Recently, our Green City Advisory Committee met and began its task of organizing itself for the upcoming year. Our Green City Advisory Committee members are William Moritz, Chair; Samantha Schubert, Vice Chair, Marie Davis, Karen Goldstein and Cristina Eveillard.
The first project the Board will undertake is Tree Protection, with the goal of preserving trees in the City and increasing the tree canopy in West Park. The Board will review and compare the current tree protection policy with other cities and with the national standards and the standards of the Arbor Day Foundation. The Board will then provide written recommendations to the Commission.
There are a variety of green, climate and sustainability initiatives undertaken by the 31 local governments in Broward County. As a result of a survey done in 2011 by the County, the four most commonly covered green initiatives or programs in Broward County cities are Native Landscaping, Recycling, Water Conservation and Energy Efficiency.
More than half of the 31 cities in Broward County have added bike/walking trails and made improvements to their bus shelters. More than 80 percent of the cities now have recycling at government facilities and have implemented community-wide singlestream recycling. You will see more and more cities coming onboard with new and innovative projects to conserve in the next year. For more information about this Municipal Green Initiatives Survey, contact the Broward County Environmental Protection and Growth Management Department at 954-519-1270 or visit their website at: www.broward.org/gogreen.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR AUGUST 1, 2012 COMMISSION MEETING
• Scholarships were awarded and presented to two West Park college-bound students from applications submitted and recommendations made by the Education Advisory Committee. Congratulations and best wishes to Jamon Simmons-Davenport and Ashley Henderson, recipients of the two scholarships!
• A resolution was passed accepting the proposed millage rate of 9.42 for the 2012/2013 fiscal year and setting a date, time and place for the public budget hearings. The first budget hearing will be on September 5, 2012, the second hearing will be September 26, 2012, both at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. Also there will be a Special Assessment Hearing on September 12, 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. These are public hearings and we hope you will attend.
• Two resolutions were passed, one to accept funding from the Children’s Services Council for the City’s Juvenile Crime Prevention Program and the other to authorize the spending of funds from the LETF account to establish Youth Tackle Football and Cheerleading Programs in the City.
• The City’s new Juvenile Crime Prevention Program will also provide academic services to students, nutrition and fitness activities, cultural arts activities and additional youth development activities such as field trips, guest speakers, instructional lessons, weekly visits with BSO Police and Fire and student productions. This will be a yearlong program and daily hours of operation will be from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. For more information about the Juvenile Crime Prevention Program, please call City Hall at 954-989-2688.
Well, there is a lot going on in West Park and we look forward to a busy fall and upcoming holiday season. We hope to see you all soon, please come and participate in the advisory boards and all the programs our city has to offer. And come speak to us at the Commission meetings on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. We want to hear from you. Remember budget time in the city is the time to see and understand where your tax dollars will go. Let us hear from you about your concerns, criticisms and compliments.
Call me if you need help of any kind. 954-963-7745.
