Parkland roadways are getting a little safer.

The city has announced the installation of a new traffic light at the intersection of Pine Island Road and Trails End. The City Commission decided to make the traffic light a top priority because of its close proximity to two elementary schools and Pine Trails Park.

McMahon Associates, Inc., will design the traffic signal and plans will be sent to the county for approval. WCI Communities, Inc., will partner with Parkland for the project, which is of no cost to the city. Installation for the traffic light is scheduled for next spring or summer.

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The Coral Springs Chamber of Commerce will offer free initial business counseling.

The program, which is confidential, will assist existing and emerging businesses in the area to help keep small businesses vibrant and profitable.

The meetings are by appointment only between 1 and 4 p.m. on July 9 at the Coral Springs Chamber of Commerce, 11805 Heron Bay Blvd.

To schedule an appointment, call Erik Mankuta at 954-340-2705.

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PHOTO: Thousands of people pack the street going from booth-to-booth during the sixth annual "Fiesta Puerto Rico" at the Coral Springs Center for Arts. There was free outdoor entertainment and an indoor concert in the evening.
Staff photo/Jason Arnold

See more photos in the July 3 Coral Springs Forum.
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Coral Springs residents have one extra reason to follow the Beijing Olympics in August: Adler Volmar.

Volmar, a Coral Springs resident, will represent the United States in the heavyweight division for judo (100 kg). It will be his second Olympics, after having represented Haiti at the 1996 games in Atlanta at the age of 19.

Volmar's is a story of courage and heart that refuses to accept defeat. He had a really good chance of being a part of the 2004 Olympics team, but tore two ligaments in his right knee during a training camp in Poland. He recovered in time for the Olympic trials, but couldn't make it any further.

Things were going according to plan for Volmar as he tried to make it to the team for Beijing, but disaster struck in January this year when he suffered an injury to his left knee during a workout with another member of the national team. With two shattered ligaments and a torn cartilage, the dream seemed over.

Volmar said it was his refusal to accept defeat that helped him recover quickly. "I did not recover until a couple of weeks before the trials," he said. "I am not 100 percent even now, but it is getting better. Everything is going well. The aim is to be ready for the big day."

Friends and supporters of the judo champ are organizing an event to raise funds for Volmar as he prepares for Beijing. A "Going for the Gold" party will take place from 8 p.m. to midnight July 12 at 24 Hour Fitness, 9800 W. Atlantic Blvd. in Coral Springs to raise funds for Volmar. The cost of admission is $20.

For more information, call 24 Hour Fitness at 954-755-1550 or e-mail Jane at jeds62@aol.com.

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Four Coral Springs congregations have come together for the ongoing weeklong multicultural "Festival of Caring." The event, which began last Saturday, is designed to reach out to needy people in the community.

The festival, which will conclude Saturday, is organized by First United Methodist Church of Coral Springs (First Church), the First Church Haitian Ministry (offered in the Creole language), the Tabernaculo de Refugio in Margate, and the Brazilian Alliance Church, which worships at First Church.

“Too often, churches are more focused on their members and overlook the local community,” said the Rev. Sara McKinley, pastor of First Church. “We want to turn that model inside out and make sure the needs of those who live nearby are our primary concern.”

These days, church members are busy inviting residents to the free "Festival of Caring" block party, to take place from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday at First Church, 8650 W. Sample Road. They have also been performing acts of kindness in the community.

“Everyone is welcome to the party, whether you speak English, Creole, French, Portuguese, Spanish or some other language,” said Pastor McKinley. “You can come and take advantage of health screenings and career advice, or you can bring your family and just have some fun.”

In addition to the free health fair and career workshops, the block party will include live music, multicultural food venues and a children’s playground extravaganza. The party, with all its activities and food, is free of charge. Free parking will be available at the church and several other nearby locations.

To learn more, visit www.festivalofcaring.com.

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Anyone who has been following the University Drive extension issue knows officials in Coral Springs and Parkland do not see eye-to-eye on the topic.

Coral Springs wants the road to be extended to connect Broward and Palm Beach counties, while Parkland is happy to leave the road as it is. Let me share a few technical details about the various options the two cities are supporting.

While every other party involved in the issue, from Broward and Palm Beach counties to cities like Parkland and Coconut Creek are backing five options each, Coral Springs has just four alternatives on the table - 1g, 1a, if, and ib.

Alternative 1g, Coral Springs' preferred alternative, includes a six-lane University Drive connection between Lox Road and Palmetto Park Road and a eight-lane State Road 7 that has six lanes for automatic traffic and two lanes exclusively for transit.

Alternative 1a is similar to 1g, but has no exclusive transit lanes on State Road 7. Under this alternative, State Road 7 will be a six-lane facility between Sawgrass Expressway and County Line and as an eight-lane arterial between County Line Road and Glades Road.

Alternative 1f also has a six-lane University Drive connection between Lox Road and Palmetto Park Road. This alternative includes eight lanes for automatic traffic on State Road 7 between Sawgrass Expressway and Glades Road.

Alternative 1b includes a four-lane University Drive between Lox Road and Palmetto Park Road. State Road 7 will be six lanes between Sawgrass Expressway and County Line and a eight-lane arterial between County Line Road and Glades Road.

Parkland backs options 1d, 2a, 2b, 2c and 3d. Its preferred option, 3d, has a six-lane State Road 7 from Sawgrass Expressway to Glades Road and two exclusive transit lanes. Importantly, this option takes University Drive extension out of the equation. The common factor in the other four options chosen by the city is the absence of the University Drive extension element.

