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| | | | | 2 | Bahia and St. Augustine | | Site Admin | Site Admin |  | Bahia and St. Augustine | Bahia and St. Augustine: Two great grasses
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. | |
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| | | | | 3 | Audit flows with good news for WaterWorks | | Site Admin | Site Admin | | Audit flows with good news for WaterWorks | 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.
According to WaterWorks 2011 Program Director Nannette Woods, the audit report served to confirm the “solid program management practices in place” at WaterWorks.
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:
sufficient management controls
produced reliable and timely financial and operating results
complied with applicable laws, regulations and contracts
effectively contributed to the successful execution of the program
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.
“Implementing these enhancements will only serve to further strengthen the solid program management practices already in use on the WaterWorks program,” Woods commented.
Click here for the WaterWorks 2011 Program and Performance Audit Response
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| | | | | 4 | Davie Boulevard “re-opens” with food and fun | | Site Admin | Site Admin | | Davie Boulevard “re-opens” with food and fun | “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.
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.
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.
“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.
Crews spent several months installing a new water main along Davie Boulevard. This construction slowed the flow of traffic to the local businesses in the community. According to Tara Flash, WaterWorks 2011 Public Outreach Coordinator, 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. “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.”
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.
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.
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.
“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.”
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| | |  | | 5 | Living Through Construction | | Site Admin | Site Admin | | Living Through Construction | When the City of Fort Lauderdale’s 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.
When construction begins in your neighborhood, you may experience some inconveniences. This information can help you live through the construction.
On the Road
1. Pay Attention. 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.
2. Stay back, slow down. 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.
3. Plan ahead. 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.
Time Will Tell
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.
Property Concerns
1. Give ‘em Room. 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.
2. Pardon the Interruption. Crews will try to minimize inconveniences to property owners. However, you may experience some water service interruption as well as noise and dust problems.
3. Be Careful. Although hazardous work areas will be secured overnight with a safety fence or other precautions, please stay away from these areas and be careful.
CONSTRUCTION RELATED QUESTIONS
I don’t want the construction contractor damaging my property, how will you prevent this?
The Construction Contractor is to work only in the public right-of-way 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.
Who do I call when the Construction Contractor creates a problem for me and I want some action to resolve it?The City will have both a Construction Inspector and a Construction Manager 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.
The Construction Contractor is going to tear up the street. How will I get in and out of my home?
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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. | |
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| | | | | 6 | New pump station construction begins in Edgewood | | Site Admin | Site Admin | | New pump station construction begins in Edgewood | Construction of three new pump stations in Edgewood began in November. This is Phase I of a two part project to add seven pump stations to the Edgewood community.
The contractor for Phase I of this project is Intercounty Engineering. Larry Bower is the Construction Manager and Glen Corder is the Inspector. 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 wet well and valve vault. The sanitary sewer has also been constructed from the wet well to the manhole.
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.
Future construction work on these first two stations includes the installation of the pumps and of the associated piping.
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.
WaterWorks 2011 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 Public Outreach Coordinator Tara Flash. Flash offered the residents tips about connecting to the sewer once the construction is complete.
“The residents were looking forward to working together to make this process as smooth as possible,” she said.
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 laterals, about 6,000 LF of force main, 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.
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 basins or service areas. These basins are labeled using the first seven letters of the alphabet.
Basin A - 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.
Basin B - 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.
Basin C - 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.
Basin D - 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.
Basin E - 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 swale restoration. The remaining improvements for this project include the placement of sod. 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.
Basin F and Basin G - 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. | |
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| | | | | 7 | Oakland Park project proceeds | | Site Admin | Site Admin | | Oakland Park project proceeds | Construction to install a 30-inch water main in the Oakland Park area began on NE 30 Place at NE 26 Terrace. Crews will head east under the Intracoastal Waterway and eventually end at Oakland Park Boulevard and Ocean Boulevard (A1A). Expertech Network Installation is the contractor for this project. Steve Hillberg serves as the Construction Manager and John Donato is the Resident Project Representative.
The new water main will replace an existing 16-inch one that is 50-years-old. The new water main is larger and will meet demand requirements in the central beach area.
“The construction will not affect access to local businesses because the backs of businesses face NE 30 Place,” said Mario Diaz, WaterWorks 2011 Public Outreach Coordinator. “Also, it won’t interrupt traffic too much.”
