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NEWS AND ALERTS
Posted
October 23, 2008
I received
this letter today from FP&L regarding our power issues along with a lots
of pertinent information to our power outages. Below this letter are
links to some of the brochures he sent me that I attached here. They sent
me quite a few different brochures, I haven't put them all on but from
time to time I'll put more on. -Val

See attached file: FPL Distribution System
See attached file: Electric Disturbances
See attached file: Right Tree Right Place and Tree Pruning
Posted
October 17, 2008
After contacting the Public
Service Commission regarding our constant 1 second power outages in our
entire development, I received the following emails as well as phone calls
from two different specialists at FP&L. I was told that several nurseries
in our area are growing trees directly under the power lines that are
touching the wires and causing our power to go out for a second here and
there and FP&L is doing whatever they can to trim the trees down that are
causing these problems as well as fixing anything else that needs to be
fixed. He explained it in a pretty technical manner regarding the feeders
and multiple feeders and drops in voltage at the substation and I took
notes but I asked him to send me something that I can relay to you that
will make more sense than my scribbled notes. When I receive more
information I will post it here. -Val
Mrs O'Connor,
Below is the information that I promised regarding the correct trees to
plant to prevent outages. Also I will be sending you a brochure that
contains Fpl's Top Tips for Power Disturbance Protection. If you should
have any questions you can contact our customer service department or
visit us on the web at www.FPL.com.
See attached file: Right Tree Right Place and Tree Pruning
Eliezer Cueto
Associate Technical Specialist
Power Systems
Florida Power & Light
4000 Davie Rd Ext
Hollywood, Fl 33024
Val,
Many things can cause the power to go out for more than a minute. If a
transformer fuse or a lateral fuse blows this can cause a longer outage,
the lines will have to be patrolled to find the cause of the outage, many
times it can be caused by lightning, birds, animals, vegetation, poles
being hit by vehicles, wires down etc. The breakers at the Substation are
design to prevent the outage, kind of like when a specific breaker goes
off at the house for whatever reason, and all you have to do is reset it.
Well at the substation level the breakers go thru time intervals to allow
the cause of the outage on the lines to clear, if it clears then it
re-closes and you have a momentary for a couple of seconds, if problem
persists on the lines the breaker will open a few more times within about
a minute to clear the fault, if that doesn't happen then it will stay open
and it will be physically inspected. This is just a little piece of the
process that it is followed to prevent outages many other things are
looked at also. I hope this helps.
Eliezer Cueto
Associate Technical Specialist
Power Systems
Florida Power & Light
Posted
October 17, 2008
I attended the
I-75 PD&E Study -
Broward MPO Presentation On October 14th and met the new project manager,
Joshua Salazar and got a chance to talk to several of the FDOT workers
present at the workshop. To see some of the photos I took at the workshop
click PHOTOS. All
these photos and more are on FDOT's website
www.I-75Vision.com.
To see the updates of the I-75 Project Development and Environment Study
see UPDATES. -Val O'Connor
First Posted
September 16, 2008
We appreciate your
continued participation in the I-75 PD&E Study - Broward MPO
Presentation and look forward to seeing you at our upcoming Public
Workshop, scheduled for October 14th
from 5:30pm to 7:30pm
at the Broward County SW Regional
Library. Additional details on the meeting can be found on our project
website:
www.I-75Vision.com
Thanks again and feel
free to call me or FDOT's Project Manager (Mr. Joshua Salazar,
954-777-4635) with any question on this Study or the upcoming workshop.
Will
Suero,
PE, VP
Senior Project Manager
Posted
October 3, 2008
Ivanhoe residence:
I do not know how many of you
are experiencing the constant power outages on a daily basis? Today, was
another last straw for me, I called FP&L, again to lodge the complaint and
was advised that they have had no complaints from Ivanhoe-Hawkes Bluff or
any other community in Ivanhoe.
That is very hard for me to
believe, since, I know I’ve placed many calls into customer services to
advise FP&L of the continual daily outages. However, they claim not to
have any history of past call ins. Regretfully, I did not document my
calls.
I have spoken to a few
neighbors who have had to replace appliances due to numerous surges and
outages, and were thinking they could put a claim in with FP&L. In
speaking with FP&L, if you lose a major appliance, and you have not
reports these outages they will not be able to reimburse you or contribute
a portion for the replacement appliance. Only if you have history in your
customer records and at that point they would have to submit it for review
of their executive committee.
The representative had stated
they will do an investigation, and will be in touch with us, however, from
the calls I made in the past I never received a follow-up from FP&L.
The number to report outages
or intermittent outages, brown outs, etc, is 1-800-226-3545. If you are
experience the same as us, it would be in your best interest to call in
and report the problem.
Please feel free to pass this
message on to other neighbors of Ivanhoe.
Thank you.
Diane Marotta-Eccles
Email:
dmeccles@bellsouth.net
Posted
October 1, 2008
I am aware of two cases
of identity theft that was perpetrated on residents of Waverly Hundred,
both on Hawkes Bluff Ave. Today I went with one of the couples to the
Davie police station to report the crime and to get a police case number
to be able to fill out the bank forms. I am attaching the information that
the police officer gave to them which are instructions of what to do if it
happens to you. If this happened several times in our community it has to
be someone going through the mailboxes or garbage. I told them to get a
paper shredder to shred their documents. This couple are not on a computer
so it has to be something that was on the outside of their home like
garbage or mail. Be careful, don't put mail out the night before and try
to shred your documents that have any pertinent information of them before
putting them into the garbage. Click here to read the instructions
from the police:
Identity Theft
-Val
O'Connor, Secretary and Webmaster of Waverly Hundred
Posted
October 1, 2008
To bring you up to date
on the case of the peeping tom in our neighborhood:
My heart goes out to my
husband who from day one has said that he was going to stick with this and
make sure that justice would be served. And he did. When most people
would give up and just say the system doesn’t work – he fought through it
– He would call the State attorney and just stayed with it; voiced his
feelings on what he wanted and what would be best for his family – This
man Giovanni Franceso Pugliese invaded our privacy and not only ours but
our neighbors as well – something we didn’t ask for and put our family
through some tough times – The emotions of our kids, the questions they
would ask and most of all the fear that they have. However, we did get
what we set out for. He is now in jail –
Giovanni Francesco
Pugliese is now at the stockade facility. He was charged with voyeurism
(6 months in jail for this count) and for the battery charge (2 counts –
one year probation for each count) I want everyone to know that even when
his projection sentence ends (3/14/09) he is not permitted in our
neighborhood. If he is seen here that is a violation of his probation and
if he is seen, people should call the police department and give as much
information as possible.
