Loading...
LTC 155-2002 .. .. CITY of MIAMI BEACH Office of the City Manager Letter to Commission No. 155-2tJ?Z m TO: Mayor David Dermer and Members of the City Commission Date: July 1, 2002 Jorge M. GOnZalez, Ar/ City Manager U.r- 0 SUBJECT: WEEKLY UPDATE FROM: The purpose of this LTC is to provide the Mayor and Commission with an update describing some of the areas the Administration focused on during the week of June 24, 2002: Department Budget Reviews - The City Manager and representatives from Finance and the Office of Management and Budget continued to meet with staff from City Departments to finalize budget plans and allocations for the 2002-2003 fiscal-year. Emergency Preparedness Plans - Representatives from the Administration met with Bill Johnson, Division Manager of Miami-Dade County's Office of Emergency Management, to discuss issues of mutual concern and to learn how the City of Miami Beach can incorporate some of the County's procedures in the City's Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Teams of each of the following functional areas have been meeting to finalize their plans: (1) Public Safety; (2) Operations; (3) Logistics; (4) Administration and Finance;(5) Planning and Information, and (6) Tourism / Visitor Industry. A Management Team meeting will be held on July 17 to discuss changes to our plans and an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) drill will be held on July 23, 2002 in the Convention Center. Once all the plans are updated and finalized, they will be communicated to the Mayor and Commission. Grants Management - Representatives from the Administration made a formal presentation to representatives from the South Florida Water Management District regarding funding for irrigation of the Bayshore Golf Course. The presentation went well and the City should be notified within the next couple of weeks of the outcome. Fourth of July Celebration - Representatives from the Administration met to finalize plans for the holiday celebration taking place on Thursday, July 4 between 10th and 11th Streets on Ocean Drive. The Police Department will be implementing several measures to enhance security for the holiday, including, enhanced staffing on July 3 and 4 throughout the City. A special parking permit, map and schedule of events was delivered to the Mayor and Commission last week which provides additional details about the celebration events. Fisher Island - The Mayor and City Manager met to discuss several issues related to Fisher Island and Terminal Island, including exploring the possibility of the annexation of Fisher Island. The Economic Development Division is conducting an analysis to provide the Administration and Mayor and Commission with more information, North Shore Park Youth Center Oversight Committee - The group met on June 25 and successfully clarified the roles of each member and how to proceed with construction oversight. Convention Center Advisory Board - The group met on June 25 and adopted three motions, including: (1) a recommendation on the process involved with the Walk of Stars, (2) approval of new rate structure for small groups, and (3) that the current exclusivity clause with Volume Services America remain in place. Neighborhood Services Department 1 Mayor on the Move - Approximately 60 area residents participated in this session held at the Miami Beach Police Department on June 26 for the South Beach area. The meeting was an open discussion forum where residents shared their neighborhood quality of life concerns with the Mayor and City Administration. The following items were identified as neighborhood priorities: (1) Public Works/Sanitation Issues, (2) Pride in the City, (3) Community Policing, (4) Homeless issues, and (5) Concurrency / Transportation issues. A follow up newsletter will be prepared and distributed to the residents and placed on the City's web page. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Representatives from the Administration participated in a conference call with Nelson Bregon, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to update HUD on the latest development of the nnd Street site and discussed the City's Economic Development Initiative (EDI) grant tied in to that project and how to proceed now that there are changes to our original grant application. HUD recommended that the City submit a formal amendment request and HUD will re- rate and re-rank the application, Concert Association of Florida - Representatives of the Administration met with Judy Drucker and other representatives from the Concert Association of Florida to discuss construction related issues involving the Colony Theater and future bookings at the Colony. Convention Center - Representatives from the Administration met with representatives from SMG to discuss the Convention Center operations and the development of a future capital plan. Flagler Memorial - Representatives from the Administration met with a group of private contributors to explore ways in which to enhance the Flagler Memorial. Festival Season - Representatives from the Administration met with representatives from the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau to develop a concentrated effort to enhance and attract key productions for the 2003 Summer Festival season. World Cup Celebration - The Police Department had a provisional plan in place in case of any celebrations stemming from the World Cup championships held on Sunday, June 30, 2002 morning. The Police Department estimates that between 25,000 and 50,000 people came to Miami Beach over the course of the day to celebrate Brazil's victory over Germany. Public safety initiatives were implemented including, an enhanced Police presence, a vehicular traffic plan and crowd control measures. No major incidents were reported. If you have any questions or need any additional information about any of these items, please feel free to contact me. JMG/ri F:/cmgr/$all/ltc-02JJuly1Weeklyupdate