The Las Olas Fence/Barrier debacle, Part III.
The Las Olas Fence/Barrier debacle, Part III.
Here is an email one of our subscribers received from Mayor Jack Seiler regarding the installation this week of the fence along Las Olas Boulevard:
From: Jack.Seiler@Fortlauderdale.Gov
To: ********
Thanks for your email, although I am a little surprised by the negative tone. I became aware of the fence earlier this week. I have since communicated with FDOT, and FDOT confirmed that it is their project and their fence. FDOT also confirmed that they did not consult with the City Commission or City management before they proceeded with the fence installation. Of course, I strongly objected to the fence and FDOT has promised to revisit the issue. I should know more tomorrow. I appreciate your input, concern and support, and ask that you not immediately assume the worst when emailing your elected officials.
Best wishes, and have a nice weekend.
Well, it turns out that our Mayor is just plain wrong. I have spoken to folks inside FDOT and our City. City Management knew about this project. Here is what I learned:
1. FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation) did consult with our City earlier this year about this project and showed them their design of the Fence that was proposed to be installed along Las Olas Boulevard. In fact, this project has been in the design and planning stages since 2007!
2. This was part of an overall project along Las Olas that included street repair and ADA compliance. (It is posted on FDOT’s web site.) Thuc Le, (FDOT’s Design Project Manager for this project), had the responsibility to convey the design information to our City’s Engineering Department and Fort Lauderdale’s Chief City Engineer, Peter Partington. (Peter is the Head Engineer for the City and works for Albert Carbon, the head of Public Works)
3. I spoke to Peter this morning and he assured me that he was present at this meeting earlier this year and had expressed concerns over the appearance of the fence. FDOT then indicated that they would look for other options for the fence.
4. Peter’s recollection was (he is still searching for emails to this) that FDOT came back later and indicated that there were no other options they could provide to the appearance of the street fence.
5. Others inside City Hall I have spoken to indicate that the City could have made alterations to the fence with FDOT’s approval, but would have had to take on part of the financing of the project to insure that the City got the fence that they wanted.
6. At this point, the City Manager has to decide what to do. The project was sent over to the City Manager’s office (George Gretsas). And guess what? It went nowhere. It sat on Gretsas’ desk. There was no communication between the City Manager and the Commission (or apparently the Mayor). The Commission knew nothing about the details of the fence until construction started last week.
7. And that’s why we have an ugly fence being installed in the most beautiful part of our City; our incompetent City Manager never discussed the options with the Commission. We could have had a fence that adds beauty to the area (perhaps at some cost), had he consulted with the Commission and had the Commission discussed options with the neighborhoods. But that was never done. Now look at the results.
When you are paying over $340,000 a year in compensation to a City Manager to run a relatively small city, don’t you think that we could have a City Manager that was competent? Apparently not. Yet, this is not the first time that Gretsas has hidden information to the Commission.
A City insider recently told me: “For years, Gretsas has developed a habit of hiding information from the Commission. He provides information to the Commission only when it serves his purpose. Or, he will give information to some Commissioners but not others. This is just the latest example of our City Manager not keeping our elected officials in the loop.”
Mayor Seiler, this is unfortunately your responsibility. You could have initiated a City Manager change right after you were elected last year but you didn’t. Since you didn’t, we still have a bloated budget, we still have overpaid City employees, we are using up all our financial reserves, we still have moral problems with City employees, we still have a dysfunctional relationship between our Commission and our City Management. All this because George Gretsas is still our City Manager. Why are you still protecting this incompetent person?
And now we have to deal with this ugly and possibly dangerous metal fence along Las Olas Boulevard, because of no communication between the City Manager and you. Had you done your job last year, Jack, we wouldn’t have to be dealing with a metal barrier-type fence that destroys the appearance of a truly beautiful part of our City.
Earl Rynerson
Reader Comments
Okay, I’d like to now how Mayor Seiler didn’t know more about the fence. Doesn’t that have to have a permit and be approved by at least the traffic division of this county? You can’t just go and build a fence in your own backyard, how can you just build one that is a potential danger to the public? Am I missing something here? It’s too simple.
George Gretsas has had a rubber stamp commission since the day he arrived here. We had a police chief who was going to stop this but for some reason he fell in line with George’s thinking as soon as he attended his first commission meeting.
I’d be happy to take the job as Mayor or City Manager, they could pay me half and twice the amount of work would be done. WORK that our community approves.
We have lasted 80 years on the Isles of Las Olas WITHOUT one… we do not NEED this fence at all and it should be removed post haste. If we had a HISTORIC DISTRICT as we should, this would NOT have happened.
Dear Earl:
This is not the first time that I have written to you. I have lived in Fort Lauderdale some 42 years. Today after reading your article, I wanted to cry.
Why doesn’t one hand, know what the other hand is doing in our city? I am a happy camper most of the time but can’t stand this ineptness.
What do you think can be done about this situation of FENCE AND ALL? If we can’t say halt to this project, how can we say halt to something that will come along in the future that might become even more important then the fencing on Las Olas Blvd? Everything that is done is important, concerning our Fort Lauderdale!
Listening to someone like you that really gets all his ducks in a row and tries to help our city is such a pleasure. Perhaps, we can have a town hall meeting and get everyone to rally around the folks that are the “be all and end all”. If said people that you talked about can’t run our city, we must replace them as soon as possible.
Regards,
Joni
Build a Fence where we need one. ON THE F*****G MEXICAN BORDER!!!!!!
Steve-
Unlike the Sun-Sentinel, we are not a place for profanity or for personal attacks. I have posted your comment, but please don’t use language that others may find offensive. Thanks. Earl
I saw these fences going up last week and couldn’t figure out why since we had very nice black fences already in place. I read the sign for more info: Protected Mangrove Habitat. Really? We’ve got oil in the gulf, and we’re spending money to replace beautiful fences with ugly ones to protect mangroves that exist in canals used daily by boats?
It is stuff like this that drives people out of South Florida. Unbelieveably stupid.
There is a twofold problem here… the fence and Gretsas’ salary! Please, where is the common sense? Both need to go.
Could I possibly be the only one that wrote to the Mayor and received a response? Please write to the Mayor and put the pressure on! jack.seiler@fortlauderdale.gov
Why are we letting them get away with this? Someone has to be accountable!!! Ugh!
Fort Lauderdale Building Code requires metal railing to be grounded. Has FDOT complied?
I have lived on the isles since 1968. I remember the entrance ways on the isles had these beautiful wrought iron plaques with the isles name in cursive writing. We had gracefull jamican tall coconut palms and thick landscaped foliage on the south side of las olas.
This fence is shameful. It serves no purpose.
But on the bright side we don’t have to worry about all those cars flying into the waterway, even though that has never happened.
There will be an accident coming out of Isle of Palms onto Las Olas. The view is obstructed until you nose out into traffic. Bicyclists on the south side of Las Olas are in real danger!
Off with all their heads. We get the people we deserve in Government. Let’s start voting at the polls and throw all these incomptent crooks and self serving rascals out !
What about David Hebert! When will he be fired and why wasn’t he removed day one of the new commission? If our Fire and Police chiefs need a baby sitter who himself is incompetent, then we need new Chiefs!!! The bloated staff at the City needs to get the boot and soon.
Congrats Earl. I guess if you throw enough crap against the wall, some of it is bound to stick.