Gazette Wilton Manors
Volume 2 • Issue 18 September 16, 2015
Twice-Monthly Neighborhood Outlook
Page 2 The Art Of Negotiation
Page 2 Taste Of The Island
Page 3 UDC Redevelopment
Page 3 Parking Lot Purchase
Page 4 ATV Driver Ticketed
Community Business
City Reportedly Breaks Even on Stonewall Organizers promise an even better festival next year By Michael d’Oliveira In its first attempt at running Stonewall Street Festival, the City of Wilton Manors made as much money as it spent. That’s according to Bob Mays, finance director, who says the city broke even. The June event, a popular draw that swells the city’s populations by tens of thousands each year, cost the city about $135,000. Revenue was equal to that, with the possibility of a “couple hundred dollars” in profit, said Mays. In years past, private entities have organized the event, but last year city officials decided to take it on themselves. To help run it, they appointed five volunteers, the Wilton Manors Entertainment Group, to work with city staff members. Closing Wilton Drive, hiring entertainers and security were some of the expenses associated with the event. Sponsorships, vendor fees, sales of alcohol and refreshments and parade fees were some of the income sources.
A full report is expected to be released by the next commission meeting on Sept. 21. Jeff Sterling, president of the Stonewall Entertainment Committee, the group of residents and business owners appointed by the city to help organize the event, called it the most successful Stonewall festival in years. “The fact that we didn’t lose money puts it above the last several [events]. That makes it impressive. Most of the street festivals bleed cash and this is important to turn that around.” He added that hopefully next year will even more successful and that planning will start earlier. “We’re well aware of all the parts that did not perform as well as we wanted them to perform.” Asked for an example, he said entertainment cost more than it should have because of a lot of costs organizers didn’t expect, such as hotels for out of town performers. “We’ll be even better next year.” WMG
Commission Meeting Moved
The commission meeting of Sept. 22 has been rescheduled for Sept. 21 at 6:30 p.m. in the Commission Chambers, 2020 Wilton Drive. WMG
Road Closure Rescheduled
The closing of the railroad crossing at Northeast 26 Street has been rescheduled and will occur from Sunday, Oct. 4 to Tuesday, Oct. 6. FEC will complete a rehabilitation of the railroad crossing. Traffic will be detoured north to Oakland Park Boulevard and South to Northeast 13 Street. WMG
Photo by J.R. Davis.
Announcements
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The Art of Negotiation… By Sal Torre
SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 • VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 18 2520 N. DIXIE HIGHWAY • WILTON MANORS, FL 33305
Our city is once again looking to purchase land, and once again is demonstrating the need to improve on the art of negotiation. Just by the definition of negotiation, the city is failing miserably in the recent move to purchase a vacant lot to be used for additional parking on the north end of the Wilton Drive Arts and Entertainment District. NEGOTIATION: The reaching of agreement through discussion and compromise. Our city has the discussion part down, but cannot seem to master the part about getting the seller to compromise on the asking price. Even when an appraisal comes in almost $100,000 below the seller’s supposed lowest price, our city has failed to get better terms. Even more infuriating is the response from some city elected officials that the money is there in the Parking Fund to be spent on such a purchase, so why haggle over the price? Why risk losing such an important piece of property? Well friends, sometimes you just have to be ready to walk away from a deal to get better terms. This ‘important piece’ of property will only provide 18-24 additional parking spaces. The much needed, but very small fix to our parking program will cost about $30,000 per parking space to construct, clear evidence to support the argument that our elected officials should seek out better long-term cost effective solutions on a more significant scale. Now let me add insult to injury. This current property owner who is standing firm on this over-priced piece of property has not been maintaining the property for years. There are unpaid liens owed to the city of over $10,000. The owner hasn’t cut grass or maintained the property, and has allowed unpaid utility bills to total over $7,900. Wow, what a bargaining chip to be used in negotiations! Unfortunately, that is not the case. Perhaps it’s time that the city consider sending someone to a negotiating seminar. Perhaps they should ask the PBA where their police union negotiators go for training, because they certainly know how to negotiate the best deal in town. The story only gets worse. According to the report by city staff, this vacant property is currently being used as a parking lot by employees of local businesses and frequently has over 40 cars squeezed in during busy times. Wow again! And where has Code Enforcement been all this time? Do we just enforce some codes here in Wilton Manors and not others? The city report goes on to utilize this data of illegal parking to justify expected income levels from paid parking. Of course people are going to park on this lot instead of walking a few blocks from the new city parking lot
