Celebrating Hallandale Beach’s Finest & Our Hometown Hero Chief Michel Michel

I remember back when I first moved to Hallandale Beach how neglected the area was. Foster Park had a broken basketball court with a rundown chain hoop, cracked pavement and faded lines. The building itself had to be all of forty by forty at best. Inside there were some historic pictures, an old upright piano, and a mixed match of tables and chairs. If you wanted to use the restroom, it was just that one bathroom.

I came to know Foster as the meeting place of the Northwest Civic Association after being invited to meet the residents and listen to hear about their concerns. It was more than that though. It was the place for the seniors to meet. The elders gathered to play cards, bingo or simply to talk about the local gossip or what needed to be changed. They felt unheard. Certainly, I listened.

Moving back here, I understood the huge contrast of the segregated east and west. It pained me to truly see what the other side of the tracks meant, the lack of investment in the neighborhood and sadly the frustration of not having great parks resonated. It was not that just the Northwest was lacking in investment, the entire city had a rundown park system. My goal was to change that.

Thanks to the HBCRA we had the financial tool to make sure every park in the Northwest was made over. Foster Park, BF James Park, and the Hepburn Center at OB Johnson Park. We collaborated with the community and developed the Master Plan for the community. This meant tearing the old Foster Park to the ground. It also meant that the seniors would lose their home away from home.

During the planning, we made sure that an agreement with the seniors would be memorialized. The Friends of Foster would always have their home, and they could meet at Foster Park for free. As with many organizations there are changes. Many of the elderly have passed away or moved but some remain. They along with the new elders aka seniors sixty and older are revitalizing the community spirit.

There was a bump in the road when it came to Foster. We built a beautiful facility but with regentrification, budget cuts and COVID-19 the facility sat empty. We tried to put out a request for proposal to provide programming at the center. The RFP failed to receive any viable proposal.

Originally PAL wanted to submit a proposal but was unable as they were an independent board that received funding from the city. I fought alongside like minded advocates and the PAL Board to allow them the opportunity, finally they were able to execute an agreement and run their program from the building. There was a major glitch in the agreement, PAL could not sublease any portion of the building, nor could they rent it out for revenue as a fund stream for PAL.

But what about Friends? This is where history and knowledge matter. I informed the City Manager of the agreement that the Friends could utilize that building for their meetings. It was a win -win. Friends now had access to their forever home and PAL had a new partner. They have been meeting and as a thank you they hosted this wonderful event in thanks.

While this old partnership is being revitalized the agreement between the city and PAL will be amended to give PAL the ability to enter beneficial partnerships.

The celebration recognized Chief Michel Michel, the Command Staff and all our officers for their hard work. As a surprise Chief Michel has been nominated by one of Friends' partners for a Hero Award.
Please take a moment and vote for our very own Hometown Hero.

Hope For the Holidays is this Thursday, December 19th, 2024 from 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. presented by PAL of Hallandale Beach & hosted by Hallandale Beach Community Events Committee. The focus is to give gifts to those in need. The event is at Foster Park, 609 Northwest 6th Avenue, Hallandale Beach, Florida 33009. The event will feature local talent, games, toys, raffles, gift cards, food, music, and games. Donations and Volunteers are still needed. Get more information and register by calling Sandra Atkins: (754) 204-5947 - Lileen Robertson: (954) 559-1124 - and/or Marilyn Franks: (954) 548-5089.

As always, I am available anytime for your questions, concerns, and ideas to make our City a better place on my Phone/Text at: (954) 632-5700. Or you can email me at: jcooper@cohb.org. Please visit me on my Facebook page at Mayor Joy Cooper. Like, follow, and share!