A letter from the President

Museum Park

Creating Miami’s signature park has broad community support, and establishing the Museum Park Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that would be the primary fundraiser and manager of the park, is an initiative that should be approved by elected officials. Conservancy advocates make clear that the land will remain in public hands, and that residents’ input will be the guide for creating this park. The conservancy model has had solid successes: Central Park in New York and Millennium Park in Chicago. Advocates, such as Rebecca Mandelman from the Miami Foundation, along with the Knight Foundation, are taking the lead in promoting the conservancy model in Miami. More than $7.5 million in philanthropic donations already have been pledged. The land in question is a huge underused space that, given its waterfront location, could attract thousands of visitors.

In 2013 the state created a law, pushed by Sarnoff, allowing municipalities to contract with nonprofits to run parks greater than 20 acres. In Miami, the law applies to two areas: the Marine Stadium campus on the Rickenbacker Causeway, and Museum Park just south of the MacArthur Causeway.

Rebecca Mandelman is leading the support for the project. She says though the conservancy will be an independent nonprofit operator, public participation will be key to how the park is designed and operated.

The proposal is resisted by City Commissioner Frank Carollo, who is chairman of the Bayfront Park Management Trust that currently manages and maintains Museum Park. The Miami Foundation is in conversations with the Bayfront Park Management Trust to explore working collaboratively with the Conservancy.

Mayor Tomas Regalado is looking for more time for further discussion. City commissioners should address the concerns that were raised by the other commissioners and some community leaders, come to an agreement and move forward with the conservancy to manage the park.

Andres Althabe President Biscayne Neighborhoods Association