Loading...
2017-29993 ResolutionRESOLUTION NO. 2017 -29993 A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD /COMMUNITY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE AT ITS MAY 19T" AND JULY 28T ", 2017 MEETINGS, TO FIND AN ALTERNATE, SUITABLE AND PROPER LOCATION TO CONDUCT CAT SURGERIES; AND TO CONSIDER ALLOWING A PILOT PROGRAM TO INSTALL ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY FEEDING STATIONS; TO PROVIDE FORMAL REGISTRATION AND CREDENTIALING FOR REGISTERED VOLUNTEERS, AND TO INSTALL EDUCATIONAL SIGNAGE BY FEEDING STATIONS. WHEREAS, PetSmart Charities, Inc. currently provides the City of Miami Beach grant support to fund facilities and a management partnership from The Cat Network, Inc., to deliver a comprehensive community cat trap - neuter- return (TNR) program entitled "Project CatSnip;" and WHEREAS, the City's goal is to develop a program that: is community -wide in scope; effective in humanely reducing the local community cat population by educating the public about the need to sterilize their pets and strays; provide access to low -cost spay /neuter services for stray, homeless and abandoned cats; help members in their efforts to place adoptable cats in loving homes; and advocate non - lethal population control via natural attrition and humane public policy; and WHEREAS, SOBS Cats Spay and Neuter, Inc. is a non - profit [501(c)(3)] organization that provides volunteer trappers for The Cat Network, Inc.'s Project CatSnip, which volunteers dedicate their time for the spay and neuter cause. Community cats are retrieved from key locations once a month by staffers beginning on a Friday night. Cats are then transported to the Log Cabin Nursery located on Collins Avenue, where sterilization surgeries are performed on Saturday mornings. Once the surgery is performed, the cats are housed overnight during the recovery phase. On Sunday mornings, volunteers and City staffers release the cats back to their originating locations; and WHEREAS, Project CatSnip will be issuing credentials to registered community volunteers, cat feeders, and trappers in order to identify their role in the City, and as such, discourage feeding by untrained individuals, who may create unwanted litter and even attract cats to undesired locations; and WHEREAS, during the next six (6) months, SOBE. Cats Spay and Neuter, Inc., and the City of Miami Beach will be facilitating a pilot program consisting of the installation of environmentally - friendly feeding stations at key locations with its appropriate signage, where registered volunteer feeders will be able to provide fresh water and clean food to draw the cats at these locations and away high- traffic areas; and WHEREAS, North Shore Open Space Park and Allison Park will be targeted for the pilot program, for the six (6) month period, beginning September 1, 2017 and ending March 1, 2018, in the hope of the successful execution of the pilot program, and hopefully, to develop the pilot into a program that could later be expanded into other needy areas of our City; and WHEREAS, one feeding station will be provided for each cat colony in the pilot program inside North Shore Open Space Park between 87th Street and 79th Street and Allison Park between 67th Street and 64th Street; and WHEREAS, at its May 19th meeting, the Neighborhoods /Community Affairs Committee (NCAC) heard a discussion by SOBE Cats Spay and Neuter, Inc. (SOBE Cats). They reiterated the need for continued financial support from the City, to provide spay and neuter services for community cats. Additionally, three (3) items to be considered: a pilot program to allow the installation of environmentally friendly feeding stations at key locations; to provide formal registration and credentialing for registered volunteers; and to installation of educational signage by feeding stations. A motion was made by the Committee to have Public Works work with SOBE Cats to determine the proper locations and reprove that the pilot program will work. The item was also to be brought back to the Finance and Citywide Project Committee to have a discussion about possible future funding and implications; and WHEREAS, at its July 28, 2017 meeting, the NCAC held a discussion regarding the relocation of the Log Cabin Nursery to a new site, for the purpose of cat spay and neuter surgeries. It was noted that there is a City- owned building located at the North West corner of Collins Avenue and 83rd Street (8300 -8310 Collins Avenue), which could be used for this purpose. The concern, however, was that the trailer office may be too small to conduct the surgeries, and maintain the cats overnight while they recuperate. The Committee made a motion to have the Public Works Department find an alternate, suitable and proper location to conduct cat surgeries. