City of Miami closes Basin Trail for construction, upgrades

Trail now off limits to MAST students due to $1.6 million project

Sasha Chernikov, Beacon Staff Writer

March 5, 2024

Photo of the Basin Trail on Jan. 25, 2024.

The City of Miami has closed the Basin Trail, located north of the MAST Academy campus, to the public as of Feb. 9 due to its Marine Stadium Project.

“This project supports the Virginia Key master plan and is part of the Virginia Key enhancements per the City’s capital plans. The goal of the project is to create uninterrupted access to the full U-shape trail and linked to the historic Miami Marine Stadium approximately 8,000 linear feet.” according to the City of Miami

Image of the construction boundaries of the Marine Stadium Basin Trail Project. Photo via miami.gov

The project costs a total of $1,648,445 and is funded by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Recreational Trails Program via two grants.

Since the trail is so accessible to MAST, it was common for the swim classes to occasionally walk the trail when the pool is unavailable, and certain classes like environmental-related studies are also affected since they use the flora for hands-on learning.

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“The AS General Paper class walked on the trail to learn about the native tribe called the Tequesta that lived on this land before colonization,” said AS General Paper teacher Ms. Mayling Ganuza in an interview with The Beacon.

Ever since the trail has closed for construction, this type of research hasn’t been able to continue.

“In terms of how the project affects MAST, for safety reasons, students and staff members are not allowed on the trail. As such the students in grades 6-8 no longer use the trail to traverse from the cafeteria to class after lunch.” said principal Dr. Collman-Perez. “Additionally, students are not allowed to collect samples, conduct research, and beach cleanup (fill-a-bag) on the trail while under construction.”

There will be a groundbreaking ceremony on Mar. 7 at 10:30 am at the Marine Stadium parking lot. The ceremony will mark the beginning of the construction of the project.

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About the Contributors

Sasha Chernikov, Staff Writer

Sasha Chernikov is a freshman student excited to write for The Beacon. Chernikov previously attended Ponce de Leon Middle and although MAST Academy is intimidating to her, she is, “happy to be here.” Journalism is interesting to her because she loves informative writing and looks forward to “reinterpreting” stories. She would consider a career in journalism in the future. One thing you can expect from her as a reader is that she will “deliver the truth”, Chernikov says. You can also expect some sports profiles from her as she loves interviewing people and anything athletic.

Amy Garcia, Staff Writer

Amy Garcia is a freshman and student journalist at MAST Academy at Virginia Key. She came to MAST because she had heard of its reputation and believed it was a good school and would be an interesting location. This is her first year at MAST and on The Beacon. Garcia joined the school newspaper because she likes to know what is going on at her school and enjoys interviewing and talking to others. She is very social and likes to get to know people. She wants to cover MAST sports and tackle the controversial and sensitive topics that often need to be written. Garcia likes to know more about people and the reason behind their personalities and interests. She is interested in studying psychology and is reaching for schools like Stanford and Yale.