The Croissant Park Civic Association: May 2017

May 30, 2017 CPCA Neighborhood Meeting

Board members in attendance were: Patricia Rathburn, Nicohle Kallio, Jodi Perraud, Heather Cuniff, Virginia Russell, Joe Russell, Beth Falkenhagen and Rhonda Kramer. Absent - Michelle DiMaria

Hello Croissant Park Neighbors,

We opened our meeting at the Community Center with the Pledge of Allegiance. Usually we have our FLPD Neighborhood Watch officers to give us our crime report but they were not able to make it to tonight’s meeting. They were out keeping the neighborhood safe…

Our President Pat took the time for some reflection about our homeless situation. She brought our attention to a homeless man who has been living and sleeping on the ground at a bus stop near the Broward General ER entrance. We have compassion for these unfortunates and it is crucial that we recognize their plight and work towards solutio

Our first speakers were Amal Khoury and Liz Tobin, Family Service Counselors for Dignity Memorial, a family funeral home network. They are committed to providing practical guidance to families and individuals who are dealing with the loss of loved ones. They stressed the importance of pre-planning and familiarizing with all the many arrangements that must be attended to.

We had many new faces at the meeting last night so Beth recommended that we go around the room to introduce ourselves and tell where we live in Croissant Park. At least two couples have moved into the neighborhood very recently. And we were joined by our old friend of Croissant Park, Jack Timmins, a local realtor who lives in Edgewood. Also attending tonight is a well-known Fort Lauderdale resident, Charlotte Rodstrom, who is running for Mayor in 2018. Welcome to all.

Our second speaker was Fort Lauderdale developer Gus Carbonell who came to show us the plans for the 1-story office building he hopes to build. The proposed sight is on the corner of SW 9th Avenue and S.R. 84, the now-empty lot that was a Shell gas station. This property is in Edgewood but would be something that would potentially be seen by us on a regular basis. On another matter, Gus informed us that the City has finally adopted the architectural guidelines for new residential properties mandating that front doors must face the street and eliminate the preponderance of garage doors that face the street, causing front doors to be located around to the side of the residence. Our Association has been a strong advocate for these code requirements, that have been pushed aside for several years. We are glad to see them become a reality.

Our third speaker was Sherri Sloan who is representing the “Meet Your Neighbors” project. They are planning a City-wide Block Party and Sherri asked for and received two volunteers, Beth Falkenhagen and Natalie Dlugosz, for the Croissant Park planning committee.

Ms. Tobin and Ms. Khoury from Dignity Memorial held a drawing for a gift basket that was won by our new neighbors Natalie and Matthew Dlugosz. Congratulations and welcome to the neighborhood.

The Pet Picture Contest began with many people bringing their favorite pics of their pets. We will be extending the contest to Nextdoor so people can submit their entries for the June voting. The contest is open to 2017 members so don't forget to send in your membership application. The winner will be featured in the next Newsletter and the CPCA 2017 calendar along with the runner-ups.