july2017

124 125 of the Sawgrass Business and Entertainment District,”Salamon explains.“It includes a 120- acrevacantparcel,oneof the largestundeveloped parcelsof land inBrowardCountythat ishighly attractive for smartdevelopment.Witheasyaccess tothehighwaysystem,thepossibilitiesareendless for theSunriseCommerceCenter.” While Sunrise is growing its economicbounty, Salamon says that the city is concurrently invest- ing in its own facilities and infrastructure,which benefits not only its business communitybut, perhapsmore importantly,its citizens. “Wewent to the voters in 2014,and asked them to approve general obligation bonds to enhance,improve,and develop additional parks, leisure,and recreation facilities,”he states.“We’ve issued the first $40million of bonds andwe plan on issuing another $25million.These funds are being used to improve and expandmanyof our parks and recreation facilities.We have an incred- ible diversityof recreation and leisure facilities across the cityandwe’re investing inmost of themwith thismoney.We also have started the process of redeveloping our municipal campus, including building a newcityhall.As part of this redevelopment,wewill be building structured parking,adding a familyaquatic facility,expand- ing our civic center and senior center,and creat- ing a‘great lawn’as part of our outdoor amphi- theater expansion.” Sunrise is also amajor force in the supplyof water and natural gas to the region. The citypro- vides water throughout a 70-square-mile service area that reachesmore than 215,000 residential and commercial customers. In addition, Sunrise supplies natural gas to over 10,000 homes and businesses in Sunrise and neighboring cities. “Protecting our significant investment in these utilities,we have a five-year Capital Improve- ment Program that exceeds $200 million in value,”highlighted Salamon.“We are focused on maintaining our dominance as a provider of water and natural gas regionally. So we are constantly reinvesting in our community. PREFERRED VENDORS n Brown And Caldwell Corp. www.brownandcaldwell.com Brown and Caldwell, founded in 1947, is the larg- est engineering consulting firm solely focused on the U.S. environmental sector. Its nationwide network of engineers, scientists, consultants, and constructors has created leading-edge environmental solutions for pub- lic agencies and private industry for 70 years. n Florida Municipal Insurance Trust (AKA: Florida League of Cities) www.insurance.flcities.com SUNRISE, FLORIDA Sunrise is incredibly fortunate to have a visionary CityCommission and aworkforce that is completely dedicated to our residents,businesses,and visitors.” Mayor Ryan’s passions include developing a sus- tainable community, focusing on conservation of natural resources, finding long-term solutions to transportation and traffic issues, and providing the public with opportunities for world-class cultural programs and education.“The City Commission has begun implementing a bicycle and pedestrian master plan, adding bike lanes and trails, and even partnering with neighboring cities on additional bike lane and corridor improvement projects,”he explains.“We are also starting our first Complete Street projects,where we’re partnering with the County’s Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Florida Department of Transportation to trans- form our neighborhoods.At the same time,we are incredibly sensitive to the fact that we are adja- cent to the Florida Everglades, a national treasure that we all have an obligation to protect. And, of course,we know a strong community focuses on providing its residents and visitors with access to the arts and intellectual pursuits. In recent years, Sunrise has become one of the premier commu- nities in the United States for the advancement of scholastic chess in public and private schools, and in 2015 Sunrise was named ‘Chess City of the Year’ by the United States Chess Federation.These efforts and others have been recognized by the United States Conference of Mayors with multiple awards for livability.Our focus on early learning initiatives and quality education standards contin- ues to garner regional and statewide attention.” Today’s Sunrise, Florida is a far cry from Norman Johnson’s sleepy retirement and golf community. But Salamon and the team at City Hall wouldn’t have it any other way.Whether it’s facilitating the expansion of its business sector, or enhancing the amenities that help make Sunrise a great place to live, city leaders are optimistic about the future. “It’s a very exciting time to be in Sunrise,”Salamon declares.“We are confident in our resiliency, and in our vision to make Sunrise not only a City for today, but for the next 50 years and beyond.We truly are a city for today and tomorrow.”