Annual Water Matters Day
Set for March 11th at Tree Tops Park

For residents who are will recovering from last year's damaging hurricanes, Broward County's fourth annual Water Matters Day is an opportunity to learn more about the environment and "earn" free native trees and plants. The event will be held on Saturday, March 11, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Tree Tops Park, 2900 S.W. 100th Avenue, Davie. This year's theme is: Water for Everyone. People. Plants. Animals. Last year, more than 2,000 residents attended the event.

Water Matters Day will feature giveaways and a series of mini-workshops on a wide range of water-related topics including the "do's and don'ts" of irrigation, the impact of global warming on water resources, stormscaping to help hurricane-proof your landscape, and landscaping for wildlife. This year's event will also feature activities highlighting the County's recent certification as a Community Wildlife Habitat.

Participants who visit various educational exhibits and have their programs stamped will receive free native trees and plants. Other free items include much (bring your own bag), and rain gauges. There will also be a contest to win a free Rain Bird irrigation system-worth more than $1,000 (installation is not included).

Admission to the event is $1 per person and free for children 5 and under. The Home Depot will hold a birdhouse-building workshop and there will be face painting and clowns for the children. Folk singer Grant Livingston will provide live musical entertainment in the morning and afternoon.

Broward County Celebrates
Bicycle Week March 4-12

In an effort to promote bicycle safety and education, the Broward County Commission has designated the week of March 4 through March 12 as Bicycle Week. The weeklong celebration will highlight leisure and recreational bicycling opportunities for all ages and abilities, and offer competitive and challenging bicycling opportunities throughout the County. Bicycle Week 2006 will feature a variety of fun events, including bicycle rodeos, recreational rides, bike-to-work challenges, bike festivals, historic city rides, triathlons, nature bike hikes, lunch-time rides, and tandem rides for the visually impaired. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.broward.org/parks, or call Broward County Parks and Recreation Division at 954-357-8100.

Municipal, Annexation
Elections Set for March 14

Polls will open for municipal elections and annexation referenda in three unincorporated neighborhoods on Tuesday, March 14, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The deadline to register to vote in the March election was February 13. Fifteen of the County's 31 municipalities have scheduled elections: Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, Davie (District 1), Fort Lauderdale (District 2), Hillsboro Beach, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, Lazy Lake, North Lauderdale (District D), Parkland, Pembroke Pines (District 1), Pompano Beach (District 1), Tamarac and Wilton Manors.

Three unincorporated areas will be voting on annexation questions: Pine Island Ridge, a community of 5,199 residents located south of I-595, will be given a choice of being annexed to the Town of Davie or remaining unincorporated. Country Acres, a neighborhood of 172 people in northwest Broward, will decide whether to join Coral Springs or Parkland. Broward Estates, a central unincorporated neighborhood of 3,416, will be given an opportunity of joining Lauderhill or remaining unincorporated. If annexations are approved, the unincorporated neighborhoods will join municipalities on September 15, 2006. Later in the year, United Ranches, an incorporated area of 827 residents, will decide whether to be annexed by Davie or Cooper City. The election will be conducted by a special mail ballot in early July.

Port Everglades to Host
Environmental Workshop

Broward County's Port Everglades Department invites interested members of the community to participate in an Environmental Workshop on Friday, March 10, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Broward County Convention Center, 1950 Eisenhower Blvd., Fort Lauderdale.

"Our goal is to talk with residents about what Port Everglades is already doing to sustain the environment, and to listen to their ideas about programs we may be able to implement as we develop our new 20-year master plan," Port Director Phillip C. Allen said.

The first part of the workshop will involve an overview of current environmental programs. During the second part of the workshop, participants will break into discussion groups on the following topics: Natural Habitats (reefs, wildlife and wetlands); Water Quality; Air Quality; and, Recycling and Green Products. The Workshop will wrap up with summary presentations from each of the breakout groups. Information gathered from this workshop will be considered during the Port's 20-year Master Plan update. To register, visit www.broward.org/port, send an e-mail to PortEverglades@broward.org or call 954-468-3502.

Program to Award Grants
To Municipalities for Trees

Has you city or town lost trees during last year's hurricane season? If so, Broward County's Broward Beautiful Advisory Board may be able to help with its GreenSHADE program. The program, now in its second year, is accepting applications from municipalities. The program is designed to assist local governments in landscaping public properties with shade trees. A joint effort between Broward Beautiful and the Broward County Tree Preservation Trust Fund, the GreenSHADE program will award $15,000 in matching grants to cities. The deadline for applications is April 25, 2006. For additional information, visit www.broward.org/bio, click on Broward Beautiful, and follow the link to GreenSHADE Grant.

Airport Seeks Public Input
On Environmental Issues

Do you have any ideas on how the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) can be more environmental friendly? If so, you might want to attend a public workshop that will gather your input on ways to reduce the environmental effects from the airport's activities.

As part of the Green Airport Initiative at FLL, Clean Airport Partnership, Inc., (CAP) is developing strategies to reduce the airport's environmental effects. Representatives from CAP want to hear the concerns of residents and their suggestions for creating an environmentally friendly airport. Workshops will be held from 5 to 8 p.m., on:

Tuesday, March 21
Pine Island Park Multipurpose Center
3801 South Pine Island Road, Davie

Wednesday, March 22
Hollywood City Hall
Commission Chambers
2600 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood

For more information on these meetings and the Green Airport Initiative, go to www.fll.net , call The Adams Consulting Group at 954-764-8500, or inquire by e-mail at padams@cleanairports.com.

New Library Branch
Opens in Weston

Broward County's newest library branch opened in Weston last month at 4205 Bonaventure Boulevard. The two-story, 50,000 square-foot structure shares resources with Broward Community College's (BCC) Weston Center. The first floor houses a 100-seat multi-purpose room, 75 public use computers and a 24-seat computer lab. A story room for children's programs, a young adult area, four tutoring rooms, a quiet study room, a conference room and an outside drive-up book-drop are available at the new facility. The entire branch has shelving capacity for a collection of 100,000 volumes of library material. The second floor contains 10 classrooms, offices and conference rooms for BCC. The library was built with funding from the 1999 Library Bond Issue.

Building Code Services
Offers Improved Website

Broward County's Building Code Services Division has added new interactive features to its web site to allow residents and contractors to conduct business online. The revamped site allows visitors to search online for permits, plan reviews, building inspections, elevator inspections and trade and contractor licenses. Searches can be performed by address, permit number, license number or elevator identification number. The new site also offers downloadable applications for building permits, eliminating the need to visit the agency's offices in person. To view the site, visit www.broward.org/building.

Management & Efficiency
Group to Survey Residents

The Broward County Management and Efficiency Study Committee (MESC), a 17-member panel authorized and empowered by the Broward County Charter, is conducting a survey of residents on their level of satisfaction with County services. The seven-page survey is being mailed to 3,200 residents, accompanied by a letter from Broward County Mayor Ben Graber. Questions in the survey have been drafted to measure residents' level of satisfaction with law enforcement, fire/rescue operations, parks/recreation, public transportation, traffic management and other services. The results of the survey will be compared to similar surveys of other large urban areas in the United States. The results will be compiled by mid-March. The MESC was created to periodically study County government with a goal of seeking more effective and efficient means of providing services to residents. The current MESC board was activated in June 2004 and will issue a final report to the County Commission this June. For additional information, visit www.broward.org/efficiency.