Signs of Our Times: a report from Board Chair David Delia
March 2009—As an enhanced security measure, your Officers and Board decided to replace the mostly green-base AOTB signs, at street ends and along community property sites, with more appropriate (and attractive) signs that properly reflect what those sites, and we, are all about. The intent of these signs is to assert your--AotB property owners, residents, and accompanied guests--right to travel the various byways in our lovely neighborhood, or to sit down and enjoy our community property.
Their more specific aim is to keep folks who have no legal right to be here--established by paying taxes, rent, or being an accompanied guest of someone who does--from making use of what’s not theirs. Congenial as we are, we simply have to admit that some visitors are just not nice. A small number want to take what’s not theirs from homes or back yards; others want to make a mess for others to clean up or simply disturb our peace; still others are looking for a place to score or use drugs and/or throw down a pint or six-pack in the dark.
And with the economy worsening daily, we will most likely see more of all of the above. In our quest to stay ahead of developing problems, we have already beefed up security arrangements by consulting AA County police and more specifically, increasing the neighborhood patrol hours of Sheriff Mike Harris, our 6-foot+ guardian angel.
In order for Mike to be effective at what we want him to do he needs clearly posted regulations stating no trespassing unless you own, live here, or are an accompanied guest. Thus the signs.
So what’s our plan? First, Roxanne Veal has already obtained the first batch of very attractive and clearly worded signs that will either replace those we already have, or be placed where we believe signs had been before storms/vandals removed them. That’s about 30 signs total, and they mostly go at the beach, pier, and street ends. Now Security Chief Irving McConnell has promised that valiant volunteers "will learn lifelong skills with various tools: how to fit a nut to a screw holding a sign, and what 'level' and 'straight' mean in reference to sign placement."l What an opportunity!
Next, we'd like to place another 8 or so where they probably should have been before, but weren’t. Lastly, we have some thoughts about non-traditional sites, such as "paper-street" ends, pathways, and other community rights-of-way where we may wish to assert our rights. These last six won’t be installed unless we get agreement from immediate neighbors. Phase 1 should be done by Memorial Day; Phase 2 by the end of the summer; and Phase 3 whenever--no rush. We intend presently to list the exact planned locations so you, our neighbors, will have ample opportunity to speak up either way. It’s our neighborhood we’re trying to secure