Merchants and residents can expect temporary street closures and detours within a couple of hundred feet of the active construction areas. Heavy equipment will be traveling between these areas as well. Efforts will be made to allow access to driveways and to minimize inconveniences to residents and businesses all along the project route.
Dust, dirt, detours and noise are all to be expected with this type of construction. Construction zones are always dangerous and residents should take reasonable steps to avoid them.
The pipeline will be drilled under the Intracoastal Waterway for a length of approximately 900 feet. During the installation, the access roads under both sides of the Oakland Park Beach Boulevard Drawbridge will be closed. This installation should take less than two months to complete.
The east end of the proposed pipeline connects to another pipeline at A1A. This intersection will have to be shut down temporarily to allow the connection work. Expect delays and detours during this work. Sign boards will provide several days warning for this activity. The right-hand turn lane on eastbound Oakland Park Beach Boulevard will be closed to construct the section of pipe from A1A to NE 33 Avenue. This work should take about a month to complete. The lane will be repaved with final pavement to match the surrounding area after the pipe is tested and accepted.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, the project should wrap up in the fourth quarter of 2008. | |
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| | | | | 8 | Residents informed about how to connect to sewer | | Site Admin | Site Admin | | Residents informed about how to connect to sewer | Several dozen people attended a Sewer Connection Workshop at Faith Lutheran Church on Dec. 3. At the program, WaterWorks 2011 Connection Coordinators Diana Horodecki and Heather Steyn shared with homeowners the process involved in connecting their properties to a sewer system. WaterWorks Grants Administrator Cara Jean Nielsen spoke about financial assistance available to property owners. Joe DeMaio, the City’s Chief Plumbing Inspector, gave his professional insight about sewer connection.
Making the Connection
As part of the WaterWorks 2011 program, the City of Fort Lauderdale has been constructing new sanitary sewers in the 40 percent of the City that is currently using septic tanks. Once a new sewer construction project is completed in an area, property owners in that community are required to connect to the sewer. Connection is a five-step process.
Property owners may choose to select a plumbing contractor to do the job of connecting to the sewer or they may do the job themselves. DeMaio encourages property owners to be cautious when it comes to trying to connect to the sewer themselves.
“Don't take on projects that are over your head,” he said. “We have a lot of homeowners taking on septic to sewer connection that are not experienced in that scope of work and are having problems installing the new sewer line.”
DeMaio said that not only are plumbers experienced in connection work, they also offer warranties that may be beneficial if problems arise with the connection in the future.
“The best way to pick a contractor is word of mouth,” he said. He offers some questions to ask about a potential plumber: • Was the contractor on time? • Were the inspections called in and completed without problems caused by the contractor? • Was the estimate correct or were there extras that were not justified? • Was the job site clean after the contractor was completed? Paying for the ConnectionThere are different costs associated with the sewer connection process. In addition to paying for a plumbing contractor, if the property owner opts to use one, property owners must also pay a one-time sewer connection fee. Horodecki, encourages property owners to pay the required connection fee within the 90 day period “because it’s a City ordinance,” she said.
Horodecki went on to explain that if property owners don’t connect during the three-month time frame, the City of Ft. Lauderdale will proceed with collection actions.
For those property owners needing assistance in meeting this financial obligation, the City offers two options.
Option 1: Owner-occupied, single-family property owners who earn less than the 50 percent median income established by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) may qualify for a HUD grant through the Sewer Connection Fee Assistance Program. The grant will pay for the property owner’s $1,000 sewer connection fee and for a licensed and insured plumbing contractor to connect the house to the sewer system.
Option 2: For those owner-occupied, single-family property owners whose income is too high to qualify for the HUD grant, the City will agree to finance the $1,000 sewer connection fee for a 5-year period at an annual interest rate of 6% compounded monthly. For more information on how to qualify for City financing or on the grant program, contact Grants Administrator Cara Jean Nielsen at 954-828-4502.
“I want to make sure that all citizens who can qualify for this HUD grant are able to do so, Nielsen said.”
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| | | | | 9 | Shady Banks residents get new construction update | | Site Admin | Site Admin | | Shady Banks residents get new construction update | Before construction began in Shady Banks in December, WaterWorks 2011 staff was on hand to let residents know what to expect.
According to Tara Flash, WaterWorks 2011 Public Outreach Coordinator, those attending the November meeting of the Shady Banks Civic Association were pleased to have key members of the project team there to speak to them about the process.
“Residents seemed relaxed to have us there,” Flash said. “We took questions from them and we went over where construction will begin.”
