“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”— Parks & Recreation

Dear Editor:

Why fix something that isn’t broken — Parks and Recreation of Deerfield Beach?

Five years ago, I started my first 10-week boot camp session through the Parks and Rec. of Deerfield Beach. At the time, my goal was to get in shape and the instructor didn’t seem to matter. My opinion has changed. Since then, I have lost 10 lbs. and am in the best shape of my 47 years. I truly believe it is due to the nature of the instructor.

Six months ago, my sons wanted to join a gym, so my husband and I tried the gym’s boot camp classes. Before long, I was making every excuse to miss the classes. That was my wake-up call. I discovered, not all “boot camp” instructors are created equal and we went back to our “tried and true” instructor, Blaise.

Over the years, I have heard some bad jokes that make me laugh and developed camaraderie with many other people my age, but in the end, my husband and I go to the Deerfield Parks and Rec. boot camp because of Blaise.

He may not know this, but I often think to myself, if he cares enough to come out three days a week on his own time, then so can I.

In addition, I don’t recall attending a city-sponsored event that my family didn’t run into him at one time or another.

At our Saturday class, I found out that after all these years, he is being replaced.

If the leadership at the Parks and Recreation division thinks it can find a unique, dedicated and irreplaceable employee like Blaise, they are in the wrong division. I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love the guy. But don’t take my word for it, do your homework.

People, like Blaise, who have dedicated their adult lives to this city and truly love our city, should be respected.

I am living proof; this man is special and shouldn’t be pushed aside and discarded for a new agenda.

Of course, the first question I ask myself is, “Why?”
Why would anyone want to replace Blaise?

I say, “Let Blaise continue to motivate!” For all of those who feel the same way, let our recreation department know, “It isn’t broken!”

Angela Jacques

Deerfield Beach  

Save our view;  Keep dune vegetation off beach

Dear Editor:

I heard a disturbing thing at the commission meeting [two weeks ago]. It seems the city is trying to win a grant of $30,000 to which they will have to add their own matching amount to total $60,000.

What’s so disturbing about that — you might wonder? That’s better than Publix’s ketchup 2 for 1 sale.

Well, it’s what the assistant city manager said he wanted to do with the money that is disturbing. He wants to put plantings on our main beach grassy area. In patches, he said. Not everywhere.

This was tried before, and the public uproar put an end to it.

This would be a disaster for our lovely beach view.

If you doubt that, go to the south end of the beach and look at the dunes there. The sea oats and other plantings are growing, spreading, vigorously and TALL. Sit on a bench there or walk on the sidewalk and you see grass, not ocean.

If patches were placed on our main beach it would eliminate places to sit, but worse, the patches will spread to the rest of the beach. After all, sea oats and other plantings of the kind are basically hardy weeds. We know how well plants grow in our climate. I stuck a pencil in the ground and it grew. And, according to regulations, once you put plants on the beach, you will not be allowed to remove them.

Our main beach is what Deerfield Beach is all about. It is our bragging right, our main attraction, the reason we say proudly, “I live in Deerfield Beach, yes, the one with the beautiful beach … Right, Deerfield Beach, the place where you can sit in the shade of a Palm tree on a grassy hill and not get all sandy.”

These plantings, as anyone with half a brain would see, will not help with the erosion of the beach. The beach is not eroding up along the grass line, it is eroding at the water line.

These plantings will not prevent the sand, on stormy or hurricane days, from blowing across the grass and road. The wind is much higher and stronger than the grass so these plantings will not eliminate the need to string the black fabric sand fences.

AND, the damage to the view of our beach would be so devastating to the enjoyment of our beach and our view that it wouldn’t, under any circumstances, be worth the loss. The clean-up costs are just the price we pay for the beautiful view.

Use the money to put the required plantings around the new pier restoration. We have to put plants in along there, add some plants to the south beach dunes, they are an eyesore anyway. Add plantings along the back of JBs and Ocean’s 234.

Bett Willett

Deerfield Beach

Reasons to change date of next election

Dear Editor:

On Feb. 8, I celebrated my 80th birthday. I tell you this to emphasize the fact that I have been in Deerfield for 54 years, and I have seen the municipal elections change from time to time. So it is not as though there is not history in making changes.

