Admission fee is eliminated
Getting into Pinecrest Gardens, the former Parrot Jungle Property, is now free - thanks to a Village Council vote Thursday.
Section: Pinecrest Gardens.
Magician Alvin Goodman can read minds and make a burning candle disappear in front of your eyes.
The man known as the Modern Merlin says he can even use his magic to bewitch Pinecrest residents into visiting Pinecrest Gardens more often.
“I could cast a pleasant spell over people and lure them in,” said Goodman, who offers a monthly magic club at the gardens. “Or I could make people levitate off the streets and float into the gardens.”
But the village council soon may not have to rely on Goodman’s wizardry to boost limp attendance. Thursday, the council used a little trick of its own: it voted to give the gardens’ admission fee the vanishing act.
The fee, $5 for adults and $3 for children, was long thought to be a deterrent for village residents - especially when nearby Mayor Evelyn Greer Park is free. The village bought what was once the Parrot Jungle to create a community gathering spot, but often the place is near empty.
Removing the admission fee was one of Mayor Gary Matzner’s campaign promises back in November.
“[The Village] pays so much money to keep Pinecrest Gardens beautifully maintained,” said Matzner. “And we want people to use the facilities.”
Vice Mayor Cindie Blanck wanted to make sure that residents with annual memberships would still get their money’s worth.
The council decided that from now on, an admission fee would only be charged at special events and programs, like the Jan. 22 art festival “Pinecrest gARTens.” Those holding memberships will get into these special events for free. They can also allot portions of their membership fees into a fund for park upkeep and beautification. The change is effective immediately.
Resident Janet Eden, 50, wasn’t thrilled, though, with the fee’s removal.
“Anything free in Dade County can get overused really quickly,” she said.
Goodman isn’t worried about too many people, though. He has some other tricks up his sleeve. “I’ve been perfecting my magic guillotine and ‘Houdini’s trunk,” Goodman promised, referring to some of his best crowd pleasers. “And I only bring those out when the crowd gets huge.”
In other village news, plans for the development of a cluster of 32 homes on the Four Fillies Farm property, near Pinecrest Gardens, are almost finalized. The homes will be used by the University of Miami for faculty housing. On Thursday, the council decided the development could be declared private, as long as the streets are maintained by the university and remain open for public vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
Also, the council unanimously rejected a request by Kendall Imports, 10777 S. Dixie Hwy., to build an emergency generator adjacent to the building.
Several Pinecrest residents voiced complaints about the proposed generator, fearing it would be too noisy.
The council felt the generator was an unnecessary addition.
Continuation Furniture
Opening: TURN TO FREE ADMISSION, 10.
Continuation headline: Gardens’ admission fee is scrapped.
Return marker: FREE ADMISSION, FROM 3.