CC - Agendas - City Council - WORKSHOP - 8/17/2010

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CITY of PRESCOTT MEMORANDUM Date: 7/13/2010 To: Tom Guice, Community Development Director From: Kelly Sammeli, Code Enforcement Supervisor RE: Contacts with Business Owners at Depot Marketplace Over the past week I stopped to talk with the proprietors, managers, and or employees at the Depot Marketplace regarding the locking of the gate to Granite Park. As I spent a few minutes of time at each of the locations, the overall response of all I spoke with was to keep the gate locked to the park from the shopping center location. All felt that there has been an overall improvement. Additional comments are listed below. Owner of the Canton Dragon, Meng Tam, indicated that they have not had any problems with homeless sleeping on their bench in front of their business, people coming into the restaurant to use the restroom or asking for water since the gate has been locked. The entire staff feels the locking of the gate has made a difference to deter the homeless and it has not affected their business attendance at all. They would prefer to keep the gate locked. Personal Touch Jewelers, Owner, Jerard indicated that he thought it had decreased the homeless coming by however, he thought that now they just walk behind the building. They were also climbing over the fence (was shown the area) but it has since been fixed. As a business owner he believes it has helped. He has mixed feelings on the gate being locked as he uses the area personally, but overall as a business owner in the area he likes it locked. He also has concerns about the back of Staples where the trucks enter in from 6th street. He further indicated that the homeless hang out back there. The manager, Keith and employee, Margaret, of Cost Cutters, indicated that they did not see it deterring the homeless. They still encounter at least four or five persons a day. Keith stated that they come in to the shop to ask for water or wait outside to pan handle people who are leaving. Keith also noted that they have to go along way to the dumpster location and because it is in the back of the building they try to take the trash out in the middle of the day. (It is my opinion that they do not send the homeless away but help them). They were neutral in the locking of the gate. The Manager David and Employee Vicki, of the Framers Market, both indicated that it was helpful to the area and they prefer to keep the gate locked. They both believe that it has deterred the homeless from coming into the area. 3/3/2010