Call Me.

I made myself available last week to talk to anyone about anything.  My expectation was that anyone who had questions or complaints would come.  No one did.

I saw one of my friends while I was out walking this morning.  He said he thought things seemed to be going well in the Village.  He also apologized for not making it last week.  I told him what I just told you: I wasn't expecting him; he has no questions or complaints; I was only expecting people who did.

If the people who say they have questions or complaints don't come to the place to get the questions answered or to complain, then I have to make one of two assumptions.  Either I have to assume that although they say they have questions or complaints, they really don't, or I have to assume that whether or not they have questions or complaints, they don't want their questions answered, and they don't want their complaints resolved.

This leaves the further question as to why someone would not want his or her questions answered, or why he or she wouldn't want to resolve areas of complaint.  This is not for me to know.

So I will not schedule another session of availability at the recreation center at this point.  I said I would, and I would, but not if the only outcome is that I waste my time, and no one, including me, gets enlightened.  If anyone at any time wants to discuss anything about the Village (or the heat/Heat), you are welcome to let me know.  I will be happy to schedule time.

Figures Don't Lie...

At least a few BP residents have spoken in recent times of the charm and the importance of neighbors in a community like ours helping other neighbors.  There was talk of recognizing and assisting the disadvantaged, or the hurt, among us.  And the people who made the loudest argument in this direction didn't present themselves as if they were performing some cheap pandering or disingenuous demagoguery.  They said it like they meant it.  Like if something happened to you, and you needed help, they'd be there for you.

Do you want to know how many of these people came forward to offer some sort of assistance to the BP neighbor who can't afford a new roof, because of his daughter's medical bills, or how many of them even bothered to leave a comment on the relevant blog post?  Zero.

And how many BP residents complained that no one tells them what's going on, what the Village management or Commission is up to, as if it's all a secret?  A lot, very recently.  How many people complained that no one reaches out to them, and that things happen without their ever being warned of it?  Also a lot, right?

So last week, I published a post announcing that I would make myself available for an hour, even two hours, Thursday, June 12, starting at 6:00 PM, at the recreation center.  I sent notice of this post to my "BP Residents" circulation, which is 80 people.  Maria Camara, the Village Clerk, sent word through the Village's e-mail blast circulation.  What's that, hundreds?

Do you want to know how many people came to talk, to ask questions, to complain, or anything?  Zero.

Money's not the only thing that talks.  Failure to "show up" speaks volumes.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

This is a theme some have expressed in Biscayne Park.  It's offered as a charming, caring, old-timey way of living together.  We sort of have that kind of neighborhood, and some like to act on it.

The day I moved here, in July, 2005, two different neighbors brought over casseroles.  That's how I met them.  One woman I know has brought food to a family that is struggling, and I'm told she does it on a recurring basis.  Another woman, and some others of her neighbors, help one of our elderly neighbors with yard tasks.  One of my friends has kept his neighbor's grass cut, and he prunes Village-owned trees adjacent to his property.

I have heard other BP residents talk about helping a hypothetical neighbor who does not have the wherewithal to paint his house.   The idea is that a collection of neighbors would make a project of painting such a house for the limited neighbor.  As far as I know, this has never happened.

Right now, we have a neighbor with a fairly serious problem.  Barbara Watts has written about this family in the newsletter.  The homeowner has given me permission to use his name, and it is Tim Peluchette, who lives in 9th Court, between 111th and 112th.  One of Tim's daughters, a high school-aged girl, developed a serious neurological problem and is unable to function independently.  Tim has had to take considerable time away from his work to care for her.  He is barely able to keep the family afloat, let alone attend to home projects.  Like the roof that is leaking, and which he cannot begin to afford to replace.  He has a tarpaulin covering the entire roof, it has been there for quite some time, his immediate neighbors are complaining about it, and there is even a tree beginning to grow through it.

The problem is that he has no money for a new roof.  It's unimaginable to me that he'll ever get out from under the medical debt from his daughter's hospitalizations.

This raises a philosophical question.  Do his neighbors feel like the kinds of neighbors who would like to help him in some substantial and "heroic" way?  Or is this one of those developments that results, in something of a darwinian way, in some people finding out they cannot sustain home ownership?

