It’s summer. And while the kids are away at play, Village, county and school officials are hard at work. In an effort to improve safety and traffic around Coral Reef Elementary, a meeting took place July 8th to brainstorm ideas about traffic flow during school hours.
“This was our kickoff meeting to bring several entities together and discuss ways to work together,” explained Palmetto Bay Manager Ed Silva. “This same process was extremely successful last year at Perrine Elementary.”
Coral Reef Elementary Principal Christina Guerra, along with key staff met with Palmetto Bay Village Manager Ed Silva, Police Commander Gady Serralta and several County officials to tour and discuss potential improvements to physical attributes, school workflow and street configurations.
“We want to provide more safety for our kids and improve the circulation of traffic,” explained Silva. “It’s part of Palmetto Bay’s comprehensive traffic plan.”
Discussion focused on the drop-off and pick-up processes, school parking and a new initiative from the Miami-Dade School Board to encourage carpooling. By having County traffic engineers, school police officers and traffic engineers on-site, the group went from theoretical improvements to real-world possibilities.
One major topic was utilizing some “dead space” parallel to the Coral Reef Playground as additional parking. This could move lots of cars off the street and into the lot during heavy drive-time. The land is owned by Palmetto Bay and with the blessing of the Council and a combined budget process by the Village and the School Board, it could be done relatively quickly.
The group endeavors to do as much as possible before school gets back in session, with additional work to continue during the school year.
Junior Olympics Dream
When you first see 7-year old Sky Arnold-Brown, you are struck by her beaming smile that exudes confidence. I encountered Sky outside the Publix at US-1 and SW 146th Street in the mid-July sweltering heat when she simply held out a cup and asked, “Will you help me run?”
Sky, who attends Caribbean Elementary School in South Miami Heights, is collecting money to compete in the Junior Olympics. The 5-day event is in Houston, Texas and she needs $1000 to pay her way to attend.
Sky’s neck was adorned with about a dozen metals and ribbons. “I have more at home,” she adds. Her favorite track event is the 1500-meter run. She boasts, “I run faster than a jet! I’m all about the long distances.” You can tell, Sky loves what she does and puts all of her slender frame into her sport.
“Coach [David Jacque] makes us run for 20 straight minutes and that’s really hard,” explains Sky, “But its fun too. I even like the 3000.” When asked what Sky plans to do in life, she replied, “I want to be a coach and teach kids how to be fast.”
If you see Sky at Publix, consider helping her achieve her goal. With her drive and personality, it’s clear to me that she’s already going places in life.
You can also donate to the school’s cause at Goulds Panthers’ Gofundme link: www.gofundme.com/GouldsPanthers#.
Palmetto Bay Business Association hosts candidates’ forum
If you want to learn about the candidates for the upcoming County and local races, the Palmetto Bay Business Association is hosting a Candidates’ Forum at their monthly lunch meeting, August 4th.
The general public is invited to come on out to Christ Fellowship (8900 SW 168 Street) at 11:45 p.m. and enjoy a catered lunch, meet many of the key business people in the area and hear about the candidates for upcoming elections for both Miami-Dade County as well as Palmetto Bay.
At present, the PBBA is finalizing the list of candidates running in the following election categories: Miami Mayor, Miami-Dade Property Appraiser, Miami-Dade County Commissioner District 9 Seat, Miami-Dade County Clerk, Palmetto Bay Vice Mayor, Palmetto Bay Council Seat 2 and State Representative.
In order to ensure the PBBA has enough food and seats, they ask that you please email pbbaonline@gmail.com. The cost of the event is $30 and covers the meal and supports this worthy community association.
Real Estate Update
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Hal Feldman (MiamiHal) is a Realtor with RE/MAX Advance Realty. You can contact him with your story ideas or real estate questions at www.MiamiHal.com, Hal@MiamiHal.com or www.facebook.com/MiamiHal.
