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Mayor Sortal's Plantation Update - April 6, 2023 |
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Asian market opening soon, how procurement works and a library construction update.
Enson Market
City CAO Jason Nunemaker and I visited Enson Market, an Asian grocery store ready to open in the old Lucky’s/Whole Foods venue. It's located at 7720 Peters Road, just west of University, in the same complex that has First Watch.
There were some permitting delays but they have been cleared up. (Note that I’m aware we are facing several challenges regarding permitting, a complicated process that requires significant teamwork in our city. Improving permitting is probably my No.1 focus as of now.)
Our procurement practices are like walking a tightrope. We want the best price and quality available for using our public money, but we also have to be exceedingly fair. No one’s uncle, cousin, sister, etc. is getting a deal.
This year the Procurement Department conducted two training sessions: Procurement 101 and Contract Management & Best Practices. This training focused on informing city personnel of the city’s procurement practices and lessons learned from other agency experience.
About 40 employees attended and actively participated. I think the information provided during these sessions can be relevant to the public.
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Here are just a few takeaways:
We want an open competitive bidding environment.
Procurement dangers to avoid include inadequate review of proposals, inadequate verification of services (did they do the job?) and bid splitting (taking one job and cutting into two in order to avoid cost thresholds).
Parameters for selecting bidders must be clear, i.e., how would each person on the committee evaluate a vague requirement when determining who gets a job?
The Procurement Department publishes a monthly Procurement Gazette, which can be found on the City’s website.
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The City of Plantation has been in existence for more than 70 years but there’s still room for a “first.” We have formed a strategic plan, a document that takes a step back from day-to-day operations and more broadly defines where we are going as a city.
The mayor (me!) is responsible for creating the strategic plan, but of course best practices dictate that I collect information from all parties involved. So in early 2023,my administrative staff began gathering input from each department to piece together a rough draft of a plan.
 We then held an all-day meeting on March 17, with City Council, our 14 department heads and others to make sure all ideas were considered.
I am composing a final draft and will share it with the same parties before finalizing. Then we will publish the final version.
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Food Run
Meals on Wheels South Florida, which provides meals to seniors in need, took me on a ride-along last week.
Funded in part through the Older Americans’ Act, Meals on Wheels South Florida has been providing hunger-relief services to Broward’s senior community since 1984. With more than 400 volunteers it delivers nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks.
Meals on Wheels South Florida serves about 1.5 million meals to over 10,000 seniors each year .
To volunteer or donate, please call 954-731-8770 or visit mowsoflo.org
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Library Update
We are eagerly awaiting the completion of interior repairs and window and door replacement at the Helen B. Hoffman Library, with plans to reopen this fall. The library books are currently housed at Deicke Auditorium.
The design for the library interior repairs is complete and the contractor has submitted the applications for permitting. The contractor has 150 days to complete the work and the completion is expected by fall. Work includes ceiling and carpet replacement, painting, fire alarm upgrade and lighting. The total cost for design and construction is $308,000.
The window and door replacement project was awarded to a contractor for $404,856. The contractor has shop drawings and will apply for permits. The contractor has 150 days to complete the project. Barring any supply or manufacturing delays, the completion is anticipated by the end of summer.
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Council member Denise Horland and I spent part of last week in Tallahassee for “Broward Days,” regional attempt to show state legislators the strength of our county.
We also used it as an opportunity to push for approval of our appropriation requests. Those are projects that could get a boost from state money.
As of this writing, three of our four requests are still alive as the budget process moves along. We have requested funding for an inclusive playground, ADA improvements for our municipal complex and hardening of our Regional Utilities Operations Center.
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Councilmember Horland continues to work with our lobbying team and the Florida League of Cities on bills that may negatively impact our city, such as vacation rentals.
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At the March 29 Council meeting, the Petland store in the Fountains was denied a request for a conditional use that would have allowed them to continue operating. The store was fined for failing to comply with the code's restrictions on the retail sales of dogs and cats. The store’s business tax license expired and its renewal is no longer possible.
The landlord for Petland has been notified and plans are in motion for Petland to vacate the premises.
Such a decision is in line with standard practices by the city and the City Council.
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I am proud to say that the city had its first ever team in the Lexus Corporate 5K run on March 30. That’s an evening when companies gather and people can walk or run 3.1 miles. This time, the event was at the FloridaLIVE stadium, where the Panthers hockey team plays.
Our 64 registered participants put us No. 11 on the list for entries. More importantly, it’s an opportunity for our employees to mingle with people who work in other departments.
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I’d like to say we had some very fast people, but that would not be true. Our winner covered the ground in about 29 minutes.
We’ll get ‘em next year.
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Councilmember Reinstein presented a resolution supporting the efforts of the David Posnack Jewish Community Center to host the 2023 JCC Maccabi Games® & ACCESS - a unique program for youth from 12 to 22 years of age with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
This week-long, multi-sport event will utilize venues throughout Broward County, including Frank Veltri Tennis Center and Pine Island Park in Plantation.
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We honored Joe Mercogliano for his 32 years of service in Plantation Police Department and the impact he made providing training to the next generation of police personnel. Joe retired last week.
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Mayor Nick Sortal's newsletter focuses on governing in Plantation as it relates to our residents/customers.
You can also get info on parks, police, and other city services by visiting our website.
Missed the last update or two? View the archives here.
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