Twin Lakes South Neighborhood Org.

May 2006

May 22, 2006

TWIN LAKES SOUTH NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION
MEETING MINUTES
By Barbara Chovan

INTRODUCTION
On May 16, 2006, the 2nd meeting of Twin Lakes South was held at the Fire Station on NW 21 Ave., where approximately 32 residents braved the rain to attend. I?’m sure many of you had babysitting issues and working times that conflicted with attendance though adequate notice of the meeting date and times was announced in last months minutes which were distributed by your volunteer Street Captains and, signs were also posted all over the neighborhood. We hope in the future to help solve some of the babysitting issues by asking teenage volunteers to come to the meeting to help entertain the children while parents attend. MARK YOUR CALENDARS: NEXT MEETING, TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2006 AT 7 PM AT FS #87. We hope to have a better site, perhaps closer and with refreshments, in the near future.
Remember, a Neighborhood Organization does not have legal ground to restrict residents?’ private property. It is composed of residents who volunteer their time to seek improvements to the neighborhood by way of voicing our needs to the City of Oakland Park and Broward County concerning neighborhood issues.

DISCUSSIONS
Ms. Surinak welcomed all and opened the meeting with Oakland Park Sheriff?’s Deputy Ira Rubinstein, the District?’s Community Relations Deputy who also facilitates the Youth (Police Explorers), Juvenile Diversion and Citizen Observer Patrol (C.O.P.) programs. For anyone interested in the C.O.P., you must attend 4 hours free training and pass a background investigation. The next class is scheduled for Thursday May 25, 2006 from 6-10PM at the Westwood 21 Community Clubhouse, 9618 Westwood Drive, Tamarac. After training, you will be issued a uniform and will need a valid drivers license to operate the vehicle which is available 24 hours a day at the District office. It is equipped with yellow lights, gas, a flashlight, and a 911-cell phone. You may volunteer as many hours as you like patrolling our neighborhood, with a 3-hr. minimum per month. It will be a two-person unit, the passenger (or observer) does not need a driver?’s license but must be over the age of 18. You will not have to take any enforcement action, nor face any confrontations, just call 911 on the issued cell phone to report suspicious cars/persons/activity and police will respond. This is a great crime deterrent as it provides an additional set of eyes and ears for our residents. Currently, we have two volunteers willing to donate their time for this worthy effort. If you are interested, please call our neighbor, Maritza Paulino @ (954) 687-8378, Deputy Fitzgerald @ (954) 720-2226, or Deputy Rubinstein @ (954) 561-6173.

Fire Chief Henson spoke next and voiced his appreciation for our organization and went right to the serious subject of Emergency Management and what the City is doing for its?’ residents. 1) They run local AM radio station 1680 for 24 hours a day. 2) The City has activated the Code RED Calling System, which is a reverse 911 operation. Their high?–speed computer makes up to 60,000 calls per hour to residents to forward any urgent messages such as hurricane advisories, evacuation notices, bio-terrorism alerts, boil water notices, and missing child reports. They do not have unlisted numbers in the computer so if you want to ensure your phone number is in the dialing system, log on to www.oaklndparkfl.org and register your number in the database. You can also include your cell number. If you do not have a computer, you may call the Fire-Rescue Department at (954) 630-4550 (M-F, 8-5p) to provide your info. 3) The Chief reminded us, with handouts, of our personal responsibilities to be prepared for emergencies by storing enough food and water for a minimum of 3 days (5-7 days are preferred). Though Federal, State and Local Agencies will eventually provide help, it takes time to set rescue operations in place. This upcoming season, which begins June 01, 2006, 18 named storms are predicted of which five (5) will make landfall. Pet tips are also available on their website.

Chris Gratz, the City?’s Community Development representative spoke next. He can be reached at (954) 630-4348. He provided an update of current issues in our area. 1) Acting on a request of residents in TLS, they are conducting a study for the installation of speed humps on NW 11th Avenue. Once the study is completed, NW 11 Avenue residents will be given a petition to sign to determine if at least 67% of them approve of the humps. If enough approved signatures are given, the humps will be installed there. 2) Vehicles cutting through the private road behind the Choice Foods mall (1040 W. Prospect Rd.) are still a problem. That ?“alleyway?” is privately owned by the mall and should not be used as a ?“cut through?”. In an effort to stop this practice, the City has approved Remax Realty (who manages the mall) to install a fence there closing off access to the alley and the dumpster. This will also eliminate the illegal dumping, the homeless and drug use dangers. 3) It is expected that all streets signs will be installed within the next 1.5 months in Broward County. On May 17th, traffic engineering was already reinstalling downed STOP signs in our neighborhood. If you find a downed sign, take it to the DOT which is located on Commercial just east of Prospect Rd., and they will reinstall it. 4) Also mentioned was the progress of the Royal Palm Walkway from our neighborhood to the Park. Planning has begun and installation is expected by March 2007.