Accompanying Flash to the meeting was the project’s Construction Manager, Pierre Marcellus, and the project’s Inspector, Clyde Harding as well as WaterWorks 2011 Public Relations/Project Manager Traci Pollock. Jeff Phillips and Dan Lacross, both representatives from the contractor, Ric-Man Construction, were also available to talk with the residents.
WaterWorks staff also attended a Shady Banks community yard sale on Saturday, Nov. 10. As homeowners were seeking bargains, they were also able to find lots of valuable information about the upcoming construction project for the area.
“WaterWorks had a table set up with information about how the construction will progress in the Shady Banks community,” Flash said. “The inspector was also available to answer any questions the residents might have had.”
A visual display was set up for people to see how the construction would affect them. Pictures showed how things would look before, during and after the construction process. In addition, WaterWorks staff gave away more than 100 gift bags which contained construction-related literature, pens, candy, and a water bottle.
Construction is not new to Shady Banks which is bounded by Davie Boulevard to the north, the South Fork of the New River to the east and south, and I-95 to the west. As with other WaterWorks projects, in order to better manage overall construction activity and impacts, this project has been divided into individual sewer basins or service areas. Shady Banks is in Sewer Area 5. The construction project that just begun is in Basin C. The Basin B project was completed about a year and a half ago. The Basin A project has been included to the Basin C project that just started.
The construction in Shady Banks will provide the community with sanitary sewer service. Currently, most of the area is unsewered and septic tanks are used for disposal of residential and commercial sewage. The Shady Banks Sanitary Sewer Construction Project consists of installing 21,150 linear feet (LF) of sanitary sewer piping, an estimated 73 manholes and approximately 282 service laterals. During construction of the sewer lines, approximately 8,000 LF of 6-inch diameter water main will also be installed.
Residents and property owners can obtain additional information about the construction process by contacting the WaterWorks 2011 Call Center at 954-522-2604. | |
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| | | | | 11 | WaterWorks 2011 honored by merchants | | Site Admin | Site Admin | | WaterWorks 2011 honored by merchants | On Thursday, Nov. 29, WaterWorks 2011 was one of many honorees at an Appreciation Night held for those who participated in the Davie Boulevard Grand Re-Opening Celebration. Plaques and certificates were handed out to those who helped to make the celebration possible. This included organizers, volunteers and sponsors.
“They all helped to make it happen,” said Diane Russo, one of the first members of the Lift-Up Davie Boulevard organization which sponsored the Appreciation Night. She also served as the events coordinator for the Grand Re-Opening Celebration.
“The Appreciation Night was held to thank all merchants and community volunteers,” said Joan Sheridan, chairperson of the Southwest Coalition of Civic Associations. Her organization along with WaterWorks 2011 and other committed individuals joined forces to present the Nov. 10, celebration. “We could not have made this event a success without the help of WaterWorks 2011 Public Relations/Project Manager Traci Pollock, all the businesses, the City of Fort Lauderdale public officials, departments, and staff,” she commented. “There were also many volunteers from community, local schools and churches that helped make this celebration a reality. It was truly a team effort and together we made a difference for the businesses on Davie Boulevard.”
Over the past year, work crews redirected traffic along portions of Davie Boulevard as they replaced the existing water main. This construction slowed the flow of traffic to businesses in the area. 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.
Honorees at the Appreciation Night included: Angel Tones Steel Band, CH2M HILL, Danella National, Inc., Dickey Consulting Services, Inc., EDCO Awards & Specialties, Faith Lutheran School, Keith and Schnars, P.A., Music Arts Enterprise, Pete’s A Place, Publix, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School band, Scales Tails & Teeth, Southwest Coalition of Civic Associations, Stranahan High School Marine Corps JROTC, Sunset Presbyterian Church, TAG Gymnastics, WaterWorks 2011, Winn Dixie, Gold Sponsors – CMTS; Silver Sponsors - Acu-Rate Assurance, Inc., Bank of America, Emerge Consulting, Inc., Milian, Swain and Associates, Super Saver, Tim’s Automotive; Supporters – Abiding Savior Lutheran Church, Dunkin Donuts, Living Water Community Church, Odds and Ends Thrift, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church, Sheridan PC Consulting; Treasure Hunt Donors – Animal Mania, Crystal Pool Supplies, CVS, Dragon Inn, Flanagan’s, Gator Tint, Karate Goldsun Kenpo, Latin Sounds, Radio Shack, Sunshine Bakery, Superior Meats & Fish, Tim’s Automotive, Wellness Oasis, and Yarly’s Bakery; Organizers – Betty Hayes, Diane Russo, Greg Smith, Joan Sheridan, Rick Cordary, Robin Terrill, Tara Flash, and Traci Pollock. | |
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| | |  | | 13 | WaterWorks 2011 back-to-school donations help kids, parents and teachers, too! | | Site Admin | Site Admin | | WaterWorks 2011 back-to-school donations help kids, parents and teachers, too! | Lauderdale Manors Elementary staff and students are grateful for the supplies donated by WaterWorks 2011. From left to right: Veronica Torres, Beverly Wimberly, Krishna Boodhoo, Myralynn Tutwiler, Ruthie Jones, Heather Hedman-Devaughn, Dawn Yates, Jocelyn Greenaway and Angela Landers. Front row (students): Alyssa Jones (Fifth grade), Keara Allen (Fifth grade) and Valerie Mejia (First grade).
