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 | Galvin Appears on "The Herntz Phanord Show" On Sunday, July 27, tune in to "The Herntz Phanord Show" at Noon to watch Councilman Galvin discuss a wide-variety of North Miami issues. The show is only available on the web at www.pikliztv.com.
Herntz Phanord has long been one of South Florida's foremost Haitian-American radio hosts. His popularity has now earned him an internet-based TV show that appears every Sunday, between Noon and 1:00 pm.
Galvin and Phanord will talk about upcoming City budget cuts, the November ballot questions, new schools, and much more. Watch the show at www.pikliztv.com.
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| Difficult News as Starbucks Announces NoMi Closing We pushed for years to get it, but unfortunately, our NoMi Starbucks, located at 750 NE 125 Street, seems to have been short-lived. Starbucks' corporate offices recently announced that the store, which was underperforming, would be closed sometime between now and the start of 2009.
The store opened to great fanfare in December of 2006. Community leaders saw it as a boon for the NoMi Arts District, long planned to be a destination point for arts and entertainment. The bold taste of Starbucks' coffee seemed they would be a perfect fit for the area.
City leaders are not giving up the store without a fight. The Mayor, City Manager, CRA Director and others are reaching out to Starbucks in hopes that some arrangement might be reached. Should the store close, many in the area will be disappointed.
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| Over 500 U.S. Flags Given in "Grand Old Giveaway" Though it was only in its first year, the 2008 "Grand Old Flag Giveaway," sponsored by Councilman Galvin and Freedom Flag & Banner was a huge success. Over 500 North Miami residents picked up American flags to fly on their homes. This shows that U.S. patriotism is strong in North Miami!
The program started on U.S. Flag Day (June 14) and ended on Independence Day (July 4), The flags were 3'x5' and made in America. They included a bracket and all necessary parts to hang the flag.
"I was very happy with the number of people who came to get flags," said Councilman Galvin. "Thousands of our soldiers are fighting overseas. In November, we will elect a new President. What better way to demonstrate the greatness of our nation than to fly as many flags city-wide as possible."
Freedom Flag & Banner is a North Miami business which specializes in flags of all types. They are also a member of the Greater North Miami Chamber of Commerce.
Residents picking up flags also donated products to be shipped to U.S. service members. Items like body wash, deoderant, and toothpaste will be sent to the U.S. Army's 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Charlie Company, currently stationed in Iraq.
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| Budget Cuts to be Largest in Recent Years The City of North Miami, like all other cities and government entities, faces this year a budget crisis unprecedented in recent years. In January, Florida voters approved a doubling of the Homestead Exemption. Additionally, property tax values and State tax revenues have both declined.
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| North Miami to Adopt 4/10 Work Week At the suggestion of Mayor Burns and the support of City Manager Patterson, the City of North Miami will adopt a 4/10 work week, starting September 1st. Employees will work 4 days per week, for 10 hours per day. |
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| CSI North Miami - A Forensic Adventure for Kids During June and July, the North Miami Police Department has hosted a fun, yet educational, event for kids ages 8-12. Entitled, "CSI North Miami: A Forensic Adventure," it teaches kids how North Miami's finest catch the bad guys. Capitalizing on popular Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) television shows, the seminars teach kids about DNA, fingerprints, and other related topics.
For a video of the kids and police in action, click here.
"CSI North Miami: A Forensic Adventure" continues through July 21. It is held at the North Miami Public Library, 835 NE 132 Street, from 10:00 am - 12 Noon. For more info, call the Library at 305-891-5535.
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| City of North Miami Donates Surplus Vehicles to Port-de-Paix By a 5-0 vote
at its June 24th meeting, the North Miami City Council decided to donate
three surplus vehicles to the government of the City of Port-de-Paix,
Haiti.
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It is an icon
in North Miami’s history that had seen better days. Most of the
current students at North Miami Senior High did not even know that it
existed. The Frog Pond -- a meeting place, a hang-out for students of
eras past – had become dilapidated and overgrown with shrubbery.
