION/121129359/1010

Hello Holidays!

Hello Greenfield Street! As a new contributor to the blog, I wanted to take a moment to say hello. I hope many neighbors on this street will start to read the Greenfield Street Club blog and that maybe we will be able to have even more new contributors. A few of us have gotten together to try to unify the street and have plans to try and get email addresses from everyone so that we can keep each other posted on what's happening on our street. We want to be able to share information ranging from safety concerns to block parties. If you are on facebook, there is a link on the blog page that will take you to the Greenfield Street page. We are hoping that facebook may be another way for us to communicate and keep in touch with each other. There is also a link on the blog page that will take you to the PCA web-site. If you want to connect with us and can't seem to find a way to do so, contact the PCA and they will help you get to me. I have agreed to be the Greenfield Street contact person for the PCA. This week in the PCA bulletin, there is information about a great holiday idea for the Parkside area that involves putting luminaries in front of our homes. You can go to the PCA site to find out more about these. The idea is that all the streets will be lined with these luminaries on December 21st. It would be wonderful if we could get everyone on Greenfield street on board. The luminaries are for sale through the PCA, but they would be just as easy to make yourself. All you really need is a brown paper bag, some sand, and a votive candle. Simply cut out a few squares around the bag, like little windows, so that the votive light shines through. The sand, of course, secures the bag from flying away. Whether you make a contribution to the PCA ($12 for 6 luminaries) or make your own, it would be beautiful to see our whole street lit up. So a big hello and, yes, it is right around the corner: Happy Holidays!

Safety Tips

Here are some good tips from a fellow neighbor of ours.  I think these are all good things to keep in mind to keep both yourself safe and help the rest of the neighborhood.  

"I am not an expert on safety and security, and my suggestions are items learned over the years, which I believe can help.  I have read a few books from my studies in urban and city planning in addressing safety concerns in urban areas.  Most things are common sense, but sometimes not followed through by residents.

Break-in Points:

Only desperate individuals will try to break in through front doors, most will want to be discreet, and look to use side or back doors and windows of our homes.  These are the areas I feel we all need to be most concerned about as break-in points.  I personally feel that these possible entry points should be reviewed with a bit extra care for security.

House Presences and Lighting:

Most thieves will typically not want to break in if they feel someone is at home, thus it is good to create that feeling at all times, mainly when we are not home.  The biggest thing I see is in the evenings and especially nights as some residents do not leave their front porch lights on, and with their window shades closed, these houses appears dark.  A dark house appears vacant, and is tempting to would be criminals.  Leaving porch lights on also helps to light up the sidewalk and overall brightens up the street, and it gives the feeling of human presence, and thus that someone is watching.

Leaving lights on within the house is also essential in creating a ‘someone is home’ illusion, especially when we are at work, or out in the evenings and nights.  As we get into the fall and winter, it gets darker sooner, so it becomes more important.  Lighting near and around the side and back portions of the house is considerably significant.  Motion sensor lighting is good, dusk to dawn lighting is probably better.  I found a day light sensor screw-in socket for my front porch light that allows me to leave the light switch on at all times, and the sensor turns the light on and off depending on day or night.  This is very affordable item and handy for energy savings, and in the late Fall and Winter seasons.  Some homes may not have a power line for a rear patio light or side, but there are battery operated, motion sensor LED light devices that are easy to install and throw off enough light to brighten up dark areas.  

Street Presence:

The phrase and theory of ‘eyes on the street’ developed by Jane Jacobs that states if you have people sitting on porches, in their living rooms looking out their front windows, gardening, etc. and having a presences on the street, is a way to reduce crime.  Criminals do not commit crimes with on lookers.  This theory I believe holds true today, and the more street presence and 'eyes on the street' we can create, the safer our street will be.  Lighting helps, but also, being on our street.  I walk as much as possible, with my family, alone, or with my dog, and I make an effort to greet anyone I see.  I recognize some as neighbors, even if I’ve never met them, but others I know they are probably not from our street.  I feel by greeting them, I’m letting them know I see them, and I believe will discourage any misbehavior on their part."

SECURITY ISSUES

I think this is a good time to get the blog rolling again.  I am not the best at keeping up to date on things, but security in our neighborhood has been an issue in the last few weeks.  Below is a message sent out by the PCA about a crime that has occurred on our street. 

I think it would be useful for people to get to know each other on our street so we can be more comfortable letting each other know issues we have with our neighbors and with people that just pass through our neighborhood.  We are a street that is used often as a short cut to Main St. and to the park, causing traffic from a lot more people from outside our neighborhood

If anyone is interested in starting a block club or a neighborhood watch program please contact me and I will get you in touch with the right people to make this happen.   My email address is apetrinec@gmail.com

Sunday, September 30th

From a PCA member:

Early on Sunday morning a woman living at the corner of Greenfield and Amherst was cornered on her front porch by a male stranger at about 2:00am.  She cried for help but nobody responded.  The robber took her wallet and used her credit cards at several stores before they were cancelled.

In addition, that night also on Greenfield Street, two neighbors reported that somebody had been walking through their backyards and that bikes were stolen from both homes.

All three incidents were reported to the Buffalo police, and residents of Greenfield Street have met to discuss security and additional precautions.  If you are a resident of Greenfield and would like to be more involved, send a note to the PCA and we will connect you with the appropriate people.