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C6A-Report- May 29 2015 Neighborhood-Community Affairs Committee -NCAC- Meetingrr-. --. Il-'-, OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER CO SSION MEMORANDUM SSiONTO:Mayor Philip Levine and Members of City Com FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager DATE: June 3,2015 SUBIECT: REPORT OF THE NEIGHBORH MEETING ON FRIDAY, MAY 29, UN|TY AFFATRS COMMTTTEE (NCAC) A meeting of the Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee was held on Friday, May 29, 2015 al 2:00pm in the Commission Chamber, 3rd Floor of City Hall. Commissioners in attendance: Commissioners Michael Grieco, Micky Steinberg and Ed Tobin. Members from the Administration and the public were also in attendance. THE MEETING OPENED AT 2:01 P.M. 1. Discussion Regarding A Resolution To Collaborate To Develop An Enhanced Partnership With The Miami-Dade County School Board (School Board) And To Amend The City's Educationa! Compact To Provide Enhanced Educational Services To The City's Public Schoo! Students, By Working Collaboratively On Funding To Prioritize Early Learning Opportunities, lncluding The Head Start Program; Title 1 VPK; VPK Fee Supported; And SPED Pre-K; By Providing lnstructional Support For Extracurricular Or Choice Offerings At City High School And Middle School Grades; By Enhancing The Districts Afterschoo! Programming, lB Program And EFL Program; And To Provide A Schedule For Accomplishing These Goals. Item R9Q, April 15,2015 (Requested by Commissioner Grieco) AFTER.ACTION Dr. Leslie Rosenfeld, Chief Learning Development Officer, presented this item. This item was jointly referred to the Finance and Citywide Projects Committee and Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee by the Commission on April 15,2015 for a joint meeting on May 20, 2015. The item was subsequently referred to a joint meeting on May 29, 2015. The Miami-Dade County Public School (M-DCPS) representative provided information on the projected cost of one Pre-K classroom and the Miami Beach waiting list data for public elementary schools in Miami Beach with approximately 55 children on the wait list for the 2015116 school year. Commissioner Michael Grieco explained that the funding for Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) comes from the State at approximately $2,400 per child for 3 hours a day for 180 days. He further explained that current VPK offerings in M-DCPS located on Miami Beach are unable to accommodate the demand for the 2015116 school year. 201 Agenda ltem CO 4Date-m-S56 lraida Mendez-Cartaya, Associate Superintendent for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, informed the committee that state requirements do not call for certified VPK teachers, but M-DCPS uses teachers certified in Pre-K and elementary education and aspire for a full-day of high quality Pre-K education. According to lraida Mendez-Cartaya, the State of Florida provides a reimbursable amount of $2400 per student, which applies only to 4-year-olds. Ms. Mendez-Cartaya stated M-DCPS uses two models. ln Title I schools, the state provides funding for 3 hours because VPK is a voluntary program. M- DCPS subsidizes the remaining 3 hours through Title I funds if applicable. For non-Title I schools, VPK is parental fee based for hours beyond the State allocated timeframe. Commissioner Grieco requested clarification on the school VPK lottery, keeping in mind that there were 55 families who were not able to enroll their child in a public school VPK. lraida Mendez-Cartaya explained that a lottery system is a practice the district for programs where demand exceeds available seats. According to lraida Mendez-Cartaya, lotteries are used for admission into VPK, magnet programs, and other choice programs, they are a function of both lack of space in and lack of funding for a particular school. Based on previous public discussions with M-DCPS officials, Commissioner Grieco indicated that facility space is available at other Miami Beach public elementary schools; however, that may not be the family's first choice location. Ms. Mendez-Cartaya indicated that both Biscayne Elementary and Fienberg-Fisher K-8 Center have facility space to accommodate additional VPK classes, but M-DCPS is limited in Title ldollars. According to Ms. Mendez-Cartaya, Title ldollars is an allocation that comes from the federal government through the state and that allotted amount is finite. Ms. Mendez-Cartaya stated that M-DCPS had not received Title I funding information for the upcoming school year. lraida Mendez-Cartaya said purchasing power is less than last year because M-DCPS is experiencing increased costs due to business and salary enhancements for teachers. According to Ms. Mendez-Carlaya, even if M- DCPS received the same dollar amount for the 2015-2016 school year as the 2014- 2015 school year, the school board cannot purchase the same amount of classrooms/units, and be able to augment programs. M-DCPS is preparing the budget for the 2015-2016 school year, and is internally looking for efficiencies (i.e. budget reductions), in