South Florida Sun Sentinel from Fort Lauderdale, Florida • Page 17

Sun-Sentinel, Friday, May 3. 1991 3B L2YKO LillYEM force office tmiee 75 from post 1 I 5v Oakland Park Blvd fj- Fumes from overheated compressor force 5 evacuation of main Fort A Lauderdale post office. 47 people were taken to V- hospital. I II 'I 1 Start graphic By BOB LaMENDOLA and KEVIN DAVIS atari Writers Noxious fumes wafting through the Fort Lauderdale General Mail Facility sickened scores of workers on Thursday night, sending 47 to hospitals and forcing the evacuation of all 175 inside the massive building. "It smelled like strong chemicals," postal clerk Vivian Harris said.

"I had a headache and my vision was very blurry." The 7:25 p.m. evacuation was caused by fumes pushed throughout the building by an air compressor, said Lt. Tom Costa of the Fort Lauderdale Fire Department's Hazardous Materials Team. Firefighters think the odors were from oil that dripped into the compressor, although there was also a puddle of green fluid, possibly coolant, beneath the compressor, Costa said. The post office, at 1900 W.

Oakland Park Blvd. in Oakland Park, was closed to the public at the time. Postal employees complaining of headaches, nausea and burning eyes crowded in front of the building, with the most seriously affected lined up against a fence along the property's west edge. About 20 ambulances arrived to take the employees to six hospitals. Family it Staff photoMICHAEL MALONE A paramedic gives a post office worker oxygen and checks his pulse.

fumes, Costa said. "Our equipment can't check every chemical, but we can check all the major toxic chemicals," he said. The building was ventilated with fans and employees were let back in at 9:40 p.m. Mail delivery will not be affected, postal service spokeswoman Tina mody said. During the evacuation, trucks arriving at the center, which handles mail for central and most of.

north Broward County, were rerouted to a Pembroke Pines warehouse, Car-mody said. Staff Writer Trevor Jensen contributed to this report. members who had heard of the evacuation arrived to ask officials where their loved ones had been taken. None of the injuries was serious and all those taken to hospitals were expected to be released after emergency room treatment, spokesmen from the hospitals said. The hospitals were Florida Medical Center, Holy Cross Hospital, North Ridge Medical Center, Broward General Medical Center, Imperial Point Medical Center and Plantation General Hospital.

Meters used inside the post office by safety-suited firefighters showed no sign of toxic chemicals, leading investigators to suspect the problem was oil HIGHLIGHTS 41 Report: Revamp water use Fundamental changes include radical ideas I 1 IdO-ir J.90T-, DIGEST Staff reports Man clubbed with bat POMPANO BEACH -A man was in critical condition on Thursday night after being clubbed with a baseball bat during a brawl in front of a convenience store. Ronnie Taylor, 30, pulled a knife during an argument with Stacey Thompson, 21, in the 800 block of South Dixie Highway, police spokeswoman Sandra King said. 1 Running from the knife-wielding Taylor, Thompson saw a baseball bat in the parking lot, picked it up and clubbed Taylor several times over the head, King said. Thompson surrendered to police at the scene. No charges have been filed, King said.

Taylor was being treated at Humana Hos- -pital Cypress. Margate names manager MARGATE City Finance Director Leonard Golub was promoted to city manager in a 4-1 vote of the City Commission. Golub, 47, will replace Sam Moschella, who stepped down in March after two of his staunchest allies on the commission were defeated in the March 12 municipal elections. Commissioners appointed Golub on Wednesday, rescinding an earlier decision to look outside to fill the position. Golub has worked for the city for 11 years, the last three as finance director.

Moschella was also a former Margate finance director. Mitch Anton, the lone dissenter, said he would have preferred to interview other candidates. Vice Mayor Arthur Bross said a national search would have taken too long. He said the city needed a permanent manager to begin working on the city's budget. Crash injures deputy TAMARAC A Broward sheriff's deputy was injured on Thursday when her car was rear-ended by a driver looking for a parking space.