It was hard to even see the frogs hidden in the greenery. Thanks to the
generosity of Pirtle Construction Company, working with the City of North
Miami, the frog pond is back and better than ever! click on an image to make it larger
For a video tour of the Frog Pond, click here
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| North Miami Water Rates Adjusted; Small Businesses Benefit The North
Miami City Council recently voted to adjust the Capital Improvement Fees
in the Utility Bill in a way that spreads costs in a more-equitable manner.
Those with smaller meters will pay less, while those with larger meters
will pay more.
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| Ordinance Limiting Short-Term Rentals Passes I am proud
that an ordinance I sponsored was approved by a 5-0 vote of the City Council.
That new rule prohibits the rental of single-family residential dwellings
for any period less than 3 months. This means that homeowners can no longer
rent their homes as "party homes" for outsiders to come use
for a weekend or a week...or anything else less than three months. |
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New Fire Station Coming to North Miami! Thanks to
the North Miami City Council, the Community Redevelopment Agency, and
Miami-Dade County, a new fire station will soon be built within city limits.
To be built at 13810 NE 5 Avenue, "Fire Station #18" will be
located on City land, which is being leased to the County for $1 per year.
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| Here's How You Can Donate Products for US Troops Until 5:00 pm on Thursday, July 3rd, we will be collecting the following products to be shipped to members of the U.S. Army's 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Charlie Company, currently stationed in Iraq. Items must be unopened and delivered to the North Miami City Council Chambers, located on the 2nd Floor at City Hall, 776 NE 125 Street.
Products being accepted are:
-skin moisturizers
-sun block and sun screen
-body and hand lotion
-hand sanitizer
-lip balm
-shaving cream and razors
-deodorant
-body wash
-wash cloth
-nail clippers
-toothbrush and toothpaste
-comb and pic
-moist wipes
-Nutrition snacks
-beef jerky
-protein shakes (powder only)
-Gatorade or Powerade (powder only)
-candy
-black socks (for use with boots)
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Walk into a re-creation of Interama— Miami ’s futuristic fair of the Americas from the 1960s. Under development for decades, Interama was never built but captured the imagination of planners, architects and public officials during an era when Miami increasingly perceived itself as a hemispheric crossroads. See for the first time Interama drawings by such world-renowned figures as architectural renderer Hugh Ferriss and architects Marcel Breuer and Louis Kahn. Visitors of all ages will enjoy a multi-sensory environment filled with video projections, computer interactive and hands-on activities related to design, social change and politics in post-World War II Miami and the Americas . Guest curated by Allan Shulman and Jean-Francois Lejeune, professors of architecture at the University of Miami Historical Museum of Southern Florida, 101 West Flagler St., Downtown Miami, 305.375.1492, www.hmsf.org
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| Seat Belt Awareness Campaign: Click-it or Ticket/Buckle Up for Life
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| City Council Approves 5 Ballot Measures for November 2008 Election; Charter Changes Pending At our May 14th meeting, the City Council passed along to the voters a series of potential Charter changes. Voters will be allowed to either pass or deny the measures on the November 4th ballot, when our nation will also be electing a new President. Here are the measures all of us will get to vote on: Changing the dates of the election also means extending by 18 months the terms of those already in office.
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| Expanded Commercial Use at Biscayne Landing Approved By a 4-1 vote
on April 22nd, the North Miami City Council has approved Boca Developers
to expand their plans for commercial uses at the Biscayne Landing site.
The new plans will allow for 1,300,000 square-feet of commercial space.
Previously, only 400,000 square-feet had been approved.
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For over two years, the City of North Miami has provided domestic partner benefits to all city employees regardless of gender and sexual orientation. We have also unanimously adopted a procurement ordinance requiring contractors wishing to do business with the City to provide equal health benefits to domestic partners in their companies. Additionally, we have created a successful Downtown Arts District, anchored by our Museum of Contemporary Art and many other restaurants and galleries.
