Item H1
TIME APPROXIMATE
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Meeting Date:
July 19,2001
Division: Public Works
Bulk Item: Yes _No --X..-
Department: Engineering/Construction Mgmt
AGENDA ITEM WORDING: Presentation of proposed Higgs Beach Master Plan by Zyscovich, Inc. for
approval by BOCC.
ITEM BACKGROUND: Three public workshops were advertised and held at 6PM on each of the following
dates, February 20, 2001; April 30th, 2001; and June 26, 2001 at the Harvey Government Center. The public
input provided at these workshops was incorporated into the Master Plan.
PREVIOUS REVELANT BOCC ACTION: On January 17th, 2001, the BOCC approved the contract with
Zyscovich, Inc. to perform professional services to develop Master Plan for Higgs Beach.
CONTRACT I AGREEMENT CHANGES:
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Approval as stated above.
TOTAL COST Zero
BUDGETED: Yes L- No
COST TO COUNTY: Zero
REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes
No
AMOUNT PER MONTH_ Year
OMS/Purchasing _
Item Prepared by:
Stephanie L.
DIVISION DIRECTOR APPROVAL:
Dent Pierce, Division Director
DOCUMENTATION: Included L
To Follow_
Not Required_
DISPOSITION:
AGENDA ITEM # ~ "/;'/
Revised 2/27/01
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1800 Atlantic Blvd
Unit A-I04
Key West, FL 33040
Phone: (305) 292-9499
July 18, 2001
To: Board of Monroe County Commissioners
Subject: Plans for Redevelopment of Higgs Beach
1. My historic connections with Higgs Beach:
a. Navy Captain Ralph Spalding, Professional Civil Engineer;
Fred Frohoch, and CB. Harvey, Professional Civil Engineer
were the selected engineering company to build Higgs Beach
many years ago. (CB. Harvey was my husband and 1, as a
young housewife, helped.)
b. Honorable Clarence Higgs, Honorable Joe Allen, and all
other honorable Monroe County Commissioners planned and
planned to provide Key West with a lovely beach despite the
beach being small. I shared the dreams of thse solid citizens
and when the county had very little money, the County
Commission, le4 by Clarence Higgs and Joe Allen produced
Higgs Beach, which was honorably named forever (we hope)
for Clarence Higgs.
2. I must say that I am ~pposed to your present plan for
Higgs Beach for reasons close to the heart as well as the welfare and
use of the Higgs Beach, some of which:
a. I believe that moving the Children's Park to the oceanside
would be unsafe.
b. The East Martello Civil War Fort is our treasure with another
long term existing treasure, the Key West Garden Club. The
Garden Club has been developed into a Garden Grandeur for
all to see and visit. Please continue to leave this free standing.
+-\. 1
c. I imagine Garden Club and Higgs Beach enthusiasts, Mr. And
Mr. Mel Levitt, are turning over in their graves at thoughts of
this plan.
d. I believe the Reach (water) area should be kept free, if
possible.
There are many other reasons that you will hear. If you would like
additional information, please do not hesitate to call me.
Sincerely,
.
~.
Wilhelmina G. Harvey
Mayor Emeritus
Honorary Member, Key West Garden Club
P.S. Please read this letter into the minutes of the RaCC Meeting of July
19,2001.
..
Vera Vasek
901 Flagler Avenue
Key West, Florida 33040
305-304-9362
July 19,2001
To the Monroe County Board of Commissioners,
Jury duty keeps me from enjoyin9 your company today, so I won't be with you at this
morning's Higgs Beach presentation. I'm sure that you will be as favorably impressed as I
am by the plans for the restoration of this "gem in the rough" site.
What you may not see in this well-conceived visual display is the remarkable community
participation of our neighborhood in developing what is now the Zyscovich Master Plan for
the re-design of Higg's Beach.
As a member of the Higg's Beach Design Committee since its inception back in
November 1999, I witnessed the Architect's diligence and proficiency in the art of
compromise. My fellow committee members had predicted that it would not be easy to
come up with a plan to correct all the problems that now exist at Higg's Beach, while
pleasing everybody. How true. However, the Master Plan you now have before you
comes as close to that ideal as is possible.
The challenges we initiially identified, as summed up in the minutes of our initial November
'99 meeting were "the homeless, signage, misuse of facilities, additional security, trash and
human waste, a dangerous thoroughfare, the need for planning and updating the facilities
and the need for park access at sunrise." To find the best professional answers to those
challenges, you published an RFQ, and ultimately awarded to Zycovich Architects a project
which would" involve working with the community to redevelop a plan for the area,
designing facilities and grounds for the planned activities, and providing engineering and
archItectural services." They have done just that.
Through the several public meetings and some very heated debates, the Zyscovich team
listened to public input, revising and improving the Plan by incorporating ideas that came
from the varied, and very talented, residents to whom Higgs Beach has a special meaning.
You will no doubt hear today from some who are still displeased with some aspect or
another of the Plan. No doubt there is room for continued improvement in this evolving
design. However, the essential features of the Plan are sound, and can be implemented
now, with little impact on our tax bills.
To me and my family, the most immediate need is safer and slower traffic in our
neighborhood and specifically in the Park. That feature of the Plan also improves the whole
appearance and function of Higgs Beach. It can be accomplished at significantly less cost
than the acquisition and development of the two fine parks recently bestowed on Key
Largo and Marathon. And if most of those road improvements (including parking and
landscaping) can be paid for out of our gas taxes, no County tax bill will have to be
increased to pay for it. Later phases could be paid from grants and from the infrastructure
taxes collected by the County in Key West and the rest of the Keys.
H./
To conclude, I would ask you to approve the Zyscovich Master Plan for Higgs Beach, and
to find a funding source, other than the property tax, to pay for the first phase of it. Higgs
Beach is our County park in Key West, and as one of your Key West constituents, I would
hope that our park can benefit from your attention, just as the middle and upper keys parks
have.
Sii;C'
Vera Vasek
v'-" '--