You can view his arrest
record at
www.browardsherriff.com - then on the right side of the screen type
in his name. This will bring up his arrest record and picture.
We want to thank
everyone for their thoughts, support and prayers during this difficult
time. -a resident of Waverly Hundred
Posted
September 16, 2008
We appreciate your
continued participation in the I-75 PD&E Study - Broward MPO
Presentation and look forward to seeing you at our upcoming Public
Workshop, scheduled for October 14th
from 5:30pm to 7:30pm
at the Broward County SW Regional
Library. Additional details on the meeting can be found on our project
website:
www.I-75Vision.com
Thanks again and feel
free to call me or FDOT's Project Manager (Mr. Joshua Salazar,
954-777-4635) with any question on this Study or the upcoming workshop.
Will
Suero,
PE, VP
Senior Project Manager
Posted
August 28, 2008
Dear
Ivanhoe Residents & Friends,
Many of you
might have noticed increased mosquito activity in your neighborhood. I
know I certainly have. It was brought to my attention by Hawkes Bluff
of Ivanhoe Board Members Terry Coulton & Mo Christie at our HOA meeting
last night that Broward County no longer automatically spays for
mosquitos. You have to request mosquito service from them. The way to
request this service is to go to their website at
www.Broward.org and go to "Request Mosquito Service" on the right
hand side under "Top Online Services". It's very easy to request this
service for your residence. You can also call Mosquito Control at (954)
765-4062 or fax them at (954) 985-1959 to request this service. The
more of us that request this service, the less mosquitos we will have to
deal with in our neighborhood. So please call, fax, or e-mail today.
click here to go directly to the page :
Request Mosquito Service
Best Regards,
Robert Giordano - Coldwell Banker
Residential Real Estate (Hawkes Bluff
of Ivanhoe Treasurer and Crime Watch Co-Ordinator)
Posted
August 27, 2008
Our Ivanhoe and
surrounding area cast 567
votes, we gave Beverly Gallagher 392
of these votes (nearly 70%!!!!)
and we represented over 11%
of her winning margin of 1,905 votes in only FOUR voting precincts. This
included a very good early voting and absentee voting! We sent quite a
message, which is…. don’t mess with Ivanhoe!
If you don’t already
know, Beverly Ann Gallagher is our newly re-elected School Board Member.
I am sure she would love to hear from each of you who supported her.
Do not let anyone tell
you that Ivanhoe does not vote! This was a very low turnout election and
we did great job. There are too many individual people to recognize, but
you all know exactly who you are.
This was a very, very
ugly race filled with a load of negative campaigning, but we always kept
it professional and prevailed. We also have to thank the Hawkes Bluff
E-mail guru Bob Giordano, Val O’Connor for the Ivanhoe Civic Association
website and Ken Cimetta from Keep us Rural website for spreading the good
word.
Reminder…
The
FIRST WEST BROWARD HIGH Parent/ Teacher Student MEETING (PTSA) is TOMORROW
NIGHT ….THURSDAY at 7pm (Media Center) !!!!!!!!
Please go to the West Broward High website to see the new information:
http://www.westbrowardhigh.com
or contact the PTSA at …. West Broward HS PTSA [westbrowardhsptsa@gmail.com]
Just
please take the time to show up and see what a great program and school we
will make the best in the county!
We
all have busy schedules, but what is more important than your child’s
education?
Go
Bobcats!
John Pickett
Hawkes Bluff
Posted
August 23, 2008
Friends and Neighbors,
We have a wonderful
new High School in West Broward High, we have an A rated Hawkes Bluff
Elementary and attend a great “A” middle school in Silver Trail. I
believe we have Beverly Gallagher to thank as our incumbent
representative for keeping the quality of education for our students. We
have found ourselves with a credible, honest, effective and dedicated
school board member and we need to re-elect her, so she can continue her
work on our behalf. Please call her with questions or concerns at
954-829-6621.
We
need to remember to vote NEXT TUESDAY August 26th and vote
FOR Bev Gallagher, District 2 School Board.
Countywide, I believe
we need to choose Dee Schroeder, who will listen to our needs and who is
honest.
John Pickett
Hawkes Bluff
Posted
August 16, 2008
Troubles are history, future an open book
at new West Broward High School
New high school to open on edge of the
Everglades
By Kathy Bushouse
| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
- August 15, 2008
PEMBROKE
PINES - For several months last spring, no one wanted to go to West
Broward High School.
Parents passionately argued that their children should remain at Cypress
Bay High School in Weston because West Broward, off U.S. 27, was too far
away. Students begged to stay at Cypress Bay, saying they wanted to stay
with their friends and stick with its sports teams and extracurricular
activities.
But the tense, hours-long boundary discussions are history. West Broward
High is ready to open its doors to 1,900 students for the first time
Monday.
New principal Dan Traeger is ready to bring together students from
Cypress Bay and
Everglades high schools to create a new community at the school.
continued
troubles are
history
Posted July 10, 2008
As a follow up to the incident that
happened in Waverly Hundred in February as well as other areas of Ivanhoe,
regarding the guy who was caught hiding in the bushes beneath windows of
houses, the
upcoming court appearance is currently scheduled from July 21 thru July 25
in room 347 at 8:30 a.m. The exact date to appear is not confirmed yet
but will be on the website when it is known. If anyone wants to come out
to the courthouse and show their support it would be greatly appreciated.
