LOST DOG

Keegan: neutered male brown and white (red brindle) Whippet (looks like a small greyhound)skittish afraid of loud noises and may be injured

Lost Late December 22, 2008 River Oaks / Croissant Park , Ft. Lauderdale
Wendy Cummins Phone Number: 954-816-4895

Please help us find Keegan. My little boy is devastated

The Thrift Shoppe has the entire store on sale for 1/2 off every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month. They have some great stuff and the proceeds go to the Children's Foundation at Broward General Medical Center, now known as Broward Health. It is run by Auxiliary volunteers.

Stop in and you may find a better way to get your holiday shopping done while benefiting children at the same time. It is on Andrews Avenue - directly across the street from the hospital.

WARNING - Lexi was STOLEN!

LEXI IS HOME!!!!! She is so happy to be back home.

She was STOLEN in Fort Lauderdale. Watch out for an olive complexion male with accent - approximately 35 years old - driving a small, silver Honda convertible sports car - He may be a taxi cab driver for Broward Taxi with the phone # 888-8888 on the taxi.

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR PRAYERS AND HELP - OUR FAMILY TRULY APPRECIATES IT.

Health & Happiness,

Learn from Yesterday, Live for Today, Hope for Tomorrow

Croissant Park Elementary is Having a Yard Sale

Date: November 8, 2008
Time: 8 a.m. to 12 noon
Location: Croissant Park School parking lot on the corner of 4th & 17th

All kinds of gifts and goodies for all.

Come Join Us!

Food and drinks will be sold

If you are interested in selling, you may rent a spot from the P.T.A. (754)323-5300 ext. 304

Streusel Pumpkin Pie

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening
4 to 5 tablespoons water
FILLING:
1 can (30 ounces) pumpkin pie mix
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
STREUSEL TOPPING:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons cold butter

In a bowl, combine flour, pecans and salt; cut in the shortening until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until a ball forms. Divide dough in half. Roll out each portion to fit a 9-in. pie plate; place pastry in pie plates. Flute edges and set aside. Combine pie mix, milk and egg; pour into pastry shells. For topping, combine brown sugar, flour, pecans and cinnamon in a small bowl; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over filling. Cover edges of pastry loosely with foil. Bake at 375 deg. for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 2 pies (6-8 servings each).

Bertha Johnson
Indianapolis, Indiana

Read the Croissant Park Newsletter online

Hi All,

Here is the Croissant Park Newsletter online <<< Click Here to See More.

We would be happy if you read it and pass the link on to a friend !!!

Have a great weekend and see you at the General Meeting Oct 28th.
God Bless,
John

EARN POINTS ($) FOR CROISSANT PARK

OUR NEXT CVC PROJECT IS IN SOUTH MIDDLE RIVER! - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2008
Importance: High

Please join us for our next CVC project cleaning up the medians and road closures in South Middle River. We are meeting at the road closure of NW 5th Avenue [off of Sunrise] - parking is available on either side of 5th in the business lots. We will be working from NW 2nd Ave - NW 7th Terrace.

WHEN - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25TH, 2008

TIME - 8:00AM

WHERE - SOUTH MIDDLE RIVER

WHAT - CLEANING UP THE STREET CLOSURES & MEDIANS.

Come and earn points for your HOA and get community service hours.

If you cannot attend but wish to support the CVC's efforts, we could always use donations to purchase t-shirts and refreshments.

We look forward to seeing you.

Maxine Singh
Commission Assistant Coordinator
Office of the Mayor & City Commission
100 North Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
954-828-5005
msingh@fortlauderdale.gov

Annual Croissant Park Halloween Party

Gather up your little monsters / princesses and bring them to the annual Croissant Park Safe Halloween Party on Saturday, October 25 - from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

It's at the Community Center - 245 West Park Drive on the south side of the school. We will have both inside and outside fun (depending on the weather). There will be GAMES, CRAFTS, FACE PAINTING, the MUMMY WRAP contest, COSTUME contest, BUG HUNT, and lots of prizes and candy.

The Association volunteers will be grilling dogs and serving drinks - $1 each.

We have had some great contributions of candy / cash from some of the neighbors and we will be accepting more right up to the day of the event. If you want to contribute, please contact either Karla Carlson at naturallykarla@yahoo.com or Rhonda Kramer at FritzandRhonda@yahoo.com

or you can call the Association message center at 954-636-3775. Every contribution helps make the event even better and is much appreciated.

Richard The Lion Hearted

He has been found! Thanks to George & Janice Reres on 14th Street for spotting him. His humans are very happy and grateful to all who kept an eye out for him this past month.

Hurricane Ike

STAY INFORMED:

For updates before, during and after a hurricane:

VISIT the City website at http://www.fortlauderdale.gov/


CALL the Hurricane Emergency Hotline at
954-828-8888

WATCH Comcast Cable Channel 78

LISTEN to radio station 1610 AM

Hurricane Preparedness Web Site Features Comprehensive Lists of Generator-Ready Grocery Stores and Gas Stations

Date: August 6, 2008

Contact: Judy Sarver, Office of Public Communications

Phone: 954-357-6990

Committed to helping residents be "Ready. Set. Safe." during a severe storm or hurricane, Broward County now features comprehensive lists of generator-ready grocery stores and gas stations on the official Broward County Hurricane Preparedness Web site, www.broward.org/hurricane.

The web site consists of more than 70 grocery stores throughout Broward County, including Publix, Albertsons, Winn-Dixie, Whole Foods and Sedano's supermarkets. If extensive property damage does not occur, these stores expect to be ready to open for business shortly after a hurricane occurs, even in the event of a power outage.

