Besides pedestrian safety, one of the benefits of the lanes will be new lane markings for drivers. If you walk or drive down the Boulevard, you will notice that most of the plastic reflectors are missing from between the lanes. They have been destroyed due to time and traffic. In many areas, especially around the blind curves, lane striping has faded over time as well. The pedestrian lanes will make our “main street” a safer, more people-friendly street. After the vote, the WHOA sent the City of Tamarac a letter asking them for these changes to be implemented. Will keep you posted on a future start date.
On Monday, November 8, 2010, the City of Tamarac Commissioners held a workshop, and one of the items on the agenda was the Woodlands Neighborhood Improvement District. Deputy City Manager Michael Cernech and Community Development Director Jennifer Bramley spoke about the district to the commission. They said the their staff had met with the individuals circulating the petition in order to understand why they wanted to do away with the district. Deputy City Manager Cernech said they were told that they did not believe it was legal or legally established; in fact, they believed that it was illegal. The City Attorney’s office has also answered correspondence that was received on the issue of legality. Cernech said he, as well as Assistant City Attorney Klahr, wanted to assure the Tamarac City Commission that the District was formed under the appropriate statute and all of this was explained at the meeting with the individuals. The petition and the fact sheet that is being circulated, which is not entirely factual, were also discussed. Bramley commented that the documentation upon which the opposition based the District’s illegality was very carefully reviewed so that the City Staff could address their concerns. They determined that a lot of the information pertained solely to HOA’s and the District is not an HOA, it is an Improvement District which is different. The City Staff tried to convey that these are two different entities and will continue to work with them to understand.
Deputy City Manager Cernech concluded that their staff will be assisting the District in doing some outreach to the affected property owners and residents and will help them do some goal setting, strategic planning, and establish priorities. They now have several other neighborhoods that are interested in pursuing similar Districts as they see the benefits. The City Staff will also work closely with the District Board and help them get in a position to be successful. They added that the District will have a neighborhood-wide ability to make some positive changes as opposed to what they are now doing section by section.
