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Home My WebLink AboutSubmittal-Newspaper ArticlesMiami rnis$ed chance to help save Overto-si4f. When Miami voters failed to support the bond issue for the Overtown-Park West re- development plan, they failed to put their money where their mouths are. -•• They also missed the opportunity to help upgrade the quality of life for the people in one of South Florida's most neglected neighborhoods. One needs only to drive through some sections of the area to understand how badly it needs a facelift. „ And the problems there now started long before the first riot ever happened. Longtime Miamians will recall that the Overtown area was once a vibrant, self- sustaining neighborhood. Blacks owned neighborhood stores, beauty salons,' drug stores and homes. .....Many of the homeowners were not pro- fessionals. But they were proud of their small plots of land. Yet for many years they watched helplessly as their tax dollars were used to beautify other areas of the city. Still, Overtown was a proud neighbor- hood. In many ways, it still is. ,• Then came the I-95 expressway, which slashed through the area, uprooting fami- lies and longtime businesses. Many of those who remained did so with the hopes of a revival of their old neigh- borhood. Others simply had no place else to go. • T,''''!”"n77,77 • 1 is no surprise to me' that the Over - town -Park West redevelopment plan won overwhelming support there. The bond issue signaled new hope for the residents and their community. . Had the $10-million bond issue passed, it wouldn't have cost taxpayers that much. But it would have made a world of differ- ence to the community. • • " The bonds would have paid for relocat- ing residents displaced by redevelopment, relocating businesses, buying land and de- molishing blightedstruCtures: , Although we live as if we're hi' isofated cities, the truth is: We areall in this to- gether. What affects Overtown, which is H Miami Herald --Monday, March 26, 1984 F 4 3 IN PUBLIC RECORD FOR TEMJLONILC I was 'happy to learn I am not the only ' person who feels this way. Sister Marie Angelo, a nun on Key Bis- cayne, wrote me: "It angers me so ... that we spend per- haps millions to attract tourists and then fail to vote to beautify our city. We spend millions on police and jails and fail to vote to remove the blight that breeds the crime. "The redevelopment plan was rejected by 76 per cent of the voters in Little Ha- vana and in one Anglo precinct by 65. per cent. "We talk endlessly about improving race relations and are unwilling to shell out a few more dollars in taxes to help another ethnic group. hope we get another chance. - - • hen I called Sister Marie, she said, "!know people are going to thinkj shouldn't have anything tOsny , nuns don't pay taxes.' 11!"•?;ti—;-1,-"'.---- "But I just can't understand how people can be so uncaring. . Neither can I., Sister Marie Angelo•; I am happy the police and storm -sewer bonds passed. But like Sister Marie, I don't think the voters understand where the, causes of the problems lie in ourcommuni-' . If living conditions were upgraded, there ;.wouldn't be much need for more police of-- ficers. _ We've got td cure the llls, such as poor housing and living conditions and the lack of job opportrinities. Blacks pay taxes, too. And contrary to what seems to be a popular belief, the ma- jority of the blacks want to see Miami on the map for something wonderful for a Miami is for us, too. :Getting that Overtown-Park West rede- velopment project would have been be- n ni ng / - cf,C)/9/_ hi4z. news ppc rtic S Miami Herald—Wednesda t 7 ;;; • ' : r.! Iftg'.:7•1 'rrupp. --:sewer on s March 14,1984 r • • , " y ICK HIRSH • — r "raid Staff Writer Miami voters alirkoved bond issueS to pay for police and storm sewer ,improvements* Tuesday, but bonds to rehabilitate the city's parks and to provide groundwork for the Overtown-Park West redevelopment project were roundly rejected. With all of the city's 86 precincts report ing, the city's proposed $20-million package of police improvements earned approval by al- most 54 per cent of the vote. The $30-million storm sewer improvement project carried more than 53 per cent of the vote. But the $35-million parks improvement • pac agewas turned down almost 3-2, as was • the SW -million Overtown-Park West bond proposal. „ Ironically, a city charter amendment that a Dade Circuit judge deemed improper five days before the election passed by a thread -thin margin: However, the results won't count. Slightly more than 42 per cent of the city's 110,000 voters turned out Tuesday. • Breaking down the vote along ethnic lines, blacks supported the bond issues, except for the Orange Bowl, by fairly wide margins. Latin precincts supported only the storm sew- ers and police improvements, and provided the largest margin of .defeat for the Overtown- Local flsuIts At a Glance Miami parks (86 of 86 precincts) For 14,239 I" Against 19,995 Miami police (86 of 86 precincts) '41 I" For — 17,189 Against:— 14.792 Miami sewers • (06 of 86 precincts) • • Against ,14.890. • Overtown Park West (86ci IA precincts) For — 13,948 Against — 19.781 Newcounty name 189Pr.ecYlcts',., For 49.189 . 