Parks, Arts & Entertainment: PAL Comedy Night, Food and Groove & Curci Village Are Gems In Hallandale Beach

Hallandale Beach is home to many parks thanks to our residents that supported our GO Parks Bond. We have added parks and have redeveloped the old ones. We are currently developing Sunrise Park located in the northeast section of the City. We broke ground on the park during COVID-19 and construction has been moving forward as planned. The original small pocket park was expanded and has been designed with a larger playground, extreme fitness course, butterfly garden, restrooms and parking.

At our last meeting two residents came forward to ask questions about the park and its elevation. Due to Sea Level Rising, all new construction is required to be built to address flooding. While buildings will be higher all construction is required to keep drainage on their property. Many residents are not aware that cities are not exempt from the process. We must file permits and meet the same standards as all applicants follow the same rules to build this including city properties and infrastructure.

The other concern was speeding around the park. Our current Staff was unaware that a while back there was a Commission Directive that I had suggested to install speed calming at all parks. This simply makes sense. Speeding is a real threat around the entire playgrounds and obviously created an additional concern for children's safety. Now that it has been brought up, Staff will be addressing these areas.

The next Groundbreaking will be a Curci Village. This hidden gem is located in the southwest section of our City right off Dixie Highway. It is the Historical Home of one of our founding families. The City restored the home with the help of developer contributions. While the house has been open for tours, the building itself is not fully Handicap Accessible.

On February 24th we will be hosting a Groundbreaking to start a makeover of the surrounding grounds and the addition of a Handicap Elevator. The property lends itself to be a quaint party facility. I actually officiated the first wedding there a few years back. A new patio area will be added to accommodate a party area. For more Information visit: https://hallandalebeachfl.gov/facilities/facility/details/Curci-House-Historic-Village-6

The last park that is scheduled to be done is Chaves Lake. Currently due to construction delays and the increased cost of construction, we are still working on financing. Originally we were going to make this site a charging area for our Electric Bus System and create a park focused on sustainability.

When the parks were planned I had envisioned creating an intercity bike trail connecting all the parks. While formal plans were not done during the initial phases, Staff have continued to work on mobility projects. Not only are we connecting the parks, we were just presented with the plan to create the Hallandale Beach Art Trail. Once completed it will be the longest continuing art trail at 8 Miles in Broward County and maybe the state.

Each park will contain a trail head that will be designed with various amenities and art installations. The trail itself will be a marked path. Once a visitor arrives at the trail heads the markings themselves will be artist designs. There will be various artist indicators on the streets drawing visitors to stop by and enjoy the installation. There will be interactive technology and art fixtures. The trail will also be adaptable to change out different art installations.

Keeping with arts and entertainment goals here, the Hallandale Beach CRA is once again hosting its Food And Groove. As part of the South Beach Wine and Food Festival and in partnership with Gulfstream Park Pegasus Park will be the place to be on February 25th. Starting at 7:00 p.m. you can come out and try out tastings from over 50 of our local restaurants. In addition to great food and drinks there will also be live entertainment.

Please visit: www.SOBEWFF.org for ticket information. If you want a more intimate experience there will be a dinner hosted by by Celebrity Chef Jernard Wells and Icebox Café’s Corporate Executive Chef Omar Martinez at the Ice Box Café. Proceeds from all events support the FIU Hospitality and Tourism Management Program. Tickets to the Celebrity Chef Dinner are $175 and include a complimentary ticket to Food & Groove, a $75 value. Purchase tickets now at http://bit.ly/sobewff2023

As always, I am available for your questions, concerns and ideas to help make our City a better place. Please feel free to reach out to me at my Office: (954) 457-1318. On my Cell/Text at: (954) 632-5700. Or email me at: jcooper@cohb.org