We often throw out the words “Unfunded Infrastructure” and we assume you know what we mean. It is what we need in the County, but we don't have any money to allocate towards it. Repairs to aging infrastructure is another story. Here in the photos of South Miami Avenue bridge over the Miami River, you can see that repairs are needed to this bridge. The paint is chipping off. The maintenance of this bridge is even more important because another bridge just West of this one on 5th Street had to be taken down because of safety issues — it was infrastructure that was poorly designed -- a hazard to navigation. The County had to recently absorb the cost to replace transit cars that have not been kept up. Neglected infrastructure (like the rail car incident) is costing us plenty of extra dollars.
The Water and Sewer Department is rife with unfunded infrastructure. According to the 2008-09 County Budget of Water and Sewer:
The Department has identified $5.494 billion of UNFUNDED planned capital projects including $355 million in renewal and replacement (R&R) needs over ten years; the Department will continue to evaluate all of the funding requirements and allocations in the capital plan; as a result of the State Legislature approving the elimination of ocean outfalls by 2025, the Department will need to develop an alternative method to dispose of all discharges through outfalls and reclaim 60 percent of this flow for irrigation, groundwater recharges and other uses ($2.5 billion); reuse and alternative water supply projects are presented as $147 million of UNFUNDED projects in the Multi-Year Capital Plan.
Is there sewer service at the Port yet or are we still using trucks to move cruise ship waste out of the Port of Miami?
So we have billions of dollars of unfunded infrastructure and we have hundreds of millions of dollars of aging infrastructure (like this bridge) that we are not repairing. Do Inner City County Commissioners up for reelection, Rolle, Edmonson, Jordan and Barreiro care about the infrastructure in their districts? Apparently not. They keep approving stretching our limited infrastructure dollars to the outer limits of Southern and Western limits of Miami Dade County while the inner core of the county rots away.
6 comments:
Gimleteye writes:
Excellent points, especially in context of the $3 billion megaplan. The infrastructure shortfall is one symptom of growth that doesn't pay its own way. The reason the $3 billion megaplan exists is because of the "shell game" that Norman Braman is contesting in court: funding for FUTURE development based on tax schemes for future revenue sources. But what about PAST deficits in infrastructure: shouldn't those be the FIRST attention of county commissioners and Mayor Alvarez? The $5 billion Genius identifies is only a portion of the total infrastructure deficit in Miami-Dade County: this is a story that The Miami Herald has really missed, and it would be well worth the paper's readership to contrast the two: current deficits with the future megaplan. If George Burgess is so concerned with "jobs" and this being the "right time" to pump up investment-- let's hear him explain for the record why all our current infrastructure deficits should not be funded and implemented FIRST! Can't wait for that answer, but, I'm afraid we'll have to wait until the contracts on another $3 billion of infrastructure is signed, sealed and delivered.
Now it is you who are finally on task. It is frustrating that there is not a march on County Hall demanding that we stop spending the 2.7 billion dollars on the ball field fiasco while our infrastructure continues to rot. This is where I get angry about your free pass to certain commissioners. All need to be held accountable. Its back to the hate the commission, love my commissioner syndrome. Only commissioners Moss and (I will agree with you) the vile Seijas seem to even comprehend the importance of infrastructure. I am shocked about our ‘green/ commissioners. You can’t have green without proper infrastructure. You also have to pay to MAINTAIN our green infrastructure such as the metrorail cars. Did any of our long servicing commissioners ever inquire over the years as to the status of maintenance? Of course not, they are all part of the follow King George and know only what he wants them to know when he needs them to know it mentality.
We should be spending the $3 billion now on the sewer infrastructure and stop polluting our biggest economic generators: the beaches. This sinks figuratively and literally.
We the people may not have to raise too big a stink in the near future to get some action; the tides will take care of that soon.
Window dressing – that is the only thing that most of the commissioners appear to be tempted to vote for. Leave the important infrastructure decisions (and costs) for the next generation – if there is one.
So, not only are our bridges at risk from falling down, we are drowning in a sea of S&%T, the affluent are leaving us to deal with the effluent, and we don't know what to do with all the poo! Well, great.
Can anyone say "tunnel"?
The commission would gladly fund the infrastructure for a photo opportunity. Just like MIA, the Port of Miami, Performing Arts Center and Metro Rail, after they airbrush "vile" the editors can give equal effort to the bridge rot and rust and make it look like it is new, again and again and again. Fake photos from fake commissioners. This is all about Burgess, taking from Peter to pay Paul. The story of our manager.
I don't get the rant about 'green' commissioners. What's that supposed to mean? The ones arguing to hold the line and invest in the inner city are somehow culpable? Besides, the list of 'green' politicians is awfully short around here.
Very confusing rant to say the least.
Personally, I think green is exactly what we need - more investment in crumbling infrastructure and redesign of our urban core, strengthening mass transit systems and improving city core parks sounds like what the doctor ordered.
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