PLANTATION IS CELEBRATING 70TH ANNIVERSARY

The city is celebrating 70 years this month.

The main event is April 15 at Plantation Central Park. (Sorry about that, those accountants on deadline.)

The full day of activities starts with a party at the pool at the Aquatic Complex from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The events then move to the main sports field and surrounding area with three bands, an expansive child’s play area and vendors, information booths and an evening surprise sometime before 10 p.m.

The Chamber of Commerce’s “Cheers to 70 Years: Mayor’s Gala” is from 6-9 p.m. April 22. Visit PlantationChamber.org for more information to see me in a bow tie.

There also is an exhibit running at the Plantation Historical Museum.

Meanwhile, unrelated, the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life is from 3-10 p.m. April 29. Please note that this year the event will be held on a Saturday.

Maple and Cream Opens

Maple and Cream, a breakfast and lunch spot at the north end of Plantation Walk, quietly opened recently. The location is at the old Rena’s Flowers of Merritt, 375 N. University Drive. Hours are 7:30 am to 3:30 pm.

Owner-operator is David Gonzalez, a long time chef

By Nick Sortal

with decades of restaurant experience.

Their tagline is “Modern Dishes That Capture the Flavor of the Season.” I grabbed a menu and saw brown sugar pancakes, a ribeye skillet, and tempura fried grouper sandwich.

ARPA Money for Body Cams

The City Council provided consensus on the utilization of the balance of ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds at the Feb. 23 meeting. Plantation received just over $13M in ARPA funds.

Previous allocations include funding to assist residents struggling to pay their water bill ($1.4M) and to resume the capital projects that were deferred in FY 2021 ($1.6M). These federal funds were also dedicated toward the fire rescue apparatus ($1.2M), the Stormwater Master Plan ($1.3M), sewer mains and laterals lining ($2.4M), COVID-19 Mitigation ($150k), and ERP system ($750k).

Recently, the City Council agreed to allocate $1M to help equip the Plantation Police Department with body-worn cameras and $3.3M to facilitate the implementation of ADA deficiency remediation as part of our ADA Transition and Multimodal Master Transportation plans.

Playground Safety Surfacing

The City Council approved $120,000 for the installation of the safety surfacing for the new playground at Jim Ward Park, 301 NW 46th Ave. We hope to have this project completed and the new playground open by summer.

No Change in Solid Waste Billing

In an effort to improve collection rates for residential solid waste and recycling costs, the City considered moving these charges to the annual property tax bill. As we looked into it further, we found additional costs would be involved. So you will continue to see these charges on your monthly utility bills.

City Annex Building

We have broken ground on a Development Center Annex. It will be about 4,200 square feet and will take about a year to build. Engineering will move into the building when it is completed. After a remake of the existing Development Services building – which was built in 1990 -- Building Department will gain much-needed space on the first floor. Our Planning and Zoning Department will occupy the second floor.

The annex has been planned for about three years. Ahrens Company is in charge of the construction.

Peters ES Robotics Lauded

The Peters Elementary Robotics team was lauded with a proclamation for winning the Robot Rumble held on Dec. 17 at South Plantation High. Using their knowledge of thermodynamics, kinetics, mechanics and force, the team worked together and encouraged each other to solve a number of challenges. Keep studying, kids. We need you!

Questions? I prefer email: Mayor@Plantation.org

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Deep Roots Family Wellness

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Best Assisted Living Facility

Oakmonte Village of Davie

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Best Chiropractor

Dr. Brian S Hunt

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7330 NW 5th Street www.phandw.com

954-321-9501

Dr. Hunt and his team at Plantation Health & Wellness help patients get back to their everyday lives. They help their patients treat and alleviate symptoms associated with a myriad of ailments including peripheral neuropathy, back pain, neck pain, headaches, auto injuries, weight gain, metabolic dysfunction, auto accident injuries, and other joint related pain.

Patient testimonials about the work of Plantation Health & Wellness are over the moon. People commented on Dr. Hunt’s attention to detail and thoroughness while always maintaining a friendly, helpful disposition.

Best

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Best

Best Day Spa

Contour Day Spa

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Best General Dentist

Diana Wohlstein, DMD

Sawgrass Dental Center

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She is accepting new patients at her new state-of-theart office on Sunrise Boulevard Whether you would like to improve or maintain the health of your smile, Dr. Wohlstein is there to help, earning her the “BEST” of vote by our readers.