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Meeting Minutes 07.16.20 General Obligation Bond Oversight Committee City of Miami Beach MEETING MINUTES No. 19 July 16, 2020 Members in Attendance Via Zoom: Karen Rivo, Chair Marie Peter, Vice Chair Francisco Diez-Rivas Jack Glottmann Jason Greene Ron Starkman Sean Smith Bryan Rosenfeld Laura Veitia Absent: Wendy Squire Jeremy Waks Staff and Guests Attendance: Maria Hernandez, Liaison John Woodruff, GOB Working Group Alex Denis, GOB Working Group Eric Carpenter, GOB Working Group Devin Ramirez Thais Vieira Allison Novack David Martinez Rudy de la Torre Lily Alvarez Jason Jacobson Steven Feldman Paul Acosta Barbie Hernandez Frank Garcia Jani Singer Roland Aragunde Virgil Fernandez Deborah Tackett Elizabeth Piotrowski Kevin Pulido Gedel Merzius Vanessa Vazquez Lauren Firtel Robert Rabinowitz David McKinney Meeting Start Time: 4:30 pm 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. 19 July 16, 2020 Page 2 of 10 I. Roll Call and Introductions (Refer to the Meeting Audio 7.16.20 on the G.O. Bond Website.) 2:56 Chair Karen Rivo called the meeting to order. II. Committee Business Adoption of Meeting Minutes 5:38 Chair Karen Rivo requested a motion to approve the minutes from the June 18th meeting. Motion: 5:45 Marie Peter made a motion to approve the minutes. Jack Glottmann seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. Funding & Scope Change Protocols (Refer to page 2 on the Agenda and Handout Packet 7.16.20 on the G.O. Bond Website.) 6:50 Maria Hernandez presented the latest version of the Funding Protocols chart and asked for confirmation that all committee members agreed with the final version which was presented during last month’s meeting. The chart specifies the steps that would need to happen under different possible scenarios, including any sort of transfer of funds or scope changes that could occur within the GO Bond. Program. The only item added from the last meeting is the note, in red, which was a comment from Jason Greene. The added comment states “The Committee will be notified of any changes made at the following scheduled committee meeting.” This added note would be added and, therefore, would become the final version of the chart unless anyone has any further comments. 8:48 Chair Karen Rivo asked if anyone had any questions or comments. No one had any comments or questions. The Chair thanked staff for their work on this. III. Community Outreach 9:35 Allison Novack reported that Staff is trying their best to keep everyone up to date with the ongoing projects. She showed the latest blog post, found on the G.O. Bond Website, regarding Bayshore Park. She reported on the amount of social media impressions, which show that there have been 20,000 media hits between Twitter and Facebook. About 2,200 people are subscribed to receive emails on Constant Contact and the most recent blog generated 1,000 views. She encouraged the Committee Members to share the posts on their social media in order to spread awareness. 12:32 Chair Karen Rivo mentioned that the latest blog is wonderful. She asked if anyone had any comments or questions. 12:40 Sean Smith reported that Allison Novack shared the blog with him, and he forwarded it to the Parks and Recreation Committee. G.O. Bond Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes No. 19 July 16, 2020 Page 3 of 10 13:25 Allison Novack showed the Committee Members a new page on the website that shows all of the available renderings of the projects, which was requested by a Committee Member at the last meeting. She did a quick overview of navigating the G.O. Bond website. IV. Public Comment 17:55 Chair Karen Rivo asked if anyone from the public would like to ask a question or make a comment. 18:09 Robert Rabinowitz told Allison Novack that he saw the blog post on Twitter. He congratulated David Martinez and the CIP Department for finally getting things done in order to move the Beachwalk project along. V. Fire Station No. 1 (Refer to pages 3-24 on the Agenda & Handout Packet package 7.16.20 on the G.O. Bond Website.) 19:15 Maria Hernandez reported that Staff has a couple of presentations that they would like to go through very quickly to show the Committee. One of the presentations was first presented in April 2019, but Staff wanted to present it again as a refresher and for newer members of the Committee. The second presentation was first presented at the October 2019 Historic Preservation Board (HPB) Committee meeting. 21:20 David Martinez reported that in 2014 the City had several capital renewal and replacement repair projects for the existing facility on Jefferson and 11th Street. At the time, the amount of dollars that were suggested to spend on the project began to escalate, so the Property Management Department did an analysis and determined they should have the Capital Improvement Projects Department (CIP) take a look at the project. A consultant was hired in 2015 and determined that the facility was not worth investing so much money since it did not meet the needs of the Fire Department. For most of 2016, CIP met with the surrounding neighborhoods, Neighborhoods and Community Affairs Committee, the Finance and Citywide Projects Committee, Flamingo Park Neighborhood Association, and the South of 5th Neighborhood Association (SOFNA). 