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MAY 25 - 31, 2010
Fire vehicles leaving park storage area
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BY RICHARD YAGER
he Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department will begin moving up to 30 aged vehicles from a storage area in Indian Hammocks Park in response to citizen complaints detailed by Miami-Dade District 10 Commissioner Javier A. Souto. “All of the old trucks will be moved to one of the department’s Fleet Service parking lots,” said department spokesperson Elizabeth Calzadilla on May 20. In a May 19 memo to Fire Chief Herminio Lorenzo who heads the Fire-Rescue Department, Souto said criticism by residents during a May 13 town meeting characterized the storage area as a “graveyard for department vehicles and boats,” according to Bernardo Escobar, the commissioner’s aide. Residents urged that “the property should be part of the green space and scenic beauty of the park,” rather than creating an eyesore for a park entrance, he added. Equal concern was voiced about the potential environmental hazard of aging vehicles that may leak fluids left stored on unpaved grassy park land, he noted. “The stored vehicles will be auctioned off so that we can raise extra funding for the department during current budget restraints,” Calzadilla explained. “We plan to start moving them before the end of the month.” The area where the trucks were stored is owned by the Fire-Rescue Department, one of several abutting sections of Indian Hammocks Park. In past years, the department arranged donations of such older equipment to out-of-state or non-U.S. departments but “these vehicles are not in condition for that purpose,” she added. Souto’s request on behalf of residents proposed that the vehicles be transferred to one of the General Services Administration paved parking vehicle depots, or “auctioned off during a tough budget year.” Souto previously issued complaints about the appearance of broken wood fencing at the countyowned land adjacent at the park, adding that a paved area used by the county’s Solid Waste Department is “well hidden from public view” and might serve as new parking area in the future.
Fly-In event, free flights attract ‘Young Eagles’
MDX to host public workshops on Open Road Tolling program
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BY MARIO DIAZ
Franchesca Larrain checks out Yale Mosk’s “Great Lakes” classic bi-plane before “Young Eagles” flight.
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BY RICHARD YAGER
Newest “Young Eagles” (l-r) Michael Garcia, 12; Nicholas Rodriguez, 7, and Marcus Mesa, 8, are pictured with pilot Leo Hunsicker at Wings Over Miami Fly-In on May 15.
wesome!” The favored teenage adjective succinctly expressed how Nicholas Rodriguez, 7, enjoyed his first airborne trip on May 15. Along with two newly made pals, Nicholas, a student at Country Walk’s Jack Gordon Elementary School, “buzzed” Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport during the Wings Over Miami Fly-In event on May 15. Pilot Leo Hunsicker, who hosted the trio in his Cessna 182, is one of several pilot members of the Tamiami Chapter of Experimental Aircraft Association (EEA) provid-
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EAGLES, page 4
he Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) will host a series of workshops to provide the public an opportunity to obtain information and comment on the conversion to Open Road Tolling (ORT) and the toll rate for SR 874 (Don Shula Expressway) and SR 878 (Snapper Creek Expressway). The public review consists of an informal format to encourage attendance at any time during the reviews, which are scheduled at the following dates, times and locations: We d n e s d a y, M a y 2 6 , 5-8 p.m., St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church Family Center, 7377 SW 64 St.; T h u rs d a y, May 27, 5-8 p.m., Miami Dade College Kendall Campus Building K, Room 413, First Floor, 11011 SW 104 St., and Tue sda y, J une 1, 5-8 p.m., Dave and Mary Alper Jewish Community Center on The Jay Morton-Levinthal Campus, Suchman Lobby (Rotunda), Building 3, 11155 SW 112 Ave. Each public review will last for a three-hour period and MDX representatives will be available to provide information and respond to questions. The information to be provided includes general information on Open Road Tolling, toll rates, SunPass, and Toll-By-Plate billing for vehicles not equipped with SunPass. Upon conversion to ORT, which is projected for July, cash payments for tolls no longer will be accepted on SR 874 and SR 878. MDX is moving forward with plans to implement Open Road Tolling (ORT) on its five expressways by 2013. Overhead gantries will replace traditional toll plazas and tolls will be calculated automatically and deducted from your SunPass account. For more information, visit online at <www.MDXORT.com>.