We're happy to report that the Town Manager has issued Amendment 5 to Emergency Order 20-04, which allows playgrounds and outdoor fitness equipment at Bel-Aire Park, Blue Heron Park, Cutler Ridge Park, Lakes by the Bay Park, Saga Bay Park, Saga Lake Park, and Whispering Pines Park to reopen.

Concessions may operate in parks as long as social distancing guidelines are followed and organized sports team activities are permitted, following all County "New Normal" guidelines.

Playgrounds and fitness equipment will be sanitized and disinfected daily. Park patrons must continue to wear facial coverings (unless while actively engaging in an organized sport, playing tennis, or while swimming in the pool) and practice social distancing. Parties continue to be prohibited at the parks.

The beginning of my Cutler Bay story started 23 years ago with pushing my then three year old toddler over rocks on a field of dirt that was designated to be a park in our neighborhood. Though Lennar, the developer, donated 50 acres of land, it was raw land—definitely no park. But we dreamed of what it could be as we navigated that rocky soil.

In 1998 when my boy was 5 we discovered there was to be an Enron power plant built behind our neighborhood. This was our first foray into grassroots politics. My husband and I made flyers and signs and walked to many homes, dragging our five year old activist along. The poor kid. As it turned out, our flyers were distributed by others far and wide and partnering with the Sierra Club paid off. There would be no power plant next to Lakes by the Bay.

Parents—we still have availability in our After School Program at Cutler Ridge Park!

Following Miami-Dade County Public Schools decision to reopen to in-person schooling, our After School Program resumed in-person activities this month. The monthly fee for students that register now will be FREE until December 31. The program's registration fee and monthly fee will only apply once the new year begins.

We will continue accepting student registrations on a rolling basis until enrollment capacity is met.

Complete the registration packet here (completed packets must be sent to Elizabeth Deveaux at edeveaux@cutlerbay-fl.gov)

Thank you to our Vice Mayor, Sue Ellen Loyzelle who, last night, handed our Town Manager, Rafael Casals, a $1,000 check as a donation to the Cutler Bay Community Fund!

Our Vice Mayor was part of the Council that first established the Cutler Bay Community Fund in 2013. This fund was established to provide grants—ranging from $500-$2,500—to organizations that service and help improve Cutler Bay in the following priority areas: education, aesthetic, environment, culture, social services, and other philanthropic activities.

If you're a non-profit organization that services Cutler Bay, learn more about this program and apply on our website. Applications are awarded every quarter. Don't miss the next application quarter deadline—December 31, 2020!

Congresswoman Donna Shalala will be holding a video Town Hall this Friday, October 23, at 5 p.m. for Cutler Bay, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest and South Miami for an Environmental and CARES/COVID-19 Round Table. Our own Council Member Michael Callahan will be a panelist.

For more information, please call Congresswoman Shalala's District Office at (305) 668-2285.

Active Adults! Due to the success of our last virtual painting class, we're doing it again! Join us on Thursday, October 29, on Zoom for a virtual painting class. Limited to the first 15 *Active Adults who RSVP.

Please RSVP with Gabriela Blaylock at (786) 573-5576 or at mblaylock@cutlerbay-fl.gov. Link to the Zoom class will be provided once RSVP is confirmed.

Paint kits will be provided and must be picked up on Tuesday, October 27, at Cutler Ridge Park (10100 sw 200 street). You will be provided with a pick up time once RSVP is confirmed.