A year after the Trotters Lane oil spill in Parkland, residents in the area say things haven’t returned to normal.

Parkland officials and staff say the city has been doing all it can even though the problem is not of its making, but Mark Squillace, who was the first person complain about the oil slick near the Northwest 84th Avenue culvert, says it is not doing enough.

Squillace, who is involved in a legal battle with the city on an unrelated issue, believes Parkland was slow to react. “They (city officials) didn’t do anything; they ignored the problem because I was the one complaining. They are trying to get it fixed now because the [Environmental Protection Agency] is involved. They are on set deadlines now.”

“There are at least 10 affected families,” said Squillace, who appeared before the City Commission last week to talk about the issue. “I saw the tar and oil ooze out of the road like maple syrup. My drinking water is polluted. These things that I am talking about are not a figment of my imagination. They are going to have to rip off the whole road.”

The road was paved by Florida Highway Products last summer. The city has since filed a lawsuit against the firm for causing the oil spill. The city is currently working on state-mandated remediation and removal of the toxic materials. After completing the cleanup, Parkland will implement an 18-month long monitoring program.

Commissioner Jared Moskowitz defended the city’s response. “Mike may believe the city was slow. But ever since we realized what was going on, our response has been more than adequate. There is a problem with that road; it’s defective. The city didn’t lay the road. This is the first time something like this has happened.”

Public safety and the health of residents are of paramount importance to the city, Mayor Michael Udine said. “We have a lawsuit pending against the road contractor (Florida Highway Products.) Ever since we became aware of the magnitude of the problem, the city has been doing all it can to clean up the area.”

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Coral Springs' three-pronged financial strategy to deal with its budget deficit was largely welcomed by city residents but the adoption of the property tax rolled-back rate and the subsequent 16 percent increase in the operating millage rate decision did not go down well with a few.

George Rahael, founder and CEO of Amera Companies, wondered if homeowners and business owners would be able to afford the tax increase. “There are people out there hurting; there are people out there who have lost jobs. The tax increase will affect residents who have been here for a long time. For some, it will be an increase of $90; for some, it will be more.”

This may pose additional hardships to some people,” he said.

“Businesses will be affected too,’ Rahael said. “We have lost quite a few businesses; many can’t even pay rent. A 16 percent added tax on businesses might cause additional hardships.”

Dave Hulett, resident, sought the enhancement of community policing activities in the city and supported the city’s decision to adopt the property tax rolled-back rate. “We are talking about $90; that would be about $7.50 per month. You don’t even get a meal at Wendy’s for that. I live in Coral Springs because of the quality of life. We can’t let that deteriorate.”

Coral Springs plans to adopt a property tax rolled-back rate that will allow it to collect the same property tax revenue next fiscal year as the current one, freeze wages of all city employees for a year, and strategically deploy $14 million of reserve funds over the next three years.

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Sawgrass Springs Middle School, 12500 W. Sample Road in Coral Springs, will be open for new student registration for the 2009 - 2010 school year, beginning in July.

The school will be open for registration, from 8 a.m. to noon, and from 2 to 4 p.m., from July 29 through Aug. 14. The school will be closed July 31, Aug. 7, and Aug. 14. Registration will be open from Aug. 17 through Aug. 21 as well. The timings are from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and 1 to 3 p.m.

Parents are advised to call the Broward County Schools office of pupil placement at 754-321- 3035 to validate the proper school to attend. Registration requirements can be found at www.browardschools.com by clicking on the parent Information link and opening the “How to register” link. The information is also available on the school website, www.ssms.org, by clicking on the Guidance link and then registration requirements.

The school year for students begins Aug. 24. Call the school at 754-322-4500.

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Rescued a dog? It's time to be rewarded.

To promote animal rescue, Whole Foods Market of Coral Springs is offering anyone who adopts a dog from an animal shelter a complimentary “Rescue Me Doggy Bag” full of pet products. The offer will stand till supplies last.

