Meeting Minutes 1.21.2021
General Obligation Bond Oversight Committee
City of Miami Beach
MEETING MINUTES No. 23
January 21, 2021
Members in Attendance
Via Zoom:
Karen Rivo, Chair
Marie Peter, Vice Chair
Sean Smith
Jack Glottman
Jason Greene
John Bowes
Laura Veitia
Bryan Rosenfeld
Francisco Diez-Rivas
Absent:
Jeremy Waks
Wendy Squire
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
Barbara Hernandez
Frank Garcia
Roland Aragunde
Kevin Pulido
Gedel Merzius
Vanessa Vazquez
Lauren Firtel
Rickelle Williams
Robert Rabinowitz
Raul Aguila
Alex Denis
Nelson Jacome-Perez
Clive Pearce
Daniel Nagler
Paul Acosta
Omar Leon
Lazaro Guerra
Jose Gonzalez
Josiel Ferrer
Eric Garcia
Alina Hudak
Jani Singer
Virgil Fernandez
Meeting Start Time: 4:30 pm
General Notes: 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.
All current and past meeting materials including agendas, handouts, minutes, presentations and audio recordings
are available by visiting: www.GOMBInfo.com/OversightCommittee/Meeting Records.
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee
Meeting Minutes No. 23
January 21, 2021
Page 2 of 10
I. Roll Call and Introductions
(Refer to the 1.21.21 Meeting Audio Recording on the G.O. Bond Website.)
0:01 Chair Karen Rivo called the meeting to order. Roll call was completed.
0:24 Chair Karen Rivo informed the Committee Members that Wendy Squire, who represents
North Beach, has resigned. The Commission will be most likely looking to fill her position in
February.
II. Committee Business
Introduction of new Interim CM Raul Aguila
0:52 Chair Karen Rivo introduced Interim City Manager Raul Aguila.
1:01 Interim City Manager Raul Aguila stated that the G.O. Bond Oversight Commi ttee is one of
the best committees the City has. He appreciates all the recommendations that come from the
Committee. He stated that he knows many of the Members personally and he wanted to thank
them for the work they are doing for the City. He suggested that signage be used at project sites
in order to generate community excitement and the perception that the City is moving forward
with the G.O. Bond projects. He stated that this was a suggestion from Commissioner Arriola
because he is very enthusiastic of the momentum that the projects have created. He explained
that anything the Committee Members need from him, please feel free to reach out through
Maria Hernandez, or personally, through email or cell phone.
5:58 Chair Karen Rivo thanked Interim City Manager Raul Aguila for stepping into the role.
Adoption of Meeting Minutes
8:29 Chair Karen Rivo requested a motion to approve the December 17th minutes.
Motion:
8:51 Jack Glottman made a motion to approve the minutes as presented.
8:56 Jason Greene seconded the motion. Motion passed.
Sunshine Law
9:20 Jason Jacobson explained that all documents generated for this committee are deemed
public record and are subject to public disclosure. He explained that this meeting is noticed to
the public in a timely manner, by being posted at the city Clerk’s office and advertised in the
Miami Herald. Also, when two or more members speak outside of this Committee meeting
regard official committee business, it is considered a meeting, which is a violation to the Sunshine
Law. He recommends that Committee Members never discuss official committee business
outside of these scheduled meetings to not violate the law.
Selection of Committee Vice Chair
12:02 Maria Hernandez explained that Marie Peter has done a great job being Vice Chair and
thanked her for her services.
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee
Meeting Minutes No. 23
January 21, 2021
Page 3 of 10
13:10 Chair Karen Rivo opened the floor for nominations.
13:39 Jack Glottman nominated Marie Peter
14:54 Marie Peter accepted the Vice Chair nomination. The motion passed to elect Marie Peter
as Vice-chair
III. Public Comment
16:41 Chair Karen Rivo asked if anyone from the public would like to speak at this time.
17:14 Robert Rabinowitz requested that this portion of the meeting be moved a little further
down the meeting since project updates have not been discussed yet.
17:28 Chair Karen Rivo thanked Robert and said she would discuss this suggestion with Maria
Hernandez.
