Gazette Wilton Manors
Volume 2 • Issue 23 December 2, 2015
Twice-Monthly Neighborhood Outlook
Community Business
City Applies For $3 Million in Grants for Roadway Improvements By Michael d’Oliveira
As city officials hope to get state officials to narrow Wilton Drive and pay for it, they want the same with Northeast 26 Street and Northwest 29 Street. On Nov. 24, commissioners voted to apply for $3 million in grants to make roadway improvements to both streets – Northeast 26 Street from Five Points to Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale and Northwest 29 Street from Andrews Avenue to Powerline Road. The city is partnering with Fort Lauderdale on the Northeast 26 Street grant because a portion of the project is in Fort Lauderdale. In two grants to the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization [MPO], each at $1.5 million, the city requests that both streets be narrowed and bicycle lanes added. Safety median islands are part of the Northeast 26 Street request “when feasible.” The city is applying for the grants under the MPO’s Complete Streets program, defined by the MPO as “a street where the entire right of way is planned, designed,
and operated for all modes of transportation and all users regardless of age or ability. Pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and motorists of all ages and abilities must be able to safely move along and across a complete street. Complete streets make it easy to cross the street, walk to shops, catch the bus, and bike to work.” If approved, the grants would be awarded in 20192020. Paul Rolli, president of the Central Neighborhood Association, said improvements to the streets are necessary or else “our roads are just going to be thoroughfares.” Resident Paul Kuta disagreed. “I think we are losing all common sense in supporting the Complete Streets program for narrow roads in our city. Our priority in transportation planning should be to ensure that people and emergency responders can drive to and from work, shopping, schools and emergencies safely and expeditiously.”WMG
Bike Drive to Give “Shiny New” Presents to Children
Charity
By Michael d’Oliveira
Like a dedicated elf, Bob Gagnon has assembled a small fleet of bicycles every December for the last five years. He doesn’t get paid but he knows the bicycles will go to needy children, and that’s payment enough. “At 71 years old, I’ve had a good life and it’s time for me to pay back the society where I got the good life from. It’s just a good deed.” The bikes are for Nick Berry’s annual Bike Drive for Kids In Distress. For the last six years, Barry, with the help of those giving him bicycles, has donated them to local children for Christmas. “It started as just a reason to have a party and it just grew,” said Berry, co-owner of Courtyard Café and Rumors Bar and Grill. “The first year we got seven bikes. Last year we had 204. We’re hoping to break that record. I’m just over 100 right now.” This year, he’ll be giving the bicycles to Kids In Distress, the Children’s Diagnostic Center, the Wilton Manors Police Department, for its bike safety event, and one or two other organizations.
“We try to spread it around . . . to keep it within the city.” Along with bicycles, which can be ordered online and shipped to Barry’s house, monetary donations are also accepted. Those who donate money or bikes are invited to the party he throws every year to thank donors. Choosing to donate bikes stems back to Barry’s own Christmas memories. “I remember when I was a kid living out in the country outside Detroit. I remember getting my shiny new bicycle. It feels good to know we can give a couple hundred shiny new heart-warming presents to people who have less than we have. It just makes me feel good. It just really brings a whole different community together.” Bikes and monetary donations are tax deductible. WMG To make a donation, call Berry at 954-805-1195. Individuals who want to attend the donor party must RSVP by Dec. 10.
