General Meeting Croissant Park Civic Association June 2014

General Meeting June 24, 2014

Hi  Croissant Park Neighbors,

Happy Summer!  Our June meeting began at 7:10pm with the Pledge of Allegiance and was attended by Board members Pat Rathburn, Michelle DiMaria, Rhonda Kramer, Joe Russell, Beth Falkenhagen, Manny Carrera and  Virginia Russell.

June 1st was the first day of hurricane season so to mark the event we invited the Emergency Management Coordinator Freddie Zelaya to give us a refresher course on hurricane preparedness.  Freddie’s excellent Power Point presentation was  a great reminder of the hazards we face in this season and how to prepare for them.  For us here in South Florida we will experience the highest occurrence of storms from late August through fall. It is recommended that every household prepare an emergency kit that includes 5-7 days of emergency water (1 gallon per day/ per person) and food for each person and pet. In addition to water and food, medications and many other items should be included in your kit.  FEMA’s website www.ready.gov has a complete emergency supply list.  If you plan to evacuate to a shelter it is best to register at that shelter in advance to ensure space.  If you have pets, there are designated shelters you can use.  Again, advance registration is advised.  Now is a good time to trim bushes, trees and loose items that might become dangerous flying objects in a storm.  Early preparation is the key to keeping you and your loved ones protected.  In the event of a hurricane or significant weather event, Ft. Lauderdale City Information Line number is (954) 828-8888, for emergency info and updates of City operations.

We were pleased to honor Suzy Ludlow, the owner of Expresso, our local coffee drive-thru on Andrews Avenue with an award certificate and gift.  Suzy generously supplies coffee for every one of our Croissant Park meetings.  You might have also had the opportunity to take advantage of Suzy’s water aerobics class at our Community Pool and of her exercise class in the Community Center.  Thanks again, Suzy.

FLPD was unable to attend our meeting due to an ongoing incident.  However, Pat read the April/May statistics furnished to her by Ofc. Stevens:   in April we had 2 residential burglaries, 1 business burglary, 2 vehicle robberies and 2 vehicle thefts.  In May there were 3 residential burglaries, 1 vehicle robbery, and 2 vehicle thefts.  So far for the month of June we have had only 1 incident, a huge improvement compared to the two previous months.  No further information is available about the murder that occurred on 4th Avenue near 13th Street.  Neighbors have reported seeing ongoing transactions, possibly drug sales, at the FEC train tracks in Croissant Park.

Michelle informed us of the $46,000 grant we received, which will be spent on pet waste signs and oak trees.  The pet waste signs must be placed on private property and the homeowner must sign an agreement.  Some people are opting to place the sign on their property in the alley, but homeowners may also place them in their front yards.  The oak trees are available to homeowners willing to sign an agreement to thoroughly water the tree and care for it properly.  Contact any Board member if you are interested in placing a sign or planting a tree.

We had talked about partnering up with River Oaks residents to have a party at Gore-Betz Park, and the party committee has decided to wait until the fall when the rainy afternoons are no longer a threat and the weather is more comfortable for outdoor fun and games in the park.

A concerned neighbor asked if the halfway houses in the neighborhood are legal.  The answer is that generally most of them are legal. Many neighbors have complained that the residents cause problems, have many cars that are illegally parked, have overflowing trash cans, and are generally lousy neighbors that threaten our family-oriented neighborhood and our property values.  Our CPCA President Pat Rathburn continues to work on this problem, specifically with an attorney in Delray who is pushing for registration of these homes if a landlord is not living at that residence.  This will require that the cars have stickers.  The Code Enforcement people tell us that we have to call code when we see infractions, and to call 911 if we witness any illegal activities taking place. We are watching what other cities are doing about this issue and we need to “make noise” in Tallahassee and hope that it begins to take hold at the city level.  

The 50/50 raffle prize of a hurricane emergency kit went to Tami McClung.  The 50/50 cash prize was won by Joe Russell.

Our next General meeting will be September 30th...so we’ll see you in September.  Have a great summer!

Minutes by Virginia