IV. Program General Status, Sub-projects Update, Closed Projects
(Refer to pages 2-10 on the Agenda & Handout Packet on the G.O. Bond website.)
17:37 Maria Hernandez explained the chart found on pages 2 and 3 regarding the project list by
phase. Compared to last month, there are now 2 more projects that have moved to the
Construction Phase, project #40 41 Street Lighting Upgrades and #47 Other Readers Citywide.
There are 19 projects in the Design Phase, which is what was reported last month as well. There
are 6 complete projects, 30 active, and 3 pending, which is found on page 5 of the packet.
Explanation continued.
21:18 Maria Hernandez reported that project savings for completed sub-projects currently
remains at $3.2 million, which is shown on page 9.
Future Revision to Implementation Plan
22:00 John Woodruff reported that Staff has been working very hard on revising the
implementation plan. The revised plan will be ready by the next Committee Meeting on February
18th. Staff has had several internal meetings between departments and the next step is to meet
with the Interim City Manager to discuss the plan and get his approval.
22:39 Maria Hernandez reported that Staff may need to spend more time with the Committee at
the February 18th meeting to discuss the revision. Committee Members will receive a similar
implementation plan spreadsheet that was first provided in 2019, but this time, there will be
columns added comparing the current plan to the newly proposed plan so the committee can
easily compare the two. A revision to the meeting’s invite will be sent to all Committee Members
with an added half hour to be able to discuss all the proposed revisions.
Explanation continued.
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee
Meeting Minutes No. 23
January 21, 2021
Page 4 of 10
V. #31 Ocean Drive Corridor and #36 Washington Avenue Corridor
(Refer to pages 11-22 on the Agenda & Handout Packet on the G.O. Bond website.)
26:50 Eric Carpenter presented a power point presentation highlighting the initiatives for the
future Art Deco Cultural District (ADCD). reported that Staff is listening to many stakeholders
within this district and the city. Mayor Gelber has tasked the administration to come up with
ideas and suggestions that ultimately will create a reimagination of our new (ADCD). This was
tasked to Staff in July 2020 and was presented to Commission in September 2020.
28:20 Eric Carpenter explained the PowerPoint found on pages 11-22 of the Agenda & Handout
Packet. The Shulman Plan was put together around 2014-2015 and is very consistent with what
Staff would like to do, with some minor changes. The Entertainment District includes Ocean
Drive, Washington Avenue, and Collins Avenue, from 5th Street to approximately Lincoln Road.
The concepts that Staff put together fit into six (6) buckets. The first bucket is for Safety and
Security. The second bucket is for the Tourism and Culture Department, regarding activation.
With safety being the number one priority, Staff would like to create activations that are family
and neighborhood oriented. The third bucket is from the Economic Development Department
regarding enticing certain types of businesses to repopulate into the area. Staff is currently
working on a comprehensive branding package, which is being spearheaded by the Marketing
and Communications Department. Another bucket is from the Transportation Department,
where Staff is looking into adding more bicycle lanes and parklets for activation of the businesses.
The last bucket is the zoning amendments that were contemplated. During the brain storming
sessions, the Administration has thought of ways to continue to improve these streets.
Ultimately, this is going to go through a complete planning process. Mayor Gelber has appointed
a 16-member panel to help guide this process within the next year.
38:10 Laura Veitia referred to slide 20 and asked if the idea is to remove all the car traffic on
Ocean Drive and make it more like a Lincoln Road.
38:29 Eric Carpenter explained that that is the concept Staff put forward and there was a lot of
support around this idea.
39:22 Laura Veitia expressed that she believes this concept is very forward thinking .
39:32 Marie Peter explained that the South of Fifth residents are not supportive of Ocean Drive
being only for pedestrians because traffic is making a right turn when going down 5th Street and
entering the neighborhood.
40:08 Eric Carpenter explained that Staff has heard of those complaints and they are trying to
figure out how to avoid those types of situations because of the proposed changes.
40:25 Jason Greene expressed that he always felt like this area should have been pedestrian. He
suggested that maybe 5th to 6th Streets not being pedestrian, where pedestrians can go North on
Ocean Drive to 6th Street. He explained that he supports this project.