1"' Against — 132,431 Beach bonds '. (38 of 38 precincts) v.For 8,276 Against — 5.788 Park West redevelopment, rejecting it in soma precincts by as much as 80 per cent. "That is very bad," said Mayor Maurice Ferre. "It's not going to help relations betweei the Cuban and black communities. It may hav, something to do with the (Luis) Alvarez [man slaughter] case. It shows how people are up tight." • , Ferre called the results over-all "prett satisfying," although he particularly regrette the defeat of the parks bond issue. - He blamed the defeat of the parks an Overtown issues in part on a tactical error b •Please tuni to BONDS/3 • Submitted Into the pub ic record in Connection wjth item tiE__Ji_on 0510112 Priscilla A. Thompson , City Clerk / Miami Herald --Wednesday, March, 1984 ft.,roxhi7.4,14444:7.,7,41. • Y. 47. Pohce sewer on s pass* par is BONDS/From 1B Assistant City Manager Clark Merrill, who put the Orange Bowl bond issue — the big- gest loser of the night — first in the order of bond issues on the ballot. Ferre privately expressed fears before the vote that by putting the Orange Bowl first, it could bring the other bond issues down with it. "Sometimes when people vote no on something they keep voting no," Ferre said. "Putting the Orange Bowl first was a terrible thing." The police bond issue garnered support in almost every area of the city. In one key Liberty City pre- cinct, it passed by a 3-2 margin. At predominantly Anglo Precinct 840 near Coconut Grove, the police bond carried 52 per cent. • The police bond issue will pay for police substations in Liberty City and Little Havana, expanding the police administration building downtown and increasing its park- ing, as well as improving police communications and computer fa- cilities. The $30-million storm sewer project, which will cost the average homeowner about $12.33 annually for 25 years, will pay for providing storrn drainage to the half of the city that now isn't served by storm sewers. That bond issue drew support from almost every aspect of Mi- ami's electorate, pulling about 55 per cent in the predominantly white Grove, as much as 65 per cent in , key black precincts, and about 52 per cent in some Little Havana pre- cincts. The parks bond issue went down In Latin and Anglo precincts, but was approved by most black voters. At Riverside Elementary School in Little Havana, it was rejected by 65 per cent. At the Miami -Dade Water • and Sewer Authority precinct near • project an rl The police bond issue will pay for substations in Liberty City and Little Havana, expanding the police administration building and improving communications and computer facilities. Coconut Grove, it was turned down by 53 per cent. At Shadowlawn Ele- mentary School, a predominantly black precinct, it carried 56 per cent of the vote. liThe parks bond would have paid for rehabilitating the city's b ea: a guered park system, which city of- ficials concede has fallen into disre- pair over the last decade. , The $10 million for. the Over - town -Park West redevelopment plan would have paid for relocating residents who would be displaced by redevelopment, for the reloca- tion of businesses, for buying land Eiiid for demolition of blighted structures. Its only strong support .came from the black community. In Overtown, the plan drew over- whelming support, collecting 83 per cent of the vote in one precinct. In Little Havana, however, 76 per cent of the voters in a Flagler Street pre- cinct voted against the redevelop- ment plan. Voters in a predominant- ly Anglo precinct in Northeast Miami rejected the plan by a 65 per cent margin. -• ;,7„ Submitted Into the public' record in connection with item EE.../±...pn 05/10//Z Priscilla A. Thompson City Clerk Miami News ---Monday, March 12, 1984 No b�nd means pools likelyto go under • •, 7 4.: ,11. officialssay • N , • ' '‘ . , ' , r Submitted Into the public' . & The improvements are needed badly, We're paying for water record in connectioa that is going into the ground It's not good economics. It snot ,)ti item RE 11-1 on Obit° i2 