Doggie Palooza delayed
A couple of updates from Wednesday night’s council meeting: The postponement of the January “Rock the Park” concert now has a date: “Yacht Rock” is booked for March 19.
Also “Doggie Palooza” had been set for Jan. 29 but we’re going to wait some because of Omicron. The new date is Feb. 26. Woof!
As you all know (all too well!), adapting to Covid and weighing risks to the public is quite a moving target. I’m happy with how our Parks and Recreation Department and our City Administration are making decisions and adjustments.
Utilities produces calendar
There’s an addition to the city’s annual calendar offerings: Plantation Utilities has published its first calendar, featuring sites and details about our Utilities Department.
The city’s Parks and Recreation Department has long offered a calendar, but this year Utilities Director Steve Urich wanted to feature some of the details about his department.
“If we do our job right, we’re invisible. You turn on your water or flush your toilet and it just works,” Urich often says. “People only think about us when something breaks.”
There’s a graphic explaining how our water system works and details on water main replacements and sewage.
The calendars are available at City Hall and many recreation centers.
Plantation Point repaving
The city council approved $130,308 for road resurfacing at Plantation Point. The agenda item noted that Roads in Plantation Point were originally built in 1960. Roads were resurfaced in 1984 and then micro surfaced in 2001. Minor repairs have been done over the years but a fresh layer of asphalt will mitigate the deterioration.
Roads to be improved include Southwest 51st Avenue, Southwest 51st Terrace, Southwest 13th Street, Southwest 13th Court, Southwest 14th Street, Southwest 14th Court and Southwest 52nd Avenue.
The money will come from the Public Works portion of the 2017 bond that Plantation voters approved.
Campbell wins election
There is a new state representative for parts of Plantation. Daryl Campbell won the Jan. 11 election for House District 94. Nine of Plantation’s precincts, mostly on the east side of town, are within his boundary.
The seat became open when Bobby DuBose vacated to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. Campbell has served as DuBose’s legislative aide.
Tallahassee trip…
I will join other local elected officials and Broward County influencers Tuesday in Tallahassee for “Broward Days,” which advocates for the diverse needs and concerns of Broward County.
By acting as a group, perhaps we can have a greater impact when approaching legislators and leaders; don’t forget, we are way at the bottom of a long state. Some legislators from northern Florida likely have never set foot down here.
Also remember that two-thirds of Florida’s 411 cities have a population of 15,000 or fewer, according to the Florida League of Cities. So we got some ‘splainin’ to do.
… to ask for stuff
The city has two appropriation requests in the pipeline:
$355,000 for a mobile command vehicle (matched by the city). In 2019, a gas explosion destroyed a significant portion of a retail shopping area in the city. While our public safety departments responded to the event, their efforts were hampered by the lack of a mobile command vehicle. Such a vehicle would provide a platform for operations for emergency incidents, natural disasters, special events as well as serving as a backup facility for the City’s public safety dispatch system.
$800,000 for a water replacement main at Breezeswept Park Estates (part of a $2.5 million project).
Breezeswept is a community with aging water mains, which contribute to reduced water flow, reduced fire flow and increased service interruptions. An upcoming phase will replace 12,000 lineal feet of main servicing 180 residences.
Plantation assistant city administrator Carole Morris coordinates our requests with the state, making sure our lobbyists and elected officials are on the same page before we make a pitch to Tallahassee legislators.
Toastmasters pitch
Steve Hyatt, brother of the late council member Mark Hyatt, visited the Jan. 12 meeting to speak about the virtues of Toastmasters, a group that improves communication and leadership skills. The local chapter meets at 6 p.m. Tuesdays and is currently on Zoom. Call 954-552-7557 or email info@plantationToastmasters.com.
Nick Sortal is a member of Plantation City Council. Email: NSortal@Plantation.org. Twitter: @PlantationNick
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