Community Notes

    Photo of this year’s (2018) Magnolia bloom on Oxford Street.
  • RPD Safety Notes From last week’s meeting with our RPD Crime Prevention Officer: Cars:  With the warmer weather, there has been an increase in thefts from vehicles. This includes both unlocked vehicles and breaking into locked vehicles.   You’ve heard it before —- leave NO items of value in your car unattended, ever.  Have an electric garage door?  Don’t leave the opener in your car when it’s parked in the drive.  It’s like leaving your garage door open. Homes:  Mowing the backyard?  Lock the front door first. There are reports of thieves boldly coming and going through your front door while the resident is right in back gardening, mowing, relaxing…
  • SOUTHEAST QUADRANT SERVICE CENTER  Welcome! We look forward to working with you to make the Southeast Quadrant a better place to live, work, play and raise a family. Our Quadrant Team staff will work with our community partners to resolve quality of life issues, pave the way for appropriate housing and economic development, and help make Southeast Rochester the best it can be.
  • With the arrival of summer, outside/backyard fire season has returned. Please remember that our homes are very close together and be considerate.  Many of us rely on open windows to cool our homes.  Your neighbors may tolerate an occasional outdoor fire, but we’ve already been receiving complaints of frequent fires which force neighbors to close windows, triggering asthma etc.  Everyone has a right to clean air.  Outside fires are permitted only when they don’t create a nuisance. If the fire is causing smoke or air quality issues that impact your neighbors, you may be asked to extinguish the fire. Better yet, pay attention. If the smoke from your fire is moving towards a neighbors house, put the fire out before it becomes a nuisance or health issue to others.  Campgrounds and parks are much better sites for open fires.The fire department reminds us to:
    • Never leave a fire unattended.
    • Closely supervise children
    • Make sure you have something nearby to extinguish the fire (sand, dirt, garden hose or fire extinguisher).
    • Outside recreational fires must be a minimum of 25 feet from any structure or anything that can burn. They cannot be under the canopy of trees.
    • Avoid outside fires on dry or windy days.
    • Never use gasoline to make a fire.
    • Charcoal grills or other open-flame cooking devices may not be operated on balconies or within 10 feet of structural materials that can burn.
    • Only charcoal or clean, untreated or unpainted wood can be burned. Plastics, treated or painted woods, and trash release toxins when burned.
    • Fully extinguish all fires before you leave them.  Just this week one re-kindled at 5:30 AM.
  • Good Neighbor Reminder – Regarding Noise! Noise that can be heard outside of your property line is NOT permitted between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.  Audible noise at a distance of 50 feet beyond the property line from which it emanates is not permitted between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Have fun, but remember your neighbors all have a right to the peaceful enjoyment of their homes too. Call 911 to report violations.
    Good Neighbor Reminder – Sidewalks! Please keep sidewalks clear at all times. As you are gardening, remember that property owners are required to trim shrubbery and plant material, as needed, to keep the entire width of sidewalks open.
  •  Emergency Notification System: Register Your Cell PhoneThe Director of the 911 Emergency Communications Department, John Merklinger, is encouraging Monroe County residents to register their mobile telephones to receive emergency alerts from the 911 Center.
  • If you haven’t already, to register your mobile telephone to receive Hyper-Reach notifications, go to www.911rochester.com and follow the Hyper-Reach registration link. Registration takes only takes a minute and all information is kept confidential. Use the same website to update your address.The 911 Center uses the “Hyper-Reach” emergency telephone notification system. This technology is made available and maintained by Pittsford-based firm, The Asher Group. “Hyper-Reach” allows the 911 Center to quickly send a recorded message to telephones in specific areas and alert residents to any emergency situations that may require immediate action. The system is designed to deliver more than 5000 calls per hour and has been successfully used on a number of occasions for incidents such as hazardous chemical releases, missing persons and barricaded persons. The “Hyper-Reach” message delivers critical information to residents and provides guidance on what precautions need to be taken by residents during and after the incident.      All hard-wired telephones in Monroe County are automatically listed to receive these alerts, however, there is no central registry of mobile telephones so individuals need to register them in order to receive the alerts. To date, more than 10,000 mobile telephone users have signed up for the service – a small portion of the cellular telephones in use.
  • RESIDENTIAL RECYCLING – NEW! MIXED RECYCLING PROGRAM Rochester’s residential recycling program is a quarter of a century old! We are working to make recycling easier and more convenient with the introduction of Mixed Recycling. Mixed Recycling means paper can be mixed with metal, glass and plastic so all recyclable materials can conveniently be placed together in one large container. The City of Rochester’s Mixed Recycling program provides a new 96-gallon blue recycling container to residents that have been participating in recycling using the blue box.

  • Got Animal Issues? Rochester Animal Services (RAS) is a municipal animal care and control agency committed to helping city residents and their animals, promoting appropriate pet care and pet retention, and reducing pet relinquishment to reduce shelter intakes. RAS enforces all New York State laws and City of Rochester ordinances pertaining to animal control. We operate an animal shelter for stray and disowned animals that serves as a pet lost and found site, pet adoption center, and low-income spay neuter clinic.LocationAnimal Services Center
    184 Verona Street
    Rochester, NY 14608
    585-428-7274
    AnimalServices@cityofrochester.gov
  • Trees Along Our Streets: Do you have a tree gap?  Many of our neighborhood trees along the street were pruned this past week by the city.  This reminds me, do you have a gap, where a tree perhaps used to be but was never replaced?  The spacing of trees between the street and sidewalk makes it pretty obvious if one is “missing.”  Whether the tree was removed recently, or has been gone since before your time, the only way to have the city replant and keep our neighborhood beautiful is if YOU call in the request. Yes, even if the city removed the tree, and even if it was removed years ago, they need to hear from you.  Call 3-1-1 to request a tree in the public right-of-way.    Now is a great time to call in to get added to the list for replanting.
  • Park Ave. Historic District Project The area in the Park Avenue neighborhood of the city of Rochester, outlined in brown in the map above (click image to see larger view), is potentially eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district. This honorary program does not place any restrictions on private property owners. It does allow homeowners in the district to take advantage of the NYS Historic Homeowners Tax Credit program. (from Landmark Society of Western New York)