Letter From The Lauderhill Chamber of Commerce

The Lauderhill Chamber of Commerce, under the new administration of President Tony Palmisano, Vice President Sean Henderson and current Executive Committee Members; Secretary Joy Roberts and Treasurer Jarvis Francis has aggressively been working for the past two months to plan a year filled with activities geared for increasing your business growth. They plan to do this by making a commitment to provide Chamber members with the resources needed to enhance their companies.

A few of the benefits now available to our members include:

1) Regularly schedule "First Friday" Monthly Breakfast meetings
2) Monthly After-Hours Networking Business card exchange
3) Free "Third Tuesday" in the month Florida Atlantic University (FAU)
4) Business Development Seminars
5) Chamber office equipped with computers, wireless internet, A-V Projector, Conference room meeting space, receiving and sending faxes. (*All available by appointment /small fees may apply)
6) Free FAU business consultant (available Mondays and Tuesdays by appointment)
7) Member to Member discount offers
8) Joint Chamber of Commerce Networking events

We are very excited with the advantages that our contract with FAU has been able to provide our members. In an effort to increase Chamber membership benefits we are currently examining two new contracts involving health insurance and legal services at the request of so many of our members.

We look forward to your participation

Sincerely

Pastor Tony Palmisano
President
5557 W. Oakland Park Blvd., Lauderhill, FL 33313
954-605-5996; 954-749-3828 (f)
http://www.lauderhillchamber.org/

Commission Workshop Notes of 4/17/06

The City Commission held is Regular Workshop Meeting on April 17, and covered 15 items in 4 hours. The following is a summation of some of the items covered:

1) Addition information relating to a new City Hall was brought up. New figures of the cost of the 3 options were presented with some recommendations. Option 1: Reconstruct the existing City Hall using the shell is estimated to cost $5.75 million, and was not recommended by the City Manager; Option 2: Demolish the old city hall and build a new one in its place would cost about $7.250 million; Option 3: Build a new city hall at the site of the old Publix on Oakland Park Blvd., would have a net cost of $1.2 million. After some discussion the Commission came to a consensus to support a new city hall on Oakland Park Blvd., and to pursue Option 3. Other potential sites were discussed, though they were found unacceptable or inferior to the other options presented.

2) Discussed and consensually agreed to put the garbage bills on to the tax bills so that they would be collected once a year. This is presently done in the newly annexed areas of the city and is also done throughout Palm Beach County. It would only affect single family houses, and not multi family properties that use large trash bins covering multi properties.

3) Discussed and consensually agree to change water bills from a bi-monthly system, to a monthly system.

4) A presentation and discussion was given by the Educational Advisory Board on direction on the expenditure of funds intended for schools. The Educational Advisory Board, after input given, will be meeting shortly to develop a program to be brought back to the Commission. There were a variety of viewpoints given, but no final decisions were made.

5) Approved by consensus installation of speed humps on NW 37st Street, NW 73rd Ave., 37th Terrace, 38th Court, NW 42nd Street (in the south area of the Homes of Inverrary, and NW 33rd Ave (in St. George). These locations were as requested by residents living along these streets, and pursuant to the procedure set out by the Commission for obtaining speed humps. Depending upon the location, the humps will start to be installed within the next 2 weeks, though they some may be held up for a brief time if necessary due to already scheduled road construction.

6) Discussion on additional walls in Inverrary was brought up in conjunction with the requests of the Inverrary Association. Additionally, GO Bond projects within Inverrary were discussed.

7) A design plan for 55th Ave. (showing a park and greenway from old City Hall north), a botanical garden for the new park being created on Inverrary Blvd., and the layout of the new Community Center at Westwind Park, were presented.

Many of these items will require future Commission approval to proceed, and are subject to modifications.

Lauderhill Fire Rescue Explorers Win Awards

On Saturday April 8, 2006 the City of Lauderhill Fire Rescue Explorers competed in the 5th Annual Broward County Fire Rescue Explorer/Cadet Challenge against teams from across Broward County and Boca Raton. Out of the 9 events our explorers brought home trophies in 4 of them.

Our explorers placed 1st in the Firefighter Combat Challenge, 1st in the Ladder Raise Evolution, 2nd in the Search and Rescue evolution and 2nd in the Barrel Push Evolution. In addition our explorers brought home a trophy for placing 5th overall out of 10 teams. Our explorers would not have done so well if it were not for all of the men and women of the Lauderhill Fire Rescue Department that give their time to train these teenagers for a possible future career in the fire rescue service.

