President Ani Ruiz Chang called the meeting to order at 7:35 pm and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Ani recognized Dee Schroeder.
Davie Police Department Update by Officer Jonas Bogdon
April: 30 citations issued, 23 reported accidents;
Dave Kuczenski mentioned that he followed two illegal dumpers, who were dumping trash bags of paint cans along Holatee; he reported the incident to police who advised him to discontinue following the men.
Guest Speaker: Andy Berns, Town Administrator
Southwest Ranches is a council administrative form of government;
Has his cell phone number on his business card, answers calls, makes himself available, and has an open-door policy;
His primary job is to present a balanced budget annually to the Council;
The current budget is $10 million, 55-60% of which is for police and fire services;
The millage rate is $4.3354 per $1000 of assessed property value, which is the seventh lowest in Broward County;
Town Projects:$300,000 is coming from the State for the installation of guardrails from Volunteer to Hancock and to fill in the gaps from Hancock to Flamingo; this will be followed by new signage and the re-striping of Stirling; some roads in Sunshine Ranches are on board for this year’s paving project; also reviewing engineering fees.
Installation of Officers by Councilman Gary Jablonski, who swore in the newly elected Board; since Ryan Case was not in attendance, he will be sworn in at next month’s meeting.
President’s Report (Ani)
Everyone feels invincible on January 1st; today is January 1st for the SRHA – brand new year, new day to feel excited about our neighborhood: join a Committee, volunteer time, write for the Waggler; thanked all for their support, coming to tonight’s meeting.
Treasurer’s Report (Judi Parker)
The balance as of March 31 was $752.87, $11,375 ($625 of which was for advertising) has been deposited, $6,042 in checks written, leaving a balance as of April 28 of $6,085.74; we have 215 members, our goal is 375 members.
Committee Reports
Waggler (Ani): We continue to weed out ads by advertisers who are not paying; historically, the lag time was longer, so advertisers are not used to paying on a timely basis.
Sunshine (Rachel Greene): A card was sent to the Case family, congratulating them on their new baby boy.
Drainage (Vince Falletta): No new projects in Sunshine Ranches; visited Esther Wellington who had taken care of many things for the Association, such as advertising, picking up the mail, etc.
Beautification: Ani stated that Ryan has joined the committee, while Bill Greene has retired from it.
New Business
Canyon Creek Land Development: 47 acres at the northwest corner of Sheridan and Flamingo; Jeff and Frank would like to get feedback from our community; presented conceptual renderings of the project’s development; no access from the project into Sunshine Ranches; perhaps an entrance and exit from Sheridan and one or two from Flamingo; along Appaloosa and the property: install an eight-foot berm with trees and shrubs; will landscape to make it as pleasing as possible, large retention area, horse trail; now zoned rural ranches, one house per two acres; aesthetics of development: smaller “Florida Vernacular” buildings, major drugstore at the corner (Walgreens), restaurants, bank, emergency care center, office buildings; will abide by the Town’s “Dark Sky” lighting ordinance; at some point, they will appear before the Town Council to request a change from rural ranches to light commercial; will advertise in the Waggler for several months to obtain feedback from residents; will also present to all the other HOAs for their feedback. Sandra suggested a rendering showing the proximity of the proposed buildings to the nearby homes and also a special meeting just to address this development and receive feedback.
Southwest Ranches Upcoming Elections: The Mayor’s seat and the seats of Councilmen Doug McKay and Freddy Fisikelli may all be open.
Open Discussion
Ani would like suggestions placed in the suggestion box.
Call to Action:
Mail in your membership fee;
Volunteer for one of the committees this month;
Bring a friend to a meeting.
Ani wished all mothers a Happy Mother’s Day.
Meeting adjourned at 8:47 pm.
Vice President Sandra Farah led the Pledge of Allegiance and presided over an informal meeting prior to the casting of ballots for the annual elections.
Davie Police Department Update by Officer Dave Graziadei
Year-to-date statistics: 500 citations, 81 accidents;
On April 30, the Town Hall is hosting a medication drop off from 10am to 2pm;
A vehicle break in occurred at the Tom Thumb; always lock your vehicle when pumping gas; safer to pump at the center pumps which are usually covered by surveillance cameras;
In the Ivanhoe Waverley area, a homeowner, who is a Miramar detective, shot and killed a burglar;
Admonished all to activate their alarm systems when leaving home;
Residents, who will be away on vacation, may request an extra watch of their property by the Davie Police Department.
Update on Town Projects by Councilman Gary Jablonski
In response to a resident’s question from last month, the annual cost of maintaining the Equestrian Park is $68,000;
Thanks to the efforts of the lobbying team and the town attorney, the Town was successful in obtaining a $300,000 matching grant from the State to complete the installation of guardrails along Stirling; the remaining gaps from Hancock to Appaloosa and all of Stirling from Hancock west to Volunteer will receive guardrails; the Town is required to contribute25% of the funding;
Sunshine Ranches is next on the list for the TISDOR project; the work will start on Appaloosa and progress towards Melaleuca and include the cross streets (basically, Appaloosa, Melaleuca, 128th Avenue and 56th Street, 130th Avenue and 52nd Street); the areas are to be completed by the fall of 2016;
In response to a question regarding the re-striping of Stirling Road, Gary replied that double yellow lines will be painted down the center and solid white lines along the edges of Stirling from Flamingo to Volunteer.