Nestled in one of the oldest communities in Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale Manors Elementary School serves as the primary learning center to nearly 600 neighborhood children. In helping many of them prepare for a new school year, WaterWorks 2011, the City’s water and wastewater capital improvement program, donated needed school supplies to the community school.
“We adopted the school in 2005 since Lauderdale Manors was one of WaterWorks 2011's first construction projects,” explained WaterWorks 2011's Office Manager, Stacey Smith. “Since then, we've organized an annual Back-to-School breakfast, where the WaterWorks 2011 Program Staff cooks breakfast for the office, in lieu of dollar donations or school supplies.”
This year, the level of staff support and commitment from WaterWorks 2011 became evident as the principal's conference table overflowed with book bags in an array of colors, packs of glue sticks, stacks of rulers, boxes of crayons, a rainbow of spiral notebooks, calculators and even a $55 gift card to an office supply store. According to the school's principal, Heather Hedman-Devaughn, the gift card was awarded to one of the teachers during the school's back-to-school event.
"It takes a village to educate a child", Hedman-Devaughn said. "When more people get involved in helping in the education of our students, we all ultimately benefit."
From the help of WaterWorks 2011, 300-400 students have received assistance since the start of the back-to-school project. The supplies are distributed through the school's parent resource center based on financial need. Students receive supplies according to their grade-level.
"Most parents know to come to me if they need help," the school's Community Liaison Dawn Yates explained. "We supply parents with those items they cannot afford to give their child.
"We try to meet school as well as other needs of our families through the resource center," Yates, who attended Lauderdale Manors as a child, continued. "But we know we can't do everything for them; but, we try."
Ruthie Jones, a parent of six children who have all attended the school throughout the years, said that having a resource to receive supplies was a big help for her and others in the community. "A lot of parents in the community are single parents or grandparents on a fixed income," Jones said. "So, it helps them tremendously, considering the current state of our economy."
"Boxes of school supplies and financial support helps to boost morale among the teaching staff as well," Hedman-Devaughn revealed. "Help from community partners like WaterWorks 2011 shows the teachers that they are not alone and others are willing to personally contribute to help the children succeed."
Other WaterWorks 2011 community projects include: Lauderdale Manors Thanksgiving Food Baskets; Stranahan High School Bid Competition; feeding the homeless at a local shelter; and donating clothing to homeless and runaway children. | |
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| | |  | | 14 | Smith named STAR Winner | | Site Admin | Site Admin | | Smith named STAR Winner | Kenneth Smith, Sr. was presented with the July 2008 STAR Award for his service to the City of Fort Lauderdale’s Public Works Department. Engineering Inspection Supervisor Louis Coons nominated Smith because of his “energy, diligence and enthusiasm for his work that has resulted in major improvements in quality control for the program.”
Smith is an Engineering Inspector II who has been with the City since 1986. He started his career as a Service Worker I and through the years he has been promoted several times. He currently serves as a City representative for the WaterWorks 2011 Capital Improvement Program. His role with WaterWorks is to ensure that the water and sewer improvements are well constructed and meet the City’s requirements. He has provided “threshold inspections” of completed work which are inspections that have resulted in corrective actions. The results of his actions include an improved understanding and enforcement of the City’s requirements during construction.
Kenneth Smith, Sr. (right) is congratulated by City of Fort Lauderdale Public Works Director Albert Carbon. | |
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