Residents got a peek at plans for an all new Dania Jai-Alai.

Residents of the quiet neighborhood that borders the Dania Jai-Alai fronton said they can hardly wait for the place to be stripped and rebuilt. “If everything goes as planned it will be a really great thing,” said Patty Hart. who grew up in east Dania Beach, in the shadow of the 58-year-old gaming house. Bruce Hannover, a neighborhood resident for 22 years, remembers when Dania Jai-Alia was the crown jewel of Dania Beach.

He hopes new ownership will restore that energy.“We were here in the heyday of jai-alai,’’ when limousines and Cadillacs packed the grand entrance, Hannover said. “It was quite a show.”

made a $5 million deposit to purchase the $85 million property in May from Boyd Gaming Corp.The group submitted plans to the city in mid July to It is the only pari-mutuel in South Florida without slot machines - yet.

Dania Entertainment Center, a corporation owned by a group of private investors, plans to completely renovate, reface, and expand the already 200,000 square-foot facility.

Plans include a 60,000-square-foot casino with 1,500 slot machines, a hotel with two swimming pools and several restaurants, bars, lounges, poker rooms and modernized simulcast stations for horse and dog races.

Hallandale Beach-based architect Louis Birdman, one of four principals in Dania Entertainment Center, said the plans will likely come before the city commission on August 23.Birdman assured nearly 150 residents at Monday’s meeting that jai-alai games will continue in a reconfigured space that will shrink the current 5,000-seat arena to a 1,600-seat theater.

The fronton playing area will be extended and the net will be retractable so that the playing area can easily convert to a performance stage for live entertainment.

There are also plans for a 60-slip marina with supporting shops and restaurants.

The project would likely create 1,251 construction jobs and some 1,800 employees will be needed to operate the place, officials said.

Construction could begin in the fall.

Birdman said he hopes the casino expansion and renovation will be done by February 2013.

Hannover is betting the marina, on the Dania Beach Cut-Off Canal with no fixed bridged between the ocean and the marina, will put Dania Jai-Alai tops among South Florida gaming houses.“People can pull up in yachts, sailboats, anything on the water,’’ he said. “No other casino in South Florida can say that and that’s what makes a destination location.

Balancing Swimming Pool Chemicals…did you know? |

An important factor in your water safety plan is knowing how to balance pool water.

What is water balance and what does it have to do with swimming pool chemicals?

Water Balance refers to the interrelationship of 3 chemical parameters:

Essentially, balancing swimming pool chemicals comes down to managing these big 3.  Note, the following however.  Every chemical you add to the swimming pool water will affect the pH.  Some chlorine products (example Calcium Hypochlorite) will increase your Calcium levels.  And adding Acid to the pool will lower both the pH and the Total Alkalinity.

Sounds like a mess.  Every chemical affects every other chemical.….Well, almost..but its not that bad.  Just remember to test regularly.  In fact, maybe you can paraphrase the old cliché… Test Early and Often.  …