The web site also features a list of generator-ready gas stations. A law requiring certain gas stations to be pre-wired for backup generators took effect at the beginning of the 2007 hurricane season. In Broward County, all large gas stations with at least 16 fueling positions (eight dispensers accessed from both sides) located within a half-mile of an interstate, turnpike or evacuation route must install a pre-wired system to accommodate the use of a generator. The station is not required to have a permanent generator on-site; they can be pre-wired and rent a generator. The law does not require the station to be open for business after a natural disaster.

"Residents should look for the Hurricane Ready Decal prominently displayed at grocery stores and gas stations in their neighborhood," said Broward County Emergency Management Division Director Chuck Lanza. "The availability of this information on the web site gives many residents the ability to better plan during the recovery process and demonstrates a strong partnership between county government and the private sector in support of our community."

In addition, Broward County's Hurricane Web site contains useful information, maps, telephone numbers and web site addresses to help you be prepared for and recover from a severe storm or hurricane. The site also lists the ten municipality-operated emergency information radio stations in Broward County. Cities with emergency radio stations include: Coral Springs, Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Lauderhill, Oakland Park, Pembroke Pines, Plantation, Sunrise and Weston.

For more information on hurricane preparedness, visit www.broward.org/hurricane.

CITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM (NFIP)

The City of Fort Lauderdale participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) so that residents can obtain flood insurance to cover their property against loss from flood damage. Participation in the NFIP requires that the City provide residents with the following information to raise awareness of flood hazards and teach residents how to protect themselves and their property in the event of a flood in our area.


LOCAL FLOOD HAZARD
You are receiving this information because you live in an area that has experienced flooding in the past. Although 2006 and 2007 were mild storm seasons, the City did experience some flooding after Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and other unnamed storms in 2003 and 2004.

The majority of Fort Lauderdale is in or near a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), which is an area where flooding may occur. In the event of a hurricane, rainstorm, high tide, storm surge or other natural disaster in our area, the waterways and sensitive drainage basins located throughout the City (Atlantic Ocean, Intracoastal Waterway, Middle River, C-13 East and C-12 basins, and the New River Canal) can overflow and cause flooding. Flooding in Fort Lauderdale is most likely to occur along our local rivers and canals.

You can determine whether or not you live in an SFHA by contacting the City's Planning and Zoning Department at (954) 828-3266. If you live in an SFHA, you may be required to obtain flood insurance. Flood protection assisted many local residents who suffered flood damage after hurricanes Katrina and Wilma.

Ficus Whitefly is Killing our trees/hedges!!!!!

ALERT- FICUS WHITEFLY INFESTATION

If you have a ficus hedge- you need to be very aware of the possible infestation of whitefly. It is an extremely virulent pest – fast moving- and will defoliate and kill your ficus in no time at all. If you have not noticed any brown or thinning patches on your ficus yet- all you need to do is look around the neighborhood and you will see numerous examples of it. At first, you might not realize you have a problem and may think that with water restrictions, your hedge just isn’t doing well-but within days you will have empty dead patches of ficus.

Even if you have not seen any sign of damage yet, take a look at the underside of a few green leaves. If you see a number of tiny little white spots on the underside of the leaf- you have whitefly and it will progress, without treatment, to the next stage of defoliation.

I am not advocating any particular company or method of treatment – but in searching for information on the pest came across a web site for a pest control company that had a very good article on the whitefly – so am including a link to that site – for the information it provides only- and to some other articles you can check out. See http://www.onetwotree.com/advisories.php?gclid=CJf0nJ-KuJQCFROI1QodixLVTQ

The bottom line- we lost so much foliage after Wilma - it took almost 2 years for my hedge to fill out- I don’t want to have to replant and start over and am hoping that the treatment I have been doing my yard will halt the progression – and that those of you who get this warning will pass it along to your neighbors as I’d hate to see the entire neighborhood with dead hedges. Don’t delay!

Also check out http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/enpp/ento/Singhiella%20simplex.html

And http://blog.ewm.com/2007/12/04/whitefly-attacks-south-florida-ficus/

Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization

Hi All,

The Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is updating its Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). To ensure that the new plan serves the needs of its residents, visitors and employers, the MPO is hosting a series of Public Workshops for the public to identify current transportation deficiencies and recommend the best transportation improvement strategies to correct these deficiencies at present and in the future.

The LRTP includes proposed financially feasible transportation improvement projects needed to meet the future travel demand of people and goods in the Broward County urban area. These projects include roadway, transit, pedestrian, bicycle, waterborne, and greenway facilities. The LRTP covers a 20-year period and is used by transportation officials and decision makers to guide the expenditure of transportation dollars.

The MPO has developed a Public Involvement Plan (PIP) for the 2035 Long-Range Transportation Plan Update to ensure maximum public participation and to build consensus for the LRTP. As part of the public outreach program, local communities are invited to attend the following Public Workshops designed to provide an opportunity to learn about the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) process and decisions.

¨ Tuesday, July 22, 2008, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Broward County Government Center, 115 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL

¨ Thursday, July 24, 2008, 2 - 4 p.m.
South Florida Regional Planning Council, 3440 Hollywood Blvd, Suite 140, Hollywood, FL

¨ Monday, July 28, 2008, 6 - 8 p.m.
Northwest Regional Library, 3151 N. University Drive, Coral Springs, FL

¨ Tuesday, July 29, 2008, 6 - 8 p.m.
Southwest Regional Library, 7300 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines, FL

¨ Wednesday, July 30, 2008, 6 - 8 p.m.
Emma Lou Olson Civic Center, 1801 N.E. Sixth St., Pompano Beach, FL

If you require workshop information in Spanish or Creole or special communications assistance, or for more information about the Public Workshops, please contact Adams Consulting Group at (954) 764-8500 or email mpolrtp@bellsouth.net.
God Bless,
John

Signal on 17th and 9th Ave is Being Taken Out Today

Hi All,

Cindi Hutchinson called me today to tell you all that the light on 17th Street and 9th Ave is being taken out today.

