Croissant Park General Meeting June 2023

 Happy Summer Croissant Park Neighbors!

Our meeting on Tuesday, June 27th was back in the Community Center after cleaning up extensive flood damage. The Board members in attendance were Pat Rathburn, Rhonda Kramer, Joe Russell, Heather Cunniff, and Virginia Russell. We had 37 CP neighbors attending.

FLPD Officers Hagerty, Graves, and Trujillo brought us the May/June crime report.  There were 6 vehicle break-ins, five of which were in unlocked cars. We are reminded again to lock our cars and don’t leave anything of value in view.  If your car is locked and there is something of value in plain view, your window could get smashed to break in for that tantalizing item sitting in plain view. Let’s get smart and not make it easy for the bad guys.

There was a car explosion early in the morning last week on SW 6th Ave near 12th Court. The car was from Miami and the details are not clear but the location of the explosion appears to have been random. 

Kias and Hyundais are being stolen due to the manufacturers eliminating a vital anti-theft component.  Ofc. Hagerty suggests using an Apple AirTag or similar device to locate your Kia or Hyundai if it has been stolen.

Lately, 100 tickets have been written for speeding on 4th Avenue! Let’s keep our roads safe…don’t speed!  They’re watching.

Our guest speaker Alan Dodd is with the City of Fort Lauderdale Public Works.  He spoke at length about the recent flood in May.  We got 26 inches of rain in less than 24 hours, the southern side of the city experiencing the worst of the flooding, which included Edgewood, River Oaks, Melrose Park, and the airport. 

We were informed about the stormwater program that will address sidewalk and road damages, potholes, etc. from the storm.  There was much discussion about the increasing frequency of heavy rain events.  There are plans to clean out storm drains more often, and clear debris from the river and waterways to increase the flow of rainwater in extreme rain events. It was alarming to learn there are only three trucks to clean drains for the entire City and two of them are broken!!

Water treatment and sewage issues were discussed.  A neighbor voiced concern about the many high-rise buildings going up everywhere in the city, and will they be taxed for the burden they are putting on our infrastructure? How will the City manage with old pipes?  Alan stated that they will re-line the pipes at a cost of $120 million over 5 years.  

Regarding solid waste, there is no funding to hire more contractors and our own garbage trucks are constantly in need of expensive repairs.

New neighborhood signs are on the way at 17th Street, just west of the RR tracks, and on the north and south ends of 9th Avenue. Those three signs have been missing since before 2020 and the City tells us they are to be installed any day now!  We are watching for them.

Along with new signs, we hope to get new signage to warn of the dangerous curve at 17th Street and the RR tracks.  

New dedicated bike lanes from SW 9th Avenue to  Andrews Avenue on the south side of 17th Street will improve visibility and the safety of bike riders.

Pickleball at Snyder Park - there will be an entrance off Perimeter Road expressly for the pickleball players.  They will not be able to use the park entrance on 4th Avenue.

Along with our new entrance sign stating that Croissant Park was established in 1924, we will have a 100-year Anniversary party in 2024.  If you are interested in joining in the planning of the event, we are happy to take suggestions, etc.  Let a Board member know.

We hope you have received an email flyer announcing this meeting.  The Board has been working on getting the word out via email.

Our next Croissant Park General meeting will be on Tuesday, September 26th at 7pm.  Stay tuned for details in your email.

Minutes by Virginia-Sec’y

Pictures by Rhonda, Director

CROISSANT PARK GENERAL MEETING MAY 2023

 CROISSANT PARK GENERAL MEETING MAY 2023

Greetings CP Neighbors,

Due to flooding at our Community Center meeting place we  held our May meeting at Broward General Hospital Cancer Center Conference Room-1st Floor.

Our President Pat Rathburn called the meeting to order, introduced the Board members, and established a quorum.  A motion was approved to waive the reading of the prior meeting’s minutes.

A motion was made and approved of the appointment of Jarrod Gaylis to fill the vacancy on the CPCA Board.

FLPD Officer Reynaldo Santo from the Community Support Unit reported the crime stats in Croissant Park.  April had 8 crimes of various nature: 2 vehicle burglaries, 2 residential burglaries, 2 aggravated batteries, 2 larcenies. May reported 4 crimes that included a vehicle burglary, a vehicle stolen, a larceny that involved a stolen bicycle and a robbery by a contractor in a home.The most notable concern of these crimes was due to failure to lock vehicles and homes. A firearm was stolen from an unlocked car. A wallet and laptop was stolen from another unlocked car, and an unlocked car was stolen when the keys were left in the vehicle. We are reminded to lock our cars and to put all valuable items out of sight!

Officer Hagerty suggested that when calling 911 to report a crime in action we are encouraged to say “yes” if asked if you want contact with an officer instead issuing a BOLO (Be On The Lookout). Depending on how busy they are they will eventually send an officer to you in person.

An incident was reported involving  a large dog that attacked a small dog on SW 16th Street.  The small dog was euthanized due to severe injuries.  Originally the owner of the small dog reported the event to FLPD but cancelled it and reported it to Animal Control instead. There a many rumors about this large dog attacking people and other dogs, but none others have been reported.  There must be an official report to the proper authorities for any action to be taken.

An explanation of changes to the current By-Laws were  presented by Michelle.  A motion was made and approved to accept the changes in the By-Laws.

Our first speaker tonight was our Vice Mayor/4th District Commissioner Warren Sturman.  His office is working on making communication with constituents more efficient.  Jerri Pryor and Renee Manchoy are his new assistants helping him with that project.  A few questions put to the Vice Mayor:

1. Why is the trash pick-up so irregular?  Answer:The City is negotiating new contracts for all the waste companies
2. Can anything be done about the hydraulic fluid leaking from the waste pick-up vehicles? Answer:There are newer, better-maintained trucks out on the roads now.
3. What has been decided about the New River railroad bridge?

      Answer:The tunnel idea is being re-thought due to recent     flooding. The alternative is a high bridge.  Nothing has been resolved yet.

4)   What is the status of the new neighborhood entrance signs?

      Answer Jerri Pryor will look into it and will work with us to resolve.  

5)  Jean Ready reported illegal dumping in the alley between 19th     and 20th streets at the railroad track.  Also a heavy vine has engulfed a power pole and looks as if it will pull the pole down.

Our second speaker was Rafael Santos, our Code Compliance Officer.  Many complaints about Code violations go unresolved.  Mr. Santo, who has been on the job for a year now assures us they are starting to crack down on violations. To report Code violations call 954 828-8000 non-emergency, 954 828-5222 ,or email: RSantos@fortlauderdale.gov

The subject of speed humps has come up again. If you want to apply for traffic calming on your street, you must obtain a majority of residents to sign in favor, apply that to the City and get on the list.  There are currently 5 streets that are on the list.  The City has to find money in the budget for these projects.  Pat will look into this matter with the City.

The Croissant Park Board is looking into various methods to send a newsletter at this time.

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Stay tuned for the location of the June meeting.

Minutes by Virginia-CPCA Secretary