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| Bahia and St. Augustine | | | <div>Bahia and St. Augustine: Two great grasses <br>The City of Fort Lauderdale’s Water and Wastewater Capital Improvement Program, WaterWorks 2011, has been working in your area. As crews wrap up the project in your community, the process of restoration begins. During this period, any damage caused to your property will be addressed as your property is returned to as good as or better condition. Part of this process includes replacement of grass for your lawn. <br>Work crews use two types of grasses in the restoration stage, Bahia grass and St. Augustine grass. Both varieties are used throughout Florida and both kinds have many advantages. <br>Bahia grass – Increasingly popular with homeowners, Bahia grass has fewer pest problems than other Florida lawn grasses. It is very durable and withstands moderate traffic. It needs little watering and performs well in shady areas. The sod placed on your lawn may look dry when first put down. However, Bahia grass grows into a thick turf that fends off weeds. As it starts to grow, Bahia develops an extensive root system which makes it one of the most drought tolerant lawn grasses. It normally goes semi-dormant in the winter. <br>St. Augustine grass – Although it requires frequent watering, St. Augustine grass produces a dense turf that is well adapted to most soils in Florida. It works well in hot climates and starts growing from sod quickly and easily. It can tolerate some shade and produces a dark to blue-green, dense turf. St. Augustine has large flat stems and broad coarse leaves. It is highly competitive against weeds, usually smothering them. It does well under salt stress and in moderate shade. <br>Work crews determine which grass is used on your property for the restoration process based on what type of grass was present before the construction began. <br>More Information: WaterWorks 2011 representatives will provide updates to area civic groups and individual residents living in the construction area to apprise them of progress. If you have any questions, please call WaterWorks 2011 at 954-522-2604. </div> | | | | | Audit flows with good news for WaterWorks | | | <p>The Program Management Team (PMT) at WaterWorks 2011 is doing a good job. That was the finding of a recent external audit of the WaterWorks program by the accounting firm of Sharpton, Brunson and Company, P.A. of Miami (SBC). Staff members were pleased.</p>
<p>According to WaterWorks 2011 <a href="http://waterworks2011.com/sub/Glossary_of_Terms">Program Director</a> Nannette Woods, the audit report served to confirm the “solid program management practices in place” at WaterWorks. </p>
<p>This wasn’t the first audit that had good things to say about the WaterWorks program. The City of Fort Lauderdale conducted its own internal audits of WaterWorks which yielded positive results. Then, in April 2007, the Fort Lauderdale City Commission awarded SBC a contract to conduct an external audit that would provide a comprehensive management review of WaterWorks. SBC revealed in its Oct. 12, report that the WaterWorks Program Management Team has:<br>sufficient management controls<br>produced reliable and timely financial and operating results<br>complied with applicable laws, regulations and contracts<br>effectively contributed to the successful execution of the program</p>
<p>The audit also recommends areas in which PMT can improve. The firm concluded that PMT should make changes in its reporting and improve the Change Control Board process. <br>“Implementing these enhancements will only serve to further strengthen the solid program management practices already in use on the WaterWorks program,” Woods commented.</p>
<p><a href="http://waterworks2011.com/sub/In_The_News/documents/Program and Performance Audit Response2.doc">Click here for the WaterWorks 2011 Program and Performance Audit Response</a></p>
<div></div> | | | | | Davie Boulevard “re-opens” with food and fun | | | <div>“It’s important for businesses to network with the community. Together, we can come up with great ideas,” said Joan Sheridan, chairperson of the Southwest Coalition of Civic Associations. Her organization, along with Waterworks 2011 and other committed individuals, joined forces to organize the Davie Boulevard Grand Re-Opening Celebration. </div>
<div>More than 2,000 people attended the Nov. 10, event which featured music, free food donated by local merchants, games for children, and special sales at the many stores lining the Ft. Lauderdale boulevard. “It was a huge success and a team effort,” Sheridan said. </div>
<div> Many people contributed to the celebration including Rick Cordary, the president of EDCO Awards & Specialties. He provided the event with 2,000 balloons, 10 large banners, thousands of flyers, and several printed letters.</div>
<div>“Without Rick, we wouldn’t have been able to get the communication out,” said Diane Russo who served as the events coordinator for the Grand Re-Opening. </div>
