I want to reassure all my constituents who live within the area of the executive airport that I am firmly opposed to any expansion of the runway. The airport master plan is on hold indefinitely and my efforts are concentrated on the noise issues. After hearing from some very passionate residents at one of my Beach Community Center meetings I began to look at the whole airport issue much more closely. I arranged for several residents to meet with the FAA so that the FAA could hear the problems with noise levels first hand. I am determined that these issues will be addressed to everyone's satisfaction. Again, let me assure you that runway expansion is out of the question. I will keep you informed of all developments regarding the airport as soon as they occur. I am monitoring the whole situation very closely. I had also urged interested parties to attend the November 12 meeting at FAU's Commercial Boulevard campus to hear the last of the consultants' recommendations. I'll give everyone an update next month.

The environmental issues of the canal at NE 14 Avenue were the topic of my recent meeting with Tom Newman, of Coral Ridge Isles, and city staff. We discussed the erosion of the bank, the protected species that grow along the edge, and the nuisance Australian pines. I believe we made good progress with the on-going issues and we have the seeds of an action plan.

The master plan for the downtown got well underway last Thursday when the first charrette was held at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. The community was given a first taste of some of the groundwork already done by our consultant, Ken Greenberg. The general consensus so far is that Ken already has an excellent grasp of some of the most difficult issues facing our future downtown redevelopment. Watch out for more community meetings in November and feel free to participate. The downtown belongs to all of us.

At the last Commission meeting I changed my vote on the lifeguard stands to 'no' and asked my fellow Commissioners to revisit our decision to pay $45,000 each for new stands. Since the original vote I've asked staff to talk to other cities that have managed to install stands more cheaply. The reversal of my vote gives us time to research how to keep our costs down to a realistic amount while still ensuring that we have adequate stands.

I have good news regarding the Parks Bond acquisitions. We are still pursuing the Pier property and have received a second appraisal. We are now waiting for the County, City and the developer involved to take the next step. A new round of "open space" acquisitions begin shortly and I have succeeded in getting the American Golf Course on the list, as well as the empty land on NE 37 Drive. I'll keep you abreast of developments with both of these sites.

Now for an update on NE 22nd Avenue. Survey letters asking residents if they approved of speed humps were mailed out on October 9 and we have had a response from 75%, of which approximately 70 % are in favor of speed humps. We also sent survey response cards to Imperial Colonnades and received responses from residents, indicating they are, so far, all in favor of speed humps. Staff will be presenting this information at the City Commission meeting on November 19, and will make the formal recommendation for the installation of speed humps on NE 22nd Avenue. Regarding NE 18 Avenue, the construction contract has been executed by the contractor and signed by city officials. A pre-construction meeting with the contractor was scheduled for November 5 and we anticipate a construction start date of mid to late November.

In Parks and Recreation news, several of our green areas are under improvement. The renovations to Bayview Park are currently being designed and construction is slated to begin June or July 2003. As part of our continued neighborhood greening we have planted 21 new trees in Imperial Point and 35 new trees in the Sunrise Intracoastal neighborhood.

Our beach renourishment project, from south of Anglin's Pier, to just south of Bonnet House, may be held up by legal action from Deerfield Beach. We are hoping to begin construction by January 2004, but if not, the sea turtle nesting season will postpone construction until November 2004.

As we move into the holiday season, mark your calendars for December 5. "Holiday on the Galt" is a community event in partnership with the Galt Merchant's Improvement Association. The association is working extremely hard to improve the neighborhood and they deserve our support.

Finally, for those of you who have been following the debate about boats at the canal ends, at our last commission meeting we referred the issue to a task force that will come back to the Commission with recommendations. As always, if you have any city issues you need help with during the coming month, please call my office at 954-828-5004.