By Bari Auerbach

Always cooking up plans to make “the best even better” in Sunny Isles Beach, the City Commission is putting community enhancements, capital improvements and beautification projects on the front burner. Here are just some of the recipes for success sure to yield the highest quality of life and perpetuate the city’s international reputation for being “Florida’s Riviera.”

Gold Medal Community Unity

Ingredients: A two-acre park with a community center, little league baseball field and indoor gymnasium plus acquisition of more land dedicated to “fun, games and community unity.”

Mix the City Commission’s ongoing efforts to create more green open space in Sunny Isles Beach with a growing population of families with children – add a dash of ingenuity, stir in perseverance and the achievement taking flight will be Pelican Community Park on North Bay Road scheduled to open this year.

Other new parks coming soon will be Bella Vista Park, a one-acre waterfront site on Sunny Isles Boulevard; Heritage Park, spanning four acres at 192nd Street and Collins Avenue; and a designated dog park at Sen. Gwen Margolis Park.

Not a ‘Cookie Cutter’ School

Ingredients: Outstanding curriculum, advanced technology, spacious facilities, excellent principal, excited students and parents

Blend the progressive nature of Sunny Isles Beach with the education expertise of Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the winning partnership will create the city’s new “first class” public school opening this fall adjacent to Pelican Community Park.

Parents and students recently packed Commission Chambers at Government Center to learn more about the school and meet Principal Annette Weissman, formerly of Ojus Elementary. Registration will start in April – and students who live within the designated zone, currently attending Highland Oaks, Bay Harbor or Ojus Elementary, will be automatically transferred. The school will also be welcoming students from Golden Beach and Eastern Shores – plus transfers will be available from other areas until maximum capacity is reached (about 1,600 students).

Opening with classes for kindergarten through sixth grade, the school will add a seventh grade level in the fall of 2009 and then an eighth grade level the following year. A free pre-K program will start this August, offered Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (or until 2:30 p.m. for a fee).

‘Rocky Road’ Makeover

Ingredients: A major storm water drainage project, street improvements, a bike path, pedestrian/emergency bridge, undergrounding of utilities and communication campaign to keep property owners informed while work is in progress

Combine a multitude of initiatives designed to aesthetically enhance the streets of Sunny Isles Beach with millions funded mostly by developers plus grant awards and the city will be able to start taking the “high and dry” road to enriching improvements.

The stormwater and street improvement project will focus on the central island area encompassing the city’s new school and Pelican Community Park bordered by Collins Avenue and the Intracoastal, 183rd Street and 174th Street. Beyond alleviating flooding and beautifying streets, a bike path and additional Collins Avenue landscaping will be welcome enhancements to the community.

Emphasizing that communication will be key while work is in progress, Mayor Norman S. Edelcup noted, “Everyone will enjoy the end result – [but residents may] be inconvenienced throughout the project…We want to mitigate that as much as we can by keeping the community informed.”
In keeping with the philosophy of “building bridges” to a better community, the city will also be constructing a $5 million bridge, designed for use by pedestrians and emergency vehicles, connecting North Bay Road from 172nd to 174th Streets. Yet another project that will lend greater aesthetic appeal and help “hurricane proof” the city will be the undergrounding of utilities slated to commence this summer.

Best in ‘Blue Ribbon’ Police Department

Ingredients: Vigilant police officers, expedited response times, outstanding community policing, competitive compensation

Heat up efforts to keep the city safe, vigorously stir residents to participate in crime prevention programs and pour on prestigious law enforcement awards to attain a “best in blue” Police Department led by Chief Fred Maas.
The City Commission recently approved a police pay scale plan increase to ensure Sunny Isles Beach police offers are receiving competitive compensation and benefits. “We’ve made a commitment to find the best police officers who never say no to anything they’re asked to do,” said Police Chief Fred Maas. “Our city has thrived as a result of the safety of the community and reputation of safety the city offers.”

Commissioner Roslyn Brezin noted, “The Police Department takes care of us – so it’s our responsibility in turn to take care of our police force.”

‘Icing on the Cake’ Compromises

Ingredients: Forward thinking, accommodating solutions, win-win situations

Whipping up concern for public welfare topped with a commitment to progress, the City Commission recently highlighted the wisdom to “devise compromise.”

Avoiding a jury trial, the city recently settled an eminent domain lawsuit with Raanan Katz of RK Associates for $7 million and now owns the acre of land at 18080 Collins Avenue next to Government Center. City Attorney Hans Ottinot explained the $7 million settlement includes costs including legal fees and the price of the parcel estimated to be $5.2 million.

The City Commission also considered the hardship of commercial vehicle owners who have been unable to park in residential areas without getting tickets due to a city ordinance.

In accordance with a comprise devised at the Feb. 21 City Commission meeting, drivers of taxi cabs and other commercial vehicles comparable in size to an average car will be allowed to obtain residential parking decals. Larger vehicles will have to vie for 12 parking spots under the Lehman Causeway available on a first come, first served basis.

‘What Else is Cooking’
From the restoration of the historic Newport fishing pier – to new street signs on Collins Avenue, new bus shelters, creating wireless Internet connections in city parks and the continued revitalization of Sunny Isles Boulevard – rave reviews and compliments to the City Commission are being bestowed for creating an enviable “recipe for success.”