Elaine Vasquez, the event coordinator for Fiesta Puerto Rico, opened the day of festivities by welcoming Mayor Scott Brook of Coral Springs, and Broward County Commissioner Ilene Lieberman.

Broward MPO staff members, John Ramos and Debbie Byrnes, answer event goers' questions regarding community mobility and mass transit.

Fiesta Puerto Rico
June 29, 2008

On Sunday, June 29th, the Coral Springs Center for the Arts held its 5th annual Fiesta Puerto Rico celebration. The outdoor cultural festival featured music, dancing, and other performances all day long. Traditional dishes, including Bacalao, a staple of the Puerto Rican diet, were also prepared and served.

Arts and crafters, small businesses and corporate sponsors staffed colorful booths with giveaways and raffle prizes. A children’s area with games and prizes, free dance lessons and children’s performances also made the festival a great day for the whole family.

Over 75 event goers stopped by the Broward MPO informational booth. Here they filled out surveys and had their questions about transportation issues within the community answered by a team of experts. Almost half of those surveyed expressed their major transportation concern was mass transit and the city’s need for more bike lanes and bus routes.

Mango Fest
June 14, 2008

On June 14th, for the 23rd year in a row, the City of Deerfield Beach held its annual Mango Fest celebration, a tradition-rich tribute to the sweet tropical fruit and Black Music Month.

Mango Fest is one of South Florida’s largest multicultural festivals, with over 100 vendors of unique arts and crafts, wonderful international food and spirits, and live entertainment. The Broward MPO attended this year’s celebration to speak with event attendees and answer their transportation-related questions.

The Broward MPO Mobile Information Station (MIS) was stationed in the heart of the event site, attracting more than 50 visitors to stop by and fill out a questionnaire. Locals shared many ideas on how to improve transportation in their community, some stating public transit should be marketed better so the public is aware of their different options.

A Broward MPO staff member presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Oriole Elementary. Assistant Principal Reardon and teachers Ms. Washington and Ms. Barrat accepted the award on the school’s behalf..

Each student was given a Broward MPO folder that contained their homework assignment, puzzle, fun facts, bookmark, and a certificate.

Oriole Elementary School
May 20, 2008

On May 20 th, the Broward MPO School Outreach Team met with the students of Lauderdale Lakes’ Oriole Elementary for their sixth and final stop of the 2007-2008 school tour. Ms. Washington’s and Ms. Barrat’s fourth grade classes participated in the presentation’s interactive game show, and worked together to answer important questions about the Broward MPO, like what role the community plays in the transportation planning process.

The VisionBroward event at Broward Community College was an excellent way to ask local community members to participate and provide feedback for new strategies for improving the quality of life in Broward County.

The 2008 South Florida Ideas Exchange focused on the issues facing our region with regard to health care, transportation, housing, education, business development as well as diversity. Event goers were encouraged to share opinions and to get involved!

South Florida Ideas Exchange 2008
May 10, 2008

On May 10th, VisionBroward held its 5th Annual South Florida Ideas Exchange at Broward Community College’s Davie Campus. VisionBroward was created in 2004 to help further economic development, promote job growth, and improve the overall quality of life in Broward County.

This year’s conference focused on engaging the community to provide their feedback and participate in the implementation of new development strategies. Both local and national experts from various fields were in attendance to answer questions from concerned attendees. Exhibitors included many neighboring organizations, such as the Broward Alliance, Broward County Transit (BCT), and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), just to name a few.

The Broward MPO had a booth manned with professionals to answer questions and distribute important information. Items distributed included fact sheets, Citizen’s Guides, bicycle suitability maps, and SHORTCUTS, the Broward MPO’s quarterly newsletter. Surveys, provided by BCT, were also handed out to patrons who wanted to share their thoughts and ideas.

 
Teachers Ms. Baldwin and Mr. Cristadora, along with a visiting faculty member, were presented with a Certificate of Appreciation.

