LTC 099-2008 Belle Isle Improvements - Miami Herald Letter to the EditorRE~`~R~~~I^.f~
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OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC # 099-2008
LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manager
DATE: April 7, 2008
SUaJECT: Belle Isle Improvements -Miami Herald Letter to the Editor
A Letter to the Editor was printed in the March 30, 2008 edition of the Miami Herald
regarding the Belle Isle Improvements project (attached). This letter resulted in a number of
requests for information regarding the situation described in the letter. This LTC is to provide
you with information from staff regarding what has occurred on the project.
Mr. Howard Kreps, whose letter appeared in last Sunday's Neighbors section of the Herald,
also sent an a-mail Friday afternoon to the Capital Improvements Project Office to express
his displeasure that a recently installed section of valley gutter that spanned the East
entrance to Island Avenue South had been ripped out and re-built (please see attached
drawing for location).
The original section of valley gutter referenced above was originally installed in November
2007 with the understanding that it would need to be replaced at no cost to the City. Last
year, at one of the meetings with residents, the contractor committed to have Island Avenue
South paved in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, and that commitment was met. In orderto
meet that commitment and maintain the drainage flow across the East entrance to Island
Avenue South, it was necessary to construct the valley gutter to drain to an existing drainage
inlet that would eventually be placed out of service when the drainage work along Venetian
Causeway, on the north side of the park, was completed (March 2008) and the final grading
and slopes established to a new curb inlet west of the existing inlet on Venetian Causeway.
Once that work was completed, the "temporary" valley gutter was removed and a new valley
gutter installed with the proper slope to the new curb inlet, located west of the one that was
taken out of service. However, once the replacement inlet was constructed, our field
personnel noticed stress cracks on the concrete even before the control joints were cut.
This condition was unacceptable and the contractor was directed to re-build the valley gutter
at his cost. This is the activity noticed by Mr. Kreps that resulted in his a-mail to our office
and may have also triggered his letter to the Miami Herald.
Staff contacted Mr. Kreps and had a 20-minute conversation addressing the concerns
expressed in his a-mail and the Miami Herald letter, as well as construction issues in
general. Although Mr. Kreps feels that the project could have been managed better and that
the City should have selected a better contractor, he understands that there is a certain level
of inconvenience connected with the construction process. He was not happy that because
of the street closures associated with the valley gutter replacement, as well as other traffic
flow interruptions due to construction, that residents were again inconvenienced. As he
expressed in the Miami Herald letter, he also wasn't happy with the construction noise level.
It was explained some measures can be taken to mitigate noise, but that when you have a
Letter to Commission -Belle Isle Improvements
April 7, 2008
Page 2
major dewatering operation as was experienced in this project, and other major construction
equipment, it is impossible to eliminate it.
Staff also discussed with him the issues that he raised regarding costs exceeding the budget
and agreed that costs exceeded our expectations. Staff further explained, consistent with the
discussion at the City Commission Meeting in March, that a significant percentage of the
change orders were due to unforeseen conditions (44%) and betterment issues (20%) that
included items that could be categorized as inadvertent omissions that would have otherwise
been included in the scope of work under the contract.
Although Mr. Kreps mentioned in his letter that "roads have been torn apart, covered and
paved, and torn again," staff clarified that, other than the valley gutter at East Island Avenue,
the incidents where infrastructure had to be torn up principally involved sidewalks that had to
be replaced due to elevation errors on the plans. Staff also explained that a certain level of
construction inefficiency was experienced as a result of other utility improvements being
concurrently conducted within the construction area.
In the time since this project commenced, the City has modified its selection process to
incorporate more stringent selection criteria (Best Value) that, in addition to price, places
increasing importance and weight on contractor previous experience; contractor project
manager/superintendent experience and qualifications on similar projects; and the
preparation of a risk assessment plan to anticipate potential risks to the project and how the
contractor would assist in mitigating those risks. The City has procured nearly $120 million in
active construction projects using this revised process that are at various stages of
construction completion where we have experienced good results so far. These projects
include the Normandy Shores Golf Course, the City Hall Garage, the Nautilus ROW
Improvements, the Normandy Isles ROW Improvements, and South Pointe Park.
Staff has also taken the liberty of attaching a separate letter received from a Belle Isle
resident, Mr. John Cavicchi, which portrays a different perspective on the project.
Please let me know if you would like to discuss this issue further, or if I can provide you with
additional information.
Atta ments
JMG
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John Cavicchi
5 Island Ave. #bd
Miami Beach, FL 33139-1339
Tel. b 17-304-0470
Email: jecaviccivnaol com
Mr. Jorge Chartrand
Capital Improvement Project
City of Miami Beach
777 17 St.
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Deaz Mr. Chartrand:
March 25, 2008
Re: Miami Herald Neighbors Article
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I believe the criticisms regarding the Island Avenue project are unwarranted and unfair. I
am an attorney from Massachusetts. I have lived here for twenty years. I have observed
the project from its inception. I know a little about construction and unforeseeable delays.
This was an extremely complicated and difficult project, which was made more difficult
by people who complain and did not cooperate.
I am personally familiar with two ongoing incidents where there was no cooperation from
the residents. The first was the demand from the residents that the pumps be turned off. I
could not understand why the project was allowed to fill up with water and why the
pumps were turned off. I subsequently Learned that residents who lived at least 75 yards
from the pumps and whose windows were closed complained about the pumps. Requiring
the pumps to be turned off caused the infrastructure to fill with water and required several
hours pumping in order to commence work. The second incident was the attempt to
install the wheel stops. Despite No Parking signs, the residents routinely ignored that
warning. Neither did they display their phone numbers in the windows of their vehicles in
order to be contacted when their cazs had to be moved. I believe this wanton disregard
contributed largely to the delay.
Prior to the commencement of this project, the streets were routinely flooded. Now, even
though the project is not fully completed, the streets are bone dry, even after the
considerable rain we had over the last several days.
I do not need to inform you that there are certain people who complain for the sake of
complaining.
I believe that I speak for a silent majority which is very satisfied with the quality of the
work and the professionalism of the workers.
Sirrn~~ce"~rely,
~~"Y.G~C~~~tL~
John avicchi
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