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Gazette Wilton Manors
Opinion
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PUBLISHER • NORM KENT NORM.KENT@SFGN.COM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER • PIER ANGELO GUIDUGLI ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER / EXECUTIVE EDITOR • JASON PARSLEY JASON.PARSLEY@SFGN.COM
Editorial
on 26th Street – it’s free! Hello, no surprise here. The only bright spot is that, after paying the buyer’s exorbitant asking price, the city will get the money owed in liens and unpaid utility bills. Looking on the bright side, as I always try to do, when you total everything up, we only wind up overpaying for the property by about $80,000. That’s a lot of pizza at Bona’s Restaurant. Listening to all this play out at our last two City Commission meetings reminded me of stories heard as a teenager back in the 70’s living in the Northeast, stories heard from parents’ friends about land sales in Florida, about the great deals that wound up being swampland out in the Everglades. From those stories came the old saying, “If you believe that, I’ve got some land to sell you in Florida.” Well somebody has some land to sell in Florida, and our city might just fall for it. Vice Mayor Scott Newton and Commissioner Julie Carson deserve credit for stating their concerns about purchasing this property at our last commission meeting. Mayor Resnick voiced his concerns at an earlier meeting, wanting a negotiated price much closer to the market value of the property. Let’s hope it’s at least a three to two vote on not moving ahead with such a poorly negotiated deal for our city. Join us for a Public Hearing and vote at the next City Commission meeting scheduled for Monday, Sept. 21. In closing, one option that cities have to acquire needed property at fair market value is eminent domain. Perhaps it’s time the city dusts off the law books and send a signal to property owners who are looking to cash out with pie-in-the-sky ideas that it’s time to come back down to earth and face reality. Looking ahead to better negotiating skills…Why, because life is just better here! WMG
Taste of the Island Tickets Limited By Michael d’Oliveira
Apparently, too many people at a fundraiser isn’t always a good thing. At last year’s Taste of the Island event, organizers learned that lesson when some restaurants didn’t attend because of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. That left a lot less food for people who had paid for an all-you-can eat fundraiser where local restaurants from the Wilton Manors and surrounding areas serve up samples of their menu items. “Last year, we had too many people, not enough restaurants,” said Richard Perez, acting president for Taste of the Island. This year, the event’s 10th, Perez said the Boat Show won’t be in conflict. The Taste is Monday, Nov. 2 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Richardson Park, 1937 Wilton Drive. To make sure enough food is available, the total number of tickets sold will be limited to 700. “Some people didn’t like the flow last year. This year, by having 700
people, I feel better that everyone will have a good time. I’m trying to proceed with caution. I’m trying to deliver on what I say,” said Perez. “We’re correcting some of the issues on the negative side that happened the last couple years. I think it’s going to be an exciting event.” So far, 21 restaurants and bars have signed up, including Red’s Bar, Funky Buddha, Courtyard Café, Blue Martini, Warsaw Coffee Company and Chima Brazilian Steakhouse. “It’s going to be quite a mix,” said Perez. Tickets went on sale Sept. 15 and are available at City Hall, 2020 Wilton Drive; Hagen Park Community Center, 2020 Wilton Drive, and the Library, 500 NE 26 St. They can also be purchased online at tasteoftheisland.org. Tickets purchased between now and Oct. 26 are $30. After Oct. 26, the cost is $35. Proceeds benefit the city’s Leisure Services Department, Kiwanis Club, Historical Society and the Wilton Manors Development Alliance. WMG
ART DIRECTOR • BRENDON LIES ARTWORK@SFGN.COM ONLINE PRODUCER • DENNIS JOZEFOWICZ DENNIS.JOZEFOWICZ@SFGN.COM EDITORIAL ASSISTANT • JILLIAN MELERO JILLIANMELERO@GMAIL.COM NEWS EDITOR • MICHAEL D’OLIVEIRA
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UDC Still Plans to Redevelop Church Site
Community
By Michael d’Oliveira As the Center for Spiritual Living gets ready to move out of its first home and into its next, developers still plan to build on the site. Urban Dynamic Communities, which purchased the church property at 1550 NE 26 St., plans to build a residential complex. In an interview with The Gazette, Larry Baum of UDC said he wasn’t ready to talk about the project in detail yet. “We’re still putting together a stellar team to present the project. Hopefully we’ll be received by the neighbors and city.” In 2013, UDC presented a two-story, 72-unit apartment development to the city commission. That was a reduction of the original five-story, 150unit complex it proposed. The 72-unit project was given initial approval by the commission but only so developers could reduce the project and bring it back for a final vote. That vote never happened because church officials sued UDC soon after, claiming they had taken too long to get approval. The lawsuit was eventually settled and the property was sold to UDC. “We’re very excited [about our new home],” said Dr. Arleen Bump, pastor at the Center for Spiritual Living.