Vince informed the residents that Esther and Bill Wellington have moved to an assisted living facility on Commercial Boulevard. Esther and Bill would love to hear from their friends and neighbors. They are living at Willow Wood Assisted Living, 2855 W. Commercial Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309. Their phone number is 954-680-9628.
Based on the election results, the Board for the 2016-2017 fiscal year is as follows:
President: Ani Ruiz Chang
Vice President: Sandra Farah
Secretary: Isolde Cahill
Treasurer: Judith Parker
Board of Directors:
Ryan Case
David Kuczenski
Vilma Lopez
Rosina Marrapodi
Saied Taie-Tehrani
The proposed amendment of the by-laws passed; it will no longer be necessary to vote on the meeting minutes as published in the Waggler as part of the order of business at meetings.
President Ani Ruiz Chang called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Ani recognized new attendees: Shakira Byers and Vaughn Martin, who moved to the Ranches just over a year ago.
Davie Police Department Update by Lieutenant Maureen Themis-Fernandez
Citations: January - 171, February - 129, 46 in Sunshine Ranches
Reported accidents:January - 32; February – 16.
Update on Town Events and Projects by Councilman Gary Jablonski
In response to last month’s concern of a resident regarding the publication of Town meetings dealing with land use or zoning changes, the notifications are published in the due to a lower cost and greater circulation;
Bidding is going out for the re-striping of Stirling Road from Volunteer to Flamingo;
Ani stated that the Town has proposed to purchase a parcel of land, approximately 24.5 acres, in the western section of the Town, for $8.1 million; she asked Gary to elaborate.Gary recounted the history of the property. Councilman Steve Breitkreuz presented a worst-case scenario: in the sixth year, the property taxes for the debt retirement would be $244 for every $250,000 of assessed property valuation; otherwise, the taxes would be $154.
Aster Knight: In 2008, Aster created the Aster Knight Parks Foundation, a 501c (3) organization, to partner with the Town to support and sustain public parks operated by the Town of Southwest Ranches. The Foundation has given $56,236 to various parks projects. The Chili Cook Off, Saturday, March 5th, is the largest fundraiser for the Foundation; a new fundraiser, the Classic Car Show, was also very successful.
President’s Report (Ani)
The next meeting, March 30th, is the election meeting; voting for the new Board will take place. Some of this past year’s accomplishments included establishment of a brand; design of a new logo; a Facebook page; a redesigned Waggler with full color; attracted new advertisers; launched the Adopt-A-Corner initiative; participated in, hosted, or co-hosted 7 different events; discussed needs of the residents in the Neighborhood Safety Program; encouraged more volunteers to get involved.
Treasurer’s Report
Saied noted that $1,451 had been collected from advertisers and $50 in membership dues; the Waggler was mailed today.
Committee Reports
Membership (Judi Parker): 317 members.
Waggler: Ani shared concern for regular late payments from of our advertisers.
Drainage (Vince Falletta): Not much on drainage; the project at Mustang and Hancock has been completed; another project is in the works. Under an agreement with FPL, Luray residents from Volunteer to Flamingo cannot build anything in the 330-foot easement; these residents should be getting a 100% exemption from assessment of the property.
Unfinished Business
Annual Elections Meeting: Ani introduced Vilma Lopez and Ryan Case. Vilma, a 10-year resident, was inspired to get involved because of what she saw that the Board has accomplished this year. Ryan, a 5-year resident, wants to help out. Ani explained the election process that will take place on March 30th from 7:30 – 9:00 pm. At the April meeting, the new Board will be inducted with an Installation of Officers.
Annual Dues Increase: $25 in dues brings in very limited funds, and due to past financial challenges the account for printing the Waggler is in arrears. The goal is to have the advertising pay for the publication and member dues pay for events & improvements. Discussion followed. Most of the members in attendance agreed with the increase to $50. Saied made a motion to increase the dues to $50; Shirley Mantell seconded; the motion was passed with a majority show of hands.
New Business
2016-2017 Goals: Ani would like feedback from members.
Member Benefits: Right to vote; free classifieds; publication of personal news/articles in the Waggler, discounted event fees.
Open Discussion
Councilman Jablonski noted a correction to the January 27, 2016, general meeting minutes; the item regarding the pavilion to be installed at Trailside Park as a memorial to Gary Poliakoff is still under consideration by the Parks Board and has not yet been sent to the Council for approval.
Call to Action:
Volunteer for one of the committees this month.
Ani apologized for omitting David Kuczenski as a Board Candidate, andintroduced Dave before adjourning.
Ani wished all a Happy St. Patrick’s Day and a blessed Easter.
Meeting adjourned at 8:44 pm.