<div>Crews spent several months installing a new <a href="http://waterworks2011.com/sub/Glossary_of_Terms">water main</a> along Davie Boulevard. This construction slowed the flow of traffic to the local businesses in the community. According to Tara Flash, WaterWorks 2011 <a href="http://waterworks2011.com/sub/Glossary_of_Terms">Public Outreach Coordinator</a>, those merchants served as the inspiration for the event. Activities at the Grand Re-opening were geared at re-introducing the stores to patrons who may have found it difficult to get to their favorite shops during the heavy construction period. According to Russo, the celebration helped.</div>
<div>“It was like being in a big town with a small town atmosphere. Everyone was out there getting to know one another. It really brought everyone together,” she said. “It also brought people here who would not have regularly come here.” </div>
<div>In addition to the many merchants and individuals who donated their time and products, Russo was also very appreciative to the City of Fort Lauderdale and to the Danella construction company. They donated generators and put up barricades. </div>
<div>Cordary, whose EDCO business is located on Davie Boulevard, had encouraging words to say about WaterWorks 2011. “Without WaterWorks, we wouldn’t have had any money donated and none of this stuff would have happened,” he said. </div>
<div>Prior to the Grand Re-Opening, WaterWorks 2011 hosted a Business Toolkit series during the weekly construction meetings it had with Davie Boulevard merchants. Through the series, businesses were able to identify creative marketing ways to bring traffic to their stores. The Grand-Re-Opening served as one of those innovative ideas.</div>
<div>“This was truly a magnificent outreach for not only merchants, but residents as well,” Sheridan said. “It was more fantastic than I imagined. This event has inspired and created an enthusiasm to get merchants to come up with marketing ideas. It inspired them that there is hope after construction.”<br></div> | | | | | Living Through Construction | | | <div>When the City of Fort Lauderdale’s<strong> </strong>WaterWorks 2011 project is completed, more than 40 percent of the City will have new sanitary sewer service. In addition, residents in other parts of the City will experience improvements in their water service as water and wastewater facilities are upgraded. </div>
<div>When construction begins in your neighborhood, you may experience some inconveniences. This information can help you live through the construction.</div>
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<div><u>On the Road</u><br>1. <strong>Pay Attention</strong>. As you travel through a construction zone, you may have to change lanes or follow a detour. Be on the look out for highway signs, flaggers or orange barrels and cones to direct you.</div>
<div>2. <strong>Stay back, slow down</strong>. You never know when the unexpected will happen, especially in a construction zone. Leave extra space between your vehicle and the one in front of you to help avoid a rear-end collision. Follow the posted speed limit signs. </div>
<div>3. <strong>Plan ahead</strong>. A few extra minutes may be added to your trip as you navigate through the construction. Be sure to leave early in order to arrive at your destination on time. Delays are only temporary as crews work to bring your community better utility service. </div>
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<div><u>Time Will Tell</u><br>Construction can last anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Though you’ll be given and estimated construction completion date, unforeseen factors such as bad weather may affect when construction actually ends in your area. </div>
<div><br><u>Property Concerns<br></u>1. <strong>Give ‘em Room</strong>. Crews need to have free access to the work area, therefore, vehicles and other personal property should be moved out of the right-of-way. Any damage caused to your property will be addressed prior to the completion of the construction project and your property will be returned to as good as or better condition. </div>
<div>2. <strong>Pardon the Interruption</strong>. Crews will try to minimize inconveniences to property owners. However, you may experience some water service interruption as well as noise and dust problems. </div>
<div>3. <strong>Be Careful</strong>. Although hazardous work areas will be secured overnight with a safety fence or other precautions, please stay away from these areas and be careful. <br> <br><strong>CONSTRUCTION RELATED QUESTIONS</strong></div>
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<div> <strong>I don’t want the construction contractor damaging my property, how will you prevent this?<br></strong>The Construction Contractor is to work only in the <a href="http://waterworks2011.com/sub/Glossary_of_Terms">public right-of-way</a> and is not to go on private property. He is required to restore any damage to public or private property that he may cause. Private property damage will be handled as claims against the construction contractor’s insurance policy. Before any construction starts in the public right-of-way, the Construction Contractor and the City’s Inspector will carefully videotape the existing condition of the street and those portions of adjacent properties that abut the work area. This videotape will serve as the evidence as to whether any damage in question might have been a pre-existing condition.</div>
