WCOM NEWS

2-18-04

Residents hope wall goes up along Turtle Bay development on Miramar Blvd.

MIRAMAR--Anyone driving along Miramar Boulevard might wonder why no one has put up a wall to cover the two blocks of dilapidated fences along the edge of the Turtle Bay development, between Douglas Road and Palm Avenue.

Ask Susan Grimstead, a resident of Turtle Bay for almost 20 years, and she will tell you it hasn't been for lack of trying.

"The fences are old and broken down. We've tried to get them [the owners] to repair them, but we can't make them do it," Grimstead said.

"For the past five years, I've been trying to get the wall put up, and nothing got done."

Because the community doesn't have a homeowners association, any attempts at change in Turtle Bay, a 215-home development, fall on the shoulders of individual residents.

Grimstead took on this responsibility but became so frustrated, she said, with the lack of response that she decided to give up the fight.

But reinforcements were on the way. After living in Turtle Bay for eight years, Roland Bhola's wife turned to him and gave him an ultimatum. "She said that since I had voted for the Miramar commissioners, I should get involved in trying to put up the wall. Otherwise, we were going to have to move," Bhola said.

So, he got involved. He contacted Grimstead and tried several city commissioners. But he faced the same disinterest and lack of response, he said, and also decided to give up pursuing the wall. Until Commissioner George Pedlar gave him a call.

"Pedlar called and asked me what I was doing, but I was negative about it. [But] he told me to get my group together and I decided to get it together," Bhola said.

After years of making phone calls, sending e-mails and knocking on doors, it seemed Grimstead and Bhola would finally get their project rolling. They distributed fliers, gathered signatures for a petition, and recently met twice with Pedlar and City Manager Bob Payton. They have turned in the petition asking to put the building of the wall on an upcoming City Commission meeting agenda.

One of the issues that still needs resolving, Pedlar said, is the funding for the project. He has contacted private businesses to help cover the cost of the wall, which should not exceed $100,000.

"This is further than we've ever gotten before. Pedlar is the first and only one who has taken an interest in our project," said Grimstead, who has dubbed the effort the Miramar Boulevard Neighborhood Groups Wall Project.

"We feel this is not just a Turtle Bay project. At these meetings, there were residents of surrounding communities on Miramar Boulevard such as River Run, Riverdale, Franklin Farms and Estates Lake Miramar," she said.

Pedlar, a resident of River Run, said he is working with residents to make certain they have all the paperwork in place to get this project going.

"We have support from prospective sponsors who are willing to assist to make certain the project gets going. The residents are very enthusiastic. They've been asking for this for quite a long time," he said.

Pedlar and the homeowners hope the building of the wall will be coordinated with the installation of new pipelines along Miramar Boulevard.

"I don't see anybody saying no to this. It all fits in with the overall development of Miramar Boulevard," Pedlar said.

The city's plan also includes the new Miramar Town Center on Miramar Boulevard, which will house, among other facilities, a City Hall.

"This fence will be on a main entrance road into the new City Hall, and we know the city would not want the ratty wood fences being seen by everyone going to City Hall," Grimstead said.

Bhola thinks the wall would increase residents' pride in their development.

"It's a very nice neighborhood. Everyone tries to keep their properties nice and clean. If the wall goes up, people in Turtle Bay will take more pride in their homes," he said.

"We're just looking for concrete blocks, nothing elaborate," Grimstead added.

(source) Sun Sentinel (Helena Poleo) 2-18-04