Priscilla A. Thompson City Clerk Swimming program planner Brian Finnicum MANUEL MENDOZA and BLANCA MESA Miami Mews Reporters Four swimming pools in Miami havelallen into such disrepair that they will have to be permanently shut down within a few years,4. said officials of the Parks and Recreation De., partment. • Voters yesterday rejected •a $20 million ' bond issue which included money for ,new pools at Range, Hadley, Shenandoah and West End parks — ending any long-term • chance of keeping swimming programs .at, those facilities. - • , Range will have to be closed in the next, two years and the others will follow shortly: afterward, said parks director Carl Kern. • - "Most of those communities , have had • pools since the 1950s," Kern said. "Now. they, just won't." • The bond issue failed by a vote of 19,995 (58.4 percent) to 14,239 (41.6 percent). • Miami voters also refused to. authorize, bonds to renovate the Orange Bowl and to pay for the second phase of the Overtown/ Park Westdevelopment. They voted in favor • of bond issues for new police facilities.and , new storm sewers. Swimming program planner Brian Finni-. cum was disappointed that voters decided not to replace the dilapidated pools, which have serious leaks due to bad plumbing and are too old and small for swimming meets. -- :"The improvements are needed badly," Finnicum said. "We're paying for water that is going into the ground. It's not good eco- nomics. It's not good water conservation." - The pool at Range Park, 525 N.W. 62nd St., is undergoing $100,000 in temporary re- pairs to get it ready for the annual spring opening of city pools. "It gets to the point of $50,000 here, $100,- 000 there," Finnicum said. "It adds up quick- .,1y. You end up spending what you would have for new facilities." ,, Three city parks were scheduled to get 25-meter pools soon — Range Park, Shenan- doah, 1800 S.W. 21st Ave., and West End, . 250 S.W. 60th Ave. Hadley, 1300 N.W. 13th St., was to get an Olympic -sized 50-meter pool. Two other pools were supposed to be replaced and a new Olympic -sized pool was . ' scheduled for Grapeland Heights Park, 1550 N.W. 37th Ave. Now, none of those pools will be built. Several parks with broken-down recre- ation buildings, unlighted ballfields and anti- ,- quoted tennis and basketball courts also would have benefited from the bonds. Miami Mayor Maurice • Ferre is studying the possibility of bringing -the park proposals back to voters at a later date. "We would break them into separate issues like pools, parks, ballfields," Ferre said last night. "That might bring more positive response." Meanwhile, the Miami Police Department upgrade its communications system. which officials say is inefficient and danger- ously unsafe, and expand its presence in Lit- tle Havana and Liberty City — thanks to ap- proval by city voters Of the $20 million bond -.issue for police facilities. The vote of 17,189 (53.7 percent) to 14,792 (46.3 percent) will make it possible to build the two full-servicesubstations, a new firing range, property •room and auto pound, and 'expand the department's downtown head- quarters. -•- The cost to the average single-family homeowner will be $8.32 a year In taxes for the police bond issue. • Maj. Kenneth Harrison, commander of op- erations support, said he will take a "hard look" at areas that didn't vote for the bond - issue to determine what needs those commu- nities feel are not being addressed by the po- lice department. •1 "Good," said Ferre upon learning the po- lice bond issue had passed. "Twenty million is not enough, -but it's a step in the right di- rection." • Recently fired Miami police chief Kenneth: Harms, who opposed the bond issue as insuf- ficient to meet the police department's needs, said last night that "any money for the police is good." • Ferre said another police bond issue could go before the -voters sometime • this year • "You take these things one step at a time." Harms said he opposes the construction of . substations in Little Havana and Liberty City • and would prefer to see police "storefronts" that are more flexible and less subject to community pressures. • Police Chief Herbert Breslow did not re- spond to requests for. an interview. ' • Miami voters turned down a $10 million • -bond issue for the second phase of the Over- town/Park West development. The vote was .. • • 7. • 19,781 (58.6) to 13,948 (41.4 percent):- •-i, ••• Matthew Schwartz, assistant director -of •J; the project, said development will goon, but • will be delayed by about two years due to the funding setback: •.: i ••••(:. •Miami News --Monday, .March 12, 1984 . The project calls