The renovation of Miami Beach Senior High School is a major concern for our neighborhood. Some
aspects that the community is concerned with:
1) Construction noise and the affect on the neighborhood (trucks, swale, parking, etc.)
2) Buffering and aesthetics along Prairie Avenue (full restoration of swale buffer)
3) Parking lots and lighting (ways to mitigate)
4) Specimen tree removal (replacement mitigation)
5) The drop-off lane as originally proposed by the high school will negatively affect the community for
decades to come and needs to be modified.
6) Drainage and flooding concerns in the Bayshore neighborhood
The Bayshore Homeowners Association (BHOA) "Senior High" sub-committee will work with the
school system, architect, construction manager, and city to ensure the neighborhood needs are met.
June 22, 2006. The Miami Beach High School cut down 9 very large and old Black Olive trees along
Prairie Avenue. The cutting was attempted to be stopped by the sub-committee, but proper permits
were in fact issued from DERM. It is the sub-committees position to further investigate the rational for
removing these "specimen" trees from the Miami Beach landscape. Please see the before and after
photos. Also see the article about the tree removal in the Miami Sun Post. It is unsettling that so many
trees were taken down, especially since the Miami Beach City Commission had NOT APPROVED the
school to use this land yet! Even further mitigation will be required here.
BEFORE: DURING: AFTER:
September 28, 2006. The first, in a series of meetings, was held to discuss the school's proposed
drop-off lane along Prairie Avenue. Note that at this meeting, the fact that the swale was in the City's
right of way was neither obvious nor was that information offered to the residents. As more information
was assembled regarding the land ownership and the approved BODR, it became apparent that the
neighborhood's mitigation requirements were reasonable.
ATTENDING:
Miami Beach Senior High School:
Jeanne Friedman Principal
Anita Grossman President PTA
Karen Rivo PTA
Miami-Dade County Public Schools:
Mike Krtausch Exec. Director Region II
Aisa Simon Project Manager
Jerold Blumstein Adm. Assistant to Dr. Karp
Victor Alonso Construction Officer
Lourdes P. Gimenez Regional Center II
Aida Curtis (Curtis & Rogers Design Studio) Landscape Architect
Zyscovich:
Debbie Fields Lead Architect
James Harris Resident Architect
City of Miami Beach:
Caroline DeFreze Liaison
Jorge Chartrand Director Capital Improvement Project Office
Bob Middaugh Assistant City Manager
Keith Mizell Capital Projects Coordinator
Bayshore Homeowners Association:
John Corey President
Jorge Exposito, Chairman & Beach High Parent
Adriana Savino-Miller Board Member - Architect
Tetje Miedema Secretary
Cesso Souza Member
Michael Janelle Board Member
Miguel Rosales Member – Transportation Architect
MEETING MINUTES:
After opening the meeting and introductions of the present, Corey, President of the Bayshore
Homeowners Association (BHOA), explained the reasons for calling the meeting, namely the fact that
the vegetated swale along Prairie Avenue adjacent to the Miami Beach Senior High School property is
currently planned to be removed and replaced with drop off lanes for the school. This major impact will
alter and degrade the residential nature of Prairie Avenue and the community at large is extremely
concerned with the long term use and maintenance of the additional pavement/lanes. Exposito,
Chairman of the BHOA, then explained this has led to further scrutiny of the architectural/landscape
plans for the school and that the neighborhood association expects an appropriate mitigation program
beyond what is currently proposed in the plans.
After a lengthy explanation by the School Architect, Fields, related to the reasons why the school plans
have their present configuration and their belief that the drop off lanes should be located along Prairie
Avenue, the attendees indicated the need to expand and enhance the current buffer zone proposed
along Prairie Avenue. The current plans include the following an 8' wide drop off lane, a lawn zone with
Mahogany trees, an estate fence and low shrubs to allow visibility/surveillance of the parking lots along
Prairie Avenue. The city representatives also indicated that a bicycle lane is currently planned to be
located along Prairie Avenue.
The meeting concluded with the acknowledgement of the School County representatives and the
architects that further mitigation measures should be explored to reduce the adverse impacts of drop
off lanes along a residential street. Some of the measures discussed included the following: a)
additional trees along Prairie Avenue, b) pavement treatments and use of color pavers along the
additional lanes in order for visual separation and c) potential additional areas to be landscaped to
reduce the pavement’s visual impact and enhance overall coverage ratios.
November 21, 2006: The BHOA presented to Commissioner Gross, the city manager and his team
showing how the school drop-off is detrimental to the Bayshore neighborhood. The city was favorable
to our requests to eliminate the drop-off lane. Please see the meeting minutes below and the first of
many BHOA presentations regarding the drop-off issue.
ATTENDING:
BHOA: Exposito, Miller, Winitzky, Corey
City of Miami Beach: Commissioner Gross, Gonzales, Middaugh, Chartrand,
Beckmann, Vazquez, Defreze
MEETING MINUTES:
The meeting between the BHOA and the city of Miami Beach was initiated by the BHOA to discuss the
proposed parent drop-off lane that Beach High has proposed along Prairie Avenue. The meeting
started with John Corey giving the BHOA High School Mitigation presentation, a copy may be viewed at:
http://www.bayshorehomeowners.org/files/MBSHmitigation.ppt
The presentation illustrated the impact the school expansion is having on the Bayshore Neighborhood
and its long term consequences, particularly along Prairie Avenue. The Power Point presentation
covered the following topics: 1) a pictorial tour of the Bayshore historic neighborhood; 2) the previous
green buffer that existed for decades between the high school and the neighborhood; 3) the current
impact of the school design and construction (parking lot light glare, flooding, trash, tree removal, etc.);
4) the 41' width of substantial pavement proposed along Prairie Avenue in order to accommodate a
drop-off lane, gully, sidewalk, and two existing lanes of road traffic; 5) the BHA’s vision of the avenue
with a full green buffer, drainage swale, bike lane, and proposed drop-off within the school grounds.