NW 11 Avenue neighbors, Rick and Melissa Delman spoke on hurricane and street lights information. They printed tip sheets of essential hurricane items that we should start buying now, reminding us of the tax-free hurricane supply dates of May 21 ?– June 01, 2006. They asked for volunteers to serve on the Street Lights Committee so that all of the street light options can be discussed. All of the options will be of some expense to TLS residents, some more dollar cost than others. Please don?’t wait to have a few do all the work for the many in our area, we do not have any volunteers now, we need your help. Also looking for volunteers for the Hurricane Committee and others as shown below.

Then, in Ann Ogren?’s absence, Ms. Surinak spoke about the issues on NW 41 St. namely; the waterways. The canal behind 41 St., which feeds into the C 13 canal, is managed by South Florida Management, maintained by Broward County and the seawall is shared between the City and the school board. We also need volunteers to serve on the committee to oversee and discuss maintenance issues, not just for the 41 St. canal but for the lake off Prospect Rd.

Next, NW 12th Avenue Street Captain volunteer Barbara Chovan spoke on Communications. Specifically, the forming of a TLS Newsletter, accessing the City?’s website address shown above and now, Twin Lakes South has their own website @ www.neighborhoodlink.com/op/twinlakes. In there, you will be able to view our neighborhood information including all of the meeting minutes to date, the Annexation ILA Agreement, neighborhood schools, information on our organization and it also provides a link to the Sheriff?’s Office, American Red Cross information, Traffic issues in the City, etc. Log-on and send us your contact information to post. Also discussed was the need for street captains to obtain e-mail addresses from the residents on their blocks to help provide faster and clearer communications to each other. An idea was proposed to start a service directory which would provide the names and numbers of residents in our neighborhood who are skilled in house repairs, landscaping, plumbing, electrical, etc. If you are willing to provide such information to boost your income and provide a service to your neighbors, please call Barbara @ (954) 491-5820. In the meantime, residents can advertise their services in the free classified link on our website.

Beautification Committee representative, Robert Versteeg, discussed the grants that are available to enhance the frontage along NW 44 St and other common areas, and the entranceways into our neighborhood, specifically erecting a ?“Welcome to Twin Lakes South?” sign. This Welcome sign could cost as much as $995 to buy and install, but our few very active volunteer neighbors, who have worked untiringly to make this a proud place to live, have found a non-profit organization to work with local artists/designers who have offered their services free for the design. Grants, specifically for entranceway signs, would be used to cover the cost of any signs erected. If you have any ideas on the color, logo, and/or wording of the signage you would like to see, please call Ms. Surinak @ the number below or attend the meetings to voice your choice.

If you are reading this, you have met your Street Captain volunteer or have received this in your mailbox. Please make an effort to meet your Captain or call them @ the numbers below for any questions.

SUMMARY
Finally, half of those at the meeting this week were the street captains and/or committee volunteers. If you can spare a little time each month to make a call or answer an e-mail, you will be helping to keep crime down and market value up in your own neighborhood. Won?’t you please volunteer to serve on any of the following committees:
Hurricane Preparedness
Street Captains (15th Ave., 41st Ct., 42nd St., and 43rd St.)
Neighborhood Crime Watch/ Citizen Observer Patrol (COP)
Grants (currently available for landscaping and entranceway signs)
Lights
Waterway Maintenance
Communication (newsletter, meeting minutes, neighborhood service directory)
Social
Donations
If you have any questions or want to volunteer, please call Tricia Surinak @ 954-258-5245 or e-mail her at Tsurinak@hotmail.com .

Street Captains names and phone numbers:
STREET NAME PHONE E-MAIL ADDRESS
10th Terr. Ann Aufford (954) 202-4471 aaufford@broward.org
Julie Ardion

11th Ave. Don Morris vpgraphx@hotmail.com
Bert Gonzalez (954) 816-6714 atlantictools@aol.com

12th Ave. Barbara Chovan (954) 491-5820 bgc2300@aol.com

12th Terr. Noralee Traylor (954) 776-4226

13th Ave. Joyce Rodrick (954) 732-7394 jrodrick@suddath.com

15th Ave. Need street captain

16th Ave. Maritza Paulino (954) 687-8378 martizapaulino@hotmail.com

41st St. Anne Ogren (954) 491-9476
Sean Marker

41st Ct. Need street captain.

42nd St. Need street captain.

42nd Ct. Need street captain.

43rd St. Need street captain.

44th St. Charles Grico (954) 554-3949 cgrico@bellsouth.net

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