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Opinion
Life’s Just Better Here… Gazette Wilton Manors
DECEMBER 2, 2015 • VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 23 2520 N. DIXIE HIGHWAY • WILTON MANORS, FL 33305
By Sal Torre Last week our City Commission adopted the new city tagline, “Life’s just better here.” Frequent readers of this column will know that I have been advocating this tagline throughout the past year by ending each article with some form of this phrase. I was very happy to see the Mayor and City Commissioners decide to keep the word, ‘just,’ in the tagline, especially after the presenters from Conceptual Communications thought the word “just” was too braggadocious. Wow, you have to love it when someone pulls a word like braggadocious out of our dusty vocabulary chest. As my mind tried to register what the gentleman had just said, I suddenly heard Julie Andrews singing “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, um diddle, diddle diddle, um diddle aye.” Snapping back to reality, I listened to the discussion of the word “just” and the tagline as a whole. Conceptual Communications claimed that the word ‘just’ implied bragging in a cocky or arrogant way, thus their use of braggadocious. Commissioner Green stated that Wilton Manors has a lot to truly brag about as a city, and that keeping the word ‘just’ was a good thing. Commissioners agreed and voted unanimously to adopt the tagline as it was originally chosen by focus groups and others –“Life’s Just Better here….” Bravo, well done!! Reflecting about all we have to brag about, I noticed many residents and those affiliated with organizations located here in Wilton Manors listed in the Florida Agenda’s, “Top 100 LGBT Movers and Shakers in the Sunshine State.” Those named includes two of Wilton Manors’ elected officials, Mayor Gary Resnick and Commissioner Justin Flippen. Surprisingly absent from the list are our other two LGBT elected officials, Commissioners Tom Green and Julie Carson. Commissioner Carson was the first openly lesbian official to be elected in Broward County. She has been a champion for the transgender community, fighting for equal benefits for all, and requiring all companies that do business with the city offer the same. In September, Commissioner Carson received Equity Florida’s Community Partner for Equality Award, and honored by Congresswoman Lois Frankel. Commissioner Tom Green was an early champion of LGBT rights here in Broward County and throughout Florida and continues to be an active advocate today. He was an original member of the Tuesday Night Meetings, an organization which became
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Historic Richardson House. Facebook. the Dolphin Democrats, now the leading and oldest LGBT Democratic Club in Florida. Perhaps in a rush to include nightclub and business owners who earn lots of money from our community, the Florida Agenda forgot to include our two Commissioners and many others throughout the State of Florida who contribute so much to the LGBT community. The Top 100 are almost entirely from South Florida and the Orlando area, leaving many activist and community leaders from places such as Jacksonville, Pensacola, Tampa/St. Pete, and Gainesville excluded from the list. Looking ahead to next year, the Florida Agenda would do better in limiting their scope to the Movers and Shakers of South Florida or decide to look further north than the I-4 corridor. Big thanks go out to all of the Top 100! Coming back to Wilton Manors, we are fast approaching the end of a very good year for our city. We move ahead to 2016 with new leadership under City Manager Leigh Ann Henderson. Andrews Avenue will be a main focus now that the recent zoning study is completed. Complete Streets projects along Powerline Road, NW 29th Street, NE 26th Street and hopefully Wilton Drive will begin or be approved by the MPO in the coming year. The Business Improvement District along Wilton Drive is up and running. Our neighborhood associations are active and working together to bring about necessary improvements throughout our city. Property values remain vigorous, along with a strong financial future for our city. Our recreational facilities, programs, and local library offer much for residents to brag about. So let’s enjoy the Holiday Season and get ready to move ahead to 2016, where we will find many more reasons to brag about Wilton Manors, ‘cause, Life’s JUST better here…!!! WMG
Community
City Votes to Decriminalize By Michael d’Oliveira Marijuana
Following in the footsteps of Broward County, Wilton Manors commissioners unanimously voted to decriminalized marijuana possession. On Nov. 24, commissioners approved a civil citation program for those caught with 20 grams of marijuana or less. The citation program will only be used if no other crimes were associated with the possession. A first offense means a fine of $100, a second $250 and a third $500. When the third offense occurs the person charged with possession must go through a mandatory substance abuse assessment. The county has identical fines. Like the county, which approved its citation program in October, anyone found possessing marijuana a fourth time in Wilton Manors will be subject to arrest and imprisonment if convicted. Commissioner Julie Carson said the citation program would allow police to “focus on other things.” When commissioners began discussing the citation program earlier this year it was thought that marijuana arrests might be costing the city a significant amount of money and officer time. A report issued by the police found no significant cost in time or money to the city
regarding marijuana arrests. The average time officers spend per arrest transporting suspects to the main jail in Downtown Fort Lauderdale is between 40 and 60 minutes. So far this year, 124 individuals were arrested for marijuana in the city; 102 were given notices to appear in court and 22 were physical arrests. Commissioners argued that decriminalization was important to keep people from having their lives ruined. “Something very, very minor ruins lives,” said Mayor Gary Resnick. Drug convictions can lead to a loss in public benefits as well as employment opportunities. And although Wilton Manors doesn’t spend a lot of money on the issue, the ACLU found that states spent $3.6 billion last year enforcing marijuana laws. The ACLU also found that 52 percent of drug-related arrests were for marijuana. Commissioner Justin Flippen wanted to institute mandatory drug treatment after the first offense but the rest of the commission objected, saying that it would be a form of additional punishment.
