WMG Volume 4 • Issue 7 April 19, 2017
Wilton Manors Gazette
Community
City Moves Forward on More Mickel Park Improvements By Michael d’Oliveira Just in time for summer, Wilton Manors commissioners have approved the construction of a new water feature and children’s playground at Mickel Park. At the April 11 commission meeting, multiple residents praised the commission for its work on Mickel Park. Formerly known as Mickel Field, the park was renamed after it was redeveloped in 2015 in an effort to make it more utilized by residents and discourage its use by criminals and drug users. Patrick Caan, director of the Leisure Services Department, said the Music at Mickel Concert Series, a monthly series of musical performances, has also become popular. The improvements include estate-style fencing, a police substation, walking trail, pavilion, concert performance area, volleyball court, additional bathroom, fitness equipment stations and shade canopies. Those improvements cost the city $1.5 million – $744,000 came from a bank loan and the rest came from the city’s general funds, impact fees and grants. The playground and water feature are the last phase of that redevelopment and will be funded through $356,752 grant
the city received from Broward County and a $50,000 grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program. The estimated cost is $313,908. Part of the money has already been used to install an electric vehicle charging station and replace the park lights with LED lighting fixtures. The city has hired MBR Construction to build the playground and water feature. MBR has been used on multiple city projects, including the construction of the current City Hall. Once MBR demolishes the existing playground, it will install poured-inplace rubberized flooring, build a shade structure and a surrounding fence. “The water play area features have been selected based on minimum water usage and attractiveness to children. The flooring will include “cool deck” material. The water from the area will be drained onto the existing park swales and landscaped areas. City staff will be able to control the duration of use of the water for this amenity,” wrote Todd DeJesus, special projects and grants manager. WMG
Part of the money has already been used to install an electric vehicle charging station and replace the park lights with LED lighting fixtures.
Mickel field in 2015 during its last round of improvements.
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Opinion
The Lavender Panthers WMG April 19, 2017 • Volume 4 • Issue 7
By Sal Torre
2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943
Rev. Ray Broshears
Publisher • Norm Kent norm.kent@sfgn.com Chief Executive Officer • Pier Angelo Guidugli Associate publisher / Executive Editor • Jason Parsley jason.parsley@sfgn.com Associate Editor • Jillian Melero JillianMelero@gmail.com
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Natalya Jones • John McDonald • James Oaksun
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J.R. Davis • Pompano Bill • Steven Shires
Sales & Marketing
In all my years living in Wilton Manors, I cannot remember a time when so many incidents have taken place targeting residents on our streets at night. The late-night ambush on NE 21st Court back in February, then two strong-arm robberies on April 5 and 6, and now reports of individuals throwing eggs from passing vehicles at victims walking along Wilton Drive. According to press releases by our WMPD, “Now is not the time to hit the panic button.” Well if not now, then when? Do we wait until the next incident takes a darker turn, with a more destructive outcome, until this community hits the panic button? As hate speech becomes the new norm in America, coming off a year-long presidential campaign where it became acceptable to demonize fellow Americans, is it any surprise to see the increased attacks here in Wilton Manors. If our President can lash out at Muslims, insult Mexicans, demean women, and get away with it, then why can’t a group of teenagers have some fun throwing eggs at gays in Wilton Manors? If the Mayor of Fort Lauderdale can host a prayer breakfast with LGBT hate groups, like Focus on the Family, while claiming not to be at fault, then why should gay-bashers heed caution in carrying out attacks on our community? As Jeff Sessions, our Attorney General, takes us back to earlier times, back to the 1970’s, the last time the so-called Silent Majority raised up to take back America, our community should also look back and learn from earlier moments in our struggle to gain equality. In the early 1970’s a gay vigilante group was formed in San Francisco to protect members of the community from similar attacks. The Lavender Panthers, founded by the Reverend
