Coral Gables Historical Archive
The Coral Gables Times
Thursday, December 14, 1961, page 5 (of 32)
The page
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Coral Gables TIMES
THE Coral Gables TIMES Established Jan. 15, 1926 Published Weekly at 364 Sevilla Ave., Coral Gables, Fla. Second Class Postage Paid at Miami, Fla. ROLFE NEILL | Editor & Publisher JOHN T. WATTERS | President Robert M. Slane | Advertising Manager Roy Speier | Circulation Manager Maurice Labelle, Raymond Lang | Reporters Kay Squires | Classified Manager Miss Helen Reynolds | Society Editor Mrs. Dorothy McCreary | Office Manager Subscription: $4.20 year by mail anywhere
OFF BEAT
By MAURICE LABELLE A tour of the south end of town emphasizes how slowly the undeveloped half of Coral Gables is growing. Here and there bulldozers turn the earth and draglines convert mangroves into new vari-colored lakes, islands and odd-shaped pieces of land. But, excepting Sunrise Harbour, there has been little homebuilding. What's there is exceptionally nice. Some, like former mayor John M. Montgomery, blame the unsettled Dade County political situation and he and others also cite the rising cost of land and construction in in this area. Which is another way of saying that maybe Coral Gables is gradually pricing itself out of competition with other Florida communities. Although this is personally bad for the developers, residents need not fear that this will have dire consequences for them. There are many who do not subscribe to the theory that increased development automatically reduces or holds down taxes. Somehow the demand of extra services and maintenance always seems to put off that great come and get it day. -ML- Probably no one has had a more difficult time developing a piece of property than Sol Rovin and his Hammock Oaks Estates. Rovin has had to change plans several times and is opposed on his most recent request to build apartments there. The developer's dream of a golf course and marina carved out of Matheson Hammock Park failed the test of public opinion. His waterfront property plan was sunk by the same reaction when it was learned that a breaching of the salt water line was involved. Rovin is now limited to developing his own land, something that would have saved him a lot of headaches had he known that public opinion would be aroused by his plans. But other developers had pulled it off while we slept and he was encouraged by their success. He was unfortunate in being last in line. -ML- Tahiti Beach - Coral Gables' touch of the South Pacific - loses a bit of that touch when you look out bayward and see a paint company's test stand at the mouth of the lagoon. It may be profitable, but it isn't aesthetic and destroys the casual effect the operators strive so hard to create. -ML- Those old shoes at Cartagena Plaza had a narrow escape recently when a speeding car crashed into the island, brushed their plaque, and smashed into a tree. Recently, vandal-minded persons whose claim to culture is that they know three letters of the Greek alphabet, painted them large and bold on one of the shoes. Others have used the old shoe replica for a king sized ash tray.
Editor's Mailbox
EDITOR: While sitting here in the deep snows of New York I thought my fellow Gableites might be interested in knowing what a real winter is like. All of my life I have lived in Miami and consequently, I had never seen snow. Last year, I came to New York to finish my schooling and was soon met with an abundance of the powder-soft material that the Yankees call snow. It was beautiful. The first snowfall was light and fell on my hair in tiny ornate flakes, each one a different design. As I walked through the snows, I felt like I was stepping through the Heavens; the snow was so soft and quiet. Then came the winds and the snow began to drift into high piles. My steps became more laborious with the time. No matter how warmly I dressed, I was always cold. My hands numbed and my nose became red! The winds tore through me like daggers. The trees screamed with the storm and it was getting colder every minute. By the time vacation came around, I was more than ready to fly home to the wonderful warm sun of Miami. I was looking forward to the sun and the sands with more appreciation than could ever be understood. Now - again this year, I am trudging through the white "stuff." There's only one thing different though - I'm ready to fight the snow with a true Rebel spirit! I'll walk through the snow with the pleasant thought of knowing this will be my last winter in the Yank territory. As I round up my final year of school, I can look forward to a warm and enjoyable south. You're a fool if you want to move north! I'll take the wonderful weather of Coral Gables any day! WENDY-ANN EMERSON George Junior Republic Freeville, New York (Editor's note: Miss Emerson is the daughter of the Everett S. Emersons, 3016 Alhambra Circle.)
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