The Coral Springs City Commission recently recognized members of the city’s green study circles planning committee. As a sub-committee of the Customer-Involved Government Committee, green study circles participants looked at best practices to guide the city toward becoming even more eco-friendly.

Committee members recognized included chairwoman Lorraine Campbell; vice chairman Zen Belmond; vice chairman Gordon Boast; Cyndi Amaya; Hilda Fiammetta; John Faiella; Rebecca Gervasi; Dae Gilmer; Gerald Modell; Stephen Oyer-Owens; and Linda Vercillo.

At the meeting, commissioners proclaimed July 22 as Dave Aizer Day in Coral Springs. Aizer, a long-time Coral Springs resident, hosts the WSFL-TV show SouthFlorida.com Live and covers issues pertinent to the city.

“Dave is homegrown in Coral Springs, and if you haven’t seen Dave, he is the main guy, he is the superstar on SouthFlorida.com Live,” Mayor Scott Brook said. “He’s been very helpful to the city, especially connecting us with other citizens on Facebook.”

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A Coral Springs resident recently appeared before the City Commission to suggest a way to help people in the community battle the ongoing recession.

Nora Ayala believes a community garden will help the city’s struggling residents.

“A vegetable garden is not only profitable, but it will help during this difficult economic time,” Ayala said. "This will provide residents with work and food." She also referred to First Lady Michelle Obama’s vegetable garden at the White House.

City commissioners said they liked the idea and will look into adding citizen gardens for growing vegetables or flowers.

“It’s a great idea and people can have their individual plots,” said City Commissioner Roy Gold. “It’s a great way to build the community.”

The city will bring the idea to the Neighborhood Environment Committee.

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Parkland’s second annual Environmental Fair will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Aug. 22 at the Parkland Municipal Complex, 6600 University Drive.

Participants will gain information on the effects of energy saving programs, and goods and services that reduce energy consumption and emissions. Residents will be provided with ideas on how to create Florida-friendly, water conservation minded, landscapes and how to establish more sustainable urban ecosystems by using landscaping best management practices to meet their needs.

Florida Power and Light representatives will be on hand to demonstrate the easiest and most effective ways to conserve energy and learn about common causes for high bills and solutions to help you control your energy usage and lower bills. Waste Management will answer questions on garbage and recycling.

With South Florida in the middle of very serious drought conditions, the South Florida Water Management District will also be on hand to express why every resident and business needs to do their part to conserve water now and in the future. There will also be environmental and energy educational activities and programs for kids of all ages.

Contact Brian Archer at 954 757-4153 or barcher@cityofparkland.org for information.

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The last date to apply for neighborhood matching grant funding from Coral Springs is July 31.

The city will provide matching funds up to $5,000 for single-family neighborhoods and up to $2,000 for townhouse/condominium neighborhoods. A limited amount of funding is available citywide. Priority for funding will be given to projects within the Community Development Bloc Grant target area, but neighborhoods that meet the program criteria can also apply.

The city has completed 100 formal partnerships during the past 13 years, and recipients have made various improvements such as: enhanced lighting, neighborhood signage, landscaping and improving neighborhoods parks. All projects must be visible from the public roadway or benefit all residents in the city.

To be eligible, neighborhoods must have either a homeowner's association or neighborhood association, be established as a nonprofit corporation pursuant to Florida Statute, Chapter 617.301-312, complete the neighborhood registration form online at www.CoralSprings.org/community and submit a completed Matching Grant application.

Applications may be obtained at City Hall, 9551 W. Sample Road, at City Hall in the Mall, at Coral Square Mall, or online. Contact the community development department at 954-344-1114 or visit www.CoralSprings.org/partnerships.

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Coral Springs' first business planning workshop will be at 4 p.m. July 21, prior to the regularly scheduled City Commission meeting. There will be a special City Commission meeting on July 28 at 5 p.m., which will include a presentation of the Business Plan.

On June 16, the city presented a financial plan for Fiscal Year 2010 as part of a public Financial Strategy Forum. This is the first time the city held such an event as part of its fiscal year financial planning cycle. The workshop dates were adjusted to accommodate this extra session and resulting public feedback.

Following the business planning workshops, the city will hold two public budget hearings in September. Check www.coralsprings.org for details on both the business planning workshops and public hearings.

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Coral Springs has won another award for performance.

The International City/County Management Association recently honored the city with its Certificate of Excellence for superior performance measurement programs and results. Only 14 jurisdictions received the certificate of excellence, the highest level of recognition from the ICMA Center for Performance Measurement.

