President's Report
By Craig Canning

Greetings! First and foremost, the regularly scheduled meetings of the Lauderdale Isles Civic Improvement Association (LICIA) and the trustee meetings will now be on the 3rd Monday of the month commencing on November 19th. 
    Important!! The meeting this November 19th will include the election of officers and trustees. This is your chance to run for office! Please come prepared to cast your vote and give feedback.
    The Annexation Committee hopes to have a draft copy of a preannexation agreement to hand out to everyone in attendance at the November 19th meeting. Due to vacations and commitments it has been tough to get the group together on a regular basis. I will try to recap in this article where our focus has been to this point. The titles of the agreement sections with a brief listing of our concerns follow:

    1. Zoning and Code Enforcement: 
        a. Grandfather existing zoning codes from Broward County unless specific codes from the annexing city         would benefit our community
        b. Land use guarantees (keep our neighborhood truly residential)
        c. Define what a commercial vehicle is and ban the parking of those vehicles in the neighborhood
        d. Allow docks to be built up to the property line

    2. Police, Fire and EMT
        a. Maintain the COPS program or develop something very similar
        b. Establish a Community Review Board
        c. Patrol a minimum of 30 hours on bicycle
        d. Maintain a presence at New River Middle School and Stephen Foster Elementary 
        e. Define where the local substation will be and how many officers will operate out of that station
        f. Where will the primary fire station be located? How many firefighters will be on duty? How many engines?    What will be the guaranteed response times?
        g. How many Rescue teams will be at the fire station? How many paramedics?
        h. Where will the secondary fire station be located? Personnel on duty?

    3. Utilities: Water, Sewers & Sanitation
        a. Remove the 25% surcharge on water fees that we now pay
        b. Have City of Ft. Lauderdale crews install the next phase of the water mains
        c. Once a year update residents on the condition of the Peele Dixie water plant and wellfield 
        d. Broward County should pay for the sewering of the remaining Isles at no cost to the residents. We should pay only regular charges with no additional assessments
        e. The level of sanitation service must remain the same or be improved
        f. Provide 2 large dumpsters for our neighborhood cleanup at no cost
        g. Provide special bulk pick-up for $10 with a 48-hour notice 
        h. Hazardous waste should be included in the neighborhood cleanup
        i. Work with the community to develop and implement a stormwater and drainage plan 

    4. Noise Pollution 
        a. The annexing City needs to assist our community in limiting airport growth.
        b. Prevent any further expansion of the north runway system
        c. Make sure that DOT keeps the promise to our neighborhood to help mitigate noise from I-595. No expansion of the roadway may take place until this happens to the satisfaction of Lauderdale Isles.
        d. Keep Riverland Road a 2-lane road
        e. Help keep noisy motorcyclists off of I-595 on weekend evenings
        f. Send a City representative to Airport Noise Control committee meetings
        g. Form a special "noise pollution control" committee with 2 representatives from Lauderdale Isles

    5. Waterways
        a. Preserve our water management district
        b. Have a set plan and budget as it pertains to the cleaning, dredging and weed control of our canals
        c. Dedicate so many hours per week for patrolling the river and canals
        d. Have a plan for monitoring, ticketing and removal of unsightly and unsafe boats

    6. Parks and Greenways
        a. Assist Broward County in accelerating the construction schedule of Riverland Woods Park.
        b. Purchase parcels in the southwest area that can be turned into greenways. Put the Riverland Crossings parcel at the top of the list

    7. Master Plan for the SW area
        a. Develop a comprehensive, written master plan for Davie Blvd. that promotes businesses that the community desires
        b. Work with Broward County to build a new library for the SW area
        c. Diligently have code enforcement patrol and ticket the shopping center at the corner of Riverland Rd. and Davie Blvd.
        d. Entice Publix to build a new store on Davie Blvd.

        This is a partial list of items that we want Ft. Lauderdale and Dania Beach to respond to in writing. There are many other issues facing our community that we need to monitor but for right now, annexation is highest on the list. I want to thank those people who have volunteered their time to work on certain issues…. You will be contacted! I hope to see lots of folks at the November meeting and look for 2 special annexation meetings to be held in February. We have purchased new "meeting" signs that will be posted at the beginning of each Isle to remind everyone of the Monday meetings. Enjoy the holidays and may God bless.

See you at the meeting, Nov. 19th, 7:30PM
 

Association Elections
By Ray Figueroa

It's that time of year again. The November 19th general meeting is the time to elect, re-elect or reaffirm the officers and trustees of the Association. If you don't go to a lot of meetings you should at least try and go to this one. The officers and trustees are the people who represent you in a lot of important decisions that affect our community. I hear some complaints at times about things in the neighborhood and on my lane. You know, a lot of the complaints come from people whom I have never seen at a general meeting. The typical turn out for a general meeting is from 50-80 people. This is from a community of over 600 homes! That's less than 2%. So, are you going to be there or are you just going to let 50 - 80 people elect 19 people to represent you? Will you let whatever happens and then complain? It's all right to complain but it's better to be able to do something about it. Here is your opportunity. Vote, re-elect, run for office, reaffirm, nominate someone, replace someone, do something! Be there!

