Wednesday, August 10, 2005
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CONTENTS:
City Expands Areas Covered by Sexual Predator Law
New Hearings Scheduled for Zoning Code Rewrite
Dial “ICE” in Case of Emergencies
Celebrate
National Relaxation Day at the Youth Center
How to
Open a New Business in the Gables
Your Passport: Don’t
Leave Home Without It
How to Stay Cool in Coral
Gables
Did You Know?
Don’t Miss
the Junior Orange Bowl Fundraiser
Traffic
Watch
Cultural Events Roundup
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City Expands Areas
Covered by Sexual Predator Law >>> The City has added new
locations frequently visited by children to its original list, resulting
in nearly all areas of the City now being covered under the new sexual
predator law. The new locations are: the Granada Entrance Plaza, the
CocoPlum Club House and Tennis Courts, and the Tahiti Beach Courts and
Beach Park. Coral Gables Commissioners enacted the sexual predator law on
July 12 to protect residents and their children. The law prohibits sexual
offenders and sexual predators convicted of crimes from establishing
temporary or permanent residence within 2,500 feet of “any school,
designated public school bus stop, day care center, park, playground or
other place where children congregate.” The ordinance also prohibits
property owners from renting to sexual offenders and sexual predators, and
establishes penalties of fines and imprisonment for violations. To see the
updated list online, click here.
For more information, call the Office of Public Affairs at 305-460-5205.
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New Hearings Scheduled for Zoning
Code Rewrite >>>
Citizens and other interested parties, there is still time to participate
in the Rewrite of the Coral Gables Zoning Code – the set of laws that
govern development and virtually every aspect of City planning. Here are
the upcoming hearing dates: Aug. 10 and Sept. 14, 21, 27 and 28. Except
for the Sept. 27 hearing, which will be held at 11 a.m. time certain
during a City Commission meeting, the others will be held at 6 p.m. in the
City Commission Chambers at City Hall, 405 Biltmore Way. At 11 a.m. on
Oct. 11 and 25, City Commissioners will consider the new zoning laws for
final approval on Nov. 22 or Dec. 13. To see staff reports, new Zoning
Code provisions, public comments, maps and minutes of prior meetings
online, click
here. Paper copies of these documents are also available at the
Planning Department at City Hall. For more information, call the Planning
Department at 305-460-5211.
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Dial “ICE” in Case of
Emergencies >>> The
Coral Gables Citizens’ Crime Watch wants all residents to participate in a
new campaign known as “In Case of Emergency (ICE).” The new campaign,
aimed at helping law enforcement and emergency rescue workers reach family
members quickly in times of emergency, works as follows: store the word
"ICE" in your cellphone address book, and under it enter the phone number
of the person to be contacted in case of emergency. In an emergency
situation, police, paramedics, and hospital staff will be able to quickly
find out who is the next of kin so they can contact them for helpful
information. For more information call the Coral Gables Citizen Crime
Watch at 305-446-4180.
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Celebrate National Relaxation Day at
the Youth Center >>>
August 15th is National Relaxation Day. If you live in Coral Gables and
are looking for something to do to unwind, you won’t have to search very
far. The Youth Center has a new fall lineup of fun after-school and sports
activities for the kids, and a wide range of classes and activities in the
arts, martial arts, and many other areas of interest for adults and
seniors. After school (and after homework is done, of course), the kids
can have some fun at Club P.L.A.Y., which offers arts and crafts, games,
field trips, and many other activities during the early afternoons.
Classes in the arts, dance, the martial arts, and team sports like soccer,
roller hockey and basketball, among others, are also offered for kids in
the afternoons, early evenings and on weekends. New offerings this fall
include girls’ volleyball, lacrosse, Zumba (a low-impact workout involving
many types of dance moves), and safe boating classes. Senior citizens can
choose from programs like Ageless in Motion, which offers low-impact and
monitored workouts, the All States Friendship Club, which offers weekly
card games and other board games, and team sports activities including
softball, basketball and volleyball. Another new program called G.R.O.W.
(Gables Recreation on Wheels), brings the fun out to neighborhood parks
every Saturday for free. For a complete list of upcoming activities, pick
up a copy of the Fall edition of the Leisure Services Guide at the Youth
Center, 405 University Dr. For more information, call the Parks and
Recreation Department at 305-460-5600.
