Friday, November 29, 2019

This and That

Around Surfside....

Just some odds and ends, especially for our out of town friends...

There were not a lot of people in the area for Thanksgiving.  It was strange to go by Jacks and not see a car in the parking lot.  Okies closed at 3 pm, but not a lot of people in there. Their deli was closed.

Clam digging has just been OK, with a mixture of small and medium sized limits.  Surf is a little rough, but the evening tides are really low.  Each day has been hazy sun and very little wind.  The nights have been cold and frosty.

The County is going to fix the flooding problem on I Street in front of the Inn.  They plan to install several drains.

There have been a rash of shed break in's.

10 comments:

Steve Cox said...

Good news on the storm drains. They will be a nice improvement in light of the new houses being constructed on I St. nearby. I'd be curious to know if the break-ins have been primarily on vacant-looking sites such as RV sites, and isolated sites, or a mix. Is this more common in Winter months ?

I'd guess yes on both counts. It's always such a bummer, and in our community, challenging to prevent it seems.

Anonymous said...

Whatever you do with your shed, don't you dare put a 3' overhang on it.

I bet the board will outlaw sheds on RV lots.

Anonymous said...

I guess the board needs to ban shed exterior door hinges on the outside face of the exterior door.

Anonymous said...

2:27 - At least 2/3 of the owners in Surfside are part-time residents. Since you cannot live in an RV all year 'round in Surfside, all RVers are part-time. But more than half of the homeowners are part-time as well. My comments about data on the sheds broken into is not intended to reflect badly on RV lot owners. No one can ban RV sheds.

In order to find ways to prevent break-ins or track who's doing it, we need to look at the data related to it. Generally such activity is opportunistic, and preys on the easiest marks. But knowing how many break-ins, where, tells us where we may need security cameras, how much of a problem it is, and where it merits more attention and resources.

Pressuring owners to cut back on exterior lighting, and limit coverage, is surely counter-productive for prevention of crime. The notion that lights help criminal activity is weak (to lame). More crime of this kind occurs at night, and for a specific reason.

Anonymous said...

A key point towards prevention is the same here as elsewhere, know your neighbors. I guess we're lucky in my area since we all get along and look after each other. This includes full time home owners, part timers and Rv's. If one is having a guest come down they will let someone know. If we see someone on the property we call or text the owner to check if they know them.

There was a former RV trustee who made a big fuss over the requirement to have a notice in their RV when here during the off season. The one good thing about it was besides Travis being to see if an RV is suppose to be on a property it also alerts members when they are walking by. There have been times that people squat on vacant lots, specially in the winter months and this policy makes it easier to catch them.

BTW, I'm a full timer and have cameras, motion lights and still have had trespassers. Unfortunately there is no easy answer to solve the break ins.

Anonymous said...

Remember, the board knows all.
We just stay here.

Anonymous said...

How about not putting your door hinges on the exterior? You may as well post a sign, "Come Rob Me".

JoAnne said...

Oh we were told by the board during our appeal that’s “it’s a proven fact that lights don’t deter criminals, they only light their way”

Anonymous said...

Actually, if you go to some safety sites that's exactly what they say for homes in rural areas.

They recommend only motion sensor lights instead of lights on all of the time. With motion you get alerted when someone comes on your property. If lights are on all of the time you don't get that notice plus it makes it easier on the trespassers to check out your home.

JoAnne said...

We tried motion sensor lights, they don’t last even a year here at the beach! Waste of money