Mayor and Commission recommendation on the incorporation of a commemorative program in Miami Beach.

At the January 17, 2018 Commission meeting, Miami Beach resident Caren Kamlet approached the dais during Dr. Stanley Sutnick Citizen’s Forum hour to propose the creation of a memorial walk along the Beach Walk. The Beach Walk is presently under construction.

At the January 24, 2018 Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee (“NCAC”) meeting, the Committee discussed the creation of a paver memorial program. Administration was directed to look at other programs and come back with suggestions for a program and options that tie in with the Miami Beach Art Deco identity.

At the February 14, 2018 Commission meeting, the item was formally referred as a discussion item to the NCAC.

At the March 21, 2018 NCAC meeting, the Committee directed staff to develop a memorial paver program for the beach walk at a cost of $1,000.00 per paver, a corporate paver program in the amount of $5,000 to $10,000; and a lower cost memorial program in City Parks, and moved the discussion to full Commission.

Miami Beach residents have expressed their desire to incorporate a paver memorial program, or a similar concept, in locations that are either highly trafficked by residents, such as the Beach Walk, or within passive parks between Mid-Beach and North Beach. At the request of members from the North Beach community, staff has redirected this concept away from tourist hot spots, and targeted denser residential areas (between 23^rd street to 82^nd street), as well as include affordable options for Miami Beach residents.

The Beach Walk, or parks that are serene, quiet or waterfront, were described as optimal locations to run the memorial program. Parks that met these considerations included Brittany Bay Park, Allison Park, Parkview Island Park Annex, Pinetree Park, and Maurice Gibb Memorial Park.

Administration researched similar programs within Miami. As a comparison, Miami Children’s Museum offers personalized commemorative tiles at its walkway entrance at a cost of $1,000.00. Similarly, the City of Aventura offers an “Honor Roll Founders” program a person can become an Honor Roll Founder by donating between $1,000.00 to $5,000.00. In recognition of their support, names of Honor Roll Founders are displayed on an “Honor Roll” plaque, featured in the Center’s lobby.

In consideration of the community’s desires and direction from NCAC, Staff has developed three potential program options, listed below.

• Option 1: Commemorative Brick Paver Program on the Beach Walk (Exhibit A)

This program presents donors with the option to choose between a “Flamingo” or “Buff” colored 4x8 concrete brick, to be featured on the Beach Walk. As the project is presently underway, incorporating this program is relatively seamless. Once the commemorative brick is engraved, a matching brick on the Beach Walk would be swapped out with the commemorative brick of the same color. The commemorative text may have up to 21 characters per line at a maximum of 4 lines per brick. Given the abundance of pavers on the Beach Walk, this program could offer reduced sponsorship costs to Miami Beach residents and remain profitable.

Possible locations within corridor:

• Beach Walk entrance on 53^rd Street (Indian Beach Park)

• Beach Walk entrance on 64^th Street (Allison Park)

• Beach Walk path between 53^rd and 64^th streets

• Option 2: Commemorative Memorial Wall at Brittany Bay Park (Exhibit B)

This custom option incorporates tasteful Miami Beach inspired memorial wall design at a waterfront park. It is important to note there are greater upfront costs associated with the construction of a memorial wall, as well as with the fabrication of the memorial plaque system.

This program option is more restrictive as there are limitations associated with the overall dimensions of the frame and the amount of commemorative tile squares offered per frame. As a reference the quoted memorial system, illustrated in Exhibit B, features a total of 112 squares; thus, this caps potential profits to $46,368.00, if the sponsorship cost is set at $1000.00 per commemorative tile. Due to the limited amount of space, Administration does not recommend reduced sponsorship costs for residents for this program option.

• Option 3: Commemorative Memorial Wall at North Shore Park & Youth Center

This custom option features the Memorial Wall Program at a park facility. Unlike Option 2’s commemorative wall at a park, NSPYC has plenty of exterior wall space, which reduces associated construction costs. However, are still limitations associated with the overall dimensions of the frame and the amount of commemorative tile squares offered per frame. In this option potential profits are capped at $74,816.00, if the sponsorship cost is set at $1000.00 per commemorative tile.

If the program is approved, Administration needs direction as to where funds from this program should go.