Looks like Broward County is finally serious about recouping the millions in CRA funds that cities like Hallandale Beach have mishandled and squandered via incompetency and crony capitalism. Couldn't be clearer that HB City Manager Renee C. Miller still wants to keep stonewalling taxpayers!

Looks like Broward County is finally serious about recouping the millions in CRA funds that cities like Hallandale Beach have mishandled and squandered via incompetency and crony capitalism. Couldn't be clearer that HB City Manager Renee C. Miller still wants to keep stonewalling taxpayers!

A slightly-expanded version of an email that I sent out Wednesday afternoon to my In-Crowd
of concerned residents and taxpayers in Hallandale Beach and throughout Broward County as well as concerned civic activists around the Sunshine State, along with cc's to people in our state capital of Tallahassee whom I've communicated with in the past year, ostensibly, because they more than most people in the legistlature have a strong interest in this matter of CRAs, and Florida cities continually using them for purposes for which the enabling legislation was NOT intended, as my many previous blog posts on this subject and audits have made crystal clear.

Among the lucky recipients this time were: Florida CFO Jeff Atwater, outgoing FL Senate President  Don Gaetz, powerful FL state Sen. Jack  Latvala, and FL state Rep. Lake Ray, who is Chair of the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee.
-----
More soon on the blog on the subject of the scandal-plagued Hallandale Beach CRA, along with the EXCESS MILLIONS of tax dollars that have been and will be paid to a small number of the City of Hallandale Beach's highest-paid employees in pensions -including the past 3 City Managers: Mark A, Antonio, Mike Good & R.J. Intindola- which current City Manager Renee Miller still can't explain with a straight face.

Yes, more than TWO YEARS after Miller personally promised community activist Csaba Kulin in-person that she would give him the docs he sought from the city via Public Records Request provisions of Florida's Sunshine Laws, after the city had refused to fully comply with the law, just like the CRA funds issue, City Manager Miller can't and won't tell the truth and has refused to turn the germane public documents over.

Documents that would show who at HB City Hall made the decision on who would and would not be in the managament pension plan, and who decided that they'd be paid at a much-higher rate than they were scheduled to receive.

Or as it was then-described in the Broward Bulldog, "authorize the granting of retroactive retirement credit."

http://www.browardbulldog.org/2012/10/two-hallandale-officials-who-voted-for-generous-pension-plan-say-they-werent-told-true-costs/

Hallandale’s ex-top managers collect fat pensions from retirement plan they pushed a decade ago

http://www.browardbulldog.org/2012/10/hallandales-top-managers-collect-fat-pensions-from-retirement-plan-they-pushed-a-decade-ago/

Altered rules let ex-Hallandale city manager’s son-in-law join lucrative pension plan

http://www.browardbulldog.org/2013/02/altered-rules-let-ex-hallandale-city-managers-son-in-law-join-lucrative-pension-plan/

The city even had the audacity to claim to Csaba that it didn't even know who was a part of the pension plan! Really.

But then this is the same city that in 2011 had its CRA purchase land for use as a park at a price that was higher than it was really worth, but then this year, we were told repeatedly by Miller that having CRA funds used to fix/modernize the city's very poorly-maintained parks within the CRA district was NOT a good thing, and that citizens needed to vote in November for a Parks Bond issue instead.

This despite the fact that the HB City Commission has written the question so that any funds approved by voters in November could, in fact, be used for whatever purpose the City Commission wanted.

http://www.browardbulldog.org/2011/10/hallandale-beach%E2%80%99s-purchase-of-ex-congressman-deutschs-school-site-comes-with-hefty-repair-bill/

Which is to say, NOT used exclusively for Parks, as I have long argued was necessary in order to give HB taxpayers some degree of confidence that a yes vote would indeed be for what citizens at the ballot box intended. 

In essence, HB City Hall wants the Bond issue approved so they can create a new slush fund for themselves to continue their years of arrogant crony capitalism.

And, of course, as I've have commented upon many times over the 18 months since it was released, it speaks volumes about her lack of transparancy and accountability that Renee Miller still refuses to place the Broward IG's damning report of the city accusing it of "gross mismanagement" on the city's website -or even post the city's own response.

