Northwood News ♦ December 2015

We Need Your Help to Document Street and Sidewalk Conditions

By Laura Hussey

At the October 2015 NFCCA meeting, several neighbors asked for an agenda item to be added to discuss the poor condition of streets in the neighborhood. While many of us have been calling 311 to report potholes, the condition of many neighborhood streets and some sidewalks continues to deteriorate and the entire neighborhood is overdue for resurfacing.

The NFCCA Board discussed this issue at its November 2015 meeting and would like your help to compile detailed information on street and sidewalk conditions. The plan is to compile a list of locations and document these with pictures, which we will be able to use in our discussions with the county.

Here’s how you can help: If the street, curb, or sidewalk near your home has deteriorated, please send an email to [email redacted] with “STREETS” in the subject line as soon as possible, but ideally by 1 January 2016. In the email, include both the location and a description of the problem. For example, “Edgewood Avenue in front of 10301, deep pothole” or “Lockridge at Dennis, curb is crumbling.” If you don’t have access to email, mail or drop off the information to any NFCCA Board member (see list of Board members on page 3) or bring it to the December 2015 NFCCA meeting.

Once we receive your list of locations, volunteers will organize the information into lists that can be mapped and additional volunteers will photograph the conditions. Armed with this evidence, we will be in a better position to work with county staff and elected officials to get appropriate action.

We need as many neighbors as possible to identify locations with poor conditions. If you can spare a little time to help, we could use additional help with:

compiling organized lists of locations to be photographed, and
photography.

For the first task, you will need access to a computer and basic spreadsheet skills. For the second, experience with technical photography would be excellent but is not required. If you are willing to assist with either of these additional tasks, please contact an NFCCA Board member. (See the list of Board members on page 3, or send info to the main email at [contact information redacted].) ■