To earn a certificate of excellence, an organization has to demonstrate exceptional practices in several areas, including reporting of performance data; conducting resident and employee surveys; using performance data in strategic planning and decision making; and tracking and reporting key outcome measures.

This is the first year the center has offered a platinum-level certificate of excellence. In the past, Coral Springs has earned the gold-level certificate of distinction, previously the center’s highest honor.

“We are honored that our data-driven, results-oriented organization has been recognized with the Certificate of Excellence,” City Manager Michael S. Levinson said. “This award is a reflection of the business model of our municipal corporation, which focuses on achieving high levels of customer satisfaction in the most responsive and fiscally responsible manner.”

Since 1993, Coral Springs has used a business model to run the city, taking customer input and data analysis into consideration during the formulation of both the strategic and business plans. Top-level priorities the city focuses on are identified through customer survey data, an environmental scan and the performance measures.

Communities report data for 15 local government services (e.g. police, fire/EMS, road maintenance, park, code enforcement). Data are then used to identify management practices that contribute to high performance so that local governments can learn from each other in a process of continuous improvement.

For more on the center and certificates, visit www.ICMA.org/performance.

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The First United Methodist Church of Coral Springs, 8650 W. Sample Road, is organizing Summer Serenade Orchestra. The program will be at 2 p.m. on July 25 in the sanctuary.

Summer Serenade is the collaboration of dedicated musicians in the South Florida area for the continued study and performance of ensemble music outside the regular concert season.

Tickets are $10 per person and are available for purchase at the church during regular business hours or at the door the day of the event.

Nursery services for children, ages birth to 3, will be available. Contact Keith Miller or visit their www.newriverorchestra.org.

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Donating money to The Pantry of Broward can now be done at the touch of a button.

The public can now text a flat $5 donation on their cell phone to help feed Broward County's seniors in need by texting the word FOOD to 20222. A one-time donation of $5 is added to the mobile phone bill or deducted from the prepaid balance. Up to five, $5 donations can be made in any one month.

"We are trying to think outside the box when it comes to raising support for The Pantry of Broward," said Bruce Harris, the agency's director of development.

The Pantry of Broward, which serves seniors in need on low, fixed incomes and grandparents raising grandchildren throughout Broward County, has been hit by a shortfall in food donations this summer and so has turned to technology for help.

"We hope that young people who text all the time will take a couple of seconds to help feed the estimated 30,000 seniors in need in Broward County."

Visit www.thepantryofbroward.org or call (954) 358-1481 ext 114.

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Coral Springs Medical Center’s recruitment and retention committee has embarked on a nurse mentoring program for newly-hired nurses with the goal of increasing nurse retention while improving patient care.

The NMP provides new nurses with a one-on-one nurse mentor. Each mentor meets with their mentee once a month. “This is in hopes to help reduce the mentee’s anxiety of starting a new nursing position, and the overwhelming nature of working in a large healthcare system,” said Kyndall Pritchard, RN, BSN, CSMC’s Stroke Program Coordinator/Risk Management Specialist and committee chair.

“By having a mentor to guide them through their first year of employment, these feelings can be alleviated. Mentees receive career guidance and assistance with interpersonal challenges they may experience. They gain confidence and proficiency, as well as meet new people to make their work environment more enjoyable,” said Pritchard.

According to The Future of the Nursing Workforce in the United States: Data, Trends and Implications, the demand for RN’s is expected to increase by 2-3% every year. With this staggering figure, CSMC began its nurse retention initiative in June 2008 in an effort to take a lead role in a competitive market of increasing and sustaining nurse longevity.

The NMP is a win-win for both mentor and mentee, said CSMC Recruiter, Karen Esposito-Sherman. "The program will improve the leadership skills of existing nurses (mentors) by providing counsel and guidance to mentees. Nurses who become mentors will take ownership of and be actively contributing to an improved workplace environment. This will increase their self esteem and feelings of importance within the workplace. Increased confidence and lower stress levels will decrease staff turnover rates, which will benefit all nurses.”

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Not too long ago, people in Ile De La Gonave, a tiny island off Haiti, dreaded even the thought of falling ill.

For people in the island, being sick meant walking miles and then going by boat to Haiti before they could get medical help. Thanks to the combined efforts of a nonprofit organization and a group of business people in Coral Springs and surrounding communities, life is easier now.

A medical clinic opened in the island recently with the help of money raised by Legacy Projects International (FL 154), a leadership group, and Vision International Missions, the non profit organization. The response from residents was immediate; the clinic served more than three hundred people in just the first three days of operation.

