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Central Broward Regional Park Wins
National Award
Once a year the National Association of Park and Recreation
Officials (NACPRO), an affiliate of the National Recreation and Park
Association and the National Association of Counties, announces its awards
in recognition of “excellence in Park and Recreation endeavors throughout
the nation at county levels for the many successful park and recreation
facilities, programs, and dedicated staff and volunteers.” This year one
of only two awards for Park and Recreation Facility – Class II (population
500,000+) goes to Central
Broward Regional Park.
The 110-acre Central Broward Regional Park, located in the
City of Lauderhill, is the first county regional park to be funded through
the Broward County Commission’s 2000 Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond
Referendum program. The park, which broke ground on June 10, 2005, and opened on November 9, 2007, is now the largest in the long-underserved central Broward County area and primarily serves seven of the county’s 31 municipalities: Lauderhill, Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale Lakes, Oakland Park, Plantation, Sunrise, and
Wilton Manors.
The site is the only one in the region capable of hosting
major cricket competitions and includes a variety of features: a circular,
lighted multipurpose main event field with 5,000 covered seats and
additional seating for 15,000 possible; lighted soccer/football fields that
can also be used as cricket fields; netball, tennis, and basketball courts;
the Tropical Splash aquatics complex, with water playgrounds, an
instructional pool, and boat rentals; seven picnic shelters; two corporate
pavilions; a nature trail; and two covered playgrounds. The main event
field has already hosted sporting competitions, concerts, and other special
events.
The project, completed with more than 45 percent minority
participation, is a joint venture of Atlanta-based H.J. Russell and the Broward County firm Seawood Builders, with the partnership receiving the more than $40 million
contract to design and build the park. H.J. Russell, the largest African
American-owned construction management business in the country, previously
worked on such projects as the Georgia Dome and Turner Field. Future park
amenities will include a waterfall, a public-art feature, and a cultural
center, the latter to be operated by the City of Lauderhill. There will
also be a county library branch on site.
The 2008 NACPRO Awards of Excellence were presented at the
organization’s annual meeting in July in Kansas City, Missouri.
Seeing Stars
If you’ve ever paid more than passing attention to what goes
on in the sky after dark, you may be a candidate for membership in the
South Florida Amateur Astronomers Association (SFAAA). This nonprofit
organization has been around since 1965 and is dedicated to, as its Website
puts it, “bringing the universe closer to all South Floridians.” The SFAAA
makes its home at Markham Park, where, every Saturday night at dusk, it
opens the park’s Fox Observatory to the public for free stargazing.
Among the telescopic equipment at the group’s disposal are a
pair of 16-inch and 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrains, a Brandon refractor, three
Dobson reflectors, and a 12-inch Newtonian. If none of this makes much
sense to you, don’t worry. The SFAAA’s members are there to help you learn
about such gear and how it operates. They often even bring along their own
’scopes, so that on a clear night there may be as many as 15 set up in
various spots around the observatory.
The SFAAA also has its monthly meetings at the Fox, at 7:30
p.m. the first Thursday of the month. And once a quarter, the group hosts
the free An Evening With the Stars astronomy series at Fern Forest Nature Center in Coconut Creek. The next event takes place starting at 8
p.m. on Thursday, September 18. Speakers will discuss what will be in the South Florida sky during the upcoming quarter, along with basic telescope techniques and
general astronomy information.
?: SFAAA, 954-384-0442, www.sfaaa.com;
Fern Forest,
954-970-0150.
$: SFAAA dues: $20/regular, $10/student.
+ (Markham only)
BCT: Route #23 (Markham); route #31 and #42 (Fern Forest).
R&R at a B&B
You don’t have to go to a fancy place in some trendy,
expensive tourist destination for rest and relaxation at a bed and
breakfast. Just visit Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach for a Family
Bed and Breakfast “staycation” the weekend of Saturday and Sunday,
September 6 and 7. Check-in runs from 3 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and the
weekend concludes with checkout at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Campers will stay in one of the park’s 10-foot-square platform
tents. Each site includes the platform tent, a fire ring, a barbecue grill,
water, a picnic table, and access to a public shower/restroom facility. On
Saturday, guests can enjoy an evening at the bonfire ring, including
s’mores and a hayride. (Dinner is not provided.) On Sunday, the day starts
with an 8:30 a.m. breakfast, followed by family fishing at 9:30 a.m. and
boating at 10:30 a.m.
For the basic fee of $70, each campsite accommodates up to
four campers, one of whom must be at least 18 years old. Two extra campers
may be added for an additional fee of $4 each, for a maximum total of six
campers per site. Preregistration at the park office is required, along
with a refundable $25 security deposit at check-in. Space is limited.
?: Quiet Waters,
954-360-1315.
$: $70/campsite for up to four campers; $4/additional camper (up
to two); $25 refundable security deposit.
R: Preregistration is required. Space is limited and early
registration is recommended.
+
BCT: Routes #14, #94,
and #95.
Nature at Night
Curious about myths and legends associated with the full moon?
Then head on over to Long Key Natural Area and Nature Center, which will
host a Full Moon Hike from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, September
14. Participants in this interpretive exploration of the park’s nature
trails will also be able to spot nocturnal animals as they emerge and to
view the full moon as it rises.
Two nights later, on Tuesday, September 16, experienced adult
canoeists are invited to participate in a Moonlight Paddle Tour,
from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., at West Lake Park. Reservations are required for
this guided tour of West Lake.