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, the Mayor and City Commission, accepting the recommendation of the Neighborhood /Community Affairs Committee at its May 19th and July 28th, 2017 meetings, to find an alternate, suitable and proper location to conduct cat surgeries; and to consider allowing a pilot program to install environmentally friendly feeding stations, provide formal registration and credentialing for registered volunteers, and install educational signage by feeding stations. PASSED AND ADOPTED this o?day of September, 20,17 Rafael - Granado, City Cler APPROVED AS TO FORM & LANGUAGE FOR EXECUTION (IL —1- T:\AGENDA \2017 \9 - September \Public Works \resolution Indian creek drive quit claim deeds and easement + ° ,str ed 8.17.2017.docx C Attorney Date /vAM BEAC Resolutions - C7 S COMMISSION MEMORANDUM TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Commission FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager DATE: September 13, 2017 SUBJECT: A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD /COMMUNITY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE AT ITS MAY 19TH AND JULY 28, 2017 MEETINGS, TO FIND AN ALTERNATE, SUITABLE AND PROPER LOCATION TO CONDUCT CAT SURGERIES; AND TO CONSIDER ALLOWING A PILOT PROGRAM TO INSTALL ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY FEEDING STATIONS; TO PROVIDE FORMAL REGISTRATION AND CREDENTIALING FOR REGISTERED VOLUNTEERS, AND TO INSTALL EDUCATIONAL SIGNAGE BY FEEDING STATIONS. RECOMMENDATION The Administration recommends approving the Resolution. ANALYSIS PetSmart Charities, Inc. currently provides the City of Miami Beach grant support to fund facilities and a management partnership from The Cat Network, Inc., to deliver a comprehensive community cat trap-neuter-return (TNR) program entitled "Project CatSnip ". The City's goal is to develop a program that: is community -wide in scope; effective in humanely reducing the local community cat population by educating the public about the need to sterilize their pets and strays; provide access to low -cost spay /neuter services for stray, homeless and abandoned cats; help members in their efforts to place adoptable cats in loving homes; and advocate non - lethal population control via natural attrition and humane public policy. SOBE Cats Spay and Neuter, Inc. is a non - profit [501(c)(3)] organization that provides volunteer trappers for The Cat Network, Inc.'s Project CatSnip, which volunteers dedicate their time for the spay and neuter cause. Community cats are retrieved from key locations once a month by staffers beginning on a Friday night. Cats are then transported to the Log Cabin Nursery located on Collins Avenue, where sterilization surgeries are performed on Saturday mornings. Once the surgery is performed, the cats are housed overnight during the recovery phase. On Sunday mornings, volunteers and City staffers release the cats back to their originating locations. Project CatSnip will be issuing credentials to registered community volunteers, cat feeders, and - trapper- s -in- order -to - identify their role in the City, and as such, discourage feeding by untrained individuals, who may create unwanted litter and even attract cats to undesired locations. During the next six (6) months, SOBE Cats Spay and Neuter, Inc., and the City of Miami Beach will be facilitating a pilot program consisting of the installation of environmentally - friendly feeding stations at key locations with its appropriate signage, where registered volunteer feeders will be able to provide fresh water and clean food to draw the cats at these locations and away from high- traffic areas. Page 556 of 2353 North Shore Open Space Park and Allison Park will be targeted for the pilot program, for the six (6) month period, beginning September 1, 2017 and ending March 1, 2018, in the hope of the successful execution of the pilot program that could later be expanded into other needy areas of the City. One feeding station will be provided for each cat colony in the pilot program inside North Shore Open Space Park between 87th Street and 79th Street and Allison Park between 67th Street and 64th Street. At its May 19, 2017 meeting, the Neighborhoods /Community Affairs Committee (NCAC) heard a discussion by SOBE Cats Spay