At the end of the presentation a discussion ensued. The "Interlocal Agreement" between the school
and the city was brought up and it was noted that it has not been signed by the city. A Commission
approval is required before any land is given away for exclusive school use. Since the agreement has
not been signed and drainage issues are not resolved, construction on the right-of-way swale cannot
begin. According to Mr. Vazquez, the swale is crucial for proper drainage along Prairie Avenue.
Apparently there is also a need for the city to have an easement towards the back of the school in order
to allow the city to access the public work facility. Commissioner Gross, Mr. Gonzalez and Mr.
Middaugh jointly agreed that the school’s easement to the city behind the school was a fair trade in
exchange for the easement allowing the school to use the city’s swale for their bus drop-off on Dade
Boulevard. It was then proposed by the BHOA that the drop-off on Prairie be completely eliminated and
a full landscaped buffer be restored to mitigate the additional parking, noise, and light spillage due to
the school expansion. This was well-received by both the city manager and Commissioner Gross.
The city manager then asked if the BHOA would object to continue the current drop off situation along
Prairie Avenue in case the school decided not to add an interior drop-off within their property. The
BHOA and some city members agreed that although the situation was not ideal, the brief
inconvenience in the morning/afternoon was a far better trade off than losing the entire street to a
permanent drop off lane. It was also suggested that those traffic issues could be solved at a later date
as long as the street and buffer are saved and enhanced.
The city administration / Commissioner Gross agreed with the overall goal of the presentation and the
community desire to buffer the expanded school with a landscaped buffer. Bob Middaugh suggested
that the school should be notified as soon as possible and that the city would like to return the swale
as landscaped buffer. A meeting between the BHOA, Gonzales, Commissioner Gross and Dr.
Karp/Miami Dade School Board was suggested. The meeting was to be initiated by the City of Miami
Beach.
December 27, 2006: The BHOA presented the presentation to Commissioner Gongora and he was
agreed that the BHOA design had merit.
January 9, 2007: The BHOA met with the school and the city to present the Presentation. There was
much resistance from the school to not change anything, even though the neighborhood is scared of
what a "third lane" on Prairie Avenue will do with it's expanse of asphalt, parking issues and potential
litter. A counter-proposal was given by the school/city to the neighborhood which was presented to the
Neighborhood at an emergency meeting on January 17th.
January 17, 2007: The BHOA held an emergency meeting to discuss the City of Miami Beach/School
Board's joint proposal regarding the proposed drop-off lane on the city-owned swale along Prairie
Avenue. We were also fortunate that some of our city commissioners attended and listened to the
neighborhood's concerns. The following is a summary. The Senior Beach High School Expansion is
a $81 million project that is exclusively permitted by the county and is adjacent to a close-knit
residential community. The considerable building expansion, extensive parking lot additions, added
high mast highway lighting, and massive future traffic has already negatively impacted our community.
The preservation and improvement of the landscape swale represents our only hope to use our
taxpayer land to help buffer this very large project. Any compromise is still a sacrifice to the
neighborhood since it’s our desire to completely eliminate the drop-off lane along Prairie Avenue.
However, we feel that it is in the community’s best interest to move forward and help complete the high
school in a timely manner. Making Prairie Avenue a one-way during the short drop-off and pick up
times was seen as the solution by the neighbors. This solution would reduce the width of Prairie
Avenue by 6 feet, but add a 6 foot sidewalk. The dimensions of the roadway/sidewalk would remain
fixed as would the landscape buffer. Please see the summary diagram below and view the
Presentation. This Final BHOA Proposal was submitted to the City on January 25th, 2007.
Beach High Mitigation Presentation (PDF 1.0MB)
February 8, 2007: A public meeting was held in the Commission Chambers to discuss the drop-off.
The above presentation was given. In short, the community would agree to a drop-off on Prairie Ave,
but the drop-off would be in the form of a one-way street. Basically, Prairie Ave would be one way
during the short drop off periods. This would allow the east lane to be drop-off and the west travel lane
to be passing. The one way would be northbound only from Dade Blvd to 28th Street (from 7-8am and
2-3pm school days). This proposal was met with substantial resistance from the county traffic
engineer. The meeting lasted almost 3 hours with no real outcome. Over the next couple of weeks, it
appeared that the City Commission might be inclined to accept the final school proposal. This
proposal in summary: reduces the width of Prairie Avenue to 20 feet wide from Dade Blvd to the edge
of the Par 3. The School Board also reduced the number of drop-off spaces from 47 to 31.
Commissioner Gross and school Principal Friedman both asked the school architects to explore
using driver education lot as a potential drop-off site.
February 16, 2007: Word came back to the HOA that the driver's education lot was not suitable for use
as a drop-off. The Bayshore HOA Board voted to not oppose the latest school proposal upon the
condition of additional mitigation measures. These measures can be read in this correspondence to
our elected officials dated February 21st. Bear in mind that some of the mitigation will be paid by the
School Board and the other issues will be paid by the City (most likely through the already approved
GO Bond).
