Just when everyone was getting the hang of tossing junk mail in the top bin, tuna tins in the middle bin and cardboard in the bottom bin, comes news that it’s all about to change. By Oct. 1, residents in 26 Broward cities will be chucking almost all recyclables into a single container.

The shift to single-stream recycling is made possible by a $10 million Waste Management complex built last year in Pembroke Pines. The plant occupies 25 acres of a 150-acre site and sits surrounded by Sawgrass and water birds.

Inside, 140 conveyor belts operate around the clock six days a week, moving recyclables past 30 of some 200 employees. Magnets remove steel cans. Jets of air separate light plastic from heavy plastic. Screens sift newspaper from office paper from cardboard.

And that means paper, bottles, cans, newspapers — all can go into a single bin.
Although the system, this one made by Netherlands-based Bollegraaf, has been around for 10 years, it has been slow to come to Broward County.

Parkland and Davie and cities nationwide already use single-stream recycling, but the 26 Broward cities that are clients of Waste Management will have to wait until the current contract is renegotiated in October.

In the interim, recycling specialist Cheryl Miller is preparing her staff and residents alike. On July 1, those three-part trucks that so carefully separate office paper, newspaper and co-mingled recyclables now will have all three compartments filled with everything recyclable before heading to the transfer station in Pompano Beach.

“Because we can fill them all the way up and not separate materials before going to the transfer station on Powerline Road, we can transport full loads,” Miller said. “It’s much more cost effective.”

Advertising is set to begin in July, with a display at City Hall and the libraries, as well as on the city’s website. Residents will receive a new brochure in early October, defining garbage, recyclables and various routes.

Otherwise, recycling day will look just like it always has — with residents hauling three bins to the curb filled with all that stuff mixed together.
“Typically, when you convert to single stream? The volume increases 30 percent to 50 percent — in some cases 80 percent,” Miller said. “And we are not planning to increase staff or trucks.”

Visit www.deerfield-beach.com.

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When Anthony Collins began working as a library volunteer, the Deerfield Beach resident found he liked the company as much as he enjoyed the tasks of working in the used book store. That was 10 years ago, and Collins still shows up as regularly as the reference librarian.

But Collins is looking for help these days. When he started, he said, he was 64. Today, at 74, he is the youngest volunteer at Percy White, which doesn’t bode well for the vitality of the organization.

“The average age of volunteers here is between 70 and 80,” he said.
So Collins put out an all-points bulletin to what he called “the recently retired and restless in Deerfield Beach.”

In press releases that are as creative as they are intense, Collins draws first on a poem called “You’ll Never Know,” by Helen L. Marshall, to make his case.

“And just in case it could be that another’s life through you might possibly change for the better with a broader and brighter view, it seems it might be worth a try at pointing the way to the right. Of course it may not matter at all, but then again it might.”

“The Friends of the Deerfield Beach Percy White Library are looking for new friends to volunteer six hours a month and share their passion for reading at the library’s used book store,” he said by way of clarification. “To become a Friend and make new friends, please contact Norma Humphrey at 954-426-4859.”

His other marketing pitch begins with all the letters in the alphabet and points out that “At Deerfield’s Percy White Public Library it’s astonishing to see how they have these [26] letters arranged in ways to keep you active and involved … become a Friend of the Library ."
That means almost everyone who walks in the door.

If Collins has piqued your interest, and you have some time, call, guess who? Norma Humphrey: 954-426-4859.

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From the ashes of a recession, a July 4 will rise, complete with fireworks and entertainment — and it’s free.

Beginning at 6 a.m. July 3, Ocean Way will close from Hillsboro Boulevard to Southeast Third Street. Likewise, the International Fishing Pier and pier parking lot will close at 2 p.m., reopening July 5.

Hope to see the fireworks on the beach? Be oceanside of the Hillsboro Boulevard Bridge by 6 p.m. when the bridge and A1A from Northeast First Street to Southeast Third Street closes for four hours.

Parking is free at The Cove Shopping Center, 1500 E. Hillsboro Blvd., with shuttles running from The Cove to the beach and back from 4 to 11:30 p.m. July 3 and from noon until midnight July 4. There, food and beverage vendors will sustain you for more than five hours of music — and that’s just on July 4.

The music actually begins at 7 p.m. July 3 with the Joey Gilmore Band. The award-winning bluesman who has won the International Blues Challenge for two years, plays for an hour, followed by Final Countdown Band until 10 p.m.

Saturday’s July 4 celebration offers children a celebration all their own. There is a street full of inflatables, including a water slide, music and interactive games from 1 to 4 p.m.
So much fun that parents may have to take them by the hand to make the first half-hour of a concert by Smugglin’ Yo-Yo’s. The group has a play list of songs by enough well-known vintage artists to fill an iPod (had it been invented a half-century earlier.)

Diva Valerie Tyson brings burning vocals and a repertory of r&b standards standbys to the stage from 6 to 7 p.m.

