Date: October 16, 2003

Miami Beach Regional Library Construction Completed

Miami Beach, FL - The City of Miami Beach celebrates the completion of the major construction phase of the new 42,000 sq ft. Miami Beach Regional Library, located at 227 23rd Street, on Thursday, October 16 at 6:30 p.m. The City of Miami Beach will "pass the keys" to Miami-Dade County Public Library System for the facility's final opening preparations. The library is expected to open to the public in early 2004.

"The project team has successfully met the challenge of maintaining the project schedule and controlling project costs to bring the public a beautiful library that will enhance education and cultural arts citywide, and recreation to the Collins Park area," said Miami Beach City Manager Jorge M. Gonzalez.

Designed by renowned architect Robert A.M. Stern, the library will house an auditorium, community meeting rooms, a coffee bar, a reading garden, a state-of-the-art computer system, and a comfortable children's room. The $8.6 million construction project also includes two parking areas and streetscape improvements to the area.

The Miami Beach Regional Library is a result of the a 1996 Interlocal Cooperation Agreement with Miami-Dade County that committed portions of the Convention Development Tax for funding of the Performing Arts Center. As part of the agreement, Miami Beach would fund, construct and equip a new regional library, and in return Miami-Dade County agreed to operate and maintain it once it was completed. Land acquisition costs were approximately $5 million, funded through the Miami Beach Redevelopment Agency, the City of Miami Beach, and the Interlocal Agreement. Through a long public process, a site near Collins Park was selected and construction commenced in 2002, following the demolition of existing buildings in 2001.

"I am pleased to see the new regional library coming to a substantial completion," said Miami-Dade Library Director Raymond Santiago. 'By working together, the City and the County are expanding the learning environment for today's Beach residents and for generations to come."

Special thanks go to the Collins Park Oversight Committee, comprised of appointed volunteers from the community, for taking part in the process. The project contractor is The Tower Group. For further information on the library construction project, contact Ronnie Singer, Capital Improvement Projects Office, at 305-673-7071.

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