GAINESVILLE – Two Gainesville police officers were honored Tuesday evening at the City Council meeting in a rather unconventional manner.
It started when Robert and Wendy Cipriani strode hand-in-hand to the podium, first to speak during the public-comment portion of the meeting. The Gainesville couple said they felt that they had to express their appreciation, and they wanted everyone to hear what they had to say.
“My name is Staff Sergeant Robert Cipriani, U.S. Army retired. I’m a disabled vet that was medically discharged through the Wounded Warrior Program,” he said as he stepped before the microphone with his wife.
“I’d like to address two of the finest officers I have ever come across,” he said before adjusting the microphone and turning to face the audience, “Lieutenant Shawn Welsh and Officer Zachary Lowery.”
Gainesville Police Chief Carol Martin smiled proudly from the front row of the audience as all eyes in the room focused on Welsh and Lowery, seated in the rear.
“They were called out to our apartment one night,” Cipriani began, “when I was having one of my PTSD (Posttraumatic stress disorder) flashbacks that I don’t remember very well except that the two (officers) de-escalated the situation.”
“They came and treated me with respect, talked to me with respect. They actually brought me out of it due to how they handled the situation,” Cipriani said. “They went above and beyond…and we really appreciate it.”
Wendy Cipriani agreed with her husband. “I’ve seen my husband tazed (in past episodes with law enforcement)…but they approached him with absolute respect and did not one time aggressively approach him.”
Ms. Cipriani asked Welsh and Lowery to come forward to the podium where she and Robert presented each of them with a plaque expressing appreciation for how they handled a potentially explosive situation.
“It ended peacefully,” Chief Martin said after the meeting. “That’s always what we aim for.”
“We are slowly getting all of our officers trained in crisis intervention, which is critically important for our officers, as well,” Martin said.
ENOTA BYPASS STATUS CLARIFIED BY MAYOR
Recent media reports about how the city council and the city school board are looking at ways to deal with traffic congestion around Enota Elementary School have caught the eye of residents in the area.
Four individuals addressed the council during public comment, all opposed to the construction of a “bypass” around the school zone for the purpose of easing traffic.
Mayor Danny Dunagan followed their comments with a comment of his own.
“First and foremost, it is not a done-deal, by no means,” Dunagan began. “We have applied to the state for a grant to look at the feasibility of the bypass.”
Dunagan said he understood how neighbors could be confused about the bypass and its construction. “I know there are a lot of surveyors out on Enota, and that’s probably where you’re getting this, but that is for the school.”
“That has nothing to do with this bypass whatsoever,” he said affirmatively.
“In fact, this survey might come back and it’s not even feasible to do it. I would venture to say that on a fast-track it would be 8-10 years before anything is started. It’ll be a year before we get the money for the study to see if it is even feasible.”
Commissioner Zach Thompson echoed the Mayor’s position. “Please rest assured the city…is not going to be unloading bulldozers and starting any kind of project there without the citizens being informed. I’ve had those rumors come back to me and to the council. ”
MUNDY MILL SITE PLAN CHANGE APPROVED
By a unanimous vote a request by Butler Property, LLC, to amend the zoning on a 92-acre tract in the Mundy Mill Subdivision was approved.
For more details about the amended zoning click here.
