BC- LBTS dodged the Jewish Holiday blunder this year…A look at last year’s prev. posts provide what went down in Town with more than a few “dark moments” coming from still employed as Town Clerk June White (she still cannot get dates and holidays correct …she needs to go!) …and the former occupants of the dais that were ousted or terminated…after trying to wiggle their way out of the situation … Especially the former VM who went over the top in trying to smooth the fallout with statements and actions that were akin to “some of my closest friends are….”
Sentinel…
“Mayo on the Side
Budget hearings conflict with Jewish holidays
It’s unimaginable that any Florida governmental agency would schedule an important meeting for 5:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
In South Florida, where there’s a sizable Jewish population, it should be just as unimaginable to hold big budget hearings at sundown of the two biggest holy days on the Jewish calendar, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
But that’s exactly what two South Florida taxing agencies — the South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Inland Navigation District — will do this year.
Granted, these agencies don’t take big bites out of property owners’ tax bills and their budget hearings, both held in West Palm Beach, usually don’t attract many residents.
But the scheduling is insensitive and could have been easily avoided.
Representatives of the two agencies said they have not gotten any complaints about the conflicts. And they said there are ways for residents to give input without attending the hearings, such as sending comments by e-mail or fax.
The South Florida Water Management District, which oversees South Florida’s water supply along with canals and the Everglades, will hold its first budget meeting this Wednesday at 5:15 p.m., at its headquarters at 3301 Gun Club Road in West Palm Beach.
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins Wednesday at sundown.
The Florida Inland Navigation District, which oversees the Intracoastal Waterway, holds its first budget meeting on Sept. 17 at 5:30 p.m. at the West Palm Beach city commission chambers, 401 Clematis Street.
Yom Kippur, the solemn Jewish day of repentance, begins at sundown on Sept. 17.
“We weren’t aware of the conflict when the meeting was set,” said David Roach, executive director of the Florida Inland Navigation District.
Randy Smith, spokesman for the South Florida Water Management District, said residents who can’t attend the first hearing can give input before the final budget vote is taken on Sept. 21. For more information, residents can call 561-686-8800.
Both agencies are keeping their tax rates level, meaning they’ll be collecting less in property taxes because of the decline in home values.”
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/columnists/mayo/blog/2010/09/budget_hearings_conflict_with.html
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http://www.mypompanobeach.org/cra/index.html
http://www.hollywoodbeachcra.org/
http://ci.ftlaud.fl.us/cra/index.htm
BC- As we take this journey to decide the future of LBTS and the possibility of a return to having a CRA …Pompano Beach will have their 2nd public meeting this evening… Unfortunately it will not be on their webcast…But a look at their CRA webpage (link below) shows this time around the Town has hired the same people that were successful in Delray Beach…(Readers will remember Delray came to the MPSC and offered aid in the process of any upgrades in town …big or little as well as graciously offering to tell us what went wrong and how to avoid those pitfalls!.. The offer fell on deaf ears!)…..Hollywood..Fort Lauderdale …They also acquired a $15 million dollar 20 year bond in February… It’s a chance for all us “novices” to see what the process looks like…And perhaps in some way…shape…or form join our neighbors in moving forward instead of being left in the dust!…
Pelican…..
“CRA planning
meeting, Sept. 8
The Pompano Beach
Community Redevelopment
Agency, or CRA, will seek
community input during the
second of three public workshops
for the proposed Downtown
Pompano Connectivity
Plan on Sept. 8 at the E. Pat
Larkins Community Center,
520 Martin Luther King, Jr.
Boulevard.
Design alternatives will be
presented for the public rights
of way throughout Downtown
Pompano including areas
along Martin Luther King, Jr.
Boulevard, public streets and
sidewalks throughout the Old
Pompano area/FEC Corridor
and within a new City Hall/
Civic Campus proposed south
of Atlantic Boulevard at Dixie
Highway.
A final community meeting,
to be held later this fall, will
present recommendations to
be brought forward for final
approval by the CRA Board.
Approval of the plan will
enable final design of landscape
and streetscape plans
so construction can begin in
2011. ”
……….
BC- FDOT will be making less lanes!…Who knew?… It sounds much like what was being proposed to lessen the roadway on El Mar Drive recently from the MPSC instead of making the roads less lanes all the time.. to accommodate parking etc…. MPSC meets Tues. 9/21/10 at 7 pm for an update and presentation on the FDOT A1A Project underway from Pine to Terra Mar …Will the price be reduced and more be revealed about the “deal” we heard took place with SRLakes years back (prev. post)….
Sentinel-
“A1A lane-reduction project gathers momentum
September 02, 2010|By SEAN D’OLIVEIRA
After a recent public meeting, plans to modify A1A between Oakland Park Boulevard and Flamingo Avenue in Fort Lauderdale are moving forward.
The proposed upgrades along A1A are part of a resurfacing, restoration and rehabilitation project that is being orchestrated by the Florida Department of Transportation in order to extend the life of the road. The plans call for a reduction in the number of road lanes along that portion of A1A, from six to four. Stripes will be repainted, medians modified, curb ramps added, street signs updated and landscaping improved.
“This is not a typical project,” said Michael Melendez, engineer of record for the project. “You usually don’t have many opportunities to reduce the number of road lanes.”
The lane reductions were recommended after a study indicated that the road could be changed without interrupting traffic flow.
A major feature of the project will be the addition of bicycle lanes. There will be a 6-foot bike lane that will not be separated from the road by a physical barrier.
“There’s a lot of bicycle traffic in the area with no bike lanes, so I think the bike lanes will be a big addition,” said Jim Hughes, project manager for FDOT.
Officials hope that the reduction in traffic lanes will reduce speed and permit more pedestrians to use A1A and visit businesses in the area.
“You can see where people speed up because of the open corridor,” Melendez said. “One of the benefits will be to slow down traffic, not to the point where it obstructs traffic, but to allow more pedestrians to walk on the sidewalk and bring more exposure to businesses along A1A.”
While the project is funded by FDOT, Hughes said the department always tries to coordinate with cities to rehabilitate and extend the life of roads.
The design plans will be finalized in May, with bid for contracts expected to take place in September 2011. Construction is tentatively scheduled for early 2012.”
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more to come….
Tags: Boards, CRA Alive & Well In Lauderdale By The Sea Neighboring Municipalities...Will LBTS Get On Board Again?, CRA Public Meeting In Pompano Beach, FDOT Lessens Lanes On A1A ...Will LBTS El Mar Drive Do The Same?, Jewish Holiday Still Not On Government Calendars, LBTS Agendas/Meetings, local government, Local Politics, News, Scoops
