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HomeMy WebLinkAboutM-79-0551patricia"Klitenick Civic Center, Area. Chairman Citizen's Crime Watch Patricia Klitenick Civic Center, Area Chai Citizen's Crime Watch 905 N.W.10th Ave Miami, Florida.33136 545-7019 July 4, 1979 P..r. Joseph Grassie City 'Manager P.O. Box 33.0708 Miami, Florida 33133 Dear vr. Grassie; I represent the 148 residents of the Spring Garden Area who signed the petition requesting the removal of the N.W. 7th Street bridge. The originalpetition inoluding,the;"signatures and list of reasons for our request was presented to Mr. Newall Daughtrey August 3, 1978. The residents of Spring Garden were impressed with the drastic improvement ofthe saftey arid security of our neighborhood during the temporary closure of the N.W. 7th Street Bridge from December 14, 1978 to June 7, 1979. Enclosed you will find a detailed description of the events leading to the petition for removal of the bridge and the results of the temporary closure. At a recent city wide meeting on Crime Prevention held at the City of Miami ; Police, Station, Mayor Maurice Ferre stated " One of the • best things about a democracy is that people have an opportunity to tell' those who are governing what makes sense." The residents of Spring Garden are requesting an opportunity to do so. We are asking to be :given a hearing by the IA.ami City Commission. An evening meeting would be preferable so that the many residents who work and wish': to attend will be able to come. We will appreciate your prompt attention to this request. This issue is a matter of importance to the people who live in this area. cc Ir.ay or. Ferre NJewall Daughtrey events Leading to. The Petition for removal of The N.W. 7th Street 3ridge In the Spring of 1978, two .>very distressing events occurred within one hundred yards of my`home. First, a widow living alone was raped in her home at knife. point and second, two elderly women were beaten in their home;on a Sunday'.morning. These events along with the fact that my own home had been burglarized as had many of my neighbors, led meto' the 'decision to move to a safer part of the city. As I surveyed Dade County, I realized that every section had problems with crime and moving was not going;to solvethe problem. So I decided to stay -and try to make my own neighborhood a safer>place to live. I became involved with Citizen's Crime Watch. July 11, 1978 a block: meeting was held to organize Crime Watch in our area. Major Clarence Dickson;Commander, Community Relations Section/ Crime Prevention Unit of City of Yiami Police Dept. and several officers assigned to'our area were in attendance. It was impressed on us that we need to work together with the police in order to reduce crime. We were informed how to make ourselves less desirable victims of crime through safety tips for our homes and personal safety. We were also informed at the Crime Watch meeting that all of the residents of'the Civic Center Area were invited to the City of ipaami Police . Station for a -meeting August 3, 1978. We were .encour- aged"by the -interest -the Police Department was taking in our,situ ation. The purpose of.'the 'meeting was to -discuss ,our questions, complaints and suggestions to help improve the situation. During the next few weeks we bagan taking a critical look at our neighborhood 'in terms of what we could do' as -citizens to help reduce crime so that we could take some 'practicle suggestions t the police 3tat1on on August 3.. July 27,;1g78 at 7:OOpm a neighborhood meeting was held to discuss suggestions for the upcoming Police Station meeting. Thrity nine residents attended this meeting.. ,.A -list: of, major concerns was compiled. It soon became apparent that almost every concern was related to the N.W. 7th Street Bridge. We asked ourselves, what was the original purpose of the bridge? Several residents'of over. :twenty years stated the N.W. 7th Street : ridge was built in .the -nearly 1100's. by ;"the=-daveio ar--1 c=_-the convenience of the, people buying homes in the area. If the majority of the people now living in the area no longer feel that the bridge is safe or serves a useful purpose, why couldn't we petition to have the bridge'. removed. Spring Garden represents a small segment'of the city encompassing about 200 residences contained, by the natural boundries of the i'`iamiRiver to the south, the canal running under the N.W. 7th Street. • bridge to the east, the N.W. 12th Avenue bridge to the west and N.W. llth Street to the north. With the exception of the Holiday Inn at N.W. 12th Ave and N.W. llth Street, the area is zoned residential. Therefore the removal of the bridge should not effect the business or attendance of any stores, offices, schools or churches. North West 7th Street is not a thru street. It dead ends into N.W. N. River Drive which also dead ends at N.W. llth Place. North West 7th Street continues on the south side of the Miami River at N.W. 12th Avenue. If the N.W. 7th Street Bridge were removed, there would still be six entrances to the Spring Garden area from N.W. 11 th Street.. ( See map appendix # 1 ) A petition to remove the N.W.7th Street Bridge was written and signed'by.:148 residents of' the Spr1n.r Garden area. The petition, along with the 'list of reasons drawn- up from:the July 27 th meeting was presented to P;r. Newall Daughtrey : of the City I:anagers Office-, at the'.August' 3-'meeting held .at the:City of P•.iami Police Station' ( See 'r ;appendex 2 Reasons for Petitioning for Removal of N.W. 7th StreetBr1d;e).: This meeting was attended by 57 people. Er. Daughtrey said that'he'woul"d assist -us in getting our petition' brought to the attention of -the i':iami City Commission. Also at -the. August;:3 meeting, Eajor:Clarence Dickson, Commander of the .Community Relations' Section/ `,Crime Prevention; Unit:offered to write a -`letter supporting the temporary closure of the'; bridge in order to determine if suoh a; measure would in'fact reduce `crime ( See appendex ;/3 Letter from i ajor `Dickson). in late October 1178 after. several phone converstions'. with ,,,r. Daughtrey, I was informed that 'thebridge would be- temporarily . cloSed'I in order to study:the effects,; of the closure, : It. Would - not be; necessary to ,go;`to "the INliami City:Comnm,ission'until`after the temporary, closure Results of the Temporary Closure of N.W. 7th Street Bridge Bridge is no longer a safety hazard A. No children were hit by cars as a result -of skate boarding down the bridge onto busy- N.W. 7th Ave traffic. B. 'Reduced, the number of children who = jump from the bridge to swim in the 'canal where there is no easy'; exit; from the water'. Eliminated a traffic hazard caused by the hump back construction of the bridge which limits visability of on coming traffic or obstructions. D. No heavy fire equipment accidently used the bridge. No heavy trucks or semi -trailers crossed the bridge mistakenly thinking N.W. 7th Street is a thru street. F."The number of cars which used to race up and down the River Drive was drastically reduced. II. Closure of the bridge improved the security of the neighborhood A. Closing the bridge reduced crime in the area. A preliminary study by the City of Miami Police Crime Prevention Unit showed that calls for service for Part 1 and Part 2'.crimes - dropped 47!!, when comparing 3i months prior to closing ( 43 calls for service) to 34 months' during closure of the bridge (23 calls for service). A mord ,detailed studyis presently being done and should, be' available by mid July.1979. B. Closing the bridge drastically.. reduced the number of, non-residents whowalk through the neighborhood. Appendix # 1 I.ap of Spring Garden Area Appendix 1 2. REASONS FOR PETITIONING FOR REIN OVAL OF THE 7th STREET BRIDGE The Bridge is a saftey hazard 6fi. Children play and skateboard on the bridge down onto busy 7th Ave. B. Juveniles jwnp from -the bridge and swim in the .canal C. The bridge is a braffic hazzard. Thehump back constritotion on makesit mpossible'to�see coming traffic or obstructions ►tag " D. The Bridge is unsafe for fire trucks and�f�re 'equptr'ent E.` Frequently. heavy trunks and semi- trailors cross .the bridge th`nkin this is a thru street then return over the bridge'. If he".br dre is unsafe for"fire equ pm"ent,_ it should. not subjected .to'this heavy truck traffic." F. Vany, of the cars which speed up and down. the River Drive use the 7th streetbridge to pet to the River Drive., Closing the bride would discourage people " form using the River Drive for a drag ;:trip. G. ' If the bridge is removed, it; would provide a safe f harbor during a hurricane. The :fixed bridge limits ; the size boats which . can enter; the canal. improve the A. Removing the bridge would. "limit.access to our neighborhood. If the streets which join .P;. . llth Street are the only means of entering or leavinr7"our area, it would aid. the police in proteoti our area more effectively. B. Removing, the bridge would drastically reduce =the nuirbar of non-residents who :walk" and drive; through our area' as a "short out" from 7th.,Ave to.the .12th Ave bridge. The actual difference in distance is less than "1/10 mile.'; Appendix r 3. ugust 4, 1978 Area Chairman, Civic Center Citizen's" Crime Watch Mrs. PatriciaKlitenick 905 N.W. 1Oth Avenue Miami, FL 33136 Dear ;Airs. Klitenick: In reference to your question addressing the closing of the 7th Street bridge as it might relate to a reduction of crime in the Spring. Garden area, we submit the following response: From a crime preventive aspect, we support the assumptionthat removal of the 7th Street bridge would be a factor in bringing about a reduction in property assaults and other offenses which have been experienced by residents of the Spring Garden area. Just how much of a factor, cannot be determined-witpout the Proper study. Such a study could be conducted under simulated conditions if the bridge could be successfully temporarily blocked. Fay not:aliowing vehicular' or Pedestrian traffic access to,the bridge,. the Department could,, along .with Citizen's Crime`Watch in the Spring Garden area, conduct such a study; given sufficient. time. Major Clarence Dickson Commander Community: Relations'Sectioni Crime Prevention Unit