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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSEOPW OMNI CRA 2002-11-09 MinutesIn ErM CITY OF MIAMI CRA MEETING MINUTES OF TOWN HALL MEETING HELD ON NOVEMBER 9, 2002 PREPARED BY THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK/CITY HALL Priscilla A. Thompson/City Clerk Chelsa Arscott: Again, good morning, and thank you all for coming out this Saturday morning to participate in this Town Hall meeting. The reason we're having this meeting today is to gain public input on the update to the1982 Southeast Overtown/Park West Redevelopment Plan. We intend to have a follow-up meeting some time in January. Tentatively, we're looking at January 25th, 2002, which we will focus more on specific projects to be implemented in the area. Today's agenda: I'm going to go over the welcome remarks and a background on the CRA. What is a CRA? A CRA is a Community Redevelopment Area that is designated through a findings of slum and blight. And how does it work? Past income revenue is paid out by property owners to the City and County tax authorities, and those funds are reinvested back into the redevelopment area for the implementation of projects and programs that will reinvigorate that specific area. Now, what is the history of the Southeast Overtown/Park West CRA? Many community members have raised questions -- I'm sorry. Next slide. OK. The history of the tax increment -- I'm sorry -- the history of the CRA. CRAB are financed through tax increment financing, which, as I mentioned before, are increment revenue paid out by property owners to the City and County taxing authorities, which are reinvested back into the specific area for the implementation of projects and programs that will reinvigorate that area. Next slide. What is the CRA plan? The CRA is governed by Florida Statutes 163, which mandates that the CRA creates a redevelopment plan through -- which will provide guidelines for projects being implementated by the CRA and funded by the CRA. The history of the CRA. Many community members and residents have raised questions about the history of the CRA. As you all entered into this theater this morning, you all received a number of handouts. One of them looked like this. I don't want you all to read it now, but I do want to point out the color coded sections of this document. I want to bring your attention to the sections highlighted in blue. And there you will see, roughly, when the CRA was legally created and separated from the City. In 1995, specifically, the CRA was created through an ordinance by the City, which established its own board of directors. Further down you will see that although the CRAB are funded by TIF (Tax Increment Fund) increment revenue, the CRA can be -- can also utilize alternative funding sources. In 1998, through the initiative of our Chairman, Chairman Teele, the CRA was appropriated monies for renovation of the historic Third Avenue Business Corridor, three million dollars ($3,000,000), as well as twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) from Community Development Block Grant funds. Although those funds were appropriated, they were done so subject to the availability of funds. Further down I want to point out to you on that form that, in 1999, the CRA gained financial control of its assets and engaged KPMG (Klynveld, Peat, Marwick, Goerdeler) to create accounting and management procedures for the agency. Now, we're in fiscal year 2002 and 2003, and our objectives are the completion of civil projects that have been initiated by legislation, consistent with the existing 1982 plan, and our focus is on jobs and quality of life initiatives. Next slide. A number of projects that are slated to be substantially completed in this fiscal year for Overtown are listed there. Two Guys Restaurant and Just Right, the commercial (INAUDIBLE) program and others there. Total estimated cost is about four point five million dollars ($4,500,000). In Park West, here are a number of projects that we are planning implement in this fiscal year and, we're mostly in the design and technical phase of those projects and programs. CRA boundaries. Many residents have asked us why are we expanding our boundaries. The CRA has an opportunity now -- actually, you know what? Let me go back. The CRA is governed by the City and Dade County. As such -- and our existing plan is dated back to 1982. It's 20 years old. The County has mandated that we update our plan. As such, we have an opportunity now to identify other key areas of the City that is in dire need of 1 November 9, 2002 revitalization. We can incorporate them into our boundaries so that any increment revenue can be reinvested in that particular area. So, in this diagram, you can see where we are proposing to expand the boundaries further north along Third Avenue and further west beyond I-95. Currently, the City of Miami approved the proposed boundaries, and we're pending approval from Dade County. Updating the plan. The process for updating the plan. Today's workshop will be -- I'm sorry. The results of today's workshop will be incorporated in the planning process. By statute, the CRA is required to only hold one public hearing meeting but, in this case, we are extending that community outreach by holding several public meetings to garner public input on the vision, the concept, and the specific projects to be implemented by the area. Many of you all may be familiar with Dover Kohl and Partners, and the planning process for the vision of Bicentennial Park. That process was quite successful, and now we are looking to have in the future the Museum of Arts and Miami Arts Museum coming into the Bicentennial Park and, through their initiatives, we -- the public, in general, will have access to the water -- to the prized waterfront of the City of Miami. As such, the CRA has engaged Dover Kohl and Partners to work on the update of the 1982 plan. And, as such, we have both principals here and planner, Mr. Victor Dover, and Joseph Kohl, as well as planner, who's working very hard, Sergio Vasquez, who had been working diligently on that plan. I just want to point out that this plan has been in process for about six to seven months. So, this is not like an initial start of that project, and we're just holding this meeting to update components of that plan. So, at this point, I'll turn it over to Mr. Victor Dover, who will further go into the process. Victor Dover: Thank you, Chelsa. Good morning. This is a plan that a Community Redevelopment Agency has to do to follow the rules, but it can be much more than that. It can be an opportunity to knit together other things that folks have already planned or are planning. It can be an opportunity to greatly improve on the 1982 document, not just, in other words, doing it because we've got to do it, but doing it because we can make it the plan that will really be meaningful. So, we're excited about being part of it. And I'm going to just explain to you what I'm -- you've gotten this quick background presentation, and then we're going to switch and give you the microphones and seek input. Basically, what's going on, as Chelsa described, is that we're doing extra meetings now to seek more community input, and then we'll be doing the sort of official hearings and so on process, all of which is on a tentative timeline, leading to a legal official adoption by both the City of Miami and the County. OK. Today's meeting is the first of two meetings like it. We'd like to have another one on January 25th. And so, the thought was -- and that date, of course, may change a little and we still have to work out the location. So stay tuned for the details on that. But the thoughts about this meeting versus that meeting is that today we could get big picture things -- big picture ideas, and as much information as possible about what we need to go research and find out more about. And then, on January 25th, we'll focus in tightly on specific projects and specific areas in the second session. So that's the difference between the two. I'll basically recap, in the broadest way, where we are right now on it, and then -- as Chelsa said, we're not starting from a blank sheet of paper. There's the 1982 plan, a lot of other efforts that have gone on recently, and in the past and are going on now. We're trying to fold those together. And so, we've created a working list of things that need to be different about the 2003 CRA plan, as compared to the 1982 plan. Next slide, please. Next. This meeting is one of a bunch of ways we're learning what we need to know to create that plan. We want to hear from a lot of different voices and a lot of different corners of the community about what needs to be included. And so, there are things that we can only find out by talking to 2 November 9, 2002 the technicians and the experts inside City Hall. There are things we can only find out by talking to members of the community, reading older plans, finding out what folks, who are doing exciting new things in the community, need the plan to do to be most effective for them. And so, we're listening to all those. But today is focused on the pink bubble, which is turning the mics to you all and asking some questions. Now, we've given some thought to how to structure that, but you can talk about anything you want us to know as we create the 2003 plan. Next. This will be adjusted a little bit as we go, but just to illustrate, there is an official, bureaucratic, step-by-step process, which leads to the big day, some time in 2003, probably mid -year, when all the steps have been completed and the County Commission can, at that time, do two things: Approve the revised plan -- I'm calling it, for now, the 2003 Plan -- and approve the revised boundary that will change the actual edge of the CRA in the way that Chelsa's map illustrated. But we're up here in this stage. Again, the pink bubble for public input. So, what do we do here? For the last few weeks, what we've been doing is analyzing the place, reading the previous plans, creating just working lists and working outlines of what the plan would need to include, drafting things with all the information we have, knowing that we're going to learn more today and elsewhere, and listening to y'all. The most important thing, of course, is to accept that the old CRA plan, based on a report in 1982 and compiled from a variety of documents created just before that, didn't deal with the larger area. So this was the original boundary. And then this new area, with the bigger boundary, including the extension of the Third Avenue Corridor and so on, needs the plan to cover it, as well. So that's going to have a fundamental difference between the 1982 plan and the new one. Next. We've also been kind of doing -- using the aerial photographs, and the computers, and by walking around, and taking photographs and talking to people trying to X-ray, through these maps, to understand the physical structure, and the project opportunities, and the latest thinking about all the many things that evolved since 1982. One of which is basically just getting back on track with incorporating the concept that the building block of the community is a neighborhood. Those little circles are five-minute walking distance from center to edge, and it gives us kind of a picture of the overlapping boundaries of walking -distance -sized neighborhoods. For example, in Park West, between First and Bicentennial Park, is one such neighborhood, and then there are -- there's another such neighborhood on the west side of 1-95. Next. And as we've been doing this, we're also trying to identify where the special places in the plan are; where they are either there or could be there. For example, green spaces. These are just excerpts from a whole series of similar maps. Next. This one is kind of a compilation map, which compares where people live to where their institutions are located; those green space and parks, how they get around, and so on. So this is the kind of technical work that's going on, separate from the financial studies or the project idea making that folks are doing. Now, there's an economist that's also working on this, under separate contract with the CRA. His name is Don Zuchelly, and some of you met him when you helped with the Bicentennial Park Plan. And Don is an urban economist, and what his specialty is is designing the fit or the match between where the dollars are or could be, what