Officer Janet Trujillo was parked in front of a restaurant at the 7000 block of Commercial Drive when Saul Silverman, 78, backed into her patrol car after he saw a vacant parking spot, Officer Matthew Gorman said. Trujillo was taken to University Community Hospital complaining of back pains. She was treated and released. NAACP requests inquiry The Fort Lauderdale branch of the NAACP has asked Davie's police chief to personally investigategate the case of a couple who recently were victims of racially motivated vandalism. Inez and Clifford Lewis, of Davie, awoke the night of April 19 to find their mailbox ablaze and racial epithets scrawled across the driveway in paint.

Gasoline in the shape of a cross was also ignited in their driveway. In a reply to a letter from Roosevelt Walters, president of the Fort Lauderdale branch of the NAACP, Capt. Robert J. McDaniel said on Thursday the Davie Police Department takes such crimes "very personally," and that the safety of the couple victimized is of "utmost concern." Detective Robert Spence has been assigned to the case and is working with the FBI, the letter said. Davie police spokeswoman Chris Murray said the department is looking at a suspect in the case but said she could give no details.

Teens to go to conference Prejudice, stereotyping and cultural diversity will be among the subjects discussed on Sunday at the National Conference of Christians and Jews annual youth conference. The conference, to be held at Broward Community College campus in Coconut Creek from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m., is expected to draw more than 100 high school students from Broward and Palm Beach counties. There is no fee for the conference. For more information call 749-4454. Tri-Rail station closes Seven commuters were left stranded by Tri-Rail at the Delray Beach station on Thursday.

They had not heard the news: Commuter service at the station was discontinued on Thursday because of a dispute between Tri-Rail and the owners of the station. The owners claim Tri-Rail had not paid its rent for the depot since the commuter rail service began two years ago. Center may get $42,000 The struggling Mission Bay Aquatic Training Center west of Boca Raton should get $42,000, a fraction of what developer Jim Brady hoped for, a Palm Beach County advisory panel recommended on Thursday. But Brady, initially disappointed with the decision, later said the advertising-only grant could trigger a turnaround at his swimming center if hoteliers pitch in. Sm 1 Staff photoJUDY SLOAN REICH Ranger Jay Robinson surveys dried vegetation at Shark Valley in the Everglades.

Staff photOJUDY SLOAN REICH Drain on water Steady increase in demand for public water in Broward's three largest cities and countywide prompts change in region's water management policies. All numbers are daily use in millions of gallons: Fort Lauderdale 1990 I 1995 I 2000 I 2005 I 2010 I 1 56.48 1 58.54 1 60.59 161.90 1 63.22 By ROBERT McCLURE and SETH BORENSTEIN Staff Writers South Floridians have to stop sucking the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee dry and use a series of technological fixes to beef up their water supply, says a report signaling a major shift in the region's water management. For many people, the new direction would mean higher water prices, using less water for toilets and showers, and a different-looking yard. The report by the South Florida Water Management District deals specifically with Broward County's water crisis but is expected to be a blueprint for the entire region's future water supply, planners say. "This landmark plan marks the beginning of a new era of water resource management," John Wodraska, director of the water district, said in an introductory letter.

"This is the first of a series of water supply plans which will set new directions." For every three people living in Broward today, a fourth person will be living there in 20 years, the report predicts, and Broward should be classified a "critical water supply problem area." But the plan, delivered to officials late Wednesday and on Thursday, fails to answer local officials' most pressing questions. "They were supposed to have all the answers by May. This is May," said Hallandale Mayor Arthur J. "Sonny" Rosenberg, chairman of the county's Water Supply Advisory Board. "It's not funny.

It's costing us millions of dollars." The main question is: Can Broward County go ahead with its nearly $100 million regional wellfield plan to provide water for residents for the next 20 years? The water district put the county's plan on hold for nine months in August, saying the plan released this week would answer their questions. Jim Jackson, a governmental liaison for the water district, acknowledged that the report does not answer the questions directly and "to that level of detail" expected by local officials. He said the plan attempts to suggest how less water can be taken from the Everglades, and outlines strategies for continuing to provide water for people Water gauge at Coopertown in the Everglades shows what the water level once was. Items included in the water supply plan: STOP COUNTING on the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee to provide water for growth; possibly even cut back on use of that water. LAUNCH a special project in north Broward County in which water will be captured during the rainy season and stored deep underground for use during the dry season.

