Areas where Palmetto Bay local government should remain in business. Construction is an essential activity and continues at Palmetto H.S. in Pinecrest. So why have important projects come to a halt in Palmetto Bay?

A fair question to ask is why are two huge Palmetto Bay projects at a standstill or near standstill while significant work getting done elsewhere? I am specifically referring to the bridge at Coral Reef Park as well as the Franjo Road construction.

The video below was posted to the "Around Palmetto Bay" Facebook site. It shows that work remains ongoing for government contracts - in this case work under the Miami-Dade County School Board - demolition of the older section of Palmetto High School located in Pinecrest. The Video was posted on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. Why is work getting done in Pinecrest and not in Palmetto Bay?

There was a very brief discussion of the Franjo Road project at the April 6, 2020, Village Council meeting. The following is taken from the full summary on this item as reported by Village Officials:

CLICK HERE to view the complete online message. Presented here is the portion stated relating to the status of construction:

Interim Village Manager Greg Truitt reported that people are now getting the message about social distancing and respecting the closures of Village Parks. (… portion omitted …) Regarding completion of the Franjo Road project, Mr. Truitt said work is now being done on utilities, but that construction has slowed as many contractors are not reporting to work due to COVID-19 precautions.

The public stated report was factual and I accept it on face value, notably that there are no other reasons that were excluded or left unreported to the Council and to the Public (to withhold such information would not be in compliance with Palmetto Bay's Citizen's Bill of Rights).

There appears to have been no mention of the status for the Coral Reef Park bridge project. (CLICK HERE to view a prior post on this Coral Reef Park project - March 1, 2020, This is no way to bridge a community. Both banks are a mess at Coral Reef Park as we near the annual community celebration.). Note that this post was made six weeks earlier with no resumption of activity, though there is a piece of heavy equipment presently posted at the site, sitting idle.

Seriously, the residents of Palmetto Bay are just as important as those served by the Miami-Dade County School Board in as well as outside of the Village of Pinecrest. Let’s step it up and get these projects completed before Coral Reef Park reopens and the Franjo Road traffic (or required detours into neighborhoods) resume.