Good trustees are needed
If you are interested in contesting any of the officer or trustee positions you should contact Terry Simonds, the Association secretary, or any of the officers or trustees. If you are not comfortable with that, then make it known at the general meeting that you wish to nominate someone from the floor. There are lanes where the trustee has not attended any of the last 10 meetings. There are lanes where the trustee has only attended 2 or 3 of the last 10 meetings. The best attendance by a trustee has been from Gulfstream Lane.

Terry Simonds was at 9 of the 10 meetings and the one meeting he couldn't make, his alternate was there. There are lanes that don't have an alternate. An alternate can do all the things a trustee can in the trustee's absence. (There is a job description below of what trustees do.) If your lane has a trustee that doesn't go to at least half the meetings, maybe the people of that lane should think about getting a different trustee. You aren't being represented. The data for my findings was taken from the minutes of all the meetings from Dec. 2000 to Oct. 2001. Check it out on the LICIA web site. 

On the positive side, maybe everybody is so content that they don't see any need to get involved. The " If it's not broken, why fix it?" attitude. We have a wonderful community but there is always room for improvement and we have some very important issues coming up. Do you want to live in Hallandale Beach or Ft. Lauderdale?

What do we want to see preserved, no matter which city we join? What new conditions will be imposed upon us by the city we join? What projects would you like to see done? So, get involved or select representatives that want to be involved. The alternative is to let someone else decide for you and then you may not like what he or she decided. 
 
Lane Trustee, LICIA 
    Job Description (In a nut shell)
        1. A trustee brings to the board meetings concerns or news from the lane they live on and may also bring to the board concerns or news that affects all of the Isles.
        2. A trustee takes back to their lane information and decisions that have been arrived at in board meetings and general meetings.
        3. A trustee votes as a member of the Board of Trustees of LICIA.

    Typical Trustee Activities (In a narrative)
A trustee is observant about what is happening on their lane and in the Isles in general. They would report to the proper authority a matter that needs to be corrected that affects everyone on their lane or the Isles. i.e. a fallen stop sign, stray dogs, a pollution incident in the canal and matters of that nature. These are matters that are clearly a concern to everyone and are covered by code, law or ordinance. Trustees do not get involved in problems between neighbors. Trustees also bring to the board suggestions or ideas for the improvement of the neighborhood such as landscaping, upgrades in the infrastructure, parks and community activities. Some of the community improvement activities are the Annual Waterway Cleanup and an Annual Neighborhood Cleanup. A very important responsibility of the trustee is to distribute the quarterly LICIA Newsletter to the houses on their lane. Occasionally, the Board will want to have a petition circulated or an interim piece of news distributed. This is also part of the trustee's responsibility. There should be at least one alternate trustee for each lane to help the trustee and to sit in for the trustee in case they can't attend a meeting or fulfill other obligations. The participation in Board meetings is very important because of the decisions that are made that affect all the Isles and money that is taken from the Association treasury to support these decisions. The position of trustee takes about 3 - 4 hours of time each month; 2 hours for a trustee or general meeting and 1 hour or less to distribute the newsletter and to put up the notice of a meeting sign. A trustee can put in a lot more time depending on how involved they wish to be with a particular issue. There is no remuneration. The position is voluntary.
 

Yard Yarns - Proper Tree Pruning
by Elaine Peterick

Tree pruning is as much an art as science. When pruning large trees, choosing a professional tree service is very important. Unfortunately, I know from past experience what not to do. 
    Let me start by giving a personal example. When we purchased our home 2-1/2 years ago, a huge black olive tree in the front yard was in need of pruning. Large limbs hung over the roof and dropped branches continually. The tree suffered from prior incorrect pruning and neglect. The tree service I chose from the yellow pages (because it sounded good and wasn't cheap either) only made things worse. Although I knew to ask that the tree not be "hat racked," aka topping, the company did not use standard pruning practices as set by the National Arborist Association. Instead, the company stripped all the vegetation from the limbs except for the ends, looking like a lion's tail. This practice is known as "lifting." 
    Excessive lifting causes trees to be top heavy and increases the chance of branch breakage. Over lifting of trees is a violation of Broward County ordinance! The other extreme is topping, which removes most of the canopy by chopping off the ends of limbs and causes excessive sprouting of weakly attached new branches. This in turn increases wind resistance by creating denser branching. Topping is also a violation of Broward County ordinance! 
    When choosing a tree service, don't use amateurs with a pickup truck and chainsaw. In addition to asking about a license and insurance, ask whether they are a member of a professional association such as the Florida Arborist Association. Also, insist that a qualified arborist supervises the pruning. One of the best ways to choose a good service is to ask neighbors with beautifully pruned trees who they use. 
    Pruning is best done while a tree is mostly dormant, usually from winter to spring before new growth starts or when pathogens to which a tree is susceptible are least active. In the spring, wounds close quickly as new growth starts and insect and disease infestations are less likely. Pruning on a regular basis will improve tree health, control growth, and enhance appearance, fruiting, and flowering.
    If you decide to prune your trees, there are a few fundamentals you need to follow. Homeowners should not climb trees or attempt to cut near power lines. Never remove more than 1/3 of the crown in a single pruning. Before cutting a branch, first locate the branch bark collar.  Always cut on the outside of the branch collar. 