You will see temporary stop signs there now and the light just blinking red. In 2 weeks the whole light will be taken down.

Have a great 4th of July weekend !!!
God Bless,
John

Black Bean Mango Salad

John McNamara requested this after I made it for the June membership meeting – which in case you did not attend- your loss – as the Wild Life Care Center presentation was fantastic- I thought I knew a lot about the critters you encounter in the yard – but learned a lot. Who knew that possums actually faint from fright- not because they are trying to trick you.

Anyway, as I told John, this is the basic outline for the recipe – you have to add or subtract ingredients to taste and how many you want to serve. I have just given the basic ingredient list – play with it till it tastes the way you like it. If you make too much – it does keep well for a few days- and you can eat it with everything. It might sound odd - but it is terrific with scrambled eggs - and with pork tenderloin, steak, chicken – whatever.

If you don't like mango - you can leave it out or add pineapple. 2 large cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 mangos, or more, to taste, peeled and cubed (I make this a lot in the winter and use frozen mango – tastes the same and is already peeled for you!)
1 medium red onion – more or less- per your taste- chopped
1 or more red pepper – chopped
1 or more yellow pepper- chopped
8 oz. frozen yellow corn (or fresh from cob)
8 oz. frozen green peas
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped, to taste
Salt & pepper to taste
Cilantro, chopped, to taste

Defrost the peas and corn and cook in microwave about 2 minutes- you want them to still be a little crunchy. Drain well, add to bowl with rest of salad ingredients except cilantro.


Dressing

All measures are approximate- you will just have to see how it tastes to you

4-5 Tbs. lime juice
3-4 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. honey
2 tsp. peeled, grated fresh ginger (I also buy the tubes of prepared ginger in the cold produce section of the grocery store next to the fresh herbs- last forever and tastes great)
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
Salt & pepper
Dash or two – or more, hot pepper sauce

Whisk the dressing ingredients – taste for flavor and adjust if necessary. Add dressing to salad and toss to mix well. Best if made an hour or so ahead to let flavors settle. Add chopped cilantro just before serving and mix again.

Projected New Cluster Homes SW 16 Street

Hi All,

This message is from the city of Ft. Lauderdale:
Please be advised that this project will be going to the Planning and Zoning Board for review on July 16th, 2008. This project will be on west side of SW 4th Ave and north of SW 16 court. Not
directly on the corner but the 2nd lot up from the corner.

To see the project go to: http://civicgogo.com/SITEPOOLPLAN.pdf

I have sent the pdf files to you a few months ago, but I didn't get any response regarding the project.

If you have time, please review the previous site plan as well as the attached change which will show the proposed pool instead of the seating/grill area. <>

Yvonne M. Redding
Planner II
Planning Division
(954) 828-6495 (work)
(954) 828-5858 (Fax)
yredding@fortlauderdale.gov

IF this of interest to you, please contact Yvonne immediately !!!
God Bless,
John

It's Going To Be a Wild Night!

The Wildlife Care Center will be attending the Tuesday night meeting (6/24/08) to give a presentation. They are just down the road from Croissant Park and you really should come take a look at what they do in our community.

It is also "cold salad" night - so bring a favorite to share, or just come enjoy what your neighbors concoct for your enjoyment. Coffee by Expresso Coffee. The meeting starts at 7:00 in the Croissant Park Community Center (the south side of the school, next to the pools) Hope to see you.

June / July Online Croissant Park Newsletter

Hi All,

Click here to see the Newsletter for June / July 2008.

http://civicgogo.com/08Junenews.pdf

I hope to see you at the next meeting this Tuesday, June 24 at 7pm, @ the community center.

Bring your Favorite Cold Salad and we will have the Wildlife Care Center there !!

God Bless,
John

Starlight Musicals

Hi Everyone -

Last night Loren and I had all the fun managing the recycling for the Starlight Musical in Holiday Park. Best seats in the house, nearly no work, we earned almost $400 for the Association while relaxing and being served free Starbucks frozen coffee drinks. Next Friday we could use two volunteers. It's the Valerie Tyson Band - Rhythm & Blues. 6:30 to 10pm. A lot of fun. E-mail Loren or I at Loren.Colburn@gmail.com or slgkerr@aol.com - to volunteer. First come, first served.

Thanks,

Suzanne Kerr, CPCA Recycle Committee

Yet another stray dog

has been noticed between 4th Avenue and 6th Avenue- 14th Court-15th Street- a brown and white pit bull looking mix- it was loose on Monday(Juen 16th) with its owners looking for it and yet again on Tuesday - hopefully it has found its way home- but if anyone knows who it belongs to - please let us know.

FOUND DOG & found OWNER

We think the little dog is a Schnauzer-poodle mix. Maybe around a year old. Male, not neutered. We found him on Friday 6/13.

Well Friday the 13th wasn't totally unlucky for this pooch. His owners were located, but it took awhile. His tags needed updating! Keep your pets info up to date so this doesn't happen to your precious pooch. A current phone # would have had him home a lot sooner.

