Kids Town Hall Meeting

Palmetto Bay Councilwoman, Karyn Cunningham, held a Kids Town Hall at Coral Reef Elementary School, where students presented their concerns and offered ideas to improve Coral Reef Park. It was a chance for the students and their parents to address their wishes in response to the playground’s changes over the years.

“We’re going to be expanding the park to add new playground equipment and what better way to ask the ones who use our parks the most—the young residents,” Cunningham said. “Young minds bring new and fresh perspectives on how we can improve the playground, so I decided instead of just asking the adults for their view, why not ask the actual users of the playground.”

Last month the council decided to rename the playground at Coral Reef Park the “Bridget Allison Pier Playground.” Bridget Allison Pier, a student of Coral Reef Elementary and the daughter of Palmetto Bay’s Village Clerk, Meighan Alexander, died in 2011 from a stroke while vacationing in Hawaii with her family.

“I feel so proud because she was an excellent example of how you should behave on the playground,” Alexander said. “She was nice to everyone. She waited her turn. She never pushed the other kids, so I feel honored to have the opportunity for my daughter to be remembered for something she loved to play in.”

In addition to the renaming of the park, the Village Council announced the playground to undergo a full renovation on Mar. 30 to include: a climbing rock, zip line, LED swings, rope course, carousel and many more features. Karyn Cunningham gave a presentation on possible playground implements and asked for their top three picks. She then asked the kids to go out to the playground after being given a clipboard to fill out three things they thought needed work on the current layout of the park.

“Think of the big kids. We like playgrounds too,” Tyson Guerra, a future Coral Reef Elementary student said.

The village has more than $200,000 allocated for the park and will determine how much of the funds will be used for the future design.

Gallery • 4 Photos

A student decorated memorial at Coral Reef Elementary honors the life of fellow student Bridget Allison Pier.