The City of Coral Gables hosted a Town Hall meeting on June 28 that covered a variety of topics including discussion of transportation and the Streetscape project.
City Commissioner Vince Lago sponsored the evening meeting at the Adult Activities Center, 2 Andalusia Avenue, which opened September 2016.
Some 60 people attended the gathering at which a panel comprised of city manager Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark; her two assistants, Frank Fernandez and Peter Iglesias; Police Chief Ed Hudak; Public Works director Ed Santamaria and his assistant, Jessica Keller. Each panel member spoke briefly.
Lago introduced the speakers and welcomed everyone. The special guest speaker was County Commission chair Esteban Bovo Jr. who spoke about transportation issues around the county.
“We do this twice a year. It’s for transparency and to have input from the community, as well as to ‘test the temperature’ of residents and businesses,” Lago said in an interview before the meeting.
He also mentioned in his opening remarks that city reserves have skyrocketed to approximately $40 million, that it’s the first city in Florida to place a ban on plastic bags, and that they are requiring new buildings to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. He added that the crime rate has been reduced and that in February of last year the city launched a comprehensive transportation plan.
Swanson-Rivenbark spoke about improving resident quality of life and said that the city has more than 850 full-time employees and a Triple A credit rating.
“We can’t have quality of life without finances,” Swanson-Rivenbark said.
Next, Fernandez, assistant city manager for Public Safety, spoke about police patrols, public safety aides and neighborhood team leaders.
Hudak said that he doesn’t like to rely on statistics but that there have been significant improvements.
“Our goal is to make this the safest city in Miami-Dade County.”
Iglesias, in charge of Operations & Infrastructure, gave a presentation about the ongoing Streetscape Project affecting Miracle Mile and Giralda Avenue. Construction delays have had merchants and property owners in those areas concerned about lower business revenues.
Iglesias said that portions of the project will be completed by the end of July and that problems caused by master drainage pipe delays are being resolved, which will help things move forward faster now.
“Everything should be completed by January of next year,” Iglesias said. “Giralda will be closed to traffic for two years to look at the dining aspect of it.”
Santamaria spoke about regular maintenance and special projects, including renovations of Coral Gables Fountain, Merrick House and Venetian Pool.
Keller talked about a strategic action plan for Public Works, talks with a manufacturer in Puerto Rico who is producing non-plastic bags made of tapioca to replace those recently banned by the commission, and a pedestrian awareness campaign with street signs to educate both drivers and pedestrians in the city.
Bovo Jr. spoke about transportation initiatives such as the SMART (Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit) Plan and showed a video about how it involves Metrorail, express buses and connections with other regions. He said he was frustrated that the half penny tax for the People’s Transportation Plan had not yielded the results hoped for years ago.
“That was a fundamental failure on behalf of the county not to fulfill that promise to expand Metrorail,” Bovo said.
He sai he is dedicated to improving the transportation system and talked about the Kendall Corridor, South Corridor, Miami Beach Corridor and other areas.
“There is not a politician in Miami-Dade County who does not understand that transportation is our biggest problem,” he said.
Lago opened the remainder of the meeting to a question and answer session. Most resident questions revolved around police patrols, the hiring of more police officers (Chief Hudak said he wants more officers but only those that meet all the requirements.), and how transportation issues will affect traffic in their areas.
There were no questions or comments about the Streetscape project, and if there were merchants attending the meeting they did not make their presence known.
For information about upcoming meetings and events, visit www.coralgables.com.
