August 10, 2009 - TCNA Meeting Mintues

TIMBERCREEK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
MEETING AUGUST 10, 2009-BENBROOK SENIOR CENTER-7PM

President Renee Kimbrell opened the meeting with a call to order and introduced the guest speaker.

Guest Speaker-Wes Cooper-Crime Prevention Officer
Mr. Cooper was joined by Benbrook Officer Doug Byrd for a slide show presentation. Information such as crime prevention tips and citywide statistics were provided.

Crime rates in 2007 per 1,000 people affected by crime:
Benbrook -24
Fort Worth – 61
Tarrant County – 39
State Average – 46

Crime stats for the last 6 months averaged to approximately 10 crimes per month:
5 Burglaries, 2 Credit Card Abuses, 7 Thefts, 4 Burglaries of Motor Vehicles, 1 Theft of a Motor Vehicle, 38 Misc. Crimes such as drug possession, DWI, Harassment, Assault.

Prevention tips included:
Locking your car, even in your driveway.
Removing items from your vehicle that could be a temptation for thieves.
Create the impression you are at home when you leave your residence. Leave on a TV, radio. Home burglaries often occur during the daytime.
Do not let newspapers and mail accumulate while you are away.
Do not use your mailbox to mail bills which have your information. Take them directly to the post office.
Take pictures of your valuables, jewelry. This helps the detectives identify items if they are stolen. Detectives will check pawn shops looking for stolen goods.
Park close to the front of stores while shopping, keep children in eyesight, always lock your car doors while traveling, and be aware of your surroundings.
Do not carry your Social Security Card in your wallet; do not carry every credit card.
Call police for anything out of the ordinary in your neighborhood. Patrol cars average 100 miles per shift (3 shifts), but the eyes of the citizen are invaluable.
Benbrook police average 7 calls per shift-average response time-less than 2 min.
While on vacation, citizens can request a vacation check by the police department. They will patrol by your property, and when you return, you can request a report of the number of patrol checks which were completed.

There is a Citizens on Patrol program. Contact the Benbrook Police for information.

There are 22 sexual predators registered in the city. Due to city ordinances, registered offenders cannot move into many areas in our city, for example, those areas near schools and parks. However, offenders who lived in those areas before the ordinance passed, they are grandfathered in and can remain in residence.

The Fort Worth/Benbrook land swap was discussed. Pecan Valley is a Fort Worth park in the Benbrook city limits. Benbrook is basically land locked, and in order to grow, there are plans (not yet finalized) to swap Pecan Valley for land currently owned by Fort Worth. Secretary Liz Dickason brought up the issue of patrol of the Pecan Valley Park area, which is currently done by Benbrook. Guest speaker Wes Cooper confirmed that patrol would be turned over to Fort Worth if that deal is finalized.

This was an interactive discussion, and members were encouraged to ask questions during the presentation.

President Kimbrell thanked the guest speakers at the conclusion of their presentation. She advised the membership to visit the TCNA blogspot where there are links to valuable information such as crime stats, Benbrook city information, and other nearby HOA.
www.tcnabenbrook.blogspot.com

Treasurer’s Report
Secretary Liz Dickason read the report as submitted by Treasurer Barbara Goins.
The previous balance of $4,434.03, plus $36 in new memberships from the May 11th meeting, resulted in a current account balance of $4,470.03.

Water Barrel Conservation
District Captain Judy Cohen advised the members on cost of water barrels for lawn watering, and the option to make your own. Some nearby cities have offered classes on how to make these barrels and the membership showed interest in having a demonstration at some future time. Judy Cohen’s article can be viewed on the TCNA blogspot in the archive 2009 section.

Benbrook Post Office
President Kimbrell notified the membership that, as of this meeting, our local post office is not included in the list of potential closings. This had been a concern of some residents.

Park Committee
Park Committee member Bob Dickason presented the Timbercreek Park Action Plan (attached). The TCNA has been interested in ideas to improve our park. Saturday, September 12th at 10AM is the date set for a walk through the park to discuss options. TCNA members are encouraged to meet at the park on that date.

Open Discussion-Charitable Donation
The membership expressed interest in donating $100 to charity on behalf of the TCNA.
President Kimbrell will research and select a cause for donation. The membership voted to allow President Kimbrell to select a cause and donate before the next meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 PM.
The next meeting of the TCNA is tentatively scheduled for November 9, 2009.Minutes recorded by TCNA Secretary Liz Dickason