for the development,of ttri mall on Ninth Street from Biscayne BouIe yard to Northwest Third Avenue,, and housf ing for displaced residents. • ' - "Instead of finishing' in 1989 or 1990, we.: will finish in 1991 or 1992," Schwartz said,i, •' He said "tax -increment revenue bonds," .., which don't need voter approval, could be • used to pay for the project beginning.in 1988,1. Schwartz also thought voters. might be more willing to pass'a bond issue once they see part of the project completed. "Voters are • skeptical," Schwartz said. "Once this project: • is moving forth, it .might, be .a more oppore, tune time to bring it to them.". The passage of a $30-million bond issue for new • storm sewers and pumping stations means planning will likely begin by the end •of the year, said Jim Kay, Miami sewer de- sign engineer. . The seWer bond will cost the average sin-- . gle-family homeowner $12.48.per year tn --..ditional taxes. The first areas to benefit wolild be east and west of .LeJeune Road and -south of Northwest Seventh Street, and the. Flagami area between Southwest 67th Avehue.: and the Florida East Coast railroad tracks.' • ' The bonds will make it possible to bring 60 to 65 percent of the city's sewer systems up to adequate levels, Kay said. Currently,-50,. percent are adequate. -• . The bond issue was approved by a vote of • 16,977 (533 :.percent) to 14,890 (46.7 per -- cent). "In a sense, it's a never-ending • battle." „said Kay, who expects an additional bond issue for sewers to go before the voters.soon. • : A •. Submitted Into the public record in ,connectionwitti item RE, It/ on 05110//2. Priscilla A. Thompson City Clerk 2_ Submitted Into the pub9c record in connecton wiM item 9C,1q on 0§110bg ��m�� . ,~°�~~~,~ ".o.p===n ��r Clerk � ~°^~�� The Miami News . FrUday'r��numr�` 2'7' 1984 ' eOnT0mLuCOpp wami mews Reporter ' .Metro and the City of nxium| next month will begin buying four bmmxo in Overmwn targeted for major redevelop- ment project -- one that will uion|uce 100 residents to make way for new homev, huuinea=s, nfO,p hviWinDo and possibly a hotel. The 42 parcels in the four -block area have been appraised, at $e6 million, said Chudes Sc^r,, assistant to Metro trans- portation director nxurmo HiAQino, who upvuo to the oxet,n Commission's Trans- portation Committee yesterday. '-, 3cuc,su|u the you, hlocku, bordered by Northwest Ist Court and 3pu Avenue and stx and 8tx atcwoto. are now home to uhom 400 people, as well as u scattered number of hvvinpooex. ° Land acquisition and the relocation of '. residents and bvminexyov is expected to take nine months tnuyear, hesaid. The residents will be relocated isOver' � ` 1110ftex town and elsewhere in the oount^ scurr said Metro's Housing and Urban Develop- ment (HUD) Department has already |v' 6uteu about 200 units o,either new o, re- furbished housing units within Overtown. m=uh Bpuo. HUD real estate cnvru(nu' tnr, said the "very good quality" units are both public housing and residences built by private developers on land sold to them by the department. The units are either townhouses or apartments. He said people will be able to move as soon as their prop- erty is bought. � Scuor said ceuidonbu| and commercial ` tenants will be offered op to $5.000 in re- location ' assistance. Home and business' owners -will receive up un �1s.o0O to aid their relocation. ' "There are two single family xvu,e, and the rest of the other nemenuu| units are divided among effidende,, one — bed —room apartments and rooming houses," Dcvrrtold the 000`mimee. ' ' Property owners inthe area of the proj- ect can retain ownership if they join the � redevelopment plan. "They will have three Scurr said. "An owner can be a redevelop er of his parcel, or can become part of team from outside that has an equity it the project, or can join with other proper ty owners in a redevelopment team." But Scurr added that those owners mus sign unagreement that they will sell d`d/ property to the city at current mu,ke value iftheir property is nco,puevdnpo' within uspecified period. The land values range from o high u *$lV per square foot -- near uxetnor^U', (}vertown Station -- to u low of $? , square foot. ' The redevelopment iokeyed uothe con. ytr"cunn of the Ovrcxown Station or Northwest 8tx�Street. The U.S. oruu, 8xuxo Transportation'Administration al- ready has given Metro $u.7million for us( in |unu acquisition and clearance. Scurrsaid another %\.7million has beer contributed by the state and the city an( - mm h-'-w-i 'Oters '��x��L� '��u ��m��op�City ��o��N�� N�0�� 0�� `� �� . '. 