The Home Energy Saver is designed to help consumers identify the best ways to save energy in their homes, and find the resources to make the savings happen. The Home Energy Saver was the first Internet-based tool for calculating energy use in residential buildings. The project is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), as part of the national ENERGY STAR Program for improving energy efficiency in homes, with previous support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's PATH projgram, and the California Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program.

http://hes.lbl.gov/

Homestead Sports Complex
Minor League Clubhouse Camp
1601 SE 28 Ave

• 9 week camp starting June 9, 2008
• Open to children ages 6 to 13
• Camp Hours:

7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Early Gate
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Recreational Programs
5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Late Gate
• Fees: $10.00 Registration fee includes one camp T-shirt

The cost for City of Homestead residents is $80 per week per child with a $5 discount for each additional sibling. A discounted rate of $200 will be offered for the advanced payment of three weeks.

The cost for non-residents is $90 per week per child with a $5 discount for each additional sibling. A discounted rate of $250 will be offered for the advanced payment of three weeks.

Fee includes:

Daily snack, arts & crafts, group games, athletic activities and weekly field trips such as: swimming, bowling, roller-skating and special all-camp trips.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Begins May 5, 2008
M - F 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
350 SE 6 Ave
Homestead, FL 33030
For more information please call 305-224-4570

PAL Camp, in conjuction with the City of Homestead's Parks & Recreation Department.

Phichol Williams Community Center
951 SW 4th Street

• 9 week camp starting June 9, 2008
• Open to children ages 6 to 13

Site Locations:

Phichol Williams, Roby George Park, and the PAL Gym

Camp Hours:

7:00 AM To 9:00 AM Early drop Off
9:00 AM To 5:00 PM Recreational Programs
5:00 PM To 6:00 PM Late pick Up

Fees:

$10.00 registration fee includes one camp T-shirt additional T-shirts can be purchased for $5

The cost for City of Homestead residents is $40 a week with a $5 discount for each additional sibling.

Cost for non-city residents is $50 a week, sibling disount applies.

Space Is Limited

Fee includes:

Daily Lunch and Snack
Weekly Field Trips: Swimming, Bowling, Roller-Skating, and Special Camp Trips
Arts & Crafts
Group Games & Athletic Activities

Registration Information:

Begins May 5, 2008
At The Phichol Williams Community Center
M - F 12PM to 7 PM
For more information please call (305)242-7146 or (305) 242-1462
For evening hours please call 305-248-7617

On April 24 children of City Employees were able to come to work with their parents as part of “Take Your Child To Work Day”. The City has participated in this event for quite a few years and this year was the best by far.

Over 50 children were treated to a welcome reception at City Hall, tours of the police department and wastewater treatment plant and a demonstration by the linecrew. The children then got to spend the rest of the day at work with their parents.



Mayor Lynda Bell and Councilwoman Wendy Lobos with the children after they received their certificates.

In honor of Earth Day 2008, City of Homestead Police Explorers planted a garden using Xeriscape principles in front of City Hall from on April 21. Xeriscape, which is water conservation through creative landscaping, cuts water use substantially by using water-conserving plants and other fundamentals. The South Dade Soil & Water Conservation District donated all materials to create the garden and assisted the Explorers in the planting.







Councilwoman Wendy Lobos, Homestead Police Explorers and representatives from the South Dade Soil & Water Conservation District in the finished garden

In response to improved regional water resource conditions, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) today modified emergency water restrictions across most of the agency's 16-county region, transitioning from one-day-week landscape irrigation restrictions to two-day-a-week watering. The District's nine-member Governing Board adopted a "Modified Phase II Severe Water Shortage Order" effective April 18, instituting an up to two-day-a-week watering schedule for residential landscape irrigation. The schedule will continue conserving regional water supplies as part of the District's response to the regional rainfall deficit. Landscape irrigation accounts for up to half of all household water consumption in Florida.

"It's important to note that we are not lifting emergency restrictions. Our decision to modify the restrictions is based on the improved conditions of our water resources," said SFWMD Governing Board Chairman Eric Buermann. "We couldn't have made this progress without the help and cooperation of our citizens, businesses, utilities, local governments and farms embracing water conservation. The District has also used deliberate and proactive water management to help retain as much water in the system as possible over the past year."