If the former, what, exactly, can his neighbors do?  If we're talking about a new roof, then we're talking about a $12K-$14K task.  Does each of his 1300 neighbors give him $10 or so, so he can get himself a new roof?  My experience tells me they do not.  I have been there, and I can tell you that as simple as it sounds, it's not remotely that easy.  Alternatively, do far fewer of his neighbors loan him money, each one coming up with very much more than $10, which this man then pays back to his neighbors when he can, or when he sells his house?  That requires each lender to be able to do without whatever they donate for quite a long time.  And does he pay them back with some interest, so it seems "worth it" to them to do without the money for as long as it takes?

Or is there an answer I haven't considered?  Does a collection of individual donors pool money to loan to any Village resident in difficult straits?

I have made an official inquiry into this, and the Village Attorney tells me this should not be a project for the Village as a municipal entity.  It has to be private.

Any thoughts?

By the way, Tim Peluchette's profession is as a repairman of office equipment, like copiers and other such electronics.  He works when he can, and he is always available to accept a job.  He can do the repairs on site, or someone can bring smaller equipment to him.  If you have anything that needs repair, let me know, and I'll put you in touch with Tim.

Thank You, Milt. This is Very Definitely a "Community Blog."

I admit this blog was my idea.  It's registered to me, I chose the name and the layout, and I have provided most of the posts.  For the first couple of years, I provided all of the posts.

This blog is "open."  There is a comment opportunity at the end of each post, and anyone who wants to can comment.  I do not touch comments (I can't), and I have never deleted one (which I can do), nor would I ever.  Some people have said they attempted to leave comments, but blogpost would not accept them.  I have not been able to figure out why some people cannot get their comments to publish.  In many of these instances, readers ask me to publish their comments, or I ask permission to post for them.  They send me an e-mail of their comment, and I cut and paste it into the comment section, with their name signed to it.  On other occasions, readers have written to me to ask that I post a comment for them, and keep them anonymous.  I always do.

Furthermore, blogpost offers bloggers the opportunity to permit guest authors.  Because of the way blogpost is set up, I am treated as the owner or host of the blog, and any other post contributor is considered a "guest."  There are several of them already, I have never, ever refused anyone who wanted to be a guest author, and I have even offered guest authorship to some people who have declined.

It seems to me now almost an accident that the "Biscayne Park-- A Village Voice" blog was mine.  It should belong to all of us.  I don't need to be any more central to it than anyone else is.  It serves as a venue for information, discussion, debate, and almost always healthy disagreement.  That's what it's for.  It is pleasing to see how many viewers there are, and even moreso how many contributors (by comment or full post) there are.  There are maybe 10 guest authors now.  Any of them is a permanent guest author and can and will post whatever they want any time they want.  I personally would like it if there were 50, or 100, or 500 guest authors.  No one's contribution is unwelcome.  The only requirement to be a guest author is that you be public about who you are, and that you understand you will get feedback in the form of comments.  Anyone who posts anything on this blog takes a risk, and it's the same risk I take: if readers don't agree with you, they'll say so.  There's no request that commenters identify themselves by their real names, because I didn't want to inhibit comments, and in any case, I can't control who comments.  No one can be excluded, because they haven't given a proper name.  So we all enjoy their contributions, too.

I have referred to this blog as a "community blog," and Milton Hunter has picked up on the fact that I refer to it that way, and why I do.  He now calls it the "community blog," too.  Thanks, Milt.  And thanks for doing more than your part to nourish the blog, both through your own contributions and by referring people to follow and contribute on their own.  That's what it's all about.

Personal Accountability and Community Building Ideas

In my world as a financial analyst, I need to consider and understand the relationship between financial numbers, trend lines, technical and fundamental indicators, and also the often confusing existence of market sentiment. Sentiment is, at times, the irrational component of the mix but is something that needs to be factored in nonetheless. This is typically the most difficult part of client education in that it can often contradict all of the other indicators and defy facts and/or common sense. But to refuse to acknowledge it is not wise.  