I do believe that this [city] commission has been sincere in attempting to save the taxpayers money. I am sure that the Supervisor of Elections can ascertain the differences in costs.

The proposal I am making would not only be a cost saver, but it would also have more voter participation as a goal.

That is why I think you should consider moving the next municipal election from March [2013] to November 2012, to coincide with the next presidential election.

We have 42,000 registered voters in the city of Deerfield Beach.  When we attempted our Rescind the Unfair Taxes, we collected over 7,000 signatures from registered voters. That number was more than voted in the last municipal election. Hopefully, if we change to coincide with the presidential election, we will see an increase in local participation.

This change could be formulated to have those who are incumbents but are not re-elected hold their seats until the installation date in March. The president is elected in November but is not installed into office until January, so this is not an unusual concept.

It has been suggested that those not re-elected would be lame ducks and could do a great deal of damage in the interim. It still takes three votes to do anything, so let’s hope that there are at least three who really want what is best for the city and that they would prevail.

According to 6.01 in the Deerfield city charter, the city commission, by ordinance and subject to the provisions of the Constitution and laws of Florida, Broward County, and this charter, shall have the power to call for regular and special elections as may be required for the city and to make all necessary regulations for the conduct thereof.

The commission has the power to make this change. Call City Hall at 954-480-4262 and voice your opinion.

Jean Robb                                                                                                                                            

Deerfield Beach

Editor’s note: According to Mary Cooney from Brenda Snipes office, based on a cost estimate for another city with the same number of precincts [38] as Deerfield:

Projected cost for the regularly-scheduled election on March 13, 2013 is just under $67,000.

There were no comparables for a Nov. 6, 2012 election with a city with the same number of precincts. However, for a city with 32 precincts, estimated cost of a Nov. 6, 2012 election would be just under $20,000.

Reader’s faith rewarded

Dear Editor:

I had one of those warm experiences where my faith and hope in people was rewarded. A young mother and two lovely little girls appeared at my door with my wallet. They had found it where I was sitting at a local mall. The mom took it upon herself to find my address by Googling on her smart phone and made her way to our gated community, at some kind of inconvenience to her, and presented me with the wallet. She is a good person. Her lovely children were schooled beyond mere words on doing the right thing. She is society’s hero. Her daughter noticed my Korean War discharge and demonstrated what they have learned in her school about Veterans and service to country. God bless that family.

Donald J. Butler

16 Keswick A, Deerfield Beach

Support for Cub Scouts

Dear Editor:

As the new Cub Scout Master of Deerfield Pack 119, I am trying my hardest to revive this pack. We have a solid core of good kids and parents, but, because we are new, we basically have no funds. We wanted to use the pavilion in the Villages of Hillsboro Park to do a fun day on the basics of camping. We put in a request to city commissioners to have the $116 fee waived. This request was denied.

Upon hearing this, Chad [Brocato], the Fire Chief, who is also President of the Kiwanis Club, stepped up, without even being asked, and paid the fee for the Pack. Representatives from Keith and Associates were also at the meeting and were dismayed as well that the request was denied.

They, in turn, then wrote a check to the Kiwanis to reimburse them!

There is no way I can adequately express how thankful I am to both of these associations. It is so nice to hear of support and endorsement of the Scouts. It is a wonderful organization that truly teaches life skills that will benefit both the boys and the communities they live in.

I just wanted to publicly thank both of these groups for their extreme kindness and generosity.

Sal Biviano

Deerfield Beach

If any boys, 6-17, would like to get involved in Scouts, they can call me at 954-675-5683. Thank you!

Festival of the Arts

Dear Editor:

Thank you to the citizens of Deerfield Beach for coming out to the 32nd Annual Festival of the Arts last weekend. Your attendance makes all the hours of effort worthwhile. Our goal has always been to bring quality, affordable, family-oriented events to the city, and, by you coming to the Festival, it proves that we have done it right.

