Residents from the Spyglass community at the Neighborhood meeting. From left: Milton Wiseman, Paul Salvati, Walter Morris, and Janis Rubel
Community meetings are part of a series of meetings for each district in Tamarac. Don’t miss the next one being held on May 7, 2014, at the Tamarac Community Center for residents living in District Four.
By: Sharon Aron Baron
The City of Tamarac held a community meeting for residents in District Two on Wednesday evening in the Lime Bay Condominiums. Compared to the last year’s meeting when former City Commissioner Patte Atkins-Grad was met by angry residents, this one was a breeze for city staff, who were met with cordial audience members in the packed clubhouse.
The event, which was mostly attended by residents in Lime Bay and condos communities in the vicinity, was a chance for city staff to give residents an overview of various departments and changes that residents would see in their city.
The community of Lime Bay will be getting a sidewalk improvement project that will run along Lime Bay Boulevard. Currently, residents walk along the roadway, and the sidewalk will give residents a safe place to walk away from traffic.
Jack Strain, Director of Public Services, said, “The Lime Bay sidewalk is being designed in-house for $227,000 total and is scheduled for completion in December of 2014. This will connect sidewalks on east and west (Westwood) Boulevard.”
Strain also discussed replacing the water plant generator at the cost of $1.5 million, which would be completed in March of 2015.
The Tiden Plaza, located on the Northeast corner of University Drive and Commercial Boulevard, will be getting a much-needed facelift, according to Maxine Calloway, Director of Community Development. Currently, the building permit is under review for an improvement of the facade as well as landscaping.
Calloway discussed several communities that will be getting buffer walls as part of the overall corridor study. The first one (below) is in front of the Woodlands Country Club Section Two. This wall will be 3200 lineal feet long run along Commercial Boulevard from NW 64th Avenue east to the edge of residential development. It will have a mix of wall types: 6foot columns with a fence and custom 6-foot masonry.
The second one will be at the Mainlands 8 and 9 and run 440 lineal feet. The wall will run along NW 57 Street from NW 64th Avenue to the Tidan Plaza. This wall will be six feet high and made of a prefabricated post and panel wall system.
The third wall will be installed at Mainlands 11 and 12 behind the Library and Community Center. This will be 2850 lineal feet and run along NW 57 Street from NW 81 Ave to NW 87 Ave. The wall will be a custom 6 ft masonry column with a 6 feet fence.
In District Two, seven more bus stops will be installed:
1. Commercial Blvd. just west of NW 64 Avenue (North Side) 2. Commercial Blvd. just west of University Drive (North Side) 3. University Drive just north of Commercial Blvd. (East Side) 4. University Drive just north of Commercial Blvd. (West Side) 5. University Drive just south of McNab Road (East Side) 6. University Drive just south of McNab Road (West Side) 7. McNab Road just west of NW 80 Avenue (South Side)
After the City acquired the First East Side Savings Bank for $2 million in foreclosure last year and created a community Development District to fund the infrastructure improvements, their next step, according to Calloway, will be to design and install the improvements.
Captain Neal Glassman said that crime is down in Tamarac as well as all of Broward County.
He also told the story about a homeowner in the Woodlands who saw a burglary in progress at his home and slammed a car door on one of the suspects, but before the suspect took off, he got their license plate number. Although Glassman stressed he doesn’t recommend this, he was thankful for the homeowner getting the license plate number, which helped them immensely. BSO discovered that the car used at the time was a rental, and they were able to catch the suspects in the process of committing another burglary in Plantation, where they were arrested. Glassman warns that criminals are renting cars and getting windows tinted to commit these crimes. He also stresses that crime can happen on the weekends, and criminals are looking for every opportunity.
Jack Strain told the residents that The City of Tamarac Public Services Department is offering rebates on ultra-low “Water Sense” labeled toilets. You must be a home or condo owner and customer in the city, and you will receive up to $100 towards the price of each toilet – up to two toilets. How it works is if you have an older toilet that uses 3.5, 5, or even up to 7 gallons of water with every flush and replace it with a high-efficiency toilet, show the city the receipt, and they will give you the rebate. Strain said it doesn’t matter which brand that you buy.