Gore Nursery - from Bob & Fred Betz (owners)

Thanks for all you have done to help us with the greenspace park at Gore Nursery. Our final meeting we hope is this Tuesday the 24th. Commissioner John Rodstrom Jr. is supporting making Gore Nursery a park. We do not know how the other commissioners will vote. If you would contact them with your support for the park Fred and I feel this could finally seal the deal with the county. Here is a list of the commissioner's e-mail and phone numbers. Lois Wexler 954-357-7003 lwexler@broward.org , Sue Guzburger 954-357-7006 sgunzburger@broward.org , Stacy Ritter 954-357-7003 sritter@broward.org , Ilene Liberman 954-357-7001 , ilieberman@broward.org , Diana Wasserman-Rubin 954-357-7008 dwassermanrubin@broward.org , Kristin Jacobs 954-357-7002 kjacobs@broward.org , Josephus Eggelletion, jr. 954-357-7009 jeggelletion@broward.org , Ken Keechl 954-357-7004 kkeechl@broward.org . We would love to see the nursery a park thanks for all you have done in the past. Calling or e-mailing these commissioners could make the difference in your neighborhood or our city getting some much needed green space. Thanks again Bob and Fred

Traffic Signal at the "T" intersection of SW 9 Avenue and SW 17

Hi All,

This came to me from Cindi Hutchinson:

The County has advised on the following action:

The traffic signal at the "T" intersection of SW 9 Avenue and SW 17 street had been dewarranted, therefore they are recommending it's removal before the new school session begins. The intersection will be signed as a three-way stop operation after the signal removal. They also noted that the Commissioner had relayed safety concerns from the HOA on speeding vehicles trying to clear the intersection before the red phase.
______________________________________________

The traffic signal operation at the Davie Blvd overpass at I-95 has been modified, thus allowing east/west traffic to flow simultaneously as opposed to the previous operation. This change will improve on traffic flow along the corridor by decreasing delay.

God Bless,
John

The Iceman Doesn't cometh.....

Attached is a portion of an article by Scott Wyman in today's Sun Sentinel- warning people that Broward County will not be giving away free ice in the event of a hurricane.

If a hurricane hits, don't expect Broward County to provide free ice.Emergency management administrators want residents to look to grocery chains rather than government to meet their ice needs during any major outage. They are promoting a program in which hurricane-ready decals identify supermarkets and gas stations that plan to use backup generators to be open for business.Widespread ice distribution has been a problem-plagued task. Officials had trouble quickly distributing ice after Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and then were stuck with $2 million in unused ice the next year because no hurricane hit.The county plans to instead focus attention on higher priorities that include helping those with medical needs. Those who need ice for medical reasons would receive it.

As If- the newest foreclosure scam

As if the mortgage/foreclosure crisis is not bad enough -it looks like it is going to get worse- and from a source that, had we been thinking, we would have realized was inevitable. I'll get to that in a minute.The average person hears in the paper and on the T.V. news that the current foreclosure rate is overwhelming, but it only takes a trip to the court house for the reality of those news reports to hit home. I was in the court house for over two hours yesterday on a foreclosure where I am representing the home owner attempting to get him some more time to work out a deal with his lender. The hearing I was in lasted 15 minutes. The rest of the time? In line at the foreclosure window of the clerks office. I was fourth in line but was behind three lawyers all with at least three file folder boxes filled with new cases. Only because a former student of mine who was third in line took pity on me and let me go ahead of her did I manage to get out of there after a mere 1 3/4 hours. My former student had her own file boxes of new cases to file and told me that by the time she got back to her office, there would likely be 100 new files opened.

As if the current waive of investor defaulted loans and subprime foreclosures weren't enough - we should start bracing ourselves for yet another new waive of foreclosures from what should have been an unexpected source- people with good credit who are current on their mortgages. Why would someone with good credit who is able to make their mortgage payments each month default on their loan? It is the latest mortgage scam - and when I say scam - I mean scam in the way of mortgage fraud. Who is doing this and how does it work? An example. Say you bought your small house in a nice neighborhood 4 years ago and paid $600,000 for it. You got an original loan of $540,000 and put in $60,000 in cash to close. Six months later, you got an appraisal saying your house was worth $700,000 - and you refinanced getting a new $630,000 mortgage, paying off your $540,000 loan, reimbursing yourself for the initial cash to close of $60,000 and getting $30,000 in cash back. This means that you have no cash of your own in the house. Fast forward a year or two, and your house is now worth $430,000. (I promise this is not going to turn into a math question having anything to do with what time the train arrives in Albany). You can stay in your house and continue to make payments on your $630,000 mortgage, acknowledging the fact that you now owe $200,000 more on your mortgage than the property is worth - or you decide to jump back into the market and buy a new house. After all, there are plenty of bargains out there, and you can move up from your small little house in the nice neighborhood to a big house in the neighborhood for less money than you paid for your first house - and with a lower interest rate on the new loan.

What's wrong with that you might ask? Well, in order to do that, people are representing to their lenders that they have a renter for either their existing house, or the new house, who will pay all the expenses. They indicate that the new, or old home will be held as an investment. The banks lend these people with the fabulous credit the money for the new house- they close on it and move in. The are now living in their dream house- and are going to stay put- so that sterling credit is not so important to them. So, and I'm sure you have already guessed this - they stop making mortgage payments on the tiny dream home and the lender for that house forecloses, further extending the foreclosure cycle and adding to the glut of homes for sale.

Sadly, given how quick government regulators were to catch on to what was going on in the subprime market, by the time this trend is noted nationwide, thousands of new foreclosure cases will have been filed.

Wyland's Sealife / Dolphin Mural in Ft. Lauderdale Moving Along

Hi All,

I stopped by yesterday, Thursday June 12, to see where Wyland was on his Sea Life Mural in North Lauderdale. He got a lot done but there still a lot of open spaces on the wall, so we will see if he will be done by Saturday June 14. But here are some photos of what I saw so far.


