http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/ Your source for frequent updates on everything you need to know in Coral Springs. en Copyright 2010 Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:23:37 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Coral Springs Police are investigating the severe burning of a 13-month-old boy that occurred late yesterday Monday evening. At approximately 8:16 p.m., police responded to the 11400 block of Northwest 35th Street in reference to a 13-month-old boy that was burned by the oil in a deep fryer. Initial investigation shows that the mother of the 13-month-old boy was frying chicken on the kitchen counter in a deep fryer when the 13-month-old grabbed the electrical cord. As he pulled on the electrical cord, it caused the deep fryer to spill hot oil on his body. The boy was air lifted to Broward General Medical Center in critical condition with burns over approximately 35 percent of his body. After being treated at Broward General Medical Center he was transported to Jackson Memorial Burn Center where he is listed in stable condition.]]> http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/02/toddler_severely_burned_in_cor.html http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/02/toddler_severely_burned_in_cor.html Coral Springs Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:23:37 -0500 Victor Feldbrill knows better than to think that all it takes to produce spellbinding music is for him to turn up at a concert. “Music is such a demanding career [and] you are constantly restudying the music you are playing,” said Feldbrill, who spends at least five months every year in his Coral Springs home. “You can’t take anything for granted; I certainly don’t.” A Canadian conductor and violinist, Feldbrill is a household name in classical music circles, his virtuosity often making music lovers wish for more. Son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, he has conducted in countries as diverse as Japan, the former Soviet Union, Belgium, Italy, Holland, Philippines, China and Japan. Feldbrill says he is semi-retired, but music keeps him busy when he is in Coral Springs. He leads the Lyric Chamber Orchestra, a group of retired professional and senior amateur string players that do two concerts every year at St. Lucy Catholic Church in Highland Beach. For someone who has spent much of his career with professional players and teaching youth orchestra groups, it is a different experience dealing with retired musicians. “It’s something that I enjoy; they have the same enthusiasm as a youth orchestra. The quality of music is very high [and] it’s serious music. I enjoy sharing music with people who are enthusiastic about it, it’s very gratifying.” Ruth Stevens, Boynton Beach resident and Lyric Chamber Orchestra founder, was the conductor before Feldbrill took over. “We have 22 musicians in the group. I thought of having an orchestra as there are many wonderful retired musicians in South Florida. This is the only group in South Florida that consists entirely of retired professional and non-professional string players.” ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/02/he_has_been_a_conductor.html http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/02/he_has_been_a_conductor.html Coral Springs Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:08:57 -0500 Coral Springs, with which it had been discussing a new five-year contract for fire and emergency services, Parkland has decided to continue negotiations on the issue with its neighbor. The volte-face came at an emergency City Commission meeting last Friday at the behest of Mayor Michael Udine, who has all along supported continuing ties with Coral Springs. Vice Mayor Jay Smith, who had initially voted to stop negotiations with Coral Springs, was the one who made a motion to resume talks with the city. The change of mind means that Parkland will now be negotiating with both Coral Springs and Broward Sheriff’s Office at the same time. The city’s existing contract with Coral Springs will expire Oct. 1 this year. Smith said that he had heard from a number of residents who wanted to know if they would get the same level of service from Broward Sheriff’s Office that they had from Coral Springs. “I may have been a little hasty on the call that I made last week. We need to reopen negotiations,” he said. Commissioners Mark Weissman and Dave Rosenof stuck to their earlier stand and voted against resuming talks with Coral Springs. The latter, however, clarified that he would support continuing ties with the neighboring city if the contract contained the termination clause and audit provisions that Parkland had sought. Rosenof said his stand against negotiating with Coral Springs was because of the “strong” termination clause. “How do we require a future provider to do anything? I am a proponent of more people bidding on a contract, but this was an exceptional case. If we sign a contract, it’s got to be on the right terms. I am making my decision on an unfair and one-sided contract.” ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/02/parkland_to_continue_talking_w.html http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/02/parkland_to_continue_talking_w.html Parkland Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:44:45 -0500 Coral Springs residents can use the community bus for a fee of .50 cents. The buses, which are air-conditioned and wheelchair-accessible, have been operating for the past seven years from 8 a.m. to 5:55 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4:55 p.m. on Saturdays and from noon to 4:55 p.m. on Sundays. The buses are white with blue or green striping to indicate the route color. The green route serves the north end of the city, including stops at Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Magnolia Shoppes and has a higher ridership, with about 250 riders a day. The Blue route circles the south end and includes stops at the city gymnasium, Coral Square Mall and Coral Springs Medical Center. Both routes make stops on the hour at the northeast corner of the Sample Road and University Drive intersection, allowing riders to change buses. It takes approximately an hour to make one loop. There is no service on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. This service could be used in conjunction with connections to Broward County Transit Routes 2, 34, 62, 83 and 88. Riders making the connection with BCT will need to pay the appropriate fares. A detailed schedule and route map is available at City Hall, the Coral Springs Gymnasium, City Hall in the Mall and at www.CoralSprings.org/buses. Call 954-345-2200. For Broward County Transit rider information, call 954-357-8400. ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/02/intracity_bus_service_availabl.html http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/02/intracity_bus_service_availabl.html Coral Springs Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:40:06 -0500 Coral Springs Institute for the Performing Arts Next Stop Broadway summer camp 2010 is looking for volunteers with skills in customer service, management, working with children, arts and crafts, as well as music and dance. Volunteers will assist staff over the summer in 4 or 8 hour shifts. Applications are available. Call 954 344 5991 or email coralspringsinstitute@gmail.com. Coral Springs Institute for the Performing Arts is at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts, 2855 Coral Springs Drive. Call 954- 344-5991. Visit www.coralspringscenterforthearts.com. ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/summer_camp_seeks_parent_volun.html http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/summer_camp_seeks_parent_volun.html Coral Springs Sat, 30 Jan 2010 14:38:18 -0500 Coral Springs High School student, had a question for Coral Springs city officials. And in the city’s third annual teen political forum, she had the perfect platform to elicit a reply from them. “Why don’t we have [a] recreational water polo league in Coral Springs,” Anastasia asked. “We would like something here so that we don’t have to go to Deerfield Beach.” Commissioner Vince Boccard, who heads the city’s youth and family committee, liked the idea. “It’s the first time that I am hearing this. This is something that we can bring to the table. We do have the facility,” he said to applause from the high school students who attended the event. The audience was noticeably thinner compared to the previous two editions of the event, but there was no shortage of enthusiasm on part of the students who attended. The questions covered a wide spectrum of topics, from the FCAT, the future of Bright Futures scholarships, the need for a paintball field and a recreational lacrosse league in the city, lack of funding for education in Florida, to the possibility of a four-day school week. The event, a brainchild of Commissioner Roy Gold, occurred at Coral Springs High School, with students from five local high schools attending. State Senator Jeremy Ring, State Representative Ari Porth, Coral Springs City Commission members, Broward School Board member Stephanie Kraft, Police Chief Duncan Foster, and Fire Chief Mark Curran were on the dais answering questions. Ashley Schemtob, Lee Braun, Sangitha Palaniappa, and Jessica Suarez were the emcees. As in earlier editions, there were more than a few questions relating to the FCAT. Responding to one, Senator Ring said that there was a legislation being pushed that would limit the importance of FCAT. “I think you will see more end of the year tests,” he said. ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/anastasia_okonski_a_coral_spri.html http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/anastasia_okonski_a_coral_spri.html Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:58:50 -0500 Coral Springs Center for the Arts, believes the timing of the event couldn’t be better. “People need help when times are bad,” Don McCarty, event chairman, said. “There are not a whole lot of available jobs now, but we have been getting a lot of response from vendors. I don’t see anyone going away disappointed with what we have to offer.” The event, to be organized in partnership with Workforce One, is expected to benefit people looking for jobs or trying to sharpen their job hunting skills; there will be self-employment and community service opportunities as well. Net proceeds of this event will benefit United Way of Broward County. Coral Springs Medical Center, Sams Club, Office Depot, Marill Security Services, and Carr Communications Inc. are the title sponsors. Kenny Benko, of the main organizers of the event, is expecting a turnout of at least 600 people. We are putting 5,000 flyers in the community,” Benko said. “At a recent job fair in Miami, you had people camping out the night before. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get close to 1,000 participants.” The event is free and open to anyone, but mainly of interest to people in Coral Springs and other Broward cities. “We want jobless people in the community to know that they are not alone,” Benko said. “If we are able to help one person find a job, we would have done our job. We expect to do significantly better than that.” At least 50 vendors will participate in the event, said Jessica Shuler, co-chair of the event. “This includes a number of government agencies like Coral Springs, Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Department of Revenue, the department of education, and the department of children and families. We will have local school students as volunteers; they will receive service hours. ” The job fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Jan. 30 at the Coral Springs Center For The Arts, 2855 Coral Springs Drive, Coral Springs. Participants can pre-register at www.coralspringsjobsnow.com. ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/job_fair_tomorrow_in_coral_spr.html http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/job_fair_tomorrow_in_coral_spr.html Coral Springs Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:17:35 -0500 Parkland City Commission has voted against inking a fresh five-year contract with Coral Springs for fire and emergency services. The current contract, which had earned a 96 percent satisfaction rating from city residents, will expire Sept. 30, 2010. The decision, which goes against the recommendation from Parkland’s fire consultant that a new contract with Coral Springs was the best short term option for the city, leaves the future of 33 Coral Springs firefighters in peril. Parkland will now explore other options such as contracting with Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) or the Margate fire department. The decision was taken in the presence of the firefighters whose jobs were on the line and their family members. Immediately after the meeting, Coral Springs Fire Chief Mark Curran took the despondent firefighters aside for an impromptu pep talk even as Parkland Commissioner Jared Moskowitz, who was in favor of a new contract with Coral Springs, said he would insist that the next service provider hires the firefighters now servicing the city. Commissioner Mark Weissman’s motion was seconded by Deputy Vice Mayor Dave Rosenof and Vice Mayor Jay Smith. The three officials cited concerns with the termination clause in the proposed contract, audit provisions and the price of the contract. Mayor Michael Udine, who had all along been a vocal supporter of a new contract with Coral Springs, said the commission had “made a huge mistake.” “We should have stayed with Coral Springs,” Udine said after the meeting. “But I am only one vote out there. The system is working; the residents are happy with the services. We are not going to get the same level of service if we go with BSO. It’s a huge mistake. ” Curran said he was disappointed and surprised by the commission’s decision. “We gave them what they asked for; apparently, that wasn’t enough. The system we had set up benefited both cities. It was like a perfect match. We will now focus on finding these 33 great firefighters jobs.”]]> http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/parkland_not_to_contract_with_1.html http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/parkland_not_to_contract_with_1.html Coral Springs Parkland Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:10:50 -0500 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School drama department will present Ken Ludwig’s award-winning comedy, "Lend Me A Tenor," at 7 p.m. on Jan. 28, 29, and 30. Nick Martinez, Alex Gomez, Brandon Shapiro, Abigail Hummel, Ashley Brown, Darius Rivera, Samara Lazerson and Danielle Kushner are the members of the cast. The event will take place in the school auditorium. Tickets cost $5 for students, $8 for seniors, and $12 for adults; card-carrying thespians receive free admission. Call 754-322-2150. The school is at 5901 Pine Island Road in Parkland. ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/douglas_drama_department_readi.html http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/douglas_drama_department_readi.html Parkland Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:44:22 -0500 Coral Springs and Broward County are partnering to organize a household hazardous waste collection day Jan. 31. The event is from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will be held in the rear parking lot at City Hall South, 9530 W. Sample Road. City and county residents can bring their old paint, used motor oil, batteries, household cleaning supplies and other hazardous wastes to the collection site for proper disposal. Past household hazardous waste collection events in the city resulted in the disposal of 3,800 gallons of old paint, 440 gallons of used motor oil, and 6,300 pounds of flammables. Almost 900 county residents participated in previous collection days, 681 of which were Coral Springs residents. Other items accepted include solvents, pesticides, lawn and pool chemicals, propane tanks, compact fluorescent light bulbs, tires (a maximum of four per person), fire extinguishers, car batteries, flares, mercury thermometers, televisions, computers, monitors, keyboards, mouses, printers, fax machines, cell phones, and rechargeable batteries. Business generated waste is not accepted at this event. Call Broward County Waste and Recycling Services at 954-765-4999. ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/springs_to_organize_household.html http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/springs_to_organize_household.html Coral Springs Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:41:42 -0500 Coral Springs residents can reserve spots for the year’s government academy, and learn how the Baldrige Award-winning organization runs local government. Starting in February, the sessions will take place the fourth Thursday of each month. Participants will meet on Feb. 25, March 25, April 22, May 27, and June 24 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The first meeting will be in the West Wing Conference Room at City Hall, 9551 W. Sample Road. The five-session program will address the task of running a municipality, including overviews of the government organization as a whole; community development; transportation and environmental services; leisure and cultural activities; and public safety. The academy is free and open to residents 16 and older. Participants will take away essential information that can help prepare them for more community involvement roles. Committee members and city commission board appointees are encouraged to attend. Class size is limited to 40 people, and those who attend all five sessions will receive a certificate of achievement. Visit www.coralsprings.org or call Pat Mirabello at 954- 344-5907. ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/coral_springs_to_host_governme.html http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/coral_springs_to_host_governme.html Coral Springs Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:37:33 -0500 Coral Springs Orchid Society will meet at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 2 at Cypress Hall, Cypress Hammock Park, 1300 Coral Springs Drive. The month's speaker will be Michael Coronada, vice president of Growing and Hybridizing at R. F. Orchids. Coronada has traveled extensively learning techniques in hybridizing, propagation and production of orchids. He will talk about “Orchids in the Landscape.” Admission to the meeting is free. Call 954-752-2696 or go to www.coralspringsorchidsociety.org. ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/orchid_society_meeting_in_cora.html http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/orchid_society_meeting_in_cora.html Coral Springs Sat, 16 Jan 2010 15:39:34 -0500 Coral Springs City Commission recently recognized 13 student volunteers who received the President’s Volunteer Service Award. The award recognizes individuals who have achieved a certain standard – measured by the number of hours served during a 12-month period or cumulative hours earned through the course of a lifetime. Kristen Albert, Ryon Eric Dent, Ryan Draddy, Kristina L. Hanson, Kyle J. Holl, Karl Milenkovic III, Michael Reyes, and Ashley Rachel Schemtob received the Gold Level Award for volunteering 250 hours or more of their time. Christopher Kostick received the Silver Level award for completing 207 community service hours. Jordan M. Cohen, Taylor Montagna, Erica D. Plaza and Ryan K. Tison were awarded the Bronze Level Award for completing more than 100 hours each. “You are examples and role models for our community. If we had every teenager in the community do what you do, there’d be very few issues,” Mayor Scott Brook said. “We can’t tell you enough how much we appreciate what you’ve done and we ask you to keep up that kind of community service in your years to come. Our community needs you and our world needs people like you, so congratulations.” In 2007, the Coral Springs Police Department's Youth Mentoring Program was accepted as one of the program’s certified organizations. As a certifying organization, the program can verify participants’ service hours, as well as nominate volunteers for the presidential award. For more information on the awards, visit www.presidentialserviceawards.gov. ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/coral_springs_recognizes_local.html http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/coral_springs_recognizes_local.html Coral Springs Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:23:38 -0500 Parkland City Commission recently recognized the city’s Buddies Football Program that was featured as the 2009 Youth Football Team of the Year by Sports Illustrated Kids. The Flag Football Buddies program began in 2008 with the initiative of Shannon Ferguson and the help of Colin Bradley and James Myers, both high school seniors. The program provides an opportunity for children with varying disabilities to participate in a full flag football season along their volunteer “buddy”. There were 23 children with special needs, ranging from age 5 to 17, and 35 volunteers in the 2009 program. Visit www.parklandflag.com/Football_Buddy.htm, call program director Shannon Ferguson at 954-536-6364 or e-mail tsjt@comcast.net. ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/parkland_recognizes_buddies_fo.html http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/parkland_recognizes_buddies_fo.html Parkland Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:05:29 -0500 Parkland City Commission has authorized replacement of the 2- to 5-year-old playground at Terramar Park with a boundless playground. The playground, which will be completed within six months, will be the first one of its kind in the city. The playground will allow children with and without disabilities to play together in an accessible and nurturing play environment. There are only 14 boundless playgrounds in Florida. Parkland has an active special needs population, and a boundless playground was a logical next step for the city to take. The city will piggyback a contract with United States Communities which uses 2009 prices instead of inflated 2010 prices. In addition by using playground equipment from Gametime, the city also obtained an almost $30,000 grant towards the playground. Call Scott Davidoff, parks and recreation director, at 954-757-4105 or e-mail sdavidoff@cityofparkland.org. ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/parkland_to_get_a_boundless_pl.html http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/coralsprings/2010/01/parkland_to_get_a_boundless_pl.html Parkland Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:01:15 -0500