Resolution 2025-33697 RESOLUTION NO.
2025-33697
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, APPROVING A GRANT IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO
EXCEED $1,900,000 TO NEW WORLD SYMPHONY, INC. ("GRANTEE"), FOR
THE REPLACEMENT OF THE SOUND SYSTEM AT SOUNDSCAPE PARK;
AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO NEGOTIATE A GRANT AGREEMENT
WITH GRANTEE FOR THE FOREGOING PURPOSE (GRANT AGREEMENT);
AND FURTHER, AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER AND CITY CLERK TO
EXECUTE THE GRANT AGREEMENT ACCORDINGLY.
WHEREAS, Soundscape Park ("the Park") is a 2.5 acre, City of Miami Beach ("City")
owned, park located at 400 17th St, in the Miami Beach Redevelopment Agency (RDA); and
WHEREAS, The Park was collaboratively developed by the City of Miami beach and the
New World Symphony as part of a development agreement dated January 5, 2004; and
WHEREAS, As part of this agreement, the city assumed the responsibility of purchasing
and maintaining the sound system, and NWS assumed the responsibility of purchasing and
maintaining the projection equipment; and;
WHEREAS, The sound system was commissioned in 2011 and had an anticipated useful
life expectancy of 10 years; and
WHEREAS, Solotech, the vendor that originally installed the system and has since
maintained it, has been able to extend that four years longer than originally anticipated; and
WHEREAS, At a conditions assessment in September of 2024, Solotech with Meyer
Sound, estimated that the system has deteriorated to approximately 40% of its intended
operational capacity, causing uneven coverage and repeated failure of components; and
WHEREAS, Replacement parts for the system are no longer manufactured, as Meyer is
currently in the fifth generation of this product line and are available only occasionally on the used-
gear market; and
WHEREAS, The redesigned system has been quoted at $1,600,000, with another
$300,000 (approximately) required for site repairs and preparation to receive the new system;
and
WHEREAS, The Administration has familiarized itself with the state of the system and
believes that it's in the City's best interest to leverage New World Symphony's ability to execute
the project this summer; and
WHEREAS, The system is significantly past its intended useful life expectancy and
experiencing dramatic physical deterioration; and
WHEREAS, It is difficult to predict when the system will reach a point of critical failure;
and
WHEREAS,when the system fails it will result in the cancelation of New World's Wallcast,
the City's Outdoor Movie Seriese and possible collaborations around Art Basel, among other
events; and
WHEREAS, This generation of speakers is no longer supported, and replacement parts
can only be found occasionally on the used market; and
WHEREAS, In its current state of decline, it is likely the technicians servicing the system
will not be able to source parts for future failures, extending repair times and costs; and
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT DULY RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, that the Mayor and City
Commission hereby approves a resolution authorizing the Administration to enter into a grant
agreement with New World Symphony for an amount up to $1,900,000, for the replacement of
the Soundscape Park Sound System, to be funded from the 2018 GO Bond and savings from the
existing Soundscape project.
PASSED and ADOPTED THIS ,1/ day of AG 2025.
ATTEST: 1-4‘
MAY 2 7 2025 t ven Meiner, Mayor
Rafael E. Granado, City Clerk
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MIAMI BEACH
COMMISSION MEMORANDUM
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Eric Carpenter, City Manager
DATE: May 21, 2025
TITLE: A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, APPROVING A GRANT IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO
EXCEED$1,900,000 TO NEW WORLD SYMPHONY, INC. ("GRANTEE"), FOR THE
REPLACEMENT OF THE SOUND SYSTEM AT SOUNDSCAPE PARK;
AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO NEGOTIATE A GRANT AGREEMENT
WITH GRANTEE FOR THE FOREGOING PURPOSE(GRANT AGREEMENT);AND
FURTHER,AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER AND CITY CLERK TO EXECUTE
THE GRANT AGREEMENT ACCORDINGLY.
RECOMMENDATION
Item to be submitted in Supplemental.
BACKGROUND/HISTORY
ANALYSIS
FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
Does this Ordinance require a Business Impact Estimate?
(FOR ORDINANCES ONLY)
If applicable, the Business Impact Estimate (BIE)was published on:
See BIE at: https:llwww.miamibeachfl.poylcity-halllcityclerklmeetinq-notices!
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
CONCLUSION
Applicable Area
South Beach
65
Is this a "Residents Right to Know" item, Is this item related to a G.O. Bond
pursuant to City Code Section 2-17? Project?
No Yes
Was this Agenda Item initially requested by a lobbyist which, as defined in Code Sec. 2-481
includes a principal engaged in lobbying? No
If so, specify the name of lobbyist(s) and principal(s):
Department
Facilities and Fleet Management
Sponsor(sl
Co-sDonsor(sl
Condensed Title
Approve Grant to New World Symphony, Inc., Replacement of Soundscape Park Sound
System. FF
Previous Action (For City Clerk Use Only'
66
{{item.number}}
MIAMI BEACH
COMMISSION MEMORANDUM
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Commis ion
FROM: Eric Carpenter, City Manager < (C Let
•
DATE: May 21, 2025
TITLE: A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, APPROVING A GRANT IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO
EXCEED $1,900,000 TO NEW WORLD SYMPHONY, INC. ("GRANTEE"), FOR
THE REPLACEMENT OF THE SOUND SYSTEM AT SOUNDSCAPE PARK;
AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO NEGOTIATE A GRANT AGREEMENT
WITH GRANTEE FOR THE FOREGOING PURPOSE (GRANT AGREEMENT);
AND FURTHER, AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER AND CITY CLERK TO
EXECUTE THE GRANT AGREEMENT ACCORDINGLY.