This guy needs to be put away and not be allowed to drive around our
neighborhoods and pose a threat to our children. Will keep you posted as
to the exact date of the hearing. The following are the original posts to
remind you of the incidents:
Posted
February 4, 2008
Today, at 6:30 a.m. a man was arrested on Ravenswick Terr. after he was
found hiding behind some bushes, under a homeowners window. The window was
at his daughter's bedroom. After a violent struggle with the homeowner and
then finally some neighbors, he was held until the police arrived. The
suspect is a 34yr. old male that lives in Pembroke Pines. His record has
shown he has done this before. When he was caught this morning, his zipper
was down. Please pass this on to friends, family and/or neighbors and
remind them to keep their doors locked and windows closed. Keep a look out
for each other and don't be afraid to call the police if anything in our
neighborhood look suspicious. Thanks, Al Hollinger
Update
February 8, 2008
When
showing his picture one of the neighbors has recognized this man. He is
posing as a window washer in the neighborhood. He is persistent in
wanting to perform this service. You might want to post the description
of his car to be on the look out in case anyone sees this person in the
neighborhood again. He currently drives a newer model Hyundai Sonata
Limited- Dark Blue - 4 door - Tag number: X60 9R0.
Several
people have seen him in the area - so I think everyone needs to have
their guard up!!

Posted
June 6, 2008
Dear friends & neighbors.
This last Wednesday, supposedly, the “Staff” at the Town of Davie put an
ordinance on the Town Council agenda:
increasing the distance for adult
establishments to 1000 feet vs the current ordinance of 450
feet…..
from certain areas, like school, daycares, churches, etc… What this
ordinance would do is increase certain locations within Davie. One of
those areas would add a piece of Regency Square (Publix/Outback/)
shopping center as a POSSIBLE future location for an adult
establishment. Obviously, we do not believe an adult establishment is
appropriate for this shopping center.
At The Last Minute, in the afternoon of the meeting date, this ordinance
motion was WITHDRAWN, so a vote was NOT made on it.
Why
was this added to the Davie agenda in the first place? There is a
Federal lawsuit with Eden Club (on University Drive in Davie) vs. Town
of Davie being heard this month asking for additional opportunities for
these establishments to have more opportunities to start a business. The
current 450 foot rule effectively stops establishments of adult
businesses in most areas of Davie.
Nobody seems to want to take responsibility on who wanted this on the
agenda at the Town or how it was placed on the docket. All we know is
there was less than full and timely disclosure and a load of people
(Forest Ridge, Ivanhoe) were put into an uproar over something this
important to our community.
This is typical for our town, not knowing “who’s is on first”…etc… To
complicate matters, Mr. Marlon Luis, our council representative for the
Town was out of town on vacation. Anyway,
THIS IS A WAKE UP CALL FOR OUR AREA!
If we are NOT aware of what is going on it is our own fault. Do
NOT think you will be informed of such dealings by the Town. This seems
like someone in the Davie Staff wanted to slip this by us. I do not
think this was ill intentioned, it was just not disclosed to the Public
very well.
Keep cards and letters and e-mails going to the Town and let the TOWN
know how you feel. By writing our Town Council and Town Administrator,
at least they know our opinions.
If
you have ANY problem, the people in the CC area (above) are who we need
to contact. The Town also has a website for input, which is accessed
easily and a link is on all our HOA’s websites.
John Pickett
Ivanhoe Civic Association
Posted
June 4, 2008
You're Invited to Join us
Endorsed
by:
Broward
Teachers Union, Education, Technical Support and Charter Schools
AFL-CIO,
Police Benevolent Association, Broward
Principals and Assistant Principals,
Broward
Community College,
Broward
Para-Professionals Association,
BTU-Retire Chapter
as we kick-off
Beverly "Bev " Gallagher's
Campaign for Re-Election
to the Broward County School Board
District 2
Monday, June 9, 2008
From 5:30 pm- 7:30 pm
At the Grand Palms Country Club
110 Grand Palms Dr., Pembroke Pines, FL 33027
Refreshments, entertainment and lots of fun for
the entire family! Bring the kids!
Please RSVP by June
6 to 954-435-5918
or
BevAGallagher@aol.com
For more information on Bev Gallagher,
Please visit her website
www.beverlygallagher.com!
Directions:
Take I-75 South
towards Miami
Merge onto West
Pines Boulevard via Exit 9 B
Turn Left onto Grand
Palms Drive/ SW 150th Ave
Make your first
Right to end at 110 Grand Palms Dr
Posted
May 31, 2008
Dear friends,
I am thinking about
speaking at the Town Council meeting during the OPEN Forum next week,
being the first council meeting of the month. Residents will have three
minutes to express opinions and I intend to inform them of the outcome of
the high school boundary issue and the apparent and probable elimination
of the MMM construction project. Davie opposed any consideration to build
MMM in Davie and did NOT feel compelled (until the very last second) to
support our area (Ivanhoe/south of Griffin) to help us in this boundary
concern. As a county we will certainly have more MEGA schools, with more
additions vs. any new schools to address overcrowding. Many believe the
school board is no longer in the business of building any new schools
after this last round of workshops and boundary decisions. We will have to
drive much, much farther to our designated school, West Broward High but
we as a community have embraced the school as evidenced by the majority of
participation in the PT(S)A and SAF coming from Ivanhoe and Southwest
Ranches.
As a FACT, Marlon Luis,
who represents us here in Ivanhoe has endorsed Beverly Gallagher, who as
our district member was the ONLY School Board member fighting for our
needs here in Ivanhoe. Other Davie elected officials, who do not represent
us, are non-committal or are siding with Bev’s opponent, who has not been
representing our needs.
Many of us living here
or having businesses in Ivanhoe have the overall feeling that Davie (as a
town council and government body) does not participate or have much of an
interest in assisting our area, unless they feel it can politically help
them out or somebody complains about something. They seem to be reactive,
not proactive. I heard last week a resident state that we are
“step-children of Davie, not real residents”. One council member has
referred to us as “non-horse residents”. I wonder what they call
Imagination Farms, Long Lake Estates and Shenandoah? The fact is we out
here have a HUGE commercial base of tax money that supports the entire
town and we need more attention as citizens. Unless we speak up, we will
continue to be ignored. As many say, no participation means there are no
problems or needs.