Under the water shortage emergency order, the up to two-day-a-week landscape irrigation restrictions go into effect April 18, with local governments encouraged to refrain from enforcement until Thursday, May 1, allowing residents with sufficient time to become aware of the modified restrictions. The modified mandatory restrictions apply to all water from traditional sources, including water from public utilities, private wells, canals, ponds and lakes. Users of 100-percent reclaimed water are exempt from the restrictions but are encouraged to conserve water voluntarily.

Highlights of the Modified Phase II water shortage order include:

• Residents and businesses of Broward, Collier, Miami-Dade, Monroe, St. Lucie and coastal areas of Lee, Martin and Palm Beach counties, including the City of West Palm Beach, are limited to a two-day-per-week landscape irrigation schedule with two "watering windows:"
o Odd street addresses may irrigate lawns and landscapes on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 12 a.m. to 10 a.m. and/or 4 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
o Even street addresses may irrigate lawns and landscapes on Thursdays and Sundays from 12 a.m. to 10 a.m. and/or 4 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
o The SFWMD recommends the efficient use of water, which includes placing a maximum of about three-quarters of an inch to an inch of water once per week on lawns and accomplishing irrigation during the early morning hours when temperatures and wind speed are the lowest to reduce evaporation losses.
• Hand-watering with one hose fitted with an automatic shut-off nozzle is allowed for 10 minutes per day for landscape stress relief and to prevent plant die-off.
• Low-volume irrigation, including the use of drip and microjet systems that apply water directly to plant root zones, is not restricted but should be voluntarily reduced.
• Additional watering days and times are allocated for the establishment of new lawns and landscapes.
• No restrictions apply to other outside water uses, such as for car and boat washing, pressure cleaning of paved surfaces, decorative fountains and water-based recreation (e.g. swimming pools, water slides).


Restrictions Make a Difference
Implementing water use restrictions has already proved effective during the continued regional water shortage. Based on data reported by 46 public water utilities in Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Collier, Lee and Miami-Dade counties, an estimated 11.7 billion gallons of potable (drinking) water was saved over three months between March 22, 2007, when restrictions first went into effect, through June 30, 2007. Savings were most pronounced on non-watering days. For example, one day per week landscape irrigation restrictions instituted in Broward and Palm Beach counties saved an estimated 130 million gallons a day of potable water.

The South Florida Water Management District also worked with 23 local drainage districts, as well as agricultural users, to hold water within the local drainage district water management systems. This cooperative effort prevented nearly 14 billion gallons of water from being discharged to tide since April of last year.

Current Conditions
Above-average rainfall in February, March and early April has raised surface and groundwater levels in most areas of the District's 16 counties. At 10.53 feet above sea level this morning, Lake Okeechobee's water level continues to make modest gains and is expected to continue an upward trend. Levels today are about five inches higher than on this date last year, however, remain about four feet below the historical average for this time of year. Water levels in the three Everglades Water Conservation Areas in western Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties are near or above their optimum levels for this time of year and nearly a foot higher than this time last year.

Groundwater levels are also higher now than this time last year, with the exception of a few wells in Lee and Collier counties that remain low. Water levels in the Kissimmee River are at their regulation, or optimum, levels and higher than this time last year.

South Florida's dry season begins in November and ends with the start of the wet season, typically in June. One of the season's driest months is April, which averages only 2.5 inches of rain District-wide.

"While April is the ideal time to heighten water use awareness, we must create a long-term culture of conservation to protect our limited water resources every month of the year," Wehle said. To achieve that, stakeholders have been meeting with the District to develop a year-round water conservation program for South Florida that includes permanent year-round two-day-a-week landscape irrigation measures. Their final recommendations will be presented to the Governing Board in June to guide an enduring, conservation program across the entire region.

For additional information on the water shortage, irrigation restrictions or water conservation, call the SFWMD's toll-free Water Conservation Hotline at 1-800-662-8876, visit www.sfwmd.gov or contact a regional SFWMD service center. Helpful water conservation tips also are available at www.savewaterfl.com.

The Homestead Community Image Advisory Board, formerly the City’s Beautification Committee, has several openings available. The purpose of the Board is to promote the beautification and the enhanced physical appearance of the City. The Board is in need of community and business leaders, as well as residents, who are interested in serving on the Board.