?: Long Key,
954-327-8797; West Lake,
954-926-2480.
$: Full Moon Hike – $3/person; Paddle Tour – $20/person.
R: Reservations required for both events.
BCT: Route #12 (West Lake).
Make a Difference – Help Clean Up
Florida’s Coast
Six million pounds of trash. That’s how much was collected last year in the
Ocean
Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup, the world’s largest
volunteer event of its kind, in which 378,000 volunteers from 76 countries
and 45 states cleared the trash from oceans and waterways. You can be part
of this landmark undertaking this year through the Florida Coastal
Cleanup, which takes place from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, September 20 at Hollywood North
Beach Park.
Volunteers should expect to get wet and dirty and dress
accordingly. Participants should bring gloves, a hat, sunscreen, insect
repellent, and drinking water. The event is for all ages, although children
under age 17 must be accompanied by adults.
?: Anne Kolb
Nature Center, 954-926-2480.
R: On-site registration is required.
BCT: Routes #4 and #12.
Bowling for the Developmentally
Disabled
The Parks and Recreation Division’s Special Populations Section will offer Pins
’n’ Pals Youth Bowling, for ages 8 to 21 with developmental
disabilities. The 16-week league runs from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays from
September 2 through December 16 at AMF Lanes, 8200 W. State Rd. 84, Davie.
There are actually two leagues – one for ages 8 to 17, the
other for ages 18 to 21. Participants will socialize and bowl two games to
improve and maintain their bowling skills. Bowlers should be fairly
independent requiring minimal supervision, able to follow directions, and
have independent restroom skills. Family members are encouraged to attend
or be readily available.
?: Special
Populations, 954-357-8170/8160.
$: $5/two games (bowling shoes included).
R: Preregistration is required.
Passports to Savings
Stressed out by the cost of gas and air travel? Don’t sit home and mope.
Opportunities for fun, affordable leisure activities are as near as a Broward County park. And if you take advantage of Individual or Family Parks Passports, having fun can be even more affordable. The passports, which are
prorated on a quarterly basis, provide unlimited prepaid entrance fees
(excluding some special events and the optional parking fee at Hollywood North
Beach Park) to all regional parks charging the $1.50-per-person gate
admittance fee on weekends and holidays (children 5 and under free). The
passes are currently available at regional park offices and are good
through September 30, 2009.
Here are just a few of the recreational opportunities*
available at a Broward County park:
• Water parks (including swimming pools, waterslides, tube
rides)
• Target range (pistol, rifle, skeet, trap, sporting clays)
• Camping (including primitive group camping)
• Picnic shelters and pavilions, playgrounds
• Cricket, soccer, football, volleyball
• Jogging, walking, biking, mountain biking
• In-line skating, skateboarding
• Horse and pony rides
• Model steam train rides
• Nature trails, butterfly gardens
• Golf, disc golf
• Cable water-skiing
• Tennis, racquetball, netball
• Batting cages, softball, baseball
• Boat rentals
• Dog park
• Educational farm tours
• Observatory for stargazing
• Model airplane field
• Personal watercraft area
(*Note: Additional participation and/or rental fees may
apply.)
New 2008-2009 Individual Parks Passports are $25 each, while
Family Parks Passports are $60 each and good for up to six people. For more
information, visit the park office of your choice.
Advisory Board/Public Participation
Forum Notice
The Broward County Parks and Recreation Division invites the
public to a Public Participation Forum, starting at 7 p.m. on
Wednesday, September 7, at Long
Key Natural Area and Nature Center, 3501 S.W. 130th Ave., Davie. This free meeting is the public’s opportunity to provide suggestions, voice
concerns, and ask questions about the Division’s recreational needs. In
order to encourage attendance at this meeting, the Parks and
Recreation Advisory Board has rescheduled its regular monthly meeting
to 6 p.m. instead of the customary 7:30 a.m. meeting time. The Public
Participation Forum will immediately follow. For more information, visit http://www.broward.org/parks/abmeeting.htm.
Last Swim
Starting on Saturday, September 6, the Parks and Recreation
Division’s water parks – Castaway Island at T.Y. Park, Paradise Cove at C.B. Smith Park, Splash
Adventure at Quiet Waters
Park, and Tropical Splash at Central Broward Regional Park
– will be open weekends only, between the regular hours of 9:30 a.m.
and 5:20 p.m. Enjoy while you can: Sunday, October 26 is the final day of
the season, after which the water parks will remain closed until spring
2009 (except for the dogs – K-9 splash events are planned for November;
stay tuned for details).
?: C.B. Smith, 954-437-2650; Central Broward Regional,
954-321-1170; Quiet Waters, 954-360-1315; T.Y., 954-985-1980.
$: Call the park of your choice for details.
BCT: Routes 3, 5, 7, 23
(C.B. Smith); Routes 18, 36, 40, 81 (Central Broward Regional); Routes 14,
94, 95 (Quiet Waters); and Routes 3, 12, 17 (T.Y.).
Labor Day Hours
All Broward County regional parks will be open on Labor
Day, Monday, September 1, from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and the
parks’ regular weekend and holiday gate entrance fee of $1.50 per person
(children 5 and under free) will be in effect. Fern Forest and Secret Woods nature centers
and Deerfield Island Park
will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Exhibit Hall at Long Key Natural Area will
be open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., while the nature center itself will be
open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Neighborhood parks will be open from 8 a.m.
to 6 p.m., but the parks will not be staffed and buildings will be closed.
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