Citizens for Safety begin planning for 2009 activities

The grassroots group Citizens for Safety held their regular monthly meeting Wednesday, Jan. 13, at 5:30 p.m., in the Crawford House, located at 1117 N. West St., Nevada. The group which originally began in August 2006 as an ADA advisory council has "evolved" into a group of citizens concerned for the safety of others.

"Our group's mission is to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all the residents in our community," according to member Pat Chambers.

One purpose of this meeting was to determine if the group should look at meeting on a bi-monthly or quarterly basis. The group dynamic has changed due to the recent loss of some members. "We've got a lot of busy people," said Carol Branham. Branham went on to say that the holidays and winter also have a bearing on the level of involvement. The group decided to leave the meeting on the second Wednesday of the month on a monthly basis because of the project they have planned during the city wide spring clean up. They did, however, change the time of the meeting to noon in the hope that it may be easier for city representatives and other people to attend.

Though the group does not fall under the umbrella of the city, they try to work closely with them. Cooperation is essential for projects like the group's proposed cleanup of Austin Boulevard this spring. For logistical and safety reasons the group decided to cleanup Osage Boulevard instead of Austin.

Part of the evening's discussion focused on documenting and reporting public hazards. A number of members brought specific hazards to movement or other safety concerns to light during the meeting and deliberation of the subject exposed the ideas creating a flyer or brochure to distribute, and using the media to make the public more informed about what constitutes a hazard and how to pass the information on to the proper person place or agency.

The group also discussed creating a hazard report form, different ways of getting it into the hands of the public and how to get the information on the form to the proper place.

The meeting adjourned with one member volunteering to create a mock-up of the flyer based on member ideas and another member willing to create a draft of the hazard report form before the group's next meeting.