Loading...
LTC 052-2009 Inguiries Regarding Sunset Harbor Area Drainage 2Gfl9 FEB 25 Aft !0~ 42 m MIAMI BEACH ~~~~~ c~~~,~~~ ~~~ Ec;r OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER NO. LTC # 052-2009 LETTER TO COMMISSION TO: Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and Members of the City Commission FROM: Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manager DATE: February 23, 2009 SUBJECT: Inquiries Regarding Sunset Harbor Area Drainage Recently an article in Miami Beach magazine regarding the City's upcoming Community Satisfaction survey seems to have prompted a number of contacts with the City regarding drainage in the Sunset Harbor area. The magazine article included examples of how the City has devoted resources to address specific feedback received from residents through the survey process. As a result, a portion of a performance measure report which made partial reference to flooding in the Sunset Harbor area no longer occurring was included as an example in the article (attached). Also, residents have raised similar questions in the October 2008 Mayor on the Move. As the Mayor and City Commission are aware, the City has over the past several years developed improvements in the Sunset Harbor area drainage through the construction of three (3) stormwater injection wells in the neighborhood. While we believe the injection wells have worked as intended and will certainly improve the severe flooding conditions in the Sunset Harbor area, there remains a problem with flooding, particularly with high tide events that still cause flooding in the Sunset Harbor area streets. Our information indicates that the flooding is specifically associated with tidal action. The City plan to mitigate the tidal back flow is to install tidal flex valves on all of the area Bay outfalls. A flex valve is a mechanical device which when installed at the Bay outfall allows water to pass through only in one direction. In this case, the valve would allow water only to flow into the Bay and not allow Bay water to flow into the stormwater system during high tides. To date, two (2) flex valves have been installed on Bay outfalls and three (3) more flex valves are on order and should be installed by the end of March. This engineering solution will address all of the area Bay outfalls, including an outfall that is part of the County drainage system. Once installed, we expect that the combination of the flex valves and injection wells that have already been installed in the area will address the majority of rainfall and high tide events that are experienced in Miami Beach. It is very important to note that it is not economically feasible to completely eliminate the accumulation of rainwater on City streets, due to our low elevation relative to the water table; and that under certain conditions, such as heavy rainfall during a high tide, there is still likely to be temporary street flooding in the area as the storm drainage system will be simply overwhelmed by that kind of combined event. The Miami Beach magazine story was intended to inform our residents about the upcoming Community Satisfaction Survey and how their input directly affects the allocation of resources through our Strategic Planning Process. The short paragraph that references the Sunset Harbor neighborhood was included as an example of how resident input was taken seriously, and then acted upon. The purpose of the article was not intended to communicate a full report on stormwater drainage in Sunset Harbor. Obviously, we are extremely pleased to see that many of our residents get their information about the City from MB Magazine and they continuously provide us feedback on articles and stories; however, unfortunately, in this instance, the example used lacked clarity as far as the scope and description of the project in Sunset Harbor. It is also important to note that despite the partial information provided in the Miami Beach magazine, staff was already aware of the deficiencies in the system described in the LTC and were actively working on solutions to correct the problem. I hope that this clarifies the confusion on this issue. Please let me know if you need any further informatio . JMG DM F:\cmgr\$ALL\LTC-09\LTC-InquiriesRegarding SunsetHarborDrainage.doc Page 1 of 1 Mejia, Dolores From: Ottado, Pablo (US -Miami) [pottado@deloitte.com] Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 1:32 PM To: Bower, Matti H.; Wolfson, Jonah; Diaz, Victor; Gross, Saul; Libbin, Jerry; Tobin, Ed Cc: Ottado, Pablo (US -Miami) Subject: Storm Drainage at Sunset Harbour Area No Longer Exist I think the article you posted on the Miami Beach magazine that states ~~the several flooding that in past years had occurred in the Sunset Harbour area no longer occurs" is completely inaccurate. As a matter of fact, this past year we experienced one of the worst flooding seasons ever, and the water was so high that some days it went all the way into some of the retail stores and restaurant that just opened in the area. I would propose you not only address the flooding issue as soon as possible, but that you also issue a correction in your next Miami Beach magazine to correct this error and misinformation to the residents in the area. Thanks, Pablo Ottado Sunset Harbour North Tower, Unit 811 About Deloitte Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, a Swiss Verein, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and its member firms. