The Fourth of July has come and gone and the nation has successfully made it through two summer holidays now without a clear terrorist assault. While the Los Angeles Airport incident was tragic, the motives of the perpetrator are yet to be clarified through investigation.
The pace of growth in our City continues at a healthy rate. The City Commission has taken steps however to lessen building heights at the beach and the County Commission has decided to take a second look at Airport expansion. While the former would appear to be not unreasonable, the latter is not clear as to its reasonableness. We have known for many years that our Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport must be expanded in order to meet the needs of increased air travel into and out of the Fort Lauderdale area. Lengthening of the south runway appears to be a vital part of the expansion. However, objections to that lengthening have surfaced. Let's hope that the County Commission will address those objections promptly so that vital Airport expansion can continue.
Coral Ridge needs to move forward now on many fronts, the foremost of which are traffic calming and beautification of the neighborhood. Traffic calming is the most difficult, not because people don't agree that it should be accomplished, but because finding a proposed solution that all can accept is difficult. Each proposed solution to a defined traffic problem seems to help one or more streets while at the same time shifts burdens to other streets. So far, your association is on record with the City as supporting the concept of eight feet medians on Bayview Drive. However, the reality is that there is no concrete plan yet and no money budgeted anyway so there is plenty of time to come with ideas building on the concept of medians. Your Traffic and Beautification Committee has been tasked with developing some ideas and coming back to your board with recommendations.
Beautification is another matter entirely. Almost everyone can agree that our swales, our entryways and our canal ends need to be beautified. Again your Traffic and Beautification Committee is tasked with the job of developing some ideas and coming back to the Board with recommendations.
Any of you with ideas should bring them to the attention of the Traffic and Beautification Committee chaired by Alan Vordermeier and composed of John Aurelius, Doug Macke, Doug Coolman and Jim Rampe.
State and U.S. Congressional offices are up for election this Fall. Plan to go to the polls and vote this September in the primaries and judicial elections and in the general election in November.
Have a pleasant summer!
Albert P. Massey, III
President,
Coral Ridge Association