Yes, the "response" that HB taxpayers and the CRA had to pay for that was nothing but a complete whitewash of responsibility.

-----

HallandaleBeachBlog ‏@hbbtruth  

#HallandaleBeach still lying abt. its (invisible) oversight/accountability of $12.6M in CRA funds it mishandled :-( http://www.browardbulldog.org/2014/09/broward-to-seek-return-of-cra-tax-dollars-mishandled-by-cities-millions-at-stake/ … …

2:26 PM - 10 Sep 2014 · Details

Broward Bulldog

Broward to seek return of CRA tax dollars mishandled by cities; Millions at stake

By William Gjebre, BrowardBulldog.org 

September 4, 2014 AT 6:35 AM

Broward will seek the return of county property tax dollars from city community redevelopment agencies that hoarded that money instead of spending it on projects to fight slum and blight that are ready to get underway, according to County Administrator Bertha Henry.

The county’s toughened stand follows recent findings by Broward’s Inspector General that Margate deliberately mishandled $2.7 million in CRA funds. It also comes amid fresh criticism about the way Hallandale Beach allegedly handled its community redevelopment funds.

Read the rest of the article at:

http://www.browardbulldog.org/2014/09/broward-to-seek-return-of-cra-tax-dollars-mishandled-by-cities-millions-at-stake/

Why is it so hard for Hallandale Beach officials to be honest about public policy with residents, taxpayers and small business owners? City's 2014 Parks Bond issue increasingly looks like a very dubious deal that'll backfire on taxpayers, and more like a ploy by city officials to get good short-term PR while simultaneously allowing them to use voter-approved funds for other purposes, like pet projects of the mayor and city commission, instead of Parks. Aesthetics/maintenance of city's parks have long been an embarrassment to residents! But Mayor Joy Cooper, the City Commission and the current and past 2 City Managers have just looked the other way for YEARS instead of holding people -and themselves- accountable for results, even though compelling proof was just a block away at Peter Bluesten Park

City of Hallandale Beach Monument sign at 400 S. Federal Highway in front of Hallandale Beach City Hall. Yes, the sign's lights STILL DON'T come on at night, and haven't since current HB City Manager Renee C. Miller has been in charge of the day-to-day operations of this city -June of 2012. So, that's about 15 months and counting. And it's just the tip of the iceberg here. July 11, 2013 photo by South Beach Hoosier. © 2013 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved

Well friends, here we are a month later and there's still no official response from responsible officials at the City of Hallandale Beach regarding what I and many other Hallandale Beach residents believe are some highly-questionable decisions being made regarding the city's proposed 2014 Parks Bond issue involving that involves tens of million$ and an effort to finallt try to improve the city's Quality-of-Life.

Among other questions currently lacking an obvious answer is:

a.) Why is the Hallandale Beach Parks Bond vote now scheduled for August instead of November's General Election, when greatest number of HB voters can vote at the same time that they are voting for Governor, other statewide races, state legislative races and two Hallandale Beach City Commission seats -those of Comm. Alexander Lewy's and Comm. Anthony A. Sanders?

b.) Why does the city seem absolutely determined to phrase the Bond question in such a manner that voters will NOT have assurance that all funds voted upon and approved are ONLY spent for city parks maintenance and expansion? Instead, based on what has been heard publicly on this matter, it seems that it will be written so that the City Commission could use any voter-approved Parks Bond revenue for other purposes, instead of only for Parks, like more pet projects of the mayor and the city commission, despite the city's parks long being an open source of embarrassment and frustration to HB residents, esp. those with kids who know what other area cities offer their residents.

As of Noon today, there has been no response from Sarah Shamah, whom HB Parks and Recreation Director Cathie Schanz said I should contact regarding my germane questions about some park issues. (Schanz even cc'd her.)

Not that Director Schanz has tried to answer these questions, either, despite my sending an email reminder to both of them on September 20th, reminding them both that I expected a full response to my handful of very reasonable questions that the city's taxpayers are entitled to know before it's too late.

Since I didn't have any luck hearing from them, why don't you contact them yourself and ask them why they won't answer some simple questions honestly and in a reasonable time frame?