Police Memorial Service

The Lauderhill Police Department will be hosting a Police Memorial Service, honoring those officers who were killed in the line of duty throughout the area. The service will be conducted at the Lauderhill Police Department, on Oakland Park Blvd., on May 3 at 9:30 AM. All are invited to attend.

Chamber Business Card Exchange

On April 27, the Lauderhill Chamber of Commerce is having a Business Card Exchange Networking Party, beginning at 6 PM at the Inverrary Hotel in Lauderhill. This event is jointly sponsored with the Puerto Rican Chamber and Caribbean Chamber. Cost is $10, and $100 for a table. For more information about this and other events: http://www.lauderhillchamber.net/events.html

Free Summer Pre-K Program

Now is the time to register for the free summer Pre-K program. Parents can register their children who are 4 by Sept. 1, 2005 for the summer program, or who are 4 by Sept. 1, 2006 for the fall program. Classes run May 31 to July 28, 7:30 AM to 3 PM daily. The program is provided in specifically designated public schools and in several private school facilities throughout the county. Public schools in or near Lauderhill participating in this program are: Lauderhill Paul Turner Elementary, Endeavor Primary Learning Center, Village Elementary and Challenger Elementary.

Registration is occurring at numerous sites throughout the county. For more information call 954-724-7577 or use this link: http://www.familycentral.org/vpk_info.asp.

Lauderhill Named Tree City USA

It was announced the Lauderhill has been named a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation to honor its commitment to community forest. It is the 14th year Lauderhill has received this national recognition.

To receive this honor, Lauderhill has met the four standards to become a Tree City USA: a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program, and an Arbor Day observance.

This years Arbor Day observance will be held 10 AM, on April 28 at the Ilene Lieberman Waterfront Garden Park, next to the Inverrary Hotel. Additionally, free trees will be given out.

Board Appointments Available

The City Commission is now in the process of making appointment to many city boards. Such boards include the Arts, Cultural & Tourism Board, Recreational Advisory Board, Educational Advisory Board, and the Planning & Zoning Board, among others.

Though many of the positions are now filled, there are several remaining for those interested. In particular, there is a general Commission appointment to the Planning & Zoning Board, which is often a competitive position to obtain. At this time there are only a few that have applied, and requests for appointments are still open.

If anyone has interest in an appointment, then e-mail your resume and request to the city clerk at: jhiggins@lauderhill-fl.gov. You may also mail it to City Hall, or drop it by the offices at the site of the old Publix building on Oakland Park Blvd. For more information, you may call the City Clerks office at 954-714-5566. Time is critical if you are interested in applying, since decisions may be made at the next commission meeting, the second Monday of May.

Notes of the Commission Meeting of 4/10/06

On April 10, 2006, the Commission met and covered discussed the following items of interest:

1) Passed an ordinance restricting Adult Entertainment Uses and Adult Bookstores/Video Stores;

2) Passed an ordinance placing restrictions on dancers in Adult Entertainment Facilities;

3) Passed an ordinance allowing for the installation and operation, under emergency and maintenance conditions, for electric generation machines (sponsored by Mayor Kaplan);

4) Made appointment to numerous board, though a position for a general Commission appointment to the Planning & Zoning Board remains open for applications. Other appointments may also be available;

5) Ranked architectural firms for design of a new city hall;

6) Approved the awarding of a bid to install lightning detectors at city parks.

Pre-Budget Workshops Announced

Following the Commissions previously established procedure of holding Lauderhill Pre-Budget Workshops, the following schedule was announced.

1) Veterans Park - March 2 at 7:00 PM, primarily for Inverrary Association, and the Inverrary Homeowners Association;
2) Main Fire Station (2nd Floor Multi-purpose Room) - March 3 at 7:00 PM, primarily for Lauderhill Central Residents Association;
3) Veterans Park - March 9 at 7:00 PM, primarily for the Northwest Lauderhill Neighbors' Association;
4) West Ken Lark Community Center - March 10 at 7:00 PM, primarily for St. George, West Ken Lark and Broward Estates;
5) Sadkin Community Center - March 15 at 7:00 PM, primarily for United Lauderhill Homeowners Association.

The purpose of the workshops is to present to in each area those matters which are being planned for that region of the city. It is requested that the public provide comments, pro and con, and input of any budget matter which affects them, including matters which had not been considered previously. Residents from any part of the city may attend any of the workshops, and may comment about any budget throughout the city. However, the concentration of that evenings workshop will be on the area designated.

Following these workshops, the staff shall prepare a budget for the upcoming 2006-7 budget year, to be present at the July Budget Workshops. The date and time for that workshop has not be set as of yet. In September, the Commission will have two votes on the budget for the upcoming year based upon the work from these workshops.