Prune for strength by removing: injured, diseased and dead branches; rubbing branches; multiple trunks or co-dominant leaders to encourage the growth of one main trunk.

Prune for form by removing: excess lateral branches to produce a ladder effect; limbs that turn inward, cross, or extend; root suckers and water sprouts.

This information was obtained from the Broward County Department of Planning & Environmental Protection.
 


The Benefits of Yoga
by Lynette Culp

Yoga is 6000 years old and is still practiced by a great many people. Why? The answer is simple. It works!
There are many benefits from regular yoga practice. Yoga works on the whole person. When you do the yoga exercises or "poses," you are working on your body, mind and emotions. You are putting everything into balance. When you hold the "pose," you are stretching your physical body and also focusing your mind.
Yoga can help you become more flexible and physically fit. Check out its many benefits:

    Builds strength, coordination and balance.
    Improves your posture and circulation.
    Increases the flexibility of the spine.
    Improves thyroid function.
    Increases your overall energy.
    Calms your nerves.
    Improves your concentration.
    It helps you lose weight and get rid of stress.

If you would like to try out this 6000 year old discipline, why not join us at The Secret Woods Nature Center, 2701 W. State Road 84, Dania Beach on Saturdays, 10 A.M., Mondays, 5 P.M., and Thursdays, 5 P.M. For more information call the Nature Center at: 791-1030. You'll be glad you did.
 

Go Away!
by Terry Simonds

They sneak in under protection of night, steering straight and true to their target. They are professionals in the grandest sense of the word! Their training has served them well.
    Up they go, onto the transom without a sound. And there they sit until dawn struggles through the lowering clouds. Sensing the light, they silently scuttle off to parts unknown without a ripple to be seen.
    It's getting serious now! Terry staggers out, coffee in hand, to survey his kingdom. His gaze drifts down the canal. All is quiet. But wait...what's that all over the boat? Oh, my Gawd! They hit again! This has gone on for a week now! It's getting serious.
    Anyone know how to get Muscovy ducks to spend the night elsewhere than on your boat? 
    I tried string. They sat on the string and fouled the transom.
    A plastic owl. Sat on its head.
    A rubber snake. Yep, that, too.
    Help. 792-8080.
 

The Environmental Corner
by Kay Gervasi Sommers

Broward County, Florida, Historical Water Quality Atlas: 1972-1997
DPEP created a Water Quality Atlas which summarizes twenty-six years of water quality data (1972-1997) from over 266 miles of freshwater canals and estuarine waters of Broward County, Florida (USA). The types of analyses are described and results presented in terms of water quality over time, seasonally and in relation to compliance of Broward County's local water quality standards. 
    Sixteen parameters were in the analyses including: temperature, pH, specific conductance, salinity, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, total organic carbon and turbidity. Nutrient analyses included total phosphorus, total nitrogen (total Kjeldahl nitrogen plus nitrite+nitrate-nitrogen), and ammonia-nitrogen. Three bacteriological parameters investigated were total and fecal coliform, as well as fecal streptococcus. 
    This document is divided into four sections with the first discussing the county's general characteristics and the second describing the methodologies used for the study. The third section focuses on the freshwater canal system, primarily operated by the South Florida Water Management District, and the fourth describes the estuarine waters of the county. 
    Research questions and needs are discussed for each basin and summarized for the overall county. A major overall finding was the negative influence of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) on the water quality at most freshwater canal and estuarine sampling sites. A sound conclusion can be made that the elimination of WWTP discharges into surface water bodies resulted in improvements of water quality in Broward County's freshwater canals and estuarine system. In addition, freshwater canals are grouped into three areas based on nutrient concentrations observed after WWTPs halted discharges to surface waters. Distinct estuarine water quality patterns, especially in terms of salinity regime are also discussed. 