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| Affordable Housing Advisory Committee Wanted
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| Councilman Galvin Secures New Park
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| North Miami's Natural Bridge Elementary Steel Drum Band Featured on NBC Nightly News The City of North Miami couldn't be more proud of the students at Natural Bridge Elementary! Several kids are part of a Steel Drum Band that uses the power of music to motivate kids toward better grades. Recently, the band was featured on NBC Nightly News. Click here to watch the story. Principal Janice Hutson and Instructor Elizabeth Flocker-Aming have brought the band to life. This is just the type of wonderful program that should be encouraged in our schools. Click here to learn more about Natural Bridge Elementary.
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| Galvin Proposes Employees Get "Community Service Leave" Galvin Proposes Employees Get "Community Service Leave" Policy Would Allow Greater Participation in Community
At the February 26th City Council meeting, Councilman Galvin will ask the City to adopt a policy allowing City employees to take one day of paid "Community Service Leave" per year. Employees would be able to take up-to-eight hours to volunteer with their favorite local cause. Maybe the Parks Department will decide to help the North Miami Foundation for Senior Citizens' Services. Perhaps Public Works will want to assist youth at NANAY. Or join the North Miami Jaycees.
Whatever charity employees choose to assist, this policy will foster greater bonds with our community. Employees will be free to donate their time while having some fun in the process. Several local corporations already have this policy in place for their workers.
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| Water and Sewer Rates Raised Slightly to Pay for New Facility The Water treatment plant that provides North Miami with fresh, clean water was built in 1963, when John F. Kennedy was still in the White House. Since then, its pumps have run continuously, making sure that we have the water we need to wash our clothes and nourish our bodies. After four decades, however, the facility is deteriorating. Pipes are rusting, wiring is exposed, and the plant is in danger of ceasing to work. If it were to stop working, we only have the capacity to store up-to-2-hours-worth of water. After that, we'd all be buying our water from the supermarket for up-to-three months while replacement parts were specially made. That's why the city council has voted to raise Water and Sewer rates slightly. We will use some of the money for immediate repairs, while other funds will be used to construct a brand-new facility. The overall increase which was approved is $179.76 annually. Monthly, that breaks down to an increase of $14.98. Quarterly, that equals $44.94. It was also pointed out by staff that the $179.76 amount will also go down if and when the city receives any Federal, State, or County grant to help build the new water plant. It is likely that we will receive such grants, but we were prohibited from applying for any before we had set up our own funding stream to address the issue. Also, the amount will further reduce as new residences are built in the city (for instance, at Biscayne Landing). With new residences in place, the overall cost will be distributed over more water customers. Here's a breakdown of what the funds are needed for:
Here is a summary of the grants applied for to-date. As we receive grants, the amount you and I pay on our utility bills will come down: FEDERAL GRANTS STATE GRANTS SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT GRANTSALTERNATIVE WATER SUPPLY PROGRAM In May 2007, the city requested a grant in the amount of $736,000 for Phase 1 of the water plant expansion with a total project cost of $1,800,000. The city was awarded $45,400. The application for the next funding cycle will be due June 2, 2008; the city will be applying for a subsequent phase of this project. For additional info, please click here.
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| Defeat the 'Marriage Protection Amendment' In November, voters across Florida will cast ballots on the 'Marriage Protection Amendment.' I ask you to vote against the measure. It is discriminatory and would roll-back rights now being offered to non-married couples. The amendment reads:"Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substational equivalent thereof shal be valid or recognized." This language clearly intends to ban a lot more than same-sex marriage. This amendment would ban civil unions, and could likely ban domestic partnerregistries throughout Florida and end domestic partner benefits in the We don't need archaic attitudes like this added to the language of the Florida Constitution. This is the 21st Century. Please defeat the so-called 'Marriage Amendment.'
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| Let's Take our FPL Fight to Tallahassee!