Thank you, also, to every single volunteer who helped to make this event a reality. The Festival of the Arts is completely orchestrated by volunteers, along with a small but dedicated group of Deerfield Beach city employees who supply their particular technical expertise. Unless you live it, you cannot imagine the hours of work, time and effort it takes to bring an event to reality, not to mention the bumps in the road and frustrations potentially at every turn. You also cannot realize the satisfaction at the end of the event ,when we know we have done a great service for enhancing the reputation of Deerfield Beach and bringing pleasure to the citizens of Deerfield Beach.

Care to volunteer and feel that warm and fuzzy feeling? Phone the Parks and Recreation Dept. at 954-480-4429.

Judi Stanich

Cultural Committee Chair

Deerfield Beach

Nuisance property demolition

Dear Editor:

Thank you [Keven Klopp] for all you have done to help us!  The balconies across the water are holding spectators. One of our daughters’ fiance texted me a photo that was sent to him by a friend who lives on the Boca side … not knowing that I was home to watch.

There have been sightseers from around Deerfield Beach and Boca. Our neighbors have gotten together to organize a BBQ in our driveway at 5:30 p.m. and another neighbor brought a bottle of champagne.

We truly appreciate all that you and Andy have done to help end these last 12 years of aggravation. We can feel our property values rise hour-by-hour!

Lynne Newberry

Deerfield Beach

Is CVE becoming a police state?

Dear Editor:

I have been banned from the CVE clubhouse for a month because I videoed my wife in a dance class.  I was escorted to the office by two big guys.  My ID was taken.  A week later, I went to the office of Lea Kennedy, the new boss, for a hearing. ”You broke the rules, so no club house.” What rules?

I have been taking video in CVE for years. She opened a drawer and removed a 2- in. thick stack of papers, each with an ID. “These are the people banned from the  clubhouse.” Hundreds. Unbelievable. What bad thing could 70-, 80-, 90-year-olds have done? Every day, I hear the ambulance. A heart attack? A death? We are old  people. Wake up CVE!  Before they turn this place into an “Auschwitz”!

William Garofalo

Cambridge G, Deerfield Beach

Repair of All My Children entranceway

Dear Editor:

When the group that was working on Rescinding the 10% utility tax was looking for a place where they could have their meetings after hours, the owners of All My Children Academy at 377 NW 3 Court offered the use of their facility. When the meetings took place, it was obvious that the driveway for the school’s entranceway was badly in need of repair.

Being a firm believer in Charity begins at Home, the following good Samaritans opened up their checkbooks to make the transformation a reality. They were Dr. Leo J. Robb III, Mike Robb, Tommy Hostetler, and Cove Bagel and Deli.

The muscle needed to do the manual labor was provided by Michael Hunter and Cliff Strowbridge, who earned every penny paid them.

What amazed us was those who like to stand in the spotlight and claim credit for the monies they raise chose not to donate one dime to this project. It’s time that Deerfield Beach support those pleas for money that benefit the residents of Deerfield Beach.

Jean M.Robb

Deerfield Beach

Dear Editor:

Where is the outrage?

Citizen’s Windstorm “requested” an inspection of my home in The Cove, so well-built in 1955 and maintained that there never was a claim for damages in all these years.

Their 26-page report basically said that my house was not up to the 2004 code and they could no longer allow me the discounts. Therefore, they would increase my $2,200 annual premium to $3,761!

Total insurance on my home, including flood and homeowners insurance, will increase to over $5,200 a year.

Now, I read in the paper that our Florida legislators want Citizens to increase their premiums by 10 percent and Gov. Scott is in agreement.

How can a widowed retiree on a fixed income continue to live here? This way, Citizens is chasing me out of my home with the help of the Florida legislature and governor.

Instead of fighting this injustice, several of my neighbors are dropping their insurance, taking their chances with the next hurricane or tornado.

Is this what our Florida government wants? Do we need to have our elderly citizens “occupy” Tallahassee, as the folks occupied Wall Street, in order to be heard?

Mrs. Cunera Voute

Deerfield Beach

Editor’s note: Citizens Insurance, or Citizens, is the popular name for government-established, not-for-profit insurers in Florida and Louisiana. In Florida, the insurer is Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. In Louisiana, the insurer is the Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Both were established in their respective states as insurers of last resort.