Each bag includes an organic cotton dog collar, one-pound bag of wild salmon dog food, sample sizes of dog treats, herbal pet shampoo and herbal healing salve in addition to a $5 coupon valid towards the $25 purchase of any pet products available at the store, 810 University Drive.

Customers should show written proof of dog adoption dated June 15, 2009 or later to the store’s customer service desk to redeem their free gift. There is a limit of one Rescue Me Doggy Bag per household.

Contact Jonny Rose at jonny.rose@wholefoods.com or call 954-753-8000 ext. 241.

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Gov. Charlie Crist recently signed a piece legislation that strengthens public safety laws for Florida’s children.

Crist signed House Bill 115, sponsored by State Rep. Martin David Kiar (D-Parkland), relating to sexual predators and offenders. The bill had unanimously passed the Florida Senate and the Florida House during the 2009 legislative session.

This bill closed a loophole in the registration process. Prior to the bill being signed, sexual offenders and predators did not have to provide Florida Department of Law Enforcement with a home or cellular telephone number as part of the registration process. This made it difficult for law enforcement to keep track of these individuals. The bill requires sexual offenders and predators to provide their phone numbers to law enforcement. The telephone numbers will not be made public but will be used as a tool for law enforcement to better monitor the registrants’ activities.

The bill also encourages public libraries to adopt an Internet Safety program to promote prudent internet use and broaden awareness of online predators. Prior to this bill, if a person in Florida sent pornography to a child in another state they could not be prosecuted. It will now be a third degree felony. As per the new law, an adult who solicits unlawful sexual activity with a minor over the internet, telephone or other means and goes to meet the minor for the purpose of engaging in unlawful sexual activity, and is convicted, has to register as a sexual offender or predator.

Keeping children safe and helping them become successful adults is the most important thing one can do in the Legislature, Kiar said. Whether it’s protecting them from assault or providing them with an excellent education, investing in their future is critical, he added.

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The Broward County Property Appraiser's Office will organize a series of community outreach events in July throughout Broward, including two in Coral Springs.

The first event in Coral Springs will be held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on July 8 at the Northwest Regional Library, 3151 University Drive in Coral Springs. The second one will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Sartory Hall, 10000 NW 29th St. in Coral Springs.

Deputy Appraisers will be available to assist with homestead, senior and other property tax exemption applications, as well as answer questions on property taxes. Applications for portability will be accepted too. All outreach events are open to the public.

Documents required to file a homestead exemption include a current Florida driver's license or Florida identification card, and a current voter registration card or declaration of domicile. Non-US citizens must also provide proof of permanent residency.

Qualified residents 65 years of age or older as of Jan. 1, 2009 can apply for additional senior exemption. Eligible seniors must have a total household adjusted gross income not to exceed $25,873. Documents required for senior exemption include a 2008 income tax return or, if one does not file income taxes, a copy of the 2008 Social Security 1099 Form.

Contact community outreach coordinator Kelly Brown at 954-35706035 or by e-mail at kbrown@bcpa.net.

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Daniel Stern, who has muscular dystrophy and is confined to a wheel chair, thought the worst was behind him after he had scoliosis surgery in November last year.

After a month spent in the intensive care unit, Stern came back home and began working hard to make up for the days he had missed at school. He was getting back on track when fate threw him another wicked curveball.

There is unmistakable pride in Gloria Stern’s voice as she talks about her son’s never-say-die attitude. “He was doing well when on Feb. 8, his lungs suddenly collapsed. We rushed him to the Coral Springs Medical Center from where he was taken to Broward General Medical Center. He was there for nearly two months. But not once did I hear him complain. My son is a fighter.”

On June 1, Stern received a standing ovation as he graduated, among friends and other students at J.P. Taravella High School. “That will be one of the enduring memories of my life,” Gloria said. “To miss so many months of school and still be an honor student is amazing. The applause that he received made me realize just how popular my son is among his peers.”

