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072-1999 LTC CITY OF MIAMI BEACH CITY HALL 1700 CONVENTION CENTER DRIVE MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA 33139 http:\\ci.miami-beach.f1.us L.T.C. No. 72-1999 LETTER TO COMMISSION March 19, 1999 TO: Mayor Neisen O. Kasdin and Members of the City Commission FROM: Sergio Rodriguez ~ City Manager SUBJECT: Miami Beach Hispanic Community Center a/kla Coral Rock House Grand Opening; National Community Development Week The Grand Opening and dedication of the Miami Beach Hispanic Community Center's new facility will be taking place on Saturday, March 27 at 1701 Normandy Drive, Miami Beach, Victor Diaz, President of UNIDAD of Miami Beach, Inc., has informed me that Mayor Kasdin has agreed to preside over the Ribbon Cutting ceremony at 2 pm, You are cordially invited to attend the grand opemng. This event is the signature celebration of national Community Development Week, celebrating 25 years of community development activity in Miami Beach. The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program has allowed the City of Miami Beach to provide broad based community services to meet the physical, economic and social needs of our city and its residents. Your support for the CDBG program will be celebrated at a VIP brunch from Noon to 2 p,m., followed by the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony presided over by Mayor Neisen Kasdin and Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas at 2 p,m, The Miami Beach Hispanic Community Center is located in a historic coral rock house that was transported to its new setting, restored to splendor and updated for ADA compliance with a total of $417,202 of CDBG funds over the last four years, including land acquisition. The HCC is a centerpiece to the revitalization underway in the North Beach area and an example of the many accomplishments funded by CDBG in Miami Beach. Information on all CDBG funded projects currently underway, as well as a selection of past achievements, will be provided in a fun and festive atmosphere. Following the ceremony will be a neighborhood block party, complete with presentations from children's groups also receiving CDBG funds, live musical entertainment and refreshments, Please see the attached press release for additional information on CD Week activities, including the Open House celebrating the grand opening of the Jefferson Apartments, 542 Jefferson Avenue, on April 5, 1999. The Jefferson is a 27-unit building rehabilitated to provide affordable rental housing for senior citizens. Please call Mercy Rovirosa in the CommunitylEconomic Development Department by Wednesday, March 24 at extension 6170 to confirm your attendance. SRlC~RM/JR Attachments c: Christina M. Cuervo, Assistant City Manager Randolph Marks, Assistant Director - Community/Economic Development Joanna Revelo, CDBG Projects Coordinator F:IDDHPI$ALLICHERYLICDWEEKIINVlTE.L TCF:\DDHPI$ALLICHERYLICDWEEKIINVlTE.L TC Collins Avenue DIRECTION TO THE CORAL ROCK HOUSE 1 i MIAMI BEACH HISPANIC COMMUNITY CENTER N 0 R 7 M 1 A N 5 0 T . Y R . E I Trouville Esplanade Trouville Esplanade 0 E T Coral Rock House 1701 Nonnandy Dr P Soccer 0 Field ~ 0 VIP Tent L Parking VIP Area GATE ~ ENTRANCE TO VIP PARKING I Playground t \1 Rue Granville II w Over the bridge you will find- Biscayne Blvd 7 9 S T m CITY OF MIAMI BEACH PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release Date: March 15, 1999 Contact: Nannette Rodriguez Phone: 305-673-7575 http://ci,miami -beach.fl. us CITY CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Grand Opening of Miami Beach Hispanic Community Center, a.k.a. Coral Rock House Miami Beach - For 25 years, the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program in Miami Beach has provided broad-based community services to meet the physical, economic and social needs of the City and to its residents. From hot meals for the elderly to neighborhood street improvements, from childcare services to vocational tuition waivers, services and programs funded through Community Development Block Grant funds have been many. This year, the City of Miami Beach celebrates the silver anniversary of Community Development Block Grant program during National Community Development Week with the grand opening of the Miami Beach Hispanic Community Center, operated by UNIDAD of Miami Beach, Inc, The Hispanic Community Center opens its new doors on Saturday, March 27 at 2:00 p.m., located at 1701 Normandy Drive, Miami Beach. The grand opening celebration and block party is the kick-off to the City's celebration of Community Development Week, "The City Mayor and Commission have declared the week of March 27 through April 4 as Community Development Week to commemorate the important projects that CDBG funds have supported," said City Manager Sergio Rodriguez. "CDBG funds have revitalized our neighborhoods, provided important public services, and helped spur the economic development in our community." During Community Development Week, the City will also invite apartment building owners to a Multi-family Housing Rehabilitation Workshop, where interested parties can learn how to access CDBG funds to renovate their buildings. The workshop will be held on Tuesday, March 30 at 4:00 p.m. at the North Shore Activities Center, 7250 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach. -- more -- page 2/Community Development Week press release Another example of the work being carried out by the City to improve the quality oflife with CDBG funds is the Jefferson Apartments, located at 542 Jefferson Avenue, Miami Beach. A