Hallandale Beach's Parks & Recreation Master Plan's first two public meetings are Saturday -be there!

As many of you already know, for well more than a year, I've been busy taking photographs and shooting video documenting the longstanding problems I've personally observed with this city's Parks & Recreation Dept., speaking to Hallandale Beach residents who use them for myriad purposes, finding out what they like or don't like, as well as talking to people who DON'T or WON'T use them and find out why that is.
You'd be surprised at what some of those reasons are.

I've also frequently spoken to the contracted-lifeguards from Jeff Ellis & Associates at the public beach about:

a.) the many, many complaints they hear from HB residents and visitors alike about the dirty, unattractive and poorly-maintained conditions of the beach, both North and South -the responsibility of DPW Director John Chidsey- as well as the

b.) longstanding public safety problems that the Police Dept. has ignored for years, thru their infrequent presence, and

c.) The Beachside Cafe NOT fulfilling their obligations to the city's residents under their signed lease, which ought to be opened-up to new bidders.
I've got a copy of that contract, so I know exactly what I'm talking about and I can tell you, some of those terms have NOT been honored for years.

In most cases, though, the things I heard about were problems or situations I already knew about or been told about by other HB residents, but every so often, the lifeguards would have something new to add that I hadn't observed or heard elsewhere.
Which, of course, is why I always asked them, no?

For instance, the city NOT having a suitable back-up plan in place when a boat they use to get to swimmers in bad surf conditions, like rip tides, was damaged, and supposedly being repaired.

So, for weeks during the summer, the lifeguards DIDN'T have a resource they needed to keep swimmers safe.
So tell me, why did the city play with the safety of this city's residents and not have a plan?
Who wants to answer that question?

I'll be at the 1 p.m. meeting tomorrow on the beach, although without my foam board with photos and info re longstanding problems at the city's Parks and Public Beach, and the DPW and City Manager's Office ignoring both the problems themselves, and the city employees' very poor work ethic and failure to report the problems up the chain of command.

That foam board I've mentioned previously to some of you via emails, will be in evidence at the O.B. Johnson meeting in NW next Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m., and I encourage you to do the same thing.

The extant flimsy excuse for a primer on the Parks Master Plan is at:
http://fl-hallandalebeach.civicplus.com/DocumentView.aspx?DID=1722

It's an appallingly short five pages and almost entirely devoid of text and also does not identify possible funding sources.

Hallandale Beach Parks & Rec. Master Plan -Southeast Quadrant
Saturday, March 12th, 10:00 a.m.,
Bluesten Park
501 S.E.1st Avenue

Hallandale Beach Parks & Rec. Master Plan -Northeast/Beach Quadrant
Saturday, March 12th, 1:00 p.m.,
North Beach Community Center
2813 E. Hallandale Beach Blvd.