WMG Volume 6 • Issue 6 March 20, 2019
Wilton Manors Gazette Facebook.com/groups/WMGazette x
Page 5
Colohatchee Park Parking Expansion
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Opinion
Knowing When to Move On By Sal Torre
As the lyrics from Bradley Cooper’s “Maybe it’s Time,” keep repeating in my head for some reason, my thoughts wander around two possible topics for my article this week -- recycling and Joe Biden. Listening to the lyrics, “Maybe it’s time to let the old ways die” causes me to ponder how we hold onto old ways and habits far too long, since letting go sometimes is not so easy. Recycling and Joe Biden; can’t let them go, but no longer working for us. Those lyrics keep haunting me, making it hard not to reckon with the truth, that it just might be time to let certain things go and embrace something new, because the old ways are no longer working. This understanding might be why we have so many Democrats coming out of the woodwork to announce their candidacy for 2020. The powerful elite are getting very concerned. They know the gig is up, but are unable to move beyond those old ways. No one gives up or gains power without a struggle. The establishment of the Democratic Party cannot accept the reality that Bernie Sanders keeps outpacing the corporate backed candidates, raising millions from small donors who are tired of being left behind. The party keeps pushing more and more candidates out there, desperate to have one of them start gaining some traction. The last hold-out is good ole Joe Biden, the centrist who will save us all from that rebellious left wing of the party. Unfortunately, what is being offered is simply more of the same ole pig, just with new lipstick. “Maybe it’s time to let the old ways die, maybe it’s time.” The same can be said about singlestream recycling, no longer working, but yet we still do it. We place all recyclables in a separate container every week, only to have it carted off to the same incinerator as our trash. Municipalities and large commercial enterprises still go through the delusionary motions of having a meaningful and successful recycling program in place. We continue to participate in this broken system, unwilling to make the changes that would actually make a
WMG March 20, 2019 • Volume 6 • Issue 6 2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943
Publisher • Norm Kent norm.kent@sfgn.com Chief Executive Officer • Pier Angelo Guidugli piero@sfgn.com Associate publisher / Executive Editor • Jason Parsley jason.parsley@sfgn.com Copyeditor • Kerri Covington
Editorial
Art Director • Brendon Lies artwork@sfgn.com News Editor • Sallie James
Correspondents
Sal Torre • James Oaksun
Staff Photographers
J.R. Davis • Carina Mask • Steven Shires
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Sales Manager • Justin Wyse justin.wyse@sfgn.com Advertising Sales Associate • Edwin Neimann edwin.neimann@sfgn.com Advertising Sales Associate • Clark Rogers clark.rogers@sfgn.com Accounting Services by CG Bookkeeping South Florida Gay News is published weekly. The opinions expressed in columns, stories, and letters to the editor do not represent the opinions of SFGN, or the Publisher. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names or pictorial representations. Furthermore the word “gay” in SFGN should be interpreted to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. All of the material/columns that appears in print and online, including articles used in conjunction with the AP, is protected under federal copyright and intellectual property laws, and is jealously guarded by the newspaper. Nothing published may be reprinted in whole or part without getting written consent from the Publisher, at his law office, at Norm@NormKent.com. SFGN, as a private corporation, reserves the right to enforce its own standards regarding the suitability of advertising copy, illustrations and photographs. MEMBER
difference. Stakeholders preach about the need to preserve the consumers’ current habits of recycling so that once single-stream recycling becomes profitable again all will be fine. That’s like waiting for rotary phones to make a comeback. Certain things are just not going to happen ever again. Surprise, surprise, not everything your mother told you turned out to be true. One day you realize that Santa Claus does not slip down the chimney and leave gifts under the tree, that the tooth fairy does not magically leave money under your pillow, and now it’s time to stop believing that the items inside our green bins are actually being recycled. The lyrics once again start repeating in my head, “Maybe it’s time to let the old ways die….’ Here in South Florida, Waste Management is making a lot of money keeping the recycle charade going. Nationally our current political elite would like to keep the old power structure in place just the same. Both holding on to the goose that lays the golden egg, while so many Americans are struggling to get by, working two jobs, still not making ends meet. But don’t dare mention free education or talk about alternative solutions, don’t dare look for something new, just keep believing in the old ways. It’s too hard
to change those old habits, and just takes a lot to try. Let’s face it, the old ways are no longer working, and those who are profiting are just not ready to let go. Some cities here in South Florida are seeking new alternatives to deal with recycling. Glass, cardboard, and aluminum still have viable markets, so why not limit recycling programs to just the items that are still marketable? Why pay more to have plastics and soiled non-recyclables carted away to an incinerator or quite possibly a landfill rather than limiting their usage in our society? Hopefully Wilton Manors will take a fresh new look at some alternatives, similar to the cities of Sunrise, Deerfield Beach and others. Dealing with all the plastic straws getting trashed during Happy Hour up and down Wilton Drive is a start, but is only a drop in the bucket. We must emphasis the other ‘R’s in the equation and begin to reuse and reduce far much more now that easy single-stream recycling no longer works for us. Creating change, altering old habits and initiating a new direction takes an enormous leap of faith, but faith in the future will only make life just better here. WMG
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Photo via the City of Wilton Manors, Facebook.
