25299: Hermantin(news)Officials break ground on park site (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>


Posted on Sun, Jun. 05, 2005


LITTLE HAITI
Officials break ground on park site
The long-awaited Little Haiti Park had a groundbreaking ceremony May 25. 
Gathered for the occasion were local politicians, city activists, area business 
owners and residents.
BY ALDO NAHED
anahed@herald.com

In what was once the site of a crime-ridden trailer park, city and county 
officials and activists gathered recently and broke ground for what that say 
will be a jewel in Little Haiti's crown.

''Soon we'll be welcoming people who've forgotten about us back to Little 
Haiti,'' said Gepsie Metellus, executive director for Sant La Haitian 
Neighborhood Center. ``We've seen a new mood in this community.''

The reason for the optimism: the long-awaited 8.9-acre Little Haiti Park and an 
adjoining cultural center.

The guests at the May 25 groundbreaking ceremony included Miami Mayor Manny 
Diaz, City Manager Joe Arriola, Commissioner Jeffery Allen, architect Bernard 
Zyscovich, and community leaders and representatives such as Metellus.

The park, to be bordered by Northeast 64th Terrace to the north and 59th Street 
to the south, between Northeast Second and Fourth Avenue, was first proposed in 
1998, and has gone through several incarnations on paper.

The original plan called for a 60-acre park, but area business owners 
complained they would be displaced and hundreds of residents would be left 
without work.

The plan was scaled back to 45 acres, then 15, and finally to its current size.

The park, expected to be completed within a year, will feature two soccer 
fields, a jogging trail, playground and picnic areas.

It will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood -- according to city 
statistics, the Little Haiti area has the lowest park acreage percentage in 
Miami.

''This has been such an important project in my life,'' said Arriola. 'Within a 
year, your children will play in the best soccer field in Miami. We are going 
to look at all the naysayers and say, `we did it.' ''

As part of the same project, the nearby Caribbean Marketplace at 5925-27 NE 
Second Ave. will be renovated and will house city offices, art galleries, a 
300-seat theater, a dance facility and parking.

Under the current plan, the park and cultural center's anticipated $25 million 
cost would be funded through a $255 million bond issue approved by Miami voters 
in 2001.

But more good news was announced at the groundbreaking when Miami-Dade County 
Commissioner Dorrin Rolle, whose district borders Little Haiti, said he would 
contribute an additional $10 million in county park bonds, bringing the park 
total to $35 million.

That means more park space can be negotiated, said Bob Flanders, who chairs the 
Homeland Defense/Neighborhood Improvement Bond Oversight Board, the board 
picked by City Commissioners to oversee spending.

''It's incredible,'' Flanders said. ``We are talking about change.

``This is not only going to raise the value of land around the park, but it's 
going to raise the quality of life and perception of Little Haiti.''

The park will sit on land formerly occupied by the Keystone Trailer Park, which 
the city bought last year and subsequently razed. Neighborhood activists said 
it was a haven for drug addicts, dealers and prostitutes.

The groundbreaking signaled a new era for the area, said Mayor Diaz.

''You're going to attract people from all over,'' Mayor Diaz said. ``The 
cultural center will give this neighborhood the energy it needs. This is going 
to be a first-class facility.''

Dave Daniels, owner of Churchill's Hideaway, a pub located a few block south of 
the park, said he supports the arts aspect of the marketplace. ``It's wonderful 
for the community and there's a lot of demand for a park.''