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Bicycle Patrols and Hand-held radar guns! YES!!! GO CPD!

17 Apr

I’ll probably be one of those who end up with a ticket as I’m driving one day and distracted by thoughts of something like an issue I want to blog about or something that needs to be updated on the webpage, BUT, I loved spotting the Christiansburg Police Officer on foot with a hand-held radar gun out on Depot Street near Kroger today. His bicycle and helmet were a short distance away.

This is such a wonderful contribution to safety and well-being of our citizens. (I’ll probably grumble on the day when I am the one caught exceeding one of those speed limits, but it will be grumbling at my own stupidity. After all, if I am so distracted that I don’t notice a speed limit sign, isn’t it possible that I could be distracted enough to miss seeing another vehicle, a child on a bike, or someone’s beloved pet that slipped away when the door opened?

I think this program clearly shows that Christiansburg Police Department takes citizen concerns very seriously, and takes citizen safety even more seriously. Great job Christiansburg Police Department.

Don’t forget that you can register your bicycle with the police department, thus making it more likely that your bicycle can be returned to you if it is stolen. You can pick up the form and stickers at the Police Department, attach the sticker, fill in the form, and return the form to the police department. You can also pickup and drop off these forms at the old Depot in Cambria, just check with me at the Cambria Toy Station.

A word of note: stickers are being used instead of engraving because if engraving/etching is used and a theft occurs, it is likely that a grinder will be applied to remove the registration information. This causes a place for rust to grow and a potential weak spot in the metal. The sticker helps but what really makes identification possible is your accurate description of the bicycle. Unless someone is out there taking the time to specifically identify and take only 24″ boys bikes, that are blue in color with black trim, a ding mark on the right pedal…etc….etc. The descriptions provided by you, combined with your reports of loss of the bicycle, and the description of the property recovered, will increase the odds of your bicycle being returned greatly. This is a free service provided by our Police Department, and I hope that all of you bicycle riders will participate.

By Carol Lindstrom On March 9 at 9:01 PM

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Posted by on April 17, 2009 in Uncategorized

 

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Sidewalk-ing your way through the Christiansburg Town Charter and Code

17 Apr

Sidewalk-ing your way through the Christiansburg Town Charter and Code

All you have to do to see how unimportant sidewalks are to the Town of Christiansburg is to take a quick look at the Town Charter & Code. The Charter clearly gives the Town the right to mandate sidewalks in subdivisions but the Town Code totally ignores all residential applications of sidewalks except for the Mixed Use: Residential – Limited Business District MU-1 disignated areas. All other areas where the Town APPEARS to exert any control over sidewalsk is in business districts. However, the Town does retain the right to accept money in lieu of those sidewalks in business districts in certain conditions and that money WOULD be DESIGNATED FOR THE USE OF SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS AND OR REPARIS IN OTHER LOCATIONS (THE CODE DOES NOT SPECIFY THAT THOSE IMPROVEMENTS WOULD HAVE TO BE IN BUSINESS SECTIONS). I wonder just how many of the businesses in town have managed to get a waiver on having sidewalks installed, and, if any, what money the Town Manager/Zoning Administrator designated to be set aside in the ‘special fund’. The next logical question would be: “If that money was collected, where and how was it spent?”

From Chapter 4 Section 4.01 of the Christiansburg Town Charter:

“The town council shall have the authority to require real estate subdividers within the corporate limits of the town to construct, at the subdividers’ expense, water mains, sewer mains, streets, drainage, sidewalks, curbs and gutters. Such construction to be as prescribed by and under the direction of the town council.

The town council shall have the authority to negotiate with subdividers without the corporate limits as to the construction of water mains, sewer mains, and as to water and sewer service. (1954, c. 240)”

Atricle I. In General. Section 503. Fowl straying on streets or sidewlaks.

“It shall be unlawful for any person in the Town to permit fowl kept by him or under his control to stray on the streets or sidewalks of the Town.

(Code 1972, 5 4-3)” (sorry, I couldn’t resist adding this one)

Chapter 26 Subdivisions:

Sec. 26-1. Purpose.

