April 5, 2006 Membership Meeting of the Victoria Park Civic Association
President Thornie Jarrett called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Motion was made by Brad Cohen to accept the minutes for the March 1, 2006 meeting. It was seconded by Larry Wallenstein and passed unanimously.
The Treasurer's report was presented by Mark Ketcham. Motion was made by Stephen Draft to accept the report. It was seconded by Brad Cohen and passed unanimously.
Officers Waters presented the police report. He reported that there were 13 residential burglaries, 9 vehicle thefts and 3 armed robberies during March. Several of the burglaries and vehicle thefts were the result of domestic disputes. The robberies were in Holiday Park, at BP Amoco and Bank of America. The department's Homeless Outreach program is focusing on Holiday Park.
Code Enforcement Officer Ursula Thime was present. She did not have anything specific to report but she answered questions from the audience.
Ted Fling announced that Officer Waters will no longer be serving this district and he was applauded for his past service to the community. Also, the Homeless Outreach program has a new officer who is a resident of Victoria Park.
Thornie announced that the Easter Egg Hunt will be held April 15, National Night Out is scheduled for May 13, FPL has commenced tree trimming in the area and a project to repair the neighborhood's water mains will start in January 2010. He also asked for volunteers to serve on the Audit Committee and received responses from Dan Gabbianelli and Michael Moskowitz.
It was reported that there is an unused city parking lot on NE 7th Avenue between 5th and 6th Streets that the Aesthetics Committee would like to have converted to a pocket park. Motion was made by Peg Nusser to have the Aesthetics Committee initiate discussions with the City about the conversion of this property. It was seconded by Hans Hochkamp and passed unanimously.
The Association has been approved for a $15,000 grant to start the planning process for establishing a new Master Plan. The community will pay to have four meetings with experts in this field and then will be reimbursed with the grant monies. The first three meetings will be input meetings and then the results will be reported at a final, wrap-up meeting. It was suggested that the initial input meeting could take place at a general membership meeting. Motion was made by Catherine Maus to accept the grant and authorize Thornie Jarrett to sign the grant document. It was seconded by Art Levy and passed unanimously.
Council of Ft. Lauderdale Civic Associations
Jay Holloway did not have anything to report. There were questions about the status of three issues that had been referred to the Council: sidewalks, impact fees and construction mitigation. Stephen Draft, who worked with the Council last year, reported that these issues had not received support from the Council. It was agreed that the Aesthetics Committee should pursue the construction mitigation issue and sidewalks and impact fees will be considered in the Master Plan.
Jay Holloway reported that the Committee has established a meeting date and will be having its first meeting on April 9.
Jeanne Lalli reported that the Art & Jazz event was a huge success, raising $3,374.00 T-Shirts are for sale for $10 and mugs for $5. The Committee is still waiting for the NCIP grant to be fully implemented. Volunteers are needed for another cleanup on April 15.
Connie Dee reported that the Easter Egg Hunt will be held at Holiday Park, behind ArtServe, on April 15 starting at 9:30 a.m. Volunteers and baked goods will be accepted.
Mark Ketcham reported that there are now 444 paid memberships.
Catherine Maus reported that they are finalizing plans for a rezoning project that has been delayed. The City's DRC is reviewing plans for two townhouse projects, one of which is requesting the vacating of a right-of-way. Research is still being done on the windmill request. Bob Oelke is working on a Broward Beautiful grant.
Thornie reported that the City's new Public Safety Director is working on a City wide CERT plan and will be holding an organizational meeting. Unfortunately, no funding arrangements were made for any new classes at this time.
JD Camp reported that Brad Cohen sponsored the mixed paper recycling bin at Virginia Shuman Young School. That program just ended and the results are still unknown. However, the Association received $1,098 for 2005 recycling projects. Earth Day will be celebrated at Holiday Park on Sunday, April 23.
National Night Out Against Crime will be celebrated the evening of May 13. Peg Nusser reported that she is working on the entertainment and will accept ideas. Hiring a DJ was suggested if a live group cannot be found.
Ted Fling reported that the City and FPL have fixed many of the street lights but there are still some in need of repair. He is seeking clarification of the rules for swale parking. Construction site parking continues to be a problem because there is no enforcement for noncompliance with the City's letter on this subject. A stop sign is being considered for westbound 6th Street at 7th Avenue. There was some discussion about using the alleys for garbage collection but it was noted that they are not wide enough to accommodate the trucks with lifts.
Christine Campbell reported that the committee is working on a date to hold regular meetings. The City's Utility Advisory Committee is working on a method to identify trees that have already been trimmed. Residents should report problem trees that need FPL trimming to Larry Stewart at 954-321-2158.
Myrna Pototsky announced that she is resigning from the position of Meeting Coordinator. Also, this is the time of year when a donation is made to St. Anthony's Church for use of the meeting room. Motion was made by Larry Wallenstein to make a $500 donation to the Church. It was seconded by Catherine Maus and passed unanimously.
Glenda Rowley suggested looking into another place to hold the meeting and it was agreed that some research would be done to see if more suitable accommodations could be found within the neighborhood.
Motion was made by Hans Hochkamp to adjourn the meeting at 8:33 p.m. It was seconded by Christine Campbell and passed unanimously.
