05/22/19 V6iss10

WMG Volume 6 • Issue 10 May 22, 2019

Wilton Manors Gazette Facebook.com/groups/WMGazette

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Good Luck Cat Cafe Finds New Home Boomerangs will no longer host the popular cat adoption agency

By Sallie James The Good Luck Cat Cafe has come upon opening at its new digs on May 20. The Grand Opening will be from 2 to 5 p.m. on some good luck.

Displaced from its home in Wilton Sunday, June 2.

“We have paid our rent so we are good,” Manors when Boomerangs Thrift Store closed on May 11, the popular cat adoption said volunteer Laura Summers, a Wilton center has reopened for business in Manors resident who runs the adoption center and coordinates 30 volunteers nearby Fort Lauderdale.

The kitty cat adoption boutique has who keep the doors open. “We are still fundraising because begun sharing space with Boomerangs used to Meowingtons, an online donate $40,000 a year to company that sells cat “We are sorry to see a the rescue. It costs a lot to novelties, at 901 Progresso Drive, suite #202. business close on the vet these cats - to pay to have them spayed, pay to “I’m ecstatic about their move into the Drive, however charity have them see the vet, pay have them treated for Meowingtons office. shops are traditionally to illnesses.”

Our company mission of A GoFundMe page helping cats in need aligns … on fringe locations, raised more than $13,500 with theirs, and I think not on main streets." for the cat adoption with our new partnership, center’s new home. The together we can make a - Tony LoGrande chairman of the Wilton Drive volunteer-run non-profit great impact,” said Emma Improvement District has found forever homes Bassiri, Meowingtons for 191 cats and kittens founder and CEO. “I think since it first opened in it’s amazing what the Good Luck Cat Cafe does day in and day June 2016. Lady Luck Animal Rescue out to help the cats get adopted into good provides the cats that are available for adoption. homes.”

Matt LaMariana, president of the High rents, short-term leases, parking problems and construction proved to be Animal Rescue Fund, which operated a death knell for one of the most popular Boomerangs, is the reason the adoption thrift stores in Wilton Manors. The center existed.

LaMariana donated more than adoption center was forced to move after the building owner raised the rent at 2365 $500,000 to rescue groups over the years Wilton Drive. Now the once-busy store, to give homeless animals a second chance which opened in 2011 and developed a using money raised by the thrift store he operated. He also provided the 18-foot by loyal following, sits empty.

The cat adoption center held a soft 18-foot room that housed the Good Luck

Misty the cat at the Good Luck Cat Cafe.

Photo credit: Via Facebook.

Cat Cafe so Good Karma and Lady Luck had a venue for adoptions.

LaMariana had planned to re-open his store in Oakland Park but was blocked by a zoning issue, he said. More than a dozen employees lost their jobs when the store closed its doors.

“I can’t wait to leave Wilton Manors and Oakland Park behind,” LaMariana said shortly before he closed up shop. He is moving to Orlando where he plans to re-open a new Boomerangs and start over.

The location inside Boomerangs was especially attractive because thrift store shoppers would visit the Good Luck Cat Cafe when they spotted the entrance while browsing for treasures. Others found the Cat Cafe online and sought it out. The thrift store

and the cat adoption center benefited from each other’s presence.

Tony LoGrande, chairman of the Wilton Drive Improvement District and a retail branding strategist, has said in the past that stores like Boomerangs did not belong on main thoroughfares.

“We are sorry to see a business close on the Drive, however charity shops are traditionally … on fringe locations, not on main streets,” LoGrande said back in February. “I think this has to do with any main street type area that is attracting higher rents and more complicated terms of business - including less parking because it’s a walkable district. Those don’t usually appeal to transitional businesses such as a charity shop.” WMG

WHAT: Good Luck Cat Cafe WHERE: 901 Progresso Drive, suite #202, Fort Lauderdale WHEN: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday through Saturday COST: Free but donations are accepted

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Opinion

WMG On a Slow Boat to China Why are these city projects taking so long to complete?

2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943

By Sal Torre Those of you not familiar with this old saying, the phrase was popularized back in 1948 by the song, “On a Slow boat to China,” written by Broadway composer Frank Loesser. The phrase moved into general parlance to mean anything that takes a very long time.

The idea was that traveling by boat to/ from China was about as long and slow a trip as one could imagine.

Unfortunately for us here in the Island City, this seems to be the preferred mode of transportation for many city projects.

From wrapping utility boxes with local art to wayfinding and entrance signs, it seems like a lot of city projects, long approved and funded, have taken a slow boat from China and have not yet arrived.

The Andrews Avenue redevelopment is another prime example. Over five years ago, the Westside Association made its initial presentation to our city’s Planning and Zoning Board. That presentation laid forth the challenge, calling on city management to make the necessary Land Use and Zoning changes that would foster much needed growth and improvements to aging commercial properties along the corridor. We are still waiting on the completion of just the initial stage, the Land Use changes.

Hopefully the next phase of the process is not far off on the distant horizon coming in on that slow boat from China.

Actually, one does not have to look too far down on the horizon. Just point your gaze past Oakland Park Boulevard to the wonderful road improvements, medians, and bike lanes completed by the county and the City of Oakland Park.

And as your eyes gaze down Andrews Avenue across the border, one will also notice the utility boxes that have been artistically wrapped for more than a year. The City of Oakland Park must have expedited shipping on its projects.