Jason Graham, a member of the leadership group and a Coral Springs resident, said he was glad to be part of an effort to make live easier for people in need. “Haiti is suffering. This island is even more in need of help. People there have gone through much in recent years. We initially thought of building a small school but the place was more in need of a clinic.”

The fundraising efforts have so far yielded $18,000; the third of the events was recently held at the Country Club of Coral Springs. “We need to raise more money; we plan to organize more fundraisers. The clinic is our legacy; we want to ensure it has what it needs.”

Ken Whitten of International Missions remembers the first time he visited the island which is a two-hour boat ride off Haiti. “There are no tarred roads; all you have are dirt paths. You travel at 5 mph most of the time. I saw some people carrying a pregnant woman on a bed; I later learned that they were taking her to a hospital in Haiti. It would have taken her days to get there.”

“We have a full time nurse at the clinic; we also have a part time pharmacist and a functional pharmacy,” said Whitten, who is in charge of operations in the island. “The clinic has three beds for overnight patients, a waiting room and an examination room. There are other clinics in the island but they are unmanned and have no medicine to speak of.”

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Parkland and Waste Management have found a way around the problem caused by a section of residents not paying their garbage bills.

Parkland city officials responded to a request from Waste Management by showing unanimous support for including residents’ waste management bill on their tax bill. They also expressed in trying out, at a later date, Waste Management’s proposal for automating waste collection.

Many cities and counties are now putting bills for garbage on the residents’ tax bill, Mayor Michael Udine said. “There are 6,500 homes in Parkland and 6 percent are not paying their garbage bill. There will be a reduction in everybody’s fee if we do this (billing for trash collection on the tax bill.) It is just a different method of billing.”

City Commissioner Jared Moskowitz also supported the move. “Putting the waste management bill on the tax bill makes sense. If someone is not paying their garbage bill and their neighbor pays, the neighbor won’t want to pay. With the garbage bill now on the tax bill, it’s tougher to get out of it and residents who are paying will save some money.”

“I don’t see any negatives,” Vice Mayor Mark Weissman said. “At some point of time, some communities may want to try out automated garbage collection.”

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A Coral Springs resident who lost his left eye in an attack late last year recently appeared before the City Commission seeking permission to work from home until his health improves.

There were lots of compassion and sympathy coming Sheik Afzal Ahmadi’s way, but the commission decided against changing the code to help him. Providing special exemption to Ahmadi would leave the city vulnerable to similar requests from other businesses, city officials and staff said.

Good news, however, was in store for Ahmadi. After coming to know his story, Linda Dickens, a Parkland resident, got in touch with him and offered him the chance to work from her family’s warehouse in the Coral Springs Corporate Park. Ahmadi, who owns R&R Inflatables International, makes a living by designing and repairing inflatable balloons and bounce houses sent from different parts of the country.

“I’m overwhelmed," Ahmadi said. "Linda is like a guardian angel for me. Her offer gives me a chance to make a living and pay my bills. She let me use the warehouse, for free, for four months. If I do some renovations to the place, I can have it for the next six months.”

Dickens, a former Coral Springs resident, said she was glad that she was able to help Ahmadi. “The space was empty. We usually use it for storage. He didn’t need a lot of space. What happened to him is terrible. I don’t think what we did is a big deal. The important thing is that he can work and earn a living.”

Earlier, City Attorney Sam Goren said Ahmadi’s business violated the city code.

“There is a current code in place; it does not permit outside activities. The testing of the inflatables has expanded outside his property. He was not given a citation but a warning notice…,” Goren said.

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The award-winning Tennis Center of Coral Springs' weekly camp sessions will continue through Aug. 21.

Camp sessions are for boys and girls, ages 5 to 16, of all skill and ability levels. Half-day programs last from 9 a.m. to noon, while full-day camp sessions are from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Campers attending the full day have an optional recreational swim at noon each day. Attendees can bring their own lunch or purchase food at the tennis center.

For the more advanced students, another camp is being offered from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday at the center. The camp is geared toward those in junior academy levels one and two. All participants will be evaluated before attending this camp.

Players in junior academy level three can attend a camp at Cypress Park. For dates and rates of the Cypress Park camp, call Nick Rybakov of Rybakov Tennis Academy at 954-295-3565.

A United States Professional Tennis Association-certified instructor leads each camp. Weekly and daily rates are available. Call 954-344-1840. The center is located inside the Sportsplex, 2757 Sportsplex Drive.

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