24:28 David Martinez reviewed the presentations found on pages 3-24 on the Agenda & Handout Packet package. He reported on all five sites Staff was originally considering for the Fire Station. The fourth location is where Staff focused at the time, which is located on 11th Street. Staff received a lot of push back from the community for this location, therefore it did not move too far within the committee. This project then became dormant because of lack of funds, until the G.O. Bond passed in 2018. 31:45 Maria Hernandez reported that Staff went to the Historic Preservation Board two times in 2019. Staff explained to the Historic Preservation Board that the existing fire station facility is a Morris Lapidus building with an annex added in 1990. This facility is not a contributing historic building and would require complete demolition and reconstruction. The facility site is also limited in space because of the pump station in the back. G.O. Bond Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes No. 19 July 16, 2020 Page 4 of 10 37:16 Chief Virgil Fernandez reported that Fire Station #1 was one of the first projects he wanted to address when he began working with the City 6 years ago. Staff tried to initially see how much more life they could squeeze out of the existing building, but there were too many issues to address and therefore demolition became the best option. Response time was a very important factor when picking a location. Explanation continued. 42:53 Maria Hernandez explained that the response time at the South Shore Community Center location would cover a much broader area, from all the way to South of 5th to the islands off of the MacArthur Causeway. This is the preferred location because it is an adequate size which allows the fire truck engines to go in one side and out the other, which is very problematic today. 45:33 David Martinez advised that staff is currently working towards 30% of design completion, which is due around mid-August. Around that time, Staff will submit an application to the Historic Preservation Board in order to get onto their November hearing date. This item will be brought to the community and City Commission prior to the Historical Preservation Board. 49:47 Chair Karen Rivo reported that this was the number 1 priority for the G.O. Bond. She opened the floor to Committee Members for any thoughts or questions. 50:11 Francisco Diez-Rivas asked if the purpose of the Committee is not to choose a location for the project, but to see where to place the money for the public’s best interest. 50:35 Chair Karen Rivo answered yes. She asked if Francisco Diez-Rivas wanted to expand on his question. 50:55 Francisco Diez-Rivas said he wanted to clarify that the Committee Members are stewards of the money and they need to make sure that the public money is maximized and used for the community. Our charge should be oversight on how we allocate funds to ensure maximum use and the interest of the public. 51:46 Sean Smith wanted to clarify if the current Fire Station needs to be torn down. 52:04 Maria Hernandez said that Staff does not have any intention of tearing it down. The only reason why demolition was an option was if the Fire Station was going to be kept there. There is definitely a possibility of repurposing the building. 52:35 Sean Smith said that repurposing the building and having a plan is going to be an important part of the overall sell of what will become of this facility once it is no longer in use by the Fire Department. 52:57 Maria Hernandez reported that there are many things that can happen with that building. First of all, it would go back into the inventory of the City’s facilities. If Staff had the funding, they could put some of the non-profits from the South Shore Community Center at the Fire Station. G.O. Bond Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes No. 19 July 16, 2020 Page 5 of 10 These funds would have to be requested in order to be able to renovate the building because the G.O. Bond will not cover these renovations. 54:03 Marie Peter reported that when she was on the Mayor’s General Obligation Advisory Panel the main focus was safety. Chief Fernandez explained to the Panel that if he could have his station more centrally located, he could reach the necessary locations in a quicker time. She agreed with Francisco Diez-Rivas that the money is very important, but she also believes that the number one concern is safety. If Chief Fernandez feels that this is the safest for the residents, the surrounding neighborhoods should support it. 55:14 Jack Glottmann explained that it is important to note that the $10 million are set aside specifically for the design and construction of the new fire station, and not to be used for anything else. 55:40 Maria Hernandez confirmed that is correct. 