HomeMy Public PortalAboutFebruary 1996CURRENTS
The Official Newsletter of the Town of Gulf Stream February 1996
TREE BILL STRATEGY: THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM
For the third year in a row, the Town is seeking
approval from the state legislature to replant
Australian pine trees along State Road AlA. Due
to a statewide ban on planting these trees, the
Town must seek an exemption that only the
legislature can authorize.
Last year, our bill received full Senate approval
but died on the House floor. However, we did
receive support from two key House committees
and believe we could have won approval from the
full House had the issue come to a vote.
Our bill sponsors, Sen. Tom Rosin and Rep. Bill
Andrews, already are hard at work building
support for our proposal this year. Although the
1996 legislative session does not begin until March,
a lot of the groundwork must be laid now to
ensure success. The 1996 session is scheduled to
end in May. Our bill may come up for a vote at
any time, although final action in the House is not
expected until late in the session.
Unfortunately, our bill is not without controversy.
Citing problems in other areas of the state,
environmentalists and the state Department of
Transportation have labeled these trees as unfit for
use anywhere in Florida.
To overcome this opposition, it is important that
we let our legislative sponsors and supporters,
including Senate President Jim Scott and Rep. Ron
Klein, know how important these trees are to us.
All residents are encouraged to contact these
legislators to express your support. With your
help, victory may finally be at hand!
Sen. Jim Scott Sen. Tom Rosin
2000 E. Oakland Park Blvd 505 S. Flagler Dr.
Fl. Lauderdale, FL 33312 West Palm Beach, FL 33401
(407) 392-3710 (407) 837-5400
Rep. Bill Andrews Rep. Ron Klein
777 Atlantic Ave., #226 9070 Kimberly Blvd, #60
Delray Beach, FL 33484 Boca Raton, FL 33434
(407) 279-1616 (407)274-4690
TOWN ELECTIONS, PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 12
An election for Town Commissioners will be held
on Tuesday, March 12, the same date as the
presidential primary. Voting will take place at the
Town Hall between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. for all
residents registered to vote. The Town of Gulf
ee
tact Town Hall for
11. Dates and timesr
Stream has five, at -large commissioners who serve
concurrent, three-year terms. Commission
elections are non-partisan.
Because the positions are at -large, voters will
choose five individuals from a list of candidates
who have qualified with the Town Clerk. The five
candidates who receive the most votes will be
declared the winners. There is no run-off
election.
To vote in the election, residents must be
registered no later than Feb. 13. To register, or to
vote by absentee ballot, please contact the Palm
Beach County Supervisor of Elections at 930-2650.
Please note that if only five candidates qualify, the
election may be canceled and the five qualifying
individuals automatically declared the winners.
For additional information regarding the election,
please contact Rita Taylor, Town Clerk, at 276-
5116.
RIGHT-OF-WAY REMINDER
Please remember that all Town rights-of-way are
to remain clear of fences, rocks and vegetation
(other than sod). The right-of-way is that area
February 1996 CURRENTS Page 2
DESIGN MANUAL MERITS NATIONAL AWARD AND RECOGNITION
The American Society of Landscape Architects has
bestowed an Award of Merit to the Town and our
design consultant, Urban Design Studio, for the
Gulf Stream Design Manual. Noting that the
Manual "does an excellent job of providing
flexible and understandable design standards," the
judges selected the Manual from nearly 80 entries
submitted from across the United States. The
ASLA has more than 11,000 members practicing in
the fields of landscape architecture, urban design.
The Design Manual was developed by the Zoning
Code Task Force, a group of five residents
appointed by the Town Commission, with
assistance from the consultant and Town staff.
The final document was adopted by the Town
Commission in January of 1995.
The American Planning Association also has
recognized our efforts. At APA's request, we will
make a presentation on the Design Manual during
their annual conference in April. The APA is a
professional organization composed of public and
private sector practitioners in city planning. This
year's annual conference will be held in Orlando
and is expected to draw more than 4,000
registrants from across the country and the
Caribbean.
On a related note, residents are reminded that the
Town Code of Ordinances prohibits the use of
residential properties as corporate retreats or
similar transient uses. Residents with properties
for sale should be sure that their real estate brokers
are aware of this restriction.
WATER USE TAKES SEVEN-YEAR PLUNGE
With nearly a 30 percent decrease in use from
1988, water use in Gulf Stream in 1995 reached a
seven-year low, putting us right on track in
meeting our state -mandated water reduction goals.
Even better, meter readings through the first part
of this year indicate further reductions from the
1995 levels.
Thanks to a consistent rainfall and increased
awareness among residents, last year's water use
was down 12 percent from our use in 1994. This
one year difference alone of over 25.6 million
gallons is enough to fill an average swimming pool
1,685 times!
Much of the credit for increased resident
awareness goes to our innovative rate system put
into effect in October 1994. The system, which
was the subject of an article in a recent issue of
the Florida Water Resources Journal, provides a
maximum water allocation to each residence based
on the size of the property. If the allocation is
RIGHTS-OF-WAY from page 1
between the edge of the road pavement and your
property line. These areas vary in width from 5
feet to 15 feet, depending on the street. If you are
unsure about the right-of-way width in front of
your property, check your properly survey or call
the Town Hall at 276-5116.
It is important that rights-of-way remain free of
improvements and vegetation, as these areas
contain several utilities including underground
water, sewer and drainage pipes, and above- or
below- ground electrical, phone and cable wires.
If you need to dig within a right-of-way, you
must contact the Town Hall first for approval.
exceeded, the price per gallon increases
dramatically, providing an incentive to the
customer to reduce his use to an appropriate level.
The unique aspect of the system is that it focuses
on wise consumption rather than total
consumption. While several other water utilities in
Florida charge progressively higher prices for
higher levels of water use, none factor in the true
irrigation needs of each property. As a result,
owners of large properties tend to be penalized by
such systems, while owners of small properties
tend to have little or no incentive to keep their use
in check. Gulf Stream's is the only system in the
state to ensure equity and fairness between single-
family properties of differing sizes. In fact, given
the relatively large size of most lots in Gulf
Stream, the vast majority of residents would be
paying as much as 50 to 100 percent more for
water if they were being served by the county or
one of our neighboring cities.