Here are a list of
issues that many residents feel need attention and participation from our
Davie elected officials. We need a few
more Ivanhoe residents to participate in this opportunity to speak on
issues they feel need to be “pointed out” to the council. My
three minutes will be used up by the education issue unless we can get a
member of the PTSA to speak at the meeting...
Þ
I-75 wall issue (funding
or assistance to get a better wall built, maybe extension of the existing
wood fence)
Þ
Participation of
possible construction of multi-use path over I-75 on Stirling, between 148th
and Dykes Road. Where are the plans? Meetings?
Þ
NO indoor gym or youth
sports programs on the west side, we have outside facilities: tennis
courts, sand volleyball, basketball and racquetball at Waverly 100 and
Waterford – do we want to look into having built an indoor gym or better
indoor facility at Waverly Park where there is room? Many of us feel the
outside facilities are underused, because of the heat issues and an inside
gym facility would be better utilized. Where do our kids go to participate
in sports? Weston or Pembroke Pines?
Þ
Roads have not been
recoated or repaved since inception of the community and many sidewalks
are cracked and broken.
Þ
Greenway areas are in
poor shape and are mostly weeds, just mowed occasionally with no
irrigation. Because of our communities “manicured look” should we have
upgraded landscaping and better maintained in the medians? (Stirling Road
/ around parks)
Þ
Police presence – Most
of the HOA’s PAY separately for extra detail patrols and a question is why
do other areas get better coverage from our Police Department? We have had
too many break-ins and crime
Þ
Other issues:?????
Please keep
communicating our needs to Davie, as these are all important issues and
you all know the adage; the squeaky wheel…..
John Pickett
Hawkes Bluff
(Ivanhoe Civic
Association)
Posted
May 31, 2008
Plan scrapped for new high school in SW Broward
Superintendent says prices for Davie and Weston sites
too steep to consider
By Kathy Bushouse
| South Florida
Sun-Sentinel,
May 27, 2008
FORT LAUDERDALE - A new high school
for southwest
Broward County set to be approved this year has been delayed, with
School Board members Tuesday backing Superintendent
James Notter's recommendation to shelve the campus.
Prices were too high for sites in Weston and Davie for the school dubbed
MMM, Notter told the board. With enrollment down and economic times
uncertain, board members opted to follow Notter's recommendation and
perform a study of empty seats in the district rather than buy land for
the new school.
Board Chairwoman Robin Bartleman took it one step further: If the
district is going to examine whether MMM still is needed to relieve
crowding at nearby Cypress Bay High School, she wants the district also
to look at construction plans for new schools or classroom additions
throughout the county.
"What's good for one is good for all," Bartleman said. "If we're going
to do this with MMM, then everything else in the capital plan needs to
be looked at. ... If we're really talking about doing this, then you do
it across the board."
Tuesday's workshop discussion was the latest in more than two years of
debate over where to put a school in southwest Broward. The district has
spent more than $450,000 in analysis, appraisals, studies and consultant
costs during its search for a new site.
Weston parent Byron Jaffe was upset by the board's decision to further
delay a decision on MMM. "Are they saying they're out of the business of
building new schools out in west Broward?" Jaffe said after the
workshop.
Each board member spoke at Tuesday's workshop and generally agreed with
Notter.
What was clear: The board wasn't willing to pay the asking prices for
the parcels. Land developer Ron Bergeron wants $19.8 million for his
30-acre site in Weston, 108 percent more than the average appraisal
value of $9.5 million. Brothers Daniel, Troy and Wayne Weekley want $13
million for their roughly 30 acres in Davie, nearly 73 percent more than
the average appraised value of $7.6 million.
Some board members said the downturn in the real estate market could
open up other possibilities for a school site.
"I think we can look," board member Beverly Gallagher
said. "Every day someone's calling us about a different piece of
property."
Attorney Alex Heckler, who represents the owners of the Bonaventure golf
course once considered as a possible location for MMM, said Tuesday his
clients are working on a new proposal to submit to the School Board. The
golf course site was dropped because of concerns over arsenic in the
soil and title questions.
Other board members said the district should use this as an opportunity
to re-evaluate all its school boundaries.
"I can't tell you how many years we have talked about a comprehensive
boundary review. ... We need to stop talking about that and simply do
it," board member Stephanie Kraft said.
The district needs to go look from south to north, at every school,
Kraft said.
"We went through a horrendous boundary process this year and no one
wants to repeat it, but we have to repeat it," said Kraft, referring to
the fight over which students should leave Cypress Bay to attend West
Broward High School in Pembroke Pines.
As part of Tuesday's discussion, the board agreed to keep through the
2008-09 school year an enrollment cap at Cypress Bay, among the most
populated in the country. Even with the boundary changes the board
approved, Cypress Bay still will be crowded by more than 700 students at
the start of the next school year.
Not building a new school would be a very bad decision, Jaffe said.
"Let me be clear, west Broward is going to have more [boundary changes]
if you don't have a new school," Jaffe said. "And you think last time
was bad?"
Board member Phyllis Hope urged that the search for a new school site
continue.
"Please, please, please let the door stay open, possibly for us to look
at some of these new properties that have come in, or at least
re-evaluate the Bonaventure property," Hope said. "I do want us to keep
in mind that there are other possible sites that we should look at
before we should close the door."
Posted
May 23, 2008
Needed by Tuesday 5/27, in the early AM at the latest!
Please read the following article. The newspaper article shows there are
only 700 kids over for this new school…??? !!! )
These articles justify
100% our requests for NO boundary changes until we knew what was happening
with MMM. We are settled in West Broward High and we should be grateful.
This issue is certain to bring the true colors out of the Weston folks.
I have to agree with Mr.
Notter that how can they justify $120 million for a small school when they
moved so many students in the last recent boundary change? ANOTHER
“private” high school in Weston? There are 700 seats open at Plantation
alone. 10,000 for the whole county.
