RAISE YOUR PITCHFORKS!

      The Grove's city commissioner, Marc Sarnoff, wants us to shut up.   A resident recently e-mailed him with a complaint.  She pointed out that there may not be enough money to build a park once the Grove's  convention center, next to City Hall and Scotty's, is torn down this fall.

      For years Coconut Grove's parks have suffered.   Every Groveite knows this.
The commissioner  has consistently said, "There is no money", to improve our parks.   
He just leased part of Peacock Park to a private school, for instance, because  "there was no other way to pay for park improvements".

     When this woman wrote, worried that the Convention Center site may soon become a "mud pit", he told her to,

 ".....read your e-mails (presumably from his office) and slowly put down your pitchfork..."

Marc Sarnoff  Sent: 8/12/2013 9:15:20 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time

       Grove resident/architect, Charles Corda, saw this and responded,   

  Dear Commissioner Sarnoff;

I think you may be watching too many old horror movies on late night TV.

It is true this is matter of "grave" concern. However of even more concern to me, is that you envision those who oppose this project as "pitchfork" raising rabble.

Perhaps you would be more interested if we call this project Grove "Horror" (not "Grove Harbor") ?

Would you like to get yourself some popcorn before I continue..?

To employ the imagery you use in your email let me make this clear,

It is "a dark and stormy night".

The rabble are gathering en masse in the castle forecourt.
Barefoot,  worn clothing,  soiled faces, their torches alight ..countless "pitchforks" raised in untempered anger

and ...oh...........

the mournful chant,

"We want answers"...."We want answers"

"Why has the man, once a Prince, now a King, turned his back on those who trusted him...

Our Prince once promised...

...to keep us safe..

...to protect our homes..

...to secure our tiny hamlet from marauding invaders....
and uncouth developers
        who care not for who we are , our history, or our future"


Where is our Prince?

"Why has the man we raised upon a throne abandoned us to stand squarely with those who would take our land and do us harm"?

"Wherefore art thou Dear King when our fragile hamlet is in grave peril?


Answer for us these questions so we may "put our pitchforks down", extinguish our torches, and return to our humble homes.

Answer for us these questions, Dear King,
     So we may know we did right to place you upon your throne.. 

         With all due respect Commissioner Sarnoff, In clear and unambiguous language, Why your ardent support for this ill conceived and unappreciated "development" of the Coconut Grove Bayfront?   To continue,

1.) Where exactly does the Sasaki Plan and Report call for over 100,000 square of retail/ restaurant use to be located on the Coconut Grove Bay front and /or this particular parcel of Bayfront land?.  Please site page number and paragraph so that we may be enlightened on this matter.

2.) In light of the Sasaki Plan "Market Analysis" that unequivocally states that any uses on the the Coconut Grove Waterfront should not compete with those same uses in the Center Grove, Why are you proposing over 100,000 SF of "competing" uses that may have the potential to destroy the economic basis of the Center Grove as it presently stands.
3.) Exactly how many parking spaces will be provided in the proposed Parking Structure? In an effort to avoid any further "mis-understanding" regarding this Garage on the Bay,  Please provide not just the anticipated height of this structure but also it's capacity, length and width.
4.) Why do you believe that the ballot wording for this item, which essentially gives the Developers carte blanche to build what they please, should be approved by the voters of our City?

5.) Do you believe the voters should be shown a final plan of this development that accurately depicts your intentions before being asked to cast their ballots?
  I, and the "pitchfork" wielding rabble, await your response.

Respectfully, 
Charles Corda
 


     

From: msarnoff@salawmiami.com
To: msarnoff@miamigov.com, Miamigros@aol.com, TRegalado@miamigov.com, tsarnoff@salawmiami.com
CC: rnelson@miamigov.com, anoriega@miamiparking.com, mllorente@miamigov.com
Sent: 8/12/2013 9:15:20 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time

 

P......

Who on Gods green earth told you there is no money for Regatta Park? Did you speak with someone or read it on the Internet? I am very curious so I would like a response.

There is approximately 2 Million Dollars to start Regatta Park...there is fear of a mud pit who would tell you such a thing?

Too many things are being said are not true.

At any rate read your emails carefully and slowly put down your pitch fork and think...read the Sasaki plan think about all the meetings there will be 14 more acres of park not a mud field but maybe that does not suit or support the cause you may have.

At any rate you have your answer on the funding, can I have my answer on who told you that?

Marc

Sent from my iPhone

       If you love our bayside community,  keep your pitchfork in a handy place.  We may have to march on City Hall soon.

If you have not signed the MoveOn Grove Harbor Petition, please do it now.   The link is,
 http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/stop-grove-harbor

    Become a part of the "rabble" fighting for Coconut Grove.

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