Dear Mayor and Commissioners:
I would like to first take the opportunity to thank you for supporting the Bayshore Homeowners
Association (BHA) in its pursuit to help mitigate the Miami Beach High School expansion. As you are
aware, the High School is proposing a drop-off lane along Prairie Avenue as the only feasible way to
allow parents to drop-off students. As explained in our recent presentations, we believe that a drop-off
lane adversely affects the h istoric neighborhood. Over the past 6 months, the BHA, school and city
have worked together to find common ground over this important issue. In order to move forward, the
BHA will accept the most recent High School proposal under the following conditions to be agreed by
both the City of Miami Beach and Miami Dade School System. Print out this numbered site plan to
make following along easier.
1) Prairie Avenue is to be reduced in width to 20' (10’ in each direction) from Dade Boulevard to the
edge of the High School property (at the Bayshore Par 3 property line). The current proposal only
shows the reduction in width from Dade to the entrance to the student parking lot. The constant width
is required to avoid confusion, potential illegal parking, and an appropriate landscape buffer along the
driving education lot.
2) At Prairie Avenue and Dade Blvd, reduce entrance to Prairie Ave from 4 lanes to 3 by removing left
hand turn lane going from Prairie Ave South to Dade Blvd East. The configuration should match the
intersection at N. Meridian Ave and Dade Blvd. This pavement reduction is required to provide a
constant width along Prairie Avenue and slow speeding traffic entering Prairie Ave from Dade
Boulevard and racing past the High School.
3) Enlarge traffic island at Dade and Prairie and landscape with low shrubs to match other islands in
Miami Beach (specifically the traffic island at Dade and Alton). Island is to have a Welcome to Historic
Bayshore sign with a posted 30 mph speed limit. Welcoming sign is to remind drivers that Prairie
Avenue is a local residential street in a historic neighborhood. The design of the sign structure should
match the recently built Miami Beach Golf Course signs.
4) At 23rd Street & Prairie and 23rd Street and Meridian raised intersection tables are to be installed
with a 3-way stop. Traffic calming mitigation on Prairie Ave and Meridian Ave is vital as traffic will
increase on neighboring streets due to school’s drop-off lane placed on the north bound side of Prairie
Ave. The school’s traffic proposal calls for all drop-off drivers to drive south on Meridian Ave and cutting
through 23rd Street or Dade Boulevard before their approach to the drop-off along Prairie Avenue. This
pattern makes this additional traffic calming imperative.
5) Final landscaping plan of Swale area to be reviewed by BHA, but must be in keeping with BODR
guidelines that are approved by Commission. The guidelines include Areca palms and low shrubs
along the entire swale area to help stop wind blown trash. The guidelines also include multilevel
landscaping that transitions from 4’ shrubbery near the road to the proposed Areca palms and
mahogany trees along the fence in order to buffer the expanded parking lots. A new irrigation system
is to be installed for entire planting area along swale.
6) At least 3 more trees to be added to student parking lot in islands. The rear lot currently suffers from
a lack of trees and has only 1 tree per 8 parking spaces (front lot has 1 tree per 4 parking spaces).
7) Shrubs/ Areca palms to be planted along chain link fence between Bayshore Par 3 and School
facilities.
8) 6’ estate fencing options along Prairie Avenue to be reviewed by BHA. Parking lot gates to match
estate fence and the fence is to be black in color.
9) Appropriate no parking/standing signs along the drop off lane and a commitment from the City of
Miami Beach that the no parking zone will be enforced at all times.
10) Drop off lane to be surfaced with precast concrete pavers that match pavers at raised intersection
tables. BHA will assist in choosing pavers color and texture.
11) Any street lights that need to be modified or replaced due to Drop-off lane construction will be
replaced with matching acorn lights that currently exist on lower Prairie Avenue. Highway cobra head
lamps are not acceptable along Prairie Avenue.
12) Concrete curb to be installed along entire school swale with intermittent breaks to allow for
drainage (per BODR). This is imperative to keep cars from parking in/on swale and prevent swale
drainage area from being compacted from the weight of the cars.
13) Drop-off lane is for drop-off and pick up of students only during school hours days.
14) Replace parking lot light luminaries with appropriate lighting fixtures that provide less glare into
residential neighborhood. Full cut-off luminaries are required. Poles can stay unchanged in their
spacing and design. This requirement is essential since it is anticipated that the new trees planted
along the swale will take decades to mature and achieve the same scale of the removed specimen
Black Olive Trees.
15) Only two curb cuts on Prairie Avenue at the entrance to the teacher lot and the entrance to the
student lot.
16) Any crosswalks across Prairie Avenue needed for High School to be surfaced by precast concrete
pavers matching pavers in drop-off lane.
[ADDED]
17) Will there by any "School Zone" flashers located on Prairie Avenue like there is on Dade Blvd?
18) Add a curb cut between the bus lane and the teacher parking lot. This curb cut can be used
when the parking lot is being used for overflow convention center parking (Boat Show, Auto Show,
etc) on non-school days. This opening will allow the parking lot to be used with much less traffic on
Prairie Ave. The BHOA supports the PTA to use the school lots for certain fund-raising events, but
by using this access point, the residential area on lower Prairie will be less affected.
We believe the above list of mitigation measures are non-negotiable and would ensure support and
endorsement of the drop off lane by all members of our association and the community at large.
Sincerely,
John Corey
President
Bayshore Homeowners Association, Inc.
PO Box 403221
Miami Beach, FL 33140
www.bayshorehomeowners.org
February 27, 2007: A meeting was held between the Bayshore Homeowners Association (BHOA), the
City of Miami Beach (CMB) and Miami-Dade School Board representatives to discuss the mitigation
measures that the BHOA is requesting if the Commission does in fact approve the parent drop-off
request by the School Board. The meeting was held in the Public Works conference room. The
meeting summary is below. Print out this numbered site plan to make following along easier. A
meeting will be scheduled as soon as possible between the BHOA and the CMB to discuss the
outstanding measures.
