The meeting was called to order at 11:00 a.m. by President Bob Rozema.
Board Members present: Rozema, Berkowitz, Glickfield, Guttman, Baker, Baldwin, Casier, Comis, Creal, Ellis, Freismuth, Gilligan, Hamaker, Leeds, McBride, Mayer, Montross, Nicholson-Brown, Rossi and Songer.
Approval of Minutes - The minutes of March 16, 2006 were approved.
Old & New Business - President Rozema introduced and welcomed Fort Lauderdale District 1 Commissioner Christine Teel.
Commissioner Teel shared the following:
- Replanting of trees: Trees purchased from the Atria Landscape Development Corporation they are being delivered to the Mile on Friday for planting on Monday. In preparation, some 300 existing trees are being stumped and ground. The new trees will include 75 Simpson Stoppers. If Atria is unable to locate an additional 25 Simpson Stoppers, they will substitute Silver Buttonwoods to complete the east side of the block. The west side will be planted with Silver Buttonwoods, Sabal Palms and possibly Washingtonians.
- Street lights: Replacement parts for the standard street lights on A1A north of Oakland Park Blvd have arrived. The difficult to obtain parts for the custom lighting on Galt Ocean Drive were due on the week of 4/24/2006. Delays stemmed from the manufacturer�s lack of inventory after Hurricane Wilma. Installation of lighting on both roadways will begin shortly and should be completed in 6 � 8 weeks.
- Street signs: Broward County is responsible for replacing 40,000 signs destroyed by Wilma. While the street signs should be replaced by July, missing or damaged signs on state roads and I-95 in Broward and Palm Beach counties should be restored by mid-May.
- Shared City of Fort Lauderdale statistics/information: City is 35.5 square miles, 1007 acres of parks, 95 parks and facilities, 200 boat slips/moorings, 5.3 miles of public beaches, 85 miles of navigable waterways, 112 City buildings, 497 miles of streets, 312 miles of sidewalks, 150 pump stations
- Discussed Sistrunk Blvd. proposals
- Ireland�s Inn � historic preservation advocates have filed to designate it a Historic Property, disallowing the current owner�s development plan.
- American Golf Club � closing; may build 61 private homes on property not owned by the City; home sites will be large with ample envelopes; supporters of transforming it into a public golf course oppose the plan. There is no land available in Fort Lauderdale for a public golf course.
- Discussed Hall of Fame
- Contract to renovate our firehouse has been approved
Click Here for full report about Fort Lauderdale District 1 Commissioner Christine Teel�s address to the Advisory Board. [Editor]
Il Lugano � Ralph Hamaker - Its half way up � construction has reached the 7th floor; completion is expected by year�s end; a variance permits contractor to work from 7 am to 10 pm, if needed. The Developer�s request that the 11 planned boat slips be permitted to extend 40 feet into the Intracoastal Waterway instead of the approved 25 feet was denied by the City.
Dues
- A vote to maintain the dues at $250.00 per year was favorable.
- It was suggested that if a member association does not pay the dues, they should be precluded from representation in the President�s Council and on the Advisory Board.
- It was also agreed that the annual salary survey be conducted for $1100.00.
Galt Mile Newsletter - President Rozema explained having received several correspondences from other neighborhood associations complimenting the Galt Mile Community Association for the comprehensive communication it provides to members through its newsletter and web site.
Galt Mile Web Site � Eric Berkowitz - February Hits: 836,975 hits; 14,704 unique site visits (first timers)
New articles include:
- C.A. Day 2006 - Taking it to Tallahassee - A summary of the Community Association Day event in Tallahassee opposing the 2006 incarnation of the �Condo Killer� legislation, requesting assistance with threatened insurance crisis and aligning support for a sprinkler deadline extension.
- Lights... Action... GEORGE! - City Manager George Gretsas� March 16th address to the Advisory Board was analyzed and reviewed.
- Bogdanoff - Weeks 3 & 4 in Tallahassee - Representative Ellyn Bogdanoff�s correspondence covering her 3rd and 4th weeks in Tallahassee described the progress of personal and community legislative issues.
- Condo Killer Contacts! - The contact information of legislators reviewing the �Condo Killer� bills in committee was posted to facilitate correspondence.
- Galt Mile Insurance Crisis - A chronology of the insurance crisis underscored a summary of expected adverse impacts to associations, their members and unit values.
Correspondence - Reviewed
Galt Merchants
- Marilyn Leeds passed out flyers announcing an April 29th �Sidewalk Art Expressions� event underwritten by the Galt Merchants Association.
- Spoke about Opus and developing a place for playground equipment
Treasurer�s Report - Leah Glickfield reported $15,661.67 in our Treasury.
Other Business
- Eric read 2 correspondences from Pio. The first was an update of the progress achieved toward investigating the formation of a Galt Mile Insurance Captive. The second explained his intentions of bringing the security program to fruition.
- Extensive discussion was held regarding hurricane windows, shutters and insurance.
- Leah Glickfield shared a letter written to the manager of Nick�s Restaurant.
- Kevin Songer expressed that his Gallery is doing well
- Bank United has a new front
Next Board Meeting - THE NEXT REGULAR BOARD MEETING WILL BE HELD ON THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2006.
Meeting adjourned at 12:40 P.M.
Fern McBride, Assistant Secretary
APRIL 20, 2006
