Directors/Alternates Present
Keith A. Reynolds/Brickell Key One
Florence Mazer/The Imperial
Mark Steinberg/Fortune House
Norman Mininberg/Brickell Place I
Janice Jones/The Palace
Wanda Bee/Brickell East
T. Sinclair (Tory) Jacobs/Brickell 25
Jorge Iglesias/Brickell Mar
Judge John Gale/Villa Regina
Yvonne Oppenheim/25 Bay Tower
Mac Seligman/Brickell Townhouse
Jose Maria Carneiro da Cunha/Santa Maria
Melvin F. Frankel, Esq./Bristol Tower
Henry H. Taylor, Jr., Esq./General Counsel
Natalie Brown/ BHA Communications Director

Also Present
Lt. Hector Mirabile, Officer Jeffery Giordano/Miami Police Dept., Coral Way NET
Maria Elena Bravo/Mayor Carollo's Staff
Christopher Cedeno/Brickell Mar
Marilyn Goldaber/Brickell Townhouse
Mike Glogower, Stoney Welsh/The Palace
Patricia Castro/City of Miami Downtown NET
Joey Sinson/Villa Regina
Timothy Plummer, Juan Espinosa, Romy Quintevo/David Plummer Associates

Meeting called to order at 6:15 p.m.

Keith Reynolds moved and Yvonne Oppenheim seconded that the reading of the April minutes be waived and the minutes accepted as published.

President's Report
Aircraft Noise information available from Miami-Dade Aviation
City of Miami Mayor's office - Maria Elena Bravo here representing Mayor Carollo and Patricia Castro representing the City of Miami Downtown NET

Brickell Medians. City has received responses to RFP for irrigation and planting of the medians. May 24 will go before the Commission for approval of the expenditure. Also a hearing about Brickell Bay Village at this meeting unless the neighbors on each side come to agreement with the developer.

Police Report - Lt. Mirabile
General Crime Stats. No homicides in the Coral Way/Brickell area this year. 54 stolen vehicles; in Brickell there were 6 compared to usually 12-14. Burglaries. 44% reduction. Caution: Brickell Key asked to ask the security officers to watch all around, including the construction sites. Came via seawall and over fence, made it to the 45th floor without an elevator and stole equipment. Left with expensive saws; was more than one person. Swire Properties to be alert also. 11% drop in larcencies. Two sex offenses. 18% decrease overall; 69% increases in arrests (quality of life initiative).

Noise at construction sites. Brickell Ave to Bay, no permits pulled for concrete pours in quiet hours. MUSP permit issued for Brickell Summit project (behind Firehouse Four, 10-11th Streets on S. Miami Ave) approval for pours was waived by Commission so that nobody gets notified. NET met with Planning Dept and Building Dept. so that it doesn't happen again. The rule is usually that the City Manager is the only one who can waive the noise hours limitation. The off-duty police officers are not directing traffic; one director almost got hit with a backhoe. Directors say that an officer should be hired to direct traffic during all this construction. Patricia Castro said she would look into and see if one could get hired.

NET ­ Construction crew parking is a problem. They're not parking in the lots they're supposed to; the NET is starting enforcement.

Brickell Bay Drive ­ Keith Reynolds says it has been torn up for 3-1/2 years. Torn up, repave, tear up again to put in sewer lines. Bike Patrol? Hasn't seen him in a while. Mirabile says he's in field force training. This is a coordination issue belonging to Public Works. Wanda Bee: pollution from the construction? The dust makes for a fog-like condition. NET can enforce the cleansing that they're supposed to do (takes water, however, it may be a problem) due to the shortage.

Brickell Medians ­ Trucks parking on the medians may be a problem again now that they're going to be refurbished. It's not legal Mirabile says.

Timothy Plummer from David Plummer & Associates Team, Transportation
Miami Dade Downtown Transportation Master Plan. What are your concerns, comments, needs? Plummer is the lead firm involved. Others include Leftwich Consulting Engineers, Precision Engineering & Surveying and MRD Consulting.

The objective is to develop a transportation master plan. The boundaries are I-195, I 95, 26th Road and the Bay. Has a simulation model that can simulate all the possibilities for testing and evaluation. They will evaluate alternatives that make Downtown stronger. Public forumsinitial turnout not very good so now they're taking this presentation to groups. Next forum is "in a month or two." Recommendations will be taken back to the public.

• Studying one-way versus two-way streets. Many downtowns getting away from one-ways (not pedestrian friendly and confusing).
• Pedestrian oriented streets.
• Transportation systems ­ Metromover loop extension

Want to be sure the plan is broadly focused, quality of life, sense of place, economic vitality, connectivity, pedestrian friendly.
What is the vision for the Master Plan? Will be developed after input. Have looked at other communities' vision statements including Denver and Orlando.

Ways to participate:

• Speaking at public meetings
• Fill out traffic survey
• Send email suggestions to mdtmp@dplummer.com

How we got here background: 13 members of Transportation Task Force led by Commissioner Winton let out a national RFP and Plummer Associates was selected. They are to figure out the needs for the next 20 years. Our obligation is to be sure our input is fed into the process. Suggestion input form to be sent to each condo association to be circulated to each owner.

Motion on the Traffic Issue by Mel Frankel who moved that:
"The City of Miami government should adopt an ordinance prohibiting commercial from stopping and parking on Brickell Avenue between 15th Road and Rickenbacker Causeway during rush hour (7:30-9 a.m.; 4:30-6 pm)." Seconded by Norm Mininberg

Lt. Mirabile says the motion is moot as it is illegal to block a lane with a vehicle. The police ticket them, but the trucks prefer the $28 ticket to going around. Henry Taylor moves that the motion be tabled and referred it to committee.

Mel Frankel: Then ask for enforcement of existing laws. Mirabile suggests that on the second offense, they go to jail and their vehicle be towed. Table motion passed and referred to committee.

1900 Brickell Avenue
Juan Gonzalez, acting zoning administrator, has a request by the doctor that he wants to put in palm trees. Our attorney recommends that we tell Juan to have the doctor go through the regular approval channels. All in agreement..

Brickell Park
The City is in a hole on this one. They have entered into a contract to sell the Park ($18 million) subject to zoning change. Now the City cannot not change the zoning without being sued by the Brickells and/or the potential buyer. Save Brickell Park Coalition is planning to sue the city to stop the sale; they have some grounds to pursue the matter. If the City lets the developer build on Brickell Park, he'll give $1 million in escrow for Miami Circle.

Brickell Point
At BAA Board meeting, the chair of the Save Brickell Park committee was asked if the Miccosukees would be involved. No, the Indians don't want any part of it as they think the Miami Circle is the remains of an Anglo-built lighthouse.

New Business
John Gale, president of the Villa Regina Condo Association informed that Villa Regina maintains the channel that accesses their marina, bearing all the expenses, while neighboring condo boat owners also use the facility. Villa Regina will ask its neighbors to consider contributing to the channel upkeep.

June, July, August ­ meetings to be announced.
Sept 19 ­ Angela Givens, MIA Director, will be there.
Sept 13 ­ Candidates Forum projected.

Meeting adjourned at 7:25