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How to Open a New
Business in the Gables >>> Planning to open a business in
Coral Gables? Avoid delays and unnecessary expenses by obtaining all the
necessary licenses and permits beforehand. Before signing a lease or
buying property, apply for a Coral Gables Certificate of Use to ensure
that the proposed business at the desired address complies with all City
Zoning and Parking laws. The application may be reviewed by various City
Departments and Boards, depending on whether the new business is
substantially different from the old business at that address. Next, the
business owner should obtain Occupational Licenses from both Miami-Dade
County and the City of Coral Gables. The City will send members of the
Building and Zoning and Fire Departments to conduct fire, mechanical,
electrical and plumbing inspections to make sure everything is in
compliance with the Florida Building Code. This process can take between
four and eight weeks. Finally, pull building permits for any external
changes to a building, including new signs. Visit these locations to
apply:
> To obtain a Certificate of Use,
file an application with the Coral Gables Building and Zoning Department
on the third floor of City Hall, 405 Biltmore Way, between 7:30 a.m. and
3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. For information, call 305-460-5236.
> To obtain a Miami-Dade Occupational License, file
an application at 140 W. Flagler St., Room 101. For information, visit www.miamidade.gov on the Web or call
305-270-4949.
> To obtain a Coral Gables
Occupational License, file an application at the Finance Department on the
first floor of City Hall between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. For
information, call 305-460-5302.
> To
obtain Building Permits, file applications with the Board of Architects,
which meets at 8 a.m. every Thursday. Applications are due no later than
Noon on the Monday prior to the Thursday meeting. For information, call
305-460-5238 or 305-460-5239.
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Your Passport: Don’t Leave Home
Without It >>>
Starting next year, all U.S. citizens and foreign nationals will need to
present a passport when entering or re-entering the United States. But why
wait until the last minute to update your passport? Applications can take
6-8 weeks to process, and the peak season for applications, January-July,
is fast approaching. In Coral Gables, you won’t have to travel far to
update your passport. Visit the City Clerk’s office at City Hall, 405
Biltmore Way, for convenient services and no lines. The Clerk’s office can
even take your passport photos. Passport services are provided
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. These new, post-9/11 travel laws are
aimed at providing enhanced security at U.S. borders, and will be enforced
in a phased approach. Starting Dec. 31, the passport requirement will
apply to all air and sea travel to or from the Caribbean, Bermuda, and
Central and South America. Starting on Dec. 31, 2006, the requirement will
apply to all air and sea travel to or from Mexico and Canada. And finally,
on Dec. 31, 2007, the new requirement will be enforced at all air, sea and
land border crossings. For more information on the new U.S. travel
requirements, visit the State Department’s consular website at www.travel.state.gov, or call the
National Passport Information Center at 1.877.487.2778. To reach the City
Clerk, call 305-460-5351.
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How to Stay Cool in Coral
Gables >>> The
summer may be hot, but the Gables is a cool place to be. Ward off the heat
with a dip in the historic Venetian Pool, which is much more than a pool –
it’s a landmark. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this
820,000-gallon pool is fed by cool spring water and features two
waterfalls and coral caves. It was created from a rock quarry in 1923 and
offers a cool place to unwind against a beautiful backdrop. The pool also
offers swimming lessons and “Young Rembrandts,” a drawing program on
Tuesday afternoons for children ages 3 ½ to 13. If swimming is not your
cup of tea, find a shady spot and relax in one of the City’s 31 parks, or
visit Miracle Mile for a cool drink at any of the Mile’s popular eateries.
Visit www.coralgables.com and
discover the many cool things there are to see and do in The City
Beautiful.
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Did You Know? >>> Many streets in Coral Gables
were named after cities and heroes of Spain, but some were named after
friends of founder George Merrick, and some names were simply picked from
atlases and maps because they sounded nice, says author and University of
Miami professor Joaquin Roy in his book, The Streets of Coral Gables –
Their Names and Their Meanings. Legend has it that Blue and Red Roads
were named hastily when Merrick was under a tight deadline to get maps and
plans to government officials in Tallahassee, but not all roads had been
named yet. He asked his map-maker to produce names as he drafted the
plats, and Merrick himself picked others by looking at an atlas for ideas.