order to have a balanced budget next school year. lraida Mendez-Cartaya said the K-12 system is currently receiving $6,915 perstudent. ln 2007-2008, the school district was receiving $7,307 per student. Commissioner Tobin addressed the public and said that if the city could fund some of the VPK, the school board could work with the City of Miami Beach to provide VPK for children that did not win the VPK lottery. Commissioner Tobin stated that during the retreat, those that opposed funding for VPK felt as though allotting city money to this cause was akin to a double tax, and that some of his colleagues may not appreciate the robust VPK program that M-DCPS offers. Commissioner Grieco said that the City has over $400,000 in the Education Compact Fund, which is dedicated to education. According to Commissioner Grieco, the fund replenishes about $90,000-$100,000 annually. Commissioner Grieco said that they are limiting the funding of VPK classes to a three-year commitment. The first year would cost $253,042, and the following two years would cost $189,042 for two classes. The $253,000 pays for the educators and paraprofessionals, and the additional 50,000 or so would be the start-up cost materials, classroom set-up, physical plan etc. 57 2. Commissioner Tobin asked the School Board representative what their contribution would be, if the VPK money is paid by the state, and the City of Miami Beach paid for the other half. Commissioner Grieco also said that the City of Miami Beach subsidizes a playtime program with 60 participating children in three different locations, which is non- educational and done through the parks department. Commissioner Tobin said that he was not sure how to get this item past committee, since it could not be voted on. Commissioner Grieco said this item would come up as a budget amendment on June 1oth. NO ACTION TAKEN. Discussion Regarding Valet Parking. Item R9S, March 20,2015 (Requested by Commissioner Grieco) AFTER.ACTION Saul Frances, Parking Director, presented this item. Saul Frances said the item before the Committee was referred at the March 11th commission meeting to both the Finance and Neighborhoods committees. There was an extensive discussion regarding enhancing and strengthening regulations in the city code to enforce valet. Saul Frances said there were valet operations on some of the major corridors in the city, and a number of ramps/ loading locations adding to congestion. According to Saul, there were two threshold policy questions that the Parking Department was posing. The first question was to grandfather in existing valet operators at the existing valet locations. One issue that was of full concern with the commission was insuring that the beach could maintain competition with the existing 20-22 valet operators in the city. The second question posed by the Parking Department was in regards to types of uses for valet. Currently, valet is open to anyone that applies, as far as the city code is concerned. The Parking Department is suggesting that the City of Miami Beach limit valet to certain types of businesses, such as restaurant, clubs, and office buildings. As far as the city code, the Parking Department is suggesting strengthening the code by requiring a traffic operational plan, that the venues have sufficient storage, regulation of the use of ramps, consistent "street furniture" or signage, and increases in the valet fines structure. Commissioner Tobin suggested franchising valet and keeping prices consistent. Saul Frances said the challenge with that was storage, and that the city would not have sufficient vehicle storage to provide these businesses, therefore a valet operator would still need to find private storage. ln addition to insurance, Saul Frances said this drives costs for businesses; franchising valet could cause challenges for valet operator in running their business. MOTION: By Commissioner Michael Grieco to move to Commission with a positive recommendation. Second by Commissioner Steinberg. Unanimous approval. 58 3.Report From Miami-Dade County Public Schools On The Status Of The Action Plan Related To Nautilus Middle SchoolAnd Progress To Date. Item R9E, October 22, 2014 (Requested by Commissioner Tobin) AFTER.ACTION Dr. Leslie Rosenfeld, Chief Learning Development Officer, presented this item. Dr. Rosenfeld said this item was a follow up to an agreement with MDCPS to provide quarterly updates on the Nautilus Middle School Action Plan that was provided to the commission in July of 2014 by the superintendent to support the ongoing partnership to improve Nautilus Middle School. Sally Alayon, North Region director for M-DCPS, spoke on behalf of the principal for Nautilus Middle School, and said the school focused on improving five areas, which were measured by surveys. Ms. Alayon said the school was still pending results from standardized testing, final exams, and the climate survey. The first area that the school focused on improving was academics, and they did this by working closely with FIU and their ACCESS group. According to Sally Alayon, there will be a focus group this summer