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<div> <strong>Who do I call when the Construction Contractor creates a problem for me and I want some action to resolve it?</strong><br>The City will have both a <a href="http://waterworks2011.com/sub/Glossary_of_Terms">Construction Inspector</a> and a <a href="http://waterworks2011.com/sub/Glossary_of_Terms">Construction Manager</a> watching each construction project. If you have a problem, call 954-522-2604 and tell the Waterworks 2011 representative your address. We will have the Construction Inspector come to your residence and work with the Construction Contractor to address the problem.</div>
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<div> <strong>The Construction Contractor is going to tear up the street. How will I get in and out of my home?</strong><br>As a general rule, the Construction Contractor is not supposed to block access to your house for more than two hours during a workday. He also has to make provision for safe access to your home during the night and on weekends.</div>
<div>However, there may be occasions when the nature of the work forces the contractor to close access to your driveway for longer than two hours. The City’s Inspector will be at the work site throughout the day, and he will work with you to solve any problems which might arise. If you encounter difficulty, call 954-522-2604 and we will direct the Inspector to meet with you and the Contractor at your house and get the problem addressed.</div>
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<div> <strong>How will garbage, recycling, bulk trash, or yard waste pick-up occur if the street in front of my house is blocked due to construction?</strong><br>In most cases, the contractor will be able to move the road barricades to allow access for the pickup. However, in a few cases, the construction activity may completely block the roadway limiting access for the trash collection trucks.</div>
<div>In this case, the contractor will move the collection cart or recycling bin to the end of the street and will return it after the pick-up has occurred. To ensure that the correct cart or bin is returned to you, the contractor may place a piece of masking tape or other temporary marking on your cart or bin noting your house number or other identification. If you see this type of identification on your cart or bin, please leave it in place until the construction is complete on your street.</div>
<div>In the case of bulk trash or yard waste, the contractor may move the material to a location where the collection truck can access it. In addition, during construction the sanitation crews may service your area at an earlier time than you normally expect them to be there. To assist the sanitation crews in continuing to provide you with efficient and uninterrupted service, we ask that you please place your garbage and yard waste carts, recycling bins, and bulk materials at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on your regularly scheduled pickup days. If you have any questions regarding trash pick-up, please call the City of Fort Lauderdale Customer Service Line at 954-828-8000.</div> |  | | | | New pump station construction begins in Edgewood | | | <div>Construction of three new <a href="http://waterworks2011.com/sub/Glossary_of_Terms">pump stations</a> in Edgewood began in November. This is Phase I of a two part project to add seven pump stations to the Edgewood community. </div>
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<div>The contractor for Phase I of this project is Intercounty Engineering. Larry Bower is the <a href="http://waterworks2011.com/sub/Glossary_of_Terms">Construction Manager</a> and Glen Corder is the <a href="http://waterworks2011.com/sub/Glossary_of_Terms">Inspector</a>. According to Bower, one of the pump stations is being placed at the intersection of SW 18 Terrace and SW 30 Street, next to the Lauder Lakes Mobile Home Park. Crews at this site have installed the concrete structures for the <a href="http://waterworks2011.com/sub/Glossary_of_Terms">wet well</a> and valve vault. The <a href="http://waterworks2011.com/sub/Glossary_of_Terms">sanitary sewer</a> has also been constructed from the wet well to the <a href="http://waterworks2011.com/sub/Glossary_of_Terms">manhole</a>. </div>
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<div>Another Phase I pump station is being built at the intersection of SW 15 Avenue and SW 31 Court. Crews at this site have also installed the concrete structures for the wet well and valve vault. They have also put in the sanitary sewer from the wet well to the manhole. </div>
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<div>Future construction work on these first two stations includes the installation of the pumps and of the associated piping.</div>