Understandably, the entrance and wayfinding signs might be strategically held at bay while work is completed along Wilton Drive. However, there are many other entrances to our Island City besides the one at Five Points. The wayfinding sign program might actually need to be expanded due to the many drivers cutting through the Westside of town who then get lost in the maze

May 22, 2019 • Volume 6 • Issue 10

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

Sales & Marketing For ad placement in the Wilton Manors Gazette, contact 954-530-4970

of streets that do not directly cut through to Powerline and Andrews Avenues.

Residents have given up hope on the installation of speed bumps and other methods to decrease speeding and cut-through traffic on neighborhood streets full of pedestrians, dog walkers, and bicyclists. The importance of traffic calming is not a recent issue for residents.

This problem is listed as a main objective in the Strategic Plan for our city, dated 2001, “Goal #5 - Objective #1 - Safe Streets - Controlled Traffic Flow - Pedestrian Friendly.” Almost 20 years later and there is still no comprehensive strategy to deal with the vehicular traffic issues that plague our Westside neighborhood, short of the multiple stop signs along NW 29th Street.

Speaking of NW 29th Street, can someone please tell me what happened to the Complete Streets project that was to take place along this stretch of roadway? There is no longer any mention of this project, so I’m guessing it was placed on the back shelf in someone’s office or was lost in transit on that slow boat from China.

Looking back to 2012, the Economic Development Task Force recommended the creation of a “Photo Spot” somewhere along Wilton Drive. Seven years later, and we are still waiting for the “Photo Spot” to arrive on that slow boat from China.

Another recommendation from 2012 was the creation of a Beach Trolley to bring visitors

staying at local beach guesthouses and hotels to the restaurants, bars, and nightclubs along Wilton Drive. Perhaps with funding now available through the penny sales tax for transportation, we should revise this very important possibility for our city. Visitors can enjoy the beach during the day and “The Drive” at night, all without need for parking and increased traffic safety issues.

Island City residents have advocated for many much-needed changes for years. Many of these plans have been voted on, approved, and budgeted. Unfortunately, the process and delivery of these projects have been on that slow boat from China. We need to pick up the pace and start fast-tracking these projects to completion. We have been waiting so long that new residents are advocating for similar projects, unaware that they have been approved and funded, but unfortunately still not completed.

As the next ship heads out to sea, I would like to say Bon Voyage to our past mayor, a city pioneer, a unique legend of Wilton Manors and a friend, King Wilkinson. A dynamic figure in our city for many years, he was always ready to support and assist fellow residents, encourage participation in our municipal government, and give a few words of advice if you stopped

by Red’s Bar seeking some guidance on a particular issue in our city.

Thank you, King Wilkinson, for making life in Wilton Manors just better here.

WMG

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.

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Celebrate International Museum Day this Saturday, May 18, 2019 by visiting one (or more!) of the 15 galleries in the Island City.

Photo via the Stonewall National Museum, Facebook.

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May 22, 2019

Inventory: A WilMa Worry?

Real Estate

By James Oaksun Several days prior to the issue you’re reading, I posted a bit of info on Facebook that I hoped would get some interest (and it did). As of a recent date, the were 76 single family homes for sale in Wilton Manors. (There were another 26 properties with live realtor listing contracts that had not yet closed.) So I wondered – and worried – what is happening to inventory in the Island City, and how did that compare with prior periods over the last several years?

As I have noted before, I calculate inventory a bit differently than does the state, owing to the seasonality of sales here. (When sales volume fluctuates seasonally, in my opinion you need to take that into account when doing an inventory calculation.)

Going back to 2013, I have created the chart

Consequently, the impression in the market was that that was the optimal time to sell.

you see. The straight horizontal line is the average inventory over the entire 6-year study period. The variable (jagged) line is the monthly inventory over that same time frame.

Now, what does it all mean?

First, once we got to 2014, inventory in WilMa became (relatively) stable.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, you will note three pretty serious spikes upward in the last three years. These spikes all coincided with the height of our high season – the month of February.

It’s clear to me what was happening. At that month, people were anxious to get their homes on the market. Prices had dramatically accelerated from the mid-2011 low point, and everyone knew it. Consequently, the impression in the market was that that was the optimal time to sell.

And, if you missed the opportunity in the previous year, or overpriced and could not sell in the prior period, you got the home listed and tried again. Although this time, you may have actually gotten your price, as values continued to appreciate (albeit, generally at lower rates).

In closing, as I noted in that Facebook post I mentioned at the start, just more than half of

the homes currently on the market have had at least one price reduction since the original listing date. I hypothesize that this is a combination of some sellers getting a bit greedy, and some realtors telling sellers what they want to hear in order to get a listing. After all, it’s usually harder to get a listing than to persuade a seller to accept a

list price reduction. WMG James Oaksun, Florida’s Real Estate Geek(SM), is Broker-Owner 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).

LGBT COMMUNITY FORUM

Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, memory loss THURSDAY, MAY 23 | 6-7:30 P.M. Dementia strikes 1 in 3 LGBT seniors. Learn more about the disease and support services available. Share your thoughts about how we can help individuals impacted by dementia in your community.

Registration is requested.

Please call our free 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900 or email Alex Lewy at alewy@alz.org to register.

LOCATION: SunServe 2312 Wilton Dr. Wilton Manors, FL 33305

END ALZ 3 •

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