Request for Project Update

The following letter was sent to Fernando Albuerne, Alberto Carvalho, Ana Rivas-Logan, & Dennis Moss on Tuesday, June 23, 2009.

It has been over one year now since our last communication regarding proposed State School HHH1. This project remains of considerable concern to our community, as many of us will be directly impacted by the school. As you will recall, we alerted Miami-Dade Schools early in 2008 regarding our objection to the project. It remains our contention that constructing the school within half a mile of the current Urban Development Boundary is a violation of accepted smart growth policy. Furthermore, we contend the district has failed to engage the community in an appropriate manner since the project’s inception, and continues to be remiss in this regard.

As of our last communication, we were informed construction of the school was to proceed as planned, and to be completed by the 2009-2010 school year. Since then, the property has remained fenced and overgrown. We continue to monitor carefully the monthly school board meetings and have not seen any mention of the project on any agenda. As we have asked repeatedly in times past, our community would greatly appreciate being involved in the process, and kept informed of both developments and delays.

Following a year of relative silence, we would like to ask for an update on the current status of HHH1, along with your best estimated timeline for project completion. We remain hopeful that the current economic climate, coupled with declining population trends, will prompt reconsideration of this project in favor of higher priorities. Still, if a new high school is to be built, we recommend Miami-Dade Schools opts in favor of acting in the best interest of our community by moving the project to a more suitable location through an open and transparent public process.

Where's the School??

As of last spring, officials with the Miami-Dade Schools Facilities Planning office were still adamant--despite our objections, high school HHH1 would be built at their proposed site, and be open to receive students by the 2009-2010 school year. That deadline looms only two months away, but the 40-acre parcel in question remains gated, overgrown, and bears no signs of development.

The local community remains concerned about HHH1 yet, not surprisingly, has been afforded no information from Miami-Dade Schools on the status of the project. Efforts are underway to learn more about why this new facility will not receive this year's incoming freshmen...