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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCRA-R-07-0048 Omni Advisory Board SubmittalJan 23 t-' 01:13p FLORIDANTRNATAL REALT p.2 OAB Progressive Leadership CHARTER MEMBERS FRED )OSEPH PRESIDENT STANLEY KRIEGER VICE PRESIDENT DR. RON CANTWELL VICE PRESIDENT OLGA GUILARTE TREASURER ELEANOR KLUGER PAST PRESIDENT DIRECTORS PATRICIA CARBONELL JORGE ESPWIEL ROLAND HO WELL JUAN ROMERO CAROLE ANN TAYLOR MEMBERS: RICHARD HAYLOR JULIE GRIMES LUIZ MELO CRISTA SCHMIDT 1633 NORTH BAYSHORE DRIVE MIAMI, FLORIDA 33132 (305) 579-9088 FAX: (305) 373-4751 E-MAIL: fredjnseph@bdlsouth.net OMNI ADVISORY BOARD INC. City of Miami Commissioners Mayor Manny Diaz Jim Villacorta CRA Via fax: 305 679-6835 January 16, 2007 RE: Margaret Pace Park Dear Mayor, Commissioners and Mr. Villacorta, As President of the Omni Advisory Board, an Omni resident and Board of Director at The Grand, I would like to go on record that 1 and the Omni Residents are opposed to the use of Margaret Pace Park for any private restricted functions. i received 100's of comp]tints from The Grand residents (especially who live on the north side) when the park was used recently for the Orange Bowl Beach Bash. The private function operators had such little respect for the residents that they faced their stage, sound equipment and lighting directly into The Grand instead of out to the Bay. This maximized their nuisance factor by 1,000%. There also is a very limited amount of off street parking in this area so between the construction and the event you could not move in the neighborhood. To top it all off, the CRA gave them $50,000,00 for the event. This was entirely a private money -making event, which resulted in the park being completely fenced off from the residents whose tax dollars paid for the revitalization of the Park. Margaret Pace Park is a passive park and is utilized by all the residents who live in the neighborhood. The number of residents in our neighborhood will increase at least 10 fold with the opening of all the new residential condo towers across the street from the park this year. I urge you to never allow a function in this park that restricts access to the residents by making them pay to use their park. Thank you; Joseph, President Submitted into the public record in connection with items # 2- on Zil Priscilla A. Thompson City Clerk SEOPW and OMNI Community Redevelopment Agencies Meeting Minutes February 26, 2007 Mr. Villacorta: Right. Chair Spence -Jones: -- have -- so -- Commissioner Regalado: So it's the same. The motion is -- Mr. Villacorta: Yeah. Commissioner Regalado: -- exactly the -- Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah. DISCUSSION ITEMS 8. 07-00147 Commissioner Regalado: -- same. The probabilities are -- but anyway, I'm not going to delay the vote. Chair Spence -Jones: All right, so you second it already, right? Commissioner Regalado: Yeah, 1 second it. Chair Spence -Jones: OK, so we're moving -- so that item passes, right? Commissioner Sanchez: No. We got to vote -- Priscilla A. Thompson (Clerk of the Board): You didn't vote. Commissioner Sanchez: -- on it. Mr. Villacorta: Vote, Chair Spence -Jones: Oh. All in favor? Commissioner Sanchez: Aye, as amended Commissioner Regalado: One "no" vote. Chair Spence -Jones: OK. CRA DISCUSSION DISCUSSION OF THE OMNI ADVISORY BOARD'S CONCERNS REGARDING THE USE OF MARGARET PACE PARK. 8-cover memo.pdf 8-backup.pdf DISCUSSED Direction by Commissioner Sanchez 10 the Interim Executive Director to schedule a discussion item on the City Commission agenda regarding the closure of public parks for events held by for -profit businesses, with input from the district Commissioner and residents. Chair Spence -Jones: Alrighty, so we are now moving on to discussion items, and we're moving pretty quickly. Omni Advisory Board. Fred, actually -- Mr. Joseph asked to, at least, come and address the Board. 7V 'C City of Miami Page 18 Printed on 3/20/2007 SEOPW and OMNI Community Redevelopment Agencies Meeting Minutes February 26, 2007 Fred Joseph. Thank you, Madam Chair. Chair Spence -Jones: You got to put your name on the record, Fred. Mr. Joseph: Fred Joseph, 1717 -- Chair Spence -Jones: On the mike. Mr. Joseph: Fred Joseph, chair, Omni Advisory Board, 1717 North Bayshore Drive. We had a situation during the Orange Bowl that this committee was kind enough to give away $50, 000 for a good cause, the Orange Bowl, but the problem was the park activity was well over shot. We've had problems with this in the past. We weren't aware, at the end of that meeting -- and we were all in support of it