About 70 homeowners in Fox Meadows and Hickory Hill gathered at the Resurrection Church on Winchester for a townhall meeting with Councilman Harold Collins. Collins is the representative for District 3 which includes Fox Meadows, Hickory Hill, Parkway Village and Whitehaven.
Like Memphians in other districts, residents in Fox Meadows and Hickory Hill are concerned about city services including garbage collection, police response time, code enforcement, and reduction of hours for the community center and neighborhood golf course.
The Hickory Hill Community Center is the city’s state-of-the art community center complete with weight rooms and aquatics and is touted as one of the best equipped and built community centers in the country. Director Buchanan of Park Services has proposed delaying the opening of the center from 6am until 9am which will affect many of the senior citizens who use the center as a safe place to exercise each day. The Fox Meadows Golf Course faces the same fate with proposed delay in opening hours. Councilman Collins plans to meet with Director Buchanan this week in an effort to work out alternatives suitable for Park Services and the residents of Hickory Hill and Fox Meadows.
When residents voiced their concern about garbage collection, police response time and code enforcement, Collins said, “Citizens should expect to see positive changes from city government that affects their neighborhood. Citizens deserve to live in clean, safe communities and I am working everyday to make that happen for residents in District 3.”
Top on Collins community improvement to do list is tackling neighborhood blight before it spirals out of control. On Wednesday, Collins will be in court to hear proceedings regarding Marina Cove and will actively seek resolution to this neighborhood blight that has become a dumping ground and breeding place for crime. He asked for support and input in developing a strategy to empower residents to file lawsuits against property owners who fail to keep up their property. “We’ll go after the big offenders first and then the smaller offenders.” He encouraged neighborhood association to adopt by-laws that include covenants that address property maintenance.
When questioned about trash collection, Collins informed residents that the City, in an effort to reduce cost, has contracted with a private company to assist the sanitation department with garbage collection. This change will affect approximately 60,000 homes. His office is waiting details regarding specific neighborhoods that will be serviced by the contracted company.
After an hour or so of addressing concerns, Collins delivered some good news to those in attendance. He announced code enforcement has been approved to start a second shift to respond to complaints during evening hours. Funding to cover the cost for the second shift has already been approved.
Additionally, he announced he has introduced an ordinance to place a camera in every police car in an effort to protect law enforcement as well as citizens. “If Hickory Hill and Fox Meadows made up a city, it would be the 5th largest city in the state of Tennessee. That’s a lot of ground for law enforcement to cover.” Around the Mt. Moriah station, crime has decreased 9% in the community. The Safeway Initiative and watchful residents were cited as actions that are making a difference.
Townhall participants learned that city government was getting serious again about Neighborhood Watch. Collins announced the re-establishment of a strong Neighborhood Watch program that will be staffed and funded to the tune of $300,000 to $500,000 each year.
Speaking passionately about District 3 and Memphis in general, he challenged city leaders and state legislators to lay aside petty bickering, race baiting, and apathy and work together to improve the quality of life for Memphians. “We must find ways to increase our tax revenue without placing further burden on property owners. I’m fed up with people who come to Memphis to work then bad mouth our neighborhoods and city when they return home. I love Memphis, I love my district,” Collins said to an applauding audience.
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