The proposed drop-off is to be voted on by the CMB Commission at the March Commission Meeting on
March 14, 2007.
ATTENDEES:
Jorge Exposito – BHOA, Chairman
John D. Corey – BHOA, President
Tetje Miedema – BHOA, Secretary
Barry Miller – BHOA, Member & Landscape Architect
Victor Alonso – Dade County School Board
Michael Krtausch – Miami-Dade Public Schools
Debbie Fields – Zyscovich, Lead Architect
Hisham Suliman – Zyscovich
Bob Middaugh – CMB, Assistant City Manager & Meeting Chairman
Fred Beckman – CMB, Director Public Works
Fernando Vazquez – CMB, Public Works
Diana Fontani – CMB, Aide to Commissioner Gongora
Enid Rodriguez – CMB, Aide to Commissioner Libbin
MEETING MINUTES:
After introduction of all attendees, a short justification for the meeting was given by Middaugh. The
Miami Beach Senior High School and its expansion have created the need for a drop-off lane in the City
of Miami Beach (CMB) right of way along Prairie Avenue. Since there are serious concerns about the
impacts of the drop off lane a mitigation program has been proposed by the Bayshore Homeowners
Association (BHOA) which was discussed during the meeting.
A request by Commissioner Gross at the public meeting on February 11, 2007 asked the school to
look into using the driver education lot as a drop-off lane as the area might be able to accommodate
some cars for drop-off. The report back was that it could be possible, but no more reductions on
Prairie Avenue would be possible. Since the number of drop-off spaces along Prairie Avenue would
remain unchanged, it was agreed that the area should remain for driver education purposes only.
Middaugh also said that regarding street resurfacing, pavers, and landscaping cost sharing had been
agreed upon between the CMB and the School Board.
Corey then reiterated that the residents’ consensus at a recent public meeting on February 11, 2007 at
City Hall was that the parent drop-off with its parking, trash and traffic was not appropriate on the
residential street. If the CMB were to accommodate the School Board with the drop-off along Prairie
Avenue, the BHOA has outlined 16 points of mitigation for the neighborhood. These items are
appropriate mitigation measures and would make the drop-off more palatable to the neighborhood
and the vote on the
Interlocal Agreement on March 14th not such a struggle at the Commission Meeting. Monies have
already been allocated for improvements along the stretch of Prairie Avenue from Dade Blvd. to 28th
Street in the BODR in 1999. The results of the discussions on the mitigation measures are as
follows:
1) Reduction of Prairie Avenue width along school boundary to decrease pavement massing,
increase landscaping buffer and slow traffic
The School Board and the CMB agree on this measure and the School Board will increase the depth of
landscaping in the swale area from Dade to the Par 3 in order to reduce the road width to 20 feet wide
and increase the landscaping buffer between the school and the residential neighborhood. Fields
reminded the group that the area in front of the driver education lot would be a transition area and allow
the street to change back to 14 foot wide lanes. Corey asked that additional trees to be planted in this
area to better match the rest of the school swale landscaping and help buffer the driving education lot
from the neighbors. Middaugh said that the remainder of Prairie Avenue along the Par 3 to 28th Street
would be addressed during the BODR improvements.
2) Reduction from 4 to 3 lanes at Dade Boulevard to slow traffic entering Prairie Avenue and
racing through neighborhood and past high school
Item to be discussed between BHOA and CMB outside this meeting.
3) Enlarge traffic island at Dade Boulevard and Prairie Avenue in order to increase green space
and reduce travel lane width
This measure also shortens pedestrian crossing at Dade Boulevard (better accommodating students
walking south to Lincoln Road Mall, etc.). Item to be discussed between BHOA and the CMB outside
this meeting.
4) Raised intersections at 23rd Street and Prairie Avenue and 23rd Street and Meridian Avenue to
mitigate increased traffic volume, provide for raised sidewalks, and make the left turns safer (from 23rd
Street to Prairie Avenue)
Item to be discussed between BHOA and the CMB outside this meeting.
5) Landscaping swale
According to Fields, of the original trees removed last spring, all but two were dying; therefore, a permit
was granted by DERM. Miller strongly disagreed that the trees were dying. An additional row of low
lying bushes was also proposed by the BHOA as to further filter blowing trash and provide a step up to
the six-foot estate fence. Item is to be discussed at the upcoming CMB/BHOA meeting. The
landscaping of the swale will also be discussed further between the landscape architect for the school
and Miller. Findings to be made available the following week.
6) Trees in student parking area
It was agreed to alternate mahogany with buttonwood trees for the parking as well as the street. The
BHOA requested more trees in the rear parking lot to match closer the tree density on the front parking
lot (8 trees to 1 space vs. 4 trees to 1 space, respectively). Fields stated that the additional trees were
not possible, but low shrubs at the three islands in the rear parking lot could increase the green space.
7) New chain link fence between High School and Par 3
The BHOA expressed disappointment in this fence and felt that it is consistent with neither the
residential character of the neighborhood nor the Par 3 golf course. Beckman said that this request
will fall under the Par 3 beautification improvements. Middaugh also stated there will be a variety of
trees and it will be the city’s responsibility. It was agreed that this would be discussed at upcoming the
City/BHOA meeting.
8) Six foot estate fence
Fields stated that the fence would be a black “estate” fence. The gates to the parking entrances would
match the “estate” fence. The main gates to the entrance to the school will be more ornate and will be
set back off of the street.