The purpose of this chapter is to establish certain subdivision standards and procedures for the Town and such of its environs as come under the jurisdiction of the governing body as provided for by the Code of Virginia, as amended, and Section 4.01 of the Town Charter. These are part of a long range plan to guide and facilitate the orderly beneficial growth of the community and to promote the public health, safety, convenience, comfort, prosperity and general welfare. More specifically to provide for the harmonious and economic development of the Town, in conformity with the Zoning Ordinance of the Town; for coordination of streets, alleys, and parkways and other public areas within the subdivision with other existing and planned streets, alleys and public areas within the Town; for adequate open spaces for traffic, recreation, light and air, [and] the width, grading, elevation, drainage and paving of such areas; the planting of trees and shrubs; the construction of sidewalks, curbs and gutters; the provision for laying and maintaining gas, sewer, water, electric and telephone lines, works, pipes and easements and for a distribution of the population and traffic which will tend to create conditions favorable to health, safety, convenience, prosperity and the general welfare of the citizenry of the Town.

Chapter 30 Zoning

From Sec. 30-71 (Mixed Use: Residential – Limited Business District MU-1): Sidewalks shall be required for all new non-residential development. The Zoning Administrator/Town Manager may waive this requirement in circumstances that sidewalks do not provide desired connectivity andor are not physically practical due to site limitations provided the owner/developer makes a contribution in an amount approximate to the sidewalk installation cost to the Town of Christiansburg to be utilized for sidewalk improvements and or repairs in other locations. The Zoning Adrninistrator/Town Manager may refer the decision regarding the connectivity andor practicality to the Planning Commission should there be any doubts. The Town Manager/Town Engineer shall make the determination of the approximate sidewalk installation cost.

From Sec. 30-92 Yards (Limited Business District B-1): (e) Sidewalks shall be required for all new development. The Zoning Administrator/Town Manager may waive this requirement in circumstances that sidewalks do not provide desired connectivity and/or are not physically practical due to site limitations provided the owner/developer makes a contribution in an amount approximate to the sidewalk installation cost to the Town of Christiansburg to be utilized for sidewalk improvements and/or repairs in other locations. The Zoning Administrator/Town Manager may refer the decision regarding the connectivity and/or practicality to the Planning Commission should there be any doubts. The Town ManagerITown Engineer shall make the determination of the approximate sidewalk installation cost.

From Sec. 30-98 (Central Business District B-2) Frontage:S idewalks shall be required for all new development. The Zoning AdministratorITown Manager may waive this requirement in circumstances that sidewalks do not provide desired connectivity andor are not physically practical due to site limitations provided the ownerldeveloper makes a contribution in an amount approximate to the sidewalk installation cost to the Town of Christiansburg to be utilized for sidewalk improvements and or repairs in other locations. The Zoning Administrator/Town Manager may refer the decision regarding the connectivity andor practicality to the Planning Commission should there be any doubts. The Town ManagerITown Engineer shall make the determination of the approximate sidewalk installation cost.

Sec. 30-103 (General Business District B-3) Frontage and yards:( f) Sidewalks shall be required for all new development. The Zoning Administrator/Town Manager may waive this requirement in circumstances that sidewalks do not provide desired connectivity and/or are not physically practical due to site limitations provided the ownerldeveloper makes a contribution in an amount approximate to the sidewalk installation cost to the Town of Christiansburg to be utilized for sidewalk improvements and/or repairs in other locations. The Zoning AdministratorlTown Manager may refer the decision regarding the connectivity and/or practicality to the Planning Commission should there be any doubts. The Town ManagerITown Engineer shall make the determination of the approximate sidewalk installation cost.

By Carol Lindstrom On February 7 at 12:33 PM

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Posted by on April 17, 2009 in Uncategorized

 

Sidewalk-ing your way through the Comprehensive Plan

17 Apr
(please don’t forget to take the Citizen Satisfaction Survey and ask your friends and neighbors to also!! Survey And by the way…all the videos are not up on line for the last Town Council Meeting)

A review of the Town of Christiansburg Comprehensive Plan yields exactly 16 references to sidewalks (in a 162 page document). The only one of those pertaining specifically to developments and the need for sidewalks in developments is number 15 below. Take a few minutes and look at some of these exerpts from the Comprehensive Plan and ask yourself: “How well has the Town of Christiansburg addressed the needs and desires of citizens in the development of the Comprehensive Plan? How much effort has the Town put into achieving the goals noted in the Comprehensive Plan?”

If you’ve been here a while, if you drive around town now and then, then consider printing out this list to see exactly what has been done towards achieving any of these goals. Take a read, take a look, and then form your own opinions. Feel free to share those opinions with me.

1. p.62. Outdoor Recreation Facilities: refers to sidewalks being used as an extension of the Huckleberry Trail as part of the N. Franklin Street -Peppers Ferry Road connector route.