Stern is busy these days getting ready to move to Tallahassee where he will attend Florida State University. “I will miss my family and friends. The whole lifestyle will be different, but I am excited. I will be taking political science as my major. As for the future, I haven’t focused yet on what I want to do.”

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Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland and J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs have been recognized by Newsweek magazine among the top high schools in the nation for the second year in a row.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High is ranked the highest among the high schools in Broward. The school is ranked 38th in Florida and 208th among schools in the nation. J.P. Taravella High was ranked 108th in the state and 861th in the country. Of the 133 high schools recognized in the state, ten are Broward county public schools. One charter high school in the county also made it to the list.

Both schools are ranked lower than they were last year. While the Parkland school has seen its ranking come down 68 spots, Taravella High slipped down the list more than 180 spots, having been ranked 673 last year. This year’s list is based on data from the 2007/08 school year.

Newsweek came up with rankings after adding up the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge tests taken by students at a school and dividing it by the number of seniors graduating the same year. All of the schools on the list are in the top six percent of public schools in the country.

Shawn Cerra, J.P. Taravella High School principal, said he was proud of the school’s achievement. “This is the second consecutive year that we have been ranked among the best. We have great staff, wonderful students and we get tremendous amount of support from the community. When that happens, you get results. Being on the list helps with how we are perceived by the general public.”

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If you are a Coral Springs resident and were worried about service cuts, here is the good news -all the services you enjoy today will be there next fiscal year as well.

At a financial strategy forum organized by the city Tuesday evening, city staff presented a three-pronged approach to cutting the $10.5 million budget deficit while retaining services at the current level. The city will cut the deficit through a one-year wage freeze for all city employees, strategic deployment of $14 million of reserve funds over the next three years, and the adoption of a rolled-back property tax rate .

Adopting the property tax rolled-back rate will allow the city to collect the same property tax revenue next fiscal year as this fiscal year; the operating millage will be back to roughly the 2007 rate. Many residents will however actually pay less than in the previous year because their property values will have decreased. Even by adopting the rolled-back rate, which will result in a 16 percent increase in the operating millage rate, the city will still have the lowest operating millage rate among surrounding municipalities with greater than 70,000 residents.

“The city took this good faith preventive measure to maintain municipal service levels for our customers during these trying times. A long-term view has always been at the core of the city’s financial planning process. We are acting today to ensure continued financial viability, helping us to sustain high levels of service to our community well into the future,” City Manager Mike Levinson said.

The city will hold its first business planning workshop on June 23, and a second business planning workshop on July 28. These will be followed by two public budget hearings on Sept. 14 and Sept. 21. Visit www.coralsprings.org for more information.

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Christopher Pilotte thought his dream of becoming a homeowner was on the verge of fruition when he got a letter saying he had been approved for Coral Springs’ neighborhood stabilization program.

After putting offers on four foreclosed homes and seeing all of them go to investors who have reappeared on the scene in the last few months, he is not so sure.

“I saw one single-family home between Riverside and Woodside Drive. The asking price was $89,000,” Pilotte said. “I offered $110,000. I thought I had a good shot at it. Two days later, my real estate agent tells me the house has been sold.”

Coral Springs received $3,378,142 from the union department of housing and urban development (HUD) for purchase and rehabilitation of foreclosed and abandoned properties. The program is being implemented in areas that fall within the 33065 zip code as the area has the maximum number of foreclosed homes. The deadline for completion of the program is September 2010.

“I qualified for full assistance. I will get $25,000 for purchase of the house and $25,000 for repairs,” Pilotte said. “I’ve been looking at homes just about every day. I would love to get a single family home, but a town home would also be good.”

Pilotte is not the only one facing such a situation. Coral Springs, through Community Redevelopment Associates of Florida Inc. (CRA), has identified 51 prospective homeowners who would get financial assistance as part of the program; none of them have been successful in closing a home.

“We have 51 applicants that are actively looking for homes,” said Susan Hess, Coral Springs director of community development. “Some of them have found houses they like, but the next thing they know, the house has been sold. We hope to help 60 families as part of the program.”

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