If any wishes to make an impact on the future of Lauderhill, attending and providing comment at this time would be the best time to do so.

Commercial Blvd. Redevelopment

Plans have been received at City Hall for the redevelopment of the Lauderhill Movie Theatre on Commercial Blvd. The plans call for the removal of the movie theatre, and the building of a new commercial center with larger style stores. The time table, nor the type of stores is known at this time. However, the site plans are going through the different committees of the city for review. More information will become available when made known.

Plans for Old City Hall

Though no final decisions have been made for the future of the Old City Hall property, some ideas have come forward. One of the possibilities is to sell the land to create new residential homes. It would also involve redesigning the surrounding properties, though it would retain the park land. Money from the sale of the land would then be used to pay for construction of the new City Hall proposed for Oakland Park Blvd.

If the land was to be redeveloped for housing, the decision as to the type of housing is also undecided. Already different viewpoints have been heard. Workforce housing has been a county issue, though not quite the issue in Lauderhill, whose average price of houses is about $238,000. This is below the county average of $361,000. Workforce housing prices are considered to be about $250,000 or less. Therefore, Lauderhill is already meeting the needs of Workforce housing.

The other consideration is upscale single family homes in the $300,000 to $400,000 range. This type of housing would be the at the higher scale for this neighborhood, and may bring a better balance of housing stock for this area. It may also serve to increase values within this section of the city.

Ultimately, as the diagram shows above, it may be a blend of the two types of housing. Either way, it will show a commitment for redevelopment for the neighborhood, which will be a positive force. It will also call for the removal of Mission Lake Plaza, which for years has been a continuing problem within the city for crime issues. The City Commission, by a 4 to 1 vote (Commission Berger in dissent), approved earlier the purchase of the property, with the intent of converting the property to residential. This will reduce crime, reduce traffic flow, increase safety in the area, and overall be of a positive benefit for the community.

Science Club & Fair

The Kids In Science (K.I.S.) Club is being launched on Saturday, April 22, from 10 AM to 11:30 AM, at the Key Largo Room, at the Jim Ward Community Center. The Center is located at 301 NW 46th Ave, Plantation. The Club is free, and is for participants from 6 to 16 of age.

Thereafter, the Club shall meet at the Lauderhill Central Community Room on the south side of the Main Lauderhill Fire Station on 56th Avenue, from 10 AM to noon, each Saturday. During the meetings the kids will prepare for the Community Science Fair on October 28.

For more information contact Eric Hammond at 954-327-7203.

20th Annual Spring Fling

On Saturday, April 8, from 10 AM to 1 PM, Lauderhill will host its Annual Spring Fling. Admission is free, and will feature a Egg Hunt with prizes (10 AM, ages 1-10), Bounce House, Face Painting, DJ, Games and other activities at each site. The event will be held at 4 sites: City Hall Park, St. George Park, Veterans Park and West Ken Lark Park. For more information call: 954-730-4218, or www.lauderhill-fl.gov.

Homeowner Associations - Do I Have One?

Throughout Lauderhill, there are numerous associations. Some are mandatory, particularly the condominiums. Some single family homes are in mandatory associations as well. You would know whether or not you have a mandatory association when you receive your regular assessment bills to pay. Which if you don't pay, will become a lien against your property.

However, in a great part of Lauderhill exists voluntary homeowner associations. These groups are run by volunteers, who have taken upon themselves to represent an area, and work towards the betterment of their area. Typically, anyone can join, though their membership is concentrated in the area they represent. Dues are quite reasonable, usually $10 to $36 per year, and they conduct monthly meetings in one of the city's public buildings.

When developing policy within Lauderhill, it's elected and appointed officials will seek out the input of all of these associations. Our Pre-budget Workshops are arranged to coincide with the association meetings, or at least to make sure that they are included in these meetings. If you have a particular interest in seeing something happen in Lauderhill, not only should you contact city officials, but it would also help your cause to seek the help of your association.