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Real Estate
We Are the Solution By James Oaksun resources, and creation of resilient communities – things that (in my opinion anyway) South Florida needs in spades. We don’t look at things and believe we are doomed – quite the contrary! In fact, I could argue that the summation of individual and community actions, bit by bit, can roll up to a vast regional and national impact, once a critical mass is achieved. How would that work? Well consider three things we can do, starting right away, to work within the residential real estate ownership process to drive that sort of change:
1.
What’s in your garage/carport? Around 80 percent of single family homes in Broward County have either a garage or a carport. How many of these have an electric car charging station? It would cost $1,000 or so to put one in if there’s already electric service. And we know the typical car trip in Broward is about three miles – perfect for an electric car. This would be an easy – and green – property differentiator in a market gone a bit squishy.
2.
How old is that house? The typical single family home in Broward is 40 years old. At their time of construction, energy efficiency was not a prime consideration. But now the aging of the housing stock, and the understanding of impacts of electricity production on our environmentally fragile surroundings, presents opportunity
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for renovation and rehabilitation projects that would boost energy efficiency and improve sustainability – with a good economic return.
3.
A flood zone?! Perhaps one day there will be a tech fix for sea level rise. However, to date Poseidon has not yielded to such efforts. Make it easy on yourself (or at least on your wallet). Avoid the flood zones. Let someone with a deeper pocket be on that risk. What are some of your ideas? What can we do here, ourselves, regardless of what happens in DC, to use real estate to build a better and more resilient community? WMG James Oaksun, Florida’s Real Estate Geek(SM), is BrokerOwner of New Realty Concepts in Oakland Park. In addition to having degrees from Dartmouth and Cornell, he is a Graduate of the Realtor Institute (GRI).
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I was hoping, by now, to have the Ultimate Answer to a critical question, namely: is there a way to predict (or at least suggest) when a major real estate market correction is imminent? The answer has, to date, eluded my analytical rigor. But I am still looking. There are, fortunately, many other real estate questions on which I can opine that will not only give you a better understanding of the market here in South Florida, but will also (ideally) make you a better informed citizen of our community. We now find the 2020 campaign for President in full swing. There are so many candidates already, the debate stage is going to look like Wilton Drive the night before one of those big LGBT cruises leaves port. But here’s the thing. All these people – talented and sincere as they may be – are pushing “top-down� solutions to our problems. And yes, many situations do require that. But there’s also a risk in that – namely, that nothing gets done until there are the votes, until after the compromises, until after things make their way back down through the bureaucracy. Here in South Florida, though, there are things we can do in a “bottom-up� manner to affect and improve our real estate market, our communities, and our lifestyle that are not contingent on shifting political winds. We don’t need to wait. Among the hats I wear, I am on the board of directors of the US Green Building Council South Florida region. We encourage sustainable building practices, improved use of
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Letter to the editor
this, justin
We Need Safety on The Drive
During construction on Wilton Drive this past winter, care was not taken to help pedestrians navigate the challenging terrain. Many could be seen climbing through construction areas and ducking under hazard tape into the street amidst oncoming traffic. Despite often frequenting the Drive these past months, not once did I see any town personnel assigned to help the pedestrian. It surely would have been a sad memorial to Greg Futchi if visitors were hurt because of this lack of supervision. Doug Blevins and Norm Kent and others will have opinions -both positive and negative-about the work being done, but let’s all agree that of the millions being spent, some should be directed to putting police officers on foot in the neighborhood when safety demands it.
Becoming Clean, Green, and Resilient! By Justin Flippen Photo via the City of Wilton Manors, Facebook.
Photo credit: Brendon Lies.
Phen King Oakland Park
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Despite opinions to the contrary, we can say for sure that climate change, rising seas, and increasing extreme weather events are real. And let’s face it, we are the Island City. As such, we are subject to tides, flooding, extreme weather, and increasingly high temperatures. As city officials, it is our job to plan to keep our infrastructure - like underground water and sewer pipes, roads, and other city assets - sound and resistant to the impacts of climate change. At the same time, we need to do our part to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere, which greatly contribute to our climate-related problems. We must also encourage and assist our residents and businesses to do the same, simultaneously. In achieving reliance, we need to lessen or avoid wherever possible the impact on normal business operations, and we can’t bust the budget to achieve these goals. It’s a big job, especially for a small city like Wilton Manors, but I’m proud to share that we are on it. In February, the City Commission gave the Joint Wilton Manors-Oakland Park Climate Action Plan (CAP) the final stamp of approval. The Joint CAP identifies seven ambitious goals to adapt our cities to the impacts of climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The plan also identifies an emissions reduction goal: 1 percent per year, for the next decade. To our knowledge, this collaboration between two adjacent cities is the first of its kind, and it makes perfect sense. Most people have no idea where Wilton Manors ends and Oakland Park starts, and our shared roads and waterways are logical areas for collaboration.