If you are so compelled
to write and or let the powers to be know how you feel, please do so to
the following e-mails or call the school board.
supt_notter@browardschools.com
schoolboard@browardschools.com
To
Mr. Notter, thank him for a wise and prudent recommendation. To the Board
write your opposition to the MMM funding.
Also,
Please do NOT forget to participate in the school by joining the West
Broward PSAT ( PTA ). Dues are only $5 for students and $10 for parents
and business partners. - John
Superintendent: Hold off on high school in west Broward
By Kathy Bushouse and
Susannah Bryan |
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
May 21, 2008
Plans for a new high school in western
Broward suffered a setback Tuesday, with Broward Schools Superintendent
James Notter recommending the School Board reject offers to buy land
and, instead, wait to see whether the school is still needed.
With asking prices significantly higher than the appraised value for the
sites in Davie and Weston, Notter recommends the board hold off buying
land for the proposed high school, temporarily dubbed MMM.
Land developer Ron Bergeron wants $19.8 million for his 30-acre site in
Weston, double the average appraisal value of $9.5 million. And the
asking price of $13 million for the roughly 30 acres in Davie — owned by
brothers Daniel, Troy and Wayne Weekley — is nearly 73 percent more than
its average appraised value of $7.6 million.
Notter isn't asking the board to take MMM out of the district's
construction plans. Rather, he recommends the district look at which
schools have empty seats, do a comprehensive analysis of the district's
school boundaries, continue capping enrollment through the 2008-2009
school year at overcrowded Cypress Bay High School, and determine
whether the district will have the money or the student-enrollment
growth to build a new school.
High asking prices for land, budget cuts and declining enrollment all
factored into the recommendation, Notter said. Also, the district has
thousands of empty desks, and is awaiting the results of a survey
showing which schools have space.
"A year ago, the numbers looked like they would justify a brand new
school," Notter said. "Now I question those numbers."
Board members will discuss the proposed high school at a workshop next
Tuesday at the district's headquarters in downtown
Fort Lauderdale.
Should Board members adopt Notter's recommendation next week, the move
will likely upset legions of Weston parents and city leaders. They have
counted on a new high school to relieve Cypress Bay, waiting more than a
year for the School Board to decide where to build MMM.
But Notter said the board has a "high concern for really spending
taxpayers' dollars the right way."
The district took a $250 million hit to its construction plans because
of legislators' decision to move property tax money from school
districts' capital budgets to operating budgets, Notter said. The money
would have gone for construction and replacing equipment such as
computers and school buses.
Still, Weston resident Stuart Slutsky said he thinks the School Board
had no intention of ever building the school.
"I think the School Board has been acting in bad faith and this was
their expected end result," Slutsky said. "It's a game they play with
the public, wasting time and money."
Weston Mayor Eric Hersh said he didn't think the asking price for the
Bergeron site — which works out to more than $655,000 an acre — was out
of bounds.
"That's what it goes for here," Hersh said. "Ultimately, if the board
doesn't take advantage of the market we're in now and buy the land,
they'll never be able to afford it in the future."
If the school is not built, "I think it would be a big disappointment
for this community," Hersh said.
School Board member Beverly Gallagher said she thinks the asking prices
for the Weekley and Bergeron sites were too high, and the flagging real
estate market could open up potential sites for the school.
And if there are empty desks in the district, Gallagher said, it may
make more sense to fill them by moving school attendance boundaries.
"The empty seats and the budget cuts we have to face, I think we have to
be more careful with our dollars," she said.
Kathy Bushouse can be reached at
kbushouse@sun-sentinel.com
or 954-356-4556.
Posted
May 20, 2008
Dear Ivanhoe Residents & Friends,
Below
please find an e-mail I received from a Falcon's Lea Resident.
Apparently there were (2) break-ins last Friday in Falcon's Lea. It
happened during the time most home burglaries occur (between 9:00 a.m.
and 1:00 pm) when the kids are at school and many people are at work.
These guys are slick and fast. Please reply to this e-mail if you have
any additional information regarding these burglaries. Please call the
Town of Davie Police Department at (954) 693-8200 if you have any
pertinent information. Let's be extra vigilant and keep on the lookout
for this vehicle & possible suspects and for anything suspicious.
Please do not hesitate to contact the Police Department (911 for
emergencies) if you see anything.
Robert Giordano - Hawkes Bluff of Ivanhoe Crime Watch Co-ordinator
On Friday May 16 between 9:20 am and 9:45 am two residences were broken
into. One was on Ridgelock Court and the other on West Falcons Lea
Dr. The two suspects were male Hispanics driving a white vehicle,
possibly a Mercedes with black emblem on the grill area. They back up
into the driveway so they can get out quick. One individual will
stay in the car while the other bangs on the door and window to see if
someone is home. They proceed to use a crowbar or other device to
force the deadbolt open. They are brazen and bold, doing this even
when other neighbors are home. They don't care if you have an alarm
because they are in and out fast probably within 2 to 3 minutes.
They target jewelry and cash heading to the master bedroom first and
foremost.
Posted
May 22, 2008
Last Monday our house was also broken into. We live in Waverly Hundred, on
the corner of Olde Moat Way. They broke the glass, but when the alarm went
off they left. They did not take anything. We called the police and they
dusted for fingerprints. The police say they are professionals. The glass
was cut with a glass cutter and taken off. We informed our neighbors so that
they can be on the alert. This happened at 11:05 in the morning. No one saw
anything.
Posted
May 17, 2008
Dear
Friends & Neighbors who will be attending West Broward High School,
A VOTE and selection of the members for the West Broward High School
Advisory and PTA will be held on:
May 21, Wednesday at 7pm at the SOUTH AREA offices, SUNSHINE ROOM
corner of Sunrise Blvd and 136th Avenue. On the SW corner
opposite Sawgrass Mills Mall. See address and directions below.
SHOW UP
EARLY!
IF
you are interested in having a voice on the direction and wish to be
involved with our new HIGH SCHOOL, please attend this meeting and VOTE for
our representatives to these important advisory boards.
IN
the past, our resident parents have NOT been as involved in these advisory
boards and therefore we were less informed than many other parents in
surrounding communities. Currently, we will have about 300 children
attending West Broward High from our Ivanhoe Communities.