9) No parking or Standing Signage
Middaugh states that, clear from the beginning, the CMB will never permit parking at any time (including
for neighborhood residents) and cars will be towed. Fields says the working drawings have ‘No
Parking” signs. Although, according to the BHOA, the issue of after hours abuse is still not solved and
the neighborhood remains skeptical that it will be abused and force the residents to call in violations
on a daily basis as is current.
10) Drop-off lane surface
Fields stated they had been asked for stamped asphalt from the CMB originally. Middaugh thought
that pre-cast concrete pavers would be more appropriate. Alonso asked for the specifications in order
to be able to coordinate the drop-off with other neighborhood improvements. Alonso suggested some
type of interlocking pavers. Fields asked for the specification as soon as possible so that they may
continue with the design drawings. Alonso strongly felt that it is important to match the streetscape.
11) Street Lights along Prairie Avenue to remain consistent if any had to be moved
Moot point according to Fields as none is being moved.
12) Concrete curb along school swale to prevent parking on swale
According to Beckman, curbs cannot be installed along this stretch of Prairie Avenue, although stated
and allocated for in BODR. Vasquez offered that the road way is too flat making a curb with drain
inefficient for drainage. A grassy swale is proposed for this area along Prairie Avenue that does not
have the drop-off lane. Corey stressed the illegal parking problem and the proximity to the Convention
Center. To avoid illegal parking, concrete dots or bollards such as on 28th Street and landscaping
such as low shrubs was proposed by city officials. This issue is to be discussed at the next meeting
between BHOA and the City.
13) Drop-off lane for students only during school hours
It was discussed that drop-off after hours for parent/teacher conferences would be allowed.
14) Lighting
Fields will look into cost of shields or reflectors to protect neighborhood from disturbing glare. The
lights are designed for full-growth trees (in 4-5 years); therefore, shields would eventually have to be
removed. Trees to be planted would be a 12-14’ standard. There was also a discussion about the
ownership of lights: FPL owns them even though installed by the School Board. Alonso suggested that
they could be turned off when school not operating. Item still needs to be resolved to reduce glare into
neighborhood.
15) Curb cuts along Prairie Avenue
Fields stated that there are actually three: front parking lot, rear parking lot, and
maintenance/emergency entry at 23rd Street. Third curb cut is considered emergency vehicle egress
at 23rd Street and can be driven over by fire truck or large truck for big event stage loading, which the
school says are about 2 per year. Miller asked why the entry to the rear lot was at 23rd Street.
According to Fields, it was too close to the intersection and not wanted by the CMB Public Works
Department. This entrance would have necessitated 90-degree parking and taking more space from
play fields.
16) Crosswalks
See 10 above. Item to be discussed between BHOA and CMB outside this meeting.
These additional points were added:
17) “School Zone” flashing lights along Prairie Avenue
Corey asked school architects if “School Zone” flashing lights would be mounted along Prairie
Avenue. According to Fields, they are not required anymore for high schools and that they would not be
installing any.
18) Front school parking lot being used consistently for convention center events
BHOA recognized that this is income for the CMB and a big fundraiser for the PTA, but the residents
need a break during weekends and holidays. The residents along southern Prairie Avenue (23rd to
Dade) have noticed the parking lot used on most weekends and the parking seems to be run by the
CMB. At no time, these residents get a break from the traffic even on holidays when most of the
convention business occurs. It was proposed by the BHOA that a curb cut be placed along the bus
drop-off and the front parking lot. It was offered by Corey that this could be used only on weekends and
holidays when the front parking lot was being used commercially. This would allow the school, city
and PTA to still use the front lot, but allow the southern Prairie Avenue residents a much needed break
from the traffic. The Boat Show parking in the football fields was also discussed. Alonso stated that
this practice goes against school policy and offered that after the field is redone and a new irrigation
system installed it could not continue. Alonso stated that he would direct the architects to look into the
possibility of creating a “maintenance gate” to accommodate this request. Fields suggested that
bollards could be used and a special curb to allow for cars to enter the parking lot off of Dade
Boulevard.
March 8, 2007. Please click below to see a draft Resolution to be voted on March 14th, 2007 by the
CMB Commission.
Resolution of Drop-off Easement (MS Word document)
March 14, 2007. The Miami Beach City Commission voted unanimously to approve the Interlocal
Agreement between the City and the School Board with privos. (To see the video of the commission
hearing click here and go to "March 14th, 2007 2 of 2".) The Agreement allows the School Board to
construct a drop-off on Prairie Avenue, but the City and the School Board will have to follow the
mitigation measures outlined by the BHOA. The complete elimination of the drop-off along Prairie
Avenue was unrealistic, but the community fought and obtained a much better deal than was originally
proposed. The CMB through the Interlocal Agreement will allow the School Board to construct the drop-
off of 31 spaces (down from 47). Here is a complete list of the mitigation measures and the outcome
from the meeting. The BHOA will work with all parties to ensure that all items are completed.
1) The CMB will reduce the width of Prairie Avenue to 20 feet from Dade Blvd all the way to 28th
Street. This will allow for more landscaping in the swale buffer zone, narrow the abnormally wide
street (giving the area a more residential feel), and slow traffic by reducing the travel lane width.
2) The CMB will reduce the entrance of Prairie Ave from Dade Blvd which will slow the traffic
entering the residential community from high speed Dade Blvd.
3) The CMB will enlarge the traffic island at Prairie Avenue and Dade Blvd, add much needed
landscaping and a "Welcome to Historic Bayshore - Speed Limit 30 mph" sign. This signage will
reinforce drivers that they are entering a residential area.