Parkland believes an east-west roadway is needed to address traffic concerns rather than a north-south roadway, said Commissioner Dave Rosenof, the city's representative in the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization. "Extending University Drive will cause destruction of existing neighborhoods. There are also safety issues due to the number of schools that are located along University Drive.”

It is imperative to extend University Drive to link the two counties, Coral Springs assistant city manager Erdal Donmez said. “It’s not a choice or a convenience," he said. "University Drive has to be open to address future traffic needs of this area. It is the shortest and least costly connection as FDOT owns the right of way. All the data available validates our position. How much more proof do we need?”

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Parkland Vice Mayor Jared Moskowitz wants to take the city’s green drive another step forward.

At a recent City Commission meeting, Moskowitz proposed a “nominal” environmental assessment fee of $5 per household to raise capital that can be used for protecting the environment. The idea is to raise about $40,000 a year, he said.

“I’m not aware of any other city in the state that is doing something like this,” Moskowitz said. “The assessment fee will offset the environmental impact we have while conducting business. The money can be used for anything from buying hybrid vehicles to preserving native trees.”

Moskowitz said he expected residents to react positively to the proposal. “They have supported all our environmental initiatives and I expect them to do the same this time, too," he said. "This is something that will help the city in the long run.”

Parkland resident Stuart Krantz said he liked the idea of the city taking measures to save the environment. “Jared is trying to do things, but you need a certain amount of money to run a city well," he said. "I have all along held that the city should adopt a millage rate of 5.1. If they had not lowered the millage rate from 4.1 to 3.4, they would have had the money to do this. I guess they are more comfortable doing it this way.”

The City Commission will discuss the proposal once City Attorney Andrew Maurodis drafts an ordinance. If it passes, the impact fee will be the latest in a long list of conservation efforts the city has taken up in the last few months.

Recently, the commission decided to go paperless and at its last meeting, switched to paperless commission agendas. The move has commissioners taking home backup material in memory sticks and reviewing them on computer screens at the meeting.

It is a step in the right direction, Mayor Michael Udine said. “The backup material this week was close to 1,000 pages, and we made many copies," he said. "Besides going green, the city is also saving money.”

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Holmberg Road improvements, the single biggest project Parkland has taken up in many years, has begun. Residents who normally travel on the road are better off seeking alternate routes when work is in progress.

The city has signed a $2.7 million contract with Weekly Asphalt for the project that begins at State Road 7/U.S. Route 441 and continues to Parkside Drive where the road will be resurfaced and two four-foot bicycle lanes will be added. The city will also install 16 fire hydrants and extend the existing water main from Parkside Drive to Riverside Drive, along Holmberg Road, to service the Pinetree Estates subdivision.

At a City Commission meeting in May, Mayor Michael Udine said the goal was to minimize the inconvenience to residents due to the work. “It is an exciting large capital project, the single largest project Parkland has taken up in years. Much of the work has to be done during summer.”

Vice Mayor Jared Moskowitz wanted the city to inform people of the work. “There will be inconveniences but people will be happy once work is over,” he said.

A lot of staff coordination is needed for successful completion of the project, Commissioner Mark Weissman said.

Work on the project will likely be completed in six months.

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The only city in the country to win the Baldridge Award is not treating bicyclists the way it should. At least, that is what Coral Springs resident Mark Gendal, doctor and avid cyclist, says.

Gendal spoke at the City Commission meeting Tuesday night about the "deplorable conditions" in the city for those who use bicycles. "I'm aware of what other cities do for their cyclists," he said. "They do much more. Here, we do not have bike lanes. None of the shopping centers in the city have bike racks."

There is a Florida law that states cars must give at least three feet of clearance when passing bicyclists, Gendal said. "Here, even police officers are not obeying this law. Not many people are aware of the law. People scream in your face and blow their horn," he said.

"You are going to see a lot of people on bicycles with the way the prices of gas is," Gendal said. "I hope the city will take note of the situation."

Mayor Scott Brook said he wanted the city to be more bike-friendly. "I would like to see what options we have. I want to see some measure of success in the coming days."

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There was just one case related to the confiscation of illegal fireworks in Coral Springs last year. Is that because people stayed away from fireworks or because police officers did not do their job?

The committee formed by the Coral Springs customer involved government committee to study the issue of illegal fireworks said they felt police did not do enough. City staff said they had different feelings.

"Most of the study circle members felt the city's enforcement of current laws is lax," said study circle president Gordon Boast at a city workshop. "We don't do any confiscation. We should replace threats of action with actual action. We should more aggressively enforce what is enforceable."

Police Chief Duncan Foster said he felt the statistics on confiscation did not do justice to the efforts his staff had put in. "Once we confiscate something from a resident, we need to give a property receipt," he said. "We don't give property receipts when we confiscate illegal fireworks as they have no value. We do confiscate illegal fireworks and destroy them."

The city needs to measure confiscation better, Mayor Scott Brook said. "There is a lot of confiscation happening that is not measured," he said. "The perception is that we can do a better job."

City Manager Mike Levinson defended the police strategy of warning residents who use illegal fireworks first and confiscating if the warning is not heeded. "Measuring confiscation does not tell us the measure of compliance. Confiscation may be less because compliance may be greater due to police warning," he said.

At the workshop, the commission rejected the proposal put forward by the study circle to confiscate illegal fireworks without giving a warning. There will no longer be a study circle on the issue.

Some of the members of the study circle who were pushing for immediate confiscation went home disappointed. Resident Jerry Modell said the city would have trouble getting any member of the study circle in future projects. "I thought Ted and Scott really tried," he said. "Claudette wanted something done as well. I am very disappointed in Vince and Gold. I don't think what the city has planned to do is going to work."

Read a longer version of the article in the June 26 issue of the Coral Springs Forum.

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