Welcome to Dark and Scary Hallandale Beach!

Monday September 22nd, 2008

U.S.-1/South Federal Highway
7:45 p.m.

You know that 'Welcome to Hallandale Beach' sign that's been out for over FOUR YEARS that I'm always complaining about?

Which one, there's two of them. The one in front of Hallandale Beach City Hall, or the one on the Broward County/Miami-Dade boundary with the City of Aventura, near the entrance to The Village at Gulfstream?
The latter.
What about it?
It's still out!

Now you can see for yourself what bad governance looks like.

It looks like this -years and years of continually making a bad first impression on visitors at night.

That's the City of Hallandale Beach, Florida in a nutshell in the Year 2008.

Coming soon: more photos of Village of Gulfstream construction

Later on Saturday afternoon, while watching the NCAA Mens Lacrosse Semifinals up in Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on ESPN 2, I'll be posting some more digital photos I've taken of the area over the past two weeks, including many of the rapidly-changing U.S.-1 view of Gulfstream Park Race Track and Casino, which now, seems so very jarring now that the Palm trees alongside the eastside sidealk have been taken down.

This has been done to make it easier for construction to continue apace on the new retail shops of the Village at Gulfstream.

Until then, why don't you read what I posted earlier on parent blog South Beach Hoosier:
http://southbeachhoosier.blogspot.com/2008/05/if-bcs-football-format-is-bad-womens.html

Hallandale Beach Blog Time Machine: August 2006

What follows is a copy of an email that was sent to a handful of local print and TV reporters of my acquaintance, all of whom were more than familiar with some of my concerns about public safety in Hallandale Beach, as well as its governance, and who shared my concerns.
I sent this to them following my being an involuntary eyewitness to an egregious example of the kind of incompetent bungling that's an everyday occurrence here in Hallandale Beach.
______________________
Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Subject: Oh, not again... Another case study of Hallandale Beach ineptitude ? Oui!

Dear X:

What: three-car accident
Time: Today, about 4:10 p.m.
Place: South Federal Hwy. & S.E. 5th Street intersection, directly in front of the Hallandale Beach Municipal Complex

Context: I'm on my way over to the Bank of America branch on Hallandale Beach Boulevard (HBB), but see what's happened, and ask the three people leaning against their cars if any one's been hurt.
They say no but it's been 5 minutes and no cops yet.
I walk into the Hallandale Beach Police Dept. lobby and tell the officer behind the security glass what's happened, number of cars involved, etc.
Response: "We'll call dispatch."

Knowing from experience how chronically unreliable and incompetent the city employees are here, I blow-off going to BoA, and instead use this an an opportunity to head into the adjoining City Hall complex and try to solve a problem that' also on my "To Do" list.

There, I spend about ten minutes trying to get straight answers out of an information employee about some longstanding problems, specifically, the DPW NOT being able to reliably furnish
the appropriate supplies in the restrooms over at North Beach by Friday afternoons, esp. prior to three-day holiday weekends, when the beach will be tremendously crowded.

It's sort of a problem when by Saturday morning, there is NO toilet paper or paper towels for the hundreds of patrons who'll use the facilities, and, oh, by the way, most of the faucets don't work, either.

Question: Chicken or the egg: No towels because most of the water faucets don't work?
Hmmm...
In any case, I know if I don't say anything, nobody from the city is going to come by to resolve the problem.

The information employee is well-meaning, but can't answer even basic questions, much less, tell me which particular DPW employees can help resolve the problem over at the beach.
It's like pulling teeth!

I walk back out into the east-side of the muni parking lot and it's like time has stood still.

There are still no HB cops out there, even though it's now been about 10-15 minutes, and one of the cars is blocking southbound traffic in the extreme left lane, and traffic is, well, expanding by leaps and bounds. Just in time for rush hour!

Lots of honking and sounds of screeching brakes.

Another day on U.S.-1.

I'm tempted to borrow the large orange cone near the Post Office parking lot shrubs, and place it on U.S.-1 myself, behind the cars affected.
But I don't.

Instead, I walk back into the Police Dept. and ask what's going on, since, as I repeat to the officer, "it's right in front of your own building."
Response: "We'll call dispatch."