With this in mind, I realized that I needed to do a better job of understanding those who did not see the outsourcing situation the way I did. I reached out to some of our residents whom I've grown to know and respect over the years, to get their take on the cause of the discord over the sanitation issue. The purpose of this discovery was not to further voice my beliefs, but to try to better understand theirs. And what I took away from these conversations were several points that I believe will, if acted upon, reduce future community divide and displeasure. But it will be up to each of us to make this work. No one else can do it for you.  

Personal Accountability

I had a communication recently with Dan Keys who mentioned that "unless you stay closely in touch, you are going to miss things.  I have been behind the 8-ball on some issues because I took myself out of the action and I had to play catchup.  My bad and my tough luck." Bingo! Dan hit the point directly and his last thought is key, "My bad and My tough luck." He is taking personal accountability for being "out of action" at times and not blaming others for it. If we all followed Dan's thinking there would be no need or reason to feel "railroaded" on issues. If we are not being personally accountable, then we  create a weak platform to complain after the fact.  

Proper Fact-Finding

I became curious about how many residents (during the late March to early June timeframe) sought to learn about the main reason behind this outsourcing proposal. That being our dwindling financial reserves. I asked our Village Manager prior to our last meeting, "how many people had reached out to her since this discussion started to ask about our fiscal condition and remedies." Her answer was "only a handful." I also asked our Clerk, and Maria said basically the same thing. So, I decided to look a little closer and to see if people were instead going directly to our website financial pages for the answers.

Below are the traffic stats for our financial pages during the period of 4/2/2014- 5/30/2014: 

Fiscal year 2013-2014= 79 views 

I know I visited several times myself and that other page views were probably from our financial or accounting staff members. What the numbers tell me is that few went directly to the source (Village Manager and staff) or our audited financial pages for the information needed. So where were they getting their information from?  How could they know it was accurate? Or, more to the point, "who" did they rely on for such an important subject?  

The fact that so many were confused and, in my estimation, deliberately misled was not due to the Village not giving this matter its proper time or attention. It centered on too many of our residents not taking the time personally to do their own due diligence and fact finding. If they had, there would have been far less conflict because they would have understood all of the reasons for this change and agree or not, at least understood the motives. It would have been, could have been, more of a discussion and less of a mob mentality trying to bully the Commission with threats.   

We must all understand that there is a divisive element within our Village, and it feeds on the uninvolved and uneducated. This fact has been proven time and time again. They don't want you to know the truth but to rely on "their version" of it, which is typically combative, twisted and incomplete. The best way to combat and diminish this group is to educate yourself! This will expose their true motives and help to eliminate further community divide.  

So, my hope is that in future we all will seek information directly from the source and learn all we can about important topics during the proper discussion period. This will require some personal sacrifice of time, but what you will gain in understanding will be your payoff.  

Milton Hunter

Biscayne Park Resident

We Can Talk About Anything You Want.

I'd be surprised if you wanted to talk about the Heat (the basketball team, not the weather), but if you do, and you don't mind that I'm not an expert, we can.  Or, we can talk about the weather, as long as you understand I have nothing to do with it.

We can talk about anything that has happened, anything that is happening now, or anything that we know or think might happen in the future in the Village.

We can discuss what you want, what you don't want, what makes the most sense, and how to accomplish what's best for you and for the Village.

I'll tell you whatever I know.  I'll give you my opinion.  I'll tell you how I see it.  If you want to know something I don't know, I'll find out and get back to you.

As ALWAYS, I'll listen, and I'll be prepared to see it in a way I hadn't seen it before.  Or I might show you a different view you hadn't considered.

My plan is to be at the recreation center this coming Thursday evening, June 12, at 6:00.  I'll stay until 7:00.  If anyone wants to talk, and we're still in discussions at 7:00, I'll make myself available to stay until 8:00.  I'll do that once a month, or every other week, or every week, as long as there's interest.

Anyone can come, except sitting Commissioners.  "Sunshine," you know?  I don't expect to be congratulated for anything, but I do expect to be challenged, or criticized, or maybe just asked to explain myself.  Whatever I have is yours.

Frankly, I Liked Steve Bernard's Idea.

Steve says we should wait a month before we go ahead with outsourcing.  His thinking, as he described it in an e-mail, was that we could use that month to get more information about what would be involved with keeping the sanitation program in-house.