He seems to be painting a theme of the Florida Waterway Eco Systems, from the Mangrove area of Florida, to the intra coastal waterways, to the Oceans and the reefs. Because he has started the western portion of the wall with Mangroves and Manatees, then Dolphins Swimming along in brackish waterway which is the intra coastal, and then sea turtles and the coral reefs. Also, I think Wyland had some contribution from other artists to help paint the mural too.




Florida Manatees swimming in Mangrove Islands

Mangrove Islands of the Florida Keys





Dolphin's Swimming Along the Intra Coastal Waterway



Sea Turtles in the beautiful Florida Oceans



A Brain Coral of Florida and Another Artist Painting



Wyland Teaching Children to Paint Dolphins



Save Our Oceans - A great message !!

It was exciting to see the work in progress. I hope he is able to finish the Sea Life Mural by Saturday, but we will see. Let's pray the weather is with him, so far it has been pretty good.


God Bless,

John

Broward General Medical Center Thrift Shoppe May Close

Hi All,

My neighbor, Donya, who works at the Broward General Medical Center Auxiliary Thrift Shoppe at 1623 S. Andrews Ave, South Side of the Copper Kettle Restaurant, may close to lack of support and shoppers.

This thrift store helps support the Children's Hospital at Broward General Medical Center. They have plenty of small appliances, small funiture, knick knacks, books, and clothes. So if you don't want to see this store close, please go and shop.

Donya says, its hard to find, so call, 954-762-9477.
God Bless,
John

Famous Artist Wyland is in Ft. Lauderdale

Hi All,

This past Friday I went to see Wyland the famous Marine Life artist paint a huge Mural on McNab Road, just west of Rock Island Road. I am posting this because this is rare occurrence. It like seeing Dali painting. Wyland has a huge gallery on Las Olas in fact.

This is the last mural he is going to paint in North America. This is mural 99 and plans to stop with mural 100 that he plans to paint in China this year before the Olympics. When I got there, there were hardly any onlooker yet but they were prepared for many to arrive. They had many trucks with staff and materials, viewing stands and podium for announcements. So they were planning on a big affair.

I rushed around to see where Wyland was. I asked and there he was right in front of me. He was in the process of sketching out his design for the mural on a piece of paper. From what I have read, he never plans his mural. Only on the day of the murals, he designs the mural and then implement the design.

When I saw him, I introduced myself to him and mentioned that I stayed at his hotel, the Wyland Waikiki this past month. It brought a smile to him. He was gracious and said to me "hey, you want to take a photo with me". "Of coarse",I said, I obliged him and had a photo with him. He was really chatty and nice. He said "stick around I am about to start my work".

I did not get to see the design but I hope he gets lots of dolphin swimming around in his mural, because these are my favorite marine animal. But I will have to wait till next Saturday to see the final outcome of his work.

Here are some photos of what I saw the other day.



Wyland's Truck with All His Supplies

Wyland taking a photo with me

Wyland getting ready to start his Mural

Base coat done and Wyland letting the airbrush fly

They said he will be finished in 1 week, Saturday, June 14th, so hopefully I will be there by Wednesday or Thurdsday to see the 1/2 way point to report to you all.

I have to say I was pretty excited to see and meet him. He seems to be doing a lot to help promote sealife awareness. You may want to check out his Wyland Fondation to see what he is into and stand for.

Do you like what Wyland is doing for the Ocean and Marine life?

God Bless,

John

Gore Nursery - Park or Townhomes - You decide!

No time to waste! The County Commission has approved the purchase price for this site. Now it goes to the City Commission TOMORROW (Tuesday, June3)! These monies are earmarked for preserving greenspace in our county. Would you like some of that greenspace to be in our neighborhood? Now there's a NO BRAINER - unless you happen to be a developer.

But - this is NOT a done deal. The City Commissioners could say NO to the purchase and spend the money elsewhere.

Neighbors who attended the April neighborhood meeting of the Croissant Park Civic Association voted to support the purchase of this property to be used as greenspace.

Now you can help too. Send an email (RIGHT NOW) to the city commissioners expressing your desire for a YES vote on the purchase of Gore Nursery for greenspace. The email addresses are as follows:

MayorJames@aol.com

cteel@fortlauderdale.gov

crodstrom@fortlauderdale.gov

cmoore@fortlauderdale.gov

chutchinson@fortlauderdale.gov

don't wait - speak now - before it is too late!

Crime Under The Tent

Warning - thieves are watching for houses being "tented" for termites. Neighbors have reported thieves breaking into backyard sheds while their homes were being fumigated. The local news has reported that some homes have actually been entered during fumigation and ransacked! When you remove your food, take your valuables also. Sheeeeesshh!

Advertise in the Croissant Park News

There is space available in the Croissant Park News which has a distribution of 1600. It is also being viewed on-line through this blog. The deadline for ad submissions is the 10th of the month. You can contact Karla for rates or check the back page of the newsletter.
See you in the funny papers!

MEMBERSHIP

Gee - did I send in my membership dues to the Association for 2008? Yes, I'm sure I did. Oh wait, that was back in 2004 (sound familiar?). How come nobody came knocking on my door to collect my $20? I like getting the newsletter and this new blog is pretty cool for staying informed without waiting for the newsletter to arrive. And I bet that repairing and painting our entry signs was not cheap. This stuff probably all costs money and the Association IS an all volunteer organization. Maybe I'll send in my dues right now! While I'm at it - maybe I'll ask my next door neighbor if they want to put their membership application in the same envelope and save on stamps. Heck, maybe I'll knock on all the doors on my block and get everyone's dues and put them in that envelope!
Volunteers are the backbone of our community. The beauty of becoming a volunteer is YOU get to decide to do something simply because you want to make a difference. Sending in your dues is important monetary support for your neighborhood - getting your neighbor to join is big - getting your block to join is HUGE. What can you do?
Your memberhsip is important - it's what makes Croissant Park A Nice Place To Live. Let's ALL keep it going - not just a few - strength in numbers!

