Continuing complaints draw OT for police downtown
The Rome Police Department is going to budget some overtime funding to deploy motorcycle cops in the downtown area on weekends.
The hope is to get a handle on issues plaguing the area, including excessive noise, speeding and unruly youth, all of which continue to generate complaints from merchants and residents alike.
“Our heavy complaints started over a year ago,” said RPD Maj. Rodney Bailey during a meeting of the Downtown Development Authority on Thursday morning. “One of the big complaints last year was speeding on Broad Street and I really think we put a dent in that. We didn’t do quite such a great job on the loud trucks, smoke and music.”
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted police to step back a little bit until they could figure out how to deal with things safely.
Motorcycle officers are ideal for the role, Bailey said, because they have the most mobility and are not as visible to violators.
With the police department still 19 officers short of full force, they will have to tap the overtime budget to increase the enforcement activity.
He said the unit would remain downtown as long as they are needed.
“Once the tickets start coming in, I think we’ll start seeing changes,” Bailey said.
Farmers market request
The DDA also heard a request from Elisabeth Lawson, one of the founders of the Between the Rivers Farmers Market, for assistance in keeping the market open.
Lawson said that the board is contemplating a significant cutback from the weekly Saturday morning market. Some of the vendors, who need to work regularly, have expressed interest in leaving for a similar market in Cartersville.
“I know it’s important to people in the downtown community and it’s important to the town,” Lawson said. The primary need, she said, is for an on-site manager.
The farmers market board isn’t interested in handing over operation of the market to someone else, but requested help from the DDA to pull off a weekly event.
Lawson also said that some of the vendors are still expressing concerns about being in large crowd settings. She said a manager would need to help attract new vendors — the kind that fit the original mold of farm-to-table sellers.
Lawson also said that if the DDA wants to start its own market, her board would be interested in providing some guidance.
“I don’t know that any of us can maintain much of an investment in the farmers market this year,” Lawson said.
Seeking a more specific plan, DDA Director Aundi Lesley asked Lawson to get with her board in order to determine what can be done this year and how the DDA could potentially fill some of the gaps.
“I definitely don’t think we want it to go away,” said DDA board member Megan Watters.
The DDA has completed its line-up for First Friday events which will be held at the Town Green this summer. That lineup and full plans for the concert series are expected to be released to the public sometime in April.