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee
Meeting Minutes No. 23
January 21, 2021
Page 5 of 10
41:18 Jack Glottman said this is a great project. He asked if the local business owners have
provided any feedback.
41:32 Eric Carpenter explained that Staff received a lot of feedback from the community while
doing their due diligence and they are trying to be as flexible as possible.
43:00 Chair Karen Rivo noted that the project will cost $10 million for the Washington Ave nue
area, $20 million for Ocean Drive, and $4 million for Lummus Park.
43:20 Eric Carpenter confirmed that this project has an overall budget of $34 million.
43:24 Chair Karen Rivo asked if there are other sources of funds.
43:34 Eric Carpenter responded that the other sources of funds have yet to be seen. One of the
ideas that was discussed was whether there should be some sort of Tax Increment Financing (TIF)
District created to incentivize additional investment. This is when a percentage of the
appreciation of the property is invested into the area. This is a very preliminary idea and currently
there isn’t any traction on it.
VI. Major Tranche 1 Projects Update
(Refer to pages 23-29 on the Agenda and Handouts Package found on the G.O. Bond Website.)
#45 Fire Station #1 – Current Completion Date: December 2023
45:36 David Martinez reminded the Committee that at the December 17th meeting Staff reported
waiting on a 30% set of documents from the designer. Staff received those documents late last
night. The next step is to provide the documents to the Construction Manager to provide an
updated cost estimated based on the 30% plans. Staff is projecting to go to the June Historic
Preservation Board (HPB), but that is depending on review of the documents that were just
received.
#1 72nd St. Community Complex – Current Completion Date: December 2023
1:02:12 David Martinez explained that the Procurement Department received the price proposals
from the three short listed firms. The prices came back higher than Staff anticipated. The
selection committee meeting is scheduled for January 9th, where members will rank the 3 firms
and the prices will be discussed. The Interim City Manager will review the results and hopefully
be able to make a recommendation to the City Commission.
#15 Par 3/Bayshore Park – Current Completion Date: March 2023
47:51 David Martinez explained that there are no major changes to this project. It was reported
at the December 17th meeting that DERM requested responses to a report Staff submitted, which
is due by February 2nd. The draft response was received yesterday, January 20th, and is currently
being vetted by City Staff. If DERM is satisfied with the information provided, potentially Staff can
apply for the official permits. The goal is to begin Procurement late spring or early summer.
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee
Meeting Minutes No. 23
January 21, 2021
Page 6 of 10
#24 Middle Beach Beachwalk PH3 – Current Completion Date: June 2021
48:54 David Martinez explained that Staff is still projecting to complete this project by June. Staff
will be providing a Letter to Commission in early February, which was requested by the
neighborhood committee, to provide the status of the project to the Mayor.
49:50 Chair Karen Rivo mentioned that there are no G.O. Bond signs at the southern end of the
beachwalk. She expressed the importance of putting a sign there so that pedestrians are aware
of the project.
50:18 David Martinez said he will follow up with Staff regarding signage.
#12 N. Beach Oceanside Beachwalk – Current Completion Date: April 2022
50:34 David Martinez explained that Staff will be bringing an award for a contractor at the
February Commission Meeting, which translates to beginning construction in the spring.
Construction will take about 12 months.
51:15 Sean Smith expressed the desire of the Parks and Recreation Committee to move this
project as quickly as possible, since it has been delayed over the years.
51:36 David Martinez thanked Sean Smith for the resolution that was provided by the Parks a nd
Recreation Committee.
#10 Maurice Gibb Park – Current Completion Date: June 2023
51:48 David Martinez reported that this project is in its final phase of permitting. Currently, the
Army Corp. of Engineers is reviewing a federal permit, but it is taking longer than expected.
Ideally, Staff will begin the procurement process in late spring or early summer and begin
construction towards the end of 2021.
#40 Part 1 Revitalize 41 Street – Current Completion Date of Planning Phase: June 2021
52:44 Maria Hernandez explained that Staff received approval from the City Commission on
January 19th. Today Staff had an After-Action meeting where the actual Commission Resolution
was put on the record. The City’s design firm, AECOM, is currently finishing up the Basis of Design
report which will be handed to the Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) Department to include as
part of the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the next Design firm. The City Commission
approved the design but requested a few revisions, such as the planting of more palms and
reducing the amount of existing Royal Palms to be removed to not more than 15%. David
Martinez already has selected a team of project managers from CIP to continue the project until
completion.