WE NEED representation on these boards and the ensuing committees !!!!.
DUES
will be collected for these groups this evening, so bring your checkbook.
(Small amount $5-$10)
You received a recent phone message at home concerning this meeting urging
your attendance.
Currently, Pembroke Pines has the majority of members on the Silver Trail
advisory boards with almost NO representation for Davie and Southwest
Ranches.
As a community, we have seen where involvement and participation in these
parent groups can have an extreme impact on what happens at the school
level.
WE ALL HAVE SAID WE WILL EMBRACE OUR SCHOOL AND BECOME ACTIVE.
THIS IS YOUR CHANCE. There is time involvement, but more important is the
participation in the ideals, integrity and morals that we want to have
instilled in our school, WEST BROWARD HIGH!
GO
BOBCATS!
See you at the meeting…………… Please RSVP at
jjpickett@bellsouth.net and let us know of your intention to show up
and vote or become an active board member. Remember, there will be a VOTE
and we NEED to be represented!!!
SEE address below… or call West Broward High at 754-323-2600. The meeting
is in the
“sunshine
room”.
This office is at the corner of Sunrise Blvd and 136th Avenue.
On the SW corner opposite Sawgrass Mills Mall.
(It is a tricky drive once you are in the complex.)
Driving directions: From I-75: Sunrise Exit and turn Right at light 136th
Ave (which is also Harrison Parkway)
Directions from Flamingo Rd.: turn Right at light 136th Ave (which is also
Harrison Parkway)
Turn
right into Sawgrass Technology Park, and immediately turn left at sign
that says SAW (for SAWGRASS)
Drive
all the way around towards the back, go past two lakes on the left side
Turn
right at the second light, you'll see Building H, it's a red tiled
building, the door is next to AMRO
The
meeting will be in the Sunshine Room.
Actual
address:
South
Area Superintendent’s Office
1643 North Harrison Parkway
Building H
Sunrise,
Florida 33328
(754) 321-3600
Posted
May 13, 2008
MEDIA
ADVISORY
Rep. Martin David Kiar (D-97) to host Environmental Fair
and Light Bulb
Exchange
Davie, FL –Florida State
Representative Martin David Kiar (D-97) and Philips Lighting are teaming
up to give two compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) to anyone who brings
in at least one incandescent bulb, while supplies last. The CFL bulbs use
75% to 80% less electricity and last up to ten times longer than a
traditional incandescent bulb, and produce considerably less heat. Old
bulbs will be recycled.
This event will take place on
Saturday, May 17, 2008 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM in Robbins Park, located
at 4005 Hiatus Road in Davie. Other exhibitors will include the South
Florida Water Management District, Florida Power & Light, Broward County
Environmental Protection and Growth Management Division - Air Quality
Program, 4-H Broward County, Florida Department of Environmental
Protection, Florida Natural Energy, Broward County’s Water Resource
Division and the Town of Davie.
“Given the need for each of us to
eventually convert to eco-friendly bulbs, it made perfect sense to partner
with these great organizations and offer this to my constituents and all
area residents,” said Kiar. “Having grown up right here in Broward
County, I’ve always appreciated the wonderful environmental landscape in
which we live. In order to preserve that quality of life for future
generations, we need to become conscious of our carbon footprint and learn
how to take steps now to conserve water and electricity, which is a simple
way for us all to begin this process.”
Philips Lighting has generously
donated these bulbs for our residents, to maintain their goal of “working
to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the
ability of our future generations to meet their own needs.”
For
residents unable to attend the event, please call the office at
954-346-2813 for information on how to exchange your incandescent bulb for
a new CFL.
Posted
May 9, 2008
The latest
news is that Dan Trager, the new principal at West Broward High School, will be available to attend our general PTA/SAC/SAF
meeting at Hawkes Bluff Elementary on May 15th at 6:30pm. This invitation
is extended to the Town of SW Ranches to join us.
Posted
May 9, 2008
At last night's
CEHOA meeting Deputy Roselli gave the crime report and asked people to
be aware of a recent model black pick-up truck (2000-2008), make
unknown, with 'specialty rims' that is suspected of being involved in
two recent (April) burglaries in the area, and to call BSO if you see
it or have any additional information. The non-emergency number is
(954) 765-4321, (and as always call only, never approach when
observing anything suspicious). --Lesley
The Non-Emergency number for the Town
of Davie Police Department is (954) 693-8200.
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Modified Phase II Water
Order Begins April 18
(see Community Links)
Posted
April 17, 2008

The boundary changes are to relieve "critically
overcrowded" Cypress Bay High School (pictured) and to fill new West Broward
High School. (Staff photo/Lou Toman)
Apr 17, 2008
The battle over the southwest Broward student
reshuffle raged until a final vote late into the night Wednesday, and most
people weren't happy.
Posted
April 14, 2008
Dear
friends of Ivanhoe (Hawkes Bluff Elementary) children,
This
Wednesday, April 16th will possibly be the last chance to speak
for or against the proposed Cypress Bay boundary changes. 5:30 at
Plantation High.
There are
differing opinions on this subject, however most opinions I have heard
lean to allowing the existing students to serve out their high school
careers at Cypress Bay, then start this change with the new high school
for the incoming freshmen. This amendment has been floated by school board
members this week. Read the blog at sunsentinel.com and there are some
interesting opinions.
As you know
some of us (are diehard’s) disagree, and feel the school board should not
perform any boundary changes until MMM is determined to either be built or
not built. These are serious times, both financially and politically and
this boundary and MMM vote affects many, many children and families.
There is so much wasted money in this process. Just in transportation
today at over $3.35 per gallon of gas, we need to watch this process
carefully.
Many
believe, with justification, this process has been basically high-jacked
from the inception by the staff in the boundary department with much
influence from those few Weston residents with the goal to maintain a
“Weston Only” city high school. There is no other logical, financial or
“overcrowding” reasoning, at least until the “MMM” site is decided upon.
There WILL be many changes again next year and we (as Ivanhoe) do NOT
desire to be placed in this position just four short years down the road.