that will aim to improve the next school year with results from the current 2014-2015 school year. Commissioner Tobin asked how it would be possible to get access to what exactly FIU did and see how comprehensive their analysis was. Ms. Alayon said she would provide that information in the near future. Sally Alayon said that one of the benefits that came out of the relationship with FIU is a research-based program called Habits of the Mind, which is continuous training for all core area teachers. Sally Alayon said that training has been another focus, and that 98% of teachers have been trained to teach the lnternational Baccalaureate (lB) program, and to date they had 30 teachers who had registered for the City of Miami Beach professional development lB workshop in August 2015. There was also a focus on increasing access to tutoring for students at Nautilus Middle School. Commissioner Tobin asked Sally Alayon and Dr. Rosenfeld to find out how many children participated in the various tutoring programs. Sally Alayon said that teachers also had to participate in Professional Learning Communities (PLC), which was another focus of Nautilus Middle School. PLCs are places where teachers can share ideas, brainstorm, and align their teaching strategies with the standards. According to Sally Alayon, sessions increased by 460/o and all teachers participated.. Sally Alayon said another focus was increasing technology, and thanks to donations there has been a 60% enhancement in computer labs, from 5 to 8 computer labs. There has been an increase in desktop computers, laptops, and tablets that were purchased by the school district for seventh graders to use in their civics class. Another focus was on improving school culture, and Sally Alayon said that was noted through a 38o/o decrease in student suspensions. The next goal was to improve instructional personnel practices, and Sally Alayon said that there has been a lot of training and the principal for Nautilus Middle School did well 59 4. in strategizing where to place teachers. Sally Alayon said the last category was to improve parent involvement, and the school had achieved this based on the increase in Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) involvement and the increase in the number of business partnerships. Commissioner Tobin asked Sally Alayon what is missing that could be presented in two months. Sally Alayon said they should have test results and school climate results by mid-summer, and Dr. Rosenfeld said the final enrollment number for the lB professional development would be available then as well. RECOMMENDATION: Commissioner Tobin suggested that Nautilus Middle School try to get real time data with climate surveys, rather than wait until the end of the school year to obtain them. AGTION: To be brought back at the July 31't NCAC meeting. Discussion Regarding A Commercial Use Permit Fee For City-Owned Property And City Parks Facilities. Item C4B, June 11, 2014 (Requested by Parks and Recreation) AFTER-ACTION John Rebar, Parks and Recreation Director, presented this item. John Rebar said that with the rise of exercise, there are many yoga/health instructors that host classes in publicly owned spaces- mostly parks. John Rebar said that rather than create an ordinance to address this, Parks and Recreation has had staff on vigilance informing these instructors about the rules, and providing the instructors the opportunity to address these issues by legitimizing them as permanent instructors for the City. John Rebar said no one has shown in interest in that, and Parks and Recreation is not ready to provide any fee or structure because there is no feedback; however, the department is ready to implement a Parks Ranger program, which is a new tool of enforcement and education. Commissioner Grieco asked if any of these instructors were acting within the law, and John Rebar said it was all un-regulated pop up instructors. John Rebar said there are professional service agreements and independent contractor agreements that Parks and Recreation was hoping to use for legitimizing instructors, but had been unsuccessful in doing so. Commissioner Tobin said to defer this item until Parks and Recreation have implemented the Park Rangers for at least three months. ACTION: Deferred until Park Rangers have been hired and the program has been implemented for at least three months, unless the problem increases significantly, in which case it should be brought sooner. 