And then comes The Association. It’s a group that is an icon among Baby Boomers, which may explain why the group has Stonehenge as its logo, and a play list that dates to 1966. Whether erstwhile hits like “Cherish,” “Requiem for the Masses,” “Along comes Mary,” and “Never my Love” seem a quaint anachronism or take you back to the glory of your youth, the music sets the stage for the big attraction: fireworks.

Beginning at 9 p.m., they are touted as “the best fireworks display in South Florida.” Choreographed by The Mad Bomber, a pyrotechnics company that over two decades has lit fireworks in communities from Dearborn, Mich., to Deerfield Beach, they will light up the sky till the budget runs out.

Visit www.deerfield-beach.com or call 954-480-4433.

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Chalk it up to a quip gone awry.
Vice Mayor Sylvia Poitier was exonerated of ethics violation charges when the Florida Commission on Ethics found there was no probable cause to pursue a complaint filed by a Deerfield Beach property manager.
Poitier did not return phone calls, but her Fort Lauderdale attorney couldn’t have sounded more pleased.
“The reality was, I was walking in there and it was her victory to lose,” said Jacob Horowitz. “It was so unwarranted. The facts as they were submitted did not conform to the definition of an ethics violation.”
The facts were taken in a tape-recorded statement from Hernan Casanova, a professional property manager. In his statement, Casanova told of asking District 2 Commissioner Poitier for help when he was serving as the vice president of The Palms, where 104 of 168 units were in foreclosure. The city was threatening to turn off the water and, the complaint alleged, Poitier said at the time she wasn’t offering any more free assistance. Poitier concedes she might have told Casanova that she was available to work as a consultant. Casanova said when he countered that The Palms was broke, Poitier pointed to a recent cash infusion from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which became owner of several units through foreclosure proceedings and subsequently paid its share of the water bill. Poitier said later she had said nothing actionable.
She was right. Casanova could not travel to Tallahassee for the hearing. Poitier wasn’t there, either, but her lawyer was Horowitz of Goren, Cherof, Doody & Ezrol, one of the state’s leading municipal firms, representing 12 municipalities in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
“The claim was so far out there that the ethics commission advocate found there was no probable cause,” Horowitz said. “When you have a frustrated vice mayor who is doing her best to work with a condo association president and the city manager to come up with a reasonable solution to utility problems, there were some exchanges there that resulted in a sarcastic comment that triggered this whole process.”
All that remains is the fee due to Horowitz. Because the preliminary investigation into the complaint filed by Casanova, while found credible enough to merit a probable cause hearing, ultimately resulted in a no probable cause ruling, that fee will be paid by the city.
But Poitier’s trials aren’t over. Complaints were mailed overnight June 11 to the Florida Elections Commission, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Broward State Attorney Office and the U.S. Department of Justice by blogger Chaz Stevens. The letters focus on Poitier’s ties to a company that routinely receives appropriations of public money, even though it failed to get nonprofit status from the Internal Revenue Service; water bills unpaid over three years and from five different locations that seemingly didn’t merit enforcement under the city’s service disconnect policy, and failure to disclose personal interest in matters brought before the city commission.

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Chad Brocato has spent his career as a firefighter, but the 41-year-old Lighthouse Point Beach resident is a born scholar.

Sometime between his first job as a volunteer firefighter for Coral Springs and his current job as assistant chief of operations in Deerfield Beach, he has earned an associate degree in EMS, a master degree in medical science and a doctorate in health science, all with honors.

Today, Brocato, as Deerfield Beach Fire Rescue’s assistant chief of operations, does performance evaluations; he handles disciplinary actions; he takes care of anything to do with EMS training.

And he writes. For the past five years he’s been working on a cutting-edge instruction manual and on June 30, he will be honored for that achievement as Emergency Medical Services Educator of the Year. The state award, for a 102-hour course, Paramedic Interactive, comes three months after Brocato published the online paramedic program — one that takes a fresh approach to the virtual classroom.

It is just one of many contributions to EMS education that led to the nomination by Chief Tony Stravino.
“What stuck in my mind was all the Internet material he created that is used by EMS nationally now,” Stravino said.

This particular program is designed to be part of a year-long paramedic course. Two online lessons per week that are fully narrated and developed in conjunction with the American Academy of Orthopedic surgeons. They cover some of the same ground as previous EMS courses, but they part ways with earlier programs by teaching lifesaving skills in a new way.

“We found students were learning but not retaining information. Their grades weren’t improving,” Brocato explained. “Basically the way this works is that we are trying to incorporate all three learning styles — visual, auditory and kinesthetic tools.”

Doing that in 4,000 pages took five years. Brocato said he wrote in between his 24-hour shifts. He wrote at night. When he brought his finished manual to a professional conference, however, Jones & Bartlett, an international book publisher, snatched it up immediately — making just one change.

