CoralGables-June2018

Streetwise
What Does
it Take to
Create
a Park?
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CORAL GABLES NOW HAS 29 PARKS
THANKS TO THE ADDITION THIS YEAR OF
THE BETSY ADAMS CORAL GABLES GAR-
DEN CLUB PARK AT THE INTERSECTION OF
ALHAMBRA AND MERCADO. JUST WHAT
DOES IT TAKE TO CREATE A NEW PARK AND
HAVE IT NAMED AFTER YOU? WE INQUIRED.
By Mike Clary
THE HONOREE
When Betsy and Larry Adams raised
three sons on Mendavia Avenue,
their home’s ample yard became the
neighborhood playground. On its
lawns were swings and a tree house,
room to play tag, volleyball and soccer,
a basketball court, even a small
baseball diamond. Over the years,
Betsy welcomed dozens of youngsters,
made them countless pitchers
of lemonade, and went on to become
a civic activist. “I loved every
minute of it,” says Adams, 89, a Coral
Gables resident for 58 years.
The neighborhood park dedicated
to her name on March 17 is just a
fly ball away from her former home.
“I had no idea this would happen,”
says the North Carolina native. “But
I’m grateful for it, I really am.”
HOW IT HAPPENS
The process to develop a new park
and decide its name can take years.
Suggestions come from city officials
or residents who bring their ideas
to the city commission. The next
stop is approval by the parks and
recreation advisory board. Funds
to buy and build typically come
from the city’s capital improvement
projects budget.
What became Betsy Adams
Park traces its roots to 2010 when
the owner of the only house on
the west side of the block asked
city officials if there was interest in
acquiring it. There was. “It was a
double lot on a corner, located in an
area that did not have a neighborhood
park, so it was an attractive
property…,” recalls parks director
Fred Couceyro. The city paid $1
million.
NAMING IT FOR BETSY
City officials take nominations on
names for a new park. If it honors
an individual, that person must
have: made a significant contribution
to the city’s quality of life; had
a significant historical or cultural
connection to the city; and/or had a
residence associated with the park.
Adams checked all boxes.
As president of the Garden
Club, Adams partnered with the
city’s Adopt-an-Entrance Project
that in the 1990s raised $1.4 million
in cash and in-kind contributions to
build Mediterranean-style gateways
to the city at Coral Way and Red
Road, Miracle Mile and Douglas
Road, and Ponce de Leon Boulevard
and Southwest 8th Street.
Adams and the club were also
prime movers in commissioning the
bronze statues of George Merrick at
City Hall, and of his mother Althea
at the historic Merrick House.
The
Softer
Side
A Gold Coin for
Your Thoughts?
OWNING A PIECE OF HISTORY COSTS
LESS THAN YOU THINK
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