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The Honorable Mayor Stoddard and Members of the City Commission
Roger M. Carlton, Acting City Manager &&� �
Walking Tour -Van Smith Park- (3 -26 -2010)
March 31, 2010 C� (qeo)
On Friday, March 26, 2010, Bernard Hannah, Parks & Recreation Supervisor, Doug
Baker, Parks Maintenance Supervisor /Certified Arborist, and Maria Stout -Tate, Acting
Director, Parks & Recreation Department met with Mr. Jason Smith, Land Manager of
South Florida Water Management Division / Miami -Dade Regional Service Center, Mr.
Ed J. Hernandez, Director of South Florida Water Management Division/ Miami -Dade
Regional Service Center, and I, met at Van Smith Park to assess if the property would
qualify for any type of Natural Habitat grants which the Water Management District
could provide.
A little history about the family (Van Smith) and the property:
• The family settled there in the 1940's. The area was not populated and did
not have any roadways. The Van Smith Family purchased two acres for
$2,000 back at that time.
• Presently the family consists of three brothers; two who reside in Central
Florida and Garrett Van Smith lives on site.
• The property still includes the original house. The house sits on a little
more than an acre and still provides the native canopy and its underlining
native habitat.
• On July 19, 2001, Miami -Dade County DERM recommended that this
property be designated as a Natural Forest Community.
• Registered Audubon Sanctuary with over 300 canopy trees, 100 species of
plants, and native animal wild life.
• The City purchased the property between 2001 -2003, through the Florida
Community Trust- Florida Forever Program.
(Portions of the property were purchased within a two year period).
The purpose of this memorandum is to inform the Mayor and members of the City
Commission that grant funding may be awardable to help preserve and expand the
environmental and educational elements of the park. We will keep this Commission
informed as this opportunity develops.