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Home My WebLink AboutM-03-0673It CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA TO: Honorable Members of the City Commission FROM :(?"& a' Priscilla A. Thompson City Clerk INTER -OFFICE MEMORANDUM DATE: May 16, 2003 32 FILE: SUBJECT: Committee on Beautification and AT Environment REFERENCES: June 12, 2003 Agenda ENCLOSURES: List of Members, Resolution The Committee on Beautification and Environment was created to encourage and to participate in projects that will enhance the natural beauty and ecological quality of Greater Miami. Pursuant to City Code Sec. 2-885(b), no board member shall serve more than eight consecutive years on any one board. This committee consists of up to 50 official members, which the Commission appoints. Traditionally, the Commission has accepted a slate of nominees proffered by the committee chairperson, Mr. Stephen D. Pearson, with a waiver of the residency requirement for pertinent members. Attached is a copy of a letter from Mr. Pearson in connection with his recommendations for the committee. Mr. Pearson's nominees are: 1. George Childs (has served as a member since July 26, 1994) 2. Lenny Goldstein 3. Willis Harding (has served as a member since July 26, 1994) 4. Ruth Hopkins -Rosenthal (has served as a member since July 26, 1994) 5. Gary Hunt 6. Ruth Kasewitz (has served as a member since July 26, 1994) 7. Penny Lambeth 8. Robert McCabe 9. Peter Ostrowsky 10. Steve Pearson (has served as a member since July 26, 1994) 11. Carmen Petsoules (has served as a member since July 26, 1994) 12. Larry Schokman (has served as a member since July 26, 1994) 13. Robert H. Smith (has served as a member since July 26, 1994) 14. Albena Sumner 15. Betty Waldor (has served as a member since July 26, 1994) 16. Joe Wilkins For. your convenience, we are including a copy of the current membership of the committee. By copy of this memorandum, we are requesting that the City Manager place this issue on the June 12, 2003 agenda. 03- 673 PAT:ss c: Elvi Alonso, Agenda Coordinator Albert Dominguez, Liaison/Public Works Assistant Director Stephen D. Pearson, Chairperson 03— 67 COMMITTEE ON BEAUTIFICATION AND ENVIRONMENT (50 members) NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE RESOLUTION TERM EXPIRE 3ese-Abr-eu, Florida Dept. Of Transportation, 1000 N.W. 111 Ave., M- R-01-387 4-26-02 33172 (305-470-5350) 4-26-01 [declined appointment] REQUIRED David Brown, M.A. Consultants, 7540 S.W. 59 Court, Ste. 3, S.M. 33143 R-01-387 4-26-02 (305-663-4455) 4-26-01 George Childs, 6747 S.W. 77 Terrace, M-33143 (305-661-9916; W=305- R-01-387 4-26-02 377-5965) 4-26-01 Patricia Clarke, 1001 Sunset Drive, Gables 33143-6129 (305-661-1837) R-01-387 4-26-02 SI -00 4-26-01 (Ms.) Peggo Cromer, 1206 Andora Ave., Gables 33146 (305-667-3722) R-01-387 4-26-02 4-26-01 Bill Dobson, 1015 Dove Ave., M -Springs 33166 (305-863-9626) R-01-387 4-26-02 4-26-01 Helen Edison, Park Place, 4228 South Westnedge, E-20, Kalamazoo, MI R-01-387 4-26-02 49008 (616-382-5183) 4-26-01 Joy Finston Landy, Bal Harbour Towers, 9999 Collins Ave., #6J, Bal R-01-387 4-26-02 w Harbour 33154 (305-866-5144) 4-26-01 C! Carlos Gimenez, City Manager, Riverside Center, 444 S.W. 2 Ave., 10t1i R-01-387 4-26-02 SI -97 -� MUST FILE: SOURCE OF INCOME STATEMENT 4/3/2003 �= [Note: The complete slate proffered by Chairperson Stephen D. Pearson was accepted and voted upon by the Commission at -large. A waiver of residency requirement was granted for any member of said list who needed it (R-01-387)] page # 1 4 COMMITTEE ON BEAUTIFICATION AND ENVIRONMENT (50 members) floor, M-33130 (305-416-1601; F=305-416-1683) 4-26-01 (Mr.) Lenny Goldstein, 8101 S.W. 72 Ave., #313-W, M-33143 (W=305- R-01-387 4-26-02 539-7241; H=305-667-4609) 4-26-01 Willis Harding, 20150 N.W. 63 Pl., M-33015 (305-625-0524) R-01-387 4-26-02 4-26-01 John Harris, 2506 Thomas Street, Hollywood, FL 33020-2039 (305-926- R-01-387 4-26-02 SI -02 3339; W=926-2993) 4-26-01 Ruth Hopkins -Rosenthal, 6201 S.W. 80 St., South Miami 33143 (305- R-01-387 4-26-02 SI -02 666-3080) 4-26-01 Gary Hunt, 3447 Sheridan Ave., MB 