Dear Friends, By now, you've seen the ugly, monstrous Transmission Lines erected in our City by Florida Power & Light. Thank you for everything you did to fight them. It is absolutely unacceptable that FPL was allowed to scar our neighborhoods with these horrible poles. Though we lost the battle to stop the poles from being erected in North Miami, I am going to continue our fight by taking the issue to the Florida Legislature. The biggest reason we were unable to halt FPL is that Florida law does not allow cities like North Miami to challenge them. We could not sue. We could not demand background information as to why this route was chosen. We could not stop them...because the Florida Legislature gives us no recourse. In hopes of providing relief for future situations like this, I will be asking the North Miami City Council on March 25th to support a Resolution asking the Legislature to do the following: · Amend Section 403.524 and require all electrical utilities to seek certification for all transmission lines, without exceptions; and· Require electrical utilities to notify municipalities of proposed sites for transmission lines and full disclosure of the method utilized to determine the route of the transmission lines and efforts taken to de-minimize the impact on the municipality affected; and· Empower the Florida Public Service Commission to hear disputes between electrical utilities and municipalities regarding transmission lines routes; and· Authorize the filing of civil litigation by a municipality to challenge the siting of transmission lines under certain conditions. I am confident the City Council will support this measure. I will then take it to our Florida Representatives, our Florida State Senators, the office of Governor Crist, and the Florida League of Cities. We must demand that they change a law that is unfair to citizens like me and you. There must be recourse that provides for a balanced, measured discussion when poles like these are proposed. We must fight to make sure this doesn't happen again in North Miami...and that it can't happen in other cities, either. Thanks for your support,
Scott Galvin North Miami City Council www.scott-galvin.com |
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Lake Okeechobee is at its lowest level in recorded history. Rainfall amounts are not keeping pace with development throughout South Florida. We are on water restrictions.
The South Florida Water Management District is working hard to get us to conserve our most basic and precious natural resource. You, too, can do your part. To learn what you can do to conserve water around the home and office, click here.
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| Criteria Studios is the Soundtrack of Your Life One of North Miami's best-kept secrets is the Criteria Recording Studio, which this year marks its 50th anniversary. Inside Criteria, many legendary songs have been recorded. It was there that James Brown sang "I Feel Good," and where Eric Clapton belted "Layla." Aretha Franklin was "Young, Gifted, and Black." The Bee Gees laid down Saturday Night Fever. "Hotel California?" Yup, Criteria!
Britney Spears even cooed "Oops, I Did it Again" right here in our city. Thanks to the Miami Herald, you can listen to a jukebox of Criteria hits by clicking here.Happy Anniversary, Criteria!
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| Beautiful New Bus Benches Make Their Debut All across North Miami, beautiful new bus benches have begun to take the place of older, wooden ones. Thanks to our contract with Martin Outdoor Media, residents using public transportation can rest comfortably as they wait for the bus. The new benches will also make our roadsides a little more aesthetically pleasing.
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| Graffiti Ordinance Strengthened at "Emergency" Hearing Normally, a new-or-revised city ordinance requires two public hearings before it can officially be adopted as law. However, in emergency circumstances, the city council has authority to adopt ordinances with only one public hearing, with a 2/3 affirmative vote. The North Miami council did that on November 27, 2007, strengthening our rules regarding graffiti. Under our new rule, effective immediately, non-residential and commercial properties have 48 hours to remove graffiti from their property. Residential property owners must remove grafitti within seven days. With gang activity in South Florida on the increase, "tagging," as it is known, can not be tolerated. We must keep our streets clean.
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| North Miami Councilman Galvin Elected to Serve on AIDS Healthcare Foundation Board of Directors North Miami City Councilman Scott Galvin was elected this week to serve a 3-year term on the Board of Directors for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Galvin joins 20 other board members from across the United States, as well as Africa, India, and other parts of the globe. Based in Los Angeles, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the nation’s largest provider of HIV/AIDS medical care. It offers cutting-edge medicine and advocacy, regardless of ability to pay, to more than 27,000 people in the United States, Africa, Central America and Asia. "This is one of the greatest honors of my career," said Galvin. "I could not believe more strongly in their mission."
