Of greatest importance for those seeking a solution to implement the proposed Baywalk across the mouth of the FEC Slip, the planned creation of an enclosed dry-dock (designed to keep the vessel safe from potential hurricane tidal surge) also serves to enable seamless, barrier-free pedestrian transit from Parcel B to Museum Park along Biscayne Bay, at grade.
Next steps include chartering an aircraft to enable a site visit for upwards of 100 local officials and community leaders to fly from south Florida to tour the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum in San Diego, whose CEO has provided the Florida group with a solid endorsement. The USS Midway’s convention, tourism, educational and community outreach programs will result in some 950,000 visitors to that vessel, in this its third year of operation. A pending San Diego Economic Benefits Study focused solely on the USS Midway’s inclusion in that tourist-based economy will become publicly available in the January timeframe.
The group is most interested to see the community leaders of both Miami and Fort Lauderdale approve preliminary funding to conduct feasibility studies which would either confirm or refute their contentions of the economic benefits represented by the addition of this attraction to the south Florida Tourism economy. A primary focus of the business case is the proposed museum’s ability to serve as a reason for large groups of cruisers to spend an extra night in south Florida either prior to or following their cruise vacation, said to be the number one goal of tourism leaders in both communities.
A prior 2006 effort to position a much smaller vessel, the USS Mohawk at this location was met with resistance for the choice of vessel, but overwhelming support for the concept of a Maritime Museum at this location:
“We're the largest seaside community in the country that doesn't have a maritime museum. A museum like that will bring in six to seven times the visitors as an historical or art museum. If attractions are grouped, it brings in visitors that will flow into the historic, science and art museums. Who knows, perhaps another ship will become available - the city really missed the boat.”
Bud Park, Vice President of Advancement Historical Museum of Southern Florida
“The idea of a maritime museum is wonderful, and it would make all the sense in the world. The city deserves something really attractive. I think a maritime museum is a great idea – the City deserves something big, beautiful and important.”
Joe Arriola, Former Miami City Manager
“This would have added to our tourism infrastructure and contributed to the mosaic that is Miami.”
William D. Talbert III, President and CEO
Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau
It seems that this new vision for Museum Park represents precisely what Mr. Park, Mr. Arriola and Mr. Talbert were hoping for.
The JFK CV-67 Memorial Foundation hopes to energize the online community with its New Venture Strategies e-marketing campaign, designed to leverage the resources of the Internet through hundreds of blogs and message boards to encourage others to “Tell A Friend” and support these efforts
With all of the recent controversy surrounding the preliminary design of Museum Park (and in the absence of a forum designated exclusively to public comment and creative input), we offer this space as the repository of ideas regarding the future of Miami's Bicentennial Park.
To kick things off, we've created a list of potential amenities/activities that might be included within the park, in the form of an ongoing popularity poll. Please take the time to select the items mentioned in terms of their usefulness and importance to the overall quality of life for those living in or visiting the downtown area - with emphasis on what will draw the most people to use the park. Considering the limited green space available, you might want to select items in terms of their value to the overall experience and their usefulness, relative to the total green space they will consume. Select up to ten items.
City Splits Development Of "Museum Park" Into Two Phases
MuseumParkForum.com
October 5, 2007
The City of Miami held its first of three scheduled “Museum Park” public meetings last night at the Orange Bowl Athletic Club. Two additional public comment sessions are proposed for the end of October and the end of November.
One major image of the proposed “Museum Park” was posted at the meeting. Of particular note were the changes made to the rendering from its previous form, and those that were not made, all of which was addressed at the outset of the meeting. The city and the architect have elected to change the prior holistic approach to the development of Museum Park (which was to include the FEC Slip and Parcel B), and rather have opted to break the design process into two distinct phases. “Phase I” includes all of the land north of the FEC Slip - and was presented for public comment last night in the identical form presented earlier this year.
The Architectural rendering displayed at last nights meeting included both the FEC Slip and Parcel B (“Phase II”) - but left them virtually blank. All of the elements previously shown in the FEC slip (the cantilevered platforms, the man-made “island” and boat docks as well as the elevated/operable bridge are now gone - and they left “Parcel B” blank - no “Bay Of Pigs Museum,” no soccer field, nothing…blank canvas for both the FEC slip and Parcel B.
Perhaps our words from a few days earlier were heard - though left for future designers to solve?:
“As for the existing Museum Park rendering, note that the bridge over the mouth of the FEC slip is NOT proposed to serve as the solution to Bay Walk, as the grade/elevation required to transit the bridge would preclude barrier-free use, a requirement for public facilities. This bridge is proposed to be operable, though the costs and maintenance and method of operation seem not to have been articulated. What is the actual cost of the proposed improvements to the FEC slip? What would all of the proposed cantilevered decks do in the event of a hurricane-driven tidal surge?
If the City is truly interested in public input, let's all make it a point to read the results of the Parcel B Study in the context of the broader vision for Bay Walk, and try to arrive at solutions that will draw the most people to actually use the waterfront, serving as a tourist attraction and most importantly, PAYING ITS OWN WAY, in perpetuity.” LINK TO FULL STORY HERE
Last nights “Phase I” vision of "Bay Walk" actually requires that people circumnavigate the entire (8 acre) FEC slip by walking (for example) from the waters edge at Parcel B all the way back in to Biscayne Blvd. - then proceed north to the main park, then walk all the way back out to the Bay before proceeding north on your “Bay Walk” journey.
