Editorial

Grand Ave. News block party rekindles fond memories of Virrick Park

The block party arranged by University of Miami Professor Colee Splichal and her public relations students on April 17 to promote Grand Ave. News has created a community connection between the university and the West Grove that I hope will become even stronger.

What a beautiful event the students put on for us following a semester of preparation that brought free food, prizes, live music and lots of children to Virrick Park.

The overcast sky did not stop the joy of fun and games that turned into a plain old get-together for four hours Saturday afternoon. As I walked into the park, children were getting their faces painted; your friendly neighborhood police officers, S. Kirkland and E. Abbott, were on hand as were several UM faculty and representatives from other community organizations. I brought my family with me, and it was great to see childhood friends Tilley, DeeDee and Donnie Wynn, just to name a few.
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Op-Ed: The Grand Plan

Is development of Coconut Grove’s Village West community a shared vision of residents, experts and developers, or is it the sole purview of well-financed developers and their political toadies?

The historical residents in this Coconut Grove community, which has been known as “Colored Town”, “Black Grove”, “West Grove” and “Coconut Grove Village West” have longed for a day when their neighborhood would progress in the direction of parity with the extreme wealth of the neighborhoods that surround it, or at least stimulate a modicum of investment, public works and facilities to stem crime and create an ambiance of light and creativity and a perception of security.

Perhaps the residents were asking for too much.
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Ideas for Cities: a GOOD blog

GOOD is a blog that describes themselves as a collaboration of individuals, businesses, and nonprofits pushing the world forward. We don’t have such grand ideas. But if we can collaborate and push Village West forward, it will be good too.

They recently came out with a blog called “Ideas for Cities,” a collection of smart ideas for improving cities. As I read this I can’t stop thinking about how some of these ideas might apply to Village West.

You may read the article at: http://www.good.is/series/ideas-for-cities

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