Bicentennial Park: A wake-up call for community

BY R. KENNETH BLUH

We don't seem to care about anything we own, that is until someone wants to take it away from us. Bicentennial Park has sat there, overgrown with weeds, a home for the homeless -- and no one cared.

One person who does care is Greg Bush, president of the Public Parks Coalition of Miami-Dade. One other person cares, and that is John Henry who wants to convert it into a baseball park.

I remember the park when it was first developed, when my children, who now have children, were young. It was a great place to spread a blanket and watch the world go by. Then something happened. To tell you the truth I don't know what it was, but we stopped going downtown to the park on the bay.

The park degenerated into a haven for the homeless. The next thing I remember was Ralph Sanchez and his Miami Grand Prix. That was thrilling. But it cut up the park so badly that it was, in fact, no longer a park.

Today no one would go to Bicentennial unless they were looking for a place to build a cardboard shelter under a tree and out of sight of the police.

The Public Parks Coalition of Miami Dade, under to leadership of Greg Bush, has started to turn the problem around. It seems that now everyone, except the Florida Marlins, wants to keep the ballpark out of Bicentennial Park. The prospect of losing this un-cut diamond is more than the community is willing to accept.

But just wanting to save this gem is not going to do the trick. Greg, and the coalition, put together a walk in the park on Saturday, Jan. 8, titled "Wake-up Walk of Freedom for Bicentennial Park." An impressive tour, attended by Miami-Dade Commissioner Jimmy Morales, City of Miami Commissioners Art Teele Jr. and Johnny Winton, and announced City of Miami mayoral candidate Maurice Ferre. Susan Delehanty, head of the Miami Art Museum; George Neary from the Greater Miami Convention Bureau, and Niel Fritz from the Downtown Development Authority, also walked the park. Everyone, about 100 in total, agreed -- keep Bicentennial Park just that, a park.

Everything was perfect. Nature was on the side of the coalition. It was making its contribution to saving the park. Just off shore dolphins were jumping in the bay. Manatees cruised along the shore. The sky was blue. What a great location for an in-city park. I agree with Greg -- the time has come. Let's not waste such a valuable asset. This site belongs to the public.

Bush is asking the public for suggestions on how to develop the park. Several architects already have offered preliminary drafts. The preservation of the park could very well, after years of neglect, turn into a turf battle between the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County. It seems like the community has just discovered that the park exists.

Bush is trying to create public pressure and develop political interest in bringing together Biscayne Bay fronting parks and historical sites into one Master Plan. From what I understand, Miami Commissioner Teele is well on the way to creating such a plan.

It was Art Teele who counseled John Henry on where to build. He advised building just west of the boulevard, there he would be able to take advantage of adjacent property tax revenue increases to retire a bond issue -- the best financing deal to date for the Marlins.

Parks belong to the public. They must be protected for the public, by the public. Please call Greg Bush and pledge your support. He can be contacted at 305-667-4398; his fax is 305-667-9080. Call him. The coalition needs your participation.

Miami-Dade Charter Review Task Force conducted its first scheduled meeting on Friday, Jan. 7. Interestingly, the group did not have a quorum. The members could meet but not make any decisions. Can you imagine how creative they will be. Seven of the 13 commissioners appointed themselves to the commission. Talk about independent thinking. I wonder if they would make a charter correction that might adversely effect them.

Commissioner Morales was the only commissioner who appointed a member who is a strong supporter of incorporation. You can bet that there will not be any charter changes that help the incorporation movement. My hat is off to you, Commissioner Morales. I don't think your fellow commissioners are happy with that appointment.

The task force meets every other week. The next meeting is scheduled for Jan. 21, 10 a.m.-noon, in the Stephen P. Clark Government Center Building, second floor. The subject: Presentations from prior Charter reform activists and community leaders and review of the Citizen's Bill of Rights, Article 2 (Elections).

Meetings are open to the public. Want to guess how many members of the community attended the first meeting? One, that's right, just one person. A member of LINC (Let's Incorporate Now Coalition) and member of the Palmetto Bay Community Council -- Marsha Matson, a faculty member at the University of Miami. You can attend. Why don't you? You can see your government in progress.

R. Kenneth Bluh may be contacted at PO Box 431219, Miami, FL 33243-1219; telephone, 305-271-7593; fax, 305-595-3945; e-mail, <rkbluh@aksi.net>.

Opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of Community Newspapers. Your comments are welcome.