Now we hear through the Sun Sentinel article this weekend, a report to
lower the MMM capacity from 2000 students to 1700, which would effectively
give them TWO Weston City schools, if the Bergeron property is chosen. The
process can keep our community out and attempt to bring back the
Bonaventure children. This is a tough battle for our little community,
since basically every SW Broward political candidate, elected official and
school board member in Broward County has some stake (?) in this decision.
Weston officials and residents have proved more interested and politically
savvy in this process than Davie, however, we still think there are
”things” going on, none of us are aware of at this point. They truly
believe Cypress Bay High should be a Weston School vs. a county school.
We know
Cypress Bay is in need of restrooms and possibly a cafeteria upgrade, but
that is a whole lot cheaper than building a new school. We are however in
a great position, being West Broward IS a new school albeit so, so
incredibly far from our neighborhood.
Attend this
Meeting Wednesday at 5:30pm at Plantation High. If you wish to speak or
see our school boards “political machine” in action.
click here for:
Past related Newspaper Articles
Posted
April 13, 2008
Local Roads Master Plan Workshop
Thursday, April 24, 2008 at 6:30 PM
Final Draft to be Presented
The Town of Davie will host the third and final workshop for the Local
Road Master Plan on April 24, 2008, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The meeting
will be held at the Davie Police Department Community Room located at
1230 South Nob Hill Road.
The Local Road Master Plan project was initiated by the Town of Davie to
address the transportation concerns raised by its citizens. The
Town's Planning & Zoning and Engineering Divisions along with the
transportation engineering firm Kittelson & Associates, Inc. are working
together with the citizens of Davie to create a plan that will identify,
analyze, and make recommendations to improve local roadways. A final
draft will be presented at the meeting.
Members of the Town Council may be present.
For additional information, please contact the Town of Davie Planning
and Zoning Division at 954-797-1103.
Posted
April 13, 2008
School Board faces choice on building high
school in SW Broward
Boundaries could change
if new campus not approved
Despite an abundance of empty classroom desks countywide, some Broward
school officials are willing to pay a premium for land to build a new high
school.
The asking price for the two sites under consideration is twice the
appraised value. Yet some School Board members would rather build the
campus than face the upheaval of redrawing boundaries for more than two
dozen high schools.
The proposed school in southwest Broward, dubbed High School MMM for now,
would cost about $125 million and hold about 1,700 students. Broward's
existing high schools are now under-enrolled by about 7,000 students
total.
"You talk about a two-by-four in the back of the head. That's what this
is," said School Board member Bob Parks, who favors redrawing boundaries.
"The data screams that you don't need it."
The problem: Most of the crowded schools are in southwest Broward, and
most of the empty desks are in central and east Broward.
Changing boundaries at just a few schools makes "people go berserk," said
board member Maureen Dinnen, who hasn't made up her mind but worries that
waiting could drive up land costs.
A decision must be made soon. The state approved the new school when
classrooms were bursting countywide. If the district does not buy the land
and sign a construction contract by Oct. 31, the state must re-approve the
campus. And such approval may be unlikely now, given Broward's empty
classrooms, said Schools Superintendent Jim Notter.
The two parcels, according to district documents and officials:
• 30 acres at Southwest 36th Street and South Post Road in Weston owned by
land developer Ron Bergeron, a reluctant seller in a city desperate for a
new high school. Bergeron bought the property for $1 million in 2000. The
school system appraisal price came in at $10 million, and a district
committee recommended a maximum offer of $11.7 million. Bergeron wants $24
million. He could not be reached for comment despite three phone calls to
his office. In the past, Bergeron said he wanted the property condemned so
he wouldn't be taxed on the profits for three years.
• 32 acres at Southwest 26th Street and Flamingo Road in Davie owned by
brothers Daniel, Troy and Wayne Weekley, eager sellers in a town
vehemently opposed to the school partly because it takes land off the tax
rolls. Though school officials won't say specifically what the appraisal
price is, they say the asking price, $14.4 million, is about twice the
appraised value. The Weekley brothers began buying the land
little-by-little six years ago, with a goal of selling.
"There are not many 30-acre parcels left. That's why we were willing to
invest our money into it," said Daniel Weekley, who along with his
brothers owns Weekley Asphalt Paving, which does business with private
developers and local governments, including
Fort Lauderdale, Davie and the
school district.
"If the School Board wants it, they can take it. If they don't, they
don't. It will be developed into something."
High School MMM has been on the books since at least 2001. The new school
was part of a $3.4 billion plan to add classrooms throughout Broward to
meet the state's 2011 class-size amendment deadline. Broward has already
added 192 new high school classrooms for about $38 million.
But enrollment started to slide in 2005-06, reflecting an overall dip in
the county population. And now, many desks are empty.
"Nobody really predicted 55,800 people exiting," Superintendent
James Notter said about Broward's
overall two-year population decline to 1.76 million this year.
Most of the under-enrolled high schools, including seven that recently
received new classrooms, are in central and eastern Broward. Blanche Ely,
Dillard and Fort Lauderdale high schools, for example, were each
under-enrolled by more than 800 students this school year.
There are, however, still high schools bursting at the seams. Most are in
southwest Broward: Cypress Bay,
Everglades, Flanagan and Miramar.
"There's a need for a school out here," said Byron Jaffe, a Weston parent
and civic activist who has pushed for the new campus. The schools with
space are not in places where they are needed, Jaffe said, and using them
as a reason not to build MMM "is a weak excuse."
Some relief is coming thanks to pending boundary changes and West Broward
High School, a new $120 million campus in
Pembroke Pines opening this fall.
Money tight
Redrawing boundaries "has always been a short-term solution," said
Jaffe, whose children next year will enter Cypress Bay in Weston —
currently the largest high school in the nation, with about 5,500
students. "My intent in this whole process was never to [move] out all of
these people from Cypress Bay but to get a new school."
Change boundary lines to ship those students to the under-enrolled
schools, and "you could have World War III on your hands," said Dinnen,
whose district covers Plantation and eastern Fort Lauderdale.
