An architect's rendering shows the proposed entrance to Heritage Park.

The Sunny Isles Beach City Commission has approved spending $9.25 million to get work started on Heritage Park, including a parking garage and perhaps the oft-discussed basketball court for youth in the city's north end.

The June 18 vote was unanimous but Acting City Manager Rick Conner stressed that renderings he was showing were preliminary and no firm decisions had been made on design elements, landscaping or components like a dog park or the basketball court, which has drawn mixed reviews.

As envisioned, the park will serve as a gateway to the city for traffic coming off the Lehman Causeway. As part of the construction plan, 193rd Street will be rebuilt and widened.

Residents of the Golden Shores community, who have long supported construction of a park and basketball court to serve their area, presented maps and diagrams supporting creation of an alternate entrance to the park. They showed that Golden Shores residents would have to brave hazardous causeway intersections and cross Collins Avenue twice to gain access to Heritage Park. They proposed creation of a secure, well-lit pathway under the causeway that would making crossing Collins Avenue unnecessary.

The proposed layout of Heritage Park includes a parking garage, left, and a basketball court, right.

Connor reported he had discussed such a plan with FDOT officials and all involved saw the benefits but cautioned the walkway would need to be "lit like daylight" to provide maximum safety. The possibility of creating a bikeway along the same path also was favorably received.

The money approved would go toward a contract with Coastal Construction Co, and would allow work to begin quickly on the parking garage. Once that is underway, Conner said, the process will focus on nailing down specific aspects of the park's design.

The project had originally been budgeted at $15 million but Conner told commissioners the city is on pace to bring it in at least $4 million under budget, barring unforeseen problems.

In other actions June 18, commissioners voted to:

* Modify an ordinance directing utility companies to clean up pavement markings by mandating use of water-based paint. Mayor Norman Edelcup called the pavement markings "legal graffiti."

* Change the warning period for red-light cameras from 90 to 30 days. During this period, drivers would received warnings rather than citations. The city is moving quickly toward installing red-light cameras at two Collins Avenue intersections -- 172nd and 174th streets. The measure requires second reading at the July 16 commission meeting.

* Approve lighting standards and rules for behavior along the beach in an effort to protect sea turtles during their nesting period April-October.

* Approve a change from flat rates to hourly rates in city parking lots.

* Approve hurricane preparedness codes that allow the city to remove dangerous items from private property, including condo balconies, to assure public safety.

* Approve changes that enhance the city's ability to collect on liens for abatement and code enforcement penalties. It makes these liens equal in legal priority to taxes.

* Receive a donation of $2,500 from the Sunflower Society to sponsor children in the city's summer camp program.

* Authorize a $2,500 donation to the Prestige Cultural Series at FIU's Biscayne Bay Campus. The city's bus service will provide transportation for residents.