The list of Voluntary Homeowner Associations, and meeting information at this time (updates to be provided when given) is as follows:

1) Northwest Lauderhill Neighbors' Association (homes west of University), 2nd Tuesday of each month (not in summer), 7:15 PM, Veterans Park;
2) Inverrary Homeowners' Association (homes east of University, north of Oakland Park, excluding those areas in Inverrary Association); 1st Tuesday of every other month beginning February , 7:15 PM, Veterans Park;
3) Lauderhill Central Residents' Association (homes south of Oakland Park Blvd. and west of the turnpike), 1st Wednesday of each month, 7:00 PM, Community Room on south end of Main Fire Station on 56th Ave.;
4) United Lauderhill Homeowners' Association (homes east of the turnpike, and west of 441), 3rd Monday of each month, 7:30 PM, Sadkin Community Center;
5) West Ken Lark Homeowners' Association (homes west of 441 and north of Sunrise Blvd.), 2nd Wednesday of each month, 7:30 PM, West Ken Lark Community Center;
6) St. George Civic Association (homes east of 441, south of Sunrise Blvd, and north of 7th Street), 2nd Tuesday of each month, 7:00 PM, St. George Community Center;
7) Broward Estates Homeowners' Association (south of 7th Street and east of 441), 2nd Monday of each month, 7:30 PM, Parkway Middle School.

When The Garbage Overflows

Recently, it was asked what to do when you have more garbage than can be held in the standard 95 gallon container that is picked up twice each month. This may happen when you have a large amount of landscaping debris, or after a large party. The answer is easy.

In these situations, you can put out additional trash bags. However, each bag must have attached to it a special sticker. These stickers are available at Publix, and cost under $6 for 5 of them. These stickers are not for trash cans or pails, only for bags. When the garbage truck comes to pick it up, they will take the entire bag.

These stickers are not for the normal 95 gallon container, nor bulk trash or recycling. Only when the excess garbage cannot be disposed of by using one of these methods that you have already paid for through your garbage fees, would you use the stickers.

Management & Efficiency Study Committee Meets

On March 29, at the Environ Cultural Center, many residents met at a Town Hall meeting, to give testimony to the Broward County Management & Efficiency Study Committee (MESC). The topic was emergency preparedness. There was a lively discussion relating to Hurricane Wilma, and the lessons to be learned from it.

Former State Representative, Stacy Ritter, the Chair of MESC, conducted the meeting, and heard comments relating to inspections, electrical outages, gas outages, flooding, and PODS, to name a few. Mayor Richard J. Kaplan was also present, providing his own comments and questions, plus answered questions posed by others relating to Lauderhill.

MESC is a Committee mandated to be created every 6 years, to examine the inefficiencies in County Government. Their term is two years, and will be presenting their Final Report to the Broward County Commission in June of 2006. Other topics for study have been, affordable housing, governance, growth management, service delivery, and transportation.

To find out more about the Committee, the following link is provided: www.broward.org/efficiency. Also you may call 954-357-8890.

Notes of the Commission Meeting of 03/27/06

The following matters of interest were discussed and decided upon at the Lauderhill Commission Meeting of March 27:

1) Commissioner Dale Holness was elected Vice Mayor for the upcoming year, and Commissioner M. Margaret Bates was elected Deputy Vice Mayor;

2) An ordinance was passed on first reading to more limit the ability for adult bookstores and video stores to operate in the city;

3) An ordinance was passed on first reading placing regulations and limitations on dancing in adult entertainment facilities;

4) An ordinance was passed on first reading allowing electrical generators to be installed in Lauderhill that may violate the noise ordinance, if operated during emergencies, or for normal maintenance only. This ordinance, sponsored by Mayor Kaplan, would allow the installation of permanent generators into private homes;

5) A resolution was passed in support of West Ken Lark's request for a traffic light at 14th and 16th Street at NW 31st Ave., and a four way stop at 33rd and 16th. At the request of James Bradley, the President of the West Ken Lark Association, the resolution did not include a request for a traffic light at 12th Place and NW 31st Ave;

6) Appointed Deputy Vice Mayor M. Margaret Bates as voting delegate, and Vice Mayor Dale Holness as Alternate to the State Road 7/US 441 Collaborative Steering Committee, as Lauderhill's representatives;

7) Approved Vice Mayor Dale Holness's resolution for the City of Lauderhill's A+ Operation Plan for 2005-6, addressing a program for assisting Lauderhill schools;

8) The Commission agreed to allow staff to determine the time and place of the upcoming Pre-Budget Workshops throughout Lauderhill. These workshops are expected to be schedule primarily during April. The locations and area each meeting is to cover is as follows: St. George Community Center - St. George, Broward Estates & West Ken Lark; Sadkin Center - East Side; Main Fire Station on 56th Ave. - Central Lauderhill; Police Station - Inverrary; and Veterans Park - West Lauderhill & the Homes of Inverrary. Following the Pre-Budget Workshops, a Budget Workshop is anticipated to be scheduled in July, with final readings of the budget in September. Anyone wishing to come to their particular meeting to hear and discuss any matter that relates to the budget is invited. You are also permitted to attend any of the other meetings to discuss your items, though it is intended for each meeting to concentrate on that particular area of the city.