Fall 2006 - City of Coral Springs

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usiness Local businesses get in the customer service ‘game’ Do you want to raise the bar and offer the best customer service in town? The City launched its Premier Customer Service program this summer, and it was so successful that staff plans to do another round near the holiday season. Local businesses can sign up for a nominal fee and receive a package containing an entertaining customer service training video, posters to identify that they are in the “premier customer service game” and buttons for trained employees to wear. Secret shoppers will then visit participating businesses and rate the service they receive. If employees provide premier customer service during the secret shopping visit, they will win a prize on the spot and businesses will have a chance of being featured in local newspapers. “As we get a reputation around the area for great service, What’s Going Up? Whispering Woods Center is currently under construction on Wiles Road, between Woodside Drive and Godfrey Road. This mixed-use development will have almost 140,000 square feet of commercial property. “We hope to have the exterior of the buildings completed by the end of the year,” said Jose Saye, Project Manager of Cubellis/SGR. Tenants have not yet been determined, but 90% will be office space and the remaining will be medical offices. There are currently 53 projects going through the approval process or under construction in Coral Springs. Take a look at what’s coming to your area of the City by visiting coralsprings.org/business and clicking on the Current Land Development List to view the latest information. City employees posing as secret shoppers have awarded prizes to local employees who have demonstrated “Premier Service.” we hope people will begin to go out of their way to come to Coral Springs and use our businesses,” said Korey Meckes, program coordinator. Close to 30 local businesses participated in the first phase of this project and were very pleased with the outcome. “I think it would be really great if all the businesses in the community signed up for this program,” said participant Mona Appel, owner of Mona’s Kids at The Walk. “It’s a great program.” To sign up, e-mail Human Resources Coordinator Korey Meckes at kmeckes@coralsprings.org. City seeks teams to participate in regional competition Do your employees excel in all they do? Well, it’s time to start gathering ideas for next year’s Team Showcase. On Thursday, February 15, 2007, the American Society for Quality (ASQ) will hold the annual South Florida process improvement team competition. Teams from all sectors, including private, public, service, manufacturing, are asked to give fun stage presentations on projects that produced breakthrough gains for their organizations. In 2004, Coral Springs Medical Center was named winner of the regional and state Team Showcase. In 2005, the City’s Citation System Improvement Team was also recognized as both the regional and state winner for the Team Showcase. The event includes training on process improvement and is an opportunity to learn about best practices that can be adapted to your organization’s needs. The 2007 Team Showcase Competition will be held at the Signature Grand in Davie in February. For more information, visit excellenceshowcase.org or call 954-344-5912. 10 • Coral Springs • Fall 2006 Visit coralsprings.org
Our Water Where does it come from? Florida’s local governments are at a crossroads, and their next steps will have enormous environmental and financial implications. The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is limiting the amount of water available to municipalities for drinking water and lawn irrigation because the majority of the water is needed for the Everglades Restoration Project. Coral Springs draws its water from the Biscayne Aquifer, one of the largest and highest quality ground water sources in the country. The Biscayne Aquifer is located in southeast Florida and generally extends from Boca Raton through Homestead and from the Everglades to the Atlantic Ocean. It is in the cool depths of the earth, generally between 110 and 180 feet below ground surface and is constantly replenished by rainwater, and through canals and lakes that are operated by the SFWMD. Most cities in South Florida “dip their straws” into the Biscayne Aquifer, and withdraw a limited amount of water as permitted by the SFWMD. “According to the new rules that have been established, the City is not allowed to withdraw any additional water to meet our future growth from the aquifer,” said Utilities Superintendent Dave Moore. “Unless we demonstrate that it does not affect the Everglades restoration project.” The State and Federal Governments have joined forces to restore the damage that draining the Everglades has caused over the past century. In December 2000, President Clinton signed the Water Resources Development Act, which included the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). CERP is a guide to restore, protect, and preserve the water resources of central and southern Florida. It will take approximately 30 years to complete the project and will cost in excess of $7.8 billion. The Everglades Restoration Project is affecting everyone in South Florida, as SFWMD is asking Utility Divisions to not pull additional water from the Biscayne Aquifer and use alternative water supplies. Coral Springs has four different utilities that supply water and wastewater services to residents: the City-operated Coral Springs Utilities Division and the independentlyoperated Coral Springs Improvement District, North Springs Improvement District and Royal Utilities. The City of Coral Springs Utilities Division, which serves the central part of the City, operates a water treatment plant that prepares the water for drinking and other potable and irrigation uses. Nineteen wells are scattered around the central portion of the City that draw the water from the Biscayne Aquifer for further treatment. The customers of the City’s Utilities service area consume an average 7 to 8 million gallons of water a day. The water After water from the Biscayne Aquifer gushes up from a well in the City, where the water is then put through many treatment processes before being delivered to citizens. plant runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is able to process up to 16 million gallons of water each day. According to Moore, future redevelopment in Coral Springs may require an additional 1.5 million gallons a day. As South Florida’s increasing demand for potable water continues, several public water utilities have turned to the Floridan Aquifer, a slightly salty water, which requires a reverse osmosis treatment process to make the water safe for drinking. “The Floridan Aquifer requires a completely different treatment process than what we use now,” said Moore. “It would cost approximately $13 million to build that treatment facility and it wouldn’t be a very cost effective solution since we would only draw 1.5 million gallons a day.” Another option for additional water supply would be water reuse, which involves taking domestic wastewater and giving it a high degree of treatment. The water is then used for a new, beneficial purpose, such as irrigation. Unfortunately, Coral Springs does not have the capabilities of reusing water and it would cost millions to put into place. In May 2008, the City will renew its water use permit with the SFWMD. The City will attempt to increase the current average daily and maximum daily allocations to meet the expected growing population and is currently in the works of establishing their argument. The cost of restoring the Everglades is high and the State and Federal governments are paying those bills. However, that is only part of the cost and municipalities will be required to utilize alternative water supplies for urban uses if their water permits are not increased. Water is becoming scarce and inexpensive water supplies can no longer be taken for granted. This article is the first of a series, which will delve further into water use, the treatment process, and how you can help by conserving water. environment Watch CityTV Channel 25 Fall 2006 • Coral Springs • 11
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Fall 2006 - City of Coral Springs

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