they could be spent on, and how they're matched up with private initiatives, other government agencies and so on, to leverage results. And so, while Don is doing his analysis on the numbers that relate to the CRA plan, we've been doing our analysis on the physical part; the projects and history and so on. Now, it's just a draft. Draft. Just a draft. But this is our kind of working checklist. We can add to this. We could subtract from this, with your help. But we took a crack at, based on everything we've learned these last weeks, and made a working list of all the things we think should be different between that 1982 document and the 2003 document. Remember, the motivation here is, in part, the fact that the 3 November 9, 2002 County has said -- since the County shares control with the City over this agency, the County has said, "We want the agency to move forward, but we want you to update your plan first. Because your old 1982 plan is inadequate, you need to have a better plan before we do things, like let you expand your boundaries." So that's the County's mandate and it's a good one. So what do we change? Well, first, the one I mentioned, changing the plan to cover the areas that weren't covered before. Second, making this more implementation -oriented. If there's one thing we've heard ten thousand times since we started on this, it's we've had a plan since 1982. We've had an agency for a long, long time. Where are the results? What's happening? And, of course, we have many things done, but sharpening the focus on implementation is clearly one of the priorities. And there are other things, which I'll go through for you, with some examples that we thought would also improve the plan. Next. For example, remember, this document, this legally required document, is also the business plan. It's a document that the agency, and the folks who want to work with the agency, should be able to go out there and assemble deals with, that makes sense to people, that excite investors, and excite neighbors and then get everybody interested. And the plan from 1982 is not a particularly compelling document to read or look at. For example, there are things in abstract diagrams and charts and stuff that, if you sit with them long enough, you can being -- people can begin to make sense of, but it's not a very visual document. So, one of the thoughts is also to change the format of the thing, so that it is not just listing projects and numbers but made visual. And some of you have been involved in the Park West work and the effort to crystallize a vision for the old FEC (Florida East Coast) Corridor, as it's now being call the Promenade, where those clubs in the After-hours Entertainment District have popped in. And we've been creating visuals to help examine that, before and after. This may change, but the idea is, can we show what the project's supposed to do? One more. And show how it would be different from what exists? Whether that's the exact detail of it or not, isn't even the point. The point is, we've got to make it visual before we can perfect it. Another flaw in the 1982 plan for use in the 21" Century is that it was based on a very different mindset about traffic and transportation in the center of Greater Miami. It assumed, as you know now from all the way the streets work now, a whole bunch of one-way streets in Park West, for example, and a whole lot of disconnections, missing connections, and fragmented block network in Overtown. Well, the new City Downtown Transportation Master Plan, which they're just completing, advocates returning to a traffic to a great many of those streets, with a exceptions. And so, the new plan should incorporate that. Another difference: Planning was a different thing in 1982. People thought about cities differently and they -- that was still an era of flight to the suburbs, and people weren't all that excited about the inner city. But, you know, there has been, in the time since then, a revolution in thinking in city planning, and we can incorporate that. And if we show how to do it, that revolution can manifest itself, before and after, on things like Biscayne Boulevard. So, the plan should be updated so that its physical projects aren't about mega blocks or super blocks and mega projects, but instead about neighborhoods and streets with doors and windows facing streets, and other urban design criteria that may not exist in the City's rules and regulations, but can exist in the criteria your CRA uses to decide what's a good project to fund or a not good project to fund. Next. Preservation. It's tragic to sit with the list of buildings and sites that were designated as historic or potentially historic in 1982 and before, and then look at that list and see how many of them have been demolished or are in the throes of serious neglect. And so, recognizing that all sorts of people, including the Black Archives, the Lyric Theater, and other organizations have been saying, "Preservation is our priority," we think the CRA -- the new CRA plan should probably have much more emphasis on historic preservation, and where 4 November 9, 2002 preservation can't be accomplished, restoration and adaptive reuse of older buildings. So, that was one of the -- that's a topic area for the new plan. Kind of corresponding with that, there are these entertainment districts that have been established in the City. One centered on Second, focused on the little Broadway area, Jazz and Blues District idea, which was in the 1982 plan; another, the After Hours Entertainment District that's centered on 111h Street and 10 % Street in Park West. So, those ideas need to be updated and incorporated, and made implementable in the new CRA plan. So, this is another topic area. What else? The 1982 Plan does not relate to modern times. That was ten eternities ago, if two years is an eternity in the life of this young agency, and a lot of things are different. Different people own the land. Some land has been acquired by the agency, and is now available to work with on specific projects as catalysts. Everybody is looking differently at the relationship of people on sidewalks, and traffic in streets, and street cars, and rail and so on. And in 1982, MetroRail was under construction, for example, and nothing like what we have now. So that's changed and it needs to be updated. The whole idea of land development regulation has been revised in our country and in our community since 1982, and that needs to be -- and remember, in 1982, there was no Internet, and the idea that we might revitalize center cities was a relatively controversial and untested one in the United States, and isn't anymore, and we know we can do it. So, these are -- working our list, this is the same list you saw before, kind of here for reference, and we can obviously bring this back up later in the morning. Now, Kevin, if you could bring up some house lights, I'll just explain how we're going to do the next phase of the meeting. We have two spots set up here at the ends of the aisles, where folks can -- if they'd like to comment, can come to the microphone. When you came in this morning, you probably picked up a green sheet like this one. I already know people are going to tell us what we need to know about, whether it's on our list yet or not, and that's fine. But we thought it would be helpful to kind of structure the discussion, again, to help you get started. So we made up four questions. Can you go to the next one? And what we thought we'd do is take -- whatever seems like the right amount of time, but say 10 or 15 minutes, maybe a little longer, if there's more to say on each of these four questions. Did everybody get a green sheet? We know some folks are comfortable coming to a microphone and speaking in front of a big group, and that's the way they want to be heard. And we know other folks will be more comfortable just writing down their idea and handing it in to one of the folks in these nice, white shirts, or to me, or to Joe or Sergio. So -- and either way is fine, OK. So, with that, what we're going to do is, as you speak, hopefully, you all are all racing for the microphone soon here, we'll also take notes. We're writing them down on our note pads and we're writing them down on the screen, as well, so that we don't miss anything. All right. Chelsa, I'm going to ask you to moderate that, if you would. Thank you. Ms. Arscott: Any questions? Eva Kilpatrick (City Clerk's Office, City of Miami): Could you please remind them to sign the sign -in sheet before they speak, and always say their name before they speak for the record? Ms. Arscott: OK. Ms. Kilpatrick: Thank you. 5 November 9, 2002 Ms. Arscott: I hope everyone heard that. Please sign in at the front desk, the sign -in sheet, and please say your name for the record. Unidentified Speaker: At the podium, Chelsa. The podium. Ms. Arscott: Oh, I'm sorry. At the podium. Rosa Green: Good morning. I am Rosa Green. I reside at 415 Northwest 61" Street. And I'm here to speak about the Athalie Range #1 Mini Park -- is this being recorded? Unidentified Speaker: Yes, ma'am. Ms. Green: Up under the Department of Transportation Expressway, next to the Jefferson Reaves. I'm baffled that you would even consider putting something like a domino park under that expressway. In close proximity, we have one, Williams Park; two, Gibson Park; three, Reaves Park, and they are all in very, very close proximity to each other. I also would like to call your attention to the Culmer Center, that has a big seating area, with a wrought iron fence. If you were contemplating putting some domino tables -- because that's probably all they need -- that would be an ideal place to put it, out in that court, because at some time they could lock the gates. What you are asking for under the expressway, the Department of Transportation should be funding that. After all, this is taxpayers' money you're spending. You have not had any meetings with the community about it. The first I heard of it was at the Booker T. Washington, when this young lady was up reading the proposal. Now, I live in Overtown. I have three adult children. I have three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Children walk to Douglas Park -- to Douglas Elementary. A lot of them take shortcuts. Right next to that -- I mean, under the expressway there is a Jefferson Reaves Health Center, who is in dire need of parking. They have to park on the street. The building directly across the street, or maybe kind of catty -corner from Jefferson Reaves, is a building that was vacant, nailed up for over 12 years. And every meeting that Gregory Gay came to at the Jefferson Reaves, who's supposed to be a planner for the City, I mentioned to him, "What are we going to do with that building?" It took us nine years to get the Jefferson Reaves built there, and I, through perseverance, went to every meeting and we finally got it. Listen. And time somebody bought that building, is remodeling it, as I speak, now they decide to put a domino park, that's only going to attract all the homeless people -- since they didn't put the Camillus House, then I guess they say, "Well, we'll get them. We'll put the domino park." And if -- Ms. Arscott: Thank you. Ms. Green: -- it's a City park -- honey, please let me speak, OK? If it's a City park, you cannot keep people from coming. So the homeless -- it's going to attract the homeless, the prostitutes, and everybody else up under there. And I noticed on this map -- I shared it with the Assistant Manager over there, and I want you to show that they were aware of what they're doing. Everything is on this map. I have four more copies, in case somebody wants to see. Right by where they want to put the domino park is the Jefferson Reaves Health Center, which is well attended. They deliberately -- and I know they deliberately -- left the Jefferson Reaves off, because it's right beside that -- where they're contemplating putting that domino park. OK. 6 November 9, 2002 What we need? We don't need all these boards. What we need is a leader, with a vision, that's going to really do something for Overtown. We're tired of paper. We're tired of these kinds of things, because all you do is make promises. We see -- we have computerized pictures of what we're going to do. In the meantime, the arena was built in two years, OK? And things are being built all around us. A building -- they worked seven days on that building there on Fifth Street, OK? And