Lights for the ball field or water fountains?

Those are the two options proposed for improving George English Park in Fort Lauderdale. And city commissioners will eventually have the final say.

For residents of the city’s Coral Ridge neighborhood, the argument began over how to spend $150,000 the city originally earmarked for park improvements. The discussion sparked two meetings of the Coral Ridge Civic Association last week.

The issue has split residents into two camps: one in favor of lighting the park’s ball field, and the other focused on amenities such as awnings, drinking fountains and landscaping, which would serve park users of all ages.

Scott Tilbrook, vice president of the Fort Lauderdale Little League, asked residents to propose buying lights.

“It’s a city park; it’s zoned for lights,” he said. “There are 10 teams using the field now, and there isn’t enough practice time."

“I want to make sure the kids get adequate use of the park,” association member Al Massey said. “But we’ve got to protect the interests of the park.

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Wallpapering Jim McNalis’ hallway are photographs documenting 10 years of trips to Burma, now called Myanmar, a large Asian country on China’s southern border.

The laughing schoolchildren in one photograph belie the difficulties of life in Myanmar. The plights of its people and the hope of one woman, Aung San Suu Kyi, are the inspiration for many of McNalis’ sculptures.

“Accidently, I’m documenting the hot shots for democracy,” said McNalis, who lives in The Carlyle in Fort Lauderdale. “When I travel, I get all this energy from the people, then I get back to my studio and use it.”

His favorite work is a bust of Suu Kyi, created with Myanmar soil pilfered from famous shrines and the banks of the Irrawaddy River.

“The whole world knows about Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, but no one knows about her,” McNalis said. “What a role model for young girls.”

McNalis’ art career was not always so controversial. He came to Florida in the early 1970s to be an art director for Disney. With his inner nomad itching to move, McNalis resigned and began traveling the world. He came upon a Burmese refugee camp in 1988 and became interested in helping its residents.

“Art is the only thing that makes my life work," McNalis said.

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When you live as close to Port Everglades as some Harbordale residents do, it’s reasonable to expect a little traffic spillover from one of the country’s busiest entry points. But that doesn’t always make it easier to live with.

“Traffic is a double-edged sword, because it’s caused by our commercial success,” said Harbordale resident Donna Mergenhagen.

The Harbordale neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale is bound on the west by Federal Highway and on the east by the Intracoastal. On its northern edge is Davie Boulevard, and to the south is Hollywood. The area includes ambitious retail spots along the 17th Street Causeway, at least up to the bridge over the Intracoastal.

To limit motorists cutting through the neighborhood, residents have petitioned the city for unique speed cushions, which are three small cushions made of rubber and polyurethane that allow emergency vehicles to drive around them.

So far the city has installed cushions in several areas, but the Harbordale Association has requested the city study the possibility of adding more, association president Marilyn Mammano said.

“Every time Port Everglades has an upsurge, the traffic affects us,” she said. “It’s difficult enough to get through the intersection of Southeast 17th Street and Federal Highway. Cars and trucks from the port make things worse.”

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