56:28 Chair Karen Rivo reported that the City’s goal is to have the best fire station at the best location. One of the things that the Historic Preservation Board was concerned about are the current tenants. Staff is working very hard to relocate the current tenants. She acknowledged David McKinney and thanked him for taking the time to express his concerns with the location of the Fire Station. 57:57 Chief Fernandez expressed that he tried to look at the best place for a Fire Station for not only today, but for the future. He believes that the 6th Street location is the one that best serves the area. His concern is that they do have a Fire Station that is falling apart, and it does not meet National Fire Academy standards. VI. Major Tranche 1 Projects Update (Refer to pages 25-29 on the Agenda & Handout Packet package 7.16.20 on the G.O. Bond Website.) #1 72nd ST. Community Complex 1:01:27 David Martinez reported that the Requests for Proposals have been sent out, which places City staff under the Cone of Silence. Next month, Staff will receive the qualification packages from the tentative proposers, from that point Staff will rank and shortlist them. Two to three months later, Staff will receive an actual proposal and a guaranteed maximum price. Florida Power and Light will begin to relocate the power lines towards the end of 2020. 1:02:42 Sean Smith asked if anyone from the neighborhood or anyone from the Parks and Recreation Board will be selected for the evaluation committee to rank the qualification package. 1:03:00 David Martinez reported that the City Manager ultimately approves who is on the 7- member committee. Historically, there are 5 members who are City of Miami Beach staff representing different departments that have expertise in the project, and then 2 positions would G.O. Bond Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes No. 19 July 16, 2020 Page 6 of 10 either be for the community and/or a committee member. He knows Staff is looking for a member from the Parks and Recreation Committee for representation. #15 Bayshore Park 1:04:31 David Martinez reported that the City Commission awarded an amendment to the consultant’s contract to implement all the requirements from the regulatory agencies. Ideally, the procurement process would begin later this fall. Since there have been moderate changes to the design of the building as well as an expiration of the previous approval, Staff must go back to the Design Review Board in October for an updated approval. #23 Pedestrian Bridge 1:05:50 David Martinez reported that the developer notified Staff that they are running a little behind on completing the construction documents and will be finishing in October. This delay does not affect the construction schedule since construction is going to start around the same time that the condominium tower is going to be built, which will occur around summer 2022. 1:07:26 Marie Peter expressed that when the Mayor’s G.O. Bond Advisory Panel went out to the public, the $10 million was being set aside for the pedestrian bridge and there was no caveat that it was going to be built with the tower from the condominium. She asked for the Legal Department to advise what happens if the developer does not build the tower; does that mean the bridge will not be built? She stressed that it is important to clarify this since it is the first time, she is hearing that the bridge will only be built together with the construction of the tower. 1:08:38 Eric Carpenter reported that the developer has granted an easement on the east side of West Avenue that the City can use to build the ramp that is a requirement for the pedestrian bridge. Staff just rather not use a stand-alone ramp if the goal is to have it dovetail with the pedestal for the building. If the pedestal does not move forward, we have an alternative in order to build the bridge. 1:09:40 Marie Peter said that the question will be whether the bridge will be built with the $10 million with or without the tower being built. 1:10:15 Eric Carpenter answered yes. 1:10:44 Marie Peter asked Eric Carpenter if the developer has a letter of credit where if he does not build the tower, Staff will have excess money to finish the bridge. 1:11:03 Eric Carpenter explained that he is not sure if Staff has that right now because there was some type of contemplation in the agreement, but he will have to go back and double check. 1:11:17 Marie Peter asked the Chair if that item can be discussed at the next Committee Meeting. 