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Palmetto Bay AUGUST 18 - 24, 2009_____________________________________www.communitynewspapers.com ______________________________
Design-build team selected for village’s municipal center
ARCHITECTURAL RENDERING OF PROPOSED VILLAGE MUNICIPAL CENTER
BY BILL KRESS he mayor and council gave the village manager a thumbs up to proceed with negotiations to design-build Palmetto Bay’s future municipal center in the village’s emerging downtown district. Expected
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completion date is just over one year from now. “This building represents a 50- to 75year commitment for the village,” Mayor Eugene Flinn said during the Aug. 6 special council meeting. “The project is much more than bricks and mortar — it is our vision, the center of the communi-
ty, a tangible representation of our commitment in public investment that will drive private investment in this important area of our village.” Presentations were offered at the council meeting by the three highestranked firms. Ultimately Master Builders of South Florida and JMWA
Village teen makes top two in TV dance show BY GARY ALAN RUSE randon Joshua Bryant, 19, a resident of Palmetto Bay, was one of the top two finalists on So You Think You Can Dance, the 12-week national dance competition from the producers of American Idol. The show, which had thousands of hopeful dancers competing in auditions in a dozen or so major cities, narrowed down the field to 200 competitors appearing in Las Vegas, before selecting 20 for the “real” competition in Hollywood. On Aug. 7, after eliminations had nar-
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Brandon Bryant (left) is pictured with Jeanine Mason of Pinecrest and show host Cat Deeley. (Photo courtesy of Fox)
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DANCE, page 4
Architects were selected as the designbuild team. The future village hall will be built at the site of the former Neighbors Market in the Franjo Triangle Island mixed-use district, at 9705 E. Hibiscus St., along S. Dixie Highway (US1) between E. Hibiscus and E. Guava streets.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue gets $284,404 grant from FEMA BY LEE STEPHENS
he U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded $572,671 from the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program to local fire departments and organizations in the state of Florida. Among them Miami-Dade Fire Rescue received $284,404 for fire prevention. Nationally, the fiscal year (FY) 2008 AFG awards will provide approximately $500 million to fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service organizations throughout the country. “This direct funding is essential to train and equip
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––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– See
FEMA, page 4