DANIA PLANS TO LANDSCAPE BEACH AREA
By VICKI McCASH and Staff Writer
DANIA -- Palm trees, seagrapes and fakahatchee grass will replace the weeds growing around the cloverleaf entrance to the beach at Dania Beach Boulevard.
And, if all goes as planned, a group of residents will plant the trees and bushes for free.
The city expects to receive a $36,000 grant from the Florida Department of Transportation to buy more than 6,000 plants. Seagrapes will be planted on the slopes and the palm trees will grow up in the center of the cloverleaf around a Navy observation tower, city planner Dan Oyler said.
The city will recruit volunteers to put in all the plants as soon as they arrive, probably in January. "I think we'll have a good response," Oyler said.
By using volunteers, the city will save thousands of dollars.
"If we went out to bid, planted and installed this many plants, it would cost us $110,000 to $120,000," Oyler said.
Instead, the city will provide maintenance crews, and Oyler will direct the planting. The $36,000 grant will pay for plants, wood to hold the palm trees and water-absorbent planting material. The Department of Transportation will include Dania's request as part of a much larger bid for street landscaping to save money.
Oyler said he will need about 60 volunteers, including several city employees who have already expressed an interest in helping. Oyler, who was trained in landscape architecture, has been in the landscaping and planning business for 20 years.
"I can provide the expertise we need," he said, to avoid problems with inexperienced people planting the trees and bushes.
He said residents can expect a call for volunteers later this fall. The planting will take one weekend, he said.