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| North Miami Officials Tour "Green" High-Rise in New York City On September 20, 2007, Councilman Galvin, Mayor Burns, and other government officials toured the Solaire Apartments in Battery Park, New York. Joining Galvin and Burns on the one-day visit were Mark Collins, director of Public Works and representatives from the EPA and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office. The 250-unit Solair Apartments continue New York City's trend to reusable, sustainable, and efficient residential development. This specific development was a public/private partnership and is the first "green" residential high-rise building that incorporates advanced materials, energy conservation and water reuse in an urban setting. The development has adopted features that will become a must in the future as populations grow and water resources become limited. Our thanks go to our New York hosts, including American Water, the Battery Park City Authority, and Alliance Environmental. Read more about the Solaire at www.thesolaire.com.
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| "GREEN NORTH MIAMI" Website Launched Want to know how to make your home more environmentally-friendly? Check out a new feature on North Miami's website, www.northmiamifl.gov. On the right-hand column, you'll see a tab entitled "Green North Miami." Click it! You'll learn tips about composting, planting a tree, and more! Keep checking back as we update this brand-new page with great information. North Miami is a true leader in environmentalism.
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| Please Slow Your Boats - Manatee Spotted in Keystone Canal As you head out for an afternoon of fun and recreation, please remember to keep your boats at a safe speed. The photo below is of a manatee seen in the Arch Creek Canal on August 11th. These gentle creatures are regular visitors to the North Miami waterways. Please keep them...and yourself...safe by observing speed limits and "no wake" signs. (Photo courtesy of Anne Novell)
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| "Green Policies" Highlight North Miami's New Comp Plan When North Miami recently approved a new city-wide comprehensive master plan, several new policies were aimed to promote environmental sustainability. Here are some of the "green policies" adopted:
There are dozens of other polices, too, but one can see the commitment from the North Miami city government to preserving our planet.
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| North Miami's Youth Board Offers Many Opportunities The North Miami Youth Opportunity Board is made up of volunteers and students who are concerned about programming for the children of our community. Every year, they offer several chances for accomplishments to be recognized, with prizes and scholarships to be won. Here are a few of their programs:
BILL CARR YOUTH RECOGNITION PROGRAM The Youth Opportunity Board's Bill Carr Youth Recognition Program recognizes students that reside in North Miami or attend North Miami schools for their good citizenship at all grade levels (K-12). This program provides up to six (6) awards to students who display exemplary character. Presentations of the awards are made three times a year (usually February, May and October) at North Miami City Council meetings. EDUCATOR RECOGINITION PROGRAM The Youth Opportunity Board's Educator Recognition Program was recently established to recognize educators in our community that share the Youth Opportunity Board's vision by providing opportunity, training and encouragement to young people. Presentations of the awards are made three times a year (usually February, May and October) at North Miami City Council meetings. LOU SCHICK SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM The Lou Schick Scholarship Program provides cash scholarship awards for North Miami students who have maintained at least a 3.0 high school GPA, plan to attend a college or university, and have demonstrated leadership and academic excellence. Applications are distributed in February and are reviewed/awarded in April/May.
SUMMER INTERN PROGRAM Provides summer employment opportunities for up to 22 high school students ages 16 to 18 who are residents of North Miami and interested in public service. Students work in various City departments where they perform tasks to help them learn about the operations of their local government and provide services to departments in accomplishing projects that may not otherwise be performed. VETERANS' DAY ESSAY CONTEST Provides annual cash awards for middle school and high school students (who reside in North Miami or attend North Miami schools) who participate and are selected as winners in essay contest regarding the meaning of Veterans' Day (in November). Essay winners are recognized at the City's Veterans' Day Ceremony and the first place winner in each level is asked to read a portion of his/her winning essay during the program.
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| "Green Policies" Highlight North Miami's New Comp Plan When North Miami recently approved a new city-wide comprehensive master plan, several new policies were aimed to promote environmental sustainability. Here are some of the "green policies" adopted:
There are dozens of other polices, too, but one can see the commitment from the North Miami city government to preserving our planet.
