This morning’s Historic Hillyard Merchant Committee meeting
Here are some highlights from this morning's meeting: In terms of crime prevention, the neighborhood has been trying to work out a video surveillance deal with the city and the police department. Some businesses owners already have video surveillance that they watch via internet from their homes – it's been a problem that the video cameras get stolen. Someone suggested putting up dummy cameras as a deterrent, but everyone agreed on approaching the city and the police department with a letter.
The committee meets every Wednesday morning at 8:30 at the Outlaw Cafe, meetings are open to anybody interested. There were about 20 people at this morning's meeting.
Preparation for the Hillyard Howl – cleanup begins on Friday to get the building ready for next weekend. If anyone is interested in helping out, extra hands are always welcome.
(The location of the Hillyard Northpole is uncertain this year as the building it's usually in may be rented out – stay tuned for more information.)
Luke Tolley, chair of the Hillyard Neighborhood Council, had an update on Girls Day Out which is coming to Hillyard on Nov. 13. Part of Girls Day Out is 'goodie bags' provided by local merchants and letters are going out right now for businesses that would like to participate. The next planning meeting is Thursday Oct. 21 at the Outlaw Cafe at 6 p.m.
There was a short discussion about whether to continue to produce a newsletter on paper. It was named 'The Hillyard Voice' and will be published twice a month.
Richard Burris, of Hillyard Communtiy Futures, is proposing a joint letter to the city and the police department asking for undercover policing to increase in the area – there is drug dealing going on every night, he says. "I'm not gonna sit back for 10 years and see all what we've done to make this place better go to hell again," said Burris. He volunteered to write the letter.
Business owners say that between midnight and 3 a.m. crime is rampant in the neighborhood - burglaries, vandalism, drug dealing, it's all over the map.