it was built in like one or two years. But it's been 25, 30 years of you -- wait, let me say this, and I'm going to sit down -- of you getting taxpayers', poor people money -- because I don't see the need the government should give rich people money, OK? I don't see it. This is poor people money, the disenfranchised, the people who don't have a voice, who don't even know how you operate, and you take that money and give it back to rich people, and then you don't even give Black poor people, Hispanic poor people a job, Haitians a job. So what you expect? You are perpetually aiding crime. You want crime. Because if you didn't, you'd try to put some of these people to work, you'd try to educate our children. And I want to speak one more thing about -- and you might not have nothing to do with it, but instead of wasting money up under the Department of Transportation property, there's a Rosa Parks School there. Looks like the little red schoolhouse on the hill back in the 1900s, OK? Somebody needs to have some passion there. My two great -- my two, yeah, great-grandkids attend that school, and I'm very passionate about it, OK? But for somebody -- for City Commission to waste six hundred thousand dollars ($600,000) -- that's over a quarter of a million dollars ($250,000) -- up under the Department -- I keep saying that, because I want it known, because I'll call the Department of Transportation and tell them don't allow it -- to put a park for homeless people -- you don't care nothing about taxpayers. I worked all my life and paid taxes. And about the history of Miami, for 62 years I can tell you some history of Miami. And I hope you will tell everybody I thought the CRA president, or whatever he is, was going to be here, so he could hear it, but make sure you play the recording, because this is ludicrous. And then that meeting y'all were having the other day, I hope you -- and pray that you guys will not -- and I say will not -- put that domino park by Jefferson Reaves Health Center. Put a parking lot up under there, so people can park off the street. And all -- and these other restaurants you were supposed to redo, that's all we hear, "We going to do it." When? When everybody's off the face of the earth or everybody has moved out of this area? Thank you, and I might be back. Ms. Arscott: Thank you for your comments, Ms. Green. I just want to inform everyone, we have a very limited time per section. We have four sections, fifteen minutes each, so we're going to limit your time for questions to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to ask a question. In response to Ms. Green's numerous questions, first and foremost, the Athalie Range Park is an existing park. It is not a park that the CRA is creating. It already exists. It is governed -- I'm sorry. It is managed by the City Parks Department. Right now that park is blight. It has a number of dilapidated basketball courts, everything is cemented, and you're absolutely right, there are a lot of individuals there, homeless, transients, who are participating in that park. One of our goals -- and the funding, let me clarify the funding issue. The CRA applied, through the City Parks Department, for funding from the Dade County Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond. That money can only be used to further upgrade, renovate parks and recreational areas. As such, the CRA saw an opportunity to upgrade a park that was in dire need of renovation. We applied for funding to Dade County, and we did receive funding in the amount of three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000), which was matched by the City's Homeland Defense Bond Issue, under its quality of life initiative, which was specifically for the 7 November 9, 2002 upgrade and renovation of Athalie Range Park/Gibson Park. It allocated about one point five million dollars ($1,500,000). So those funds could only be used to upgrade parks and recreational areas. (INAUDIBLE COMMENTS) Ms. Arscott: OK. I'm going to move on to another question here and then, if we have time at the very end, we'll respond to all the other questions. Jackie Bell: Good morning. My name is Jackie Bell. I'm the Executive Director of New Washington Heights Community Development Corporation, 1600 Northwest 3ra Avenue. I don't have a question. What you have on the board in front of us is my number one item, if I had to pick just one. I have done a study on the Ninth Street Pedestrian Mall to do an Open Air Market that will create approximately 100 new businesses and it would be a tourist attraction. I would think that we would be able to consider that. If you need all of the documentation, my number is 305-573-8217. And if you go back and look at any of those studies you talked about from 1976 through, you will find that New Washington Heights have been in the forefront of this. I think what we really need to do is move whatever we're going to do, so that we don't continue to have people saying to us that we've studied, we've studied, we've studied. I think implementation now is where we need to be. And something that could happen in 30 or 90 days would be that Open Air Market, because all of the research has been done. Thank you very much. Ms. Arscott: Del Bryan. Del Bryan: Morning. Thank you. These are some -- Del Bryan. I'm a resident in Overtown. These are great plans, and I think all the persons who worked on it should be complimented. It's great. It's going to change the entire area. There is, however, one important content that I'd like to see and, that is, how will the people who presently live in Overtown, which has one of the highest rated -- no, the highest rate of unemployment, how will they benefit? What opportunities will be there, both in terms of employment and business opportunities? And if this is something that's serious in going forward, this needs to be addressed and some mechanisms set up directly with the CRA and the community to make this a reality. If this doesn't happen, you're not going to have the support here. Thank you. Ms. Arscott: Thank you. Mr. Bacon. Phil Bacon: Hi. I'm Phil Bacon, Executive Director of the Overtown Civic Partnership and Design Center. We are also on the web at Overtown dot org, for anybody that wants to understand what we're presently doing. We have been working -- I want to say that I have -- we have found, as a collective, the CRA staff to be extremely cooperative in the dialogue that they're presenting to the community. And I just want to take this opportunity to try to take a stab at some of the four questions that you've asked our opinions of today. And I think that this has come as a result of some preliminary planning that we have done as a collaborative, and also through the engagement of a number of professional parties, who are helping us in this planning effort for Overtown. The other thing that I want to say is is that we understand that there have been a number of plans for Overtown. We'd like to look at this latest effort on the part of the 8 November 9, 2002 CRA, as directly proceeding some action that will happen here in Overtown. So, again, our number one item, if we had to pick a really important thing that the agency should consider, it would probably be two things: One would be transportation; that Overtown would be planned and aligned with other comprehensive transportation efforts to improve access in and around Overtown, so that Overtown would have access -- other communities would have access to Overtown. The other thing, obviously, would be housing. Housing is a critical issue in Overtown. There's the housing stock that is currently here, is primarily old and obsolete and blighted. And so, a major effort has to be mounted in terms of replacement housing. Crucial places. Our group has identified an area that is not new, that probably was contained in the first CRA plan, as the Folk Like Village. It's an area that is primarily bounded by I Ith Street to the north, 3rd Avenue to the west, and 2„d Avenue to the east, 8th Avenue -- 8th Street to the south. This is an area that has a lot of infill possibilities. A lot of people -- people would not have to be relocated. It is waiting to be redeveloped and, also, because of where it sits in relation to the highway, we think that it could actually be noted as being downtown Overtown, if you will. It's the area of greatest access right now for people who travel between I-95 and the bay, and it obviously is a very high visible area. Removing barriers. We think that the CRA could possibly connect better with local community organizations at a ground level, like the CDCs (Community Development Corporations). We also have a Main Street Program that runs along 2„d Avenue, that the CRA could be directly involved in. And, also, there needs to be some attempts to organize the business community in both the entertainment and business areas in Overtown. And this, we think, because of the resources that the CRA has, the CRA could play a vital role in that effort. Long-term commitment would be to provide infrastructure to help Overtown become a destination of choice, as opposed to a destination of law and custom, as Dorothy Fields says all the time. Overtown has tremendous possibilities, as both a neighborhood -- and I just have to say this, that aerial photography shows the relationship of Overtown to downtown and the surrounding areas, and this is an area that just cannot be ignored. We all know that it's going to happen anyway. And, I think, what the people here today are saying is that they -- and I think this is something that the people here need to understand also, is that what comes out of these plans or this type of planning can ensure that the people who live in Overtown will not be displaced when this area becomes developed. It's going to happen. The market pressures to develop Overtown , as an extension of Park West , will happen. It's through this kind of planning process and this kind of, hopefully, regulatory efforts that will come out as a result of this planning process, that will ensure that people who live -- presently live and work in Overtown will remain in Overtown. Thank you. Ms. Arscott: Thank you, Mr. Bacon. Mr. Mauzy. Bill Mauzy: Good -- still morning. Good morning. Bill Mauzy, President/CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of BAME (Bethel African Methodist Episcopal) Development Corporation, 245 Northwest 8th Street. We are -- we work in the community, we go to church in the community and we own a business in the community. Just trying to follow your green sheet. I'm going to try to be as brief as possible to raise just a couple of points of interest. More than anything else, I think that this is a concept, up to this point, has come a long way. I'm impressed with the imagery to really try to show what can happen. But what I am not impressed with, I don't see any of Overtown or 81h or 3rd Avenue with that kind of imagery. I think we must insist that we get that right upfront so that the Overtown folk can take a look at 3rd Avenue, like you 9 November 9, 2002 see Biscayne. And so, I'd hope you put that on your agenda. That's one thing. Secondly, I made a comment the other day, at another meeting, about the boundaries, the new projected boundaries, of this CRA imagery and I saw that it cut out the corner of Northwest 5th and 7th Avenue, and I was told that the Miami River Commission had an interest there. I don't have a problem with that, but what -- except for one exception. If we're not careful about taking care of all of Overtown and depend upon someone else to do it, if they don't get it done, then five years from now we're still saying, "Well, it's Miami River Commission's responsibility to do that." You need to be sure that you -- if you don't use that boundary, is to keep their concept on the same map so we know exactly what's going to be happening, because our concern are the entire boundaries of Overtown. We can't rely on someone else doing or not doing something that they should be doing. My other item is that we have four or five CDCs in the Overtown area, and, at some point, there's going to be some major bucks in this community being spent. It could be comparable to the American Arena, the museum and the arts, and all of that sort of thing, in the center of Overtown. We want some kind of commitment that those CDCs, or those working groups, just like our businesses that are in Overtown, that are qualified to do whatever it is that's coming up, that they're plugged in from day one. Everybody in Overtown, that's on the commercial side, is in business. So, I think we need to be sure that, in the thinking process, that everybody is included so that we have an opportunity -- we don't need a lot of people coming from New York, and Chicago and other places making all of the money and leaving, and the folk that live here don't have an opportunity to be -- to make some of the money that's going to be coming out of all of this. One last item. At some point, there is an imagery problem that's been in Overtown for some time, and it's kind of a two -fold thing. One of them is about crime, and number two is that the City has been saying for years that they've spent tons of money in Overtown, and nobody can figure out where the money went or what shows up. We don't see anything new. We don't see anything fantastic. We don't have an American Arena sitting in Overtown, and that kind of thing. You need, in this process, to clean that image up, because the Overtown folks are not responsible for any of that money that has been spent in the past. And we need to start today, but where we need to go in the future --and every time you get in trouble downtown, don't blame the money being spent in Overtown, when we can't figure out where it went. I think that's a disservice to the people, and I think that's not respecting the people in Overtown. And they understand -- they're not stupid -- that there's nothing going on here. So, let's start today with inclusiveness, bringing it in there, and trying to clean up the image so that everybody can go forward at an equal level. Thank you. Ms. Arscott. Thank you, Mr. Mauzy. Any more questions on number one, issue one? Sir. Emille Abiel Bapo: I hail Jesus Christ, great God, our King. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Ms. Arscott: Your name, sir, please, for the record. Mr. Bapo: I have a statement and question to make. Ms. Arscott: Your name for the record, please. Mr. Bapo: Yes. I'm Emille Abiel Bapo. Is there any questions with spelling it? 10 November 9, 2002 Ms. Arscott: The sign -in sheet in the front. Mr. Bapo: I did outside. Ms. Arscott: This is for the Clerk, for the record. Mr. Bapo: Same difference. May I continue? Ms. Arscott: Yes, sir. Mr. Bapo: Yes. I represent Culmer/Overtown under the auspices of ACOCOCOT, Alpha Culmer Overtown Community Organized City of Tomorrow. To be expressly in informing you - Ms. Kilpatrick: Please speak into the mic, sir. Mr. Bapo: Yes, I suppose. Can you hear me out there? Ms. Arscott: Yes. You're on the microphone. Mr. Bapo: Can you hear me here, because -- Ms. Arscott: Yes. If you speak into the microphone, everyone can hear. Mr. Bapo: OK. Well, let me stand this way, please, because I really came to speak to the community and you're here. Thank you. I came to speak to the community, not individuals that did not live into the community. I thought this was the Culmer/Overtown community meeting. But being that we're here now, I'm also introducing ACOCOCOT. I've already told you once, the second time, coming from (INAUDIBLE) Corporation, Alpha Culmer Overtown Community Organized City of Tomorrow. Now, they expressed implement right now -- Unidentified Speaker: (INAUDIBLE) the microphone. Mr. Bapo: Oh, OK. OK. The expressed statement right now is that we, in Overtown, need to determine a mayor of Overtown. We need to do that. We don't need to leave here today without doing that. That -- you citizens of Overtown are domicile residents. We need to do that, in order to direct the CRA in the direction that we want to go for the very near future. Ms. Arscott: Mr. Emille, is there a question or comment on number one? We're trying to be very specific. Mr. Bapo: Yes, I had the question. This is the question coming up -- Ms. Arscott: OK. Thank you. Mr. Bapo: -- but I had to inform my fellow community agency who I was. 11 November 9, 2002 Ms. Arscott: OK, sir. OK, sir. Go ahead. Mr. Bapo: Yeah. Thank you. So, the first thing that we're going to have to do, after we have determined that we're going to have a mayor over here -- yeah. It has already been planned, you know. His name is Manny Crespo. We've already determined that he was going to be the first interim mayor over here to get things done that we need to get done. Now, back to the end of what I have to say. It's very brief, if there are any questions. We need to institute -- or let me go back a bit. ACOCOCOT has already instituted an Economic Development Plan to reach the street people out here. Now, we're not interested in your buildings because they don't do anything but sit there, dilapidate or what have you. It does not supply the people in the community. We need to get a method of instituting, of giving them a job from cleaning the streets on. We need to institute an economic system over here for the people and we can proceed from there. We don't need another building. We don't need a designer -- or, actually, ACOCOCOT could fire at least 75% of you and we could proceed with the money that you have and we'd be, within a year's time, of showing you what it's about. So, we're going to introduce ourselves, as we have. Let me give you one other thing. ACOCOCOT is on web tv dot net. You can communicate with us. But we are looking for, as this lady said or somebody said, a 30-, 60-, 90-day action of putting the people over here to work, cleaning up the street, straightening out that toilet, which is a disgrace. It's even below toilets in Japan. So, it's really a disgrace, you know. Over there in that park over there. I'm not going to call the name, but that park over there. It need to be done by -- let's see, what -- by Wednesday or Thursday. You know, we've got all of these unemployed plumbers and all that. It needs to be done. We don't need to talk. So, now, I guess I'll leave now. But, again, I'm on ACOCOCOT web tv dot net for Overtown community. Thank you. Ms. Arscott: Thank you for your comment, sir. Yes. Billy Hardemon: Yes. My name is Billy Hardemon. I just have two brief points I would like to make. I think that the plan for the CRA needs to address the fear factor of the current residents in Overtown. It's not just paranoia by the residents of that fear of being displaced. It's no secret that there's a long time effort to relocate African -Americans, Black people, out of the Overtown area. And this plan just doesn't appear to address that fear, that reality, in a real tangible way. And I really hope that you would figure out a way to address that fear. Another thing I see that the plan does not address, or I missed it, maybe -- maybe you could help me with it. I understand that the trucks, the big trucks that are leaving the port of Miami are being -- are scheduled to be rerouted to come through Overtown, and I don't see that being addressed. And I think it's such an important piece that you can't give an overview -- a complete overview and leave out something as major as the trucks leaving the Port of Miami being redirected through Overtown. Finally, back to that fear. Whoever is responsible for the photos on this domino park -- I don't know -- if you look at this photo and you see the people that's there, they just don't look like the people that live in Overtown, and that sends a message that that park -- that that domino park is not for the people that live there now. And we have to be so careful with images. When we put out these images -- I'm telling you, you know, a picture speaks a thousand words. And you could do a lot of planning and you could destroy a lot of planning, a lot of money with 12 November 9, 2002 Em photos like this. I think that needs to be -- you know, if this thing is going to go forward, these type of photos should not be brought into the community. Thank you. Ms. Arscott: Thank you, Mr. Hardemon. Ms. Butler. Bernice Butler: Yeah. Bernice Butler, Collin Center for Public Policy. I guess, actually, my number one thing relates a little bit to what Billy was talking about. But one of the major items it'd like to see the CRA address is design standards. I'd like to see the CRA develop and codify a set of design standards for future buildings in this area that will reflect the cultural and historic character of this community. An example of what's out there now -- I think that there's scheduled to be about a 350,000 square foot building built over the Overtown Metro Station. All the pictures I've seen of that building look like some art deco building out on Miami Beach. So, I think it's very important -- because there's going to be a lot of building -- a lot of rebuilding in this area. So, I think it needs to reflect the history and the culture of the people who live here, so that 20, 30 years from now, if there's nobody who looks like us here, at least we can say, "Oh, you know, we know that architectural style." So it reflects the African -American history of Overtown. Second thing, crucial places. I think the one location that's crucial in this community is right here at the Lyric Theater. It is the -- I guess, the spiritual heart of Overtown. So, we'd like to see that celebrated by way of developing a town center, having the zoning, the plans, whatever you come up with, that they would respect and reflect that whatever building happens, the Lyric Theater here, in this area, would be the town center of the newly revitalized Overtown. Removing barriers, and someone talked about this earlier, and that is that negative perception of Overtown. You know, a friend of ours was coming to town not too long ago and the cab was bringing him over the causeway, and he asked, where was Overtown? The cab driver said, "Oh, you don't want to go there." And that's exactly where the person was coming here, to do some work. So there's a very negative perception. I don't know specifically how you do that, but, certainly, that would be in the purview of the CRA. And the sec -- the last thing, long-term commitment. I'd like to see a long-term commitment to a mixed income community. Overtown once was a community of about 40,000 people. Now they're about 80,000 -- I'm sorry, 8,000. And that 8,000 has an average income of eleven thousand dollars ($11,000). So, we know that, in the future -- as it should be, the CRA's job is to repopulate Overtown, but we want to make sure that it's not gentrification, as usual. We want to make sure that the development -- Unidentified Speaker: (INAUDIBLE) Ms. Butler: -- embraces a mix of incomes so that it provides for the folks who currently live here to be able to continue to live here, if they want to; while, at the same time, we know there are going to be higher income folks moving in. So we want to see something that codifies a mixed income community. Thanks. Ms. Arscott: Thanks, Ms. Butler. Yes, sir. Charles Cutler: Yes. My name is Charles Cutler. I'm a member of the Vets Organization Disabled Veterans, and I also work with the Department of Labor. My first thing, number one is dealing with the agency's plans in terms of where we are now. Now, looking at the program that you have here, this is deceptive, based on my experience in this community, and I am -- I live 13 November 9, 2002 here, I work here, I go to church here, I got a business here, I own property here and I'm a community activist here. OK. Now, you have a section here where it says that, in lieu of the projects that's going on right now with the CRA, that the workforce here is not -- they don't have the skills to perform the work that's currently being done here in the CRA target area. OK. That's not true. I work with the Department of Labor, and, right here in Overtown, we have a wealth of people right here, and also in the Liberty City area, that can do anything related to construction in terms of the new building that's going on -- that they're working on right now on Third Avenue. And when I go over there -- and I informed Mr. Teele from day one, if they needed some help in securing a workforce of people that's in the community and people that's in the City of Miami community, the Black community, that we would be able to assist them in that endeavor. We sent them resumes, I had people to put together resumes, people that was skilled carpenters, bricklayers, plumbers, masons, the whole nine yards. We got no feedback whatsoever. I even sent some information to BAME, because I went to another meeting and they said that they would be able to assist in that endeavor. We haven't gotten any feedback from