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| ARCH CREEK EAST ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVE BECOMES A REALITY
By a unanimous 5-0 vote on March 27th, the North Miami city council approved legislation proposed by Councilman Scott Galvin to create the "Arch Creek East Environmental Preserve." The new resolution ensures that 12 acres of bayfront property owned by the city will henceforth be used as an environmental preserve in perpetuity. "I am so proud to have sponsored this act," said Galvin. "And I am proud of my fellow councilmembers for their dedication to protecting our environment." In a society where there is often a rush to develop vacant, bayfront land, the creation of the ACE Preserve marks the commitment of North Miamians to enhance their environment. The local homeowners group, the Arch Creek East Neighborhood Association, strongly supported the move. The new Preserve is located at the easternmost end of NE 135 Street, east of Biscayne Boulevard . It is an area of mangroves and forests, where nearby residents can glimpse egrets, foxes, raccoons, and sometimes a manatee. Just to the north of it is already-protected land that is part of the Oleta River State Recreation Area. The adjoining Arch Creek East neighborhood is a scenic combination of town homes and condominiums where residents often jog or walk their dogs along a tree-lined, grassy median which stretches the length of 135 Street. For an aerial view of the area, see the related story on the "News" page at www.scott-galvin.com. Councilman Galvin added, "...creating the Preserve protects the existing environment and will allow for opportunities to restore native species to the area. Perhaps one day, we'll have a boardwalk allowing residents to walk back into the mangroves. I am so glad we have saved this land."
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| Lexus is Coming to North Miami! Lexus, one of the preiminent car dealerships in the nation, is relocating their flagship location from County Line to North Miami. Soon, thousands of Lexus' will be for sale at 14100 Biscayne Boulevard. The new Lexus automobile full-service dealership and showroom will consist of 228,000 square-feet of covered area and 1,000,000 square-feet of garage space to store their vehicle inventory and accommodate all service areas. The showroom will be a two-story building and the garage, located in the rear, will have five levels. Over 300 new jobs are associated with this new development and business. We welcome Lexus to the North Miami community!
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| Bike Path Will be Constructed on Arch Creek Boulevard
(This photo shows what the proposed bike path would look like) After 3 separate community meetings and a long discussion before the city council, it has been decided that the bike path will be built along Arch Creek Boulevard. The 1.5 mile-long bike path will be located along NE 135 Street, east of Biscayne Boulevard and connecting to the existing FIU bike path. The path will cost approximately $400,000 to build and comes directly from a grant provided by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The issue was heated, but the council agreed with city staff that the path will benefit the area and the city. Also influencing the council was the fact that this bike path was part of a city-wide transportation master plan, designed to lessen vehicular transportation as our city's population grows. It was agreed at the February 27th city council meeting that:
The path will run east-and-westbound along the street, starting and ending at the "Arch Creek East" entrance feature. The bike lane will run to the right of vehicular traffic, closest to swale areas in front of the apartments, condos, and townhouses.
Under FDOT regulations, the car lanes must be 11-feet-wide, while the bike path must measure an additional 4-feet in width. Since most of the street is already at least 15-feet-wide, no changes will be made to street as it exists, except for striping on the street which would mark the path. However, in some spots, the designer of the path stated that up-to one foot of width might need to be taken from the swales to make the street wide enough.
For information regarding the impetus for the bike path as well as a copy of the resolution which authorized the bike path, a map of the City’s entire bicycle network and a picture of what the proposed path may eventually look like, visit http://www.northmiamifl.gov/business/planning_development/planning/index.asp
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| Housing is a Hot Topic in North Miami One of the biggest issues we've been addressing in
North Miami is housing. The need for affordable and workforce housing in Dade County has been well-documented. Our
Development Agreement with Biscayne Landing calls for new housing to be created throughout the city. Thus, I want to
bring you up-to-date with much of what's been happening on housing issues. Pioneer Gardens - Located at NE 137 Street and 5
Avenue, Pioneer Gardens will be 136 townhome units developed by the city and our CRA. An image of the development is below
and for more detail on how they'll be constructed, visit http://www.northmiamicra.org/housing/pioneer.asp. The city has decided to develop 68 of the townhomes as
"Affordable Housing" units, with a sale price of $222,200. The remaining 68 will be "Workforce Housing" units, selling
for $289.000. Subsidies will be available for qualified North Miami residents who have lived in the city since the
beginning of 2005. For a look at the participant requirements, visit http://www.northmiamicra.org/housing/.
