COMMUNITY SERVICE: Miami Commission Chairman, Keon Hardemon, shares a laugh with Nancy, a Miami resident, during a ribbon cutting event.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF MIAMI

Staff Report

MIAMI- For years, the alleyways adjacent to homes in the Liberty City, Buena Vista and Wynwood communities were a nuisance to residents because they served as a dumping ground for trash, a haven for criminal activity and a habitat for pesky rodents.

On March 23, Miami Commission Chairman Keon Hardemon was joined by city officials and residents for the ribbon cutting ceremony for his newest quality-of-life project; the District Five Alleyway Improvement Initiative. The $2.7 million investment entails the rehabilitation of 52 alleyways; including cutting back years of overgrown shrubbery, repaving asphalt, installation of speed-bumps, markers, and LED lighting.

The improvements re-purpose the use of the alleyways as bike paths, an auxiliary road and alternative walking paths. The ribbon cutting debuted the first phase of the project; which Hardemon plans to expand to other parts of the district.

The improved alleyways are abutting homes on the streets listed below:

Liberty City:

• Bound to the west NW 12th Avenue, to the east NW 6th Court from NW 46th Street to NW 50th Street

• Bound to the west NW 14th Avenue, to the east NW 12th Avenue, from NW 50th Street to NW 54th Street Buena Vista:

• Bound to the west NW 6th Avenue, to the east North Miami Avenue, from NW 39th Street to NW 41st Street Wynwood:

• Bound to the west NW 3rd Avenue, to the east North Miami Ave, from NW 33rd Street to NW 35th Street