This is a timely story from our neighboring Flagler County, who has also had safety problems in their Palm Coast Ralph Carter Park. Palm Coast installed security cameras and added extra patrol to help with the crime in their park. Then they created activities for youth in the park, to aid in improving the quality of the citizens park experience. They worked very hard, and continue to make Ralph Carter Park safer for the children and families. Maybe the City of Holly Hill could also work harder to make our parks safer too!
Families try to make Palm Coast Park safe for all
Extra deputies patrol Ralph Carter Park after recent problems.
PALM COAST —
By Jason Wheeler, Reporter Wednesday, August 08, 2012
A park is supposed to be a place where kids of all ages can play.
But at Ralph Carter Park in Palm Coast, even parents have been run off by unruly teens and young adults.
The park, which is one of the newest parks in Flagler County, sits right next to Rymfire Elementary School.
However, since it opened, there have been problems.
The city of Palm Coast spent nearly $19,000 on fencing to keep teens from cutting through neighborhood yards and vandalizing nearby property.
Back in April, a teen shot into a crowd during an argument. No one was injured and the shooter was arrested.
Even still, it shook up those who tried to use the park on a regular basis.
Video cameras and extra patrols can only do so much.
Read entire article-http://www.cfnews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2012/8/8/playing_to_take_back.html
At tonight’s Holly Hill city commission meeting, Mayor Roy Johnson and commissioners, John Penney, Rick Glass and Donnie Moore took a step in the right direction for children, families and the City of Holly Hill.
They introduced a few new guidelines for Holly Hills parks that could mark the beginning of a real turnaround for the quality of life in Holly Hill. For anyone who is familiar with the bad reputation that Holly Hill Parks have long had, this footprint sends a healthy message.
WE DO CARE ABOUT THE WELL BEING OF OUR COMMUNITY, OUR CHILDREN, OUR CITIZENS AND RESTORING A REAL SENSE OF PRIDE IN BEAUTIFUL HOLLY HILL!
It was so refreshing to hear people who are passionate about our community, expressing ideas to bring our citizens together. HOLLY HILL IS THE CITY WITH A HEART and there would be no limit to the good that will come from creating opportunities for family-friendly get-togethers! A Holly Hill volunteer corps would also be such a fun, positive way to get to know our neighbors and get things done.
Much appreciation for all those in City Hall and all the citizens who have been working behind the scenes to get Holly Hill back on the good foot. We have made a step in the right direction, keep it up everyone and you will see Holly Hill thrive!
IT’S TIME TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH MAKING HOLLY HILL PARKS SAFE FAMILY FRIENDLY PARKS!
PLEASE EVERYONE IN HOLLY HILL WHO WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS FINALLY HAPPEN, TELL OUR MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS AND CITY MANAGER THAT IT’S TIME TO UPDATE OUR PARK POLICY LIKE DAYTONA, ORMOND, VOLUSIA COUNTY AND FLAGLER COUNTY HAVE LONG AGO DONE!
COMPARE HOLLY HILL’S OUTDATED, ALMOST NON- EXISTING POLICY TO THAT OF OUR NEIGHBORS FOR YOURSELF BY GOING ON THIS MUNICIPAL CODE WEBSITE. http://www.municode.com/
I want to thank Cpl. Denise Marquez of the Holly Hill Police Department for showing up at Sunrise Park, and actually getting out of her vehicle and patrolling around the park in uniform making her presence known.
It was so good to see her! Uniformed police officers patrolling on foot in Sunrise Park have become almost non-existent in the last few years.
If Holly Hill PD would do regular on foot uniformed patrols, it would be greatly appreciated. Also marked police cars parked in the park is a big help in deterring crime in Sunrise Park.
If everyone e-mails, calls or writes a letter to our city officials letting them know that we want updated park policy, like all the other cities have, and we can get regular patrols back into our parks, then we WILL be able to enjoy family-friendly, child safe parks in Holly Hill!
I agree we need Holly Hill Police Department to start having uniformed officers walk around the entire park, including the fishing piers. Sunrise Park is a very large park. An officer just driving in and out in a minute, or coming to close the bathrooms is not enough. You really cannot tell ANYTHING from just driving in and out with their police cars. I have seen so many people just sit in the park drinking beer, and dealing drugs watching the police drive in and drive right back out.
The police driving up on the grass is not the same either as having police actually get out of their vehicle and walk around the entire park like officer Marquez did last night.
Challenger files ethics complaint against incumbent mayor
By CHRIS GRAHAM, STAFF WRITER August 11, 2012 12:15 AM
East Volusia
Holly Hill elections , Roy Johnson , Big John
HOLLY HILL — Holly Hill mayoral candidate Big John said he has filed a complaint with the Florida Commission on Ethics against the current mayor, Roy Johnson, after a reference to Johnson appears on the city attorney’s invoice as the city tried to keep John off the ballot.