(click on image to see the larger version)
Other Projects - It is important that we not put
all our eggs in the Pioneer Gardens basket. There are other projects on which we should work, too.
Audit of the North Miami CRA - Our CRA has been
functioning for just about a year now. An audit completed by an independent firm is about to be conducted. The
results should be available in February 2007.
King Apartments - I had a great meeting with the owners of the King Apartments in late November. King owns 25 multi-family buildings throughout North Miami. Several years ago, I visited several of their properties and found less-than-optimum conditions. I'm very happy to report that things are extremely improved at the places I've just visited. Units are having windows repaired and railings refurbished. Gone are the garish yellow exteriors, replaced with shades of beige and lush landscaping. Elevators are being replaced and lighting is improved. Some units are even being converted to condominiums. I give credit to the Chelminsky family for working to upgrade their properties!
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| Four Olympic Sports Agree to Make North Miami Their Headquarters At their November 14, 2006, meeting, the North Miami city
council approved agreements with the National Governing Boards (NGBs) of 4 sports which are part of the Olympic
games. US Fencing, USA Wresting, US Judo, and USA Taekwondo have agreed to make the city of North Miami their training
headquarters.
"Of our many accomplishments in recent years, this is
perhaps our biggest," said Councilman Scott Galvin. "Long after other projects have faded in memory, this Training
Facility will continue to bring prestige and dollars to our city."
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| Homeowner Assistance Plan Takes Shape As many of you remember, I had proposed some ideas a few
months ago that I thought would help improve the quality of housing in North Miami. I'm still pursuing some of those
ideas, including the inspections of apartments that have been converted to condos. However, a few of my ideas have now
come into reality, specifically home-improvement programs and emergency rental assistance for low-income displaced
residents. Here are some highlights from the North Miami 2007 HUD
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Home Investment Partnership (HOME) Programs:
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Months ago,
I noticed the state of disrepair that many of our city's bus benches were
in. Contracted to be maintained by a private company, dozens were
broken, with cracked concrete bases and fractured or missing wooden backs.
The situation led to several heated discussions at city council meetings.
Now, I'm proud to announce that North Miami has contracted with a new bench company, Martin Outdoor Media. Hundreds of new benches will be installed across the city in the coming months. Additionally, new bus shelters are being placed at high-traffic locations, like in our NoMi Arts District on 125 Street.
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About 3 years ago, I became very concerned with the conditions of several North Miami apartment buildings. As I walked their halls, I saw exposed wiring, leaking sewage pipes, broken lights, and far worse. As a result, I coordinated city staff to perform unannounced housing inspections of apartment buildings. Several citations were written, but a certain politician who shall remain unnamed helped bring the inspections to an end when lobbied by angry building owners.Well, good things come to those who wait and I'm proud to announce that those inspections have begun again! City code and police inspectors, with
assistance from state and county agencies, have started to tour North
Miami's apartment buildings checking to make sure they meet minimum Already, several code violations have been issued and a few civil citations written. Inspectors will continue their work on a never-ending cycle as we take steps to assure the quality of living of all North Miamians. I'm excited that the current city administrators and staff support this effort. In the end, it benefits us all to have apartment buildings that are clean, safe, and something of which we can all be proud.
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| Permitting
Gets Easier with Walk-Thru Process | ||||||||
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Appointments Made to CRA Advisory Committee To help manage North Miami's new Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), an advisory committee made up of local residents and businesspersons has been established. That committee will make recommendations to the governing board (city council) regarding steps that need to be taken. Each member of the governing board (council person) is allowed to appoint one resident and one technical/businessperson to the committee.
Appointments thusfar include:
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| Galvin
Announces He's Gay; Speaks Out on National Political Climate |