2. p.62 Also notes that ‘The Town of Christiansburg maintains its sidewalk system, which is a continuing function (related to the College Street Downtown Trail constructed in 2002″.

3. p.62 “The Town sidewalk system supplements the Town trails.”

4. p.62 “While the Town’s trails are primarily used for recreational purposes, sidewalk pedestrian traffic is heavy, particularly in the downtown area.”

5. p.77 “Scheduled to begin in 2007, the Virginia Route 114/Peppers Ferry Road project will four-lane the entire portion in Town and outside the corporate limits to Dominion Drive as well as provide sidewalks, landscaped medians, left and right turn lanes, two stormwater management facilities, crosswalks, and roadside landscaping.

6. p.77 “The Christiansburg Town Council adopted a resolution requesting the Virginia Department of Transportation to include a N. Franklin Street/Peppers Ferry Road NW western connector road in its Six-Year Plan. Though not funded at this time, the connector is a priority locally and will assist in the alleviation of traffic congestion on both heavily traveled commercial corridors. The four-lane new alignment connector would provide bicycle lanes and sidewalks. Preliminary engineering for the project has previously been conducted.”

7. p.78 “The Town has indicated that improvements to Radford Street are a long-term objective

including widening and the addition of bicycle lanes and sidewalks.”

8. p.80. This is a refernce to the extension of the Huckleberry Trail again. (see p.62)

9. p.80 “The Town of Christiansburg maintains its sidewalk system, which covers a good deal of

the Town’s primary street frontage, particularly in the commercial districts. The Town sidewalk system supplements the Town trails. While the Town’s trails are primarily used for recreational purposes, sidewalk pedestrian traffic is heavy, particularly in the downtown area.”

10. p.105. “Sidewalks, parking and overall curb appeal will be highlighted for investment by the Town in the areas of publicly owned property in order to create more opportunities for pedestrian traffic in the

downtown.”

11. p.113. Re: Virginia Route 114/Peppers Ferry Road Project again — “The project will provide sidewalks, landscaped medians, turn lanes, two storm water management facilities, crosswalks, and roadside landscaping. Implications of these road improvements include improved circulation within the Town limits as well as opportunities for further growth.”

12. p.113. Re: N. Franklin Street/Peppers Ferry Road Western Connector Route Project again — “The four-lane new alignment connector would provide bicycle lanes and sidewalks.”

13. p. 113. Re: Radford Street Improvements — “The Town has indicated that improvements to Radford Street are a long-term objective including widening and the addition of bicycle lanes and sidewalks.”

14. p.124. “TRANSPORTATION GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Goal: Provide for a system of streets, sidewalks, parking areas, traffic controls and other related facilities, which will provide safe, convenient and reliable movement of people and goods.”

15. p.136 “j. Explore the creation of a fund that would allow developers to make contributions in lieu of building a sidewalk in front of properties that do not provide connectivity. This fund could then be used to rehabilitate existing sidewalks or extend existing sidewalks into appropriate areas.“

16. p.131. “d. Build sidewalks or multi-use paths to public sites including parks and recreation centers.“

By Carol Lindstrom On February 6 at 9:30 PM

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Posted by on April 17, 2009 in Uncategorized

 

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Feb. 3 Town Council Meeting Videos are partially complete.

17 Apr

(psst…don’t forget to take the:

(CITIZEN SATISFACTION SURVEY REVISITED)

VIDEO COVERAGE OF THE FEB. 3 TOWN COUNCIL MEETINGS

Long meetings take a long time to get uploaded. Three of the 5 sections are up and ready. The first is just a quick scan of the audience before the meeting. The next 2 are the first 2 parts (of 3) covering citizen input during the public hearing. Part 3 of that section and the section where the town council business were conducted are still in the works to get loaded. Sorry to take so long but it’s the best I can manage.
To see video go to the Citizens Information Page (A.K.A My Virginia Resources Page) and click on the Audio Video link at the top. Please let me know of any problems you may encounter (update 2/6/03 @ 12:34 am. Part 3 is now live … you can also find links to the form that must be submitted to the town for a development in order to prove whether and what type of VDOT study is required. This is found in the first paragraph on the entrance page above and includes information on accessing VDOT’s actual criteria.)