“Something stinks,” John said. “It appears the mayor played a leading role in trying to restrict the number of opponents in the race.”
John is taking issue over the appearance that Johnson at least spoke on the phone with City Attorney Scott Simpson and possibly others as the town prepared to give its legal argument that John not be allowed on the ballot for Tuesday’s primary election because of a qualifying error.
Johnson said he was not involved in any decision-making and simply called the city attorney to see what kind of litigation the city was facing. He accused John of spreading “outright lies” with the ethics complaint.
“As mayor I should be checking to see what is going on,” he said. “I didn’t do anything. He can file all the complaints he wants.”
In an unsigned copy of John’s complaint to the commission provided to the News-Journal Friday, he argues Johnson appeared to intervene in the city’s handling of an election in which he is a candidate. John said that would be considered a violation of the City Charter and state law. John said he mailed a signed and notarized copy to the state.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/east-volusia/2012/08/11/challenger-files-ethics-complaint-against-incumbent-mayor.html
THE POLICE ATHLETIC LEAGUE AND SCHOOL RESOURCE DEPARTMENT IS ENCOURAGING KIDS AND FAMILIES TO TAKE BACK THE PARK!
MUSIC TO MY EARS!
People letting their commissioners know that they care and want good Park policies that ensure a child safe/family-friendly Park environment. This is where success stories like this begin.
PEOPLE HAVE TO AT LEAST LET THEIR COMMISSIONERS KNOW THAT THEY WANT ” UPDATED PARK POLICIES ” WITH A SIMPLE E- MAIL, LETTER OR PHONE CALL!
Regular patrols, security cameras and planned, PARK APPROPRIATE RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES is working in Flagler County. Let’s follow through with making sure our parks are child safe/family-friendly environments once and for all here in HOLLY HILL FLORIDA!
One of the regulations that you find in neighboring communities is that NO BUSINESS OR GROUP can monopolize their parks to use them as a free facility to set up shop. One clear guideline is for businesses or groups to apply for a permit to organize and schedule a gathering or event in a park and rent a pavilion for the specified time! These permits are limited to a certain number of times per year per group to prevent ANY ONE GROUP from monopolizing the park. PLEASE READ THE “RUDE AWAKENING” link at the top of this websites homepage in the header to understand how a park can be taken over without clear guidelines.
This goes to show that when people let their city officials know,
THEY DO CARE, that good positive results can be realized!
I love that they care about their children and are promoting recreational activities to take place in their Park.
IMAGINE THAT!
This PALM COAST Park has security cameras in place and regular police patrols.
IMAGINE THAT!
IF THEY CAN DO IT THEN WE CAN TOO!
COME ON HOLLY HILL, NOW IS THE TIME, PLEASE LET THE HOLLY HILL CITY COMMISSION KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT UPDATING HOLLY HILL’S PARK POLICIES!
If you are experiencing problems with inappropriate activities and aggressive individuals who use the park for things other than its intended purpose, PLEASE TAKE YOUR INFORMATION TO THE PROPER AUTHORITIES i.e. MAYOR ROY JOHNSON, HOLLY HILL CITY COMMISSIONERS AND THE HOLLY HILL POLICE!
Photographs can be useful for evidence! To know your rights check the link at the top of this website’s homepage in the header for PHOTOGRAPHER’S RIGHTS, KNOW THEM.
Here’s a short, random video that( some random guy posted ABOUT HIMSELF on random website.) What’s in that Gatorade bottle?
Click Here To Find Out!
http://www.realitywanted.com/member/videos/170940
What’s really going on? Click on this North Carolina Public Safety website.
http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=1099602&searchLastName=sparks&searchFirstName=jason&searchMiddleName=s&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1
If someone approaches you in a park, zeroing in on you being overly friendly and trying too hard to gain your trust too quickly , beware!
There is a difference between a friendly encounter and conversation between strangers in a public place and a stranger spending a lot of time and energy trying to get too close to quick!
We have had complaints of individuals who seem unusually, aggressively friendly and attach themselves to people in the park. They then try to act like a friend to get in your car or get invited to your house. This probably would not seem normal because is not normal.
Many trusting people have been taken in by individuals like this only to find that things have come up missing. Please use good judgment when it comes to people trying to get too close too quick!
When people in a community look out for one another in a natural and respectful way they get a sense of what seems out of place and can take appropriate action when necessary. Consider networking with other people in your Park to form a sort of neighborhood watch of some kind. This can be extremely helpful!
If you feel that someone is acting suspiciously or approaching you and talking to you more than you like, just let them know you would appreciate being left alone. If they continue talking to you after you have asked them to leave you alone, let them know that they are harassing you.If they do not stop, simply call the police.