them whatsoever. We set up a couple of recruitments, where we had people coming from all over this community to participate in the activity that the CRA is doing. And just putting up a building in our community and not allowing the people to be a part of the economic process that goes on as a result of putting up that building, is really not even making an impact in terms of economics. [APPLAUSE] Mr. Cutler: Because the money that's put in this community is to build this community, and you cannot build the community by bringing people from the outside to do the work, then you just leave buildings up there for the people in the community to say, "Well, OK. We can take part in asking what is going on, but we're not a part of that process." Now, in terms of the second item that you have here -- Ms. Arscott: Crucial places. Mr. Cutler: Excuse me? Ms. Arscott: Crucial places? Mr. Cutler: The second item. The crucial places, right. OK. Now, in terms of you expanding the boundaries of the CRA, I don't see how you could realistically even do that, when you haven't met the goals and objectives that was set forth for the CRA from the 1982 Plan, when it was supposed to redevelop the Third Avenue Corridor. Now, how could you not have done what you said that you was going to do in the original plan? And now you're talking about expanding the boundaries. And the only thing that's going to happen in that process is the same money that you're saying that's targeted for the development of Overtown is going to end up being spent in those new boundaries. And, see, that's not fair to the community here. [APPLAUSE] 14 November 9, 2002 Mr. Cutler: So, what we need to do, we need to let Dade County know that, number one, right now, at the stage that we are right now, we don't need to expand any new boundaries. We need to take that money that's been allocated to rebuild Overtown and use that money to build Overtown. We don't need no expansions right now, because we haven't done a good job. And the money that's been allocated to work Overtown now. We have people that want to be a part of this entire process. And in terms of this regentrification, we have a culture, a very rich culture here in the Black community, in terms of the contribution that we can make to build Overtown. And in terms of us having the opportunity to actually show how -- what the impact that we can have on the economy, in terms of tourism and in terms of the future development of this whole idea of the Overtown project, we haven't even had that opportunity. I would like to see this information being put out to our junior high school kids, to our high school kids, because the plans that we're talking about implementing, it's going to have a direct influence on their lives, and we need to let them know that. Because with the plans, as they exist now, even reading through the platform that you've set here, this is very deceptive. And in terms of the technological aspect of this, if you're not going to bring our people in on this stage of it and allow us to be a part of development, then I don't really see how -- when you start employing this technology and all these other nicely written things that you have here, I don't really see how we are going to be able to take part in that, period. And now, one more point that I want to make. Now, in terms of these boundaries, OK. Now, you gave us a map, OK, which is really an aerial view. You know what I'm saying. Even at the risk of looking ignorant because I don't care. Because I'll be the first one to admit that I don't know everything. I think that it would be more feasible if you was to give people some things with specific streets so that they'll know what the exact boundaries is. Because by looking at this and looking at the yellow that you have here and the orange that you have here, by looking at this myself, I can't tell what this is. You know what I'm saying. I know that it's an aerial view, you know, from my experience. But in terms of what this actually is from the air, I don't know. So I'm just saying -- and just by giving us something like this, it just appears to me that the whole thing is deceptive. And if it's not going to be broken down to a level where the people can actually understand what's going on, I think that now is the time -- we got to just stop doing business like this. Because what has actually been happening, millions of dollars have been pumped into this community, and even the Liberty City community, over the past 40 years. And when we look around at other communities, they're economically developed, they have private economies, and Overtown/Liberty City, the black community, is still the most high -- the unemployment average is higher than any other place in this area, the poverty rate is higher than any other place in this area. So, the question is, where is the money going? And regardless of where it went in the past, we're going to be watching the money, because once we watch the money, we see where that's going, then -- because the future of our children are at stake. And playing games like this, those days are over with. Ms. Arscott: Thank you for your comment, Mr. Cutler. [APPLAUSE] Ms. Arscott: Mr. Weeks. 15 November 9, 2002 LIM Marvin Weeks: Yes. Marvin Weeks, community artist. I think the number one question, I think, hearing today, and I -- you know, with all the comments before, I think the people realm is very important to be considered. I think that we haven't taken attention to the people realm, what exists and where are we in this community. An example is, you can hear the different comments today. It's a clearinghouse effect of ideas and comments and what have you, that has been established. And, I think, if you look at the audience today, the great question would be is, how do we connect to the different demographic people within the community of Overtown? How do we bring them out? How do we get them as part of the working process of really being concerned about their future, and the destination effect of what Overtown has to offer? I think one of the developmental problems is that we need to, some kind of way, connect to the people. I mean, this is Saturday morning in Overtown, and we can see where are the different demographics of the community of Overtown. Image is important, as an artist and a person that's concerned about image. I think image is important. When you come through the community of Overtown, you don't actually see a sign that says, "Overtown." And it's very important to convey that thought in your mind. You need to see imagery. And a crucial place is definitely the Lyric Theater. Every area needs a town center. Every area needs a place that they can call as their incubator, and I think that we definitely need to consider the Lyric Theater as that crucial stepping ground. And it should be -- it's that source that's going to convey to the community, the future of Overtown, as well as it's trying to preserve the past. And one of the great barriers I think that we have, this community needs a short-term shot in the arm. It needs some type of image. I mean, while you were talking about all the great things that's going to happen, there is nothing that the people can hope on. They need to see something. And, naturally, as an artist, I mean, you don't see images in the community, you don't see things that they can see that's past, that was talked about, and they can't see this future. And if you was a person that had had an accident, and you needed blood, and there was a rescue squad there, you can't tell the people about the blood that's in the hospital. They need blood right away. Something that they can get, something that they can see to buy in -- to tie into this great development we're talking about. So I really think the people realm is very important, and that we -- some monies are spent on -- there's a lot of money spent on consultants. What is happening to the every day people? I mean, within the community, you've got different demographics, different type of people that should be here today as a part of this study. And until we tie them in, you can't develop a town center without the people actually tying in and buying into that idea. And we can talk about Overtown, but Overtown is beyond just the people in this room. It's all those other people that have to be tied into that. And to make it really sustainable, we definitely going to need that. So the people realm is important. We developed a park, how do the people -- we talked about the homelessness in the -- I mean, the homeless people in the park. But I think there could be something developed that can tie everybody in, from the professional, to the every day person to the homeless, a concept that can be developed, where everybody can tie into something, like a park or whatever you develop. How do you tie the development of the people into that idea so they can be a part of that? And, I think, if we can deal with that, the people realm, we can get a lot of things established in Overtown. Thank you. Ms. Arscott: Thank you, Mr. Weeks. Yes, sir. Miguel Renaldos: Hi. My name is Miguel Renaldos. I'm a development consultant. These are basically just suggestions from my past experience of doing redevelopment projects throughout 16 November 9, 2002 the state of Florida, that I'd like to convey to your staff, and it's more just to give you guys the next level when the actual shovels do come into the ground. From my experience, I've seen problems with the infrastructure, storm water, water and sewer facilities, power distribution, communication distributions, easements, plat restrictions. I think you all should try to spend some time and come up with your infrastructure plans as well, so that you can have the basis of what you have, and how you can implement and upgrade those facilities without a greater impact on the economy -- local economy. Also, we've also run into the past where we found situations of soil contamination, brown fields, et cetera. Also, I think you all should -- need to go ahead and spend some time in doing those as well. It's going that extra level now, going a little deeper, I guarantee you it's going to save a lot of time, effort and dollars later. Ms. Arscott: Thank you for your comment, sir. Yes, ma'am. Richard Johnson: Richard Johnson. I'm coming. Ms. Arscott: OK. Mr. Johnson: One second now, here. Ms. Arscott: In the meantime, I'm going to have the young lady speak (INAUDIBLE). Mr. Johnson: All right. I'm ready now. I'm ready. Ms. Arscott: Go ahead, sir. Mr. Johnson: OK. Ms. Arscott: Your name for the record. Mr. Johnson: I'm Richard Johnson, Richard A. Johnson. Ms. Arscott: Speak into the microphone, please. Mr. Johnson: Richard A. Johnson, 472 Northwest 10`h Street, Apartment 3. People -- Ms. Arscott: In the microphone, please. Mr. Johnson: People, listen to me now. Listen to me very well. My Caucasian brothers and sisters, I need you. We got a plan already on the table. Our plan is Manpowerment Development & Company. It took a long time fighting with McKnight and his people. We been fighting for years, but we got a plan. It's been recognized by the international, and it's on record that the international approved Overtown's plan of all the plans in the United States. You can't rewrite this plan. If you rewrite this plan, somebody going to jail. We gone put you in jail. We will put you in jail, because we know, and we're asking and we got the information of where that money went at. We have information of where that money went at. If you don't think we're playing with you, make a wrong move in Overtown. If you come to Overtown, you better come 17 November 9, 2002 with some action. If you don't come with some action, I guarantee you -- where's the federal government at? I know you're in the place someplace. We call on you. We ask for a federal investigation of the City of Miami, and now it's here and we see a difference in what we're doing right now. But I would say to the City Manager, I'll say to the City Attorney, I'll say to the City Mayor, I'll say to the County Mayor, I'll say to the County Manager, I'll say to the County Attorney, you will sing this song. When we get through with you, you have to say one thing, "Who let them dogs out!" Ms. Arscott: Thanks for you comment, sir. Ma'am, your name for the record. Joan Williams Rutherford: It's going to be hard to take after that. Well, my name is Joan Williams Rutherford, ex -property owner in the year of 1987 to 1991. The