Ray Broshears, became a major contributor to the Gay Rights Movement and helped bring about a safer and more secure community. Perhaps we need to remind ourselves how to come together, to protect ourselves, and demand the public safety of our streets and our neighborhoods. Unlike San Francisco back in the 1970’s, we here in Wilton Manors have a police department totally committed to protecting all residents. Unfortunately, our police cannot be on every street corner, nor can they stop every criminal activity taking place in our great city. Residents must become more involved and watchful, and be ready to sound the alarm when they see suspicious activity. We must not become afraid and allow our streets to be taken over by hate. We should flood our streets at night with residents, with watchful eyes, with friends traveling together, with our police officers, and with defiance towards those who wish us harm. Our community, working together with our police department, our city management and elected officials must send out a strong message that these actions will not be tolerated. There’s no going back, and if need be, we might have to dust off some old play books and start holding people accountable. If Jack Seiler wants to pray with gay bashers, then there should be no doubt what we need to do in the next election. If hooligans want to throw eggs and attack us on our streets, then we should be ready to attack back. And if our police fail to charge these incidents as hate crimes, then we need to let our voices be heard loud and clear. Complacency, not getting involved, looking the other way, is not what makes us a great city. Coming together as a community, united and strong, ready to solve our problems is what will keep life just better here. WMG
Part of the money has already been used to install an electric vehicle charging station and replace the park lights with LED lighting fixtures.
Director of Sales & Marketing • Mike Trottier mike.trottier@sfgn.com Sales Manager • Justin Wyse justin.wyse@sfgn.com Senior Sales Associate • Kevin Hopper kevin.hopper@sfgn.com Advertising Sales Associate • Edwin Neimann edwin.neimann@sfgn.com Advertising Sales Associate • Brett Coppol Brett.Coppol@sfgn.com Sales Assistant • Tim Higgins Tim.Higgins@sfgn.com Accounting Services by CG Bookkeeping National Advertising Rivendell Media 212-242-6863 sales@rivendellmedia.com 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
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Community
Submitted photo.
Manors at Middle River Ready For Rent By Michael d’Oliveira Housing officials say new development near Wilton Manors is ready to meet some of the demand of Broward County’s affordable housing needs. Manors at Middle River, 1714 N. Dixie Hwy. in Fort Lauderdale, located 0.2 miles south of Wilton Manors, is a new 12-unit Key West-style townhouse development built to offer affordable housing options. The name is a nod to Wilton Manors because of the close proximity to the city. The Middle River part of the name stems from the fact that the development is in the Middle River Terrace neighborhood. The available options are a 1,200 sq. ft. two-bedroom, two and one-half bath with a one-car garage and additional parking space for $1,750 per month, and a 1,500 sq. ft. three-bedroom, two and one-half bath with a one-car garage and additional parking space for $2,100 per month. “There is a tremendous demand for
affordable housing in South Florida and we are extremely proud to introduce the Manors at Middle River,” wrote Ann Deibert, assistant secretary of Building Better Communities, in a press release. Building Better Communities is a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Broward County Housing Authority. “This community was tailored to support the needs of the Fort Lauderdale/Wilton Manors workforce. It delivers quality, convenience and rents that are attainable while respecting the aesthetic standards of the Middle River neighborhood,” Deibert said. The development is described as “luxurious and modern” with bike racks, a gazebo and BBQ grill. Each townhouse will feature a fully-equipped kitchen, energysaving appliances, dishwasher, microwave, garbage disposal, ceiling fans, ceramic floor tiles, laundry room with washer and
dryer, hurricane-impact windows and doors, window treatments, a covered patio, landscaping, and is cable-ready. The ribbon cutting for the development is scheduled for Thursday, May 11 at 10 a.m. The public is invited to attend. Those who want to attend are asked to RSVP at dhanford@piersongrant.com. WMG
The minimum qualifying annual income is between $60,960 for one bedroom and $75,600 for three bedrooms. The maximum income limit is 120 percent of the area median income. For leasing information, contact leasing coordinator Caprice Scott at 954-739-1114 ext. 1690 or 954-551-1567 or email cscott@bchafl.org.
