School Meeting Tense

     Last night’s meeting between residents of the neighborhoods surrounding Fort Lauderdale High School and school officials was ….well, quite a meeting !

       
                         busses jamming residential streets

     Over a hundred folks filled the school’s meeting room that, ironically, the neighborhoods used to meet in before the school instituted an onerous insurance fee to use.

     The meeting centered around just the latest problem between the school and its’ surrounding neighborhoods – the busses – ( SEE ABOVE!)

     The school is under construction and decided to send the busses to the adjacent neighborhood streets to stage for student pick-up and drop-off. Neighbors complained that they often couldn’t get out of their driveways, were tired of the belching diesel fumes, and drivers’ misdeeds.
 
     The (soon to retire) School Board member Maureen Dinnen led the slugfest, and apologized to the crowd for many of the perceived slights –  (she deserves credit!)

     Lots of other bigshots filled the room with residents on one side, and school board supporters on the other-

             
                Dinnen                                  Rodstrom – Me                Leach
   
               Seiler – Feldman                                           Trantalis

     Dinnen and school personnel had arrived early and prepared to show a power point exalting the accolades and awards that Fort Lauderdale High had won, but the residents wanted no part of the dog and pony show.

      Instead, the hour plus meeting centered around the busses idling just feet from people’s bedrooms, lack of access of school facilities, and poor communication between the two sides.

     The school’s transportation division agreed to find other options for the busses staging area while the school construction continues, and a follow-up meeting was planned.