60 5.Discussion Regarding Artist and Non-Profit Vendor Ordinances. Item C4P, April 25, 2015 (Requested by the Planning Department) AFTER.ACT!ON Thomas Mooney, Planning Director, presented this item. Thomas Mooney said this was an item that was last before the Committee on February 27th and consisted of a discussion of amendments to the artist and Non-Profit Vendor Ordinance. The Committee asked for planning to come back with a draft ordinance thdt incorporated the things discussed at the meeting. Thomas Mooney said that the previous committee had been eliminated since the previous evaluation and replaced with an officer entity designated by the City Manager. The number of artist zones has been proposed to be reduced, from 26 to 10 on Lincoln Road and from 6 to 3 on the street ends of 17th street, 18th street, and Lincoln Road. Thomas Mooney said additional revisions to available zones have been proposed which simplify the administration of the program, as well as modifications to the dimensions of artist zones, hours of operation, and penalties for non-compliance have been strengthened. MOTION: By Commissioner Steinberg to move the draft ordinance to Commission. Second by Commissioner Grieco. Unanimous approval. Discussion Regarding Naming The Accessible Beach And Playground At Allison Park, 65th Street And Cotlins Avenue, "sabrina's Beach And Playground At Allison Park." Item C4L, April 15, 2015 (Requested by Commissioner Tobin) AFTER.ACTION Debora Turner, First Assistant to the City Attorney, presented this item. Debora Turner informed the Committee that the City Attorney's office met with Mr. Chris Makos and explained the process to him. Debora Turner said that before this item comes back to NCAC, the Committee needs a formal proposal from the administration and the code requires that it also include a written analysis of the cost of maintenance for application to the wall. Commissioner Steinberg said that Sabrina is trying to get grant money for the accessible beach, and asked the committee to go to SabrinaCohenFoundation.org and vote "Beach for All" on the State Farm Neighborhood Assist program. ACTION: Bring back to the September NCAC meeting date. Proposed Route And Service Plan For The Middle Beach Trolley. Item C4B, April 15, 2015 (Requested by Commissioner Tobin) AFTER.ACT!ON Jose Gonzalez, Transportation Director, presented this item. Jose Gonzalez said the Middle Beach Trolley is an integral piece of the proposed city-wide interconnected trolley system, and has been working closely with the Miami-Dade transit to try to come up with the optimal route. Middle beach is comprised of two separate routes that will interconnect Collins and 41't street, and Collins Link will provide a direct connection to 6. 7. 61 8. the North Beach Trolley Loop. Jose Gonzalez said the Transportation Department has a meeting with the Director of Miami-Dade Transit, Ysela Llort, to go over the route again. According to Jose Gonzalez, Miami-Dade Transit expressed concern over the southern portion of the Middle Beach Loop and its overlap with the South Beach Local, specifically the portions along Dade Boulevard, in order to serve the Publix at Dade and Michigan. Jose Gonzalez said the department was continually looking at those issues, but was recommending the Committee's approval to pursue an inter-local agreement with the county for the proposed route. Jose Gonzalez said if any changes were made after the inter-local agreement was executed, they would be brought back to the Committee by way of amendment to the inter-local agreement. MOTION: By Commissioner Grieco to approve the pursuit of an inter-local agreement with Miami-Dade County. Second by Commissioner Steinberg. Unanimous approval. A Resolution Approving And Authorizing The Administration To Accept $40,050 From Penrod Brothers, lnc. For The Re-Design And Development Of Construction Documents For The Reconstruction Of Surface Lot 01A. Penrods At One Ocean Drive. Item C7G, May 6,2015 (Req uested Commissioner Grieco) Mark Milisits, Asset Manager with the Office of Real Estate, presented this item. The item was handled by ClP, which contracted a consulted to provide the drawings for the re-design. CIP met with several departments and agreed that the redesign was feasible. Mark Milisits said the item was brought to Commission May 6th and was referred to this Committee for the addition of greenspace, more detailed site plans, and more electrical charging stations. Mark Milisits said the site plan brought to commission illustrated a 2700 sq. ft. net reduction of greenspace, but the drawings proposed to NCAC have been re-designed to show only a 28 sq. ft. loss of greenspace. Mark Milisits said that as part of the lease with Nikki Beach, they are entitled to 88 parking spaces and the city's parking spaces increase by 25 inside the parking lot, and 2 ADA spaces on South Pointe Drive. Mark Milisits said that the street parking would be metered, but the Penrod parking is not. Commissioner Grieco expressed a concern with potential conflicts between Nikki Beach deliveries and city parking spaces. ln regards to spaces that need access for deliveries, Saul Frances said that perhaps the City could restrict delivery times to early hours so that any delivery spaces become available parking the balance of the time. Sabrina Baglieri, Senior Capital Project Coordinator in ClP, said the cost of construction should remain about the same as it was for the original design, at $1.3 million. MOTION: By Commissioner Grieco to refer the redesign of Surface Lot 01A to Commission. Second by Commissioner Steinberg. Unanimous Approval. 