Business
Shuttle Ridership Up, Says City By Michael d’Oliveira
Wilton Manors officials don’t expect the new Wilton Drive shuttle service to be a huge hit overnight. But they are encouraged by the progress in ridership. City Manager Leith Ann Henderson said that ridership went from 8 the first weekend of operation to 14 the second. “We’re getting there. It’s going to take time,” she said. At first, city staff members pitched in to drive the vehicle. But now, the city has a dedicated driver. At the April 11 commission meeting, Vice Mayor Justin Flippen publicly thanked the city employees who volunteered to drive. “That does not go unnoticed,” he said. The shuttle program, which is set to last for 90 days and could be expanded
if officials think it’s successful, runs Thursday to Sunday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The estimated cost for the trial period is $7,000. The shuttle travels up and down Wilton Drive and has eight stops – City Hall/Hagen Park parking lot, the Shoppes of Wilton Manors, behind the 2309 N. Dixie Hwy. parking lot at 2216 NE 11 Ave., Northeast 9 Avenue and Wilton Drive, the Northeast 8 Terrace parking lot, Northeast 7 Avenue and Wilton Drive, Northeast 22 Street and Wilton Drive, and Richardson Park. WMG For more information, visit wiltonmanors.com/574/wiltondrive-shuttle or facebook.com/ WiltonDriveShuttle.
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Letter to the Editor
What Will We Want Within Wilton Manors?
The 5th April 2017 edition of SFGN’s Wilton Manors Gazette posted a fascinating constellation of articles including James Oaksun’s “Who Do You Trust?,” concerning questionable practices of politicians and realtors with regard to affordable housing that degrade trust, followed ironically by Michael d’Oliveira’s “Metropolitan Faces Scrutiny at Commission Meeting: Developers Accused of Lying,” which title says it all, then his “Taking Over ‘Site 92’” about differing opinions on neighborhood parkland, and finally Pier Angelo’s tongue in cheek piece titled “Now Wilton Manors Needs An Airport,” which satirizes the current drive to put a train station in our town. Clearly, development in our island oasis and its pitfalls are on our minds nowadays. Every person living and working in Wilton Manors surely agrees that we want a safe and prosperous town, and almost everybody would also desire our community to have good aesthetics and cultural life. But as those articles clearly reveal, one man’s prosperity is another’s man’s loss, and one woman’s “improvement” is another woman’s “blight.” Though I lay no claim to expertise, it doesn’t take a savant to see that there is a gap between most community members’ vision and desires for our Island City and those of developers and possibly city officials. While many of us quietly enjoy the peaceful small town atmosphere we moved here for, perhaps others have a different concept of the common good. A case in point, which seems to be moving under the radar, is The Pride
Center’s current plans to develop affordable or low income housing along the Dixie Highway stretch of Equality Park. While the Pride Center is a wonderful presence in our community and its Board’s initial intention to create a home on its grounds for local LBGT seniors was 100 percent laudable, the project has morphed into a nightmare for Wilton Manors. This housing will not be for LBGT people. In fact, it will draw in people from throughout Broward County who have needs which The Pride Center cannot meet. If constructed on this tax-sheltered property, it will bring no income to Wilton Manors, but it will require City services from sanitation to the police. Traffic and congestion along that dangerous curve on Dixie Highway can only grow worse with high rise construction right on the street. No doubt some readers will disagree with me and feel there is a benefit to dangerously crowding our community and burdening its services, but the real issue is exchange of accurate information. We need to follow what “development” plans and vision The City is considering, the costs to us as a community – not just in dollars but in quality of life – and we need to take multiple opportunities to express our views. Part of the burden, of course, lies on each individual among us to make his or her opinions known to our dedicated town officials, for absent the public’s known opinions, others will act on their own beliefs and for their own benefit. WMG – Jim Sentman
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Community
News
Check out what’s happening
Around Town
Wilton Manors to Donate Trans Flag to Stonewall Museum & Archives By Michael d’Oliveira
By Michael d’Oliveira
WAWM Meeting The Westside Association of Wilton Manors [WAWM] will hold its Annual Membership Meeting on Wednesday, April 19 at 7 p.m. in the Hagen Park Community Center, 2020 Wilton Drive. The meeting is open to non-WAWM members. At 6:30 p.m. there will be a “happy half hour” with light refreshments served. Along with the opportunity to join WAWM or renew their membership, attendees can listen to a presentation about the Broward PACE program. PACE is a way for homeowners to make energy-efficient changes to their homes without having to take out loans or pay out of pocket. Parking at Hagen Park is free for the meeting. For more information, email jonfoconnor@gmail.com.
