WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2010

Coral Gables Police Fleet Gets New Look

City residents will soon be seeing a new look in the City’s police patrol cars. A fresh design will be installed on 25 new patrol vehicles in the next few weeks. The new look will be incorporated into approximately 100 police vehicles over time. The existing look of the patrol cars has not been updated since 1989. City Manager Pat Salerno asked Automotive Director Steve Riley and Interim Police Chief Richard Naue to come up with a new look for patrol vehicles that would be representative of a forward-looking agency.

Existing look

New look

The police patrol cars did not only get an image makeover. Another less visible addition to the City’s patrol cars are the overhead light bars featuring LED technology which replaces strobe incandescent lights. The LED lights, which last about 10 years longer than regular incandescent lighting, reduces the strain on the patrol car's electrical system, resulting in longer component life with less maintenance and need for replacement.

Have A Happy, Haunted Halloween

You can be creepy and kooky, mysterious and altogether ooky and be part of the Coral Gables family, this Halloween. Here are some adventures we recommend this week for a happy and haunted Halloween: A not-so-scary Pumpkin Party, perfect for children up to 5 years old, is scheduled for Friday, October 29, from 10 a.m. until noon. Cost is $5 per person which allows you to jump in a giant bounce house and slide, have your face painted, participation in arts and crafts, obstacle courses, additional goodies and the visit of special characters. The Nightmare at 405 Haunted House scheduled for Saturday, October 30, from 6:30-10 p.m. is sure to scare the bejesus out of you and is not suitable for children under the age of 5. Tickets are $3.75 per person. For more information for both events, please call 305-460-5600. Also on Saturday, October 30 is Halloween on the Mile, from 3-6 p.m. with storytelling at Books & Books, live performances, children and canine costume contests, a Halloween-themed photo booth at the Coral Gables Museum presented by Flagler Development Group and a safe trick-or-treating throughout Miracle Mile. For more information on Halloween on the Mile, call 305-569-0311. On Sunday, October 31, Howl-o-ween will be celebrated at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Road, from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Get all of your friends and their dogs together dressed up in their favorite garbs to enter one of the many costume contests to win special prizes. For admission information, call 305-667-1651. And if you’re planning to go trick-or-treating on Sunday, remember to always supervise children, walk preferably in large groups, carry a flashlight, follow all traffic signals, and only visit well-lit houses in familiar neighborhoods.

Wall Street Journal Lists Coral Gables
As One Of Most Walkable Suburbs

An article published by the Wall Street Journal on October 9th, 2010, lists the City of Coral Gables as the sixth most successful walkable suburb in the United States. Writer Richard Florida, in his article entitled “How SoHo Can Save the Suburbs,” analyses smart cities where “Americas are clamoring to live and where housing prices have held up even in the face of one of the greatest real-estate collapses in modern memory.” A 2007 study found more than 150 walkable towns in America, ranking Coral Gables in the top 10 based on education levels, per capita income and travel time to work. As a walkable suburb, Coral Gables is among the best places to live where people enjoy a greater economic output and higher incomes, and a suburb where there is a higher level of happiness enjoyed by residents. To read The Wall Street Journal article, click here.

Althea Merrick Statue
Is Seated In Garden Of Merrick House

Next time you visit the historic Merrick House at 907 Coral Way, you’ll notice a familiar presence in the garden. A life-size bronze statue of Althea Fink Merrick, mother of City founder George Merrick, is seated on a bench next to a basket of flowers. This is the latest undertaking of the Coral Gables Garden Club, a group of volunteers who have raised approximately $50,000 to produce and install a statue in honor of Coral Gables’ most famous matriarch. The Garden Club has raised more than $1.2 million toward projects that beautify Coral Gables such as the statue of George Merrick in front of City Hall, the entrances at Eighth Street-Ponce de Leon Boulevard and Coral Way/Red Road, among others. Althea, known as “Allie” to her friends, was an accomplished artist, educator and poet. She was a vivacious woman very much ahead of time, credited with giving her son George his artistic and positive spirit that enabled him to build the City of Coral Gables.

City Partners With SHINE Program To Service Elders

Beginning next month, the City of Coral Gables Senior Services Division will offer an additional service to the elderly. Thanks to a partnership with the Alliance for Aging, SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) counselors will offer Coral Gables seniors free and unbiased information about Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance and prescription assistance. The SHINE counselors are dedicated volunteers who are trained and certified by the Executive Office of Elder Affairs to explain many areas of health insurance which are not easily understood.  Their mission is to help seniors understand their rights and benefits of health insurance coverage. Counseling hours begin on Tuesday, November 16 and are available every Tuesday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the War Memorial Youth Center, 405 University Drive. Walk-ins are welcome. Appointments can be made with Denise at 305-670-6500, extension 211.