4) These traffic calming devices were not approved at the commission hearing, however, the
BODR in the GO Bond call for traffic calming devices in these areas. The BHOA will work with the CMB,
CIP and the Public Works department to make sure that some form traffic calming devices are
installed and appropriate.
5) The swale will be at some places 30 feet wide, planted with Mahogany trees 20 feet apart. A
low shrub will run on the city side to allow a "step-up" to the 6 foot estate fence.
6) There were three spots targeted by the BHOA for the School Board to add trees. The School
Board resisted due to the fact that their parking lot lights were located in the planter. Low shrubs will
be planted by the School Board.
7) Chain link fence located between the Par 3 and the northern boundary of he school will be
planted on the Par 3 side with Areca Palms to screen the unsightly fence from the golf course and the
neighborhood.
8) The estate fence will be black.
9) The CMB will mark the drop-off area "No Parking, No Standing, TOW ZONE".
10) Precast pavers will be installed in the drop-off lane.
11) No street lights are to be moved during this construction, but it was noted by the BHOA that
"cobra-head" (highway style lights) are not appropriate.
12) The CMB will not install a curb due to drainage issues. This was a sticking point at the
commission hearing. Either conrete buttons or low shrubs along the roadway will be installed by the
CMB to keep cars from pulling up on the landscaped swale.
13) All officials agreed that the drop-off is to be used only for student drop-off and pickup by parents.
14) The School Board would not accept responsibility for installing the wrong type of parking lot
lights. The CMB stepped up and offered to install shields on the lights closet to the homes along
Prairie Ave to reduce the glare entering the neighborhood.
15) Only two official curb cuts are to be placed along Prairie Ave. There is a temporary cut at 23rd
Street for emergency vehicles.
16) Two crosswalks will run across Prairie Ave, will be constructed of matching precast concrete
pavers and will be funded by the School Board.
17) There is no plans to install "School Zone" flashers on Prairie Ave.
18) Since the CMB is using the front parking lot of the school regularly for overflow parking, it was
agreed that the CMB will pay for a gate on the front of the school property using parking revenue funds.
March 18, 2007. Article appears in the Miami Herald regarding High School Drop-off. See link below...
http://www.miamiherald.com/488/story/43350.html
April 16, 2007. "After Actions" document completed by CMB. This document spells out what the city
administration will do as a follow up to the March 14th Commission Meeting. The BHOA will stay active
in assuring that the city administration fulfills all the requirements.
After Actions for Drop-off (PDF file)
May 2, 2007. A meeting was held between members of the BHOA Board and Assistant City Manager
Bob Middaugh to discuss the timeframe for the Prairie Avenue improvements. It took the BHOA six
weeks to get this meeting after many requests. This is how the 18 mitigation points are shaping up:
1) Prairie Ave road narrowing will be most likely done by the School's contractor to be reimbursed by
the City. The City will get an estimate from that same contractor to continue the road narrowing to 28th
Street.
2) The county engineer has not been consulted yet regarding enlarging the traffic island and tightening
the entrance to Prairie from Dade. A rendering done by the HOA was submitted to the City and is
attached. Once this project is approved by the county engineer it will be turned into a stand alone
capital improvement project.
3) Signage drawings are usually done by the sign company. An idea of what the sign might look like
was in the aforementioned rendering. The sign would be part of the capital improvement project in #2
and will be designed in keeping with the historical character of Bayshore.
4) The traffic calming devices on Prairie and Meridian will be part of the GO Bond project. 60% GO
Bond drawings need to be updated in this area.
5) The plantings along the swale will be installed by the City's Parks Dept. The layout of the plantings
will be design/build and the HOA will have a voice. The plantings will be installed immediately after the
swale is finished by the High School.
6) School Board Issue.
7) The Areca Palms can be installed without delay by the City's Parks Dept.
8) School Board Issue.
9) Signage will be installed by the City's Parking Dept upon completion of the drop-off lane.
10) Precaset pavers color and texture will be approved by Middaugh and the HOA will be invited to
confirm choice.
11) N/A
12) Shrubs along the swale to prevent parking in grass will be chosen by the City/HOA and installed
upon completion of the drop-off lane.
13) Lane's use is drop-off only.
14) No work has started on the light shields. Middaugh to contact school for specs and arrange
installation. Also noted was that the number of lights was "approximately" 6 on the commission
approval. If necessary, a few more did not seem out of the question.
15) N/A
16) Crosswalks will be the same pavers and installed by school.
17) N/A
18) The front gate for the parking lot will be designed and installed by school. The city will reimburse
that cost.
This image below shows what the entrance of Prairie Avenue from Dade Boulevard might look like
after the mitigation measures are implemented. Enjoy.
To see the "after" roll over image with mouse then click here to see a larger version.
May 24, 2007. Members of the BHOA met with Dr. Rosann Sidener, the new principal at Miami Beach
Senior High School. Some of the issues that came up were trespassers on school property over the
weekends, bus routes through the neighborhood, noise and quality of life issues. Our contact for the
School Police is Sgt. Rastrelli at 305-995-1553. The soccer players on the weekends are
tresspassers and the school encourages the neighbors to call in when they are seen. We will
continue to work with the school on the weekend trespassers and bus routes.
June 21, 2007. The BHOA met with Fred Beckmann, the director of Public Works to inquire on the
status of the High School ROW permit. The city had denied the permit due to a lack of drainage.
According to Public Works, the school's own computer modeling showed that after a significant
rainstorm, storm water would linger in the swales along the High School for days. The application was
denied and the city is waiting for a new proposal. In the meantime, residents in the "lower" Prairie Ave
area continued to get flooded out during the summer afternoon rains.