By Carol Lindstrom On February 5 at 8:35 PM

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Posted by on April 17, 2009 in Uncategorized

 

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See the Downtowns Re-Visioned Panel Discussion

09 Apr

You can go to my citizen website and click on the link to see the panel discussion that was held on March 30th. It was hosted by the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County. Christiansburg officials showed up in force with 4 Council Members (Barber, Showalter, VanHoozier, and Wade) and 1 Planning Commission Member (Huppert), and both Nichole Hair and Randy Wingfield from the Planning Department.

Downtowns Re-visioned Video
(the link to the video is the first one in the big section)

I hope they gained as much from the discussion as I did. What I heard was that we already have something good in our downtown areas and that we must work to keep it and improve it. The progress that both downtown areas have made is significant. What is needed now is to make a concerted effort to keep that momentum going.

Anyone who participates in a sport will tell you that you have to continue to train, continue to try out new techniques, or else you go stale and lose what you had to begin with. “Body building” the downtown areas is much the same. Throwing money at them for improvements, then turning away will result in failure sooner or later. I hope that both Towns will take some serious looks at what can be done to keep that “conditioning” in place.

Hope you enjoy the video.

By Carol Lindstrom On April 9 at 12:39 AM

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Posted by on April 9, 2009 in Uncategorized

 

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Economy Goes Down and Violence Goes Up.

05 Apr

MansfieldNewsJournal.com has a March 13,2009 article entitled: Economy, domestic violence linked.

CollegeNews.com has a March 24, 2009 article entitled: Businesses struggling with deteriorating economy, increased violence.

Kdka.com has posted a March 31, 2009 article entitled: Job Losses, Bad Economy Lead Many To Violence.

Recent violence in our own area, and as seen on cable news, certainly seems to support assertions that as the economy goes down, violence goes up. I’m sure that many of you who’ve been around long enough to see dips in the economy before, will remember noting other such patterns through our history.

We’re all under a lot of stress. It doesn’t matter if you own the business or shop there. It doesn’t matter if your young or old, male or female, black, white, brown, yellow, red, etc., the current economic stress holds the potential for creating feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, desperation, or generating loss of self-esteem and/or self-worth.

There is another side to this issue that is seldom addressed: The cost of violence. We can all usually grasp the concept of sympathy for the victim and perhaps even the perpetrator in these situations. However, the short and long term costs in medical care, legal expenses, intervention by law enforcement and social services seldom comes to mind. (Check out an online paper: The Economic Dimensions of Interpersonal Violence for an overview of the financial impact of violence.

Any act of violence is like dropping a pebble in a pond. It will generate waves that stretch far beyond the impact point. It drains financial and human resources thus creating further economic problems.

This may seem to create a vicious circle, and if each of us does nothing, it will.

So the important question becomes what can we do? Other than the relatively obvious things like being patient with law enforcement officers and rescue personnel (after all, they are getting hit with all of EVERYBODY’s extra stress).

Try not to take your frustration out on others. If you are frustrated, take a walk, go work out, dig a hole and fill it back up (just make sure you do it on your own property:) Include other people (family, friends, or neighbors in those activities as they might benefit from a little stress reduction as well).

Few people realize just how much affect they can have on someone else by how they speak to them. Don’t take your frustration out on the clerk in the store, the waitress/waiter in the restaurant, a family member, a friend, or a neighbor.

Sometimes a simple act of kindness can make positive changes you will not even be aware of. An offer to help a neighbor carry trash cans to the curb can be just the thing to help someone remember that they are important, that someone cares. It may take a bit more effort to be nice to people when you’re under stress yourself, but it doesn’t cost anything and you will both gain from the act. Just as it takes only one act to push someone over the edge, it only takes one act to pull someone back from that same edge.

Keep your eyes open for anyone behaving in an unusual manner. If you have serious concerns that someone’s behavior may be a precursor to violence (and suicide is an act of violence), don’t turn a blind-eye. Contact local law enforcement. It is better to be safe than to be sorry.

Lastly, encourage local officials to make sure that law enforcement, rescue services, and support of those support agencies continues to be a top priority. A little bit of intervention in early stages could prevent violence from becoming a reality.

By Carol Lindstrom On April 5 at 10:14 PM

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Posted by on April 5, 2009 in Uncategorized

 

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Christiansburg Police Department Crime Statistics Updated

02 Apr

Christiansburg Police Department Crime Stats available on website. They’ve been there for a while but not everyone knows about them. Taking a closer look at the actual weekly reports seems to show that crime types and rates are directly related to the economy.