From my perspective, one month seems plenty of time to get around to answering some pretty simple questions.
Here's their contact information:
"Shamah, Sarah" - sshamah@hallandalebeachfl.gov
"Cathie Schanz" - cschanz@hallandalebeachfl.gov

Cathie Schanz, CPRE Director, Parks and Recreation   
Cultural Community Center 
410 SE 3 Street Hallandale Beach, FL  33009 
Phone:  (954) 457-1452   
Hours: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Friday

As most of you regular readers of the blog know from my many past posts on the subject of the city's poorly-maintained city parks, while I have been a very strong and vocal supporter of the HB Parks Master Plan  in general, 
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/final-hallandale-beach-parks-rec-master.html
and have attended 95% of all the meetings on it all over this city from the  very beginning -even attending the Parks Advisory mtg. to hear the pitch from the consultants at Bermello Ajamil Partners Inc. before the public officially heard it at a City Commission meeting-
I remain unconvinced that in a city that's only 4.2 square miles in total, that it ought to have two separate swimming pools within two miles of one another, since that makes zero financial sense for this city's already under-the-gun taxpayers, especially since Northwest HB comprises only 13% of the city's population according to the 2010 U.S. Census, and you can catch a city MiniBus for free that takes you from that exact spot to the existing pool in less than 15 minutes.
Fix the existing pool you have and make it better.
But that sort of logic doesn't appeal to City Hall, since this is a city that annually borrows millions of dollars from its Reserve fund simply to pay normal operating expenses instead of cutting costs and expenses.

Here's the original email and below that are some reason that i think things are being constructed in such a deliberate fashion that disadvantages Hallandale beach taxpayers and gives the City Commission more money to squander and waste on pet projects that help them politically.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Schanz, Cathie
Date: Tue, Jul 30, 2013 at 10:39 AM
Subject: RE: re Hallandale Beach Parks/Rec. and taxpayer dissatisfaction with cost of B.F. James Park DOUBLING and a prospective Parks bond issue that prevents strict accountability of taxpayer dollars
To: "DBS", Parksrecreation
Cc: "Shamah, Sarah"


Hello Mr. Smith,

Thank you for contacting me with your comments and concerns regarding the Parks projects. 

I trust you found last night’s meeting informative.  If you require additional information on the projects, you may wish to contact our Capital Projects Manager, Sarita Shamah, directly.  I have copied her on this email.

All the best,

Cathie Schanz, CPRE
Hallandale Beach Parks and Recreation Director

From: DBS  
Sent: Monday, July 29, 2013 11:47 AM
To: Schanz, Cathie; Parksrecreation

Subject: re Hallandale Beach Parks/Rec. and taxpayer dissatisfaction with cost of B.F. James Park DOUBLING and a prospective Parks bond issue that prevents strict accountability of taxpayer dollars

----
And yes, after I wrote it and sent it out, on very little sleep, I realized that I'd actually reversed what I'd meant to say about what sort of Bonds that voters should be voting upon. But you get that by now I suspect, so I've left it below as it was when originally written -and very tired.

After the fact-filled Bulldog article that really makes a great predicate for better understanding this whole issue of the city's longstanding habit of purchasing land, then largely neglecting it and then buying yet more land, all with little actual idea of what to do with it, is my original letter to HB Parks Director Schanz. 
The one that led her to emailing me the name of Sarah Shamah, someone whom I'd never heard of, as a person to speak with.
Trust me, you'll be reading that name more in the future here on the blog as we investigate the doubling of costs of the new city park in Northwest HB, something my friend Csaba Kulin has already been hard at work looking at for a while.

Broward Bulldog

Hallandale Beach takes a bath on land deals; properties for redevelopment sit idle for years

By William Gjebre, BrowardBulldog.org

OCTOBER 6, 2011 AT 6:13 AM

http://www.browardbulldog.org/2011/10/hallandale-beach-takes-a-bath-on-land-purchases-properties-for-redevelopment-sit-idle-for-years/

-----

July 29, 2013

Dear Parks Director Schanz:

As the city's public budget meetings begin today, and despite the fact that the HB City Commission participated in a groundbreaking last week at the proposed B.F. James Park, did you know that there is STILL NOTHING on the City of Hallandale Beach's website explaining why the costs of that

particular park have DOUBLED.

No public explanation, no nothing.

From around $2.6 Million to over $5 Million.

