Letter to Mayor and Commissioners: Seventeen is Enough!

Mayor Matti Bower and
Members of the City Commission
City of Miami Beach
1700 Convention Center Drive
Miami Beach, Florida 33139

Re: Flamingo Park Tennis Facilities

Dear Mayor Bower and Commissioners:

The Flamingo Park Neighborhood Association favors the plan for tennis facilities adopted by the City Commission on September 9, 2009 and approved by the Historic Preservation Board at its last meeting.

The adopted plan calls for seventeen tennis courts and a new tennis building facility placed along the central axis across from the Swimming Pool. The plan was a result of well over a year of active professional input by Wolfberg Alvarez and extensive dialogue on what would be best for the whole community. Many, many options were considered and scores of meetings were held at the neighborhood and community level, in the Finance and City wide Projects Committee as well as discussion and action by the City Commission. We think a good result emerged and should be advanced into implementation.

SEVENTEEN IS ENOUGH!

As noted by the testimony and findings at the Historic Preservation Board, there are many uses and functions that are accommodated – even celebrated -- within Flamingo Park. It is important that these be balanced and guided by the history and aesthetic of the park plan. We have been advocates of the park as an important green open space amenity within a very urban, fully developed neighborhood. We certainly recognize the importance of the park as an active recreational venue and understand and support the goal of balancing the many intended uses and functions of the park. Seventeen courts certainly provide adequate tennis facilities for use by residents of the neighborhood and the City.

SEVENTEEN IS ENOUGH!

Flamingo Neighborhood Projects have experience substantial delay in implementation:  Delay in Flamingo stormwater drainage and water/sewage project while Ocean Drive is complete. Delay in Flamingo streetscape improvement projects while Washington Avenue is complete. Delay in the Flamingo Park project while South Point Park is complete.

We have been good neighbors and we have supported the bond issue and Ocean / Washington / SoFi communities, but surely our turn has come. Reopening this project to additional discussion, planning and redesign will result in another delay of work in our neighborhood. If even more courts are needed we would support the City in its expressed intention to fund such additional courts on school property, on the Par Three property, at Polo Park and/or elsewhere. Certainly, we too want what’s very best for our school children, as well.

ALL WE ARE SAYING IS FOR FLAMINGO -- SEVENTEEN IS ENOUGH!

It’s just good business to make a plan and then implement it. It’s just good government to move from the adopted plan into project implementation. Let’s learn a lesson from the National Agenda and embrace a clarion call for the fierce urgency of now in the implementation of projects in Flamingo – Tennis Projects, Park Projects, Stormwater projects, Water and sewage projects and Streetscape projects.

We urge you to move forward in the implementation of the existing adopted plan with seventeen courts at Flamingo Park….now.

Sincerely,

Denis Russ for
Flamingo Park Neighborhood Association.