Meeting Minutes 4.18.19
General Note: These meeting minutes are condensed and seek to capture the overall intent of discussions
as interpreted by the meeting coordinator. Each paragraph indicates the time on the audio recording
where the discussion commenced during the meeting. For more detail on the discussion, please refer to
the audio recording in its entirety.
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee
Meeting Minutes No. 5
April 18, 2019
Page 2 of 11
I. Introductions
Chair Karen Rivo brought the meeting to order. She had everyone introduce themselves.
Everyone in the room introduced themselves.
II. Committee Business
Committee Charge
6:12 Chair Karen Rivo reminded everyone about the Committee’s charge which is at the bottom
of the Agenda.
Adoption of Meeting Minutes
8:06 Chair Karen Rivo said that she spent some time editing the format of the previous minutes
in order to make them easier to refer to.
9:11 Maria Hernandez explained that we were also going to list the time of the discussion next
to the paragraph.
10:51 Jason Greene said he really likes the changes that were made.
Motion:
12:18 Jason Greene motioned to approve the February 12th minutes. Marie Peter seconded the
motion. Minutes approved.
Motion:
12:37 Jason Greene motioned to approve the February 28th minutes. Marie Peter seconded the
motion. Minutes approved.
Approval of Meeting Dates
16:34 Chair Karen Rivo explained that we have our next 3 meetings scheduled. The committee
was good with these dates.
Future Reporting
17:40 Chair Karen Rivo pointed out the third Committee Charge which is to review City staff and
G.O. Bond Program project managers’ progress reports and provide monthly reports to the City
Commission.
18:08 Maria Hernandez explained that we have an obligation to report to our Commission. She
wanted John Woodruff to explain this new program that we are going to be implementing within
the City.
18:53 John Woodruff explained the business intelligence tool, which is going to take information
from eBuilder, a software that CIP uses for their project management. He said the website will
go live in the next month or two.
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee
Meeting Minutes No. 5
April 18, 2019
Page 3 of 11
23:10 Chair Karen Rivo said that she asked Maria Hernandez to see what the City Commission
would like to see on a monthly basis. She said that the idea would be that the Committee would
receive a report a week before the Committee’s meeting and then the members would review
and discuss the report before signing off on it and presenting it to Commission.
III. Bond Issuance Update
26:56 John Woodruff explained his trip to New York City to issue the bonds. He said that hitting
3.49% exceeded their expectations. This translated to a 28 million dollar savings.
IV. Communications Strategy/ Upcoming Groundbreaking
30:20 Allison Novack showed the Committee the first GO Blog post on the GO Bond website. She
explained how this blog will be updated often with the most recent information. She reviewed
the website and showed the members where they could find press releases and LTCs related to
the GO Bond. She explained the visual changes that were made on the website, highlighting how
community residents are involved and information on the Oversight Committee. She pointed out
the change made to our Program Org Chart, where residents are included at the top. She
informed the group of the upcoming groundbreaking for the Street Pavement and Sidewalk
Improvement projects, where all members are welcome and encouraged to attend.
V. Quick Win Project Recap/ Status
45:36 Maria Hernandez began by explaining the Quick Wins list, which is now in order by the
corresponding implementation department. She reminded everyone that 37% of all of the
projects in the GO Bond are Quick Wins and 67% of all of the projects are in Tranche 1. She
explained the synopsis of the GO Bond Implementation Plan which includes the schedule of the
Quick Wins, the budgets of the projects, the timelines and the legend. (Refer to GO Bond
Implementation Plan – Quick Wins on the GOB website).
#24 Mid Beach Beachwalk
49:55 David Martinez reminded the Members that this Beachwalk is between 25th St. and 47th St.
This project is fully designed and went through permitting. We are waiting for FDEP’s approval of
the commentary they had requested. Once we receive the approval, that document is sent to
FDOT. FDOT has everything ready and is only waiting on that approved document.
#32 Palm & Hibiscus
52:56 David Martinez explained that the scope of this project is landscape enhancements, which
was requested by the community. The enhancements will mostly be done on the center median
of both islands. We are at a stage where we are discussing with the community. Around July we
will be discussing how we are going to procure this project and in December we will implement
it.
