Hotchkiss Neighborhood Watch: Eggers and Geo-cachers

Deputy Gates Shaklee, advisor to the Hotchkiss Neighborhood Watch Board

Eggers and Geo-cachers

By Thomas Wills

Hotchkiss Neighborhood Watch Board

July 13, 2015 – Ultramat

Present: Chair- McKenzie Cowan, Lindee Cantrell, Deputy Gates Shaklee, Secretary- Tom Wills, Kim Shay, Wes Jacobson and Melissa Cantrell.

This was the first meeting of the Neighborhood Watch at the Ultramat where Chairman McKenzie Cowan is employed.

Chair- McKenzie Cowan announced that Amy Foster was stepping down as events coordinator.

There was a discussion of various ways to get HNW information out to the public.  Among them: setting up a table at the Saturday Market at the Creamery Park, having a banner made and placed at the football field.  Collaboration with the schools was discussed. Cowan will make some handouts for the public.

Deputy Gates Shaklee, the HNW liason reported that things have been relatively quiet.  The department is still working on the earlier egging cases.  There was some security video taken of a suspect vehicle related to incidents.  Many local homeowners are taking advantage of new, affordable technology  in motion sensor cameras.

Shaklee reported that a couple of juvenile were caught egging in an alley near 3^rd Street.  The suspects were 13 and 14 years old but apparently have no connection to the Willow Heights incidents.

The new (to us) game of “geo-cacheing was mentioned.  In the game “treasure”, usually low value items, are hidden and the location posted on the Internet with a series of clues using GIS locations. Participants then use smartphones or GIS devices to try and locate the “cache.”  The problem is that some geo-cachers have been seen wandering around on private property in Willow Heights, and the placing of the treasures apparently, in many cases have not included getting public or private property owner’s permission and the process of placing or location can look very suspicious to an observer.  It was noted that some of the downtown mine-timber planters were being used as a starting point but apparently nothing was being placed in the planters.

There have been some thefts of flowers from the downtown planters.  The plants were carefully dug up and removed for apparent replanting.

Hotchkiss Neighborhood Watch meetings are held on the second Monday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Ultamat on 7^th Street.  The public is encouraged to attend and volunteer with activities.  You could even do your laundry during the meeting.