Just saw the Broward Politics post this morning by Sun Sentinel writer Brittany Wallman highlighting the opposition to the proposed redevelopment of the run-down Bahia Mar property by Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom, whose district represents most of the beach community. After reading her letter to constituents, I felt compelled to respond and offer my two cents' worth:
This plan has been discussed exhaustively and amended by the Bahia Mar Park group several times in accordance with the concerns expressed by the community. The choice is simple...a) we continue to have a run-down property with a blacktop parking lot eyesore that won't be redeveloped for years to come...or b) we get a fabulous new Waldorf Astoria, attractively designed condos and retail shops with waterfront park and renewable greenspace ...and which has the added benefit of keeping the hugely-important Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show here as the premier mega-yacht show of its kind in the world. For those of you who don't think FLIB can be replaced by another show elsewhere in the world, guess again. There are currently several major yachting centers throughout the world (along with at least two more being built as this is written) that will have the capacity AND offer the upscale attractions and environment to make it impossible for FLIBS NOT to move to a new location if we don't create the right environment for them to stay here.
Ms. Rodstrom was elected to be a steward for the best interests of her district and the City of Fort Lauderdale...and it's laudable that she's been listening to the concerns of her constituents. Some have been, to say it politely, 'over the top' on opposing this, however...and despite their every concern being addressed and resolved when it's been expressed, they simply continue to 'manufacture more concerns' in order to cloud the issue in an attempt to derail this project. Nothing in life or development is EVER perfect or will EVER satisfy everyone, so IMHO it's time to accept that this is an opportunity to help secure and enhance Fort Lauderdale's future as a world-class destination...and a world-class community. I hope Ms. Rodstrom will come around to understand that it's time take the best interests of the entire city into account and grasp the opportunity to make this project everything it can be.
I'd welcome YOUR thoughts and comments on this issue...and please feel free to spread this around to others who might offer even more and better insight on this issue...Thanks! George Q.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Monday musings...
Some random musings on a Monday morning seems about right for today:
- Have had some interesting feedback on the 'Riverwalk Tram' idea...mostly good, a few negative (as always :) and will be interesting to see what ideas will emerge from the consultants to address the issue of 'navigating' Riverwalk to enhance it's allure as a 'draw';
- Mark your calendar and save the date...Sunday, Sept. 13th...for 'A Golden Homecoming'...an event that will be bringing national exposure to our iconic International Swimming Hall of Fame. In conjunction with the annual Hall of Fame inductions weekend and the public unveiling of the new 'Greg Louganis Exhibit' at ISHOF the next day (Monday, Sept. 14th, by invitation only), a special event fundraising ceremony, reception and preview of the new exhibit will be held on that Sunday evening at which Greg Louganis will be reunited with the 1988 Olympic Gold Medal he'd given to Ryan White years ago. The medal will be presented to him by Ryan's mother, Jeanne White Grinder, to be rejoined with the rest of his Olympic Medals in the new exhibit. There is a wonderful and heartwarming story to this and is an 'event not to be missed'...a limited number of tickets will be available soon and we'll have more info on it when the event is officially announced!
- The Fort Lauderdale political landscape is about to become more and more interesting as we move through summer and into fall...if you think the 4th of July has fireworks, just wait!
...Bahia Mar Park, the redevelopment plan for Bahia Mar is on the July agenda and I suspect that will be an item of interest that will make some news (fyi...as a resident, I'm for this long-overdue redevelopment project...but more on it next time!)
...While the Commission takes it's traditional summer 'recess' in August and staff gets much-needed vacation time, the zero-based budgeting process will continue to work it's way toward a budget recommendation in September...and THAT will be an exercise in civics you won't want to miss!
...The all-important police and fire union negotiations will also be continuing during the summer and while everyone appears to want to do their part, there seem to be some inevitable 'sticking points' yet to be resolved...again, should be interesting as more info comes out;
...and, as if this isn't enough, the new Convention Center hotel and Port Everglades bypass road and security checkpoint redesign project will be coming online in the fall...all good, but not all easy!
I'd say that's enough for THIS Monday's musings! Have a great 4th of July weekend!!
