The Road To Hell Is Paved With What?

Last night was the commission meeting in our sweatbox new chambers at the 1666 Building.  It was well attended by the commissioners, only a 20% absentee rate.  Mayor Kreps decided to blow it off to attend a Leadership Seminar where she is apparently a remedial student since lesson one of leadership is you have to show up.   But for for second time in six months, Mrs. Kreps found herself otherwise engaged. 

I didn't stay for the whole meeting.  Unlike Mrs. Kreps, I'm not paid to be there so I figure an hour and a half was enough.  Long enough to sit through the commission reports anyway.  

Jorge Gonzalez and Eddie Lim expounded on their detailed conversations with residents and their close observations of the North Bay Village situation.  Ha, ha, just kidding.  They talked about swell trips paid for by others and an upcoming lobbying bonanza.  

Jorge Gonzalez spoke about his recent expense paid trip to Turkey to share his expertise on Rising Seas and how they will affect island communities.  Gonzalez did not share this previously unknown expertise with the commission or citizens because he forgot the equipment.  But he totally will next month.  He promised.   I hope that this engagement with the Turks works out for him.  Last time it didn't work so well and scored him an ethics rebuke. 

In fairness, Gonzalez did mention that seawalls are eligible for financing under the PACE program, a benefit not listed in the Florida Pace Home Page but I'm sure he has thoroughly checked it out.  Gonzalez also said lots of positive things are happening - Food Trucks, Shuckers is reopening and developers are making money.  So people should shut up about the parks, sidewalks, parking, flooding because, hey, some people are making money. 

Eddie Lim spoke for a bit and reminded his fellow commissioners that this year the largest convention of municipal lobbyists will be meeting at the Westin Diplomat August 14 - 16 and he urged his fellow commissioners to show up for the hosted appetizers and bars and some schooling. 

Speaking of schooling, Mrs. Kreps' best friend at Treasure Island Elementary School kicked our summer program off the school grounds because it was inconvenient for her.  The summer program will be held in the 1666 office building lobby.   Seriously, you can't make this stuff up. 

Then things got serious.  The Village Manager acknowledged how dank and awful the Tot Lot is and said that there is a plan to make a plan.  We are sinking even more  money into Vogel Park because the previous money wasn't enough and it needs new grass, new shade, and other things in addition to the new seawall.   He also said that there will be a plan to make a plan for a dog park.   

So lots of plans to make a plan but even the metaplans don't have dates or goals which means they are really just intentions.   

There are some fixed dates:

June 24 a Tuesday, Kimley-Horne will show us their $105,000 plan to plan a crosswalk at the bridge to Miami Beach.   That's money we spent instead of fixing the Tot Lot.  

July 17, a Thursday, there is another Budget Hearing.   

July 29, the village will announce how much they are raising our taxes.  

So nothing got done last night.  But there are good intentions.  They told us so. 

Kevin Vericker

June 11, 2014