From: Christie Geernaert
To: Mary Gourley; Kevin Kilgore
Subject: Agenda, Item 7, Recreational Vehicle Parking Ordinance Date: Monday, January 17, 2022 1:35:22 PM
Dear Mayor Slayter and City Councilmembers:
I am writing to address the issues surrounding the ever growing Morris Street community of Transients, and the solution proposed by Chief Kilgore. I appreciate the thought that went into this proposal, and encourage that you move forward in implementing the plan to move the RVs and trailers and vehicles from Morris Street.
I read the detailed commentary from Kate Haug in her email to you, and agree that the current location is not working. To give you some insight into what we have experienced personally, I will make a short list of issues that have taken place in this commercial business area:
1. Defecating in our bushes
2. Digging through our dumpsters and throwing garbage all over our parking lot.
Cutting locks from locked dumpsters.
3. Leaving outdoor irrigation faucets running, costing us hundreds of dollars in water fees. Cutting locks off the irrigation faucets.
4. Cutting sprinkler pipe when irrigation running to gather water in their buckets.
5. Breaking two of our irrigation timers. Cutting locks from our irrigation timers.
6. Stealing batteries from our delivery vehicles.
7. Calling me names and threatening me when I walk past them.
8. BURNT our entire landscaping on Morris Street. $30,000 in damage that was borne entirely by us. Power lines out causing us to close our office. Trees that the City required be put in when we built the building, now burned to ground.
9. Our employees are afraid to walk to their car or work when it gets dark.
10. We no longer feel safe to walk to watch our grandchildren play sports.
Clearly there is no good having come out of allowing this situation to get to where it is. We sincerely hope you will accept Chief Kilgore's proposal and we can all go about getting back to work on Morris Street.
Thank you,
Christie Geernaert