GAZETTE THE WILTON MANORS PREPARES FOR STONEWALL

By John Hayden

Hoping to avoid last-minute problems and budget issues that plagued last year’s event, the Wilton Manors City Commission has approved the permit for the annual Stonewall Pride Parade & Street Festival for June 17.

Commissioners addressed the issue at their meeting on Feb. 14.

Organizers of Stonewall have submitted an early version of their plans and a working budget. Last year, a surge in security costs came in just weeks before the party and threatened to cancel the festival. A deal was worked out at the last minute and the event went on as scheduled.

Commissioners pointed out that while Wilton Manors Entertainment Group (WMEG) produces the event, many people still think the city runs it. Commissioners tossed around ideas of creating a stronger, more identifiable partnership. Those ideas include more funding from the city and thoughts on how to avoid state-sanctioned harassment towards LGBT coming from Tallahassee. They also discussed increased oversight of WMEG’s planning to give citizens full transparency over how money is spent. In the end, no specifics were fleshed out and approved, but the permit was granted.

New Director Of Leisure Services Appointed

With the departure of longtime Leisure Services Director Patrick Cann, the city named his replacement. Commissioners unanimously voted to make Michelle Parks the new department head. She has been with the department for about five years working closely with her predecessor, Cann.

“I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity,” Parks said after her appointment. “Wilton Manors is where I’ve always wanted to be.”

She says her first tasks will evaluate all the city’s parks and look for amenity upgrades. Commissioners also asked her to put together a long-term list of projects, such as permanent pickleball courts and a new playground.

They also discussed if they should fill her old position or delegate those duties to others currently on staff. That may be easier said than done. During the last 10+ years, Leisure Services have more than doubled the amount of people served through its programs while staffing levels have remained stagnant.

Waste Removal

The city is also looking to modify how and when trash is collected. David Archacki, head of Utilities and Emergency Management, said they are working on plans for a more consolidated collection schedule. Maps would be redrawn down from four districts to two. All trash, recycling, and bulk days would be on Monday and Tuesday, with a second pickup for garbage on Thursday and Friday.

The goal is to decrease the time trash sits by the side of the road. Currently bulk is collected in the middle of the week. While people are only supposed to put waste out the day before, many are only free (or have enough help around) to move bulk on the weekends. By moving bulk to Monday and

Tuesdays, the city expects cleaner streets. Archacki’s presentation was meant solely to be informative for commissioners and citizens, and no motion was made or vote taken.