Part II: Mayor Williams answers readers' questions
Q. I would like to know at what point of disrepair are the sidewalks the city maintain considered for replacement? I would invite him and others to drive by the Allison school and see what parents have to deal with everyday when the take their kids to school. This is where the pre-school is now located and the sidewalks on Allison are just down right embarrassing! Especially considering they just "repaired" the road.
A. The City considers sidewalk replacement on a case by case basis. With regard to the sidewalks at Allison, those are the school’s responsibility.
Q. Why are our Emergency dispatchers not highly trained? Why other than basic computer training is there no other professional training for our dispatchers?
A. Capt. Rump at the Fire Department is taking an instructor’s course to become a Certified Instructor later this year so we can do our own training. He will train our dispatchers in everything they need to know.
Q. Besides tearing down a number of bad houses (7-8 close to me), what are we doing to encourage new families to move into Norwood, especially ones that want to buy, not rent?
A. One way we are encouraging new families to invest in Norwood is with the Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) ordinance council passed last year. It encourages home ownership by providing a tax exemption on the increased assessed valuation resulting from improvements/remodeling made to properties. We are also making sure our parks are maintained for all families.
Q. Is there any disaster plan for Norwood in writing ? If so, who would be in charge or responsible for the implementation for the plan.
A. The Health Commissioner and representatives from the Fire and Police Departments met. The goal is not to eliminate the Master Plan, but we do want to simplify the plan so someone can pick it up and implement it, if for instance, one of the chiefs is out of town. If there is a chemical spill, the Fire chief would be in charge; if it’s disease, the Health Commissioner could be in charge. Everyone else would operate in a support capacity.
Q. I see on your web site you as Mayor ask for Norwood residents to volunteer, but we see none. I have talked with many residents who have offered to volunteer in the city but are turned away by your office. So, if you don't want them then don't ask for volunteers.
A. I don’t ever remember someone contacting my office and then being turned away. Anyone who would like to volunteer can call my office at 458-4501, and we will be glad refer you to Norwood Service League, Norwood Recreation, churches, and other local organizations that need volunteers.
Part III will be published tomorrow.
A. The City considers sidewalk replacement on a case by case basis. With regard to the sidewalks at Allison, those are the school’s responsibility.
Q. Why are our Emergency dispatchers not highly trained? Why other than basic computer training is there no other professional training for our dispatchers?
A. Capt. Rump at the Fire Department is taking an instructor’s course to become a Certified Instructor later this year so we can do our own training. He will train our dispatchers in everything they need to know.
Q. Besides tearing down a number of bad houses (7-8 close to me), what are we doing to encourage new families to move into Norwood, especially ones that want to buy, not rent?
A. One way we are encouraging new families to invest in Norwood is with the Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) ordinance council passed last year. It encourages home ownership by providing a tax exemption on the increased assessed valuation resulting from improvements/remodeling made to properties. We are also making sure our parks are maintained for all families.
Q. Is there any disaster plan for Norwood in writing ? If so, who would be in charge or responsible for the implementation for the plan.
A. The Health Commissioner and representatives from the Fire and Police Departments met. The goal is not to eliminate the Master Plan, but we do want to simplify the plan so someone can pick it up and implement it, if for instance, one of the chiefs is out of town. If there is a chemical spill, the Fire chief would be in charge; if it’s disease, the Health Commissioner could be in charge. Everyone else would operate in a support capacity.
Q. I see on your web site you as Mayor ask for Norwood residents to volunteer, but we see none. I have talked with many residents who have offered to volunteer in the city but are turned away by your office. So, if you don't want them then don't ask for volunteers.
A. I don’t ever remember someone contacting my office and then being turned away. Anyone who would like to volunteer can call my office at 458-4501, and we will be glad refer you to Norwood Service League, Norwood Recreation, churches, and other local organizations that need volunteers.
Part III will be published tomorrow.
posted by Citizens For A Better Norwood at
8:41 AM
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