This week the taxpayers of this city will expect to hear a serious and detailed explanation for why this park in Northwest Hallandale Beach will now cost TWICE AS MUCH as originally planned, but whose additional cost will now put at serious risk any work anytime soon at dowdy and depressing South Beach Park, the busiest part of the city's public beach

They will also expect a detailed explanation for how it is that despite knowing this fact for some time, you, the City Manager and the City Commission have completely failed to provide ANY sort of public explanation to this city's residents on the city's own website.

An explanation that sounds reasonable and plausible, not just a case of the City Hall being unable to control themselves and deciding to turn the proposed park and pool into a Christmas Tree, with more and more elaborate decorations and ornaments laden on top of it.

If the Hallandale Beach City Commission votes this week 

a.) for General Obligation bonds, wherein monies approved by voters via a referendum can be spent by the HB City Commission on something other than Parks, instead of voting for Revenue Bonds that strictly limit any

voter-approved monies to Parks usage,

and/or,

b.) votes to place this Bond issue on the ballot in August of 2014 when much of the city is still out-of-town for the summer, rather than in November of 2014 during the General Election, when the largest number of Hallandale Beach voters can participate, in conjunction with other concerned Hallandale Beach residents, I will happily lend my enthusiasm to a public effort to initiate a public signature campaign to negate these Commission votes.

Votes that would, necessarily, give Hallandale Beach taxpayers less control, accountability and confidence in the future use of any prospective Park funds, and which would, necessarily, punish Hallandale Beach voters who are NOT present -during the hottest month of the year.

You know, August.

It's the same entire month that the HB City Commission will be taking off in a few days?

I have long publicly supported the improvements of parks and recreational spaces in this city, often finding myself the only person in this entire city who  would publicly declare how poorly they were maintained by DPW, and publicly say how unsafe they were at night, with little concern shown by either the City Manager or Police Chief at the time, to say nothing of the DPW Director, who was unconcerned with park lights that were out for years at a time.

But make no mistake about it, we'll vigorously fight against and vote NO on any Parks Bond issue that is of a General Obligation nature or which is held in August.

We will help educate and encourage other HB taxpayers and small business owners to vote NO as well for reasons of lack of appropriate financial accountability and oversight mechanisms.

Here's how simple the math is.

Using the city's own rules, 25 people with signature sheets each only need to get 4 signatures a day of registered HB voters for three weeks to get the minimum required number of signatures to negate the vote.

But of course we'd have much more time than merely three weeks to get the desired signatures  

And honestly, what HB citizen would be against the idea of making sure that the Bond vote is taken when the largest numbers of voters could participate, in November of 2014, rather than in sweltering August?

And what HB citizens who are in favor of HB Parks improvement and expansion, like me, would be willing to let the present or future City Commission take the money that voters might approve in a Bond issue and use that money instead on their own pet projects or more goodies for the professional staff instead of only to be used for Parks? 

Or towards the construction of more unnecessary city buildings?.

The correct answer is nobody I know in the entire city, except maybe the current HB City Commission itself. And the City Manager and her well-paid staff who don't actually live here.

Remind me again why B.F. James Park will have a brand new pool with bells-and-whistles 1.7 miles from the existing city pool at Peter Bluesten Park, the city's largest park, that's also scheduled to be changed and 

improved in the next few years? (Or at least, so we were told last year.)

The main city pool that in the nine-plus years that I've lived here has NEVER had even one directional sign on U.S.-1, two blocks away from it?

Which is why some people don't even know the city has a pool.

Even people who in the past few years have been elected President of the HB Chamber of Commerce.

And yet despite all these things, HB taxpayers just can't seem to get any straight answers.

A search for docs on B.F. James Park leads us here:

http://fl-hallandalebeach2.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/7190

Take a good look at what it says there.
Or rather what it doesn't.

There was nothing on the city's website prior to last week's groundbreaking about what this park will actually look like when it's finished, though we know what the city said they wanted most on the 2.35 acres in Northwest HB:

http://hallandalebeachfl.gov/documentcenter/view/2725

 Family orient pool  Basketball Courts  Passive Open Space  Pedestrian walkways  Playground  On and off site parking 

That is to say, at

http://www.hallandalebeach.org/Search/Results?searchPhrase=B.F.%20James&page=1&perPage=10

there's nothing that's more recent than 18 months ago -February  10, 2012!

http://hallandalebeachfl.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/2305

Oh, wait, that link to the city's Park Master Plan doesn't show what it will look like either.