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee
Meeting Minutes No. 5
April 18, 2019
Page 4 of 11
#33 Street Tree Master Plan
55:45 Elizabeth Wheaton explained that within the next year the master plan will be
implemented. Shade trees will be planted at the 5th Street corridor. We will have to coordinate
with FDOT for the permitting process which takes approximately 3 months to design, do
coordination with FDOT and then begin construction in October. The 71st Street corridor is
recognized as an easy win because CIP is working on the Rue Vendome fountain and trees will be
added to enhance the project. Biscayne Pointe and Stillwater Neighborhood are both
neighborhood projects that CIP is working on. We are looking to enhance those projects with
street trees. Preplanning, design & permitting will also take place with FDOT & Miami-Dade
County.
58:06 Ron Starkman brought up the situation on Alton Road’s sidewalks with the root system of
the trees. He asked if the City has a better idea for this project. Elizabeth Wheaton said they are
looking at a technique that goes underground, which allows the roots to have the space that they
need to grow under the ground without pushing up the pavement.
59:07 Jason Greene followed up on Ron Starkman’s question. He said that it appears that the
technique on Alton Road is failing in many areas. Roy Coley explained that they are testing new
products in that area.
1:00:33 Marie Peter asked if Rodney Knowles would be working on this & Elizabeth Wheaton
confirmed Rodney would be involved in the project.
1:01:17 Jason Greene continued the discussion regarding the use of the system at the Alton Road
project which was not successful. Roy Coley clarified that what was used on Alton Road was
specified by FDOT and the City is trying to make it better for other locations under this project.
#17 Polo Park
1:01:58 Jose Del Risco said we are on schedule with Polo Park. This week requisitions have been
sent in for design and the ITQ for the actual builder. There is a tight timeframe for that project
because we want to deliver before school starts in August. We are waiting on the Nautilus
community feedback on the different options we presented them.
#4 Fairway Park
1:02:53 Jose Del Risco explained that Fairway Park has been tied to the CIP project that is going
to take place there.
#52 LED Lighting
1:03:30 Jose Del Risco said that some leg work has been done but we will finalize the
conversations with Musco to get the final quotes to be able to get it to Procurement. We feel
very confident in the timeline provided.
#2 Collins Park
1:03:58 Jose Del Risco said we pushed back Collins Park because it is going to require more time
on the Procurement end and the new Job Order Contracting program.
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee
Meeting Minutes No. 5
April 18, 2019
Page 5 of 11
#3 Crespi Park and #21 Stillwater Park
1:06:30 Jose Del Risco said that the scope is pretty simple there. We feel comfortable that within
the next few weeks we will start working with the contractor there, getting all of our quotes in,
and starting to put everything into the Procurement queue.
#18 Scott Rakow
1:06:56 Jose Del Risco said that we are pushing this back a little bit due to the operation schedule
of the pool. As the weather starts to cool down, we will be ready to proceed there.
#13 North Shore Park
1:07:49 Jose Del Risco explained that we cannot put in the pathways until CIP is completed work
on the fields.
1:08:20 Maria Hernandez explained that Scott Rakow and North Shore do not have a cost or item
number because they are part of larger projects in the Property Management division. These are
sub projects to the master projects that Property Management is in charge of.
1:09:30 Jason Greene stated as we start looking at elements in projects, if we can have those
budgets broken down independently for tracking purposes.
#47 License Plate Reader
1:10:06 Lieutenant Feldman said that the overall project consists of over 120 lanes of traffic. The
Quick Wins locations are concentrated on the MacArthur, Julia Tuttle, and 71st Street. We are
currently in the process of putting out the invitation to bid to installers that can put them up.
Lieutenant Feldman explained how the license plate readers work.
1:10:52 Jason Greene inquired about the type of readers, scope, and locations of the readers.
Discussion also continued with Ron Starkman, Jason Greene and Chair Karen Rivo inquiring about
how the system works. Lieutenant Feldman explained in detail.
#57 Cameras in Entertainment District
1:17:35 Lieutenant Feldman said we are in the process of standardizing our cameras in order to
make the bid process easier. The item will be going to Commission in May.
1:18:40 Jason Greene asked about the status of the Washington Avenue portion of the work.
After status and explanation from Lieutenant Feldman it was determined that the Washington
Avenue part of the project is not a Quick-Win, so the Implementation Chart will be updated, and
the item removed. Discussion continued regarding the procurement process of the contract Alex
Denis and Lieutenant Feldman clarified.