- Have had some interesting feedback on the 'Riverwalk Tram' idea...mostly good, a few negative (as always :) and will be interesting to see what ideas will emerge from the consultants to address the issue of 'navigating' Riverwalk to enhance it's allure as a 'draw';
- Mark your calendar and save the date...Sunday, Sept. 13th...for 'A Golden Homecoming'...an event that will be bringing national exposure to our iconic International Swimming Hall of Fame. In conjunction with the annual Hall of Fame inductions weekend and the public unveiling of the new 'Greg Louganis Exhibit' at ISHOF the next day (Monday, Sept. 14th, by invitation only), a special event fundraising ceremony, reception and preview of the new exhibit will be held on that Sunday evening at which Greg Louganis will be reunited with the 1988 Olympic Gold Medal he'd given to Ryan White years ago. The medal will be presented to him by Ryan's mother, Jeanne White Grinder, to be rejoined with the rest of his Olympic Medals in the new exhibit. There is a wonderful and heartwarming story to this and is an 'event not to be missed'...a limited number of tickets will be available soon and we'll have more info on it when the event is officially announced!
- The Fort Lauderdale political landscape is about to become more and more interesting as we move through summer and into fall...if you think the 4th of July has fireworks, just wait!
...Bahia Mar Park, the redevelopment plan for Bahia Mar is on the July agenda and I suspect that will be an item of interest that will make some news (fyi...as a resident, I'm for this long-overdue redevelopment project...but more on it next time!)
...While the Commission takes it's traditional summer 'recess' in August and staff gets much-needed vacation time, the zero-based budgeting process will continue to work it's way toward a budget recommendation in September...and THAT will be an exercise in civics you won't want to miss!
...The all-important police and fire union negotiations will also be continuing during the summer and while everyone appears to want to do their part, there seem to be some inevitable 'sticking points' yet to be resolved...again, should be interesting as more info comes out;
...and, as if this isn't enough, the new Convention Center hotel and Port Everglades bypass road and security checkpoint redesign project will be coming online in the fall...all good, but not all easy!
I'd say that's enough for THIS Monday's musings! Have a great 4th of July weekend!!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Could Riverwalk be a little easier to navigate?
One of Mayor Seiler's oft-repeated themes for improving our downtown 'experience' has been that we have to figure out how to make our Riverwalk area even better, safer and more popular and make it a 'drawing card' for tourists and residents from beyond just our downtown populace.
Well, an idea surfaced this morning while talking politics over coffee with friends that seems to make some sense (on the surface, anyway) and might help to do just what Mayor Seiler envisions. And after walking along Riverwalk last night with my wife and a friend and quickly realizing that the heat and humidity of summer are now upon us, the idea seems especially timely.
We thought it might be interesting to float the idea of having a 'Key West Conch Tour Train-style' little tram train here on Riverwalk...running up and down Riverwalk (and maybe even surrounding streets?)...carrying people from the east end of Riverwalk at Las Olas to the west end of Riverwalk at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and The Symphony condominium...and stopping anywhere in between needed to let people on and off. Here's a picture of the Conch Tour Train from their website that shows the kind of 'style' such a 'Riverwalk Tour Tram' might take:
It wouldn't even have to be as elaborate a 'train/tram' setup as this one...maybe smaller, electric vehicles. In any case, we pretty much all agree that it would be a nice, conveniently functional and fun addition that might go a long way toward enhancing the Riverwalk experience (especially in summer!) for young and old, alike.
Of course, the ultimate question is: How do you fund it? Well, between Riverwalk Trust, DDA and the City, I'd bet we could put some thoughts together and target some grant applications (such as a few of them DDA just discussed this morning) that might help make it happen.
But for now, it's just an idea and we'd welcome YOUR comments and thoughts on whether YOU think this would be a good idea for Riverwalk...or not! Just post your comments below!
Oh...and, as always, this goes to a very limited number of recipients, so if you would pass it along to anyone who might be interested, it's much appreciated! Just tell them to go online to www.GeorgeQPublic.blogspot.com
Best! George Q.
Well, an idea surfaced this morning while talking politics over coffee with friends that seems to make some sense (on the surface, anyway) and might help to do just what Mayor Seiler envisions. And after walking along Riverwalk last night with my wife and a friend and quickly realizing that the heat and humidity of summer are now upon us, the idea seems especially timely.
