I asked Mayor Finn about the Village Hall that Lynda Bell was dissing during a debate (see post 2 above). This was his reply:Palmetto Bay Village hall will cost out at $10.8 million. This is the total costs to open the door and operate, not just construction. Again, this is the move in ready to operate price. The village has received different grants for construction such as $1.24 million. Other incentives such as the greening elements, etc., have gone in to reduce the costs.
The economy has made this an important employment project as well as costs have dropped both in time and materials, allowing this project to be completed for the stated price. People are working and at a time when the costs are reduced for area residents.
The village hall will serve over 25,000 village residents and also serve as the area’s emergency operations center. It is being built to withstand a Cat 5 storm. Phase II of the property will see a 500 space parking garage out of which 400 spaces will be dedicated to the busway to encourage use of mass transit (as well as at least 2 electric car recharge stations). These parking spaces will also be available for any spill over parking for the neighboring Palmetto Bay Park events.
The village hall will house the largest photocell array in Miami-Dade County – over 10K square feet. 60% of the building’s power will come from the solar array. There is also a 60K cistern. 40K for the irrigation and a separate 20K where water will be tinted and treated for use in toilet flushing and other non-potable uses. All heated water will be heated through solar heating.
This is Palmetto Bay’s second green certified building (Palmeto Bay was the first to construct a municipal green certified building.)
The Palmetto Bay village Hall was originally set to be Gold LEED certified. It is now tracking to be Platinum LEED certied. The yearly cost saving area will exceed $50K.
See press release on impact of village hall to area and more on Village Hall.
Info on FT & I district.
16 comments:
I think Bell was just jealous because she couldn't get her new City Hall built after spending $5,000,000 to relocate property owners and professional fees.
I would also challenge Bell to post to her website those "350 businesses" who relocated to Homestead when she was Mayor.
Oh, let's not forget about the CRA, which was under her watch when she way Mayor.
She can run, but cannot hide from her history re write.
Let's see 34 village employees at $317K each works out to $10.8 million, okay Genius you convinced me. NOT!!!
How about servicing 25,000 residents - it's better than Lynda's $5,000,000 taxpayer shopping spree for land and professional fees - and nothing is built. Let's do the math here!
Unfortunately, Flinn makes the mistake of many intelligent candidates and overtalks, while Bell talks in soundbytes. If I was a mayor who had never raised taxes and had one of the lowest millage rates in the county, that would be one of my main points, not an afterthought like it was, lost in paragraphs of stuff about the environment. You can think what you want about the village hall, but obviously something is working in Palmetto Bay, something that was not working in Homestead. Flinn never said that, though. If he doesn't fight back, using his very strong record, he will lose.
Try reading the post ...
This is not just a city hall. It is also a police station, a community meeting space and the heart of a revitalized business district. This building is not only green, it practices what the hold the liners preach-- it took a run down strip store area and reused the property. That creates jobs and does not add to sprawl!
Additionally, the garage will have retail stores below, trolley-like electric buses going to the busway done in partnership with FIU.
Good Job, Palmetto Bay!
PB resident (and proud to be one)
You aren't counting the Council Chambers that they say is also "available for use by clubs, organizations, community groups and special events." and it "has police, public service community needs and mayor/council member office space."
It isn't ONLY an office for staff.
The Village serves 25,000 residents. Cities/village/towns of that size have a town hall. But if your math makes you happy, stick to it. I expect we will see it in your next mailer, right? So little to attack.
Love the comment:
Let's see 34 village employees at $317K each works out to $10.8 million, okay Genius you convinced me. NOT!!!
Perhaps that his how Lynda Bell views municipal Centers; for the employees, not for serving the residents. Another important philosophical difference between the two candidates. Thank you, by the way, for pointing out that Palmetto Bay has the best ratio of residents to employees. 34 employees versus how many for Homestead?
Obviously Bell's people can't do math. Perhaps she has a defrocked CPA running her numbers. The fiscal disaster she and her cronies created in Homestead confirms it.
Palmetto Bay is currently renting nasty space from an uncooperative landlord. Village residents spent several years planning this new facility, including extensive analysis of costs and benefits. It is not perfect and the Village staff is facing some internal issues related to how it handled the construction and development. In the end, it will be a huge benefit to the village.