150 ��N�� l8N��q�� bondNN��^sbes BILLsJsmnswarni mews Reporter -rhoMiumni City Commission has given final approval tou,kin8votersomomsid- cruse,ies ,f uvnu issues _-- totaling $150 million,-- when they -�o to the polls x8arcxl3. ' The proposed bonds would be used to upCmuo u wide range of city facilities, from storm sewers to the Orange Bowl.`. The suggested bond issues V $55 million for modernizing the aging Orange Bowl, including new north and south stands, new seating with more leg room, new lighting and improved concession stands. w'$2V ndUkm for new and improved equipment for the Miami Police Depart- ment. *~$35 oiUkm to impiave neighbor- hood rede- sign uuyf,vntPark. ' ,^^ *!D nmUiou for the-nd.evelopment _ �.~�� `^- ,-` - -'wn-Yuk --West '.'area ' �ene � *commissioners� downtown. � ~�`'��°�-�`�`�' `��`°MiUer Dawkins and J.L.Plummer said want part of the $20 million to be ,.used for one uctwo a^hs�tiono.Dawkins v, said he U|seek asubstation for,Libecty City -- with holding cell |u. . ''-.-` . Iuother matters, commissioners: V Appointed four members to the school teachFer George L. __- businessman-— --- H. _-_''-=' Reeunc Gloria Basila, and businessman WiUiamFreixua Victor DeYurro unat- torney, was appointed as an alternate. ` `~ Rejected the nomination of aoma/u Cruz for appointment to the 7oo|p8 Dourd.��,'�� ' VAppointed two members to the Planning Oumro -- businessman mnou|u Deo]u,oio uou hotel nn,nor Aaron J. Manes. Dorothy Spohn, supervisor of u department, stoc dining rnonn, was mp' ^~$3Omillion for storm sewers. At 'yesterday's commission meeting, E,ny Funuuo, u commission wutchung, questioned the wisdom of an Ocunow 8o~| bond issue since the Miami Dol- phins are threatening not mo,p|uy in the stadium after 0886 and another tenant, the University of Miami'football teum, is interested inbuilding u?nn-6mpwx.otaui' '_Funatto also said it was too expensive, with the city having to come up with $147 million to repay the s55 million in bonus. The bonds x,nu|u be ,epuiu7nver 35yeuco . . '- '' I I. I ` . City officials have cvnsi4p,pu those ar- guments. They hope u modern o,un&e Bowl will convince both the Dolphins and U'x8 to stay. Meanwhile, they're courting a potential franchise with the United States Football Lou8ve, xupmA it. too. would use the ua�ivxn. Miami Herald --Friday, January 20, 1984 (Excerpt from article appearing on this date) v Approved in principle a plan to replace the two-lane draw bridge to the Port of Miami with a five -lane, 65- foot-high span. The plan calls for a tunnel linking the port with expressways. v Asked developers to submit proposals for a theme park on Watson Island. v Tentatively placed on the March 13 ballot bond is- sues to renovate the Orange Bowl, improve police services and park and recreation facili- ties, build storm sewers and fi- nance Overtown/Park West. redeveloment. v Deferred action on a proposed reorganization of the Police Department so criticism of it by Chief Kenneth Harms could be studied. v Approved guidelines set- ting a goal of giving half the _ dollar value of .city contracts to black and Hispanic firms Ratified a two-year con- tract giving policemen raises of 8 per cent a year. Cable televisionlines Commissioners deferred until Feb. 16 a decision on the $5000-a- day fines imposed by the city man- ager on Miami Cablevision, which holds a license to run the city's cable television system. Gary said the fines would be imposed because •of the cable company's. failure to in- stall a two-way communications feature and for stringing wires across streets. Gary said he is waiting for the firm's financial statements before he responds to a request from the company on 33 alterations to the its current contract with the city. Submitted Into the pu6tic record in connection with item tE (/ on 05i 10112 Priscilla A. Thompson City Clerk Wednesday, Mar. 7, 1984 / The Miami Herald Submitted Into the public record in connectionwith item RE !�on 05110112 Priscilla A. Thompson City Clerk pity bond issues seek funds for park, police, sewer improvements By RICK HIRSCH Herald Staff Writer The proposed $55-million Orange Bowl renovation may be grabbing the headlines, but the four other Miami bond issues on the March 13 ballot could mean a lot more to city residents. The bond issues, which Miamians can vote on separately, include $35 million to rebuild the city's sagging park system, $30 million in storm sewer improvements, $20 million for the city's fast-growing police department and $10 million to shore up plans for the redevelopment of the Overtown/Park West area. The proposals have drawn no op- position from any organized groups. While the Orange Bowl renova- tion is the big -ticket item on the bond