Woodsboro Watch

Meeting at the January Town Workshop Meeting

2009-12-17T12:28:00.003-05:00

On January 25th, 2010 the Woodsboro Watch will be hosting a community forum to talk and learn about crime reduction. We intend to have local officials present as well as a FC Sheriff. We would like to see the interest of the community in holding quarterly meetings to talk about trends, problem locations, and possible actions we can take to deter loitering, crime, etc.

If you are interested in helping with this meeting, have interested neighbors or friends, please comment on this post and I will get in contact with you soon.

"The Watch": we need to meet soon to discuss the upcoming meeting, please contact me as soon as you can to set up a time and place. Thank you.

Robbery at Trout's Towne Restaurant

2009-12-17T12:18:00.002-05:00

This morning at approx. 12:42am Trout's Towne Restaurant was robbed by two individuals. All told they stole about $500.00 worth of food items out of the freezer. The Frederick County Sheriff's Office was notified and have already come to the scene. If you hear anything please let Trout's or the police know. And remember that if you see anything suspicious in your neighborhood it is better to be safe than sorry, just call the police.

Next Steps for the Watch

2009-11-19T20:00:00.002-05:00

The Woodsboro Watch will be discussed at the next town workshop to be held Monday, Nov 23.

Support Our Sheriff!

2009-11-13T18:12:00.004-05:00

A rally to support Sheriff Jenkins and his officers is being held at Barley and Hops on November 19th from 3 to 6 pm. The Blane Young show will broadcast live from the location (930 AM WFMD). Check with the station for further details.

Changing The Way We Do Business

2009-10-16T20:49:00.002-04:00

As the town website is currently being updated, a private forum has been brought on line for block captain only viewing and participation. That will allow block captains to carry on open dialogue among themsleves without having to mind their p's and q's. This site (Woodsboro Watch) will be used to report monthly results/summaries of block captain observations/ discussions. So you will likely see less "real time" reporting. If something of immediate interest or concern comes up, a new post will be filed rather than waiting for the monthly summary.

Anyone can still comment on Woodsboro Watch. So if you do not know a block captain to report issues to or you want to communicate with folks directly, please comment on the most recent post. Don't worry if your observation, issue or comment doesn't fit into the most recent post subject matter. If your comment warrants further diologue and doesn't naturally fit into the the existing post we'll likely make a new post to support discussion. And if you like you can keep it anonymous.

If you would like to participate as a block captain please contact the town office or any of the commissioners to get pointed in the right direction.

Site Status

2009-08-27T09:20:00.002-04:00

Well, things don't breeze along sometimes when done by volunteers with active lives. We are still planning to shift this site to two sites. A formal monthly report site with info vetted by the block captains and then a private site for block captains to share open dialogue before deciding what is appropriate for publishing to the rest of the community.

Neoterik Bldg

2009-07-30T08:54:00.001-04:00

There has been juveniles hanging around this building in the evening hours. Especially in the back face Adams Street.

Four-Wheelers

2009-07-29T09:08:00.002-04:00

I spoke with one of the patroling sheriff deputies Saturday night regarding four-wheeler incidents. There have been problems with four-wheelers coming out of Woodsboro using the railroad tracks behind southern states and riding them down the Glade Valley Golf Course where then the four-wheelers proceed in riding through the course and tearing up the grass. The deputies are also aware of four-wheelers riding through town after midnight. The deputies have been more visible in the town these past few weeks.

Adams Street and Elizabeth Street

2009-07-19T21:36:00.001-04:00

There has been reports of a red four wheeler at and around Southern States and the railroad tracks. There has been noticable beer and alcohol bottles around the area. There has been reports for juveniles on the roof of southern states as well. Police have been notified and will continue to be when noticed by residents in the area. The four wheeler is being riden on the streets of Woodsboro as well.

North Second Street

2009-07-19T21:31:00.002-04:00

There was a party at the townhomes on North Second Street Saturday night. It apparantly got out of hand and there has been property damage done. A resident of Second Street had the window of his vehicle blown out by a fire arm. There was also a altercation between two participants of the party and they rammed each others vehicles. Not certain as to whether the police were notified at the time of the vehicle ramming but were notified regarding the shots. The police are making the presence known at this time.

Update

2009-03-23T09:22:00.003-04:00

After about a year trying this web-based neighborhood watch approach we think we have enough experience and feedback to firm up the approach.

The plan is to transition to two sites. First will be a closed blog for town Block Captains. Captians can participate at any time and will be asked on a periodic basis (likely monthly) to report how things are going. The idea of the closed site will be to allow candid discussions of issues and concerns without concern of offending people or misinforming.

Then a site like this will be used to summarize block captain discussions and make a monthly or as-needed post. On that site the public can fully participate.

We'll try to time these changes with the town website upgrades that are underway.

Please contact the town if you are interested in participating.

Copper Oaks

2009-02-14T11:06:00.002-05:00

Nothing to report from the Copper Oaks section of the park.