until, after the meeting, we found out they were charging. That was number one. Number two, we also didn't realize they were closing the park and they fenced in the entire park, the tot lot, tennis courts, the volleyball, and that restricted all our residents from going there, all our people that live all around it. If you'll notice the drawings I brought you, what's going to happen in the future, besides the 2,700 people live next door to it today in the Grand, which we lived through Margaret Pace Park through the slums, and we committed to putting $4 million in there, with your help, of the CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) money and made it a beautiful place, but coming are those new buildings on the last page that's going to overlook that entire park, and if we allow something like this to ever happen again from, you know, everybody's good intentions, we need to look at them way out in advance. We have committed to this area, you and us, the owners, and we want you to help us protect it. This is not a -- this is a passive park. It's not a park that has a lot of open space. It's not a Bicentennial that can have commercial ventures and loud music and bright lights all night long because these are working-class people, as well, that live around there and have to get up and function the next day. The problem is their lights were blaring right into the main buildings, 2121 and the Grand Condominium and the Doubletree, and the Marriott, and also, the music just blared and rattled our doors, which is -- we understand the problem, but we have to be sensitive to our neighbors. We can't allow, number one, that kind of venture; number two, a paid venture that shuts down -- they were -- you could go; they were $25 a ticket. I couldn't find any of our people that live around the park that could come up with $25 instantly to walk in to go do what they usually do, play in the tot lot, and so it really hurts us. 1 would like for you to look at this seriously, give your executive director a way to go with it, and help the Parks Department understand you can't allow the permits for things like this and these types -- in your city. I mean, it happens to be in Commissioner Sarnoff's district, but the Chair's district comes to our park, and they love it. 1 mean, Ws beautiful -- Chair Spence -Jones: Yeah. Mr. Joseph: -- so you don't have a lot of areas in your district that needs that park and they come, so we're all very neighborhood friendly, but we're not -- we just need your help to see that good things like this don't happen in good parks. I mean, it was a wonderful venue. There's no doubt about it, but it just doesn't work in a small park like this. Chair Spence -Jones: Any comments? Commissioner Regalado: 1 would like to comment on the Omni area, not specifically about the park, but 1 do think that you're right in saying that the CRA and, you know, the neighbors -- and I lived through that experience with the park, and I remember that park when it was used only to play soccer, and it was a mess, by the way, and the homeless and all that, and I just don't think that we should allow to have paid events in that park. This is the park for the people, and it's different totally than Bicentennial or Bayfront, when they have their activities, so I mean, I agree. I think it was a mistake. City of Miami Page 19 Printed on 3/20/2007 SEOPW and OMNI Community Redevelopment Agencies Mr. Joseph: And I'll allude also to Bicentennial because you're going to have the same problem. It's not my district. 1-- but 1 oversee the area because I live up there and I see it. Bicentennial's going to have some problems because you've got 17,000 units coming up and down that road, and you're going to end up with people -- your voters are going to be coming to you and saying you've allowed these beautiful condo towers to be built there and you want people to come, and that activity is going to be strained on them as well, but that's not for today, but I'm just giving you an insight as to owners. You walked the park with me, Commissioner. 