building is 212 Northwest 151h Street, right there in Overtown, the heart of Overtown. My dad owned that building and I'm offbeat. I might not be on what y'all talking about, but this is where I'm at. He owned that building for -- I mean, I was 27 then. He had it before I was born. But my point is, when the tenant upstairs was getting WIC (Women, Infants, and Children), and I needed a mortgage, and I kept calling to try to get a mortgage, they don't want to give mortgage to a property in Overtown because of the low -- the down -- it's not good property to loan to. Anyway, push came to shove and me, at the education I had that particular time, Corey Walton -- he's a broker. He was a broker at that particular time -- made a commercial on TV (Television), "Need money? Get money. Call Corey Walton." I called Corey Walton. I got a loan. And he assured me, "Oh, it's all right." Instead of me reading the fine print, I was in a balloon mortgage, which only lasts three years. And as the time went, the bill was paid, but when the three years came, they wanted the lump sum that they loaned us, and we couldn't find nobody to take it. Called the Urban League, going to the Camil -- I mean, to community centers. Nobody knew where to go. So, at this particular time, I just wasn't the owner. My sister was the owner, and she was underage. She was 17. They foreclosed on the property when she was 17 years old in 1991. And my concern was, do she still have any rights, and where can she go and what can she do? Can y'all get these -- and even if she don't have no rights, get something for the next person, because it might happen again. Ms. Arscott: Thanks. Ms. Williams Rutherford: Thank you. Ms. Arscott: Thanks for your comments. Yes, ma'am. Shirley Ford Stewart: My name is Shirley Ford Stewart. I have -- own a property -- two properties, one at 420 Northwest 8th Street, 422 Northwest 8th Street. I also run a small business out of my home, Fantastic Feast, which is a catering business. And I have a couple of questions here. First of all, I would like to know why the park will be named Domino's Park? Because I have never seen anyone sitting under trees in Overtown playing dominos all day long, and I think our heritage is a little bit different from that. I look at the pictures on this page and it doesn't look anything like anybody I know in Overtown; the buildings; the people. I think a heritage park for Overtown would be more appropriate for the things that used to happen in Overtown, especially in this era, the type of people that used to be here. Give them a memorial to these 18 November 9, 2002 people that build up Overtown back then, and can still be remembered in the future for our children and our grandchildren coming up. I just had my first great grand, and I know when he come back to Overtown, he's going to come to my house. And I want him to know what went on here. You said this name, but then you give a choice package here for tennis courts. Yes, that's good, basketball, stuff like that. That's good. But, then, why the domino? Why the name Domino Park? I think we can find a better name for the park than Domino Park. Thank you. Ms. Arscott: Thanks for you comments. Are there any more questions related to -- more questions? Jackie Bell: I'd like to set a little record straight. Ms. Arscott: Your name again for the record, again. Ms. Bell: My name is Jackie Bell. The first domino park -- I mean, the first domino organization was set up October loth, 1939, at 1400 Northwest 3Td Court. Ms. Arscott: Thanks for you comments. Dr. Fields. Dr. Dorothy Fields: Dorothy Jenkins -Fields. As a part of the plan, I must say that we're very disappointed. We've looked at the capital programs for 2003, and activity project description, and there is nothing here for the Lyric Theater. The Lyric Theater expansion is a very important part -- should be a very important part of the work of the CRA. It is very disappointing to see that the only thing that's mentioned about culture is a project at the Miami Skill Center, which is some distance from here. And while it's a good program for the Black Box Theater, this is a part -- the Black Box Theater is a part of the expansion that should be with the Lyric Theater. We have plans that we have showed the CRA for expanding the back of the stage for the Lyric Theater, also for the loading dock that we need on the south side, and further on the east, we have requested an additional 50 feet so that the theater can become self-sustaining. It would seem to me that if we -- if the CRA really is serious about helping to redevelop this area, that, certainly, it would give support to CDCs and CBOs (Community Based Organizations), who are working along with citizens in this endeavor. The 1982 resolution that created the CRA, distinctly said that the City, as well as the CRA, should -- would become partners with the Black Archives in developing the Village. And, in fact, with the 1999 budget that Dick Judy passed out at one of the OAB (Overtown Advisory Board) meetings, there was money for technical assistance to the Black Archives, and to the Lyric Theater. There was money for historic structures to be restored, and none of that is here. And it is very disappointing, and, certainly, the citizens need to have answers about that. Thank you. Ms. Arscott: Thanks for your comments. Mr. Emille. Mr. Bapo: Good day everybody. And those of you who live in Culmer area, we must, without a doubt, will be done anyway, establish a morality of Overtown, and a municipal service established, and we will be functioning from there. You are to take a part of it, if you are a domicile resident of Overtown. Thank you. 19 November 9, 2002 Ms. Arscott: Thank you, Mr. Emille. Well, we're actually time -- short of time. So, at this time, we're going to go through all of the comments and questions, unless there are any more questions that someone may want to ask or comment on these four issues? Well, at this time, we can answer a lot of these questions, or make comments to a lot of the comments received from the public. You want to scroll to the top. Yes. I want to comment on one thing. I know a lot of the community had made mention to it, but in terms of our five-year project, which is the document that Dr. Fields had made reference to, which listed a lot of these line items for projects, including the Lyric Theater and the Black Archives. The document that is out there in front that you picked up only listed the projects that were proposed for this fiscal year. It does not include all the projects that will be in the proposed five-year budget documents, and that will list all the projects that we intend to initiate, and that will be updated from time to time, as projects fall off or get added to that document. The FY (Fiscal Year) 2003 projects -- there are a number of projects there that will be in the planning stages, as well, and that document is not set in stone. It can be amended to add or drop projects, as time go by. Let me see another thing. Yeah. Dr. Fields: Can I please say something? There is an urgency about our projects. We have State funding that required -- that has a limitation, and if the CRA does not assist us -- we need the land on the south, we need the land on the east, and without the CRA's assistance, it's very difficult for us to use the money that we have. And it would be a bad mark for us to have to give it back to the State, simply because we did not get the cooperation of the CRA, and I'm sure that's not the case. But, we're in an open forum, and so, we're asking that we have the cooperation to do what needs to be done. It's time sensitive. We need to be a part of the 2003 projects. We should never be left out, because these are incremental things, these are progressive things. And we have State funding that needs -- so we need your assistance. Ms. Arscott: Yes. And let me just clarify, Dr. Fields and Black Archives, as well as Michael Spring from (INAUDIBLE) Culture, has come before our Board -- and we are working on that case. As a matter of fact, I'm quite sure our attorneys, Special Counsel, Holland & Knight, and the City Attorney, is working through those issues. As a matter of fact, because of an ongoing litigation, there is a closed session, CRA attorney -client session meeting, that is scheduled for this November 19th, at 2 p.m. -- once again, it is closed session -- to discuss, you know, a lot of those litigation case that will impact on the Lyric Theater Project. So that is ongoing. Dr. Fields: But, also, the south side of the Lyric. And Ms. Sawyer is here. She and her husband gave the south side of the Lyric property to the Black Archives in 1980. We were unable to accept it because it's a brownsfield. There was a service station there, and so, there was a spillage and we couldn't accept it. It was then given to the City, with the understanding that the City would clean it up, and give it to the Black Archives. In the interim, with the CRA coming onboard, it became a part of their jurisdiction, and that has nothing to do with litigation. That simply needs to be done. Ms. Arscott: And -- 20 November 9, 2002 11 ,. e Dr. Fields: And we need it for the loading dock. We need it. I mean, we're having to spend a lot of money, that we shouldn't have to use, to have our plan redrawn simply because we have not been able to get the south side as we need it. That has nothing to do with litigation. Ms. Arscott: And -- Dr. Fields: And Ms. Sawyer is here, and will testify that that property was supposed to be for our use. Ms. Arscott: OK. Dr. Fields: And so, again, we're asking for assistance. I'm sure that the CRA can move it, if the CRA is the one to move it, and we're asking for help. Ms. Arscott: Yes, ma'am. And I'll get back with you on that. To my recollection, the property that you're talking about is referenced as Parking Lot P-7. And, to my recollection, I think there was a resolution passed relating to the Lyric Theater. So, I will get back with you on that matter. Other issues, if you want to scroll back up. (INAUDIBLE COMMENTS) Mr. Dover: It's Victor Dover. I was just going to say, in terms of format -- and I'm talking to our CRA client here -- we're in the listening mode this morning, and some of the -- many of these questions that have been raised, somebody has to go do a little investigating and find out. So if you just think there's a misconception or a missing fact related to any of these issues that you want to bring up, that's OK. But, otherwise, I wouldn't try and go through every single one of them this morning. I would assure you, at least from the consultant's point of view, we're hearing all this and we're documenting -- (INAUDIBLE) we know more questions to ask. So it will not be forgotten. Ms. Arscott: And, I think, an important question to raise is in terms of disseminating information to the public, because we have had several meetings. Our regular board meetings are open to the public. But, as a matter of communicating, we do advertise in the newspapers that are circulated regularly. We do advertise in the Overtown NET (Neighborhood Enhancement Team) Offices, and we do speak to the churches and, more recently, make an effort to reach out to the CDCs and other organizations. But, I think, one of our problems is, is how to get a hold of you, the public, to inform you of ongoing activities and projects in the CRA. So if there's any recommendation or suggestions, as well, on how to effectively, you know, communicate and disseminate information to the public -- because that seems to be a number one problem that we're facing. Question? Willy Williams: Yes. Ms. Arscott: Your name? 21 November 9, 2002 Mr. Williams: My name is Willy Williams, owner and operator of Just Right Barbershop. I just had a moment to get away from my clients to come to inquire about the CRA renovation of the businesses in the area on Third Avenue Corridor. And I want to know, what is the hold up? What is slowing things down, you know, on those projects? And, then, another thing was the parking. They telling us who have been parking in the front of our businesses for almost 50 some odd years. I haven't been there 50 some odd years, but my family has and that's -- you know, we are used to, our clients are used to it. And they're telling us we have to park away from the business, where we don't see no security, no lights, no anything, you know, going towards, you know, that area and coming. Unidentified Speaker: (INAUDIBLE COMMENTS) Mr. Williams: We got a notice from -- I believe, one of the officers came by and dropped off notices from the City of Miami, I believe. And it stated that soon, and very soon, that we're going to -- they're going to have restrictions in front of our businesses that we cannot park, and that we have to use the parking lots that was -- has been established in the neighborhood. And my gripe about that is, you know, what -- you know, it's not -- the security is not there. I mean, who is going to protect the cars, you know, from being broken into? You know, who's going to watch the clients, you know, walking from the parking lot to our businesses? What's -- Unidentified Speaker: (INAUDIBLE COMMENTS) Mr. Williams: Oh, the same police that watch the -- Unidentified Speaker: Those are the same ones. Mr. Williams: Oh, OK. Unidentified Speaker: (INAUDIBLE COMMENTS) Mr. Williams: So, I need some answers this morning, so I can go back to work and try to pay my mortgage, and the taxes, and the bills. Ms. Arscott: Well, in reference to your two specific projects -- I know Cesar Callas is probably - - our consulting engineer is probably here in the facility. And one other -- and probably the City Attorney. But one of the things that we are working on the final contract and (INAUDIBLE) with our architect. You have also raised concern that you wanted to redesign the interior of your two establishments. So, once we get the contract signed for the architect, we can do those reworks. And we have been advised by the Attorney that those contracts should be on board momentarily, very soon. In terms of the parking -- and this is something that probably the City of Miami's Zoning Department can address -- but, to my recollection, there are notices, which may not have been enforced, but there are parking restrictions along P Avenue. The signs have been there, but it's a matter of enforcement. So (INAUDIBLE) answer your two questions. Mr. Williams: It's been on one side over there near the school, like the school zone. You know, it's been on one side, but they changed that, you know. They don't pick kids up in front on 3ra 22 November 9, 2002 Avenue anymore, you know. They take them along the street, on 11 th Street. They take them down the street now. And so I just didn't see no reason. Here, when you said that the architect will be signing the papers very soon, I've been hearing "very soon" for almost two years, and -- Ms. Arscott: Well, these are -- Mr. Williams: Could you give me a timeframe of the "very soon" you're talking about? Ms. Arscott: Well, I mean, I would say by no later than the end of this month, November. The contracts, I mean, are of PSA, Professional Service Agreement, so it is a matter of just making sure all the provisions are there, all the terms are there, and a matter of signing it. So by the end of November, we should have those contracts signed. Mr. Williams: OK. After that, what do you -- Ms. Arscott: And then -- as a matter of fact, we have our consulting engineer. So, if you would like to meet with him afterward, and he confirm that -- Mr. Williams: No. I would like for him to put it on record, so I can -- you know, so we'll know exactly. (INAUDIBLE COMMENTS) Cesar Callas: I'm sorry. Can you repeat that? Mr. Williams: OK. We -- the two issues is the parking along the Business Corridor, and the renovation of the three shops, Just Right Barbershop, Two Guys, and Jackson Soul Food. We need to know -- Unidentified Speaker: (INAUDIBLE) and then you tell them who you are. Mr. Callas: OK. My name is Cesar Callas. I'm the general consultant for the CRA. Basically, what you're asking me is the division parking lots are around the business development area -- Mr. Williams: Right. Mr. Callas: -- and those are all open to the public, and are there for your use. I mean, as far as the CRA's concerned, it's public parking, it's your parking and you can use it anytime you want to. Now, concerning the three projects that you mentioned, Just Right Barbershop, and we have plans approved by the Building and Zoning. The gentleman that owns the barbershop wants to change some of the plans now, so we're supposed to meet with him -- Mr. Williams: I'm the gentleman that owns the barbershop. Mr. Callas: OK. All right. So we had one of our staff -- we met with you. 23 November 9, 2002 so Mr. Williams: I wanted to change what? Mr. Callas: You want to change some things in the barbershop now? That's what I got, that you wanted to make some changes to those plans. So, I'll be more than happy to meet with you and make all the necessary changes that you need in the barbershop. If not, we can go right ahead and start it. Mr. Williams: Let's go right ahead and start. Mr. Callas: OK. Good. Mr. Williams: Let's go right ahead. Mr. Callas: The other two, if you're talking about Jackson Soul Food -- Mr. Williams: Right. Mr. Callas: -- we have a little problem there with the land that they own. We're taking care of that by doing a replatting of their land, the P-5. And the Mount Zion Church property there, we're doing a replat, so that all those three lots are buildable. So, once we do that, it should take approximately three to four months, at least, to do that, and then we can go right ahead and do that. Mr. Williams: So we're talking about next year some time? Mr. Callas: Yes. And, that one, in specific, yes. (INAUDIBLE COMMENTS) Mr. Callas: That hasn't been advertised yet. They are trying to bid it out, and -- (COMMENTS OFF THE RECORD) Leroy Jones: Why is they selling it? Ms. Arscott: Well one of the things -- Mr. Jones: (INAUDIBLE COMMENTS) Ms. Arscott: The CRA, its intent is not to own property. Eventually, all of our property, we want to put it back on the tax roll, and provide it for developers to come in and develop as ancillary lots and parcels for existing businesses. It is our hope that Jackson Soul Food or Mount Zion would acquire that parking lot, or any other developer. There are restrictions on the lot for a certain period. I think, about 30 period -- 30-year. There is a restriction that that lot must be maintained as a parking lot. So, that was our intent. 24 November 9, 2002 -W Mr. Jones: I know that the bottom line (INAUDIBLE) -- it don't boil down to you. So, it ain't no reflection on you. I just don't want you to think that we jumping and screaming at you about it. It boils -- the bottom line is that it boils down to Commissioner Teele. V all have -- Commissioner Teele have no right to sell that parking lot from under Mr. Jackson. Ain't nobody else in Overtown community wants that parking. Ain't nobody else in Overtown could benefit more -- Unidentified Speaker: (INAUDIBLE COMMENTS) Unidentified Speaker: What's your name? Unidentified Speaker: Who let the dogs out? Mr. Jones: My name is Leroy Jones. My name is Leroy Jones. It's nobody else could benefit more from that parking lot than Mr. Jackson. Why is it being for sale? If you're going to give the -- why don't you give it him? Won't you give -- I thought that -- we thought that that was the intent of the CRA, was to come in and help establish the businesses on P Avenue. When you sell that parking lot, what he going to have to do? Now lease the parking lot from the people who bought it? What if he can't afford to? What going to happen to his business then? What happened -- because now he got turned down, because his property size not big enough to do the expansion. Unidentified Speaker: Exactly. Mr. Jones: He only needs 400 feet. Give him the 400 feet from the parking lot, and give him the parking lot. Now he can't get the 200 and something thousand dollars that the CRA approved him for, three years ago, because his property don't meet the requirements of the plat of being 5,000 square feet. He's 400 square feet short. Give him 400 square feet from the parking lot, which will only kill two parking spaces, and then give him the parking lot so this man can expand his successful restaurant in Overtown and stay in business. Ms. Arscott: We can provide you with an update, Mr. Jones. The ITB, the Invitation to Bid, does include a provision, whereby the CRA can convey the 400 feet to meet Mr. -- Oh, Jesus -- Mr. Jackson's -- Mr. Jones: He already got a notice saying he was turned down. I got a copy of it. He got a letter saying that he was turned down, because he don't meet the 5,000 square feet requirement. Ms. Arscott: OK. Mr. Jones: So -- Ms. Arscott: We'll do the research and we'll get back to you on that. Jackie Colyer: This is the kind of (INAUDIBLE) -- 25 November 9, 2002 Em Mr. Jones: I mean, this -- Ms. Colyer: -- the CRA has (INAUDIBLE) every business in Overtown. One minute you're there for them and you (INAUDIBLE). I don't know who y'all told. I live in Overtown. I never got a notice. I live on 61" Street. I just happened to be -- Unidentified Speaker: Your name, please. Ms. Colyer: -- in Jackson Soul Food Restaurant this morning for breakfast and saw a notice. Never got a notice. I live here. And I don't understand how you can have a meeting -- I'm Jackie Colyer. I don't understand how you can have a meeting, call -- all these consultants, who are these people? Now, you're the only little black face sitting up in here, poor little things, and I feel sorry for y'all. Because you got Hispanics, you got Anglos, and I'm sick of it. And I will tell Commissioner Teele this. Ms. Arscott: Ms. Collins. Ms. Colyer: And I believe that there are -- C-O-L-Y-E-R. I believe that there are engineers. I believe that there are Black engineers. I believe there are Black consultants in this community that could be hired. I also believe that when you make notice and if you give notice, if you don't give it to the people who live here, who are you trying to hide from? Ms. Arscott: And, Ms. Colyer, you raise a very -- Ms. Colyer: And, you know what, I just feel so bad that Commissioner Teele isn't here. But I know he's not here, because he does not want to hear this. He send you and poor thing here -- I don't know -- I've forgotten your name, sweetie. But, you know, this is not the way -- we're not going to let him destroy this community. He has done what he has done for the last 10 years and it is over. Ms. Arscott: Ms. Colyer, you raise a very important issue, and that is the public -- Ms. Colyer: Because the people who did notice don't know this community, so they didn't know who to even send out notices to. Ms. Arscott: And you raise a very important issue, and if there are any recommendation or suggestions on how to disseminate information to the pubic. This meeting was advertised in the papers. It was advertised in the Miami Times, in the Miami Today. We sent out notices that were -- Ms. Colyer: (INAUDIBLE COMMENTS) Ms. Arscott: The Miami Today, and the Miami Times, as well, which -- Ms. Colyer: About what? 26 November 9, 2002 Ms. Arscott: About this public town hall meeting. Ms. Colyer: (INAUDIBLE). As a matter of fact, this meeting was held at Booker T. Washington, October 26th. Nobody showed up. The people that did show up, he deferred it. Somebody could get -- he thinks is going to complain, and he tried to have it in -- sneak it in the paper. (INAUDIBLE) I read them all. That's why I'm here. Ms. Arscott: So, if there any recommendations or suggestions from the community on how do we effectively communicate -- Ms. Colyer: Put (INAUDIBLE). Ms. Arscott: As a matter of fact, we do have a CRA Corner in the Overtown NET Office, which lists all of our activities. We have our flyers, which -- Ms. Colyer: (INAUDIBLE) community. Ms. Arscott: So, if you have any specific recommendation -- because we have been posting flyers on cars, on poles, in bus station hubs. If there are any specific recommendation on how to further effectively communicate, please inform one of us or (INAUDIBLE). Mr. Jackson. Lemus Jackson: My name is Lemus Jackson, Jackson Soul Food Restaurant. I would just like to know from you all that my restaurant is having problems with survey, and they knew this before now. And I don't have any parking. I don't have two parking facilities for no public to come in the restaurant. And I got parking lots on both sides, which belongs to the City. So I need 500 feet to complete it. Ms. Arscott: Four hundred feet. Unidentified Speaker: Four hundred (INAUDIBLE). Ms. Arscott: Four hundred. Mr. Jackson: And now they say the parking lot on the left hand side of me is up for bid, which instead of it being up for bid, the City should give it to me for parking