#49 Public Safety Radio System
1:22:09 Lieutenant Feldman explained that they had administrative training this week and we
are scheduled to go live in October and November. This system will be in collaboration with
Hialeah and the City of Miami which will eventually provide county wide coverage for the police
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee
Meeting Minutes No. 5
April 18, 2019
Page 6 of 11
#56 Cameras on Beachwalk
1:23:00 Lieutenant Feldman said it is dependent on the Lummus Park project because we have
to end on 14th St to then continue north to 23rd Street. Jason Greene inquired about the location
of the cameras along all of the Beachwalk and Lieutenant Feldman clarified.
#53 Security for Public Spaces
1:24:53 Lieutenant Feldman explained that this is a joint effort between Police and Public Works.
The bollards are well underway now and we should have them starting in May.
#26 Roof Replacement
1:25:25 Adrian Morales said that he is expecting proposals on the Colony Theater tomorrow
(04/19) so this will be the first project to start. He received proposals for the Miami City Ballet
and The Fillmore. These projects will be moving quickly. The Miami City Ballet will be a little
delayed because he is in the process of finishing an impact window project that is grant funded.
#18 Scott Rakow
1:26:59 Adrian Morales said that they are working with Parks on these projects. The grant from
FEMA that was awarded covers the windows and roofs at Scott Rakow. The project is permitted
and ready to go.
1:28:20 Jack Glottman asked if that grant was something that wasn’t accounted for.
1:28:27 Adrian Morales said yes.
1:28:39 John Woodruff said we built the program not assuming we were going to get grants, but
we know that we will be getting some grant funding which will allow us to build some capacity.
1:28:55 Jack Glottman asked if we could keep a running tab of all of those savings.
1:29:02 Maria Hernandez said yes.
1:29:16 Adrian Morales said he has a contract ready to go and the only thing he is waiting on is
the grant contract. The project should start sometime in the Fall.
1:29:37 Jack Glottman asked if it’s possible to see the contracts for some of these projects to see
the scope of work. Adrian Morales said yes, absolutely. Most of these projects are using existing
contracts.
1:30:14 Jason Greene requested a report which shows what the funding which is either in
overruns or savings to track so we can reallocate funds.
#13 North Shore
1:32:24 Adrian Morales said that the generator is starting from scratch and they already met with
the consultant. This will be done with an existing contract. The roof replacement and interior
painting are the same as the Scott Rakow project.
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee
Meeting Minutes No. 5
April 18, 2019
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#38 Street Pavement
1:33:11 Roy Coley introduced Rudy De La Torre as the leader of this project on behalf of Public
Works. He said that all of their planning in Procurement is complete and they have issued
contractors notices to proceed. The first project is on Meridian, starting on 15th and going to 5th.
(Refer to Street Work Plan saved on GOB website).
#37 Sidewalk Improvement
1:34:22 Roy Coley said that the Sidewalk Improvement project is the same scenario as the Street
Pavement Program. (Refer to Sidewalk Work Plan saved on the GOB website).
1:34:37 Chair Karen Rivo asked what the inconvenience to the residents was.
1:34:43 Roy Coley explained that the biggest issue with the Street Pavement in an area like
Meridian is the parking. He confirmed that residents will always have access, and there will be
some noise and dust but moving cars is the biggest challenge. He described the process and
logistics of the work. Discussion continued.
1:36:03 Rudy De La Torre said that we are estimating doing two blocks per week.
1:36:23 Jason Greene asked about the entire scope of work, budget and the timing of the Quick
Win schedule and the overall Tranche 1 schedule. Discussion continued.
1:38:26 Ron Starkman asked if it would be reasonable to have a map that will show what streets
and sidewalks will be done in 2019, 2020 and 2021, where you have a different color for each
year and you can see each year what is being filled out. Roy Coley said that the Members have
that in detail in the plans provided. Ron Starkman said it would be useful to have a map that
shows, in color, any specific neighborhood. Roy Coley said he would be happy to do that; however
the pavement plan could change after the Jacobs program rolls out. It was agreed that we should
wait until more accurate information is available. Further discussion continued.