WIDESPREAD USE of cleansed, recycled sewer water. CONSERVATION through landscaping changes, low-flow bathroom fixtures and rates that discourage unnecessary water use. USE OF DIVERSIFIED sources, such as desalting of brackish water from deep underground. SOURCE: South Florida Water Management District Total daily demand for water in Broward County: Hollywood 1990 1995 2000 I 2005 I 2010 I 300 1 1 22.96 1 24.84 "126.72 1 28.36 30.00 280 Pompano 260 1 i 240 1 20.47 1 22.79 1 25.12 1 27.29 29.46 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010: 2201 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 SOURCE: South Florida Water Management District Stafl graphicTHERESAALBRECHT use; storage of floodwaters in yet-uncreated reservoirs; and emphasis on California-style water conservation. The water district's report says that during the current drought it became increasingly apparent that the growing population cannot continue to rely on the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee for water.

The practice of taking that water for use in urban areas probably will have to be curtailed, the plan says. without sucking the Everglades dry. "I don't think those philosophical changes impact us as much as how much water is available," County Environmental Services Director Ed Gos-cicki said. Rosenberg and advisory board member Monte Essen said Broward's growth may have to be limited. The water district will use the report to help decide how much water the cities and counties can use.

If the local governments fail to go along, the water district can refuse to give them water for growth. The key elements of the plan are protection of water supplies for critical environmental needs; use of a series of technological fixes such as desalting water and cleansing sewer water for re- Sheriff 's wife under inquiry for phone call about arrest eot through, Navarro said she was told By ANDREW MARTIN Staff Writer The wife of Broward Sheriff Nick Navarro is being investigated by the State port, one of the youths grabbed a knife off the counter and threatened to kill a sub shop employee. Shortly after the arrest, Sharron Navarro called the town's police department to determine the whereabouts of one of the youths, a relative of longtime family friend Douglas Stepelton. The charges against both youths were dropped within two days of the arrest. Stepelton is a founding member of the Sheriff's Advisory Council, Sharron Navarro said.

The exclusive group is composed of about 100 businessmen who pay $5,000 to conduct charity events and meetings with the sheriff. The advisory council has been criticized in recent months following newspaper disclosures that pome mpmhr nsH Mr erly using her influence, and she has not been questioned by prosecutors. "Why don't they give me a call? I'm ready to get it over with," she said. "I wouldn't even call the Sheriff's Office and ask for a favor, let alone another police department." Navarro said she received a phone call about 2 a.m. from a friend of the Stepcl-tons, Jim Brooks.

Both the Stepeltons and Sheriff Navarro were out of town at the time, she said. Brooks was trying to find the Stepeltons' relative, who had been arrest' 'd, so he could bail the youth out of Jail, she said. Navarro said she called the Sheriff's Office first, then tried to contact Lauderdale-by-the-Sea police. When she finally influence to meddle in police affairs. Officials from the State Attorney's Office declined to comment on the case.

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Police Chief Joseph Fitzgerald confirmed that the State Attorney's Office is looking into Navarro's phone call. However, Fitzgerald said the call had nothing to do with the decision to drop charges against the ycuths. Rather, he said the charges were dropped because of inconsistencies in the store clerk's story. "Some of it did not add up," he said. "We made a decision based upon a follow-up investigation.

(Navarro's phone call had nothing to do with the decisionmaking." Sharron Navarro said she went out of her way to avoid being norused of Improp 7 I that another relative had arrived at the jail to bail the youth out. "I did not ask for favors," she said. The advisory council has been criticized in recent months because of disclosures that some members used their position to influence arrests. On Oct. 6, member Frank Kamerling called a sheriff's commander and told him to look into the arrest of a friend, John Garrett, who had been arrested for choking his wife.

After the call, Capt. Angelo Farinato released Garrett. Farinato was later indicted for ordering a deputy to doctor Garrett's police report. His trial is' -cheduled for later his month. Attorney umce to ae-termine if she improperly intervened in the arrest of a juvenile who is related to a founding member of the controversial Sheriff's Advisory Council.

The investigation stems from the early illuming an cat, vi inv Wha nn IToh fnr NaVarfO bill? VI causing a ruckus in a Lauderdale-by-the-Sea sub shop. According to the police re-.