Residents consider new safety precautions

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Neighbors in the Riverwalk Hammock community in Lakewood Ranch are rallying to restore the sense of community that was present when their neighborhood first opened more than a decade ago.

Spurred to action by the murder of their beloved neighbor, Ina Gross, Jan. 9, more than 20 neighbors gathered Jan. 25 to discuss ways they, as residents, could improve the safety of their neighborhood.

“I think we just need to be aware of each other; we need to know each other’s faces, each other’s cars,” one woman said.

Although many residents in Riverwalk Hammock admit they still are nervous that Gross’ murderer remains at-large, most agreed their tight-knit community already has its own sort of built-in neighborhood watch, because homeowners from throughout the 49-home community are out walking their dogs and visiting with neighbors regularly.

Homeowners, however, need to pay more attention to what is going on in their community, look for abnormalities and report any out-of-the-ordinary activities, they said. Residents also need to be more purposeful about being outside and available to neighbors, rather than driving straight into their garages when they come home from work, they said.

“We used to be a community 11 years ago where were outside,” resident Jamie Grollman said. “I don’t want to be behind closed doors anymore.”

Her neighbor Iris Kraft agreed.

“It doesn’t matter that we had a tragedy — we should all be more alert,” she said.

By the meeting’s end, neighbors agreed they would schedule a presentation by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office on improving safety and also schedule an old-fashioned block party to get know one other better.

A team of volunteers also offered to talk with homeowners and work to create a resident directory containing information such as how many individuals live in each home, emergency contact numbers for each household and other pertinent information.

The directory not only would serve as a way for residents to better know their neighbors but also provide valuable information to the neighborhood’s Community Emergency Response Team, which is responsible for caring for residents until emergency crews arrive during a natural disaster. Homeowners who did not wish to participate in the directory could opt out.

“I think there were a lot of good ideas,” said Cheryl Berger, who has lived in the community with her husband, Bill, for the last two-and-one-half years. “(We need to) be familiar with each other. It’s good for anybody.”

Event organizer Paul Kraft said he felt the meeting went well and every attendee took away new information while getting to meet with new and old neighbors alike.

“Just the fact the community is sharing information and experiences is very helpful,” Kraft said. “They brought up things we need to look into.”

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].