You can send your check for $20 to the Croissant Park Civic Association - P.O. Box 13117, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
Peace - Rhonda Kramer, Croissant Park News editor

New Cluster Homes Being Built on 4th Ave

Hi All,

Yvonne from the City has been emailing me if anyone has any concerns or questions about the 3 unit cluster development on SW 4th Ave. With access off the alley in the back. The structures will be 2 story high.

Please if anyone has concerns please contact Yvonne from the city soon. This project is going up for review very soon.

Yvonne M. Redding
Planner II
Planning Division
(954) 828-6495 (work)
(954) 828-5858 (Fax)
yredding@fortlauderdale.gov

God Bless,
John

NOMINATE A FORT LAUDERDALE HOME FOR A WOW AWARD!

The Fort Lauderdale Community Appearance Board recognizes residential properties throughout the City that contribute to the aesthetic appeal of the neighborhood through its WOW Award Program.

Board members typically nominate homes for a WOW award, but this year, the Board is expanding the program to provide additional opportunities for Fort Lauderdale homeowners to receive recognition for the outstanding appearance of their properties.

Residents may now nominate their own home or a neighbor's home for a monthly WOW Award. The nomination may be for landscaping, renovation, property maintenance, overall exterior beauty and style, and neighborhood enhancement.

Nominating a property is quick and easy. Simply complete the form on the City's website at www.fortlauderdale.gov/neighborhoods/wow_awards.htm and a Community Appearance Board member will follow up with the homeowner regarding the nomination.

If a property is selected as a WOW winner, the homeowner will receive special recognition at a City Commission meeting, a gift certificate from program sponsor Causeway Lumber, and a WOW Winner yard sign to display on their property, courtesy of program sponsor Castelli Real Estate Services. The owner's home will also be featured on Channel 78, the City's government access cable station, and possibly in local and City publications.

For more information about the WOW Award Program or about becoming a Community Appearance Board member, please call 954-828-7808.

AMNESTY OFFERED ON DELINQUENT PARKING TICKETS

City of Fort Lauderdale's one-time amnesty program runs until May 30, 2008

The City of Fort Lauderdale has a deal for drivers holding unpaid parking tickets: "Pay off tickets now and the City will waive late fees of up to $20 each, or ignore the amnesty offer and risk getting the dreaded boot."

The boot is a forbidding-looking metal device that locks onto the wheels of a vehicle to prevent movement. The City plans to step-up use of the persuasive boot to target repeat offenders.

Unpaid tickets can also result in blocked renewal of license plates.
Penalties and punishment can be avoided. The City's one-time amnesty program runs from April 1 to May 30, 2008 and penalties will be waived if payment is received during this 60-day period. Payments received before or after these dates will not qualify for the amnesty program.
Payment methods:
q Online: Visa & MasterCard accepted: www.fortlauderdale.gov/parkingtickets
q By phone: Visa & MasterCard accepted at 954-828-3700
q By mail: Mail to City of Fort Lauderdale Payment Processing Center, P.O. Box 14790, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33302
q In person: 290 N.E. 3rd Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 or City Hall drive thru, 100 N. Andrews Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 (M-F, 7:45 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and Thursdays, 7:45 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.)

The City is sending letters nationwide offering the amnesty program to drivers with unpaid tickets.

For more information, call 954-828-3700 or visit www.fortlauderdale.gov/parking.

Ft. Lauderdale Tourism Facts

Hi All,

I thought you might find this interesting from the Ft. Lauderdale Convention and Visitor Bureau.

Greater Fort Lauderdale and Florida Tourism Fast Facts

Did you know, in 2007…

· 82.4 million people visited Florida.

· 10.6 million visited Greater Fort Lauderdale.

· 991,300 people were directly employed in travel related jobs in Florida.

· 118,525 people were directly employed in travel related jobs in Greater Fort Lauderdale.

· Tourism spending (tourism/recreation taxable sales) was $59.6 billion in Florida.

· Tourism spending was $8.87 billion in Greater Fort Lauderdale.

· 70 million people boarded a plane in Florida.

· 22.6 million total passengers were welcomed at the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport.

· 1.7 million passengers cruised from Port Everglades.

So please be nice to our tourist, we need them for our economy. I know many of us don't like the extra hassle of the crowds but many communities would love to have our tourist and they are trying their best to get them.

God Bless,
John

Babes in the Hood

We will be featuring babies that we see 'strolling' around Croissant Park in the May newsletter. There seem to be quite a few new ones out and about. If you have a new baby/toddler in the neighborhood (or know someone who does), let's hear about it. Send me a picture - or stop by on your stroll so I can take a picture. Just post a comment to let me know when/how to reach you. Deadline is May 15, 2008. Show us your babies!

Rhonda Kramer, Croissant Park News editor

New Croissant Park Neighbor

Welcome to Croissant Park "Benjy"

...and congratulations to Noi & Buddy Sherman of 14 Street - proud parents of a beautiful baby girl. Benjy is her nick name. Will try to get the correct spelling of her truly beautiful full name for the newsletter this month.

The Fairy Tale Comes True

Peace, Love

& Blessings to

John McNamara and Shakira Khaleel

Married Saturday, April 26, 2008

A match made in heaven !

Buster is Missing

We have been missing a bird since last Friday, April 18th. I'm hoping some of our neighbors have spotted him. We miss him very much and want to make sure he's okay.

