WCOM NEWS

8-14-04

Miramar to begin city hall move

MIRAMAR--It's expected to take three weekends and eight vans to move 900 pieces of furniture and 1,700 boxes into the new Miramar City Hall.

It's quite a step, leaving the city's historic east side for a brand-new, three-story complex in the heart of the city, off Red and Hiatus roads.

City officials begin the first phase of the move on Wednesday.

"Everybody is getting ready to go," Miramar Mayor Lori Moseley said. "It's a little bittersweet, really. We are moving out of a facility that we've been in always, and it will be knocked down."

City officials spent years searching for a new home for City Hall.

"We have been growing so rapidly, we didn't have a facility for the community that was centrally located," Moseley said. "To me, this [new] City Hall is symbolic of unifying our older neighborhood with our newer. To me, it's more than just a building."

As the city's population continues to expand west of Interstate 75, office space has become limited. Several years ago, the Building Department had to move into an old five-and-dime across the street from the current City Hall, at 6700 Miramar Parkway.

Now, all city officials will be within walking distance. The Community Development Department will be housed in a building next to City Hall.

Before the move, boxes and furniture from both buildings, which are plagued with mold and bugs, will be tented for termites.

The grand opening is scheduled for October, giving officials time to settle in. The first meeting in the new commission chambers is set for Sept. 1.

The new building follows Miramar's Mediterranean theme, complete with royal palm trees, brick pavers and decorative light posts.

Inside the large glass doors, visitors are greeted with "The City of Miramar Welcomes You."

This is the first phase of the 54-acre Town Center area. The second phase, consisting of 40 acres, will include a public library, cultural center arts park, housing, offices, parking garage and restaurants.

The Town Center should be finished in five to seven years, city officials said.

While some residents such as Nora Jacome are excited about all the things to come at the pedestrian-friendly Town Center site, others, such as Bob Ruben, are not.

Now that City Hall is going to be more centrally located, Jacome, who lives just east of I-75 off Miramar Parkway, said she would be more inclined to attend meetings.

"There are 100,000 people in Miramar now; probably 50 percent live out west," she said. "We were being disadvantaged by having to drive 20 miles to get to City Hall. Now it's going to be right in the middle [of the city].

"I drove by there a couple of days ago, and I thought it was majestic," she added. "I'm very, very glad that they went upscale with it."

With the rising cost of living, longtime east-side resident Ruben said he doesn't agree with extra amenities such as decorative street lights and landscaping upgrades on Red Road.

"Who is clamoring for these additional amenities?" he said. "I'm not disagreeing that we need a new city hall, but I'm against the concept of this Town Center. We are a not a business city, we are a resident city."

(source) Sun Sentinel (Lori Sykes) 8-14-04