Help the Salvation Army. Allow the Bins.

Dear Editor:

Jim and I are fans of the Salvation Army. We support them with donations and volunteering, and have taken their disaster response, first aid and CPR classes. Over Christmas, Jim and I uncrated, sorted and stacked hundreds of boxes of toys at the Salvation Army facility in Ft. Lauderdale. The Salvation Army is one of the few charities that uses most of their money for their clients, not administrative uses, advertising or begging letters. They do good work and a lot of it.

So, when one of the hard working volunteers showed up at the Deerfield Beach commission meeting and asked permission to place bins for clothing donations, I was all for it. I was shocked to hear the commission turn them down, citing a regulation against outdoor storage.

Look around the city. Not only will you find clothing donation bins, but many other instances of outside storage. Restaurants are allowed to have outside seating, but the regulations do not say they can have outside storage.

In fact, it is NOT allowed, but many have carts and bins for storing service items. I believe some have fully-stocked bars. What is a dumpster if not an outside storage container? How about vending machines, they certainly qualify as storage.

Once again we have Deerfield Beach using selective enforcement. I hear that the owners of the clothing storage bins that are in violation can’t be contacted to remove them. Well, DUH! Gather them up for scrap if they are such egregious violations. Want to know where they are? Ask the Salvation Army guy, he had pictures of them.

What’s the excuse for not allowing the bins? They might overflow and be unsightly. Really? Well, that would be the time to sanction them, not before it happens. I think regulations similar to those about garbage cans and dumpsters should do it.

Guess what I found while reading our codes; outside storage is allowed as a conditional use in some of our districts, nobody bothered to tell the Salvation Army man about that.

I think an ordinance allowing a legitimate charity to have donation bins on public property and, with permission, on private property should be enacted. Have a heart. These are very hard times and charities are suffering from reduced donations. Charity starts at home. Let’s give it a home in Deerfield Beach.

Bett Willet

Deerfield Beach

RE: The Cove neighborhood

Dear Editor:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the men and women of the Deerfield Beach, Broward Sheriff’s Office, for their service and professionalism. This year has been a very eye-opening experience in learning what is happening to the city I grew up in.

My husband, Phil, and I were very excited to purchase a home in The Cove neighborhood, a few years ago, because, back when we were growing up, it was the premier place to live in Deerfield Beach. Sadly, now, it is mostly known as the neighborhood that leads the city in the most burglaries and thefts.

The good news is that we have a chief of police who wants to help us make our neighborhood safer. Chief Sudler and his team have committed to partner with us to reverse this trend.

On Thursday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m., Phil and I will host a Neighborhood Watch Meeting at our house — 529 SE 13 Ave., Deerfield Beach, so we can meet and hear from Chief Sudler and the police officers who take care of our neighborhood on what we can do to stop the burglaries and thefts. We have also set up an e-mail address to distribute important information and happenings that occur in The Cove. If you would like to get on this distribution list, please e-mail me at DFBCove@gmail.com and we will put you on the list.

As the year ends, I ask you, my fellow neighbors, to join us on Jan. 5 to get informed on what is going on in the neighborhood and help us restore The Cove to the great place to live that it used to be.

Michelle Lane

Deerfield Beach

Holiday scam hits home

Dear Editor:

This is the time of year when we are busy with holiday preparations, looking forward to seeing family and friends. That is what I would like to be doing.

Instead of last-minute shopping and gift wrapping, I am cleaning fingerprint dust off nightstands, doors, jewelry boxes and filing cabinets.

On Sunday, Dec. 18, we were lured into our backyard on the pretense that a neighbor cutting his foliage was going to have it fall into our yard. We were kept in the backyard long enough for someone else to enter our house and steal our possessions.

I hope that everyone will remember: Do not open your doors to strangers and do not get lured away from your door for even a second. It’s not the first time this has happened in The Cove area.

We always feel safe in our own homes, which is the way it should be, but those days may be gone, which is really sad. My family has lived in this house since 1957.

My wish for everyone is to have a safe holiday, and a safe year.

Sallie E. Jenkinson

Deerfield Beach