1:11:21 Chair Karen Rivo said yes. G.O. Bond Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes No. 19 July 16, 2020 Page 7 of 10 1:11:29 Jason Greene agreed with Marie Peter and stated that she had very good questions. He supported the tower and the bridge being built at the same time, but he would like to hear the answer to Marie Peter’s question at the next meeting. Explanation continued. #24 Middle Beach Beachwalk PH3 1:13:14 David Martinez reported that the project is moving along nicely, and they have already started working on the concrete portion of the project. They also have started work on the underground conduits. The current schedule shows an end date of February 2021, but it will probably be extended 4 months for 2 reasons: 1) The City Commission approved adding security cameras to the project, and 2) the excess sand that accumulated underneath the boardwalk needed to be stockpiled around the project. The new dates will be updated for the next meeting. VII. Other Projects Update (Refer to page 34 on the Agenda & Handout Packet package 7.16.20 on the G.O. Bond Website.) #40 41 St. Corridor 1:16:56 Gedel Merzius reported that Staff has been meeting with AECOM and currently they are developing 3 schematic drawings. Final plans will be presented to the Mid-Beach community, Mayor’s 41st Street Blue Ribbon Committee, and to the public for their input. Staff review will follow once they receive everyone’s input. Staff has created a timeline for future tasks. The Mayor’s 41st St. Committee is set to meet September 23rd and Staff would like to give them a presentation of the master action schedule and the design project at that meeting. Staff is also scheduling a tentative community meeting date for the week of October 5th. 1:20:33 Maria Hernandez reported that it is very possible that by November, Staff will have everything that Gedel Merzius and his team were tasked to do completely done and AECOM is going to produce a basis of design report. If the report gets approved by Commission, the neighborhood and residents, it will then only be a matter of executing design and construction of the project. By the time Tranche 2 begins in 2022, Staff would be able to execute the project if the Commission suggests it. She asked John Woodruff if this is an option. 1:23:00 John Woodruff reported that from his standpoint, Staff would want to cash flow that project. Depending on when most of that money is needed, Staff could try to figure some options such as if there is another project that is not moving along as quickly or there can be an advance in some funding. 1:23:50 Francisco Diez-Rivas explained that the funding is spread out over four tranches because people were sensitive about having construction on the MacArthur Causeway. They wanted to push the construction of this project further away in order to not have construction on both 41st St. and the MacArthur Causeway. 1:25:47 Jack Glottmann expressed his belief that the sooner Staff looks at the larger projects, the better, regarding timing. He referenced the pedestrian bridge and how if the tower is delayed, it may delay the bridge, moving it to Tranche 2. G.O. Bond Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes No. 19 July 16, 2020 Page 8 of 10 1:26:27 Maria Hernandez reported that she and John Woodruff have had this discussion in the past. By early 2021, Staff will be projecting where they are going to be with the projects and the funding. 1:27:32 Jack Glottmann asked if a project has started in Tranche 1 and its construction continues in Tranche 2, do the funds from Tranche 1 move with the project. 1:27:55 Maria Hernandez reported that, yes, once stated the projects continue with their Tranche 1 funding along the way into other Tranches. #42 Traffic Calming (Refer to page 30-33 on the Agenda & Handout Packet package 7.16.20 on the G.O. Bond Website.) 1:29:06 Maria Hernandez reported that there are four sub-projects in Tranche 1 under #42 Traffic Calming: Nautilus Traffic Calming, Bayshore South Traffic Calming, Palm View Traffic Calming, and Normandy Isle Traffic Calming. All these projects are currently entering the design phase. The design should have received a Notice to Proceed this week. 1:30:18 Chair Karen Rivo inquired about the traffic calming. 1:30:24 Maria Hernandez reported that Staff has different measures and methods for each neighborhood. VIII. Program General Status & Sub-Projects Update, Closed Projects (Refer to pages 35-40 on the Agenda & Handout Packet package 7.16.20 on the G.O. Bond Website.) 1:31:42 Maria Hernandez reported on the charts found on page 35. Under the summary of all projects, Staff hasn’t had any changes between last month and this month; there are still 6 projects complete, 29 active projects, and 3 pending. In terms of the sub-projects, Staff has made a lot of progress; 4 projects have been either closed or completed since last month. There are 19 projects that are fully closed out with no encumbered funding remaining. There is approximately a total of $3 million in savings once the list of completed projects gets closed out. Explanation of the charts continued. 