1.-
From: María Muñoz 
Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2021 12:02 AM
To: Kieran Bowers
Subject: Brickell Key Parks
 
Dear Mr.Bowers,

 
Hope this email finds you well. My name is María Muñoz, and I have been a happy resident of Brickell Key for the last 7 years.
 
I am directing this email to you, in your capacity as President of the Brickell Key Master Association, on behalf of more than 800 signatories of the following petition:
 
https://www.change.org/p/brickell-key-master-association-bkma-give-us-back-the-parks-of-brickell-key/dashboard
 
As you probably already know, many of the families of Brickell Key have been using the parks for organized sport/cultural activities. Some of these activities have been going on for years, and others started months ago as a result of the Covid crisis, but only recently the association has decided to enforce certain rules (that we were not aware of) that prohibit these activities in Brickell Key, precisely now that these parks are needed the most.
 
As a consequence, we have been forced to relocate the scheduled activities to other parks, and drive out of the island to take our kids there. I believe that if we don’t find a solution soon, most families will end up relocating somewhere closer to these other parks as well.
 
We are shocked by the way the association has acted and the lack of communication with the Residents. Most of us believe that Brickell Key is a family-oriented Community, and disagree with the decisions taken by the association.
 
We have been informed that the BKMA Board of Directors will meet on February 26, and we would certainly appreciate if you take in consideration our petition and give us the chance to propose acceptable solutions to all the parties involved.
 
Cordially,
María Muñoz

 

2.-

De: Kieran Bowers 
Fecha: 16 de febrero de 2021, 3:36:50 p. m. EST
Para: María Muñoz 
Asunto: RE: Brickell Key Parks

Dear Ms Munoz, 

 

I am good thank you and your family are also keeping safe and well? 

 

Thank you for reaching out to me.  I have seen quite a lot of the correspondence between residents and BKMA, and I am aware of the petition.  The well-being of the community is very important to Swire and we are always open to learn more about the needs of those living on the Key.  

 

There are a few considerations here which I will share with you in the interests of transparency.   The first consideration, is that to use this space for organized activities would require a different type of insurance to be carried by the owner – Swire Properties.  If, for example, the South Lawn is booked for a private party and an outside vendor is used, BKMA requires the vendor to have the relevant insurance coverage in order to fill this gap.  This may be easy to overcome, and we are making enquiries to better understand the implications of any change.      

 

The second consideration is the difficulty managing what activities can take place, if the existing restrictions were lifted, given the limited space that there is.  The ground is not suitably prepared for ball sports - it is not even, nor is it expected to withstand the wear and tear of recurring use.  This is one reason organized sports activities have historically not been allowed.  Should we allow dancing but not allow, soccer, frisbee or football throwing?  Where to draw the line is always going to be a challenge.  

 

Thirdly, there are residents who via their association president have clearly expressed by email that they do not wish to see ‘group’ activities because of the larger numbers these activities attract (participants and their supervisors).  This group maintain these activities interfere with their residents quiet enjoyment of the space.  This is less a COVID related concern but more a perspective that the island should be more private.   

 

The spaces in question are privately owned by Swire Properties.  They have been provided for residents use temporarily for recreational purposes.  It is unclear to what extent the guidelines were (or were not) enforced by the prior security company, although I believe the team organised activities are a more recent trend.  The Baywalk surrounding Brickell Key is different.  It is deemed public space by the City of Miami and managed and maintained by BKMA.

 

I am conscious of the pressure the COVID pandemic has placed on families to access open space. We will try to balance all the input we receive and make a clear decision on the future use of these spaces and ensure that decision is applied consistently.  We have always endeavored to make Brickell Key a desirable place to live and we are mindful that there are many perspectives.      

 

I am also sorry to learn that the changes were not effectively communicated.  BKMA issues notices to each building manager. Since BKMA is only responsible for managing the public areas of the island, we rely on the management team in each building forward the communication to individual residents.   I have seen the information they have published and we will work on trying to establish more direct methods to reach residents.  

 

Thank you again for taking the time to reach out to me and express your point of view. Please do contact the president of your association to discuss your points further prior to the board meeting.  Following that discussion we will attempt to communicate directly to the community on the future guidelines for using the space.           

 

Please keep safe.

 

Sincerely

Kieran

 

3.-

De: María Muñoz 
Fecha: 22 de febrero de 2021, 10:55:17 p. m. EST
Para: Kieran Bowers 
Asunto: Re: Brickell Key Parks

 

Mr. Bowers,
In the last few days I have been in touch, literally, with hundreds of residents of BK, trying to come up with a proposal that is reasonable and can be supported by the BKMA. We have checked with the coaches/trainers of the different organized activities and all of them already have insurance or are willing to incur in the time and expense to obtain it. We are willing to reduce the groups and make reservations in the afternoons in order to avoid large groups, but we need your support and guidance. At this point I am not sure what is BKMA willing to do to help the nearly 900 families that have signed our petition.

Where I come from we use to say that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Hope this logic also applies down here, because Brickell Key does not have good public schools in the area, and if it does not have parks where children can play, very soon there will be no families left.

It is a shame to see that the parks of BK are empty in the afternoons, while our kids have to commute to other parks to play soccer. I invite you to walk accross the Village Green park any day between 3-6pm, and see with your own eyes the sad picture. Let me ask you, who is benefiting from this? In my humble opinion no one is benefiting from this situation. This is just a terrible misunderstanding that we should all work together to solve.

Regards,
Maria