Council of Fort Lauderdale Civic Associations
General Meeting
June 12, 2012
City Hall- 8th Floor Conference Room
1. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Acting President Marilyn Mammano at 7:30 pm followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
2. Attendance: Corresponding Secretary Donna Mergenhagen took the roll and declared a quorum.
3. Minutes: The minutes of the May 2, 2012 general meeting were unanimously approved upon a motion and second.
4. Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer Madeline Treasurer’s Report by showing a balance as of June 1, 2012 of $8,398.79 was unanimously approved upon a motion and second.
5. Law Enforcement Report: FLPD Lt Patrick Hart provided this month’s report urging the neighborhoods to prepare for hurricane season. He also announced that a new ordinance dealing with the retail sale of synthetic marihuana and bath salts is being drafted but that it could be as much as 6 months before we see the products off the shelves of convenience stores.
6. Guest Speakers: Mr. Greg Stuart, Executive Director of the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization talked about the role of the BMPO presented an overview of work in progress and the work planned. BMPO will spend over $8.6 billion in funds channeled back to the state by the federal government on transportation in the County over the next 20 years. Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties each have their own MPO’s based on historical geographical separation, even though the tri=county area functions as one metropolitan area. Specifically with respect to Fort Lauderdale, Mr. Stuart talked about the street cars in the downtown area explaining that since rails do not move, growth can be planned reliably around that type of transportation. He stated that there were no plans to widen any more streets and that some streets that were widened may be narrowed again. He mentioned that with the deepening of the Panama canal, commercial rail business would increase. He stated that within 2 years Tri-Rail passenger lines and commercial lines on along Dixie would merge. He also stated that within the next 4 years, $35 to $40 million would be spent on sidewalks. Mr. Stuart spoke very positively about the “Complete Streets” plan and urges elected officials to incorporate “Complete Streets” in their planning. The work of BMPO can be tracked on its website at www.browardmpo.org.
Susan Torriente (who recently spoke to the Council about climate change and sea level rising) addressed the membership about Visioning 2035 in Fort Lauderdale. She stated that the staff and committee were studying other cities’ approach to visioning and believed it most effective when tied to strategic planning. Input from the entire community is key to success. To that end, staff will speak when invited to neighborhood meetings; there is an interactive website [http://ourvisionftl.com]; a tool called “meeting in a bix” has been created; telephonic town hall meetings are scheduled. Mayor Seilor will host a telephone town hall meeting on June 25; Commissioner Rogers on July 17; Commissioner DuBoise on a tbd date in July; Commissioner Roberts on August 30 and Commissioner Rodstrom on September 14. The goal of the committee is to complete the visioning by the end of the year.
President Mammano asked for a volunteer to serve as the Councils liaison to the visioning process. Susan Howell volunteered and was so appointed.
7. Election of CFLCA President: Acting President Mammano turned the gavel over to First Vice President Betty Shelley who asked for nominations from the floor. Marilyn Mammano was nominated and seconded. No other nominations were forthcoming. VP Shelley closed the nominations. A voice vote was taken and Ms. Mammano was elected unanimously.
8. Membership Report: Paid active membership of the Council is 33 member neighborhoods.
9. For the Good of the Community: There were many promotional handouts available to the members present including planting at Stranahan Park on 6/16; mixitcurbit Recycling Program rollout; the Salvation Army; and the Code Awareness and Safety Expo on 6/23. Mr. Moyer of the Salvation Army enlisted support for the protection of its collection boxes.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:05 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Rochelle Golub
Recording Secretary