for my people to come in the restaurant. And on top of that, they should give that to me so I can have my 500 feet, so I can get my work done. Because the whole story is, I've been waiting for how long -- how many years I've been promised? Ms. Arscott: Two thousand. Mr. Jackson: OK. I've been promised. Nothing happened. Not the first brick. Ms. Arscott: Yes, sir. 27 November 9, 2002 Mr. Jackson: Not the first dollar been spent. I don't feel like I been treated right. I don't feel like the City, they turned me down. Ms. Arscott: We'll do -- Mr. Jackson: They turned me down. Now, if this lot on the left hand side of me is up -- they put it up for bid, for sale. Now, why they put that up for bid, for sale and I need 300 feet -- Ms. Arscott: Four hundred feet. Mr. Jackson: -- to correct my property, and they won't even give it to me? Ms. Arscott: OK. Mr. Jackson: They wouldn't even pass it down there. They turned me down. What reason is it? Ms. Arscott: Let us get back to you on that specific -- Mr. Jackson: Wait a minute. I want -- wait a minute. OK. Get back to me, but I want to know what reason -- Ms. Arscott: I don't have an answer. Mr. Jackson: -- and what standing that they have against me, the last three or four or five years? They done drawed up architect. They done did some of everything. Done did all kind of promises. Then they turned me down. Ms. Arscott: Yeah. I don't have the answer -- Mr. Jackson: Then the lot over there you said got for bid, that I need for myself -- and the City know. They not dumb. They know. They know all your action. They got all the blueprints and everything. And you know one thing about it: I don't feel right about it. And if they got the lot up for bid -- the City got it up for bid, and don't give it to me and my property, now, on top of that, ever who gets it, next door to me, they can close the doors, don't let nobody -- they tell who they want the park in there, or ever what they want, the City going to have problems out of me. [APPLAUSE] Ms. Arscott: Thank you, Mr. Jackson. Mr. Bapo: Again -- Mr. Jackson: (INAUDIBLE) ain't going to be no small problems. Mr. Bapo: Again, to the domicile residents of Overtown, you're going to have to determine a Mayor to handle your business. You can't come and ask me questions and give me information. 28 November 9, 2002 M You have to be able to do it yourself and you, first, must get a Mayor Overtown. ACOCOCOT is proceeding in that direction, in behalf of the citizens of Overtown. Thank you. Ms. Arscott: Thank you, Mr. Emile. And one more question and -- two more questions and we're going to close our -- Mr. Weeks: I just want to offer some suggestions about -- Ms. Arscott: Your name again, please. Mr. Weeks: I'm sorry. Marvin Weeks. I just want to offer some suggestions to the idea of how we could try to start involving the community more in the decision -making. I just think that, if there's money spent on consultants for other initiatives, we definitely need to have an initiative to contact the varied opinions. We can see here today -- I think this can be a binding thing today, to see that we definitely need to involve the people realm, as I've said. And we need to begin to try to involve all segments, and create some type of initiative to locate those activists, as you see today, and set them down so they can be representatives of their different ideas. And this is very important. To have development, we have to involve the people. And I think that this is one of the things that's dragging development, is the people, informing them. Mr. Dover: Mr. Weeks, indulge me here for just a minute, but I'm going to turn that question around and see if I can get something useful I can turn into advice from us, as the consultants, to our clients at the CRA, in particular, because all of this has been useful. There's a meeting on January 25th, or thereabouts, but we're going to be really disappointed if we have that meeting and we only get this many people, even when it's on a Saturday morning. So what should they do to get people, not just to know that the meeting is happening, because that's step one, to get them to come? What specific things -- Mr. Jones: Hire local people that live in the City of Miami, that look like the people who live in District 5, to pass out the flyers, and go door-to-door and encourage them to come. Hire local men in our neighborhood, and women, who's not employed, with the information, that's trained how to do it, to go door-to-door, and convince them and tell how important it is they come and give they input. That's how you do it. You don't do it by putting it in the newspaper, and think everybody live in a low-income neighborhood reads the newspaper. Everybody ain't working around here, so they can't afford to buy the newspaper. So that's how you do it. Mr. Weeks: Yes. That's one of the ways, and I think that's very important. But I think we definitely, for the record, should realize that, you know, we can't do it without formally trying to bring all those entities together. And it's several ways, I think, we could -- you know, if you set down to work that. That's a great way that you're saying it to be done. Mr. Jones: Not volunteer. Pay them. Hire them. Do not ask for volunteer -- Mr. Weeks: Yeah. I agree with that. I agree with that. 29 November 9, 2002 Mr. Jones: Because every time they come in our neighborhood, we got to volunteer stuff. Pay them to do it. Mr. Weeks: But I think this is a beginning, and this is something -- this is workable, to let everybody air their differences, but I think we can work from this. And I'm trying to find a binding agent, because we need to be about trying to develop something in Overtown, not fight and move away. I think we can air our differences, but we've got to begin to say, "Let's start working together." Ms. Arscott: For the record, a copy -- Unidentified Speaker: (INAUDIBLE COMMENTS) Ms. Arscott: For the record, a copy of all the comments and questions will be printed and posted in the Overtown NET Office. We have a CRA Corner, so anyone in the community, who were not here, please inform them about this session, and ask them to pick up a copy of the questions and comments. It will be in the Overtown NET Office, in the CRA Corner section. As we respond to all the questions and comments, we will also post that information in the Overtown NET Office/CRA Corner, as well as have them at our meeting, the follow-up meeting, that we will have, tentatively scheduled for January -- Ms. Green: Make sure Mr. Teele is here, because that's the only way we can guarantee that he knows what we're talking about. And I find it really sad that he would send you here to face this type of decision. Unidentified Speaker: Hostility. Ms. Green: I mean, look, we don't want -- Ms. Arscott: On the record. Ms. Green: If you don't (INAUDIBLE), don't even bring it here. OK. If he can't come and face the people, the Commissioner that we voted for, that we put in that seat -- didn't nobody put him in there, but the Black, poor people -- Ms. Arscott: Actually, I think one of the -- Ms. Green: (INAUDIBLE) live over here, too. Ms. Arscott: The CRA is governed by a Board of Directors. Ms. Green: (INAUDIBLE) Ms. Arscott: There are five directors -- 30 November 9, 2002 Ms. Green: And not you. So we need to speak to him. He hasn't showed his face in this community (INAUDIBLE) since he's been in office, and he had my vote, and I value my vote. Ms. Arscott: Yes, Ms. Green. Ms. Green: (INAUDIBLE) and I've been in Overtown for 67 years, and I'm mad because he didn't have the guts to come here and face this community. Ms. Arscott: Thanks for your comments, Ms. -- Ms. Green: (INAUDIBLE) and I have a master's degree, just like he does. Ms. Arscott: Thanks for your comments, Ms. Green. Mr. Del Bryan, your last question, and then we'll close out comments to help us to disseminate information to the public. Del Bryan: You deserve the rest of the week off. You've done a great job. You've taken a lot of heat here. But I do want to bring to your attention that there is -- along with other entities, there is an entity called the Overtown Advisory Board, and I'm speaking now as a member of that Board, and I think we're going to call on the CRA to fund us, that we can have staffing to do some of the things that -- Leroy left? -- some things that Leroy did and to -- we are there. And in the statute, as part of the function is to be a go-between between the community and the CRA. Ms. Arscott: Actually, clarification. Between the City and the community. Mr. Bryan: City, OK. You know, it's the same person. They get a little -- it's a little hairy there. So, that is a tool that exists. And I saw Ms. Lewis earlier. I don't know if she's left. Let her know, please, that we're going to be requesting funding, whether it is from the City or the CRA, or whatever source it is. If you want to include us as a partner, I think, we're there to help. And, as you can see, there are a lot of angry people. Very, very angry. I couldn't share with you some of the comments that people have made. It's not printable. I'd go to jail if I say it. But they're very, very angry people. And this needs to be addressed. And, remember, you know, you do have one tool. I'm sure there are other things. But we're going to request funding for the Advisory Board for staffing to do some of these things, because we are close to the community. Thanks. Ms. Arscott: Thank you for your comments. Mr. Williams, you're the last. Mr. Williams: Yes. Another way we can do the things that we can do to help assimilate some of the information from the CRA, if the CRA just keep their promises on the things that they have allocated for that community, then they'll have more than one mouthpiece, you know, that would be in the community, that will help get the information that need to be gotten. But if you don't keep your promise that you already have stated, you know, in the papers, as well as in the community, you know, people, they'll lose faith. They'll lose faith in the CRA. And they don't believe nothing they say. They don't believe nothing that they do. So, you know, just to help things, you know, go smoother, what we need to do is start keeping our promises. 31 November 9, 2002 Ms. Arscott: Thank you, Mr. Williams. And, at this point, we will close. I want to thank everyone for coming out and participating. We hear you. We have received and documented your comments and your questions, and we will get back to you sooner than later. Our next scheduled meeting, town hall meeting, will be Saturday, January 251h, 2002. If there are any known conflicts, please let us know, please drop off a note to the Overtown NET Office, or call us directly and let us know about any conflicts with that January 25th date. Unidentified Speaker: This is the next CRA meeting? Ms. Arscott: No. Our next CRA board meeting is going to be held Monday, November 251", 2002, at the Miami Arena, VIP (Very Important Person) room. Our meetings are -- at 5 p.m. Our meetings are held monthly, the fourth Monday of each month, unless there is a holiday or some conflict, at the Miami Arena, in the VIP room, at 5 p.m. We will begin to have our agendas, our table of contents, available at the Overtown NET Office for those who want to receive a package. And at our meeting in January, and beginning from January 2003 onward, all CRA board meetings will be televised on the NET 9, very similar to the City Commission, so those who cannot access these meetings will be afforded the opportunity to hear the comments viewed. We will also have an input box, a community input box, at the Overtown NET Office. Any questions, any concerns, any issues, please drop us a note there, and we will respond accordingly by disseminating a newsletter responding to those specific questions and comments. Thank you all again, and have a good weekend. 32 November 9, 2002 There being no further business to come before the Community Redevelopment Agency for Southeast Overtown /Park West and Omni District, the meeting was adjourned at 12:29 p.m. ATTEST: PRISCILLA A. THOMPSON, City Clerk SYLVIA SCHEIDER, Assistant City Clerk (SEAL) ARTHUR E. TEELE, JR., Chairman 33 November 9, 2002 RECEIPT DATE: December 20, 2002 SUBJECT: Minutes for the November 9, 2002, CRA Meeting. MAYOR DIAZ CHAIRMAN WINTON COMMISSIONER GONZALEZ COMMISSIONER SANCHEZ CHAIRMAN REGALADO COMMISSIONER TEELE CITY MANAGER Received By: t I'yet-, d O k, I Z_ I ZO IO2 bWA &9--- �� A