Editorial
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Flippen said he wanted to institute the treatment program sooner to prevent offenders from getting to the third citation. “It doesn’t mean you have a substance abuse problem,” Resnick said. Commissioners will hold a final vote on the program at their Dec. 8 meeting. WMG
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Tis The Season To Be… Selling?
Real Estate Geek
By James Oaksun Do Realtors in Wilton Manors ever have a slow season? Sometimes it seems like all we do is work, cell phones (or Bluetooth headsets) glued to us. Other times complaints are heard about how “slow” business is. A couple columns ago I suggested this might
be a good time to list property, especially given uncertainties headed into 2016. Recent events have only added to unease. I think the unstated assumption among most of my colleagues is that November and December are quiet. Realtors are entitled to holidays too, you know. We have friends and
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family members who enjoy our company (most of us, anyway). But has that historically been the case? I took a quick look at listing dates and selling dates for the full years 2012, 2013 and 2014 to see if any identifiable pattern emerged. For listing property, and I guess it caught me a bit off guard, the month of May has had a disproportionate number of new listings. I suspect a reason for this had been the strong market in the 201214 period. Valuations were going up, and people saw neighbors selling quickly at good prices and were trying to capitalize. Some of those who waited until May to list, got a quick hit – a sale at season end. But many may have not been in a hurry to sell, or may have just been testing the waters. October and January also were popular listing times – October perhaps to beat the season start, and January after the holidays have ended. Traditionally the months of March, April and May have had the most closings. However, it's not like business grinds to a
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halt with the departure of the snowbirds. Generally, sales run about 20 percent higher than baseline in high season, and 20 percent lower in quieter months. In other words, it's always a little bit busy. Where are we now, business wise? Closings have definitely quieted and will likely stay quieter until March 1. December is a slow listing month, but a slightly higher than average closing month as people wrap up transactions for year-end. Something of which you may not be aware – of all the homes that have come onto the market in Wilton Manors the last three years or so, 40 percent did not sell in the initial listing contract period. I will be exploring the reasons for that in the coming weeks.WMG James Oaksun, Broward's Real Estate GeekSM, is a Realtor with the Wilton Manors office of RE/MAX Preferred. In addition to having degrees from Dartmouth and Cornell, he is a graduate of the Realtors Institute (GRI).
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Community
Government
“Life’s Just Better Here” City chooses tagline By Michael d’Oliveira For all tourists and would-be residents, Wilton Manors has a message: “Life’s Just Better Here.” Those four words make up the city’s official tagline and will be used to attract residents, tourism and business. At the Nov. 24 commission meeting, Conceptual Communications, the city’s public relations and marketing firm, rolledout the tagline. It was the product of months of work and multiple sessions with the public to get feedback. At the meeting, Conceptual Communications presented “Life is Better Here.” “Where Diversity is Celebrated” and “Experience the Unique Side of Paradise”
were the second and third most popular choices. Martin Gould, representative for Conceptual Communications, said “Life is Just Better Here” was the most popular choice but some residents felt the “Just” was too braggadocious and so it was removed before being presented to city officials. “I want to be braggadocious,” Commissioner Tom Green said. In the end, commissioners tweaked the public’s favorite choice and went with “Life’s Just Better Here.” Now, it will be incorporated into the city’s efforts to market itself to tourists, potential residents and those who are looking for shopping, dining and nightlife. WMG
Parking Solutions Will Be Expensive
City may take out more loans, BID supports reducing Wilton Drive By Michael d’Oliveira
Business
Citizens Police Academy, Island City University Taking Applications By Michael d’Oliveira Wilton Manors Police Dept. Facebook.