Most of our close neighbors have met Buster, our Mourning Dove. He has lived with us for nearly 3 years now. Although he's a "free range" bird, he comes home every night and meets us at the gate, and jumps onto our head for a free ride inside. He hangs out with us inside, eats, watches TV and sleeps just about wherever he wants.

Many of our neighbors have met him, as he knows no strangers. He lands on peoples heads, and loves to hang out on the ground and help with gardening chores.

I'm attaching his picture. He's very handsome, and much smaller and darker than most of the Ring Neck Doves in the neighborhood. He is a beautiful taupe color with black spots on his wings. His tail is pointed, which differs from the more common doves with square tails. His call is different too. He has more notes than the common Ring Neck.

He answers to Buster, and will probably land on your head if you call him by name.

We're hoping that he's found a wife, built a nest and started a family, but we just want to know he's alright.

If anybody has spotted Buster, would you please give us a call and tell us where?

Thank you so much!

Kim & Jim Barber
518 SW 16th St.
954-683-1680

Read April Croissant Park News Online

Hi All,

Here is Aprils newsletter online

[ Click Here ]

Don't forget the General Membership meeting on Tuesday, April 29th at 7pm at the community center.

How do you like reading the newsletter this way? Let me know.
God Bless,
John

Found Dog in Croissant Park

Hi All,

Here is an email from Kim Barber, please email her KimberlyRBarber@aol.com back if you know who this dog belongs to.

God Bless,
John

----- Original Message -----

From: KimberlyRBarber@aol.com

Sent: Sunday, April 20, 2008 8:39 PM

Subject: Found Dog

Hey John or Rhonda:

I have a neighbor outside now with a dog she found who looks like has puppies somewhere.

She's brown and white, and possibly an "American Terrier"?

She's very sweet, and has big nipples! She was hungry and thirsty when the girl found her, so I'll bet she's got some hungry puppies somewhere too.

Would you maybe pass the word and see if anybody knows where she might belong?

Thanks!

Kim

Rhonda Kramers Posts

Hi All,

I justed to let you know Rhonda has made two posts.

1. That all the Free Trees are gone. So please don't go over to her house anymore.
Thanks.

2. Also read the post about the missing dog.
<Click Here to See>

Have a great day !!!
God Bless
John

Free Trees for Croissant Park

Hi All,

Click Here to Read Rhonda's post about Free Trees.

God Bless,
John

Gore Nursery Up for Vote - Park or Townhouses. Which do you want?

Hi All,

Bob from Gore Nursery just called me and told me that the city of Ft. Lauderdale is going to vote for his nursery to be a public park or a townhouse community.

He said, if you want Gore to be a public park, please email all your city commissioners stating this.

Jim Naugle mayorjames@aol.com
Cindi Hutchinson CHutchinson@fortlauderdale.gov
Christine Teel CTeel@fortlauderdale.gov
Charlotte E. Rodstrom CRodstrom@fortlauderdale.gov
Carlton B. Moore CMoore@fortlauderdale.gov

I hope this is important to you and you take the time to email the city commissioners to let them know what you want.

God Bless,
John

Public Comment card - Last Chance to Make Your Traffic Suggestions !!

Hi All,

Please go to the following link to get the Traffic Suggestion form.

Then fill it out and send to the following address.

Click Here for the Form:
http://civicgogo.com/CommentCardwithdeadline.pdf

Tina Pate
Public Involvement Specialist
Keith and Schnars, P.A.
Engineers, Planners, Surveyors
6500 North Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309

Direct: (954) 343-6785
Fax: (954) 771-7690
cpate@keithandschnars.com
www.keithandschnars.com

As my best friends says, if you don't participate, don't cry later when you still have traffic problems.

Please do it today and make a difference for you and your neighbors.
God Bless,
John

26 citations written in Croissant Park

Hi All,

At the last general meeting, Cindi Hutchinson was there. She took notes of our immediate speeding problem in our neighborhood and she took action. Just for your info this is the email from her today.

Great Job Cindi!!
God Bless,
John

John and Rhonda...after your meeting last Tuesday evening I sent an e-mail to Major Harrington begging for some traffic enforcement. Looks like they're doing a great job! Wanted to share this with you...Cindi

-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas Harrington
Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2008 5:33 PM
To: Thomas Harrington; Cindi Hutchinson; Julie Richards; John Bollinger
Cc: Robert Carter
Subject: RE: Croissant Park speeding enforcement

Julie. Our Motor Officers are doing a bang-up job in this area. 26 citations written between yesterday and today. Captain Bollinger will continue to address for the early part of next week. Tom

Major Tom Harrington

District 3 Commander

Fort Lauderdale Police Department

954-828-5480

Community Appearance Awards Application Deadline Extended to April 2, 2008

Hi All,

The City of Fort Lauderdale Community Appearance Board is extending the application deadline to Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 5 p.m. for its 30th Annual Community Appearance Awards. Applications are available on the City of Fort Lauderdale website at www.fortlauderdale.gov under the “What’s New” section on the home page or by calling 954-828-4755.

Presented each year by the Fort Lauderdale City Commission and the Community Appearance Board, the awards recognize homeowners, homeowners associations, architects, developers and builders for projects that enhance the City's visual image and economic vitality.

Applications may be submitted for either new construction or renovation projects in several categories, which include commercial low and high-rise, institutional, landscape, retail, multifamily residence, parks and recreation, single family residence, special projects, and waterfront properties.