ribbon-cutting open house is scheduled for Monday, AprilS at 4:00 p.m. The Jefferson, a 27-unit historic Art Deco apartment building was purchased and restored for the exclusive purpose of providing quality and affordable housing for senior citizens by the Miami Beach Community Development Corporation with the assistance of CDBG funds. The CDBG program, administered by the City of Miami Beach Community/Economic Department, is designed to further enhance and revitalize the housing and community development projects throughout the City's area neighborhoods. Through these U.S. HUD funds, the City has invested close to $3 million annually for local projects. The primary objective of the CDBG program is to provide a sustainable living environment, which includes creating viable urban communities, expanding economic opportunities, and housing, These federal funds are used to assist local community and social services and projects such as childcare, street improvements, infrastructure improvements, commercial fayade improvements, job training, business development, youth activities, meals for the elderly, HIV testing and counseling, and AIDS awareness. CDBG funding for programs and projects, which meet the eligibility requirements, are offered on an annual basis. The Hispanic Community Center is located in the historic coral rock house that was transported to its new location, in March 1997, and restored to its present day splendor with a total of$417,202.00 of U.S. HUD Community Development Block Grant funds over the last four years. The funds were used for the land acquisition of the new site and to restore the house, which includes complying with ADA regulations. Additionally through the City, the North Beach Development Corporation provided UNIDAD, Inc., a $100,000 matching fac;ade improvement program grant for the project. Furthermore, there are additional CDBG funds for the Center's public services component, Project Link, which provides job referrals, information and job training, The Miami Beach Hispanic Community Center is a full-service social service agency, offering bilingual information and referral -- more -- page 3/Community Development Week press release services, The Miami Beach Hispanic Community Center is a centerpiece to the revitalization underway in the North Beach area of the City and an example of the many achievements accomplished in Miami Beach with CDBG funds. "This center symbolizes the vibrant and diverse future of this community. It will serve as a meeting place for all those who understand that our cultural differences should not divide us. Our fears about the rapid and ongoing demographic changes in this community Can only be overcome by embracing our diversity and celebrating it," said Victor Diaz, president, Hispanic Community Center, UNIDAD, Inc. At the Hispanic Community Center opening, the City will also showcase CDBG projects and services currently underway, as well as some of its past achievements. Children's groups, who receive CDBG funding, will perform at the block party scheduled that will include free food, live entertainment and refreshments for the community, In addition, signs will be posted throughout the City where CDBG funds have been invested over the past 24 years. During the past 24 years, the City of Miami Beach has received nearly $50 million in CDBG entitlements. And over those years, the Community/Economic Development Department has assisted many activities and programs for the overall enhancement of targeted areas and neighborhoods. Current City projects, funded by CDBG, are street improvement and beautifying projects on Calais Drive, Marseille Drive, Espaiiola Way and Drexel Avenue, the renovation of Miami Beach Fire Station #4; North Beach youth programming at North Beach parks; and the City of Miami Beach Multi-family Rehabilitation Program, Many community programs benefit from CDBG funds. They include the rehabilitation of the Miami Beach Police Athletic League facility; the Boys and Girls Club after-school program at Flamingo Park; ASPIRA of Florida's Minority Youth Leadership Development; North Beach Development -- more -- page 4/Community Development Week press release Corporation's Commercial Fac;ade program; the rehabilitation and neighborhood revitalization programs of the Miami Beach Community Development Corporation; micro enterprise assistance to low income artists at the ArtCenter South Florida; the adult daycare program of the Miami Beach Senior Center/ Community Council for Jewish Elderly; and City of Miami Beach projects, such as the removal of architectural barriers, public facility improvements, and street improvements. In the past, other City projects funded in part by CDBG include the purchase of playground equipment for City parks, code compliance/enforcement, and the Police Department's D,A.R.E. program, The Coral Rock house, which houses the new Miami Beach Hispanic Community Center, is one of two remaining examples of structures built of coral rock, which was typical of early Miami Beach and South Florida architecture. The house, built in 1927, was scheduled for demolition for new construction and could not be granted a demolition permit because of its historic value, The house was donated to UNIDAD, Inc. for the Miami Beach Hispanic Community Center, and moved from Collins Avenue to Normandy Drive. For more information, contact Community Development Block Grant Coordinator Joanna Revelo at 305-673-7260. ### Call 305-673-7575/VOICE to request material in accessible format, sign language interpreter (5 days in advance), or information on access for persons with disabilities.