Photo by J.R. Davis.
Stonewall Meeting
A public meeting of the Wilton Manors Entertainment Group will be held on Thursday, April 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Manor House at Richardson Park, 1939 Wilton Drive. The purpose of the meeting is to provide information on this year’s Stonewall Parade & Festival which will be held on Saturday, June 17 on Wilton Drive. For more information, call George Medeiros, vice president of operations for the Wilton Manors Entertainment Group, at 754-200-2979 or email him at vpo@wmeg.org.WMG
Music at Mickel
The next installment of Music at Mickel, a free monthly concert series, will feature local band “The New Planets,” who will perform alternative rock reminiscent of “The Beatles” and “U2.” The concert, the last of the season, will be held at Mickel Park, 2675 NW 7 Ave., on Friday, April 21 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Food trucks will be at the event and attendees can bring lawn chairs and blankets. For more information, call 954-390-2130, email sholloway@wiltonmanors.com, or visit wiltonmanors.com.WMG
Photo: Facebook.
Island City Summer Camp 2017
The Island City Summer Camp is a seven-week program for youth ages 4 to 15 years old. Participants are divided into age groups and will participate in arts and crafts, outdoor group games, dance, and more. Breakfast, lunch, and a snack are served daily. For an additional fee, day trips are also available. The camp is held June 12 to July 28 at Wilton Manors Elementary School. To sign up, call 954390-2130. WMG
Wilton Manors is donating multiple pieces of its history. City Manager Leigh Ann Henderson said the city will donating the Transgender Flag it flew for the first time at Jaycee Park on March 31, the International Transgender Day of Visibility. It will also be donating the minutes from the meeting where the commission voted to fly the Transgender Flag, a letter from commissioners, and the first Pride Flag flown by the city in May of 2016. All the items will be donated to the Stonewall National Museum & Archives in Fort Lauderdale. At the March 28 meeting where commissioners voted to fly the Transgender Flag, multiple transgender individuals said it would send a message of support to their community. The Transgender Flag was donated by To The Moon owner Anthony Dumas. Henderson said Dumas also donated another Transgender Flag for the city to fly.
Along with the International Transgender Day of Visibility, the city will fly the Transgender Flag three other times every year – Transgender Flag Day (Aug. 19), Transgender Day of Remembrance (Nov. 20), and the week of the city’s Stonewall Festival in June. “We at Stonewall National Museum & Archives are honored to add these important symbols of the city’s commitment to visibility and pride to our permanent collection,” wrote Chris Rudisill, Stonewall’s executive director, in an email. “Since our founding here in South Florida 43 years ago, we have recognized the importance of the many lives and voices that make up this vibrant community and help shape a heritage for generations to come. These symbols will forever honor their creators, Monica Helms, and the recently-departed Gilbert Baker, along with this historic moment for the City of Wilton Manors.” WMG
The Transgender Flag was donated by To The Moon owner Anthony Dumas.
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