A "Letter to Commission" dated June 22, 2007 outlines the city's position.
July 1, 2007. MASSIVE FLOODING AROUND THE HIGH SCHOOL...
Massive unprecedented flooding occurs again in the lower Prairie Avenue and N. Meridian Avenue
area. Email correspondence sent by BHOA to Mayor and City Commissioners asking for a hearing at
July's Commission Meeting. Request granted within hours. Neighbors who experienced flooding are
encouraged to attend Commission Meeting July 11th. Time TBD. Below is the email that was sent to
the City...
Dear Mayor David Dermer and Members of the City Commission:
As many of you are aware, the rain storm on Sunday, July 1, 2007 brought widespread flooding across
our barrier island. No flooding was worse than the area near the Miami Beach High School along
Prairie Avenue. It is apparent that the raising of the entire High School s ite 18-24 inches has caused
massive flooding in the area. The residents understand that the City and the School Board continue to
disagree on the details of a drainage system that would solve this issue. On the other hand, the
residents are at their breaking point as their homes and yards are continuously flooded during rain
storms. The resolution of this issue should be given the highest priority in the administration. A class
action suit against the City and/or the School Board by the affected residents has been discussed.
Long time residents state that this type of flooding has never occurred in the area and the City
Manager's own LTC (dated: 6/22/07) states the school's construction "has triggered a displacement in
the historic drainage basin storage and a subsequent alteration in the historic runoff patterns (flood
plain encroachment) of the original runoff basin." This is not an isolated event, nor does it just affect
one or two houses. The new “drainage basin” is apparently the historic homes and yards that line
Prairie Avenue from 28th Street to Dade Blvd and parts of N. Meridian Avenue. In his letter the City
Manager states that "in the absence of a prompt response by the School Board representatives, the
City has undertaken an emergency response system to immediately alleviate flooding during rainfall
events". As president of the Bayshore Homeowners Association, this statement was surprising as I
was not aware of an "emergency response system". We asked Bob M iddaugh what the system
entailed and received this response: "We respond with pumps as needed and sand bags as needed
without waiting for the School or contractor, as the responsible parties, to act. We do not have
permanent hardware in place."
This "system" was tested by several homeowners this past Sunday. Many residents could not get
through to Public Works as there was no answer to their emergency line. I personally called the
emergency line and spoke to a gentleman that informed me that "we do not have any pump trucks out
there today and if we did there would be no place to put the water". This "emergency response system"
is nonexistent; residents in the area were forced to call 24hr emergency pump trucks to pump out their
houses.
I am saddened that my neighborhood has to continue to fight this battle, especially when the city knows
the details of the severe flooding. The resident's understand that the School caused the issue, but it's
up to the City to solve the problem. Our representatives at the City need to immediately resolve the
drainage issues and get a permanent (or even a temporary) fix in place now. I would like to formally
request that the City Commission add this issue as a discussion item to the July Commission
Meeting. You are welcome to respond via email or you can reach me directly on my cell phone.
Sincerely,
John Corey
July 11, 2007. High School flooding and Prairie Avenue drainage was a discussion item at the July
Commission Meeting. About a dozen residents showed up to voice their concern for the lack of
drainage along Prairie Ave and the new High School. To see the Commission Meeting click on the link
below. You can fast forward to the discussion of the High School drainage which started at 5:32pm.
The following response from the BHOA to the City Commission after the meeting summarizes the
findings and next steps...
Dear Mayor David Dermer and Members of the City Commission:
I would like to thank Commissioners Gross, Bower, and Cruz for including the Prairie Avenue
discussion on the agenda yesterday. I think most residents were disappointed because we did not
arrive to a clear, effective solution. We were also dismayed by the absence of the School Board
representatives; this type of attitude continues to frustrate the residents as their requests for a solution
appear to have fallen on deaf ears.
In order to move forward, Commissioner Cruz has scheduled a meeting with Dr. Karp [School Board
Rep] on July 17th. A few members of the BHOA Board will attend and hopefully a resolution can be
reached. This standoff has infuriated the residents as it has also stalled the implementation of most
of the mitigation measures that we fought so hard for and reached agreement back in March.
There are four pieces of mitigation that can be implemented now as they do not depend on the
drainage issue. I'll repeat the 4 mitigation measures that I posed to the Commission yesterday as
items that can be implemented by the City without further delay:
1) Installation of light shields on new 30' high parking lot lights along Prairie Avenue
2) Plantings/Buffer along Par 3 and 8' chainlink fence
3) Seek county approval to modify Dade Blvd / Prairie Ave intersection
4) New gate / entrance to teacher parking lot from Dade Blvd
We would like to thank Commissioner Cruz for setting up the meeting with the School Board and we
look forward to reaching a resolution with regards to the flooding resulting from the High School's
construction.
Also mentioned at yesterday's Commission Meeting was the fact that not only the High School
construction, but other projects might be causing the widespread flooding in this neighborhood:
1) Although, other sections of Miami Beach have flooded during recent rain events, no area has had
their historical flood plain removed (High School parking lots) and shifted into their neighborhood. The
school has elevated 18.5 acres of land and has permanently affected the historical drainage patterns.
2) The condo projects to the south of the neighborhood (The Meridian, etc.) were partially fields and low
grassland and historically acted as a holding area for rain events. These parcels are now elevated
and do not allow any water to flow through them.
3) Since the Miami Beach Golf Course has been redone, the neighbors have also noticed more
flooding. The 20' drainage swale area to the west of Meridian Ave was removed when the course was
redone and that space was incorporated into the new course. The swale areas are still grassy, but are
1-24 inches above the street grade. The swales to the east (in front of the homes) are now being taxed
to the limit as they are now supposed to drain the entire street (vs. only half).