33140 (305-674-9403) R-01-387 4-26-02 4-26-01 Ruth Kasewitz, 1136 Aduana Ave., Gables 33146 (305-661-0082) R-01-387 4-26-02 SI -99 4-26-01 Penny Lambeth, 15575 Miami Lakeway N., Suite 206, M Lakes 33014 R-01-387 4-26-02 (805-556-6280) 4-26-01 Robert McCabe, 1601 South Miami Ave., M-33129 (W=305-854-4428) R-01-387 4-26-02 SI -00 4-26-01 Rev. Peter Nagy, 2000 Biarritz Dr., #406, MB 33141 (305-866-2333) R-01-387 4-26-01 4-26-02 MUST FILE: SOURCE OF INCOME STATEMENT 4/3/2003 [Note: The complete slate proffered by Chairperson Stephen D. Pearson was accepted and voted upon by the Commission at -large. A waiver of residency requirement was granted for any member of said list who needed it (R-01-387)] page #2 COMMITTEE ON BEAUTIFICATION AND ENVIRONMENT (50 members) 28 Peter Ostrowsky, 11401 S.W. 93 St., M-33176 (305-271-1666) R-01-387 4-26-02 4-26-01 Steve Pearson, Chairperson, 1320 S. Dixie Hwy., Suite 811, M-33146 R-01-387 4-26-02 SI -99 4-26-01 Carmen Petsoules, 142 S.W. 25 Road, M-33129 R-01-387 4-26-02 4-26-01 Bob Ross, Bob Ross & Assoc., 7601 S.W. 94 St., M-33156 (H=305-665- R-01-387 4-26-02 SI -96 4003; W=305-66-0012) [home: 6701 S.W. 94 St., M-33156] 4-26-01 Larry Schokman, The Kampong, 4013 Douglas Road, M-33133 (H=305- R-01-387 4-26-02 SI -00 445-5107; W=305-445-8076) 4-26-01 Dorothy Seiden, 13520 S.W. 74 Place, M-33156 (305-233-7965) R-01-387 4-26-02 4-26-01 Robert H. Smith, Holland & Knight, 701 Brickell Ave., M-33131 R-01-387 4-26-02 SI -95 (W=305-789-7749; H=305-667-0801; F=305-789-7799) [home: 7643 4-26-01 S.W. 71 St., M-33143] Alberta Sumner, 1360 N.W. 37 St., M-33142 (305-638-1388) R-01-387 4-26-02 4-26-01 E Joyce Thompson, 5918 Mall St., Gables 33146 (305-661-4816) R-01-387 4-26-02 SI -95 4-26-01 MUST FILE: SOURCE OF INCOME STATEMENT 4/3/2003 [Note: The complete slate proffered by Chairperson Stephen D. Pearson was accepted and voted upon by the Commission at -large. A waiver of residency requirement was granted for any Cz member of said list who needed it (R-01-387)] page #3 COMMITTEE ON BEAUTIFICATION AND ENVIRONMENT (50 members) Betty Waldor, 6221 S.W. 116 Place #E, M-33173 (305-271-2501) R-01-387 4-26-02 4-26-01 Joe Wilkins, 228 S.W. 23 Rd., M-33129 (305-854-0610) R-01-387 4-26-01 c� MUST FILE: SOURCE OF INCOME STATEMENT +.:r [Note: The complete slate proffered by Chairperson Stephen D. Pearson was accepted and voted upon by the Commission at -large. �:)L member of said list who needed it (R-01-387)] page # 4 4-26-02 Kfl 4/3/2003 A waiver of residency requirement was granted for any Law Office of STEPHEN D. PEARSON, Esq. 12401 South Dixie Highway Miami, Florida 33156 April 14, 2003 Mayor Manny Diaz and Commissioners City of Miami 3500 Pan American Drive Miami, Florida 33233 Re: City of Miami Committee on Beautification and the Environment Dear Mayor Diaz and Honorable Commissioners: Ph: (305) 259-8006 Fax: (305) 971-4888 The referenced Committee accomplished many good things for our City during the 90s, and I am writing in the hope that these contributions will be recognized and once again supported by this Commission. Unfortunately, all funding of the Committee was cut in the late 90s just as we were, amongst other things, making headway in revitalizing the Royal Poinciana Fiesta as a tourism event that celebrated not only a spectacularly beautiful tree that is unique to our area within the continental U.S., but also the many other special horticultural opportunities, tropical fruits and environmental assets that are special to our area. Even more importantly, we were establishing new ways to make Miami what it could and should be - the world's most beautiful city with the most outstanding public displays of flowering trees anywhere. Starting in 1990, before highway beatification was in vogue or even attempted in the unirrigated wastelands that are our highway rights of way, this Committee started planting trees in these areas and, over the following years, we planted more than 2000 trees and shrubs on the highways and in the parks and other areas of the City. All of this was done with volunteer labor, and the vast majority of the trees were donated to