Vol. 5, No. 9 I’M NOT YOUR BORING NEWSPAPER | www.facebook.com/INYBN
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Serving the Gables, the Roads, Key Biscayne, Downtown MIA, Edgewater, Midtown, Morningside, Miami Shores and all of South FL • Dec. 5, 2018 – Jan. 8, 2019
A Booming Coconut Grove Makes for a Busy Business Improvement District (BID)
New Coral Gables City Manager Ready to Take The Bull By the Horns By: Susan Alvarez susaalvare@aol.com
The Coconut Grove BID is a board of the City of Miami dedicated to protecting and enhancing the vitality of Coconut Grove’s commercial core. [PPhoto courtesy of Coconut Grove B.I.D. ]
By: Liz Kobak Liz@INYBN.com
From a favorite haunt for musicians, artists, and bohemians back in the 1960s to a nightlife destination drawing everyone from celebrities such as Michael Jackson to University of Miami students— Coconut Grove is sure to evoke fond memories in those who visited or grew up in the lush, historic enclave. Today, as the Grove welcomes a wave of new residential and commercial development, one agency is tasked with protecting and enhancing the vitality of neighborhood’s commercial core while keeping its quirky character intact: the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District (BID). Formed by independent property owners and merchants in 2009, the BID has developed a variety of programs to ensure the district’s cleanliness and security, fund marketing projects, sponsor special events, undertake beautification efforts and make capital improvements to keep the Grove looking and feeling great. The BID plans on investing millions of dollars into upcoming priorities — including $1.3 million toward burying FPL utility lines, $105,000 toward Freebee services, $1.8 million for the restoration of sidewalks along Main Highway, $100,000 toward improvements at Peacock Park, and a $3 million contribution for a parking garage at the Coconut Grove Playhouse. “Coconut Grove has the distinction Continued on page 10
When Coral Gables needed to fill the available City Manager position, Commissioners did not need to look any further than their own workforce. With more than 35 years of engineering and construction experience in the private and public sectors, Peter Iglesias was a great fit and the ideal candidate for the post and as such, was unanimously appointed on the 25th of September by the City Commission. Before being named City Manager, Iglesias previously assumed the capacity of Assistant City Manager for Operations and Infrastructure/Building Official of
Coral Gables since 2016. Prior to that, he served as Senior Director of Building, Planning and Zoning, Historical and IT/Horizontal Integration at City of Miami for three and a half years. Iglesias says of his new appointment: “I am responsible for the day-to-day management of a full-service municipality, 1,100 full and part-time employees, a $195 million general operating budget and a five-year capital plan of about $220 million.” According to its website, Coral Gables or “The City
Age-Friendly Initiative Calls for Wiser Treatment of Older Adults Peter Iglesias was unanimously appointed to the position of City Manager by the City Commission. [Photo courtesy of City of Coral Gables]
treats everyone with respect, regardless of their age. Along these lines, the Miami-Dade Age-Friendly Initiative is aiming to make “Miami great for all ages,” says initiative manager, Isabel Rovira, MPH, “so people can age gracefully and healthfully.” Furthermore, the collaborative effort focuses “on sustainable changes in order to create a community where older adults of all ages can stay active, engaged, and healthy with dignity and enjoyment.” Within that framework, older adults would have access to outdoor spaces
Beautiful”, as it is known, serves some 51,000 residents, has more than 11 million square feet of office space and over 10,000 businesses. Coral Gables is home to the University of Miami’s main campus, which boasts more than 18,000 undergraduate and graduate students and 14,000 employees. It appears that Iglesias has leaped right into his new post and hit the ground running. When asked if there were any new initiatives, programs or projects that he might have in mind for the Gables, he explained, “We are working on several important projects, among them the construction of the Public Safety Building on Salzedo and Alcazar. Next to it, a new Garage 7 will be constructed to address the growing demand for public parking in the North Ponce area. The renovation of Fire Station 2 and the construction of a new
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Miami-Dade County supervisors set a goal of making the county age friendly. [Photo courtesy of Isabel Kilzi Rovira]
By: Liz Kobak Liz@INYBN.com
Why is it that as a person ages, a misconception falls over that individual that his or her life has less significance than someone with youth on his or her side? This common misconception is just what the Miami-Dade Age-Friendly Initiative is attempting to counter. Founded by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Age-Friendly World project is focused on enabling people of all ages to actively participate in community activities and