and Neuter, Inc. (SOBE Cats). They reiterated the need for continued financial support from the City, to provide spay and neuter services for community cats. Additionally, three (3) items to be considered: a pilot program to allow the installation of environmentally friendly feeding stations at key locations; to provide formal registration and credentialing for registered volunteers; and the installation of educational signage by the feeding stations. A motion was made by the Committee to have Public Works work with SOBE Cats to determine the proper locations. The item was also to be brought back to the Finance and Citywide Project Committee to have a discussion about possible future funding and implications. At its July 28, 2017 meeting, the NCAC held a discussion regarding the relocation of the Log Cabin Nursery to a new site, for the purpose of cat spay and neuter surgeries. It was noted that there is a City- owned building located at the North West corner of Collins Avenue and 83rd Street (8300 -8310 Collins Avenue), which could be used for this purpose. The concern, however, was that the trailer office may be too small to conduct the surgeries, and maintain the cats overnight while they recuperate. The Committee made a motion to have the Public Works Department find an alternate, suitable and proper location to conduct cat surgeries. The current proposed location is the 79th Street lot adjacent to the Ocean Rescue facility. CONCLUSION The Administration recommends approving the Resolution Legislative Tracking Public Works ATTACHMENTS: Description D attachments 1 -4 D UPDATED RESO Page 557 of 2353 ATTACHMENT 1 SOBE CATS SPAY . REGISTERED PROGRAM FEEDER IV\ MfAE SOBECATS@GMA1L.COM Photo 1 — Registered Feeder Badge Registered feeder /trapper badges will have an I.D. number that will identify the feeder as being trained and working in coordination with the Miami Beach Police Department and Code Compliance Departments. SOBE Cats Spay and Neuter, Inc. will properly train and keep records of all the registered volunteer feeders, Code Compliance Officers, Park Rangers and police officers will have information concierge cards to pass out to non - registered feeders that list the following guidelines to which all must adhere to: 1. Must be a registered feeder 2. Feeding is allowed directly on the ground; however, 3. Feeders must clean up after every feeding 4. No excessive amounts of food will be served 5. No Styrofoam containers will be used; and 6. Water containers must be clean and changed daily Should litter be left behind by any non- registered feeder, Code Compliance officers, Park Rangers or police officers have authority to issue a litter fine per the proposed revision to the City of Miami Beach Municode Litter Violation Sec. 46 -92. The goal is to have all non- registered feeders throughout Miami Beach registered by the City within a period of 1 year. All registered volunteer feeders caught littering by the Code Compliance Department, the Park Rangers or the Police Department will be reported to SOBE Cats Spay and Neuter, Inc. for re- training. After the volunteer feeder has been re- trained three times, his or her badge will be revoked. Page 558 of 2353 ATTACHMENT 2 Photo 2 — Feeding Station The log -like feeding stations will be located as inconspicuously as possible inside the dune areas for the designated cat colonies; they will be installed just inside the dune ropes so the registered volunteer feeders can place the water and food from outside the ropes, without entering the dunes. Page 559 of 2353 CITY OF MIAMI BEACH MONITORED COLONY REGISTERED FEEDERS ONLY PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE CATS This community cat colony Is in Ihe Trap, Neuter and Return (TNR) program Photo 3 —Signage ftw infortnotion vit MIAMIREACH ATTACHMENT 3 Minimal signage, will be placed in key locations discouraging random cat feeding by residents and visitors and alerting residents and tourists of the on-going TNR program. Page 560 of 2353 ATTACHMENT 4 CA° :©LONIIES LaI nd Page 561 of 2353 Map of North Shore Open Space Park 2 of 3 I mh 61uals 10O CO Fri Lawn T '1C_ i1IF.S Page 562 of 2353 Map of North Shore Open Space Park 3 of 3 CAT COLONIES I —:1) E.vals 100,C .D LCannd 0 iii•■•.:N. AK:v.0,11/r: r... .1N • ...n r:ex u:.o:c q1 N1' ZeNt: Page 563 of 2353 Map of Allison Park 1 of 2 • LP CAT COLONIES ( ƒ: ©+y .: ' ^ d • c4' 2 \ } ±1 . t E w ,mo Legorm Page 564 of 2353 Map of Allison Park 2 of 2 CAT COLONIES I .h Equals i''o : p - t riw;:F,., I b!'. :r;ri 1: c.. Page 565 of 2353