It appears Steve didn't realize we already signed a contract with WastePro.  We don't have to use them to pick up our garbage, but we do have to pay them for the next five years.

And there isn't much we don't already know about keeping this program in-house, except how unpredictably high our expenses will get.  Besides, how much would we learn in a month?

But here's what I like about Steve's idea.  We could use that month to send out sanitation bills for $755, and see if anyone notices that that's higher than the prior years' bills of $572.  We would get a chance to see if anyone had any feeling about the new bill.  (Actually, what we could have done is sent out an explanation, apologizing for the unusually high bill, and explaining that with the need for new trucks, the attention we finally paid to embarrassingly low wages, below the County poverty level, the need for two new employees, the ACA, etc, it was necessary...  We would have noted that the good news is that we are no longer paying $40K per year to MSV, since we have decided to take over the recycling program ourselves.  To be fair to homeowners, we would probably have had to say that they should expect increases every year, but we don't have a way to predict what those increases might be.  We would of course, however, make every possible effort to limit them as much as we can.  We could then have explained that we considered outsourcing this program, to save money, which would have left homeowners with a bill of $400-something this year, then $300-something next year, but we felt that BP residents like it that we keep the program in-house, so we opted to do it this way.)

The reason I like this idea, in theory, if we hadn't already committed to WastePro, is that it would give essential feedback from all BP homeowners, not just the vocal or opinionated ones on either side of this.  We would learn, would have learned, whether it's important to them that we not outsource sanitation, and whether they're as willing as some say to pay the higher fee.

This was really what all of us, on both sides, wanted.  We wished we could know what all of us, all BP homeowners, think about this issue.

Steve's idea was how we would have found out.  Either we would get a lot of checks for $755, or we would get a lot of angry feedback.  That's what I wanted to know.

Commission Meeting 6/3/14

It's hurricane season.  No one knows what to expect.  So be ready.  Brian McNoldy provided the science, and Candido Sosa-Cruz provided practical advice.

Michael Hepburn is running for Daphne Campbell's State House seat.  He's a very appealing candidate.

We reminded ourselves how pleased we are to have gotten $1M from the State for log cabin renovation.

A lot of people wished we hadn't outsourced sanitation, but we already did.  Some of us are warned to expect to be recalled.

We kicked around several ideas, and none of them got enthusiastic traction.

Exciting News! Village Receives $1,000,000 from State of Florida

Friends and Neighbors:

I have great news!  I am pleased to announce that the Village of Biscayne Park has received funding in the amount of $1,000,000.00 from the State of Florida as part of the 2014-2015 budget just signed by Governor Rick Scott.  The funding is specifically authorized for the repair and restoration of our historic log cabin, as well as the construction of a new annex building.  I am hopeful that this project will bring the residents of Biscayne Park together as we enhance our historic log cabin and work to preserve the unique character of the Village. 

Receipt of these funds is the result of many hours of hard work and months of persistent lobbying on the Village’s behalf.  I am proud of our efforts, and obviously pleased with the outcome.  We will now have the ability to repair and restore the log cabin to its original use as a community gathering place and commission chambers, as well as construct a new annex building for our Village Hall services.  

I would be remiss if I did not recognize a number of people that played a key role in helping us secure this funding.  It was truly a unified effort.  First, I want to thank Commissioner Ross for her assistance.  Her institutional knowledge of the Village was invaluable throughout the entire process.  Our manager, Heidi Shafran, and our clerk, Maria Camara, also played key roles in seeing this through to fruition.  In addition, I want to thank our formidable lobbyist, David Caserta.  His presence is Tallahassee made a tremendous difference during the legislative session.  Our elected State officials Senator Oscar Braynon and Representative Daphne Campbell also deserve thanks for continuously advocating for the Village.  Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I want to thank Senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla.  Senator Diaz de la Portilla sponsored this funding and aggressively advocated on the Village’s behalf.  I am extremely grateful for his unwavering support and assistance.  Without his voice, this would not have been possible. 

The funding of this project will no doubt have a positive, lasting impact on the Village.  I look forward to working with the administration, staff, and each of you on this project, as we continue to move the Village forward so that it remains a strong, viable “small town” community for many years to come.