Students shuffle through their Broward MPO folders to go over the Cast Your Vote and Transportation Questionnaire homework assignments.

North Side Elementary School
May 7, 2008

Being involved with your local community sometimes means making difficult choices. This is the main theme expressed during the initial learning module of the Broward MPO Student Outreach Program.

During the segment called “Where Should the Road Go”, the students of North Side Elementary really enjoyed assisting the Broward MPO staff in ultimately planning and paying for a sidewalk in front of their school. The students are given a limited budget in the exercise and are asked to determine the width and length of the addition to the school. In addition, they are asked to make decisions regarding safety concerns and right-of-way issues.

The students of North Side Elementary had a great time sharing their ideas with the Broward MPO Team mascot, Buddy, as well as the Broward MPO Team members.

Students participated in a vote off to name characters Chic and Egg at the follow-up visit on May 12, 2008.
 

Dr. Osgood, Curriculum Coordinator for Park Lakes Elementary, and teachers Ms. Rodman and Ms. Brown accept a Broward MPO Certificate of Appreciation on behalf of their school.

Park Lakes Elementary School
May 6, 2008

Careers in transportation can sometimes overlap into other fields, such as Environmental Sciences and Landscape Architecture. The students at Park Lake Elementary were on top of their game when it came to determining career fields in the Broward MPO Student Outreach Program.

The Broward MPO Team, along with their mascot, Buddy, visited 50 Park Lakes Elementary students, along with their two teachers, Ms. Rodman and Ms. Brown, to present transportation planning concepts. Each student took part in a 45 minute program that is divided into different learning modules, which are interactive and fun for everyone.

The students learned that the transportation planning process does need the public’s input in order to make the best choices for their local roads, greenways, and environment. One contestant in the program, Dr. Kris Stewart, gave five clues about her job and the students were able to correctly determine Dr. Stewart was a scientist. The students learned that Dr. Stewart’s search for wildlife and local habitats is an important part of the transportation planning process for building a road. The fourth graders at Park Lakes Elementary really “did their homework” because these environmental factors directly affect whether a road can be built or not.

Members of the Broward MPO Student Outreach Team take time to recognize the administrative and teaching staff at Royal Palm Elementary.
 

Everyone has an opportunity to participate in the voting process for the Broward MPO Student Outreach Program.

Royal Palm Elementary School
April 22, 2008

Buddy and the rest of the Broward MPO gang, visited Royal Palm Elementary on April 22nd to teach a group of 50 students about transportation planning in Broward County.

Buddy and his team presented a fun and interactive program that helps explain the importance of having a voice in the transportation planning process. The students were very receptive, answering each of the questions that Buddy asked.

In one exercise, students took part in determining whether or not enough money was being spent on improving our roads. Upon our return visit, we learned that the students think there is, in fact, not enough being done to improve road safety and that more money should be spent on building pedestrian walkways and bike paths. They also thought that leveling the pavement and clearing the roads of pot holes would contribute to safer transportation.

The students cast their ballots to name two of the characters in the Student Outreach Program, Chic and Egg.

A return visit to each school helps students understand the importance of public participation within the Broward MPO's transportation planning process.
 

Nob Hill Elementary School
April 14, 2008

The second visit for the 2007-2008 school year was at Nob Hill Elementary, home of the Nuggets, and the Alma Mater for one of our very own members of the Broward MPO team. The second graders of Ms. Sobkowski’s and Mrs. Beckwith’s classes were eager to participate in the student outreach program. They answered the BIG questions and provided much insight into decisions such as building a sidewalk.

Students were asked at the end of the presentation to take home their folders and have a parent or guardian help them determine how to best use the $100.00 budget provided to make improvements within the community. The following week, the Broward MPO staff returned to Nob Hill Elementary to go over the homework results. The students had fun participating in the vote off to name Chic and Egg.

The Broward MPO staff showed their token of gratitude by providing the teachers and faculty of Nob Hill Elementary with a framed certificate of appreciation to be hung in the school's front office.