We thought it might be interesting to float the idea of having a 'Key West Conch Tour Train-style' little tram train here on Riverwalk...running up and down Riverwalk (and maybe even surrounding streets?)...carrying people from the east end of Riverwalk at Las Olas to the west end of Riverwalk at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and The Symphony condominium...and stopping anywhere in between needed to let people on and off. Here's a picture of the Conch Tour Train from their website that shows the kind of 'style' such a 'Riverwalk Tour Tram' might take:
It wouldn't even have to be as elaborate a 'train/tram' setup as this one...maybe smaller, electric vehicles. In any case, we pretty much all agree that it would be a nice, conveniently functional and fun addition that might go a long way toward enhancing the Riverwalk experience (especially in summer!) for young and old, alike.
Of course, the ultimate question is: How do you fund it? Well, between Riverwalk Trust, DDA and the City, I'd bet we could put some thoughts together and target some grant applications (such as a few of them DDA just discussed this morning) that might help make it happen.
But for now, it's just an idea and we'd welcome YOUR comments and thoughts on whether YOU think this would be a good idea for Riverwalk...or not! Just post your comments below!
Oh...and, as always, this goes to a very limited number of recipients, so if you would pass it along to anyone who might be interested, it's much appreciated! Just tell them to go online to www.GeorgeQPublic.blogspot.com
Best! George Q.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Recent Sun Sentinel articles 'off the mark' on Police & Sheriff's overtime pay
I'm very pleased to post, with his permission, a friend's letter to the Sun Sentinel today regarding the paper's recent coverage of the Fort Lauderdale Police and Broward Sheriffs' overtime pay issues. I know him to be a savvy and experienced observer, so without any further ado, here's today's post...his letter to the Sun Sentinel on this issue:
(as addressed to the Sun Sentinel)
"Shame on You! Your recent pieces regarding overtime at the Fort Lauderdale Police Department and the Broward Sheriff’s office were disgraceful. You made the public servants who risk their lives everyday look like criminals for being willing to work overtime. They should certainly not be faulted for taking advantage of the opportunity presented to them...after all, America was founded on individual enterprise and hard work. If there is any valid criticism here, it should target the administration of the departments. Unfortunately, there was precious little information regarding various metrics that might be used to assess whether the amounts of overtime in question are problematic. One such metric would be the departments’ percentage of overtime relative to other similar agencies. From my business experience, 8% of payroll is a very reasonable level of overtime. If a department needs to buy extra hours, they can hire, train, and pay benefits to a permanent employee or they can pay a 50% premium to existing staff. The permanent employee will always get a check, whether the work is there or not, the Overtime is only paid when the hours are needed. With benefits packages running close to 30% of pay and training costs easily running another 30%, I’d say buying these hours on a flexible basis for only a 50% premium is GOOD BUSINESS. For one, I applaud the management for judiciously managing our tax dollars and keeping fixed costs in check. To the employees who are willing to sell their time for the best possible price – good for you!"
Mark Snead
-----
Well said, Mark!...and a big 'Amen!' to it from George Q. Public!!
(as addressed to the Sun Sentinel)
"Shame on You! Your recent pieces regarding overtime at the Fort Lauderdale Police Department and the Broward Sheriff’s office were disgraceful. You made the public servants who risk their lives everyday look like criminals for being willing to work overtime. They should certainly not be faulted for taking advantage of the opportunity presented to them...after all, America was founded on individual enterprise and hard work. If there is any valid criticism here, it should target the administration of the departments. Unfortunately, there was precious little information regarding various metrics that might be used to assess whether the amounts of overtime in question are problematic. One such metric would be the departments’ percentage of overtime relative to other similar agencies. From my business experience, 8% of payroll is a very reasonable level of overtime. If a department needs to buy extra hours, they can hire, train, and pay benefits to a permanent employee or they can pay a 50% premium to existing staff. The permanent employee will always get a check, whether the work is there or not, the Overtime is only paid when the hours are needed. With benefits packages running close to 30% of pay and training costs easily running another 30%, I’d say buying these hours on a flexible basis for only a 50% premium is GOOD BUSINESS. For one, I applaud the management for judiciously managing our tax dollars and keeping fixed costs in check. To the employees who are willing to sell their time for the best possible price – good for you!"
Mark Snead
-----
Well said, Mark!...and a big 'Amen!' to it from George Q. Public!!
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