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NEWS
Cutler Bay SERVING SOUTH DADE
MARCH 9, 2010
Founders Day 2010 brings residents out for day of fun
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BY GARY ALAN RUSE utler Bay’s fourth annual Founders Day Celebration on Feb. 20 had picture-perfect weather and a crowd of about 1,800 people who turned out to enjoy the old-fashioned neighborhood event. Founders Day is the celebration honoring the first official meeting of the town council on Feb. 6, 2006. To celebrate the occasion the town threw a huge party at Cutler Ridge Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring picnic food, local entertainment and displays of animals, police and fire equipment. Diane Kessell sang the National Anthem to start activities, followed by Caribbean music by Panman Steel Drums and jazz by the Robert Morgan Educational Center Orchestra. Then at noon Mayor Paul Vrooman welcomed everyone to the event and introduced the other members of the town council — Vice Mayor Edward MacDougall and Councilmembers Timothy
New leadership team takes helm at EDC
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BY GARY ALAN RUSE
Public Works director Ralph Casals (in straw hat) and Mary Ann Mixon hand out “Green Bags.”
aul Neidhart — area businessman, activist and former Palmetto Bay councilmember — has become the new executive director of the Economic Development Council of South Miami-Dade (EDC). With the departure of the previous director, Herb Parlato, in December to take a job in Broward, Neidhart has taken the helm of the organization that promotes and assists local businesses and development in the Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay and Perrine areas.
Park to get $344,000 f or na tural area improvements
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BY SEAN MCCRACKINE
Louise Lockwood (left) and Jean Welsh of the Whispering Pines and Cutler Ridge Women’s Clubs display a sampling of the desserts their groups provided.
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FOUNDERS, page 4
he Miami-Dade County Commission approved an additional allocation of $344,000 on Mar. 2 for Lakes by the Bay Park for development of interpretive nature trails. The funding for Lakes by the Bay Park was part of a larger package of countywide projects funded by the last allocation from the popular and successful Safe Neighborhood Parks bond referendum originally sponsored by Commissioner Katy Sorenson and passed by the voters in 1996. The bonds have funded $212
million in improvements for parks throughout Miami-Dade. “I am grateful to the Safe Neighborhood Parks oversight board for seeing the value of investing in the educational trails in the nature preserve portion of Lakes by the Bay Park,” Commissioner Sorenson said. “Parks are for everyone and always a worthwhile investment of our community.” Earlier this year, county commissioners passed legislation sponsored by Commissioner Sorenson that transferred 49.3 acres of the Lakes by the Bay Park –––––––––––– See
IMPROVEMENTS, page 4
Vanessa Derenoncoart and Paul Neidhart are pictured at EDC headquarters.
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EDC, page 4