Water quality can be compared with this atlas
The atlas was developed as a reference document. Individuals interested in water quality in their cities and neighborhoods can locate sites throughout the county. In addition, water quality comparisons can be made county-wide with this document. Future environmental management and monitoring initiatives are proposed as well. For addition information, contact Kevin Carter at (954) 519-1477 or at:: kcarter@broward.org. This report will soon be available via the website at http://www.broward.org/wti01000.htm. 

Metal Concentrations In Residential Lake Sediments 
DPEP conducted a study to assess sediment quality in lakes and ponds located throughout the county. The primary goal was to collect baseline information on the concentration of metals in residential stormwater lake sediments. The question of whether metal concentrations increase over time was also tested by sampling lakes of different ages. Metal in the bottom of a lake can be harmful to the fish and wildlife living there. Thus, metal concentrations are an important indicator of the health of a lake. 
Results from a Pilot Study showed considerable variability between lakes, high variability within sites (sub samples), and that sampling in the middle of the lake would most likely yield information on the highest concentrations of metals.

Residential lakes surveyed
For the main study, DPEP surveyed nine residential lakes for the following metals:
    o Aluminum
    o Arsenic
    o Barium
    o Cadmium
    o Chromium
    o Copper
    o Lead
    o Thallium
    o Zinc 

A revised sampling protocol from the Pilot Study was used. The nine lakes were selected for the Lake Study based on the following criteria: 
    o land use
    o lake age
    o lake size
    o shoreline managed in "typical" south Florida fashion
    o presence of infalls/outfalls access. 

Based on the results, no statistically significant differences in metal concentrations were observed between residential lakes of different age classes in Broward County. The only exception to this result was for thallium, where Younger Lakes were different (e.g., less than) from Middle Aged Lakes in the 10- to 15-cm depth. Based on the general characterization, and a summary of the data from each lake, metal concentrations were compared with statewide Florida Department of Environmental Protection (MacDonald 1994) sediment quality assessment guidelines (SQAGs). Copper and cadmium consistently exceed FDEP SQAGs and therefore may be contaminants of potential ecological concern system wide. Other metals were of potential ecological concern in specific locations. This initial survey will be useful for future stormwater management and policy decisions. For additional information, contact Kevin Carter at (954) 519-1477 or at kcarter@broward.org. This report will soon be available via the website at http://www.broward.org/wti01000.htm. 

If you have questions concerning this report contact:
Kay Gervasi Sommers
Broward County DPEP
218 SW 1 Ave
Ft Lauderdale, FL 33301
(954) 519-1257
fax 519-1493
ksommers@broward.org
www.broward.org/dnrp
 

Dues are Due!
We ask the residents of Lauderdale Isles to give a voluntary contribution of $15 per 
household as annual dues to support LICIA. Not much to keep up the value of your home and watch out for your interests! In fact, we encourage contributions of $25 or more to help us beef up our treasury to fight for unforeseen expenses. Our fiscal year ended 10/31/2001 so your dues will go for the year 2002.
Use the enclosed envelope to mail in your dues or bring them to the next meeting on Monday, Nov. 19th at 7:30 P.M. at the Lauderdale Isles Yacht and Tennis Club.
 

Domestic violence restraining order process 
The article below is a copy of a newsletter from Ed Kennedy, the Clerk of Circuit and County Courts.

The Broward County Clerk of Courts Domestic Violence Unit is responsible for the processing of all-cases in Broward County that involve Domestic and/or Repeat Violence. Domestic Violence is determined to mean any act of violence between parties who are related through blood, marriage, residing together, or have a child in common. Repeat Violence is considered as all other acts of violence and/or stalking. Domestic Violence case filings historically increase in excess of 10%a year. Presently, 9,000 cases are filed annually. This may be due in part to several factors, the heightened awareness by the public to this growing problem, the availability of the victim services, and the victim more readily coming forward and seeking help.
    The Domestic Violence Unit is required to provide service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On weekends and evenings; the Domestic Violence Staff rotate duty, where the person on call, carries a beeper as they must be available to provide assistance immediately.
    Once the petitioner seeks an injunction, and the Judge determines that the allegations meet the requirements of Florida law, the Judge may issue a temporary injunction which is valid for 15 days. A hearing on the matter will then be set within 18 days. Service on the respondent is then made or attempted by the Sheriffs Department within 48 hours of the initial order. At the conclusion of the initial process, the petitioner receives an Emergency Service Packet from the Domestic Violence unit that can be used, if needed, by calling 911 for assistance.
    Principal customers of the Clerk's Domestic Violence Unit are: Victims of Domestic / Repeat Violence, Women in Distress, the Judiciary, Court Administration, Attorneys and various State and County and Local Agencies.
    Core services that are provided by the unit include:

        o Recording of court proceedings by automated data entry
        o Maintenance and disbursement of information, documents and/or case files
        o Collection and dispersal of court fees and revenues
        o Statistical reporting to appropriate Government Agencies
        o Explanation and education concerning the appropriate policies and procedures.