Your Mayor,
David Coviello

Fair and Balanced-- The Facts on Sanitation. From Tracy Truppman

Dear Fellow Residents,

For the record – I wanted the keep Sanitation and the Medians in house. I have been a resident for ~20 years… too long to look  back J. I am disturbed about the total misinformation that is being presented and just wanted to list the facts and only the facts.

All facts obtained below are from the May 6 and May 21 meeting agendas and backup material which can be found on the Village website. Anyone can find this info.

In an effort to be equitable and fair to facts, not fiction, here is what I have summarized for everyone to review. You decide…

In House Sanitation

1.     Cost will increase from $572 to $770 (bringing staff to Miami Dade County Living Wage and replacing both trucks which are 10 and 13 years old which we currently spend $20,000 per year to repair).

2.     The issue of replacing both trucks: a professional public waste manager for the City of Ft. Lauderdale, Greg Slagle, was contracted to review our in house shop and figure out how to keep in house with better efficiencies. He reviewed the maintenance costs, and he physically inspected the trucks and equipment.  He concluded we NEED 2 trucks, NOT 1. He also confirmed the number of days the trucks would need to run - 4 days with 3 trucks  (2 new and 1 old). He also stated that we needed 8 employees (drivers and laborers) for sanitation only – 11 total employees with public works and roads. This cost is in the $770.

3.     The in house budget includes a 16% health care increase in costs based upon our actual renewal rate (and the 25% previously discussed was an estimate, but the actual quote from the insurance company was lower). The $770 prices has the 16% increase, not 25%, and only includes the 8 sanitation workers.

4.     If any of the 8 sanitation staff are absent, which does happen, then the other employees must cover from public works and roads.  That is built into the administrative costs along with administrative staff. Payroll must do time carts, finance must pay their bills, etc… This is how government budgets are structured and we have done this in the Park for many years. 

Outsource Sanitation to WastePro

                                    1.      There is an average savings over 5 years of the contract for each household of a guaranteed amount of $1500 – $2000 ($300-$400 per year)– even with the maximum annual increase of 5% (which is based on consumer prices index which currently is at 2 to 2.5%).
                          2.      Garbage pick up is the same – it is either bring it out or keep it your side yard in your own container (40 gallon max) – no change except if you want side yard, you need to register with the village – a post card will be sent out or can do it online. Garbage is twice a week (same number of days), but all pickups are on Tuesdays and Fridays.

                                  3.    Trash pickup remains exactly the same including the 4 quarterly Saturday pickups. You can put yard trash in a pile, in receptacles, or in bags-- the same as now and at the curb. It will be once a week on Tuesdays.

                                 4.    Recycling will change the bin only. You will be given the choice of a 35 gallon or 65 gallon rolling cart with lid. You will need to roll it out rather than carry it out as you do now. It will be once a week on Fridays. 

                                  5.    Trucks will only be in our Village 2 days a week, and for those interested, they will be "green" natural gas trucks in 2017.

                                  6.    Steve discusses the Waste Pro bid being artificially low, however, it should be noted that SWS' proposal was less than Waste Pro's. This is how government agencies work – Request for Proposal or RFP – bids are bids, and contracts are binding.

Our Loyal Staff

                        1.    We currently have 9 employees for sanitation, public works, and roads. Out of 9, we are retaining 5 for public works and roads. The budget that was presented and passed includes bringing back the maintenance of our medians J.  

                       2.   Waste Pro have agreed to hire all 4 staff that we would not retain. We kept the two men with the most seniority.

I am rather disturbed at the level of misinformation and destructive bantering that individuals are resorting to. Here are my thoughts – we need to continue to build up our reserves, and build fiscal sustainability. It is really refreshing to see fiscal conversations taking place. It is my hope that all of our community will be open to listen to one another in difficult financial times.

Please don’t continue to throw the commissioners, Village manager, and staff under the bus with misinformation and for doing their public service jobs. This is simply really difficult all around. Everyone is being heard – loud and clear -  it is just a really tough issue and the fiscal facts are difficult.  Remember, it has taken a long time for the Sanitation Department to get in this poor state. Blaming is easy – fixing is not.

You decide – but review the fact and not the rumor. Everything in this email/blog is factual.

  

Tracy Truppman