the City. Many of these trees were also rare specimens that had never before been utilized in the public landscape, and we are proud to have been the first to have successfully planted trees like Chorisia speciosa, Triplaris cumingiana, Colvillea racemosa, Eucalyptus deglupta, CaesalpiniaPulcherima„ Dombeyaspp., Lonchocarpus violaceus and Bombax ceiba in the public landscape. These and other trees are enjoyed today in Miami, and you have probably noticed the flowering trees we planted along the I-95 corridor. We also planted palms and native trees, and we were particularly proud of the native landscape we created at the NW 17'hAvenue entrance ramp to S.R. 836. Our success was attributable to the horticultural expertise of our members, but even today this expertise has never been recognized and our governments continue to waste taxpayer money with "instant landscaping" while giving little recognition of the importance of proper maintenance techniques. While Committee members were sympathetic to the financial problems of the City some 6 or 7 years ago when the funding of our Committee was eliminated, it was disheartening to see pork barrel projects funded when we were being told that there were no funds for us. It also was discouraging because we felt we were accomplishing so much with the already greatly reduced 3- 673 funding to the Committee that occurred with the retirement of our predecessor Chairman, Al Pallot. During the tenure of Mr. Pallot, the Committee received I Os of thousands of dollars annually, as well as a full time administrator from the City, even though the Committee had devolved by the late 80s into primarily giving out plaques at luncheons and holding ceremonial shovels. The Committee of the 90s was accomplishing a great deal with very, very little financial support, but it was not a politically connected or active group, and a majority of its members did not even reside in the City. Instead, it was simply constituted by volunteers who were freely giving their time to try to make Miami a better place for all of us, and it was difficult to understand why those efforts were not recognized or supported. While Mayor Carollo made it clear that trees and beautification were not part of his agenda, we are hoping that a more enlightened Commission will now welcome the many benefits we can provide to the City. Unfortunately, many of the people who we worked with most closely and who knew the benefits that we were providing (eg, Wally Lee, Jim Kay, Carlos Gimenez, and Al Ruder) are no longer with the City. However, while there often appeared to be a lack of local interest in what the Committee was accomplishing, its work was nevertheless recognized on the state and national levels. The Committee won a Florida Urban Forestry award as the state's most outstanding organization in the early 90s. I then won another award for individuals from the Florida Urban Forestry, and in 1995 was awarded the Urban Forestry Medal by American Forests and the National Urban Forestry Council, for my work with the Committee. While remnants of the Committee have continued to try to maintain the trees we planted in the public areas of Miami, we see little reason to formally continue the Committee if it is not supported by the City. We see lots of things that we could do to improve Miami, but without any funding, it is impossible to maintain the levels of accomplishment that we had achieved with even the modest funding the City provided after 1992. For example, the Mel Reese golf course could be a showcase of beautiful flowering trees that announces to persons arriving at our airport that they are coming to a special place where they should stop and explore. I am confident that such a project could be achieved better and more cheaply by our Committee than by anyone else, but it can not be achieved solely with volunteer vision and concern. This is just an example of what we feel would be a worthwhile project, and there are many more that we could discuss if the Commission is interested in revitalizing the Committee. We certainly hope so. Very truly s, Steph n D. Pearson 11-1257 03- 673