Hello Jennie:  I am addressing you as the person of contact at this stage.

I hope you had a pleasant and rewarding summer in spite of the trials of this virus which is upon us.  I was glad to receive the update last month on our courses and facilities, and excited to receive an announcement from Mr. Bobby Harrington of the opening of the restaurant.  I was out of town.

However, you will remember that you promised to forward my suggestions regarding the appearance of the Club.  Specifically the southern parking lot boundary with Miami Gardens Drive which is so important to the appearance of the area and the golf course facility.

I am to report that the appearance is a lot worse.  Nothing has been done to plant any greenery.  A weed whacker may have been used against the fence boundary, but that is all, AND the parking lot, open and ugly to the vast number of vehicles which travel daily on Miami Gardens Drive, State Road 860, is now home to a covid testing crew.  Planting a green hedge/trees is little to request in the preservation of an idea since: 

1. If selected correctly, the hedge/trees would be permanent and part of the refurbished CCM.
2. Such greening would shield the unattractive parking lot and help attract customers to the now open restaurant as well as the golf course(s) which are open as winter approaches.
3. The Mayor’s stated goal is the planting of trees.

AND

4. County vehicles are still parked at night when  the virtually empty park and ride to the west of the Club on the south side of Miami Gardens Drive is still available for the exchange of county staff vehicles.  Which other golf course facility is used as a parking lot for county vehicles in Miami Dade county.

AS WELL AS

5. The lot to the west of the driving range, along and opening on to Miami Gardens drive, previously used for sand storage is in a state of abandonment with grass and garbage fully in view of passers by and the community.

I know that these complaints are not part of getting the courses redone to be  “the premier facility in Miami Dade County” (Mayor Carlos Giminez).  However, we who live here (I’ve been a resident since 1978), would like to see and benefit from the peace and tranquility that we invested in.  Golf is not football.  Surroundings dictate and in order to attract and not detract, we cannot not care about the appearance of our area.

Having reiterated May’s request (me to you) as well as new (and demoralizing ) additions, let me tell you what the re-opened club and restaurant look like.

1. From the dilapidated parking lot, one crosses filthy pavers to the clubhouse entry.
2. The slanted green metal roof of the structure (as well as the cart barn) is full of mold, and obvious. 
3. The sign which should be “welcome to The 19^th Hole? or “Restaurant Open”, reads “covid testing in parking lot”.
4. The once healthy grasses in the front entry garden beds have been hacked to become ugly patches of dry stalks.
5. The garden beds have been covered with pale, dry un watered mulch.  Nothing lives.

I could go on and on to paint the picture for those who do not visit of a most un-attractive place which is meant, with a new restaurant operator in place, to placate an interested community and pay its way by beckoning the community and the public at large to patronize.

I do not know the chain of command between your department, our commissioner, the consulting firms for the courses, and the mayor whose overall responsibility includes our area, but certainly these legitimate, visible, correctible areas of concern should be known to all and addressed with urgency.

And now, I’m going to document an interview with a lady and her son who visited the club while we were there last week, interviewing for an upcoming wedding.  Verbatim, these were her comments:

1.                 Driveway in is unattractive.
2.                 Parking lot derelict;
3.                 Walkway entry dirty;
4.                 Facility dated;
5.                 Ceilings in Gleason Room disgusting; some tiles removed and contrast shows
6.                 Chandeliers filthy
7.                 Drapes dirty and dingy
8.                 Locker room bathrooms 50% worse than main bathroom (would be for Bride’s prep)
9.                 Main bathrooms “bad”.

She apologized for being so blunt she said, but was glad to know that somebody cared for the setting was lovely.

The setting IS lovely.  That’s why we’ve fight so hard to realize CCM’s potential.  After two fires, the debacle of Dade West and Club West, the mortgaging of homeowners’ future to buy the courses, the promise of Mayor Pinellas’ club house, bad operators and rumored shenanigans etc., we again see hope with Mayor Giminez’s funding who together with x-commissioner Jordan and commissioner Gilbert (and hopefully Mayor Carva)    but in the interim, the area cannot be left to deteriorate while there is a community to serve.

And lastly, Jenny.  Blood cannot come from stone.  I had a very tasty hamburger, nicely served by a pleasant “John” last week.  We were the only patrons at 1:00.  Any operator will fail if in the interim, if obvious, small, inexpensive steps are not taken to attract golf course patrons and golf club patronage.  It takes a long time to build a market.  Derelict and down-trodden should never apply to our historic golf courses.

Best Regards,

Jackie Shepard

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