Voting shows safety is on minds of East End residents

Votes tallied from the Inner City Improvement Plan public meeting a couple months ago show that a fair amount of East End residents have safety on their minds. Three of the top six vote getters deal with safety issues: installing flock cameras, implementing the H.E.R.O. project and installing doorbell cameras.

Those vote results were revealed at a work session of the Henderson Board of Commissioners Tuesday evening. Installing flock cameras in the neighborhood was first, the H.E.R.O. project fourth and doorbell cameras were sixth.

Additionally, sidewalk work was voted fifth, and some discussion on this topic focused on constructing new sidewalks so students who attend South Heights Elementary School can get to and from school safely.

The results, which ranked 18 different projects and a proposed price tag associated with each, are not final, and would need to be formalized in a January regular called meeting, said Henderson City Manager William L. “Buzzy” Newman.

The initial work on the Inner City Improvement Plan began early this year when neighborhood residents, city officials and employees, and other interested people broke off into five groups, which included public safety; blight and affordable housing; infrastructure; beautification and special projects; and economic development.

Members of those groups discussed and pondered improvement ideas for months. In October, groups presented their best projects to a community audience. After hearing presentations, audience members voted for their first, second and third favorite project.

The list unveiled Tuesday evening ranked the projects based on the October vote tallies.

The city has budgeted $300,000 this year and each of the next three fiscal years, for a $1.2 million total, to fund projects that come from the Inner City Improvement Plan.

Of the top vote getter, Henderson Police Department Chief Sean McKinney said the $25,000 proposed allotment would allow for 10 cameras to be purchased. Installation of the cameras would push the cost to more than $30,000, he said.

Mayor Brad Staton said the city could buy and install fewer flock cameras and stay under the $25,000 spending proposal for the instruments.

Flock cameras can identify vehicles by license plate, vehicle make and type, color, unique accessories and frequency, but doesn’t reveal characteristics of drivers, the chief said. There are currently seven flock cameras in the city, McKinney said.

The H.E.R.O. project would allow for a police officer or officers to live in the neighborhood in a provided house for free or with greatly reduced rent. This program has occurred in other communities in the nation and aims to build trust and rapport between the community and police departments.

Doorbell cameras can record happenings outside of homes and can help identify people committing crimes.

The home grant program, second in votes, would allow for a homeowner in the neighborhood to get pre-approval from the city to complete home improvements and then receive a reimbursement, Staton said.

In regard to third-place community sports courts, Staton said he’s heard from members of the Latino community in the area who are interested in soccer fields. He said an area has been identified and with that project’s $25,000, a soccer field or two could be developed there with the possibility of adding more sports courts later.

Some commissioners suggested changes to a few of the project’s proposed budgets. One concern, centered around $85,000 penciled in for sidewalk constructions, was that that type of work should be a part of the normal budget and infrastructure processes.

Commissioner Nick Whitt asked if the $85,000 for sidewalk work on this list of projects of the Inner City Improvement Plan could instead be found in next year’s budget.

Mayor Brad Staton suggested that an $85,000 match be allocated in an upcoming budget, pushing the total for sidewalk work to $170,000.

Below is the project voting breakdown with the proposed budget for each.