So what comes next? Measuring our greenhouse gas emissions, through an inventory, will provide baseline numbers by which to measure our reductions. We expect that the inventory will show that the single highest source of emissions will be residential and commercial energy in the form of electricity. Finding ways to reduce consumption of electricity, as well as utilizing alternative energy sources, will be on the radar for the coming year. And once the city has a municipal plan for emissions reduction, we’ll be looking at a comprehensive program for incentivizing our residents and businesses to do their part too. We’ve already begun by offering ridesharing discounts, encouraging visitors and residents alike to leave their cars at home. Other city incentives include rebates for low flow toilets, adopting the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program, and two electric vehicle charging stations. “Life’s just better here” in Wilton Manors because of the clean and green trajectory of our city. We certainly owe it to ourselves and our city’s future to keep moving forward on this path, and I am thankful our neighbors, city commission, city staff, and businesses share this as a community value. Or in other words, as my colleague Vice Mayor Tom Green likes to say, “Life’s Just Greener Here.”
Justin S. Flippen, J.D. Wilton Manors Mayor WMG
SouthFloridaGayNews
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community
Colohatchee Park Parking Expansion Plans Move Forward Commissioner Rolli expresses concerns over funding of project By Sallie James A plan to expand parking at Colohatchee Colohatchee Park is currently undergoing Park will cost $1.38 million and displace a $500,00 renovation. The city has added several residents whose adjacent rental units an eight-foot-wide walking track, fitness will be demolished to make way for more stations and expanded the dog park. A cars. ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for Park-goers currently have to park at 10 a.m. on March 30th. The park also 1975 NE 15 Ave. and walk the length of two has restrooms, a basketball court, a sand football fields on a raised volleyball court, a playground boardwalk to access the park, and a pavilion. which is popular place for Wilton Manors resident “This is the only dog-walking. and retiree Lou Papa visits physical way we “We are doing something the park almost daily and that will benefit the people said the added parking would be able of this city virtually forever and renovations will be to get another and so it is a very, very wise wonderful. investment I think,” said Vice “I think this is one of entrance, a much Mayor Tom Green. “This is (the city’s) treasures. I think better entrance the only physical way we it’s great they are doing this would be able to get another renovation. A lot of people into the park.” entrance, a much better use the park, and a lot more - Tom Green entrance into the park.” will use it when they are Vice Mayor City commissioners voted done,” Papa said. 4-0 on March 12 to approve But now city resident the purchase of two fourplexes at 2101 and David Ross, 70, isn’t sure where he will 2109 NE 14th Ave. to build a new 30-space live. The retired nurse has lived in his oneparking lot and add some park amenities. bedroom apartment at 2109 NE 14th Ave. for Commissioner Gary Resnick was absent six years and will have to move. He is hoping but had previously voiced support for the to access senior housing. proposal. The existing parking lot on 15th “The landlord never said anything,” said Avenue only has 24 parking spots. Ross, who is disabled. “If they turn this into
Wilton Manors resident and senior citizen David Ross was upset to learn about the pending sale of the two fourplexes that will be razed to add more parking for Colohatchee Park. Ross rents a one-bedroom apartment in one of the buildings and is worried he won’t be able to find affordable housing nearby. He said his landlord hasn’t notified the tenants that their buildings have a buyer.
Wilton Manors resident Lou Papa, who visits Colohatchee Park almost daily, thinks the addition of expanded parking and the current renovation of Colohatchee Park is a great thing and will make the park accessible to many more people.
a parking lot, this street is going to be crazy. People walk their dogs back here.” Ross was aware his building could be sold because he pays his rent on a monthto-month basis. But finding somewhere affordable to live is difficult, he said. The two fourplexes face each other across a grassy courtyard with patio tables and ornamental trees in a tranquil neighborhood where residents ride bicycles and ducks nest in among the shrubs. Ross said nearby residents will be upset with an increase in car traffic. The city plans to purchase the property with a two-year bridge loan from the city’s Water & Sewer Utility Fund. “The two years will allow staff to explore alternative funding sources for this land purchase which could include grant funding, reimbursement from a potential future bond
issue, or other sources that are unidentified at this time,” said Patrick Cann, Director of the Leisure Services Department, in a March 12 memo to city commissioners. “Should no alternate funding be found within the two year period, the internal loan would be refinanced by a commercial bank loan.” Commissioner Paul Rolli supported the parking expansion but said the city should find a better way to finance the project. “I have significant issues in using the water fund in financing the purchase,” Rolli said. “Our water bills continue to increase and we continue to transfer money from the water fund to the general fund and that artificially keeps the millage rate from rising. We do not have an overall master plan for the city and continue to use a piecemeal process and do what we call economic development.” WMG
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Photos
Flea Market at The Pride Center
By Carina Mask
On March 2 at The Pride Center at Equality Park, the community gathered to show eachother what they're made of. The Flea Market returns every first saturday of the month.
Howard Farson.
Robin Dozier.
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