It is said that Merrick was looking at a map of Spain and noticed that
meridian lines were in red and parallel lines in blue, thus the names Blue
and Red Roads. Campo Sano was originally named Campo Santo, but then
planners realized that Campo Santo can mean cemetery in Spanish – not a
great selling point. Anderson Road was named after Hugh Anderson, a close
friend of Merrick’s who developed Miami Shores, Biscayne Boulevard and
other areas of Miami-Dade County. Some names clearly show their geographic
origins. Cotorro Avenue, for example, is named after a Cuban town in
Havana, and Virtudes Street is named after a popular street also in
Havana. Messina Avenue was named after a province in Italy, and Milan
Avenue is named after the English version of the Italian city of Milano.
English names also made their way onto City Beautiful streets. Morningside
Drive and Sunrise Avenue were named after common English street names in
American cities at the time.
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Don’t Miss the Junior Orange Bowl
Fundraiser >>> Help
raise money for the 2005-06 Junior Orange Bowl International Youth
Festival by attending a fundraising auction at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10,
at the Country Club of Coral Gables, 997 N. Greenway Dr. Up for live and
silent auction will be great deals on airline tickets, cruises, hotel
stays, restaurant certificates, and more. The auction helps raise money
for the 20 events of the Youth Festival, which include golf, tennis,
chess, creative writing and arts competitions. The most well-known event
is the Junior Orange Bowl Parade, held in downtown Coral Gables. Tickets
are $75 per person and include a buffet dinner and three-hour open bar.
Dress is “island casual.” To make reservations, or for information, call
the Junior Orange Bowl Committee at 305-662-1210.
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Traffic Watch >>> Construction on the Ponce de
Leon Median Improvement Project continues, so stay tuned for regular
updates on possible traffic disruptions in every edition of e-News. The
following measures are being implemented along Ponce due to
construction:
> Sidewalk construction
continues on the intersections along the west side of Ponce, from Alcazar
Avenue heading south.
> The four traffic
lanes on Ponce de Leon Boulevard continue to be shifted to the
east.
> Police are ticketing people who
illegally park inside the construction areas.
>
Left turns are allowed only at the Miracle Mile and Alhambra Circle
intersections of Ponce de Leon Boulevard.
>
Left turns at the remaining intersections continue to be
restricted, and police continue to enforce the “No Left Turn”
signs.
> The Trolley stops along Ponce de
Leon Boulevard at Valencia Avenue, Miracle Mile, Alhambra Circle and
Minorca Avenue have been temporarily suspended.
>
The valet service adjacent to Houston’s, at the corner of Ponce de
Leon Boulevard and Miracle Mile, has been moved to Miracle Mile.
> Alleys perpendicular to Ponce de Leon and within
the boundaries of the construction will be monitored to make sure vehicles
are not blocking the alleyways.
Here are other projects that may impact traffic:
> Construction continues on the 400 block of
Palermo Avenue to alleviate flooding. Construction will last several
weeks.
> A sewer line is being installed
on Ponce de Leon, between Merrick Circle and Riviera Drive, for a new
development at Riviera Drive and Ponce de Leon Boulevard. Most of the work
is being completed at night, but there will be partial lane closures
during the day.
> Paving and drainage work
continues on Mendavia Avenue.
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Cultural Events Roundup >>> The following is a list of
upcoming events put on by recipients of the Coral Gables Cultural Grant.
Event schedules are subject to change, so please call the organizations
directly in advance of a show.
> June 2-Aug.
25: Coral Gables Congregational Church Community Arts Program, 2005
Summer Concert Series – seven concerts on Thursday evenings, 8 p.m. at the
Church, 3010 De Soto Blvd. For information, call 305-448-7421 or visit www.coralgablescongregational.org
on the Web.
> June 9-Aug. 28: The
Shakespeare Project, featuring Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant
of Venice, and Macbeth, at the New Theatre, 4120 Laguna St.
Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 1 p.m. Ticket prices vary. For
information, call 305-443-5909 or visit www.new-theatre.org on the
Web.
> July 6-Sept. 4: The Big
Bang, musical, at Actors’ Playhouse, 280 Miracle Mile. Schedule and
ticket prices vary. For information, call 305-444-9293 or visit www.actorsplayhouse.org on the
Web.
> Aug. 6-Sept. 4: Misery,
adaptation of the Stephen King classic, at GableStage at the Biltmore
Hotel, 1200 Anastasia Ave. Fridays-Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m.
and 7 p.m. Tickets are $35. For information, call 305-446-1116 or visit www.gablestage.com on the Web.
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For e-News en español, click here.
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