Building a new high school would be easier for the board, said
parent-activist Nick Sakhnovsky, vice chairman of the Facilities Task
Force, a district oversight committee.
"They would probably rather spend money than deal with boundaries,"
Sakhnovsky said. "Even though they don't want to spend the money, and, to
be frank, they don't really know if they have the money."
District administrators say they don't know exactly how South Florida's
poor economy and recent statewide tax cuts will affect funding, but they
know their budget will take a hit. Already this school year, money from
the state to the district has been cut by about $68.4 million. And,
they're expecting a $325 million drop in construction money over the next
five years.
Notter expects High School MMM's cost to match the $120 million price on
West Broward High in Pembroke Pines. When asked if the district can afford
a new high school, Notter said other projects would be sacrificed.
The School Board must make a decision on MMM and its overall school
construction wish list, which must be approved by the
Florida Department of Education by
Oct. 31. If it doesn't ink a deal by then, the new school would have to be
re-approved by the state as part of the district's next five-year
construction plan. The district must get permission from the state to
build the new school.
"We need to be proactive and secure a site, especially since land is
scarce at this point," said Board Chairwoman Robin Bartleman, who
represents the district countywide. "Five years from now, there will be
growth in west Broward — still."
By Akilah Johnson and Kathy Bushouse |
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Akilah Johnson can be reached at
akjohnson@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4527.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/education/sfl-flbmmm0413sbapr13,0,1262672.story
Posted
April 1, 2008
The pictures below are of a vehicle that
continues to park his Transportation Vehicle in front of our development. He
and another truck driver park their trucks all night on the northwest side
of Stirling at the entrance to Hawkes Bluff and the southeast side of
Stirling at the entrance to Waverly.
Sometimes their running lights are left on all night that bothers the
residents living behind where they park.
Not only is this an eye-sore for all residents, it is illegal. This
driver continues to do this every week. If anyone knows these individuals
please tell them to park elsewhere.
  
Posted
March 14, 2008
Dear Friends &
Neighbors,
This morning at about 2:15am, the Broward School Board voted 8 -1 (with
Beverly Gallagher dissenting) to send the students currently attending
Cypress Bay High, those south of Griffin Road to West Broward High
School.
There is a final vote on April 16th. Generally, once this
first vote occurs, it is simply and normally ratified at the second
pubic hearing. We all should intend to continue the fight to “phase-in”
this move for at least the existing students, however, that does not
appear to have support. Literally hundreds of people attended and many
spoke. The Sun-Sentinel has an article of the meeting in the local
section as does the Herald.
We have hundred of
families and students affected here in Ivanhoe and thousands across
Southwest Ranches, Pembroke Pines and the Old Bonaventure section of
Weston.
We are certain that
this decision does NOT relieve the Cypress Bay Main Campus to any
significant amount. Their own numbers and data confirm this fact. We
were simply beat politically because this vote finally “cleansed”
Cypress Bay from the surrounding cities and has given Weston a city
school paid for the taxpayers of Broward County. This has been a few
parents goal for several years and this year they finally had enough
political clout to over-ride logic. .
In any case we all need to send a clear message to the school board and
the media that: “WE WILL NOT BE MOVED AGAIN!!!”.
Most believe MMM will never be built and all the surrounding high
schools must be super-sized if that is the case. We also need to support
financially and in our votes FOR our School Board Member, Beverly
Gallagher in the next election. We need to vote against Robin
Bartleman and Jennifer Gottlieb, who are supposed to represent the
entire county, but chose to support only Weston constituents.
We KNOW that our Town
Council in Davie, did NOT support our efforts. Although our district
council person,
Marlin Luis
made an attempt in the early stages of this process,
he also did not attend this
very important boundary meeting to speak in support of our positions.
Even more disturbing, neither did Mr.
Truex, our Mayor or Ms. Starkey, Mr Crowley or Mr. Caletka.
If any
of them were in the room, we did not see them.
We applaud the City of
Cooper City and Town of Southwest Ranches for not only attending the
meeting, but these two cities
entire councils were there. Mayor Fink and all
commissioners spoke for Southwest Ranches and Debbie Essinger of Cooper
City with several of her council stood and asked for support.
If our Davie Town council felt we were
important enough to at least place the date in their calendars to show
up, it would be a different story and we would at least feel like our
Town cared about Ivanhoe.
In addition, there
were many factions fighting basically for the same goal, however
politically we decided to voice our positions separately. We in Ivanhoe
were cohesive and had five volunteers who were on a “committee” and each
had several supporters and we all need to thank them for coming out and
helping. Our e-mail communications did help as well. This is also the
core of the Ivanhoe Civic Association. In the end the competition and
the school board did not and do not respect our collective communities
as people who can hurt them in the polls.
Weston residents were
organized, their city commissioners showed up at EVERY meeting. They had
letters from ALL of their homeowners associations in support and were
collectively on the same page with the exception of the area in NW
Bonaventure who were also moved in this boundary change.
ON
A POSITVE NOTE, our children will attend a wonderful, new, shiny state
of art high school. The principal and staff are certain to be
professional and caring. Yes, it is farther away, however we have the
opportunity to make a sincere impact on it’s student parent boards and
have serious input in the spirit of the school. I know many of you have
children who will have to re-establish their high school careers & lives
at the new school, please guide your children with grace and good
intentions as I know we will.
This is a challenge, but we can all make this a positive experience vs.
a negative one.
Posted
March 10, 2008
I have been speaking with Kristi Krueger of Channel 10 news about the
Cypress Bay boundary situation. She is trying to get a news crew out to
the School Board Public Hearings to cover the story (and hopefully put
pressure on the School Board to do the logical thing). I think it would
help if Southwest Ranches residents would bombard her with e-mails so
the station would see how volatile and emotional the situation is.
Please e-mail Kristi with your story, complaint, opinion at
kkrueger@wplg.com. Forward this to all of your Southwest Ranches
friends so we can hit her with as many e-mails as possible.
Judy Harden
954-434-6507
Posted
March 9, 2008
Dear Friends &
Neighbors,
|