On behalf of the Friends of Schmidtville and myself, we want to thank all those who attended the meeting. We feel it was a great success, and we will keep the momentum going. I will be posting minutes of the meeting, and there is a plan in place to formalize the petition, along with some other action items currently in the works.
Dear friends and neighbours,
Over the past few years, I have been speaking with government officials and voicing the concerns of residents about the lack of enforcement and management at encampment sites. As you may be aware, Victoria Park has experienced its share of negative effects on the surrounding neighbourhood. Living in Schmidtville, I have seen these effects firsthand.
I do not want to see any unsafe environments occur at any designated encampment site especially in Point Pleasant Park or on the Halifax Common, given their high usage. Specifically, HRM needs to ensure fire prevention in Point Pleasant Park. The main fire hydrant HRM is relying on for Point Pleasant Park is on Francklyn Street, as there are no functioning hydrants within the park, and it is still a forest with fallen trees from as far back as Hurricane Juan. The second point is HRM must enforce safety and security in Point Pleasant and the surrounding neighbourhoods. Both these matters of fire and security must also be extended to all designated sites.
HRM is planning to evict people from the Halifax Memorial Library grounds by July 15th and send University Avenue encampment occupants to the newly designated sites to deal with overcrowding.
What is needed right now is direct action. I have organized an in person and Zoom meeting on Thursday, July 25th at Spencer House (5596 Morris Street) at 6:30 P.M., hosted by myself and the Friends of Schmidtville. This is to gather the Spring Garden Road Area and the South End together so clear points can be brought to Mayor Savage and the executive staff. Seating is limited, you can register for zoom by https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GV6w19L_R86zyowQOhcB0A.
We need to help those in need and ensure a safe environment for all. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting.
Regards,
William Breckenridge
(902) 441-9065
Also, comments made by Premier Houston today July 11, speak for themselves: see city news article