“It was my raspy voice,” Brocato chuckled. “Now they have a professional narrator.”

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It may be the only help-wanted ad in Deerfield Beach.

It’s open until filled, and don’t even think of applying without a master’s degree in planning, public administration or a related field — not to mention four years of economic development or related experience or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

Some of the city commissioners sitting in their Community Redevelopment Agency hats were reluctant to approve a hiring that would cost the city between $61,343 and $92,016. After all, City Manager Mike Mahaney has weighed declining revenue against the existing budget and declared a hiring freeze, at best.

But that aside, it was Mahaney who encouraged the group to hire a full-time economic development manager.

“We seem to be moving at a rapid pace,” he said. “We’re talking about restrooms on the pier and pier improvements. There is the Cove shopping center mess. To proceed as rapidly as the pace at which we are proceeding at, we don’t have enough people.”
It was Commissioner Marty Popelsky who asked how the work has been done since Carlos Baia left for a job in the Northeast almost two years ago.

“We’ve got him, me and Charles DaBrusco,” Mahaney answered, indicating Ferguson.
“Can’t you continue to do it?” Popelsky countered.
“No. I’m tired of working weekends and it is not fair to us to move at this pace,” Mahaney said.

Popelsky said, “The strain is being borne by everybody in the city and we are not looking to hire more people to lessen your workload. Unless you show me it’s a 50-hour work week, I don’t think we should hire someone,”
Currently, the work is shared among Mahaney, Ferguson and DaBrusco, agreed to Director Jerry Ferguson.

“This was asked for by the [CRA] board two meetings ago. If you want it done the best it can be … there does need to be someone who can focus on CRA efforts.”
It was District 4 Commissioner Bill Ganz who pointed out that the expenditure is one of few the city can afford. Money produced by taxing the area designated for redevelopment is dedicated to costs associated with that endeavor. One of them could be the cost of a CRA director, he said.

“We take in $3 to $3.5 million each year into the CRA. We need someone dedicated to this; to make sure we are being smart with the money we are getting in,” he said. “I prefer us not to be penny wise and pound foolish.”

Mayor Peggy Noland was swayed by the possibility of expanding the duties of the CRA director to include economic development citywide.

“Performs a variety of program or project planning activities that impact municipal development. Responsible for developing and coordinating CRA and other economic development plans and programs. Assists city manager and director of planning and growth management in a wide array of functions. Serves as key member of management staff.”

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Bob Bender isn’t one to sit idle when there is an important issue at stake.
He is building director with the homeowners association of his condominium.
He cares enough about the environment to spend an evening at Deerfield Beach’s public works building watching a movie on recycling.

And when he learned that the library he uses is slated to be closed under Broward County’s proposed austerity budget, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
Recently he began calling people who might be concerned and May 31, 13 people gathered at his apartment in Century Village.

They became, he said, the vanguard of a protest he is confident will swell to at least 100 people by the time a bus heads for the 2 p.m. June 23 meeting of the Broward County Commission.

“This serves the community, not just Century Village,” he said. “We are getting the word out to schools. We are getting the word out to businesses. We are getting the word out to churches and synagogues.”

Bender said he understands the issues that led to the decision.
He recognizes that Century Plaza branch is reasonably close to other libraries — just 2.23 miles west of the Deerfield Beach Percy White branch and 10 miles northeast of the Northwest Regional Library in Coconut Creek.

He understands that it was in a building that was leased, not owned.
The ongoing petition drive at the Century Plaza branch of the Broward County Library was fine, they decided, but it was not enough. They needed to put a face on those affected by the decision.
“I was shocked to hear that it was closing down,” he said. “I got in touch with Friends of the Library, and then people I knew.”

Those people included the leadership of Condominium Owners of Century Village East, the powerful homeowners association representing 8,400 units and more than 10,000 residents. They included an equally committed Roslyn Nehls, representing 800 ? people at Century Village.

They included members of the Democratic Club, of which Bender is chairman of the issues committee. They included the Friends of the Broward County Library.
“I had met Nancy Hart of the Friends group at the library and filled out one of those cards,” he said. “We shared a feeling that it is important for [Broward County] commissioners to see the people who are affected if they close the library.”

Bender said his group is organizing buses to take volunteers to the commission meeting. Judging from the interest in the postcard campaign outside of the Century Plaza branch June 1, they shouldn’t have too much trouble filling it.

“We ran out of cards. Initially, they gave us 250 and we are past that,” said Hart, secretary of the Friends of the Library, Century Plaza Branch.
She paused to hand a pen to Rannier Louzada, 21, so the resident of the nearby Pine Tree Apartments could add his name to a list.

“We are just making a list and transferring it to the cards later,” she said.
Louzada added his name to the list as Jason Saldana, 45, of Tivoli Park, hovered behind him, waiting his turn.

“I use the library for everything,” Louzada said. “For books. For Internet. For music. If I’m bored, I come to the library.”

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