I do not use all of the subgroups that the Dept. uses in the totals, for that, you’ll have to look at the weekly reports. The weekly reports also give you a general location for the incident. Sorry folks but this is one of the F.O.I.A. exceptions that I definitely agree with. The release of too many details could create havoc with an investigation. An accusation, even an arrest, is not a conviction and everyone has rights. If you want to find out more of the details involved, you’ll have to do your own footwork:)

By Carol Lindstrom On April 2 at 12:34 PM

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Posted by on April 2, 2009 in Uncategorized

 

Business Plan for the Christiansburg Aquatic Center

05 Mar

Documents concerning the Christiansburg Aquatic Center.

By Carol Lindstrom On March 5 at 4:50 PM

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Posted by on March 5, 2009 in Uncategorized

 

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Crime and the Economy

03 Mar

(CITIZEN SATISFACTION SURVEY REVISITED)

One of the things I’ve added to the citizen website is the weekly crime reports that are distributed to local media. My thanks to Chief Sisson and his staff for making this so readily available. Extra thanks to Teresa Carroll who is stuck with the job of sending them to me. If you go to the main page of the website, you will find a light tan bar at the top. On that bar are the links to various topical webpages. The second row, 4th block is labeled: Police Dept. Crime Reports. Clicking on that link will take you to a page where you can find a chart with the cumulative totals and links to the individual weekly reports. I don’t have access to last year’s data for a comparison, but it would not surprise me to find that the big increases in Arson and Assault are due to economic conditions. Economic changes such as we have seen in recent years, can have a psychological impact on individuals that can lead them to do acts they would not normally do. The greater the population, the more likely to see criminal behavior increase as a function of economic decline. In part, I feel this is due to that fact that as population increases, community support that comes from the person-to-person contact is lost. All the social services in the world, cannot provide that unique sense of well being that comes from knowing that your family and neighbors care and are willing to help you when the need arises. Don’t get me wrong, I am a strong proponent of social services. However, I am an even stronger proponent of the Golden Rule. These hard economic times, the stress they create for individuals, families, and communities, and the increase in crime bring me to two conclusions. 1. Now is definitely NOT the time to consider reducing any law enforcement, fire, or rescue staff. If money has to be cut from the budget, let it come from other sources. 2. Now IS the time for take a few extra minutes to get to know your neighbors, to be kind to each other, to be supportive….to LIVE the Golden Rule: For an interesting review of the concept of the Ethic of Reciprocity and how it is multi-cultural and crosses a myriad of perceived religious boundaries, check out the Ethic of Reciprocity on Wikipedia.

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Posted by on March 3, 2009 in Uncategorized

 

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More Questions about the Aquatic Center

08 Jan

During the Jan. 6th 2009 Town Council meeting the Mayor made a statement to the effect that the Aquatic Center had been in development for 12 years. A review of the Town Council meeting minutes and the 2 Parks and Recreation Master Plans support this statement but does not support the Aquatic Center as it has developed. (Keep a watch out for the Audios and NOW Videos of the meetings on the website. I update them as quickly as I can.)

The initial concepts for the Aquatic Center was based upon research done by as is the revision of it from the year 2000). Both of these clearly indicated the need for an Aquatic Center and DEFINE Aquatic Center as being a swimming pool with some racquetball courts attached at an estimated total price of less than $5,000,000 of taxpayer money. That definition did not change in the public eye until approximately 4 years ago. There is a chronological report available that documents all Town Council minutes concerning the Aquatic Center.

Somehow, over time, this plan mutated into something much bigger and at 3 times the cost to taxpayers. Where was the public discussion on this? If the existing structure has been planned for the last 12 years, then what happened to the citizen input related to the Parks and Recreation Dept. Plan? Mr. Price did an extraordinary job of gathering and evaluating citizen input. (These are the two best developed documents that I have seen come from the town.)

Again, I will note, that because the Aquatic Center was mentioned in the Comprehensive Plan (but was not defined by size or potential uses), there were no reviews required (or performed that I have been able to find) to study the impact on stormwater, emergency response resources, traffic, or anything else. It is interesting to consider that at the time the Comprehensive Plan was written the only definition of the Aquatic Center that existed was the one found in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan of a swimming pool with attached racquetball courts.

Next blog: “How could the Mayor and Town Manager NOT know about an event already scheduled to occur in Christiansburg that uses the Aquatic Center and will necessitate roadways being blocked off?”

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Posted by on January 8, 2009 in Uncategorized

 
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