issue menu, "it isn't the most important," said Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre. The entire bond package, includ- ing the Orange Bowl renovation, would cost the average city home- owner an average of $61 annually for 25 years, if all the items are ap- proved. "The return on that kind of in- vestment, in terms of jobs, improve- ments to our parks, the provision of residential units in Park West and Overtown,.as well as improvements to property values,as a result of the storm sewer project, far exceeds the cost," said City Manager How- ard Gary. F?obably the highest priority, Gary said, involves proposed im- provements to the city's park sys- Please turn to BONDS / 5D Bond issues seek. _improvement BONDS/From 1D;: tem. Part of that agenda is a plan to rebuild the city's existing swim- ming pools and add a new Olym- pic -sized pool at Grapeland Heights. - "We have to either decide to pro- vide swimming opportunities to our kids or we'll have to close our pools down," said Gary, an avid swim- mer. "We already have to spend $250,000 on our existing pools to fix them up so our kids can swim this summer." - -- • The city's pools suffer from de- crepit plumbing, faulty lighting sys- tems that prohibit their use at night, and cracks that cause them to lose water, said Carl Kern, the city's Parks Department director. The Olympic -sized pool at Grape - land Heights, and two others the bond issue would pay for rebuild- ing, would allow the city to host state and international swimming competitions, Kern said. In addition to the $10 million in pool improvements, Kern said, the parks bonds would pay for building the city's first beachfront park on Virginia Key, for • Improvements needed to complete the planned re- building of Bayfront Park down- town and for the purchase of the three -acre, U.S. Naval Reserve fa- cility on S. Bayshore Drive in Coco- nut Grove. • That property is the last large chunk of open land in the Grove, Kern said, and would be developed into an arts. and recreation complex "in keeping with the arts tradition of Coconut Grove." .• - . The police bonds are perhaps the most controversial. They would pay for a huge expansion of police of- fice space, including the construc-: tion of two police substations, one b. zig funds .=," ,._ , In Liberty City and another in Little -Havana. Fired Police Chief Kenneth ,. Harms, before his ouster, had ar- gued that the $20 million for police ..;was inadequate to meet the depart- -= ment's needs. Gary said the depart ment might need. even more money, • but the size of the bond issue had to ' be based on Miami residents'. ability to pay. Besides, Gary said, increased spending on police has been the city's top budget priority for the five years... : . .... . . "In any society," Gary said, "one's desires usually exceed the .ability to pay. So what you have to do is prioritize your needs based on the taxpayers ability to absorb the st... The __ construction of . neighbor- ,z h police substations, recom- ,, mended by the City Commission,- Miami Herald --Wednesday, March 7, 1984 of Gary, who said he would prefer the city to lease storefronts to bring a greater police presence to neigh- borhoods at a lower price. • But other aspects of the police bonds are crucial, Gary said, among them a $4-million investment in a police radio communication system and spending another $4 million on the police computer system. The least expensive item in the $150-million bond package, $10 million for the Overtown/Park West redevelopment plan, may pay the largest dividends in the city's future, Gary said. • The Park West plan is designed to create a new middle-class com- munity close to the city's down- town, making it a lively place even after offices close at 5 p.m. The plan includes, over the next 15 years, building 9,000 housing units and one million square feet of com- mercial and retail space. The bond issue would help ge the project off the ground by pay- ing for relocating residents and businesses now in the area to make way for redevelopment, for demoli- tion of blighted structures, for land and for road and infrastructure im- provements in the area, said Mat- thew Schwartz, assistant director of the project_ • , -.;The city already has commit- ments from the federal government to pay for some of the land for the project, but needs more money to purchase the remaining land before it gets even more expensive, Gary said. The $30 million in storm sewer improvements, Gary said, would be an investment in the city's future that could boost homeowners' prop- erty values by preventing their property from floodine. Bend Issues at a GI Parks COST: $35 million. AVERAGE HOMEOWNER COST: $14.37 annually over 25 years. BREAKDOWN: $10 million for neighborhood parks; $10 million for rehabilitating and building pools; $15 million for regional parks. NEIGHBORHOOD PARK improve- ments include equipment such • as lights,.landscaping and add- ingbasketball courts, ballfields and playgrounds. THE CITY'S POOLS are badly in need of repair. The bond issue .