Students gather around Buddy at the end of the presentation to ask him questions.

Ms. Lahoma Scarlette, Public Education Coordinator for the Broward MPO, presents Stirling Elementary’s Principal Dobronz and teachers Ms. O’Neil and Mr. Bentolila  a Certificate of Appreciation.

Stirling Elementary School
April 8, 2008

On April 8th, the Broward MPO visited Stirling Elementary School with their interactive student outreach program. This was the first stop of the 2007-2008 school year for the Broward MPO.

The 30-minute presentation offers a fun and interactive lesson in which students are taught about transportation planning by a giant remote control car named Buddy. Stirling Elementary students were given lessons about transportation planning, careers in transportation, and transportation safety through the educational program.

A follow-up visit was made to the school on April 11th, in which Broward MPO staff reviewed the homework assignment, which was to spend $100.00 on our local transportation system. The students were asked how they would spend the $100.00 on transportation improvements, based on what they consider to be most important. The students of Stirling Elementary thought that building too many roads would leave insufficient space for people to walk. They also agreed that having too many roads would be harmful to the environment.

Event goers at WorldFest 2008 stopped by the Mobile Information Station to fill out transportation surveys during the day-long event!

 
Close to 120 people stopped by the Broward MPO exhibit during WorldFest 2008.

Worldfest 2008
April 5, 2008

The City of Coral Springs held its second annual Worldfest Celebration on Saturday, April 5th at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts.

The festival featured a spectacular array of entertainment, great food and heritage; promoting awareness of the community that Coral Springs represents. Also, for the first time since its commencement, the event featured an Antiques and Collectibles show.

The Broward MPO Mobile Information Station was parked at the entrance of the event for all attendees to see. 118 event goers stopped by the Broward MPO booth to fill out a survey and pick-up some important information about the organization. Almost half of those surveyed stated that they would like to know more about mass transit and traffic congestion in their area.

Members of the public took time during Garden Fest 2008 to speak with MPO staff about transportation issues that were important to them.

Neighboring the Broward MPO Informational Booth was Gardenfest’s event host, the Garden Club of Coral Springs, a non-profit, educational and environmental organization.

Gardenfest
March 29, 2008

On Saturday, March 29th, the Garden Club of Coral Springs held its first ever Gardenfest at Riverside Park. Gardenfest 2008 was established to provide the avid and occasional gardener an opportunity to experience a wide variety of beautiful orchids, native plants, unusual ferns, roses, palms, succulents, herbs, and an abundance of other flora. Other vendors featured lovely pottery, fountains, and unusual art sold to enhance the home garden. There were also many experts in attendance, including master gardeners, wildlife habitat stewards, and nursery growers.

The Broward MPO Team was on hand to answer event goers’ questions about transportation issues within the community, as well as regional mobility. More than 40 attendees were surveyed during the event. Of those surveyed, almost 50% stated their major transportation concern was traffic congestion. Other issues of concern included the county’s need for better mass transit systems. They also stated that the buses do not run frequently enough.

Broward MPO representative, John Ramos, was hard at work answering questions regarding transportation planning and surveying event attendees.

The Broward MPO Booth attracted people from all races and ages. Even Shrek stopped by to fill out a transportation survey!

2008 Pines Day
January 19, 2008

On Saturday, January 19th, the City of Pembroke Pines hosted Pines Day 2008 in honor of their 48th annual birthday celebration. Pines Day 2008 was held in the festival grounds of the Pines Recreation Center located at 7400 Pines Boulevard. This event included strolling performances, roaming characters, live music, and fun-filled activities for families.

The Broward MPO was present with their information display to speak to the public about the transportation planning process and survey event attendees. A total of 104 event attendees were surveyed throughout the day.

Of those surveyed, almost 39% indicated their major transportation concern was bicycle facilities, while 37% stated traffic congestion. Other issues of concern included safety and pedestrian paths.