$79K in safety grant funding to support Snow Hill
SNOW HILL, Md. – The town of Snow Hill is talking safety with a hefty price tag, $79,000 to be exact.
The town is about to get a whole lot brighter and it’s all thanks to a grant from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. One local business owner says this is a great need for the area. “It doesn’t hurt to have light especially when people are out in the evenings we know that we have a street light that’s out all the time, across the street from me on pearl street,” says Diana Nolte, Snow Hill Toys owner.
Toy Store owner Diana Nolte has been in business for 20 years with a view of downtown Snow Hill right out her window. She says plans for new safety measures are a step in the right direction. Measures including “implementing cameras in our town, specifically in the downtown area and along our riverfront, but also we’re going to be receiving some lamps, street lamps to enhance our safety along our sidewalks,” says Snow Hill Police Chief Andy McGee.
Chief McGee says more tools will equal a safer community. Worcester County Sheriff Matt Crisafulli agrees. “Illumination is the number one deterrent to crime, we have found that homes that are well-lit, and businesses that are well-lit are less likely to be victimized by crime, it is good to have an elaborate alarm system, but it still stands that the number one deterrent to crime is lighting and good illumination,” says Sheriff Crisafulli.
Plus Nolte says well-lit areas mean more business. “But we want visitors to Snow Hill, residents, and workers to feel safe whenever they come into town. When things aren’t well lit, and it’s very dark and gloomy looking then people tend to not feel safe,” says Nolte.
Chief McGee says they even plan to make the camera facing the bridge coming into town available to the public. A bridge, residents know can be shut down by extreme conditions. “Whenever we have any kind of weather event, route 12 sometimes gets closed, due to flooding this will allow our citizens and visitors to log in to our town webpage – they’ll be able to see a live feed of the drawbridge area, and they can determine whether it’s safe or not,” says Chief McGee.
Chief McGee also says with the grant money, they will also be adding two bicycles to their police fleet. He says the hope is the lamps and cameras will be operational by summer.