1 know what you did to help us get that park. You walked the park with me, Commissioner. Now the new Commissioners that are on here, they love our park, and we had the homeless. We had the crackheads, and we had all -- we couldn't allow our children to go out, and I'm just fortunate enough to have grandchildren to go there now, and 1 want you to enjoy the park with us. Meeting Minutes February 26, 2007 Commissioner Sanchez: Madam Chair, if I may. Chair Spence -Jones: Sure. Commissioner Sanchez: Mr. Joseph, 1 received the letter you sent all the Commissioners and the Mayors [sic] with your concerns, and they were very valid concerns. I tend to agree with you that the use of free public parks for rope -off private admission events that are charging should not be in those parks. It is up to us to possibly entertain a resolution where we won't have any more events there that are events that profit for events. In other words, if it's open to the public for free and put some restrictions, but I don't even think it's up -- it's us. I think it's the Parks -- Mr. Villacorta: The City Commission. Commissioner Sanchez: -- and the City, right? The City Commission with the Parks Department Mr. Villacorta: Yes. Commissioner Sanchez: -- but your concerns are very validd, and once again, as the City continues to grow in downtown and we continue to expand, we realize -- and 1 speak from experience because I'm the chair of Bayfront Park -- that we're going to have to come with some more restrictions how we're going to have the downtown residents and those parks being there together. I could tell you that, last year, we had to change the sound system to face different directions. We had to tone down the music. We had to add certain hours to the parks, and those are the things that we could do to alleviate some of those concerns. You were not the only one that contacted my office expressing their concerns for the loud music, the traffic congestions, and basically, whenever you put "X" amount of people in those parks, you do not realize the damage that you do to those facilities. I mean, people walking and running -- first of all, you destroy the grass, and then it all depends how people act as to the damage that's caused to the parr so that is something that we're going to have to address in the future at the City Commission, with the Parks Department, to come out with some type of legislation where we're able to restrict the use of those parks, so once again, both the residents and the park could coexist in that area. Mr. Joseph: Thank you, Commissioner, and your executive director for Bayfront Park, Tim Schmand -- Commissioner Sanchez: I'm the chair. Mr. Joseph: -- is a wonder -- Commissioner Sanchez: Tim Schmand, the executive director. Mr. Joseph: Yeah. Your executive director, Tim Schmand, is a wonderful individual. He's City of Miami Page 20 Primed on 3/20/2007 SEOPW and OMNI Community Redevelopment Agencies worked with us for years trying to make sure they put the speakers facing the bay, the lights facing the bay because here's what the problem is. You're a hundred percent right. We're abused for that one event, and then it really sours the taste of people wanting to ever go to that event again, so you know, you're right, but again, right now it's Margaret Pace Park with all the congestion. We're just a tiny park. We're very small in size. We have tot lots, activity. You can come anytime; you'll see hundreds of people playing, and to fence them off for a beautiful weekend just seemed criminal. Meeting Minutes February 26, 2007 Commissioner Sanchez: We hear your concerns. Mr. Joseph: 1-- Chair Spence -Jones: So 1 just want 10 make sure that I -- because you proposed something. Commissioner Sanchez: Well, that resolution really should come from the City Commission. Mr. Villacorta: Right. It's the City that controls the -- Chair Spence -Jones: OK. Mr. Villacorta: -- events in that park. Chair Spence -Jones: OK, so you will bring it to their attention or --? Mr. Villacorta: 1'!l let the Manager know. Chair Spence -Jones: Commissioner Sanchez, are you bringing that as an item or --? Commissioner Sanchez: Well, I think that we should bring it up as a discussion item in the Commission meeting and discuss it, and you know, I think it's important to have the district Commissioner have the input, as well as the residents to show up and lay it -- lay down their concerns, and I'm sure they have plenty of concerns, anywhere from parking to loud music to trash being left all over the park and outside the park, so we want to listen to their concerns, and then we'll take the appropriate actions -- Mr. Joseph: We'll be happy to get it together. Commissioner Sanchez: -- to find a solution. Thank you. Mr. Joseph: Thank you. Chair Spence -Jones: Thank you, Mr. Joseph. REPORTS 9. 07-00146 CRA REPORT UPDATE ON THE STATUS OF THE GRANTS TO THE MIAMI WOMAN'S CLUB. 9-cover memo.pdf DISCUSSED Chair Spence -Jones: All right. We're going to move on to reports, and I'm going to start with number 9 on the report status of the grant to the Miami's -- Miami Women's Club. Is anybody here? Yes, and -- City of Miami Page 21 Printed on 3/20/2007