From the enclosed map, you can see marked in red, areas that used to accept water now repel water
making the Bayshore Neighborhood south of 28th Street the new drainage basin.
We hope the City Administration will make all efforts to resolve the drainage/flooding issue in the
immediate future and promptly initiate the implementation of the approved mitigation measures listed
above not tied to the drainage.
Sincerely,
John Corey
July 17, 2007. A meeting was requested by Commissioner Cruz (Bower stepped in as Cruz was
unable to attend) with School Board officials to discuss the drainage issues on Prairie Avenue. None
of the Mitigation Measures can be implemented until the flooding issues are solved. The meeting was
attended by 15 people from the School side including School Board Member Dr. Karp, CMB public
works, Assistant City Manager Bob Middaugh, BHOA President John Corey and two residents (Philippe
Mandell - Prairie and Rabbi Sol Schiff - Meridian.
During the two hour meeting neither the School Board nor the CMB would take responsibility for the
drainage solution in the neighborhood (evidently the solution requires an injection well which runs
about $500k). A temporary solution was arrived at: the School would build a retaining wall to keep
storm water from overflowing into the neighborhood from their parking lots and a temporary swale
would be built to help drainage in the area on a temporary basis. A meeting in one week to try to
achieve a permanent solution was agreed to.
July 20, 2007. Commissioner Gross called a meeting with the BHOA and the City Manager's office to
hear how the mitigation measures were proceeding as well as to discuss the drainage issues
resulting from the School's construction. Commissioner Gross, Bob Middaugh (Assistant City
Manager), John Corey (BHOA President) and Silvia Winitzky (BHOA Board Member) were in
attendance. The meeting was relatively brief, as most if not all of the mitigation items are tied in to the
school drainage issue. The one piece of good news is that the plantings along the chain link fence
between the school and the Par 3 are slated to be planted in the next month or so. Also part of this
project, the Par 3 will see 26 Live Oak trees planted along it's north and west borders for a total of 72
trees.
July 24th, 2007. A public meeting was held at City Hall to finalize the drainage solution along Prairie
Avenue that has resulted from the elevation of the school's parking lots. School officials, school
architects/engineers, Commissioner Gross and Bower, John Corey, many residents, and the City's
team of engineers attended. After more stalemate, a break-though was reached: continue with the
School's original right of way improvements (reducing street width, paver drop off area, sodded swale,
trees, etc.), on a conditional permit given by the City of Miami Beach.
While the construction starts, more calculations will be performed by both engineers (School and City)
on the drainage capacity of the swale area. If more drainage is deemed necessary then the City (if
need be) can hold the permit "open" until a solution is reached. At least this way, the School can
continue their construction and the residents can get their street back in order. It was agreed by all that
this resolution, although not fully resolved, is far better than a stalemate with no improvements to the
current condition. The right of way construction is slated to begin as soon as possible, will be
disruptive to the residents and will last 6 months. Suffolk Construction will be handling the project and
the neighborhood will have to grin and bear a bit.
August 2007. Suffolk Construction started some construction on the Prairie Ave right-of-way. CMB
has allowed the School Board to create temporary swale, retaining wall and new fencing. Final
drainage solution is still unresolved, but BHOA will keep preasure on School and City. On a side note,
the BHOA has approached the School Board about rerouting their bus traffic onto Alton Road versus
Prairie Ave for north/south traffic. The BHOA feels that the School Board should not be allowed to use
Prairie Ave (a local City road) as a shortcut. The bus traffic affects the quality of life for many residents
all along Prairie from 40th Street to Dade Blvd. BHOA met with High School officials on 9/9/07 and a
they agreed to test alternate routes using both Alton Road and Collins Avenue.
December 12, 2007: At the December Commission Meeting, the City Commission will here a request
from the City Administration to approve the funding for the Prairie Avenue drainage solution. We
anticipate that the funding will be allocated and that at the School will be allowed to proceed with there
improvements along Prairie Avenue (trees, road narrowing, swale restoration, drop-off lane).
June 9, 2008: A meeting was held between the Bayshore Homeowners Association and the City of
Miami Beach Public Works Department to discuss the status of the improvement program along
Prairie Avenue and associated mitigation measures. Mr. Fred Beckmann and Mr. Fernando Vasquez
indicated that the Prairie Ave. drainage improvement program will be completed by the end of June
2008 except for the activation of the large pumps located near Dade Boulevard. Those pumps will
operational by the end of September 2008. However, the new drainage system of wells and inlets
would be able to handle the upcoming rainy season for the current year. As part of the drainage
improvement program the city took upon themselves to also complete adjacent sidewalks and prepare
surfaces for future improvements to be complete by the School including, among others, the pavers
over the drop off lanes and crosswalks at 23rd Street.
It is expected that in July, the Miami Dade School System will continue with further improvements in the
area including the planting of trees and bushes along the swale. The BHOA will contact Miami Beach
High School representatives to confirm the timing of these improvements and the completion of the
entire High School buildings and associated Prairie Avenue improvements. A separate meeting will
be scheduled in the near future between the BHOA and the City to discuss additional mitigation
measures that were approved, but still not implemented and within the city jurisdiction.
Expansion of Miami Beach Senior High School
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Click image to the right to see Prairie Avenue final cross sections The first was proposed by the BHOA, the second was proposed by the School Board, and the final two are the settlement reached. Note the additional landscaping strip on the High School side in the settlement. |
Please note: entries are in chronilogical order (most recent at bottom)
Expansion of Miami Beach Senior High School