If you would like to apply to serve on the Board, please send your resume and a letter of interest to the City Clerk at 790 North Homestead Boulevard, Homestead, FL 33030, fax it to 305-224-4459 or email it to sshedd@cityofhomestead.com.

The City of Homestead has once again teamed up with Florida International University to offer free government education courses to its residents. The Academy is designed to offer residents the opportunity to learn more about their city, give them a chance to meet the people responsible for providing city services, gain insight into how the city works and understand the role of each department. The classes are taught by professors and moderators from FIU and city staff.

The Academy allows residents to increase their knowledge and understanding of the city, learn more about the services we provide and hopefully help them become more active participants in the community. We have received such positive feedback from those who have attended previous academies. We are going to continue holding these for our residents. The Academy runs once a week, for 7 weeks and is held in City Hall from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The next Academy will begin on May 7 and will be held every Wednesday for 7 weeks. There are still some spots available so if you would like to sign up or if you have questions, please call 305-224-4485. You can also visit www.cityofhomestead.com, click on Community and Citizen's Academy.

In the past few days, the City of Homestead has received several calls from concerned residents regarding the blasting that has been taking place in the southeastern portion of the county. Although the blasting is being felt in communities in Homestead, it is taking place outside of the City. The City of Homestead is not responsible for, nor involved in, the blasting in any way and unfortunately has no jurisdiction over it. We would like to give residents some information regarding what is going on:

The blasting is taking place in Florida City.
All blasting activities must be monitored by a seismologist, per Section 4A-2.024 (4), Florida Administrative Code (FAC).
The use of explosives is restricted to daylight hours between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST time, Monday through Friday, per Section 4A-2.024 (6), (FAC).
No blasting shall occur on Saturdays, Sundays or official holidays recognized by the State of Florida pursuant to Section 110.117. Florida Statutes unless consent is granted by the State Fire Marshal.
Anyone with questions or complaints regarding the blasting, should call Florida City at 305-247-8221 or the State Fire Marshal at 1-800-861-4164.

Official Announcement to be made at City Council Meeting on Monday, December 17

For Homestead’s Historic Preservation Board, a five-year process came to an end on November 19, 2007 when the National Register of Historic Sites listed the Homestead Historic District as one of their newest designated sites. During those five years, 75 properties were researched, four revisions were made to the original report, hundreds of photos and countless redrawn maps all contributed to the application process.

Finally, on March 27, 2007 the final report was presented to the Florida Review Board by Mr. Carl Shiver of the Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation and Yvonne Knowles, Chairwoman of the Homestead Historic Preservation Board. The Florida Review Board voted in favor of sending the designation on to Washington, DC. On December 1, 2007 the listing appeared on the National Register of Historic Places, www.nps.gov.

This was truly a team effort. Sofya Belair, Historic Landmark Officer, Homestead Community Redevelopment Agency, worked closely with the Historic Preservation Board Chair and helped guide the process through to completion. The Board is grateful for her dedication throughout this project. The Homestead Main Street Design Committee began the project back in 2002 and handed it over to the Board in 2004. Through various changes in membership, the Board has been committed to seeing the project completed.

“This is just one more positive in a year full of great things for the City of Homestead,” stated Mayor Lynda Bell. “The designation has many benefits and we are proud to have achieved it.”

This designation is an honorarium without restrictions to property owners. It does benefit the district by giving it national status as a designated site with individual property eligibility for tax benefits, national marketing exposure and tourism enhancement. The designation assists in our efforts to preserve a district that served as the hub of South Florida’s early railroad pioneer expansion. For those interested in historic preservation, the public is invited to attend the monthly meetings of the Homestead Historic Preservation Board that take place the last Wednesday of every month in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

For more information, please contact Sofya Belair, Historic Landmark Officer at 305-224-4487 or sbelair@cityofhomestead.com.

Contractors who do business with the City are able to schedule building inspections and check on the results online. To use this service, simply click on "Building Inspections Online " and follow the easy prompts. Contractors also have access to these services via the City's automated phone system. The system has increased efficiency and ease of use, as it is available 24 hours a day.