Awesome!

It looks like Hallandale Beach and its 4.2 square miles may well soon have two, with the new one located exactly 1.7 miles from the other.

The reality of the matter is that if you want to go swimming in this city it is both cheap and convenient already. 

In fact, you can catch the city's mini-bus at O.B. Johnson Park and be taken to Peter Bluesten Park and the existing swimming pool for free in less than ten minutes.

Here's a Google Map that shows exactly this point..

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Peter+Bluesten+Park,+501+S.E.+1st+Avenue,+Hallandale+Beach,+FL+33009&daddr=O.+B.+Johnson+Park,+900+N.W.+8th+Avenue,+Hallandale+Beach,+FL+33009&hl=en&sll=25.979959,-80.147796&sspn=0.012037,0.021157&geocode=FTBsjAEd1Ao5-yFxqf7UVASENykt18h6fKzZiDFxqf7UVASENw%3BFR6kjAEdkN84-yEoBldmyFOA5SljsI5NiavZiDEoBldmyFOA5Q&t=h&gl=us&mra=ls&z=15

While I have been a very strong and vocal supporter of the HB Parks Master Plan  in general, 

http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/final-hallandale-beach-parks-rec-master.html

and have attended 95% of all the meetings on it all over this city from the very beginning -even attending the Parks Advisory mtg. to hear the pitch from the consultants at Bermello Ajamil Partners Inc. before the public officially heard it at a City Commission meeting- you can't convince me that a city this small having two separate swimming pools within two miles of one another makes financial 

sense for this city's taxpayers.

Especially in a city that borrows money every year from its reserve fund to pay normal operating expenses instead of cutting costs and expenses.

The money used for the second pool would be much-better spent being used to create something in the spaces that the city has already bought and purchased for park land for MILLIONS, esp. on Old Dixie Highway, since at present, all those acres of dirt have had nothing done to them other than, foolishly, a fence

being erected around it in June of 2012, even though nobody was ever there because, oh right, there's nothing there.

So why the fence?

In any case, the city left the gate open -there was NO lock on it!!!

Which is why in no time, people were consistently dumping materials there that became hills, which I have dozens of photos of from the past year.

That area only got cleaned-up LAST MONTH!

It only took a year for the city to get that mess a block from HB City Hall cleaned-up!

Even worse, there is no sign of any kind along Old Dixie Highway indicating WHEN it will be an actual city park after MILLIONS of dollars have already gone out the door.

Where's the specific timetable and benchmarks?

That, Director Schanz, is why a line in the sand is being drawn right now.

--------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Dobens, Peter <pdobens@hallandalebeachfl.gov>
Date: Fri, Jul 26, 2013 at 4:37 PM
Subject: Hallandale Beach Breaks Ground, Begins Work on Two City Parks
To: "Dobens, Peter" <pdobens@hallandalebeachfl.gov>

Hallandale Beach Breaks Ground, Begins Work On Two City Parks B.F. James Park, Joseph Scavo Park

For immediate release                                                                              Contact: Peter F. Dobens, public relations
DATE: Friday, July 26, 2013                                                                               954-457-1493, orpdobens@cohb.org

HALLANDALE BEACH –Construction crews have dug in and started turning soil in the redevelopment of the first two of 10 Hallandale Beach parks slated for reconstruction in the Citywide Parks Master Plan.

Hallandale Beach City Commissioners broke ground on the two projects this week; B.F. James Park, 101 NW 9^th St., on Tuesday, July 23, and Joseph Scavo Park, 900 Three Islands Boulevard, on Wednesday, July 24. Hours later, both parks had construction fences up and crews clearing the way for the new parks. B.F. James Park is expected to open in June 2014. Joseph Scavo Park is planned to open in March 2014.

B.F. James Park, a $5 million project, will include a new swimming pool, basketball courts, exercise area and playground. The park includes lighting and restrooms.

Joseph Scavo Park, undergoing a $2.6 million redesign, will include two dog parks, exercise trail, covered sitting area, basketball court, covered playground and restrooms.