1:39:41 Jason Greene asked if the estimated $3 million in savings includes all closed out projects. 1:40:08 Maria Hernandez reported yes. 1:40:13 John Woodruff reported that the reason a closed-out category was created was in order to differentiate the savings from what is still going to be spent. G.O. Bond Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes No. 19 July 16, 2020 Page 9 of 10 1:41:14 Jack Glottmann asked for the G.O. Bond Project List- Savings sheet found on page 38. 1:41:24 Maria Hernandez said that she is going to email it to everyone and put it on the website. This sheet did not make the emailed package because work was still being done on it. 1:41:54 Sean Smith asked if Staff is evaluating any of the tranches or the projects based on the situation with COVID-19, such as fields being closed this fall. He also asked if Staff should be doing the projects such as renovating North Shore Park or Flamingo Park now since they are not in use. 1:42:34 Maria Hernandez said if we are in this situation in a year, we have a lot more to worry about. She expressed how all the sub-projects at Scott Rakow are completed and Staff might not even be using the facility during this time. 1:43:28 Eric Carpenter said that Sean Smith made an excellent point. Staff has been hoping that we would be past the peak and reopening this fall. Since things have changed significantly, a meeting with the department heads and project managers needs to be scheduled. Staff would have to say which projects can be moved up in order to complete a project with a minimum impact. IX. Quick Wins Remaining (Refer to pages 40-42 on the Agenda & Handout Packet package 7.16.20 on the G.O. Bond Website.) #47 License Plater Readers, #57 Cameras in Entertainment District, #44 Public Safety Radio System, #56 Cameras on Beachwalk 1:44:39 Maria Hernandez reported that all the quick win projects have been completed except for the remaining sub-projects found on the Quick Wins Implementation Schedule. The license plate readers (LPRs) will be completed on the Julia Tuttle Causeway by September 30th. The LPRs project on the Macarthur Causeway has been closed out and the LPRs project on 71st Street is complete. The cameras in Lummus Park will also be completed by September 30th. There has also been a lot of progress with project #44 Public Safety Radio System, where all radios have been delivered and the installation of the radios have begun. 1:47:41 Roland Aragunde added that there is a little tweaking being done on 71st Street due to the location of the pole, but that will be completed by tomorrow and testing will be done over the weekend. Regarding #56 Cameras on Beachwalk, he has been working with Elizabeth Wheaton in the Environmental and Sustainability Department to have a permit from FDEP for a staging area approved. 1:50:05 Ron Starkman asked if there will be a fulltime staff watching all of these added cameras. 1:50:25 Ronald Aragunde explained that at the beginning of the project the cameras were supposed to assist detectives, but then that morphed into Staff using them to watch over crowds during the City’s high impact weekends, in order to locate areas where more staff needs to be G.O. Bond Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes No. 19 July 16, 2020 Page 10 of 10 placed. As of right now, Staff does not have a real-time crime center, but our dispatch has cameras located in the more prominent areas and they can always access these cameras. X. Public Comment 1:52:54 David McKinney agreed with Chief Fernandez that a new fire station is needed. He explained how he is an architectural historian since 1977 and stated that South Shore Community Center is very important in understanding the work of Morris Lapidus. He explained how he expressed his concerns in a letter to Commissioner Steinberg who forwarded it to the City Manager, in which the City Manager responded to him stating that Morris Lapidus did not anything to do with the facility. He stated that it concerns him that the City is providing biased information. South Shore Community Center is filled with residents who depend on the City for their programs, where the City is both their landlord and their lifeline. He understands that the City has a hard decision. He asked the Committee is to ensure fair play. 1:57:37 Robert Rabinowitz wanted clarification regarding the Beachwalk project delays. David Martinez explained the situation with the excess sand that accumulated under the Beachwalk earlier during the meeting beginning at 1:13:14. Robert Rabinowitz wanted to know if the sand piles near 46th Street were part of the excess sand. David Martinez responded that this is one of the locations of dropped off sand and that Staff would be moving it very soon. XI. Adjournment Meeting was adjourned.