#19 Soundscape Tech Core
1:41:50 Maria Hernandez said that we have an agreement with New World Symphony that is
almost ready to be signed. New World Symphony is doing all the procurement and work and we
are reimbursing them. The item is going to Commission at the May meeting.
#42 Traffic Calming
1:42:51 Josiel Ferrer explained that this project has been underway with some City funding prior
to the GO Bond issuance. We are currently perusing the permitting piece through Miami-Dade
County. At the request of Chair Karen Rivo and Jason Greene, Josiel described details of the
different traffic calming projects.
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee
Meeting Minutes No. 5
April 18, 2019
Page 8 of 11
VI. Other Tranche 1 Projects
#1 72nd St Park and Aquatic Center
1:48:21 Maria Hernandez explained that there was an item on the Finance Meeting Agenda
regarding the location of the pool that was supposed to be heard on May 31st. It was referred
and then deferred, and now that item is going to be removed from the agenda. Staff is going to
continue with the project with the pool and the entire program in the original location, which is
at the North Beach site. Chair Karen Rivo confirmed that the Scott Rakow site is now “off the
table”. Marie Peter joined the discussion and confirmed there has been public input and Maria
Hernandez confirmed that there has also been a lot of financial analysis done with the two site
comparisons.
1:49:53 David Martinez explained that we have had a consultant on board for a while. A service
order has been processed to continue doing feasibility studies, surveys, geotechnical and
environmental and other site assessments. He explained that eventually he will be coordinating
with Maria Hernandez, the City Manager and the administration to bring back some options of
how the elements will look like in the facility, with the intent of preparing a design criteria
package that we can then utilize to put out in the street to begin the process of procuring a design
builder to get the project moving. After being asked by David Martinez to elaborate on the issue
of the $10 million shortfall from the original budget, Maria Hernandez stated that staff will have
to make sure that the project remains within final budget since the budget of the project was
reduced at the very end of the previous process. Staff has some ideas to create some cost savings
which they will be working on.
1:53:54 Maria Hernandez explained that the project has $3.8 million dollars for resiliency. She
said that it would be great if we could utilize greenspace to be able to program something. She
gave having a green roof as an example, saying it could be used to program something such as a
soccer field or another amenity, doubling up as a resilient amenity. These are examples of what
we are trying to think about. Discussion regarding the competition pool scope continued with
Robert Gonzalez who asked if the Scott Rakow option was off the table. Laura Veitia joined the
discussion with Chair Karen Rivo and Vice Chair Marie Peter Max Litt joined the conversation who
agrees with the idea of bringing in resiliency measures as part of the design.
1:59:25 Jason Greene asked if the Committee would be receiving a design plan for the larger
projects in order to have more information on the projects in order to be informed when
communicating to the public and be able to deal with misconceptions by being able to speak
intelligently to the public about the projects. Chair Karen Rivo said that the Committee should
feel free to email Maria Hernandez requesting any information they believe they should have
regarding a project. Jack Glottman said it would be great to have a rendering once the project is
designed. David Martinez continued with the explanation of the Design Build process as it
pertains to this project and what to expect during the process. Discussion continued in reference
to the process and the schedule.
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee
Meeting Minutes No. 5
April 18, 2019
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#22 Par 3
2:09:51 Maria Hernandez said that the plans are 75% complete and CIP is going to ITB on
November 1st. David Martinez said they are looking at starting the procurement process in late
October. The small set back that this project had was the additional of sustainable and resilient
elements into the park; they had to take a couple of steps backward and inject them into the
plans. He explained that this project is about a 20-acre site and will take about a year and a half
to complete once we break ground. Jason Greene requested a presentation, site plan layout at
the next meeting. Commissioner Joy Malakoff joined the conversation and provided some
history regarding the design and how long the project has taken to get to this point.
2:12:33 David Martinez also noted that there will be some activity on the site, unrelated to the
project, to allow the Hebrew Academy to be able to use an area to the north of their site to stage
for construction for several months. This was approved by the City Commission, and it will not
interfere with the GO Bond project.
2:13:10 Yechiel Ciment thanked David, Maria and the Commission, on behalf of the Community,
for allowing this to happen.
#45 Fire Station #1
2:13:28 David Martinez showed a presentation of the history behind finding a location for Fire
Station #1 (Presentation is saved on GOB website). Five sites were originally identified for
evaluation and each of these was described with the pros and cons of each. Recently a new
location is currently being evaluated, on 6th Street, which is the South Shore Community Center.
