There are Hialeah activists working feverishly to try to stop the Development of Regional Impact at Hialeah Racetrack. They want to put almost 4,000 residential units there. They are also putting 3,000 residential units at Gulfstream park in Hallandale (Broward) according to that DRI. Except Gulfstream is now a casino, thanks to Broward's loopy voters, so you can conveniently gamble on Vegas slots where you live. Back to Hialeah...heck I might as well digress about the Golden Globe Awards too: Did you hear Sacha Baron’s (star of “Borat”) acceptance speech?
In the case of Hialeah, it looks like they want to dismantle the track and all the historical trappings. I heard they are knocking down stables already. Can I get a couple of flamingos? Anyway, Alex Fuentes and Milly Herrera are leading the charge to save the greenspace. Alex said: “This sanctuary must be preserved and protected as a historic park.”
Their group is called: Citizens of South Florida for the Preservation of the Hialeah Race Track.
They also have a website: http://www.myspace.com/savehialeahpark
Alex and Milly are two excellent organizers and very able activists. I am pretty interested to see how they do against their local Hialeah government. We aren’t exactly talking about a green mayor. In fact, the guy is a developer.
I am writing tonight because I am going to that meeting Natacha Seijas will be chairing in the morning. Remember? I wrote about it January 16th: The meeting of the Miami-Dade County Infrastructure and Land Use Committee will be reviewing the Watershed Study.
Tuesday: I am back from Infrastructure and Land Use Committee Meeting:
Natacha Seijas, exhibiting very good behavior, chaired the meeting. After hearing testimony from municipal officials, watershed committee members, and other members of the public, Commissioner Seijas and the committee thanked the committee for their service, disbanded the committee, and asked the consultants to produce a final report by March (presumably in time for the Feb INLUC meeting).
I think I know where this report is headed: A shelf.
I would love to see "the shelf" at County Hall. I bet it has millions and millions of dollars worth of reports on it.
22 comments:
Thank goodness that Hialeah has a strong mayor/developer in charge, now certainly we know who to hold responsible with Hialeah Racetrack gets demolished. Most likely Hialeah voters will hold the mayor responsible too.
The housing markets are crashing. The Hialeah folks have to make the argument to each commissioner and the mayor: they are spitting into the wind.
I hope as much of the history of the Hialeah Racetrack and its beautiful grounds can be saved. The taxpayers have been providing incentives to them for years.
But what a great location for a great South Florida park. Fantastic. Near major roads too.
I agree with one of the previous comments. It is an amazing location for a South Florida park. It is centrally located and as HUGE added bonus it's historically significant to the area. The grounds are also spectacular (or could once again be) I don't know what they're waiting for.
I hope that what they are waiting for is NOT the "irreparable" decay of the historic elements (like the now demolished stables) to make way for large scale commercial/residential redevelopment.
This has happened in South Florida for years...Very Sad...
Truly Blue
I drove past the sight of the former "historical stables" at Hialeah Race Track the other day and lamented their demise. What a terrible shame, the barren land or rubble in place of the once grand stables on Palm Avenue just north of the railroad tracks.
I remember going there as a child with a neighbor. We were on a mission to pick up some hay. What better place to do it than at the horse stables? It was impressive then for it's activity and size.
Today it is impressive for the rubble and the remnants of stables strewn. One can see large machinery and dumpsters at the ready to destroy what few buildings remain.
Folks, don't sit back. Do something to save the park. If you know anyone that used to go to the races, work the races or enjoy the pink flamingoes in Hialeah, put them in touch with Alex Fuentes and Milly Herrera. There is no time to spare.
Let's join the movement and save Hialeah's only great park: the one that put it on the map!
We can do it together for all of South Florida. Get in touch with the park's owner, Mr. Brunetti. Ask him to restore horse racing at the park or to sell the park to the Trust for Public Land for posterity and for our over-crowded community.
We can do this South Florida, if more people pitch in!
The idea of building homes or condominiums at Hialeah Park is ludicrous. I'm only hoping that Mayor Robaina's intents to save this historic park for the city are genuine. And yes, it scares me a little that he's a developer. Part of a redevelopment plan for sections of East Hialeah would also allow 6 story buildings with affordable housing on top directly across and around the park. I wonder sometimes what type of real vision these people have for our city...
Regarding the stables, they are all gone. I was upset when we walked around the park and saw the debris. I'm not an expert on construction, but it appeared to us that the stables were actually made of concrete and treated wood, and reinforced. They were built intentionally to last. Now I regret not challenging this more at the council meeting in November when they were decertified as historic.
A lot of us are also wondering why the Maco Construction sign was up way before the council members approved to decertify the stables back in November (2006). We are now questioning the real intent of demolishing the stables, and if it would not have been more cost effective to clean, fumigate and repair the stables. Note that not all the stables were damaged. Also, why was this item before the council not published in the paper?
We also fear that former Mayor Raul Martinez may still have an interest in wanting to develop the site. He attempted this in 2004. The park was spared thanks to council members Senator Roberto Casas, Cindy Miel and Vanessa Bravo, who denied the application to develop on the land.
That brings us to the present (2007), as we continue our plight to save Hialeah Park.
Milly Herrera
Hialeah, Florida
herrra101@aol.com
I not sleeping sinking about this.
I been here in the Hialeah City many years ago. I know much sings becase I is a old man and know many people. I see but not talking to much, but this Hialeah Park prolem make me worry for the people of mine city. They good people and they care but fighting big men with big dollars and much power.