Hallandale Beach earned the “Playful City USA” designation this year and is living up to the moniker. The Citywide Parks Master Plan designed by architects and engineers Bermello Ajamil & Partners, calls for complete makeovers for 10 of the City’s parks over the next few years. Along with B.F. James Park and Joseph Scavo Park, the City is working to secure state, county and City permits to rebuild South Beach Park and North City Beach Park. Both projects are expected to begin as soon as the permits are issued.

Also, the park projects are part of the City’s award winning Community Benefit Plan.  The plan requires contractors to use City residents and City-based subcontractors in any municipal capital project worth more than $1 million. More than 50 percent of the skilled and unskilled laborers and sub-contractors working for the projects’ general contractor, Burkhardt Construction, are Hallandale Beach residents or businesses. The Community Benefit Plan attracted national attention from the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Hallandale Beach
“Progress. Innovation. Opportunity”

B.F. James Park Groundbreaking, Construction
Groundbreaking, Tuesday, July 23, 2013	Under construction Friday, July 26, 2013

Joseph Scavo Park Groundbreaking, Construction
Groundbreaking, Wednesday, July 24, 2013	Under construction Friday, July 26, 2013

The content of this e-mail (including any attachments) is strictly confidential and may be commercially sensitive. If you are not, or believe you may not be, the intended recipient, please advise the sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and destroy any copies.

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Part 1 of 2 - re Hallandale Beach's groundbreaking tonight at B.F. James Park and the lingering controversy re the swimming pool situation in this small city. Why did the cost for this Hallandale Beach city park DOUBLE to $5 Million, which means that there's now NOT enough money to fix South Beach Park, the busiest part of the city beach?

Groundbreaking for the new B.F. James Park in Hallandale Beach
Tuesday 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. 
B.F. James Park, 101 NW 9th Avenue

So, why did the cost for this Hallandale Beach city park -B.F. James Park- DOUBLE, which means that there's now NOT enough money to fix South Beach Park, which is actually the busiest park in the city and the busiest part of the city beach?

Remind me again why B.F. James Park will place a brand new pool with bells-and-whistles 1.7 miles from the existing city pool at Peter Bluesten Park, the city's largest park, that's also scheduled to be changed and improved in the next few years? 

The city pool that in the nine-plus years that I've lived here has NEVER had even one directional sign on U.S.-1, two blocks away from it?
Which is why some people don't even know the city has a pool.
Even people who've been elected President of the HB Chamber of Commerce.

HB taxpayers can't seem to get answer for any of these simple questions.

A search for docs on B.F. James Park leads us here:
http://fl-hallandalebeach2.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/7190

Take a good look at what it says there.

Hey, look at us, we can waste money AND win an award from a group that's directly associated with Mayor Joy Cooper!

There was nothing on the city's website last night about what this park will actually look like when it's finished, though we know what the city said they wanted most on the 2.35 acres in Northwest HB:
http://hallandalebeachfl.gov/documentcenter/view/2725
 Family orient pool 
 Basketball Courts 
 Passive Open Space 
 Pedestrian walkways 
 Playground 
 On and off site parking 

That is to say, at
http://www.hallandalebeach.org/Search/Results?searchPhrase=B.F.%20James&page=1&perPage=10
there's nothing that's more recent than 18 months ago -February  10, 2012!
http://hallandalebeachfl.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/2305

Oh, wait, that link to the city's Park Master Plan doesn't show what it will look like either.
Awesome!

The City of Hollywood, over four-times larger in both physical size and population than HB, has exactly one municipal swimming pool. 
It looks like Hallandale Beach and its 4.2 square miles may well soon have two, with the new one located exactly 1.7 miles from the other.

