| Greetings!
I wanted to let you know about "Neighbor Walk", an engaging activity that results in cleaner and safer communities.
Neighbor Walk participants  |
The basic concept of Neighbor Walk is to set a time and place that residents gather to walk together, socialize, knock on doors to meet people and take action to make their neighborhood cleaner and safer.
On a Neighbor Walk last Friday night, a group of downtown neighbors put on yellow reflective vests, grabbed clipboards and set out to record inoperable street lights and other nighttime issues. Working in pairs, walking and riding bikes, they recorded 162 inoperable streetlights in less than an hour on a few major streets.
State regulation requires that the City of San Jose pay electrical costs for all street lights, even those that are burnt out. The inoperable lights these neighbors reported were costing the city approximately $7,320 a year to be dark.
Neighborhood leaders also recorded vandalized news racks and utility boxes in poor condition and some volunteers brought along anti graffiti kits, removing graffiti as they saw it. Participants noticed a correlation between an increase in dumping and tagging in the areas where the lights are not working and feel that recording and reporting these conditions will be helpful in deterring negative behavior.
This is an example of action that we can all take today. You can report inoperable lights by calling the Street Lights line at (408) 277-5517 or emailing streetlights@sanjoseca.gov. When you call or email, be sure to note the pole number and the location (street and nearest cross street) when reporting.
I share this best practice as an example of one of the tools we have to take action in our own neighborhood. Imagine if every neighborhood in the city organized their own Neighbor Walk to become cleaner, safer and more engaged; that is Strong Neighborhoods.
In Collaboration,
Kip Harkness |
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