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 The
dog days of summer are here again. The temperatures and humidity are
up. The kids are away at camp and many of their parents are enjoying
the cool temps of Aspen or the scenery of Europe. For those of us who
are still in town, it too seems like a vacation of sorts since the
crowds and traffic are at a minimum. What better time to sit back,
relax and reflect?
So, that's just what I thought I'd do for this column.
To begin with, I can't believe that this is already my
fourth summer serving on the Pinecrest Village Council. Time really
does seem to fly when you're having fun, especially when you can look
back and recall so many fulfilling and rewarding experiences. It's
hard to know where to begin. It seems that everywhere I look in our
quaint little village I see progress, be it the significantly
increased police presence, the hundreds of beautiful new trees that
line our streets and decorate our boulevards, our long awaited
Pinecrest Park that is rapidly taking shape before our eyes, or the
colorful welcome banners that fly proudly along Pinecrest Parkway
(South Dixie Highway). These are but a few examples of our strong and
steady progress.
There are many others which may be less visible than
the aforementioned, but are certainly of no less importance. Not the
least of which are the many positive changes that have been initiated
in our Village government. Yet, it seems that no matter how hard we
try, Mr. Lincoln's old adage still holds true; you simply can't please
all of the people all of the time.
For example, one of the most frequently lambasted
departments of our Village or for that matter in just about every
other municipality throughout the U.S. is building and zoning.
However, compared with its county predecessor, Pinecrest's Building
and Zoning Department it is indeed a breath of fresh air. Just the
same, we have recently instituted several changes and improvements to
further enhance the quality of service to our residents, merchants and
contractors.
A new planning director recently came on board, as has
an additional planner. As of October 1, the beginning of our next
fiscal year, building and zoning staff will be increased from 10
personnel to a total of 12. Additionally, a new automated inspection
request voice mail system has been put into operation and is presently
handling well over 50 requests per day. When an inspection is
requested, the voice mail system immediately routes the request to one
of our permit clerks, who contacts the applicant to schedule the
inspection, generally on the same day or the next business day. Plans
and specs for new construction go through our planning and review
office and receive a response normally within one week or less. Anyone
who has previously submitted plans to the county's building and zoning
department should know that the very same process can often take
several months.
While these changes will go a long way toward helping
the department operate at peak efficiency, I am fully cognizant that
no single person or group is without flaw. Therefore, call on all
concerned to alert me or one of my fellow council members regarding
any and all concerns you may have with Building and Zoning, or for
that matter with any department within the Village of Pinecrest. Only
through clear and candid communication can we address and hopefully
find solutions.
Speaking of communications, I cannot overemphasize the
importance of maintaining a free and open dialogue with the men and
women whom you have chosen to represent you on the Village council. I
strongly encourage more of you to keep in touch via phone, fax or
e-mail and let us know what you think we can improve on in order to
make Pinecrest an even better place to live. We will do our part to
keep you more up to date and informed of impending meetings, issues
and resolutions so that you can play a more active role in shaping the
future of Miami-Dade's premier residential community.
I wish you a safe and happy summer!
Thank you for your continued support of the Village of
Pinecrest and its Council. I can be reached at 305-234-8299, fax
305-234-9919, P.O. Box 561022, Pinecrest, Florida 33256-1022, e-mail: les@shadow.net.
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