A quick calculation reveals that the planners of Museum Park propose that your “Bay Walk” include a 2,850' (HALF-MILE) detour over to the hustle and bustle of Biscayne Blvd. before proceeding on your morning stroll along Biscayne Bay. That my friends, is not a “Bay Walk.” Until a true at-grade (barrier-free) solution is identified to transit the 300' mouth of the FEC slip, there is no “Bay Walk.”
The proverbial “elephant in the room” is obviously the FEC slip. Aside from the problematic and as-yet unresolved stretch of the proposed “Bay Walk” that will lead users along the water frontage of Bayside Marketplace (and around Miamarina), the FEC slip is the number one impediment to the design and development of Bay Walk. Is it really wise to design and develop half a park, leaving the rest for others to resolve?
FEC Slip
The FEC Slip is so huge that it is clearly visible from space (check it out on Google Earth). It's 1,200' long and 300' wide representing 8 acres of “Museum Park.” The improvements being made by Shoreline Foundation, Inc. have saved the slip's walls from crumbling into the water, and have beautified an otherwise decaying relic of Miami's early shipping heritage - but as yet, no “highest and best” use of the slip has been identified.
Visitors to the slip along Biscayne Blvd. will note that, sadly, the slip is a serious debris trap, catching not only the surface “flotsam” that collects naturally there by virtue of its location directly at the end of Government Cut - but also serves as a catch-all for every piece of paper, Styrofoam cup and other construction-related debris that blows its way on a windy day.
While it has been suggested that the slip should remain open and available to visiting ships like the US Coast Guard Cutter “Eagle” there are some key issues to address. Upon their recent visit, they were actually required to truck-in massive concrete blocks positioned in the park along the dock in order to tie-off the vessel. Here's why:
Despite the fact that the seawalls have been saved from collapse (courtesy of 40' long sheet-steel driven into the sea bed, topped with concrete), the walls themselves are not sufficiently reinforced (as in this example) to handle the stress of securing large vessels in inclement weather - which explains why there are no “cleats” to tie-off vessels along the north wall of the FEC Slip.
Holistic Design:
The entire “Museum Park” design concept requires a singular holistic approach, as the ultimate disposition of the FEC Slip will effect the design of both the southern end of the “Phase I” portion of the main body of the park and the northern end of “Parcel B” - all of which together will become a destination known as “Museum Park” - tied together by the broader concept known as “Bay Walk” - which by its very name implies “a walk along Biscayne Bay.”
Museum Park Project Transferred To Department Of Capital Improvements
Input For Park Design Encouraged At Public Meeting
MuseumParkForum.com
September 22, 2007
With this single sentence, the public is hereby notified that responsibility for the oversight and development of the “Museum Park” project has been transferred to the Department Of Capital Improvements (CIP).
Apparently the Department of Capital Improvements has scheduled a public meeting for Thursday, October 4th at the Orange Bowl Stadium - Athletic Club at 4:30 PM - but it appears to be advisable to call (305) 416-1286 to hear that for yourself, as the actual time is not posted online as of this writing.
Isn't it high time to look at the entire Museum Park concept in the context of the proposed
Bay Walk concept to ensure that the result comports with the recommendations of the experts?
Since the City Of Miami already paid good money to Project For Public Spaces to study the highest and best use of the waterfront, including the land behind the American Airlines Arena known as Parcel B (AKA “Maritime Park”), shouldn't we all at least consider their recommendations?
Among the recommendations for this parcel of land were a “Maritime Museum” and other alternatives that might serve to attract people to the waters edge. Not recommended for this location were “ball fields” - perhaps owing to the fact that there are roads on two sides and water on the other two. Take the time to read the recommendations of this highly respected urban planning entity (excerpted here), whose advice the City clearly sought, and paid for.
As stated by GeniusOfDespair over at Eye On Miami, an additional charette hosted by Miami-Dade County regarding the most appropriate uses of Parcel B was well attended, though it seems the outcome was not widely circulated.
A Feasibility Study is presently underway by the Miami-Dade County Manager to determine the economic viability of a new "Bay Of Pigs Museum" on Parcel B - an opinion poll pertaining to which is featured here. Any such study will, by necessity, take into consideration the potential for direct and indirect tourism revenue, as measured against other potential uses of this land.
As for the existing Museum Park rendering, note that the bridge over the mouth of the FEC slip is NOT proposed to serve as the solution to Bay Walk, as the grade/elevation required to transit the bridge would preclude barrier-free use, a requirement for public facilities. This bridge is proposed to be operable, though the costs and maintenance and method of operation seem not to have been articulated. What is the actual cost of the proposed improvements to the FEC slip? What would all of the proposed cantilevered decks do in the event of a hurricane-driven tidal surge?
If the City is truly interested in public input, let's all make it a point to read the results of the Parcel B Study in the context of the broader vision for Bay Walk, and try to arrive at solutions that will draw the most people to actually use the waterfront, serving as a tourist attraction and most importantly, PAYING ITS OWN WAY, in perpetuity.
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