NEW CASTLE, Del. – The last of four regional, community meetings sponsored by New Castle County Executive Tom Gordon was held Thursday night in the Community Room of the Gilliam Building. The meetings were held in various parts of the County as a public service to discuss advances made in technology, land use, public safety, and emergency medical services.
County Executive Gordon welcomed the crowd of about 30 people and encouraged everyone to ask questions during the meeting.
NCC Chief Administrative Officer David Grimaldi demonstrated the power of the County's new website, including advanced features on G.I.S. mapping and plentiful information on land use issues. CAO Grimaldi also pointed out that all contracts given out by the County were published to the website in keeping with the County Executive’s commitment to open government.
Land Use General Manager Eileen Fogarty gave an extensive presentation on initiatives to revamp the Department of Land Use in order to ensure development was done responsibly and beautifully in New Castle County. Additionally, Land Use's Alan Desrosiers gave an overview of the Over 65 Exemptions available to seniors as a tax break.
New Castle County Police Cpl. Christopher Gigliotti gave residents valuable tips on preventing burglaries and property crimes. This included a discussion on the latest crime trend, distraction burglaries, which occur when one person poses as a salesman at the front door while his accomplice breaks into the back door and robs an unsuspecting victim. Cpl. Gigliotti also encouraged residents to take precautions such as not putting out the box of a new, 70-inch TV in front of their houses, or posting vacation photos on Facebook.
NCC Paramedic Cpl. Lorraine Williams gave residents an overview of how the Vial of Life program worked. The Vial of Life contains important, medical information about a person and she advised residents to store the vial in their refrigerators. She also urged residents to sign up for Smart911.com – another way to provide emergency responders with valuable, medical information – and the Senior Roll Call program, whereby the County calls seniors to make sure they are alright.
Executive Assistant Steve Burg thanked the crowd for attending and encouraged them to heed the advice given to them, pointing out how Senior Roll Call recently saved an elderly woman in his town.
County Executive Gordon holds regional, community meetings periodically. Stay tuned for the next round of meetings held in the future.
-30-