Posted by Student 1.21 -

I believe that it would benefit Chatham if we were to develop towards the 401 highway. The way that it would benefit Chatham is that it would create more of a presence for settling businesses looking to develop. So in conclusion, why are you not developing towards the 401 highway, to create a curb appeal for Chatham? Are there any current projects in the works complete this task?

Posted by Student 1.25 –

I’ve heard my Dad talking a lot about ArtSpace and how it is funded by the municipality. Why is this something that we are funding?

Posted by Student 1.6 –

As a female teen I don’t feel safe walking around Chatham at night because I know teens that have been hurt or got in trouble. Why isn’t there more police officers patrolling at night?

To Student 1.7 – regarding buses

There are two bus systems you are talking about:
1. School busses – the schools have a policy that they will bus any elementary school students to school if they live further than 1.6 km from school and high school students if they live further than 3.2 km from the school. On a health note: I would suggest that school kids become more active and walk or bike to school for their own health!
2. Municipal buses – currently there are four municipal bus routes in the community of Chatham. The bus routes are as long as they can be without increasing the 30 minutes cycle time or adding more buses to the routes. Each additional bus costs approximately $180,000 per year to operate. The municipality does keep an eye on bus usage and demand. If new demand is created in certain areas we will adjust bus routes to suit.

Posted by Student 2.13 –

I’m interested in making Chatham a greener community. Have you tried to make Chatham a greener city? What are the environmental steps that Chatham is taking to be more green?

To Student #2 – Sidewalks

The municipality has a program whereby we replace the worst blocks of sidewalk or sections of sdewalks every year. We spend approx $300,000 per year performing this activity. Approximately every three years municipal staff rate teh sidewalks to highlight areas of concern and to prioritize the sidewalk replacement work.

Approx. 3 years ago the municipality undertook a program where all the sidewalsk were reviewed and trip hazards were cut off the sidewalk making them safer. If you know of specific area email that information to ckies@chatham-kent.ca.

To Student 1.6 – Safety in Chatham

The Chatham-Kent Police Service (CKPS) places a high priority on preventing crime and keeping our community safe. CKPS works in partnership with the community and relies on citizens to be an ‘extra set of eyes and ears’ as officers cannot be everywhere. Citizens are asked to report any suspicous behaviour/activity either by calling CKPS directly or through an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip. CKPS would also like to take this opportunity to urge the citizens of Chatham-Kent to get involved and make their presence known through community groups (ie: Neighbourhood Watch, Block Parent etc).

TOGETHER we can make a difference…..Crime Prevention is a Community Effort !!

I would also like to add some information on Personal Safety…

Personal Safety involves taking steps to keep yourself safe and protecting yourself from situations that are potentially violent or criminal:
- safety in numbers so travel in pairs whenever possible
- travel in well lit areas and avoid taking short cuts, especially at night
- carry a cellular phone
- tell family and friends your intended route
- avoid wearing any device that could compromise your hearing
- trust your intuition – if something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t
- call police immediately if you see or hear anything suspicious

Personal Safety is important because property can be replaced, but you are irreplacable.