62 9. Discussion On The Beautification Of The Alton Road Flyover Bridge At The Eastern End Of l-395 Commission ltem RgM, October 22, 2014 (Req uested by Comm issioner Malakoff) AFTER.ACTION Eric Carpenter, Public Works Director, presented this item. Eric Carpenter said there would be two presentations. The Commission had directed Public Works to reach out to Florida lnternational University and work with the school to come up with a concept plan to make the overpass more aesthetically pleasing. Eric Carpenter said the first presentation would be from FIU and the second presentation would be on behalf of DiBari lnnovation Design. Commissioner Tobin said the City should analyze whether the Alton Road Flyover should come down, considering that taking down the 63'd street flyover improved traffic mobility. However, Eric Carpenter said that the triple left hand turn that would be required, to allow for the same volume of traffic to move through the intersection, could not provide the same amount of through traffic based on the bridge width. According to Eric Carpenter, without widening the bridge approach to the intersection, there would be challenges with providing the same amount of through-put. FIU proposed a plan that would transition the entrance into Miami Beach, which included four towering walls, powered by solar lights, staggered across the City's threshold to establish a monumental entrance. The walls would greet visitors with images or event information. Vito Di Bari, Designer for DiBari lnnovation Design, presented his ideas following FIU's proposed plan. Vito Di Bari had about 20 idea concepts, of which he presented 12: Never Bridge, Stayin there, City Tower, Over the Rainbow, Hi-Tech Forrest, Rainbow Bridge, Bubbles, lllusionist, We Are Golden, At the Speed of Light, Diamond Bracelet, and Wave After Wave. Commissioner Tobin suggested that Public Works and Vito Di Bari sit with commissioners and staff and present these concepts to them as well. Eric Carpenter said Public Works would narrow the focus of all the concepts presented and get pricing. Commissioner Tobin suggested Public Works prepare very brief 5-7 minute presentation of both FIU's and Vito Di Bari's presentation for the July commission meeting. Vito Di Bari said he would be happy and willing to collaborate with FIU on this. MOTION: By Commissioner Steinberg to refer presentation on the Beautification of the Alton Road Flyover Bridge to Commission. Second by Commissioner Grieco. Unanimous approval. 10. Monthly Grime Statistics Report. (Recurring ltem On A Monthly Basis) Commission ltem R9D, April 13, 2011 (Requested by Commissioner Tobin) AFTER.ACTION Samir Guerrero, Police Captain and Lauretta Hill, Assistant Chief of Police, discussed this item with the Committee. Commissioner Tobin asked that they focus the discussion 63 on their efforts to keep residents and visitors safe in the Entertainment District. Captain Guerrero informed the Committee that the Entertainment District, comprised of Washington Avenue, Collins Avenue and Ocean Drive, has been the subject of a variety of details. Currently the Crime Suppression Team (CST) has been targeting that area with members of the robbery detail, undercover officers that target prostitution and narcotics. Captain Guerrero said that the homeless outreach detail has been focusing on Washington Avenue and Lummus Park on Ocean Drive. The PD has also been setting up regular LPR details on 5th street, leading into Collins Avenue and into Ocean Drive. Captain Guerrero said PD has also begun DUI saturations, concentrating on the Entertainment District where most of the calls for service are. According to Captain Guerrero, calls have increased in the Entertainment District. Captain Guerrero recounted a special detail that took place in the Entertainment District called Operation Visibility, which took place from April 9th through May 16th and targeted beach theft and illegal vendors on Ocean Drive. Police will be starting another special detail beginning June Sth through June 27th called "Ocean Drive Quality of Life" detail, which will concentrate more on the homeless issues that Miami Beach is having on Lummus Park. Captain Guerrero said that a sergeant and three more officers have been added to the Ocean Drive midnight shift, and five ATV details have been added to the beach for seven day coverage. Commissioner Michael Grieco suggested that officers should have their windows rolled down while in patrol cars so as to hear and smell what is going on outside their vehicle, and in turn police more effectively and proactively. Captain Guerrero informed the Committee that all officers assigned to the entertainment area are either assigned to bikes, or ATV. The Committee was told that minimum staffing from Sth to 17th street is 8 police officers. South of 17th there are six units. Chief Hill said that one of the priorities in the proposed budget is to get more staffing for the Entertainment District to cover the overnight hours and supplement the officers that are already there. ln addition, Chief Hill said PD wants to increase the motors unit to zone in on DUI issues. NO ACTION TAKEN. Meeting adjourned al 4:17pm. 64 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 65