|
 Although
this month's council meeting was brief, it began with a State of the
Village message. The Village of Pinecrest charter requires the mayor
to make this annual statement. You may read Mayor Greer's message
inside this newspaper.
The first resolution of the evening bolstered Mayor
Greer's earlier statements as to the sound financial status of the
Village. The council and Village manager were pleasantly surprised
with the bids on the construction of Pinecrest Park. They are
approximately $950,000 under the estimated $3.5 million that was
budgeted for the project. Designs for the 10-acre park include one all
purpose field and one soccer field, as well as two baseball fields, a
community center, a jogging path and a playground. The bid was awarded
to MC Construction and development is slated to get under way on
January 25, with a target completion date set for October 25.
As the evening progressed, the financial news
continued to improve. A resolution was passed authorizing the Mayor to
execute a disaster relief funding agreement with the Florida
department of community affairs for the reimbursement of approximately
$65,000 in expenses associated with Hurricane Irene.
On the expense side, the Village has received the
results of the water study that the council commissioned. The study
was done to learn the cost of making city water accessible to all
Village residents. The Miami-Dade County water department had
estimated that the cost would be $35 million. However, Village
officials had estimated that the cost would be closer to $10 Million.
The study has concluded that the cost would be approximately $15
million. The council has decide to conduct an exploratory
investigation as to what percentage of residents would pay to hook
up their homes if water were available to them. For
those interested in more information on this subject, the next issue
will include a detailed article on the entire process.
More improvements are on the drawing board. This
year's budget includesfunding to make all existing sidewalks in the
Village of Pinecrest handicap accessible. A total of 154 locations
throughout the Village are targeted for ramps to connect sidewalks to
streets. It's a great bonus to skaters and people pushing strollers.
You may have noticed that Wayside park has undergone a
major clean-up. In addition, there are plans to install a designated
parking area along 112th street and erect a barrier to cars along
three sides of the park with material that was salvaged from the
razing of the trailer park. Picnic tables as well as additional
landscaping and a sprinkler system are also scheduled to go into
Wayside park this year.
In response to the ever growing popularity and the
need for additional soccer fields, a survey is underway to determine
the best positioning of the playing fields at Pinecrest Elementary
School.
I look forward to the continued improvement of our
community and an increasingly great place to live and raise a family.
I can be reached at 305-666-7969 or via fax,
305-666-8487.
|