Residents and business owners in Wilton Manors who want to learn more about how the city and police department function have their opportunity. Applications are now being accepted for the 10-week Citizens Police Academy and six-week Island City University. Nonresidents can apply but space is limited. The police course will include the areas of code compliance, drug enforcement, K-9, detective bureau, special investigations, community policing, traffic enforcement, a ride along with patrol officers and more. Applicants must be 18 years or older. Classes will be held from Jan. 28 to March 31.
Commissioner Justin Flippen is a graduate of the program and touted its “civic benefit” earlier in the year. “This is just a great tool for building relationships between law enforcement and residents.” Although the Citizens Police Academy has existed for years, this is the inaugural year for Island City University. Like its police counterpart, the program will allow individuals to learn about the various city departments, including the fire department, and how they operate. Classes will be held from March 30 to May 10. WMG
To apply for Island City University, contact City Clerk Kathryn Sims at ksims@wiltonmanors.com or 954-390-2123. To apply for the Citizens Police Academy, email info@wmpd.org or call 954-390-2162.
As a built-out city, the only way to provide more parking for Wilton Drive is by purchasing land. So far, officials have done it twice before using money obtained through a $1.1 million loan in 2011. Now, with that loan spent, officials have begun discussing the possibility of more loans. “Available land is scarce and not cheap,” said Bob Mays, finance director, at the parking workshop on Nov. 17. Recently, the city bought an empty lot behind Bona Pizza at Northeast 23 Drive and Northeast 11 Avenue for $447,879. Once developed into a paved lot, the land will provide between 18 and 24 spaces. Possibly more depending on landscaping and other design requirements. Estimates on the cost to pave are between $180,000 and $240,000. The other city lot, at Northeast 8 Terrace and Northeast 26 Street, is 42 spaces and cost $788,000. Mays estimates that parking revenue would generate about $2.1 million in profit over the next six years or $340,000 per year. The city can leverage that revenue to obtain another loan. Mays suggested two possible amounts – a $1 million loan funded by an annual payment of $100,000 or a $3 million funded by an annual payment of $300,000. Mays said he would work with Lanier, the city’s parking firm, to study the Wilton Drive parking situation and bring the issue back to the commission in February. “This is exactly what I was looking for. I’m tired of hearing myself talk about this [parking problem],” Vice Mayor Scott Newton said. That money could be used to buy more land for surface parking, build a parking
garage or fund some other kind of parking solution. Other suggestions include hiring a valet service, an idea that was tried already and failed, and using a shuttle to convey people up and down the street. Reducing Wilton Drive could also generate more parking by adding spaces on the sides. But the lane reduction will probably only happen if the Florida Department of Transportation grants a city request to narrow the road. Commissioners have said they are hesitant to make significant changes to the road if the city has to foot the bill. On Nov. 16, the Wilton Drive Business Improvement District [BID] board unanimously voted to support the lane reduction. The BID is made up of seven members who will make recommendations to the commission concerning changes and improvements to the street. But spaces along Wilton Drive, similar to Las Olas Boulevard, is still years away and Commissioner Tom Green said the city needs to act now. “We can’t wait for two lanes.” To build a garage, possibly on the city hall parking lot, the city may have to form a public private partnership with a developer. In the past, the city has explored public-private partnerships to build a garage and mixed-use projects at the site, but did not proceed. But a garage at city hall, the south end of the street, may not solve the parking problems at the north or central portions. Some would prefer to build multiple surface parking lots at various locations up and down the street. “People just don’t want to go very far [when they park],” said Robert Katz, Wilton Drive business owner and member of the BID.
WMG
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