• would provide money to rebuild •-* existing pools and build a new _Olympic -sized pool in Grapeland 1• , Heights. REGIONAL PARK improvements include $5 million to create the city's first beachfront park on Virginia Key, $5 million to reno- vate Bayfront Park and $5 mil- lion to acquire the Naval Re- . ierve Training Center in Coconut Grove for a recreation and arts center. • .-•• COST: $20 million AVERAGE HOMEOWNER COST: $8.22 annually over 20 years. BREAKDOWN: Eight projects in three categories: PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS: building police substations in Liberty City and Little Havana .($2.8 million), a propertyind auto pound ($3.8 million), a $1.6-million, 26,000-square-foot expansion of the police administration building on NW Second Avenue and adding a $2-mil- lion police parking facility. COMPUTERS. COMMUNICATIONS, including'a police - ..-,oraidio system, a $1.7-million expansion of the police computer sys- ,tem and a $2.3-million expansion of the departrnent's mobile com- putersystem.'7.....'- • ,- • 1 37, — '.CRIME -FIGHTING TOOLS: a $1.7-million police outdoor firearms Prac- .tice on Virginia Key and a $100,000 laser fingerprint analysis unit. • iSubmitted Into the public trecord in connection with item NE, 14 on 051 101i2. Priscilla A. Thompson City Clerk Miami Herald --Wednesday, March 7, 1984 Sewers _ COST: $30 million. • ' • • AVERAGE HOMEOWNER COST: $12.33 annually over 25 years.. . • MASSIVE STORM SEWER improvement program that began after vot- ers approved a similar, $15-million bond issue in 1978. , THAT BOND issue allowed Miami to provide storm sewers to about 50 per cent of the city's streets. The new money would finish the job. It •would be spent in $5-million increments in each of the next six years. THE SEWERS are needed, City Manager Howard Gary said, because Miami receives an annual rainfall roughly twice that of the rest of the country and is relatively low in elevation. Model the Overtown/Park West project. Overtown / Park West COST: $10 million. '"-'' AVERAGE HOMEOWNER COST: $4.11 annually over 25 years. THE PLAN calls for redeveloping the area with 9,000 residential units, • geared for families with an average income between $15,000 and -$50,000. It also provides for one million square feet of commercial and retail space. OVERTOWN-PARK WEST is bounded by Biscayne -Boulevard on the' east, Fifth .Street on the south, Interstate 395 on the north. and "-- •Interstate 95 on the west. - $10 MILLION is needed for housing for those who would be displaced ..-,-by redevelopment, relocation of businesses, land for construction of Iow- and moderate -income housing and for demolition. Submitted Into the public record in connection with item RE (4 on 05 "HOZ Priscilla A. Thompson City Clerk 12) Friday May 25 1984 "1 BILLION PL TO REVITALI DOWN TO\ IAMI SLUM ARE A S2-million shopping center that will house a supermarket, drug store, .and Laundromat, as well as seven other retail businesses, is currently under construction in the Overtown area. The Overtown. Shopping Center should become fully operational in January, 1984 The convenience of•.being able to shop right in the neighborhood should be a strong drawing card for potential residents. According to Bailey, the success of the plan depends on getting private developers, to build in. the project -area, and then to further upgrade the entire area with the new city and county taxes generated by . the projects. As an incentive for outside investment, the City of Miami plans to purchase six city •blocks in Park West, ,and 'six blocks. in the Overtown area, and then convey the -blocks to Herbert .Bailey -Asst. City Mgr. -developers under competitive bidding to suit the economics of the redevelopment..,:,, While the Park West area will undergo a total change from, commercial :to ,residential, . the redevelopment of Overtown is planned along ;the, lines. of upgrading the physical character Coritir.0 "eh 'Page , 9- $1 BILLION RESTORATION Continue From: Page. 3 of an existing -residential community. The project's objectives are to replace dilapidated housing; provide _.opportunities for existing property owners to invest in the redevelopment of Overtown; promote home ownership and new housing for moderate -income familes and encourage an income mix in all housing; improve the delivery of human services; emphasize crime prevention in the area; restore a sense of community; unify the area culturally and preserve historic buildings and sites. Because the major thrust of the redevelopment effort is to stimulate residential activity for .moderate and middle -income residents, there will be some --rcrectition involved. Public assistance will be provided for the people relocated as a result ..I .