I leave shaking my head and wondering why I expect anything different, given the lackluster leadership of the city's elected officials, and the general sense of malaise mixed-in with a culture of See/Hear/Speak no-evil amongst the city employees. http://searchwarp.com/swa2800.htm

Around 6: 40 p.m. tonight, I swung by the Hallandale Beach branch of the Broward County library to return some books and noticed that while the cars involved in the original accident have been moved, there's still plenty of broken glass and plastic in the intersection, apparently waiting for the cover of darkness to make someone else an innocent victim, since that busy
intersection is pitch black at night due in large part to the geniuses over at City Hall.

[Hallandale Beach Blog note: this foreshadows the outrageous situation in 2007, where from mid-January thru late September, 85% of all the street lights on U.S.-1 between HBB and the Aventura-HB city line are out, making it a virtual black hole.
Yes, including right in front of the HB City Hall and HB Police Dept.

That included Election Day, a point that I mentioned to several of the poll workers, who were quite interested in knowing more about this blog.
And the number of street lights out within one block of the city's busiest intersection, U.S.-1 and HBB?
A frightening number that exceeds 90%.]

Not to belabor the obvious, but in thinking about all the ways that I might help advance the larger public safety interest for other HB residents and gain some degree of public accountability from the responsible(?) officials, there's always the age-old question a citizen must ask them self:
Do I use a scalpel, or do I go 'old school' and use the 36'' Louisville Slugger to get their attention?

Up 'till now, I've decided to go the magnanimous route and use the scalpel, telling them about the self-evident problems first, hoping they'll take the suggestion or constructive criticism and resolve the actual problem.

But after witnessing yet another egregious example today of their gross incompetency, laid out in such a matter-of-fact way for everyone to see -and draw their own conclusions- including people from Aventura and Hollywood, well, I can't help but wonder if I should abandon the 'nice guy routine' and simply start that blog I've spoken to you about, and make that my baseball bat.
No more free consults, capisce?

Please let me know what you think, and if you have any good suggestions or targets that I should consider putting under the microscope, send 'em toute-de-suite to yours truly.

C'est la guerre!

Dave

Upcoming FDOT meeting in Hollywood re U.S.-1 improvements

Though this is a FDOT meeting, it may also be my best early chance in 2008 of dropping some heavy lumber on the City of Hollywood and it's phony claim to being a "transit-oriented" city, by laying some disturbing but true facts on the assembled FDOT officials, and watching their reaction.
And the audience's.

My prediction, three weeks prior?
Well, the FDOT officials will initially feign surprise, but the audience will nod in agreement.
And wait 'till I lay into the FDOT officials about all the bad/missing signage on major Hollywood byways, which could hardly be more obvious.
For instance, at the intersection of west-bound A1A and Hallandale Beach Blvd., the dividing line on A1A between Hallandale Beach and Hollywood.
That's when the buck-passing will begin in earnest!
___________________________________
http://www2.dot.state.fl.us/publicsyndication/default.aspx?location=publicmeetings_district4

FDOT To Discuss Improvements to U.S. 1 in Hollywood

District: Four

Meeting Type: Meeting

Date: Thursday, January 10, 2008

Time: 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Location Name: Fred Lippman Multi-Purpose Center

Street Address: 2030 Polk Street

City: Hollywood, FL 33020

Directions: Directions to this meeting site

Purpose:
The Florida Dept. of Transportation (FDOT) will hold a plans to complete the following improvements on Federal Highway/U.S.1 from north of Young Circle to south of Sheridan Street:

Mill and repave the existing pavement;

Upgrade sidewalks;

Improve isolated drainage locations;

Upgrade roadway signs within the project limits;

Install pedestrian countdown signals at all signalized intersections;

Install video detection for all traffic movements at all signalized intersections;

Place new landscaping throughout the project limits; and

Install irrigation system for existing and proposed landscaping.


Construction is expected to being in spring 2009 and to be completed in approximately one year. The expected construction cost is $ 2.4 million.

Representatives from FDOT will be available at this meeting to answer your questions and listen to your concerns.

The meeting will have an information openhouse format. No formal presentation will be made.

Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability or family status.

Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabiliities Act or persons who require translation services (free of charge) should contact the project manager listed below at least seven days prior to the meeting.

Primary Contact: James Hughes, P.E., Project Manager

Primary Phone: 954-777-4419

Primary E-Mail: james.hughes@dot.state.fl.us

Additional Contact: FDOT District Four Public Information Office

Additional Phone: 954-777-4090
Additional E-mail: barbara.kelleher@dot.state.fl.us
Expires: 1/11/2008