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<div>The third Phase I pump station will be located at 3309 SW 12 Avenue. At this time, crews are doing prep work before they begin construction at this location. All three Phase I pump stations are scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of 2008. Phase II of construction has not yet begun.</div>
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<div><em>WaterWorks 2011</em> staff members recently met with Edgewood residents to give them an update of the project. Bower met with President Cliff Iacino and members of the Edgewood Homeowners Association at the organization’s Dec. 5, meeting. He let the residents know where the pump stations are being placed. He was joined at the meeting by WaterWorks 2011 <a href="http://waterworks2011.com/sub/Glossary_of_Terms">Public Outreach Coordinator</a> Tara Flash. Flash offered the residents tips about connecting to the sewer once the construction is complete. </div>
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<div> “The residents were looking forward to working together to make this process as smooth as possible,” she said. </div>
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<div>The construction of the Phase I pump stations is part of a larger project known as the Edgewood Sanitary Sewer Construction Project. The goal of this project is to provide sewer service to the Edgewood neighborhood. This will be done by installing more than 70,000 linear feet (LF) of sewer piping, an estimated 300 manholes, approximately 1,000 <a href="http://waterworks2011.com/sub/Glossary_of_Terms">laterals</a>, about 6,000 LF of <a href="http://waterworks2011.com/sub/Glossary_of_Terms">force main</a>, and the seven pump stations. During construction of the sewer lines, more than 5,000 LF of water service lines are scheduled to be upgraded. </div>
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<div>The Edgewood community is generally bounded by I-95 in the west, SW 34 Street in the south, SW 2 Avenue in the east and State Road 84 in the north. In order to better manage overall construction activity, this project, also known as Sewer Area 8, has been divided into seven individual sewer <a href="http://waterworks2011.com/sub/Glossary_of_Terms">basins</a> or service areas. These basins are labeled using the first seven letters of the alphabet.</div>
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<div><strong>Basin A</strong> - Construction in the Basin A section of Edgewood is complete. Basin A is generally located east of I-95, south of State Road 84, west of SW 15 Avenue and north of SW 32 Place. </div>
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<div><strong>Basin B</strong> - Construction in Basin B is almost complete. Work crews are currently restoring the area to its pre-construction condition. Basin B is generally located east of SW 18 Terrace, south of State Road 84, west of SW 12 Avenue, and north of SW 24 Street.</div>
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<div><strong>Basin C</strong> - In Basin C, all sanitary sewers and laterals have been installed and paving of the roads is complete. In addition, the force main has been installed and tested. Crews are preparing for restoration of the area. Remaining improvements for Basin C include final testing, final striping of the road and the final walk through. The scheduled completion date for this project is during the third quarter of 2008. Basin C is generally located east of SW 15 Avenue, south of SW 30 Street, east of SW 4 Avenue and north of SW 34 Street.</div>
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<div><strong>Basin D</strong> - Construction for Basin D is scheduled to begin this year. Basin D is generally located east of SW 8 Avenue, south of SW 24 Street, west of SW 2 Avenue, and north of SW 28 Street.</div>
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<div><strong>Basin E</strong> - The major work for the Basin E project is almost complete. All sanitary sewers and laterals have been installed. Paving and final striping is complete as well as <a href="http://waterworks2011.com/sub/Glossary_of_Terms">swale</a> restoration. The remaining improvements for this project include the placement of <a href="http://waterworks2011.com/sub/Glossary_of_Terms">sod</a>. The scheduled completion date for this project is the end of the second quarter of 2008. Basin E is generally located east of SW 4 Avenue, south of SW 29 Street, west of SW 1 Terrace, and north of SW 34 Street.</div>
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<div><strong>Basin F and Basin G</strong> - A final walk through is all that’s left to be done with construction in Basin F and Basin G. Basin F is generally located east of SW 15 Avenue, south of State Road 84, west of SW 4 Avenue, and north of SW 30 Street. Basin G is generally located east of SW 4 Avenue, south of State Road 84, west of SW 2 Avenue, and north of 33 Court.</div> | | | |
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