The reality of the matter is that if you want to go swimming in this city it is both cheap and convenient already. 
In fact, you can catch the city's mini-bus at O.B. Johnson Park and  be taken to Peter Bluesten Park and the existing swimming pool for free in less than ten minutes.
Here's a Google map that shows you what I've said is true.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Peter+Bluesten+Park,+501+S.E.+1st+Avenue,+Hallandale+Beach,+FL+33009&daddr=O.+B.+Johnson+Park,+900+N.W.+8th+Avenue,+Hallandale+Beach,+FL+33009&hl=en&sll=25.979959,-80.147796&sspn=0.012037,0.021157&geocode=FTBsjAEd1Ao5-yFxqf7UVASENykt18h6fKzZiDFxqf7UVASENw%3BFR6kjAEdkN84-yEoBldmyFOA5SljsI5NiavZiDEoBldmyFOA5Q&t=h&gl=us&mra=ls&z=15

While I have been a very strong and vocal supporter of the HB Parks Master Plan in general, 
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/final-hallandale-beach-parks-rec-master.html
and have attended 95% of all the meetings on it all over this city from the very beginning -even attending the Parks Advisory mtg. to hear the spiel from the consultants at Bermello Ajamil Partners Inc. before the public officially heard it at a City Commission did- you can't convince me thru the use of facts that a city this small having two separate swimming pools within two miles of one another makes financial sense for this city's taxpayers.

The money used for the second pool would be better spent being used to create something in the spaces that the city has already bought and purchased for park land for MILLIONS, esp. on Old Dixie Highway, since at present, all those acres of dirt have had nothing done to them other than, foolishly, a fence being erected around it in June of 2012, even though nobody was ever
there because, oh right, there's nothing there.
So why the fence?

In any case, the city left the gate open -there was no lock on it!!!

Which is why in no time, people were consistently dumping materials there that became hills.
That only got cleaned-up LAST MONTH!

It only took a year for the city to get that mess a block from HB City Hall cleaned-up!

Even worse, there is no sign of any kind along Old Dixie Highway indicating WHEN it will be an actual city park after MILLIONS of dollars have already gone out the door.
Where's the specific timetable and benchmarks?

Is it because they simply don't have a plan that makes sense, and are afraid to share THAT with the public, its true owners?

But then the lack of an actual logical plan is not something that has troubled mayor Cooper and the City Commission in the past, now is it?
Broward Bulldog

Hallandale Beach takes a bath on land deals; properties for redevelopment sit idle for years

By William Gjebre, BrowardBulldog.org

OCTOBER 6, 2011 AT 6:13 AM

http://www.browardbulldog.org/2011/10/hallandale-beach-takes-a-bath-on-land-purchases-properties-for-redevelopment-sit-idle-for-years/

Yet again we are confronted with first-hand experience of seeing that everything in this city, esp. the simple things, seems to have a preference for being done in an obviously indifferent half-assed fashion.
When will it end?

To get some answers, I suggest some of you start calling the city's PR flack, Peter Dobens at 954-457-1493 or pdobens@cohb.org and ask him for some answers on why such basic information about the park is STILL NOT on the city's (second-rate) website for taxpayers and residents to see.


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http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2013-02-08/news/fl-cn-james-0210-20130208_1_green-certification-leed-foster-park
City seeks green certification for park building
February 8, 2013
By Sergy Odiduro, Forum Publishing Group

Hallandale Beach is planning an environmentally friendly building at B.F. James Park.

The city is planning to seek a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for the 3,800-square-foot building, which will house restrooms and administrative offices. Construction will start later this year, and the city recently approved two contracts (totaling about $70,000 and funded by Hallandale's Community Redevelopment Agency) to help with the LEED process.

The LEED standards are established by the U.S. Green Building Council and recognize eco-friendly designs, construction and other environmentally friendly projects.

"It's a whole new building, and when we put it up, we will be using renewable materials," said Rafael Perdomo, a city engineer and green initiatives coordinator. "The playground materials will also have recyclable content, and the lighting in the park will be high efficiency."

Renovations at the park, at 101 NW Ninth St., are part of a citywide master plan that involves the overhaul of several recreational facilities. Phase I of the project includes Scavo, South Beach and B.F. James parks.

"It's 60 percent complete and in the design phase," Perdomo said.

Plans for B.F. James also include a swimming pool, a playground, basketball courts and parking spaces.

Perdomo said the LEED project is part of a larger focus on being more environmentally friendly, including exploring eco-friendly alternatives to using chlorine in its municipal pools.

"At the Foster Park building, we have limited parking on purpose because we want to encourage walking or riding a bicycle to the park," he said. "We have bicycle racks, and we also have priority parking for hybrid vehicles and for those who carpool."