No official date has been set yet but the move will be to the former Danish Furniture Center on Dixie Highway in Oakland Park. Bump said the current church building was too inefficient and cost too much money to maintain. She said the new facility will allow her congregation to do more of the things it wants to do. Former Wilton Manors mayor and current neighbor of the church, John Fiore, hopes developers choose less. When UDC first proposed redeveloping the site, Fiore and many other residents were opposed and filled at least one commission meeting to capacity to express their disapproval to city officials. Too many units was the reason for the opposition. Fiore said he’s not opposed to redeveloping the site, just one packed too full of units. He said residents could live with something closer to 40 or 45 units. “We’re not against any development. We’re against poorly thought-out development that’s not compatible with the surrounding neighborhood.” If it’s a good development, he said, “We’ll help them turn the first shovel.” WMG
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Business
Community
ATV Rider Stopped and Commission Divided on Ticketed On Powerline Road Parking Lot Purchase Residents aren’t convinced problem will end By Michael d’Oliveira
Although city commissioners unanimously support efforts to acquire more land for parking on and near Wilton Drive, an available property, located at Northeast 23 Drive and Northeast 11 Avenue, has them divided. Those in favor of purchasing it argued that land is in short supply and this opportunity should be taken advantage of. Those against said the cost was too high. The vote was 4-1 in favor. Commissioner Julie Carson dissented but Vice Mayor Scott Newton said he was only voting yes to move the process forward. A final vote could come at the next meeting on Sept. 21. Appreciating property values and the lack of property available for redevelopment in the area, said City Manager Joseph Gallegos, could make this a “lost opportunity” if the commission doesn’t act. “It’s right in the area where parking is sorely needed,” he said. The cost of the property, located behind Bona Pizza, is $447,879, $80,000 more than the appraised value. Engineering firm Chen & Associates estimates 18 to 24 spaces could be built at a cost between $180,000 and $240,000. It’s estimated that between 40 and 45 cars are parked on the lot during peak business hours but the owner has said he will build three townhouse units there if the city doesn’t buy the lot. Carson said the cost for the proposed property was “exorbitant” and that the city overpaid for its last parking lot – 42 spaces at Northeast 8 Terrace and Northeast 26 Street. The cost of that, including paving, demolition of the old structures, and purchase, was $788,000. City staff cited an increase in construction costs, due to an improving economy, as the reason for the increase. “Our city is not in the business of giving more than the appraised value. We need
By Michael d’Oliveira
more parking but this is too much,” she said. She added that she gets an equal number of calls from residents telling her not to spend too much on parking as she does residents telling her to provide parking. Commissioners Tom Green and Justin Flippen said the city didn’t have much of a choice. Green said cheaper parcels are available but are too far from Wilton Drive to be effective. “In a couple years [appreciating property values will mean] we won’t be able to buy anything. Unfortunately, we have to deal with the reality of geography,” said Green. Flippen called it an “investment in the economic vitality” of the city. Green also said the city’s parking fund was established for just this purpose. “What a novel idea. The parking fund used for parking,” he said sarcastically. Nick Berry, who owns Rumors on Wilton Drive, located near the empty lot, agreed. “Tom Green has it right on. We need the parking. Isn’t that what [the parking fund] is for?” He added that the mistakes of the past shouldn’t prevent the city from taking advantage of this opportunity and that fears about the lot being underused won’t come true. He said his employees alone, at least 12 per shift, will each take up a space “morning, noon and night.” According to Finance Director Bob Mays, $800,000 is available for parking improvements. Out of that money, $150,000 is pledged towards new parking meters and $526,000 comes from what’s left of the $1.1 million the city borrowed in 2011 to specifically make parking improvements along Wilton Drive. Newton said he’d rather spend the money on a bigger lot or something similar in size that costs less money. WMG
In an effort to stop dirt bike and ATV riders from racing loudly and dangerously down Powerline Road, Wilton Manors Police got a small victory last month – one rider finally ticketed. According to a police report, Officer Patrick Newton, son of Vice Mayor Scott Newton, responded to a call that a group of riders was traveling south on the street. When he stopped in the southbound lane and put his lights on the group went around Newton into the northbound lane and continued south. All but one. The rider, a 34-year-old male from Lauderdale Lakes, was given multiple citations for driving without a license, operating an unregistered vehicle, driving on the wrong side of the street, having bald tires and operating an ATV on a roadway. The vehicle was impounded and the rider was given a court date of Sept. 22. In a press release, Mayor Gary Resnick commended the police for their actions and pledged that “our officers will continue to conduct directed patrols in their continuing efforts to solve this issue.” Police recently started monitoring Powerline for the riders after residents complained, mostly via social media, that nothing was being done to stop them. “Aside from being annoying, they’re very dangerous. They did stop one but that’s not going to keep him from going the next time,”
said resident Kate Donohue, who lives near Powerline. She doesn’t expect the problem to go away soon though. “I think our laws are the problem. The police department’s taking a lot of flak but there’s nothing they can do.” She’s referring to “forcible felony.” The State of Florida defines “forcible felony” as any “felony which involves the use or threat of physical force or violence against any individual.” In a city memo, Commander Gary Blocker wrote that police are “not allowed to engage in pursuit for traffic offenses to include misdemeanor criminal traffic offenses.” In a June Gazette article, Westside Association of Wilton Manors President Sal Torre wrote, “Well, if such a large group of reckless riders doesn’t involve the threat of physical violence, I can’t imagine what does! If I were overtaken by this group, I certainly would feel threatened, afraid for my safety and that of my friends/family, my vehicle and my property!” He also warned that failure to go after the bikers could have dire consequences. “I guess we will have to wait for someone to be injured, some innocent resident attacked and beaten or run over before action can be taken against these thugs. So we wait for history to repeat itself. We wait for another beautiful Sunday when an innocent family’s life will be changed forever. Who will be the unlucky victims this time?” WMG
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