Associate Members Present
- Richard A. Gonsalves/Brickell Area Association
- Rev. Joseph Combs/ Immanuel Lutheran Church
City of Miami
- Officer Jeffrey Giordano, Commander Rudolfo Llanes/MPD
- Tony Wagner/Coral Way NET
- Patricia Castro/Downtown NET
- Diego Hernandez/Office of the Mayor
- Ada M. Rojas/Office of the Chief Administrator
Also Present
- Joseph A. Bier/Brickell Place, Phase I
- Heidi Barer/Four Ambassadors
- Madeline Arenson, Hilda Lopez/25 Bay Tower
- Maria Rodriguez, Casilda Clews/Brickell Park
- Dania M. Rodriguez-Cresta, Marisela Guedez, Joaquin Mayorel, Marta Alanso/ The Metropolitan
The meeting was called to order at 6:15 p.m.
A motion was made by Angelo Gonzalez and seconded by Maria Rodriguez that the reading of the March minutes be waived and the minutes accepted as published. It passed unanimously.
President's Report
Scheduling Oversight. The president extended his apologies for insensitivity in scheduling this meeting on the first night of Passover. He said, "We automatically chose this third Wednesday of the month and didn't realize that we were in conflict with this important holiday. We will avoid scheduling Board meetings on these dates in the future."
Five Condos on 25th Road. The homeowners in the 25th Road condos want to address the possibility of instituting permit parking on their street, since they are seeing that many are using the street for all-day parking and then going elsewhere (to work, Key Biscayne, etc.). These matters are generally handled by the Off-Street Parking Authority and the Board was advised it would cost $45 per month per space, but that program is designed for spaces where there are meters. They are trying to work something out so that people who live on 25th Road can have access to extra spaces for themselves and guests. NET Administrator Patricia Castro says they are trying to institutionalize a program. The best solution might be to use the Miami Beach residential parking program as a model. They are looking at the price; Coconut Grove is looking for a similar program.
Greyhound Bus Terminal Location. On Friday, March 21, Commissioner Winton notified BHA that the County was looking to sign a lease for a Greyhound Bus terminal at the Metrorail station at 8th Street and SW 1st Avenue. Commissioner Morales intervened and we understand it's dead. The current station is in Park West; Officer Giordano took pictures and it's dismal looking.
Radar Speed Reader. It has been suggested we purchase one as it has a traffic calming effect. The one that's out there now belongs to the City and it must rotate citywide. Brickell Place I volunteered to look after it; Brickell Key Master Association will also help.
Property Information. Acquired from the County's Tax Appraisers office, this data is going out to each manager of member condo associations in an Excel spreadsheet format on CDs. Has proven to be a useful tool for managers in the past for tracking owners and transactions in their buildings.
Royal Palms on Biscayne Blvd. The possible removal of these trees for the car race has been put aside and the trees are no longer in danger of being removed.
Miami Police Report
- HEROES award presented to the BHA for assistance in crime prevention.
- Have seen an increase of thefts in the area; believe it's homeless and removed an encampment on the south side of the river.
- Spike in burglaries on South Miami Avenue between 10th Street and 15th Road. A lot of construction workers coming in and out of the area so it's tougher to track who should be there and who shouldn't. Call 579-6911 for non-emergencies.
- Sidewalk abuses question. Bicyclists and skaters on sidewalks don't have any regard for the walkers, older people on the sidewalk or children. The bikes are required to have a horn. Commander Llanes will look into it.
Tony Wagner, Coral Way NET Office Administrator
- Distributed extensive summary report of the Coral Way NET office activities for the past month.
- Brickell Bay Village – Dust, noise, trees planting. Has been working with them and they have been honoring their obligations. They did request some Saturday permit waivers for work and have been very cooperative.
- In front of Brickell Forest, Royal Poincianas were planted on 25th Road.
- Question about noise from Bayside caused by concerts that are loud and going late. Tony advised that they are permitted on a limited number of days to have special events go beyond midnight. Bayside Seafood and Madfish House, on Virginia Key just off the Rickenbacker Causeway, are the sources of problems.
- Everglades Hotel was sold; will be demolished and a highrise will replace it.
Mayor Diaz's Office
Diego Hernandez from Mayor Diaz's was introduced.
Brickell Area Association: Richard Gonsalves met with Commissioner Barreiro on the Greyhound Bus Station who heard our concerns.
New Business
Amigos Together for Kids – Presented their Celebrity Dominos event on June 14 at Parrot Jungle and invited all to participate.
Old Business
Brickell Harbour Structural Problems – Still waiting for the final engineering report from two engineers that are making an assessment of the tension wires that are corroded to determine if the building can be restored. Should be getting the determination this week or next. Hoping for the best, still."
Next meeting on May 21, 2003, at Bristol Tower.