Now look at Homestead under Bell. She was shown the door after proposing an extravagant $30million city hall. The irony is that Homestead really needs a new facility and would benefit both finncially and operationally if it were built in the downtown area.
Unfortunately, Bell became so personally disliked that the city hall project has gone down the tubes with her political career.
Tell me who you think is the more successful Mayor.
Homestead is a diverse city providing low income housing for ALL of the residents of MD County. The fact that Palmetto Bay having higher prices keeps the millage lower within the Village, but it is almost equal to Homestead because of the home values being higher. Now how about the county tax bill? That is a pretty steep price tag to live in a $$$ GATED Village, or maybe it isn't depending on personal perspectives of what is diversity.
The Homestead city hall is a dead issue the current mayor thinks all city accounts are monopoly money and he is the banker. Homestead is now transferring cash on an almost daily basis. Then after they do it they forge some document backing it up. For the record the current Mayor and Vicemayor support Flinn, some deal with Lerner, Corradino, Lesperance and Sorenson. I know this will not be printed, am I right? Flinn seems like a nice guy but he has accepted the endorsement of the top two of Homestead who have one foot in the jail door and the other on a banana peel.
One more thing, and this is on the record the mayor before Bell spent city funds to get the land for the city hall, surveys and DERM approvals. Know what you are talking about maybe you would learn something by asking or heaven forbid looking it up.
I do hope you aren't talking to me...because I always "look it up."
Anyway, thank you for your comment.
I don't think you can complain about people not looking up information when you write stuff like this, and then write FOR THE RECORD to preface it.
"Here is some Gossip for the record" perhaps would be more accurate of what your wrote last anonymous.
"One more thing, and this is on the record the mayor before Bell spent city funds to get the land for the city hall, surveys and DERM approvals. Know what you are talking about maybe you would learn something by asking or heaven forbid looking it up."
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I live here and absolutely know what I'm talking about with the $5,000,000 spent. Borges Market? How much did they over pay for that land and to re locate them - under Bell?
Diverse City? And, what about all those CDD's in Homestead? Remember the Waterstone suit? Those are those extra fees that the homeowners are stucking paying for the Developer infrastructure - another sweetheart deal Lynda went along with. At least Moss came out with an ordinance about disclosure at the County level (something that never dawned on the City when Lynda was on the Council & Mayor).
High taxes, deplorable services, and yes, section 8 would be diverse, especially when the County has to come in and buy vacant homes here.
Lynda's reputation of sticking it to the taxpayer is a long one, in addition to all the land & open spaces we've lost for no reason!
Well, maybe we need more Charter Schools & Rock Mines!
So, "spent city funds", well, those are my funds as a taxpayer here, having to live in what was once a nice nieghborhood, and partly due to the CDD's and more, is now a ghetto filled ghost town!
Maybe you would be better served taking your blinders off and looking at the rest of the County!
And, you're allegations of supporters "going to jail" is ridiculous. That rumor has been going on since Bell got booted. Get over it if that's all you have! You don't like them because they helped defeat Lynda - which she well deserved and I couldn't be more grateful - though, Bateman is not much better. They all seem to drink the same Kool Aid.
Flinn accepted endorsements of fellow elected officials, people he has dealt with for his entire career. He has worked along side of them for the betterment of the South Dade community, which in the case of Sorenson, is something Lynda Bell thought important enough to highlight in her campaign mailers.
Anyone else catch the MPO meeting a few years ago when she verbally assaulted Sorenson, live on TV? Bell is a nightmare but she'll use whatever she can/say whatever to get elected!
Borges Supermarket in Homestead was purchased by the City of Homestead on 4/11/2005. Lynda Bell was elected mayor in 2007.
Resolution 2005-04-59
If you two want to keep arguing about it be my guest. One of you anons is wrong.
Lynda was not Mayor when it was bought but she was a councilmember who voted for it and continued to support the project as Mayor until she was defeated. This is an example of her political dishonesty when attacking Palmetto Bay Village Hall.
Every time it came up it passed because it was a good thing for an economic rebuild of downtown. Even Bateman voted for it. So he was for it before he was against it, Bateman is the original flip flopper.
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