4TH OF JULY COMMITTEE<\/p>\n
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Members of the Fourth of July Parade Committee recently met at the Key Biscayne Yacht Club to discuss this year’s event. The 2004 parade will be held on Sunday, July 4, beginning at 11 a.m. Note: The Village is planning a fundraising BBQ at Paradise Park on May 29 starting at 4 p.m. Islander News will be publishing details next week.<\/p>\n
COACH OF THE WEEK<\/p>\n
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Coach Eddie Easton, concerned about the Key Biscayne Athletic Club’s baseball budget, risks life and limb during a recent game to recover a $2 baseball stuck in the chain-link backstop.<\/p>\n
St. Agnes Jubilee Gala<\/p>\n
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The St. Agnes Catholic Church Jubilee Gala at the Four Seasons Hotel was a grand success with more than 300 people attending. Nine-time Latin Grammy winner Juanes surprised the attendees by singing four songs. Pictured are Father Jose Hernando, Juanes, Karen Aristizabal, Father Manny Alvarez and Brigitte Nachtigall.<\/p>\n
Attorneys say reserve fund system not illegal<\/p>\n
Key Biscayne Village Manager Jacqueline Menendez did not violate the Village charter when she used reserve funds to pay for operating expenses, attorneys say.<\/p>\n
However, Village Attorney Steve Heffman does recommend that Key Biscayne officials find alternatives to using reserves to cover costs such as salaries and bills, something Menendez says she is already well on the way to accomplishing.<\/p>\n
Helfman submitted a written legal analysis of the Village’s use of reserve funds after Key Biscayne resident Sam Davitian questioned their practices at a Village Council meeting. At the time, Davitian called the manager’s actions illegal. Such harsh language has since subsided, and Helfman’s brief further quiets it.<\/p>\n
“We do not believe that there exists any evidence to support the allegation that the Charter has been violated; however, we are concerned with the Village’s use of Reserve Funds to pay operating expenses, even on a short-term basis,” Helfman wrote.<\/p>\n
Key Biscayne’s code does restrict the use of reserve funds, Helfman noted, and the issue is very complex. Many factors play a role in determining if it is OK to spend reserves. According to Helfman’s statement, those factors include:<\/p>\n
\u2022 The source of the funds<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0When the funds were collected<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0The timing of the expenditure<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0The pooling, or co-mingling, of reserve funds<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Whether the funds are “restricted” or “non-restricted” reserves or “designated” funds.<\/p>\n
The Village code does not provide definitions for some of those terms. Therefore, to avoid confusion, Helfman recommends not spending reserves on operational needs.<\/p>\n
“In order to avoid any claim in the future that the Village has improperly used its Reserve Funds or any portion thereof, we would urge the Village to avoid the use of the Reserve Funds to pay Village operating expenses,” he wrote.<\/p>\n
His recommendation? The Council should “direct the Village Manager to establish segregated accounts for those reserves which may have special limitations on their use.”<\/p>\n
Menendez has gone even a step beyond that. Since last year’s budget talks, she has been trying to build a working capital reserve fund that will be specifically designated to pay operating expenses. Key Biscayne needs such a fund because the village often runs short of money toward the end of the fiscal year – it has spent a lot of its budget, but proper-ty tax revenue hasn’t come in from the county yet.<\/p>\n
Champagne reception to benefit Rotary Club<\/p>\n
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Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz hosted a champagne reception and viewing of their private art collection to benefit the Rotary Club of Key Biscayne. Pictured are Selene Devaney, Carlos Mandiola, Joan McCaughan, and Gloria Kahn.<\/p>\n
Buy a button<\/p>\n
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Ed Stone, Riley Stone-Smith, Mayra Stone and Patricia Villa were among the participants in the Fourth of July mini parade. Buttons, $2 each, were sold to help defray the cost of the parade.<\/p>\n
Lasagna dinner<\/p>\n
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The Holy Rollers Relay For Life team hosted a lasagna dinner at St. Christopher’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church. Pictured are Lillian Becerra, Toby Rohrer, Cheyenne Sanders and Marco Rigazio.<\/p>\n
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Little League on the big field<\/p>\n
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Local little league players got their turn on the Hurricanes’ field during a promotion sponsored by the University of Miami. Kids joined college athletes on the field for the playing of the National Anthem and received autographs from their favorite college stars before returning to the stands to watch the action with their families. Pictured are Lucas Rionda, Julio Chamorro, Andr\u00e9s Lapadula, Michael Rionda, Fernando Ravara and Victor Campano.<\/p>\n
Pirates of Key Biscayne<\/p>\n
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The Relay For Life Team Lifeguards held a Pirates of Key Biscayne party at the Beach Club to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Pictured are Victoria Jackson, Chayenne Sanders and Carolyn\u00a0Koslen.<\/p>\n
Eileen McCaughan Memorial Scholarship<\/p>\n
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The Eileen McCaughan Memorial Scholarship Fund pasta dinner was held at Pat’s in the Commons at the Rosenthiel School. Pictured are Eileen Ortega, Melissa and Jamie McCaughan and Jacquie Green.<\/p>\n
State of Village<\/p>\n
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Mayor Robert Oldakowski presented his State of the Village address followed by a volunteer appreciation ceremony at the Sonesta Beach Resort, Key Biscayne. Pictured are Fire department consultant Carlos Gimenez, former mayor Joe Rasco, Mayor Bob Oldakowski, Ana Rasco and Marsha Oldakowski.<\/p>\n
Fundraiser for county mayoral candidate<\/p>\n
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A fundraiser for Miami-Dade County mayoral candidate Jimmy Morales was held at the Sonesta Beach Resort, Key Biscayne. Pictured are Stephen Sonnabend, Nancy Doke-Harrison, and Elaine and Gary Gross.<\/p>\n
Lighthouse Run awards<\/p>\n
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The Lighthouse Run committee distributed money raised through the annual event during a ceremony on the Village Green. The run is made possible through the sponsorship of The Keyes Company, Bank United and The Islander News. Pictured are Ed Stone, Tod Hofferberth, Jill Gomez, Jim Brewster and Mayor Robert Oldakowski.<\/p>\n
KBCS aces FCATs<\/p>\n
Local school kids will have more than an impending summer vacation to celebrate when this school year draws to a close. Key Biscayne Community School Principal Ana Rasco is also planning an event to mark the pupils’ exceptional scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, or FCAT.<\/p>\n
“I don’t have the total picture yet, but our writing scores were amazing,” Rasco said. “Our reading and math on the norm reference portion of the test are also well above the district average. The students really did an amazing job.”<\/p>\n
Sunshine State Standards in subjects like reading, writing, math and science. The CRT scores are what the state will use to give schools all-important letter grades of A, B, C, D, or F. It appears Key Biscayne Community School has a good grade to look forward to when those scores come out, likely around the second week of May, according to FCAT officials.<\/p>\n