RECOMMENDATION
It is the recommendation of the Administration that this resolution be accepted.
BACKGROUND/HISTORY
Soundscape Park ("the Park") is a 2.5 acre, City of Miami Beach ("City") owned, park located at
400 17th St, in the Miami Beach Redevelopment Agency(RDA). Adjacent to the Park is the New
World Center, home of the New World Symphony("NWS"). The Park features a world class, state-
of-the-art AudioNideo system used to simulcast an average of ten (10) free symphonic
performances by the New World Symphony ("Wallcast"), movies presented by the City, holiday
concerts, an audible art installation, and other multimedia presentations. The Park was
collaboratively developed by the City of Miami beach and the New World Symphony as part of a
development agreement dated January 5, 2004. As part of this agreement, the city assumed the
responsibility of purchasing and maintaining the sound system, and NWS assumed the
responsibility of purchasing and maintaining the projection equipment.
The sound system, built on Meyer Sound's Constellation Audio System, uses speakers distributed
throughout the park to replicate the natural acoustics of concert halls that have been analyzed
and catalogued. In the case of Soundscape Park, the sound system replicates the natural
acoustics of the New World Center Concert Hall so that the audience outside is listening to nearly
the same concert as the audiences inside the hall. The design's original intent was to allow for
audiences to experience the symphony free of charge, while still enjoying the immersive
experience had by those with a paid ticket.
The sound system was commissioned in 2011 and had an anticipated useful life expectancy of
10 years. Solotech (formerly ProSound) was the vendor that originally installed the system and
has since maintained it. They have been able to extend that four years longer than originally
anticipated. At a conditions assessment in September of 2024, Solotech with Meyer Sound,
estimated that the system has deteriorated to approximately 40% of its intended operational
capacity, causing uneven coverage and repeated failure of components. Being an outdoor
installation that is in proximity to the ocean also accelerates this deterioration. Replacement pads
for the system are no longer manufactured, as Meyer is currently in the fifth generation of this
67
product line and are available only occasionally on the used-gear market, as other users
decommission their failing systems. It is believed that the system has a high probability of failure
and is not stable enough to confidently operate for another season.
The proposed one-for-one replacement of the system was estimated at approximately
$2,400,000. At the request of the Administration, Solotech and Meyer have revisited that estimate
and redesigned the system, without compromising its quality or intended objectives. The
redesigned system has been quoted at $1,600,000, with another $300,000 (approximately)
required for site repairs and preparation to receive the new system. The $300, 000 for site repairs
and preparation is already funded from savings in an associated Soundscape Park project,
On May 15 2025, the GO Bond Oversight Committee unanimously passed a motion to support
the allocation of$1,600,000 in accrued earned interest from the 2019 Parks GO Bond toward the
replacement of the Soundscape Park sound system with the project delivered via a grant to New
World Symphony to manage the project on behalf of the City.
ANALYSIS
The Administration has familiarized itself with the state of the system and believes that it's in the
City's best interest to leverage New World Symphony's ability to execute the project this summer
for several reasons.
• The system is significantly past its intended useful life expectancy and experiencing
dramatic physical deterioration. It is difficult to predict when the system will reach a point
of critical failure. When it does, it will result in the cancelation of New World's Wallcast, the
City's Outdoor Movie Seriese and possible collaborations around Art Basel, among other
events.
• This generation of speakers is no longer supported, and replacement parts can only be
found occasionally on the used market. In its current state of decline, it is likely the
technicians servicing the system will not be able to source parts for future failures,
extending repair times and costs
• While the speakers are manufactured in the United States, the cost of raw materials and
construction continue to rise. If not contracted at this time, the project will have to wait at
least until summer of 2026 and will be more susceptible to price increases.
FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
The total project cost of the proposed work to replace the Soundscape Park sound system will be
approximately $1,846,070.67
Does this Ordinance require a Business Impact Estimate?
(FOR ORDINANCES ONLY)
If applicable, the Business Impact Estimate (BIE) was published on:
See BIE at: https://www.miamibeachfl.gov/city-hall/city-clerklmeetinq-notices/
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
It is proposed that this project will have two (2)funding sources.
• 2018 General Obligation Bond: $1,600,000
68
• Project#23318: $290,000
CONCLUSION
It is the recommendation of the Administration that this resolution be accepted, and the
Administration be authorized to enter into a grant agreement with New World Symphony for the
replacement of the Soundscape Park Sound System, to be funded from the 2018 GO Bond and
the savings from the existing Soundscape project number 23318.
Applicable Area
North Beach
Is this a "Residents Right to Know" item, Is this item related to a G.O. Bond
pursuant to City Code Section 2-17? Project?
No Yes
Was this Agenda Item initially requested by a lobbyist which, as defined in Code Sec. 2-481
includes a principal engaged in lobbying? No
If so, specify the name of lobbyist(s) and principal(s):
Department
Facilities and Fleet Management
Sponsor(s)
Co-sponsor(s)
Previous Action (For City Clerk Use Only)
69