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. [v.I.i] 02/20/2009 `n ~ ~;~c I S., I, /~~71~1~~~ ~. ~ 4 ~~~~~ 4 R ti ~-~ ~~ ~ ~r~ `'o O o~ ~, ~~ ~ ~~ 9ti y,P o ~ ~ ~ r ~~ ~` _ r O~j~ sT Ti I ~ ~, FORWARD gEdCH •1 J1.`Il• 1 ~7 71 OPINION f your phone rings, please pick it up and let us know what you think. We value your opinion in making Miami Beach a better place to live, work and play. In an effort to make further improvements to your city, the City of Miami Beach will once again be conducting a citywide opinion survey of residents and businesses in early 2009. "The best way for government to be responsive to its citizens is to hear, directly from the citizens, what they think about the City, how it is meeting their needs and what we can do better," said Kathie Brooks, Budget and Performance Improvement Director. "The goal of the survey is to identify the City's key strengths and to develop recommendations for improving the public's satisfaction with the City and our quality of life." The community surveys conducted by the City of Miami Beach in early 2005 and 2007 provided insight into areas that residents and businesses felt their municipal government should focus on and improve further. The information was used to develop and update the City of Miami Beach Strategic Plan that sets measurable outcomes For the City to achieve, and that reflects community priorities and requested improvements in these areas. The survey will be conducted for the City by the Center for Research & Public Policy (CRPP. Established in 1979, CRPP is a full-service research and public policy consulting firm. Since 1979, CRPP has conducted 3.5 million surveys and more than 3.500 focus groups in support of research, including Coral Springs, Florida, Lauderdale Lakes, Florida; Alexandria, Virginia; Houston, Texas; Austin, Texas; Pinehurst, North Carolina; and many others. To ensure the City of Miami Beach receives maximum value and utilization of study results, the survey will be statistically valid, administered to 2,000 residential units (in five regions and 500 business leaders (in three regions). Any questions about the survey can be directed to the City's Answer Center at 305.604.CITY (2489). To view the results from the 2005 and 2007 community surveys, go to www.miamibeachfl.gov, click on Learn About, Excellence Model. YOU ASKED - WE ANSWERED Survey results help the City prioritize the use of resources so that there is an increased value for the value of taxes paid. Some examples of improvements the City of Miami Beach has implemented as a response to the community surveys include: INCREASE THE AVAILABILITY OF FAMILY- FRIENDLY CULTURAL ACTIVITIES The City added an Arts, Music and Movies in the Parks series, the 2007 Sleepless Night event, and new visual and performing arts programs at recreation centers. INCREASE POLICE VISIBILITY IN NEIGHBORHOODS The City implementeda newpolicecommunications program in our neighborhoods, to inform residents and businesses of crime prevention strategies, available services, etc. CLEANLINESS, PARTICULARLY IN BUSINESS AREA; The City dramatically increased the frequency c street cleaning citywide, and especially in busines areas -and we are seeing results. Our quantitative assessment rating of the cleanliness of our street has improved significantly. STORM DRAINAGE The City responded to complaints with a capita improvement program that improved storrr drainage. An example of a recent project: • The Sunset Harbor Stormwater Improvement< Project: completed with the installation of twc Stormwater injection wells. The project installed tidal flexible valves at the Stormwater outfalls on Biscayne Bay, and as a result, the severe flooding that in past years had occurred in the Sunset Harbour area no longer occurs. PACE OF NEW CONSTRUCTION/DEVELOPMENT The City Commission passed several ordinances that address construction and development throughout Miami Beach, including designation of historic districts and properties, height reductions in the Flamingo District, reconstruction of demolished properties, guidelines and review requirements for structures 50,000 sq. ft. and over, etc. AMOUNT OF INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM THE CITY The City expanded communications about City programs, services and events, such as the launching of the nationally award-winning MB magazine distributed to residents, CityPage published bi-weekly and MBTV-77's CityVision, MB Radio 1670AM and other original programming. ~ n .._ ..