•..v..nw..nf er+inn T4nme ownership will be fostered for low and middle -income residents through teh use of low -interest second mortgage programs and the construction of 208 units of last resort housing for low- income families dislocated by the project. Begun in September, 1982, the redevelopment project is antici- pated to be completed by 1994. By then, the area which was once considered an eyesore. will have had a complete facelift. The Metrorail station, which is currently nearing completion, will provide easy access to rapid transit within minutes of almost any destination in the city and county. N.W. 1st Street will be developed as an attractive boulevard and a major entryway into the community. A corridor beginning at the corner of SE 9th Street and Biscayne Boulevard will become a pedestrian walkway and the cente of community activity, and will physically integrate SE Overtown and Park West. When the project is completed, close to bI billion will have been spent renovating the area. The "new" SE Overtown; Park West. will feature approximately 5,000 residential units, 600,000 square i.... ni ...". �T......n.r CM AAA square feet of retail space, 400- 500 hotel rooms and 90 rehabilitated housing units. Most importantly, SE Overtowi:l Park West will experience a physical, economic and cultural renaissance. During., its development, it .will be', another example that Miami,' Florida is truly a "city on the • move".. . Submitted Into the public, recor in connect'ori with item 11E, Ili on 51101(2 Priscilla A. Thompson City Clerk Bond issues may lack high pro Planner concerned about voter awareness o Overtown redevelop project. By ELLYN FERGUSON l lrri ld .S Wjj Il'ri h r Quick -• how many bond issues must Miami voters approve or re- ject on March 13? Here's another toughie: What are they? Clark Merrill, the • intergovern- mental affairs assistant to the city manager. hopes to answer those and other questions before the elec- tion. He doesn't have much time. The city's brochures • outlining the scope of the five bond issues should be in the hands of Miami's 109,355 registered voters by Thursday or Friday. The bond topics range from the controversial — "$55 million for renovating the Orange Bowl — to the mundane —, $30 million for in- stalling more storm sewers for bet :ter drainage. ;;:,;, • One bond issue — $10 million for the Southeast Overtown/Park West redevelopment project — may be a little too obscure for most voters to care- about, worries Matthew Schwartz, the chief planner for the project. The project, he said, might suffer from voters' opposition to the more controversial proposals. Schwartz also wonders if people will bother to carefully read each bond entry on the ballot. That could pose a problem since the redevelop- ment project is listed dead last. "There's a presumption among some people that that happens," Merrill said. "1-think voters are col- lectively smart. If voters reject the $10-million bond request. the Overtown pro- ject's first phase will continue, but ,the second phase of building will be slowed, Schwartz said. The city has the $29 million to buy nine blocks atthew Schwartz: Will project suffer? Clark Merrill: Worried about publicity. in Overtown and in an area west of Biscayne Boulevard. The other two bond issues are $20 million for conversion of the police radio communications sys- tem, remodeling police headquar- ters and building substations for Liberty City and Little Havana, and $35 million for park and swimming pool renovatr--•:is. Merrill said his research shows that local voters pay close attention to the purpose of each bond and don't vote blindly. - • "I've looked at other elections. In the county, people picked Lnd chose among the Decade of Progress [bonds[," he said. - Merrill worries more about the lack of publicity and its effect on the bond outcome than about arty anti -bond sentiments. - "If I had three more months [of publicity', I'd feel more comforta- ble." .;:":$':,.Sk.=>e,.','-:�::`•.; _`};.�;s;X.:M's Submitted Into the public record in connection with E item RlLt on051i'DIZ Priscilla A. Thompson City Clerk