My North Star – Speaking with and Learning from Residents
Dear Aaron,
We have 6,660 homes in Pinecrest. Hands down, the best way to understand Resident concerns is to walk our Village and knock on doors. These conversations with Residents are my North Star on Council.
After knocking on over 5,000 doors during the 2020 election, ideas and solutions were born from conversations with Residents. Over the past four years, I have continued having conversations -- at the door, the Farmers Market, the Community Center, the Gardens, and Community events. It all adds up. And it makes for productive ideas and solutions!
Some examples:
Humanely Dealing with Peacock Overpopulation:
Pinecrest implemented the Peacock Mitigation Program, which is an innovative and humane program to control the peacock population. This drew national attention from the New York Times and Washington Post. (Backstory: In 2020, as I approached a Resident’s door, plastic snakes were strewn along the entrance to the home -- like it was Halloween. But it had nothing to do with Halloween. The Resident was trying anything to scare off the peacocks.) Many thought this problem would never be solved. Instead, we took action to responsibly address this overpopulation problem.
2. Composting and Driving Down Food Waste in our Landfills.
A Resident asked that we consider composting as a Community. We then developed the idea and found partners. With the assistance of the County, we secured funding for a pilot composting program. Pinecrest has now composted over 27,000 lbs. of food. The program continues to grow.
3. Maintaining our 4-Story Limitation on US-1.
Guided by Residents’ love for our existing character, Council preserved our four-story limitation. We successfully resisted County pressure to re-zone for taller buildings and increased density. We defended and protected our character. I was new to Council when these discussions started. What I learned at the doors remained my North Star -- Pinecrest does not want tall buildings.
4. Potable Water to 750+ Homes Stuck on Well Water. Ensuring Access to Fire Hydrants.
Pinecrest brought home over $11 million from the American Rescue Plan. Council directed these funds to bring water to these homes. Now, all Pinecrest Residents have a safe, permanent water source. All Pinecrest Residents now have access to fire hydrants – over 130 were installed where none existed before. We improved our roads. This year and in coming years, we will continue to fight for and see infrastructure upgrades to our Community.
5. Confronting Speeding along 72nd and 77th Avenues:
We have put up new driver-alerting, speeding signs on 72nd and 77th Avenues. More are coming. The safety of our families will always come first in Pinecrest!
Pinecrest has composted more than 27,000 pounds for the purpose of sustainability!
Making local government accessible at the Farmers’ Market
Speaking with Students about Public Service
Looking forward to Seeing You at the Door
So, here we are in 2024. I am running for re-election -- Seat 3.
Because 6,600 homes are a lot of ground to cover, I have already begun knocking. I hope to see you at your door and learn more of what is on your mind. I welcome your ideas to preserve the positive in Pinecrest and build on our progress.
Holding public office is a privilege, a public trust. I hope I have earned yours over the past four years.
As always, I thank you for your consideration.
Committed to Our Community,
Vice Mayor Shannon del Prado