Pond Action?

2009-01-21T15:06:00.002-05:00

Tuesday morning while walking throught the Woodsboro Park I noticed that someone may have been skating on the fish pond due to some swoosh marks in the snow covered ice. The far end of the pond looked messed up: rough surface with some sticks laying around. Later that day, during another walk through the park there was yellow barrier tape up around the messed up ice.

Soooo. I wonder if there was a mishap on the pond. Please share any info you may have. It would be nice to give the community information regarding the risks of skating on the pond.

There are signs prohibiting skating I believe and a safe shallow skating area in the park. But that smooth pond ice may have just been too tempting!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-12T08:47:00.003-05:00

No problems to post. The Watch could use a couple more Block Captains. Still looking for help from the Copper Oaks areas and someone that lives near or frequently uses the town park. Please contact the town office if you are interested. Contact them by phone. The town e:mail has a spam filter that rejects any unapproved e:mail.

North Second Street

2008-12-12T13:57:00.002-05:00

Several Mailboxes were vandalized Tuesday night. The police were notified and information was given.

Code Enforcement Update

2008-10-22T11:30:00.003-04:00

I checked with the town office and here is the basic status:

A code enforcer was hired in July to spend 2 to 4 hours a week on the job. It has been determined that our codes are not enforceable as they are currently written. Some legal issues I guess. So the town is in the process of rewriting the codes so they will be enforceable. There is no firm schedule to complete the update.

Codes cover a wide range of subjects from activities in public areas to care for private property. The focus/priority when enforcement kicks in will be on public area subjects such as street parking, curfew, etc and not so much focus on private property issues such as lawn care. Codes will still exist for private property but just don't expect the enforcer to take care of it on his own.

Since the codes are being rewritten it looks like an opportunity to get involved with the commissioners and change things. For example, I would like to replace my lawn mower with a couple goats but livestock has been prohibited since 1992.

October Update

2008-10-22T10:41:00.001-04:00

What's the latest in the Woodsboro Area?
Please comment on any trends, activities or concerns.

Point of Rocks Interest

2008-09-30T21:51:00.002-04:00

The neighborhood watch coordinator from Point of Rocks contacted the Woodsboro site administrator after seeing an article about our site in the Frederick News Post (9/23/2008). They hold quarterly face-to-face meetings and are using an e-mailing list of about 70 people. The coordinator thought the Woodsboro blog approach may work better and they are going to give it a try.

Code Enforcement

2008-08-22T15:39:00.001-04:00

We've e:mailed a request to the town office for some information regarding the status of the town code enforcer. We'll post any responses.

Watch Activity

2008-08-15T09:52:00.003-04:00

While this site has not resulted in earth shattering changes in Woodsboro, it has promoted some information sharing and dialogue. That's pretty much what it was designed for. Thanks to ALL who have participated.

We're still looking for regular representation from Copper Oaks I and II. We have had a couple nibbles but no one has taken the bait! Please contact the town office or commissioners if you are interested.

Happy Birthday America!

2008-07-04T17:53:00.002-04:00

Thanks to all those participating in the Woodsboro Watch. We still need a couple more active participants to get solid coverage of all Woodsboro but so far it's going pretty well and feedback has been very positive.

All should feel free to comment on any problem activity in the Woodsboro area or on suggested improvements to this site.

Southern States

2008-06-16T10:20:00.001-04:00

There had been vandalism accuring during the week of June 9 at Southern States. It appears that lights have been broken. Vents have been removed from the roof of the office location. Police were notified.

Theft

2008-06-05T21:26:00.002-04:00

Last Monday night, June 2nd, a GPS unit was stolen from a resident's car on Scarlett Oak Terrace (Copper Oaks II).

Code Enforcement/ Sheriff Patrols

2008-05-17T08:12:00.002-04:00

The town has acquired a Code Enforcer, a retired Frederick County Sheriff’s Deputy, who will be starting July 1st. This blog will try to get a link or somehow post the Town Codes so we will all know the expectations, “ I didn’t know you couldn’t ………..”. I'm sure they are available at the Town Office and may be on the web site but my quick check turned up empty.

The town will also be increasing the ’09 budget (starts July 1st) to support additional hours of active duty Sheriff’s Deputy coverage. Here are some specifics of the program that include this blog:

1. “He will keep a log of all stops and observations he makes. That log will be passed from deputy to deputy so we have consistency.

2. As he is beginning his shift, the deputy will review the past week’s blog updates posted by block captains so he can follow up/be where he needs to be etc.”

NORTH MAIN, SECOND AND ADAMS STREET

2008-04-30T14:52:00.003-04:00

The Juveniles have set up shop at the old Flower Shop now and have also been seen starting a fire ring at the small park area that belongs to Rosewood Condos. Motor bikes have also begun to be a problem on both North Main and North Second Street. Curfews are not being observed during weekdays. Squeeling wheels and excessive speed have also started on North Second Street.