Five simple projects Miami’s brand-new city commission should consider

By the time this edition of the BT rolls off the press, we will have a new mayor and up to four new commissioners at Miami City Hall. Congratulations to those who won their elections. For those who gave it a gallant effort but lost, I encourage you remain active in your communities.

Criminal charges brought Commissioners Angel Gonzalez and Michelle Spence-Jones have resulted in two vacancies that will be filled by appointment or special election. Either way, we’re going to have four new faces on the dais at Dinner Key.

This presents an opportunity for city leaders to take a fresh look at several small-scale projects that could have a significant impact on those of us who live in Miami, as well as those who visit our fine city.

Light up our bridges. This is a project that has been on my back burner for quite some time. Everyone enjoys the beauty of the lighting under the Dodge Island Bridge between the mainland and the port, as well as the MacArthur Causeway Bridge to Watson Island. The violet glow over the water is truly beautiful. But the old technology used to light them -- particularly the port bridge -- is expensive to maintain and to power. However, recent advancements in energy-efficient LED technology (Light Emitting Diodes) now make it possible to illuminate the Venetian Causeway and the Julia Tuttle and 79th Street bridges at a fraction of the cost.

For example, when the MiMo Biscayne Association had the iconic Coppertone sign restored, it was converted to LED lighting. This resulted in the sign weighing less, requiring far less maintenance than it did with neon tubes, and consuming much less electricity. In fact it costs less than $50 per month to keep its lights on all night, every night.

LED lighting can also change colors with the flick of a switch -- great for seasonal holidays and sporting events like Dolphins or UM games, or for causes such as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Imagine how enchanting our waterways would look if all the bridges were illuminated. What a way to welcome visitors to Miami!

Landscape principal roadways with flowering plants. Here again we’re talking about something not so expensive in the grand scheme of things, but which could have a major impact on how our city is perceived by residents and visitors alike. As an example, let’s consider the southbound stretch of U.S. 1 from I-95 down to the border with Coral Gables.

Now that the mahogany tree canopy has been restored along this part of the highway -- 17 years after Hurricane Andrew -- it is time to look at the planting areas that lie between the trees. These are a natural locations to install flowering plants along with irrigation, and also up-lighting of the trees. The trees can be lit with low-voltage LED, cutting down on power usage and maintenance. Colorful flowers would be a pleasant welcome to Miami for visitors and a brief respite from long and hectic days at work for daily commuters as they sit in clogged traffic, block after block, on their way home from downtown.

Install stamped, decorative crosswalks. This one is truly a low-budget item, and would not only improve the look of intersections but also play an important role in traffic-calming -- for the pedestrians who will soon swarm over our sidewalks now that the Miami 21 zoning plan has been approved.

The technologies for this are pretty simple. One method calls for heating a newly finished layer of asphalt and stamping it with a pattern, usually bricks or cobblestones -- kind of like a waffle iron. Color and border stripes are then applied to the crosswalk area.

Another method is even simpler: Patterned and colored strips of heavy-duty material are secured atop existing asphalt, like gluing down a linoleum floor. Instant decorative and distinctive crosswalks! These basic enhancements change the whole look of an intersection and give an up-scale appearance to both residential and commercial roadways. Again, these upgrades can be added to existing roadways or installed as part of ongoing resurfacing projects.

Relocate the Bayfront Park laser tower to one of the islands within the city’s portion of the Intracoastal Waterway. Now, this is probably a bit more pricey, but still worthy of consideration. The 100-foot-tall laser tower, one component in a 1981 makeover of the park by artist and designer Isamu Noguchi, is said to be the largest laser-light installation in the world. When it was working, the tower’s computer-programmed, multiple laser beams created mesmerizing patterns that zoomed out from downtown Miami to infinity. Today, however, it sits idle -- unused and unnoticed by most parkgoers. (It stands just south of the amphitheater.)

Now imagine it being relocated to one of the small spoil islands along the Intracoastal. First, there is virtually no light pollution to diminish the grandeur of the show, and second, it would not only be visible to residents up and down the mainland shoreline of Biscayne Bay but also to tens of thousands of Miami Beach residents. Perhaps the project could be a joint venture between Miami and Miami Beach. One of the most costly installation expenses would be the power cable running underwater to the selected island. But if the light tower is moved to one of the islands offshore from Morningside Park, power could be supplied from the park.

Most of those islands are bird rookeries, and I’m not sure if the laser would have any negative effects. My guess is no, but I’m sure someone from the bird world could shed light on the subject, so to speak.

Install “City of Miami” street signs. This is another project that could be implemented in phases or tied in with road improvements. Something as simple as a distinctive street sign, with “City of Miami” and its incorporation date at the top, can have a dramatic effect. We see it in Miami Shores and on the signs in Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay, which are easier to read than most. Simple improvements of this sort give residents a valued sense of community. When you live within an incorporated municipality, you should have reminders that you’re part of something special.

As we look ahead to 2010, these are just a few ideas for our elected (or appointed) officials to ponder amid the budget woes, layoff issues, pension problems, and corruption trials. There should always be projects that benefit ordinary citizens. After all, not everyone can afford to attend concerts at the Arsht Performing Arts Center, or buy tickets to a new Marlins stadium, or drive through a high-tech tunnel under the bay.

They will, however, probably commute along Biscayne Boulevard or U.S. 1, or simply stroll through their own neighborhoods -- where they can see evidence that civic projects are not just for the wealthy.

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