As a first step, a service order is being issued to one of the City’s current consultants to evaluate
the feasibility of all of the sites, starting with this new site. As a second step, a Request for
Qualifications is being taken to the May Commission to begin the process of hiring an architect
under a Construction Manager (CM) at Risk procurement method. This method gives more
control of the design to the City. The 911 center is also being included as part of the scope of the
project.
2:21:21 Marie Peter asked if Chief Fernandez has been involved in this last site. David Martinez
confirmed that he has.
2:21:43 Maria Hernandez explained that Chief Fernandez has done an analysis that shows the
comparison of this site versus the existing site. The time analysis shows how the new site expands
the range of the Fire Department’s 6-minute response area when compared to the existing site.
2:23:20 Chair Karen Rivo asked if 6th Street is within the Flamingo Park Neighborhood. Maria
Hernandez confirmed that it is, and it is a historic district.
12:23:30 Ron Starkman inquired about the services which are currently in the South Shore
Community Center and what would be the plan if this site is selected. Discussion and
explanations continued.
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee
Meeting Minutes No. 5
April 18, 2019
Page 10 of 11
12:25:02 Maria Peter asked if we have checked into the historic part of the project and if it would
be a legal issue. Maria Hernandez confirmed that this is not a contributing building, but the
project will have to be presented to HBP. Maria Hernandez stated that this is the site that is
optimum for the Fire Department for many reasons and that we are committed to trying to make
this work. Discussion continued.
2:26:35 Jason Greene asked about potential future locations for the child care center and other
services and if these would be considered at the old fire station which would not be part of the
GO Bond program. Discussion continued.
#25 Baywalk
2:28:36 Marie Peter stated that she has been meeting with Eric Carpenter regarding the Baywalk.
She explained that they have run into a tremendous amount of problems and would like to
present them to the committee, but not without Eric Carpenter. Marie Peter explained the issue
with the walkways and ramp extending in front of the ICON building and other design options
which are problematic. Maria Hernandez explained that this project is being built by a private
developer and the GO Bond program would fund it during construction via a contract which
would be approved by Commission. Discussion continued including a request to show an “under
bridge” option which can take several years to permit. Chair Karen Rivo asked that this item be
put on the next agenda for an update.
2:35:31 Jason Greene asked about statements being made regarding starting the project for
Ocean Drive where no money for Ocean Drive is indicated in Tranche one. John Woodruff
clarified that only the City Commission could make the decision to advance any money. An
update or clarification will be provided next month.
VII. Public Q & A
2:38:24 Chair Karen Rivo gave the members of the public an opportunity to speak. Robert
Rabinowitz from the Middle Beach Neighborhood Association introduced himself. He had a
question regarding the cameras on the Beachwalk. He asked if more cameras have been
accidently missed in the other tranches.
2:39:36 John Woodruff clarified that the project originally was going to go beyond 23rd Street but
got cut down during the Advisory Panel and what was finally approved was the area which
needed it the most. The goal was to break down big ticket projects that we couldn’t afford to do
any other way, and then incrementally add to these over times with different funding sources.
Chair Karen Rivo also explained how the process took place under the Advisory Panel and how
decisions were made.
2:41:58 Resident Bonnie Shapiro representing the Biscayne Point HOA made a suggestion to
include estimated time frames on project signage, so residents are aware of the timeframes of
the projects.
2:43:50 Marie Peter asked a question about Sunshine Law. The discussion continued and
included Ron Starkman and Jason Greene. Jason Jacobson responded that the City Attorney
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee
Meeting Minutes No. 5
April 18, 2019
Page 11 of 11
would always advise to err on the side of caution regarding multiple members of the Board
showing up to HOA meetings. It is always best practice for one of the members to leave the
room.
2:48:29 Resident Clive Pearce from the 6000 Indian Creek HOA commended the Beachwalk
project and asked about markers being added to the project so first responders are aware of
people’s locations in case of an emergency. Elizabeth Wheaton clarified that a separate project,
not funded out of GOB funds, will include markers.
VIII. Adjournment
Motion:
2:50:57 Jason Greene motioned to adjourn the meeting. The Committee seconded the motion.