Merry and Bright? Holiday Decorations Split Opinion

Crowds in front of decorated palm trees at the 2019 Winterfest at the Civic Center, Dec. 8. (Grant Bemis via Key News)

With the holidays fast approaching, Key Biscayne resident Brian Uncapher Rivera noticed something different about the Village’s decorations.

“I doubt there are any village greens in America without Christmas lights or decorations,” said Rivera of the 9.5-acre Village Green, a community focal point. Rivera reached out to Village staff and officials Dec. 13 to ask them to rectify this.

This year’s tree and decorations are in the Reflecting Pools area in the Civic Center, adjacent to the Key Biscayne Community Center and municipal buildings. The new tree was lit during the Winterfest celebration Dec. 8.

Last year and in years past decorations have primarily been centred around the fountains in the Village Green, which Rivera feels is left dark despite being an area children and joggers use more than the Civic Center, especially in the evening.

“We just got back from a small North Carolina town with a tax base that wouldn’t begin to come close to ours,” he said, “and they put Key Biscayne to shame.”

But not everyone agrees. Fellow residents chimed in on social media to express their appreciation of the new location and design.

“I love the way the Village center looks with the tree and the beautiful lights, too. Congratulations to all who worked on it,” said Lili Warner. Walking by the area Tuesday night Warner saw families taking photos and others sitting contemplatively in the glow of the lights.

Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Director Todd Hofferberth said the Village’s old decorations were “getting close to the end.”

“With that alongside the Winterfest event moving to the Civic Centre,” he said, “it created an opportunity to take the decorations and start all over.”

Decorations on the Key Biscayne Village Green in 2018. (Raquel Garcia via Key News)

Staff completed a request for proposals process in March. Of the three respondents, Christmas Designers, Inc. was approved by the Village Council in June for plans amounting to $65,000.

“We are always receptive to what people want,” said Hofferberth of the critique. Indeed the Village aims to add lighting to the central median along Crandon Boulevard next year, depending on the damage and complexity to fix the electrical supply there, which hasn’t been working “for years.”

He said the Village would work to understand what needs fixing and go through a competitive bidding process to rectify it, aiming to have the same decorations provider include it in their five-year contract under a “bid alternate” service.

Hofferberth also clarified that despite some local chatter the issue is not one of jurisdiction — the fix would be under Key Biscayne’s purview and not Miami-Dade County.

Meanwhile Rabbi Avremel Caroline, the younger rabbi of the Chabad Key Biscayne Jewish Center, says the traditional menorah — which is also paid for by the Village — is staying put on the green.

“That’s where it’s always been, and it’s a great spot because the park is great for our event and because the menorah is visible from Crandon Boulevard,” he said.

Caroline has been happy with his interactions with the Village, saying “they always take our input seriously and do their best to accommodate us.”