Eligibility Requirements

In order for properties to be eligible for an award, the following requirements must be met:

· Properties must be located within the City of Fort Lauderdale's corporate limits and

must be visible from a public thoroughfare

· Projects must have been completed within the past two years

· The property owner must authorize the award submission

· New construction projects must have a Certificate of Occupancy or a Temporary

Certificate of Occupancy issued by the City's Planning and Zoning Department

The Community Appearance Board selects winning properties based on a site review of the project’s exterior, the structure and outdoor space, as well as how the project visually enhances the surrounding community.

Monique J. Damiano
Public Information Specialist
City of Fort Lauderdale
Public Works Department
949 NW 38 Street
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309
954-828-7808 phone
954-828-7897 fax

Citizen's Crime Alert of Fort Lauderdale Inc

Hi there,

Is anyone out there interested in getting involved with this? Keep us posted if you do!!!

MONDAY APRIL 7th, 2008 AT 7:00 PM

CITY HALL 8th FLOOR CAFETERIA OR COMMISSION ROOM IF AVAILABLE0

EVERY ONE IS WELCOME. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON SELF PROTECTION PLEASE COME TO THIS MEETING.

DO NOT MISS THIS MEETING. LEARN TO PROTECT YOURSELF. DO NOT BECOME A VICTIM.

This is going to be a wonderful meeting that hopefully you will leave with confidence, power and a plan if you are approached by someone looking to abduct, rape, or rob you. With today's economy it seems there are more dangers from the criminal element than there were in the past. We need to do everything we can to protect ourselves, our family and neighbors.

Detective Nate Jackson of the Crime Prevention Unit, is a Martial Artist and he will be giving this presentation. Nate has 20 plus years with the Police and will be a wealth of information. I hope that you and a friend or neighbor makes every effort to come and learn some tips that could save you life, if you happen to be in a threatening situation. He will also be telling us what we can do at home and when we are out.

My neighborhood (Victoria Park) has had a few serious problems lately and I know this will be a great presentation for my neighbors, I am sure other neighborhoods will also benefit.

Please join us at 7:00 PM Monday April 7th, 2008, at City Hall on the 8th floor we are normally in the cafeteria, but if the commission office is available we will be in there.

Pat Mayers, President of Citizens Crime Alert of Fort Lauderdale Inc. 954-763-7863

BROWARD BEAUTIFUL 2008 COMMUNITY GRANTS

Hi There,

Is there anyone out there that can help or interested in the following grant?

Broward Beautiful is pleased to announce the 2008 Community Grants Program. This grant provides funding to local homeowner associations, condominium associations, civic groups, and other not-for-profit organizations to implement environmentally responsible landscape beautification projects visible to the general public.

To assist potential applicants, Broward Beautiful will offer a Pre-Application Informational Workshop on the following dates:

April 3, 2008, 6:30pm - 7:30pm at the Southwest Regional Library, 16835 Sheridan Street, Pembroke Pines, FL 33331, tel. (954) 538-9996.

April 7, 2008, 6:30pm - 7:30pm at the North Regional Library 1100 Coconut Creek Boulevard, Coconut Creek, FL 33066, tel. (954) 201-2600.

April 29, 2008, 6:30pm - 7:30pm at the African-American Research Library, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33311, tel. (954) 625-2800.

If you have any questions, please call the office.

Sharon Brooks
Aide to Commissioner Cindi Hutchinson
City of Fort Lauderdale
(954) 828-5028 Direct
(954) 828-5003 Commission Office
(954) 828-5667 Fax
sbrooks@fortlauderdale.gov

NORTH RUNWAY MAINTENANCE WORK

Hello Everyone

Attached, in both Word and Adobe, is a news release about the closure of FLL’s north runway for additional rubber removal from Friday, March 21 to Saturday, March 22. The north runway will be closed each night between 12:01 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. Please share with your members.

I have also printed the communication below:

NEWS RELEASE

TEMPORARY CHANGE IN FLIGHT PATTERNS FOR
NORTH RUNWAY MAINTENANCE WORK AT
FORT LAUDERDALE–HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Airfield maintenance work at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport will result in the closure of Runway 9L-27R (North Runway) from 12:01 a.m. – 5:30 a.m., Friday, March 21, 2008 – Saturday, March 22, 2008. The closures will allow workers to conduct additional rubber removal from the runway.

During the closure period, the airport will use Runway 13-31; and residents living in northeast Dania and southwest Fort Lauderdale may notice an increase in aircraft operations over their communities.

Please note the following:
· Runway 9L-27R (North Runway) will be closed each night from 12:01 a.m. until 5:30 a.m.
· Runway 13-31 (Crosswind Runway) will be used for arrivals and departures between the hours of 12:01 a.m. until 5:30 a.m.
Media may contact: Greg Meyer, Public Information Office,

Broward County Aviation Department
Tel: (954) 359-6116 / Fax: (954) 359-0027
For noise concerns contact: Winston Cannicle, Noise Information Officer
Broward County Aviation Department
(954) 359-6181

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is a service of the
Broward County Board of County Commissioners
Sharon Brooks
Aide to Commissioner Cindi Hutchinson
City of Fort Lauderdale
(954) 828-5028 Direct
(954) 828-5003 Commission Office
(954) 828-5667 Fax
sbrooks@fortlauderdale.gov

Will Croissant Park Members Blog?

Hi All,

Well this is my first blog post. I am the one that is pushing to blog. I think it will be a great way to communicate and get feed back from the residence of Croissant Park quickly. Maybe it will make this a better place to live. That is my hope and prayer.

We have so much to report about and it so hard to keep everything current, especially crime reports, up coming meeting from the city, our civic association meeting, and so much more.

Well, here we go, into the world of the bloggershere. Let is be a good one!!

Is there anyone out there that can write come interesting stuff, household info, community, humor, environment, travel?

Have a great day!!
God Bless,
John