Members of the public safety committee heard reports from residents on Fulton Street and East Eighth Street about an increase in certain criminal activities. P-J photo by Sara Holthouse

Work has been ongoing to help with the drugs and other ongoing activities in the neighborhood of Fulton Street and East Eighth Street, yet residents are reporting some activities continue, and are getting worse.

At a recent public safety committee meeting, Fulton Street resident Paul Wolff reported to the committee that the drug activity on the street is getting worse.

“Drug activity is really picking up over there on Fulton,” Wolff said. “I heard, not personally, from someone else who spoke to a representative that there’s a potential push for a light and camera. That would be awesome, even just the light because that would deter so much criminal activity.”

Councilman Tony Dolce, R-Ward 2 and chair of the public safety committee, said that the light was on the agenda for that meeting, set to be voted on by the overall council during the next voting session. Dolce added that he had gone down to Fulton to pick the light’s location. Dolce also talked with another neighbor who told him where the light was most needed. The light will also need approval from the Board of Public Utilities, and was approved by the public safety committee during their meeting.

Sidewalk work on the street is also planned once a few more houses scheduled for demolition come down. Other issues in the Fulton neighborhood that Wolff noted include a neighbor with dogs that are off of the leash and biting people, including his daughter. An official Neighborhood Watch group looking to start up for the Fulton neighborhood was also on the agenda for the public safety committee, and was approved by the committee.

East Eighth Street resident, Raven Corvus, also spoke at the recent public safety committee meeting about East Eighth Street getting worse. This includes a huge fight the day before the meeting that Corvus said seven or eight Jamestown police officers responded to along with state patrol. One house in particular she said causes issues, though she noted most of the time they sit outside partying, but they also have people, potentially relatives, that come on motorcycles.

“They just rev up and down the road on East Eighth,” Corvus said. “They stop at the top of Lakeview and go back down. They even go on the sidewalk, and my husband yelled at them one day … I even have a video of it.”

Corvus said she has called the police about it, but that the motorcycle riders will disperse as soon as police arrive. The motorcycles will continue for two or three hours doing this, at high rates of speed, usually from about 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Corvus said.

“It would be different if I could close my door and not hear them, but they’re so loud you can’t even hear your TV when you turn it up,” Corvus said.

Corvus also noted issues with a drug dealer that does most of his deals on Fulton, adding that she is aware that the police have extra patrols there now. Both Corvus and Wolff said it has been quieter during the day. Dolce added that unfortunately loud activities such as the motorcycles have a tendency to ramp up in the summer when the weather is nice, and that he can hear the motorcycles from his home as well. It was also noted that the motorcycles would not be so bad if they were going the speed limit and actually going somewhere, with some also going on the sidewalks with the potential to hit someone. Police Chief Scott Forster said that the police department will continue to work on the area and the motorcycles.