Martinez, Robaina plus Brunetti is at cooking somsing bad in the back of the closet doors. I know my friend, listening to me when I saying to you.
Listen, reed this paper news carfuly and see what I saying to you.
Push it here...
2001
http://search.miaminewtimes.com/Issues/2001-03-08/news/feature.html
2004
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/5631459.htm,
2005
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/Issues/2005-11-17/news/feature.html
Milly say:
"We also fear that former Mayor Raul Martinez may still have an interest in wanting to develop the site. He attempted this in 2004. The park was spared thanks to council members Senator Roberto Casas, Cindy Miel and Vanessa Bravo, who denied the application to develop on the land."
Please reed 2004 miami herald news
http://www.floridacdc.org/articles/041219-1.htm
Caballo Viejo must know what he or she is talking about. I can't believe what I'm reading. Here's an excerpt from that article (Miami New Times, Nov 17 2005):
"Four Hialeah officials and a prominent businessman who spoke with New Times on condition of anonymity said they had heard Mayor Raul Martinez, a political icon who is finishing his last term, will take a job spearheading the development of Hialeah Park after he leaves office at the end of the year. Martinez did not return several phone calls or a list of questions faxed to him by New Times.
Martinez and Brunetti have long been allies, and the Hialeah mayor was the track's registered lobbyist in Tallahassee in the Nineties. City council president and mayoral favorite Julio Robaina won't discuss rumors about Martinez but says he'd like to see at least 100 acres surrounding the park developed into a "mixed-use city-center type of thing." Robaina thinks he can arrange a public/private partnership to develop the land and have a three-week "boutique meet" at the track every winter — much like the 1998 plan.
Robaina says he hasn't discussed the plans with anyone other than Hialeah Republican state Sen. Rudy Garcia, and that those discussions have been only preliminary. Garcia did not return several calls for comment."
This was only a year and 2 months ago! A Hialeah friend told me rumors are going around that Martinez is working for the park as we speak. Somebody needs to investigate this and save the park!
Rumors are rumors. I quoted facts and genuine concerns, and haven't been able to prove anything else.
Something wonderful would be for our elected officials to join forces and find a feasible way to restore and preserve Hialeah Park. When government really wants to do something in this town, it gets done!
I would love to see former Mayor Raul Martinez come out publicly in defense of preserving this park. During the long tenure as Mayor of Hialeah, he always supported the park system. In "Hialeah Park - A Racing Legend" a book by John Crittenden, the author quotes Raul Martinez, referring to the park, as having said that "Hialeah without Hialeah would be like the city losing its soul." That's why his 2004 development plans are so disturbing to me.
What more would I love than for Martinez to come out publicly in defense of our efforts and help us save Hialeah Park. He would be a hero and make up for a few wrongs. Mayor Robaina has said he wants to save the park ---- Lets help him do good on his word!
Milly Herrera
herrera101@aol.com
I don't know about all this talk about brunetti, martinez and robaina making plans for construction, I do know that I have seen Hialeah Council President Steve Bovo working Tallahassee to save the race track. Why hasn't anyone reached out to him for help ?? I know he cares about Hialeah Park and watching racing come back.
I can't believe that someone would want to destroy the extraordinary beauty that is Hialeah Park. I say we fight them on the beaches, we fight them in the air and we fight them on the streets, or whatever it was that I said....when I said it.
Long live Hialeah and the Queen.
Annonymous Feb. 12th. Doesn't Bovo work for Brunetti? Things are very incestuous in Hialeah Government.
Yeah,,,,I have seen Bovo around here.....he feeds us sometimes.
Having known Eddie Acaro,Jocky Club, Palm Bay Club etc.Some years ago I met John Brunetti on some design work at Hialeah Track. He was a piece of work then and now it seems still unable to use common sence in restoreing the park to its deserved glory.Hialeah city was always a mess, run down etc. and now it has finally affected the one beauty there.Raceing is now reborn as other tracks show.It's truely wonderful how some in Hialeah understand the loss of such a world showplace. That the glory that was once Hialeah has come to this is pathetic. What other reason would one want to go there?
Its amazing that with all the available ugly and garbage strewn land in Hialeah that the industrious leaders in commerce need to destroy the only true beauty of a history of racing for more condos. To restore Hialeah Racetrack is to give also a view to the past for all Cubans who remember the beauity that their homeland once enjoyed.The sooner Brunetti gets paid off the better. He is after all, as owning this park demonstraits, a looser.
Hialeah government was always known as corrupt. Some things never change. Its amazing that this city would not use public domain for the public good to take the park and revitalize it. Privite money likes Hallendale. Rebuild the barns and bring on the horses. By the way , where does Brunetti live?Not Hialeah for sure. I really feel bad about his losses.
People helping Hialeah Racetrack in Tallahassee is like Condalizza Rice making a deal. They never happen. Like planing a funeral. Until all the public gets behind restoring the park-it won,t happen.
Maybe a name change to like, Mobile Oil Park or Donald Trump Park,or Bank of America Racetrack,could get the $200 mil
Martinez- Isn't it amazing- all the loosers together- No wonder Hialeah is rotting. Time for a change
Amazing how the the hialeah city council was considering financing the Marlins stadium, but not a thought on preserving the Most Beautiful Race Track in the world....DIRTY BASTARDS the corrupt council members are!!!!
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