55:03 Jack Glottman expressed his concern regarding the safety issue of the palm fronds falling
on pedestrians. He asked if anyone from the City has thought about the maintenance of the palm
fronds for safety purposes.
55:38 Chair Karen Rivo stated that the Mayor’s 41st St committee felt very strongly about keeping
the trees and the safety factor was considered.
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee
Meeting Minutes No. 23
January 21, 2021
Page 7 of 10
55:45 Maria Hernandez explained that the future open spaces that the City is creating will not be
surrounded by palm trees. The sitting areas for future sidewalk cafes and programmable spaces
will be designed among shade trees. One of the next steps is to conduct a survey of the trees to
determine their health and survivability. The side streets will be getting many shade trees as well.
VII. Other Projects Update
(Refer to pages 30-44 on the Agenda & Handout Package on the G.O. Bond Website.)
#38 Part 1 Streets & #39 Part 1 Sidewalks – Current Completion Date: April 2022
58:33 Rudy de la Torre reported that Staff is preparing to begin their 2021 calendar of projects
for street restoration in the Bayshore neighborhood area. Construction will begin on Meridian
Avenue just north of Dade Boulevard. Sidewalks will be paved concurrently. The City has notified
residents of construction commencement.
#53 Convention Center Bollards, Soundscape Park Bollards, South Pointe Park Bollards –
Current Completion Date April 2021
1:00:01 Rudy de la Torre reported that the project consultants met with Staff on January 19 and
a kickoff meeting was held with different departments and stakeholders where many ideas were
shared. Today the consultants completed their site assessment. Staff’s goal is to move forward
and possibly come back to this Committee with a presentation of design ideas at the April 29th
meeting.
#40 41 Street Lighting Upgrades – Current Completion Date: March 2021
1:01:58 Rudy de la Torre reported that Staff is moving fairly quickly with this project. All the light
fixtures have been ordered and are expected to be delivered the last week of January.
#40 Part 1 Revitalize 41 Street – Current Completion Date of Planning Phase: June 2021
1:02:49 Allison Novack mentioned a that a blog was sent out with the conceptual design
renderings. Staff is trying to make sure that the renderings and video are seen by as many people
as possible. This blog post is found at https://www.gombinfo.com/millions-for-middle-beach/.
Staff met with the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce via Zoom and spoke with their Real Estate
Committee. There are many real estate agents that are interested in this area and in the large
projects.
1:03:53 Laura Veitia mentioned that she attended the Zoom meeting. She felt that it was really
well attended, and the attendees liked the information that was provided.
1:05:43 Francisco Diez-Rivas explained that when he was in the Mayor’s 41st St Committee, he
pushed for the garages to have chargers for electric cars. He believes that this area is the right
demographic to have these charging stations. He said that this idea got dropped during the
pandemic and has not heard of anything after that. He believes that the city has a window of
opportunity.
1:07:10 Maria Hernandez said that she can put Francisco Diez-Rivas in touch with Staff from the
Parking Department.
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee
Meeting Minutes No. 23
January 21, 2021
Page 8 of 10
#42 Nautilus Traffic Calming, Palm View Traffic Calming & Bayshore South Traffic Calming –
Current Completion Date: April 2021
1:08:32 Josiel Ferrer explained that to save funds, all three sub-projects are being done by one
contractor. The design phase has been split into two phases. Phase one is complete, which
consisted of a conceptual design. Staff is now entering Phase two, which consists of the
development of construction drawings. Staff is working with the city’s Marketing and
Communications Department to reach out to residents in these areas to reintroduce the project s
and notify them of upcoming construction. Staff is working diligently with the contractor to
expedite the design.
1:09:37 Chair Karen Rivo asked what is the traffic calming that is being planned for Bayshore
South.
1:09:44 Josiel Ferrer explained that it depends on the area, but there will be added speed tables,
mini traffic circles, and improved speed limit signage.
Explanation continued.
#8 Lummus Park – Current Completion Date: December 2022
1:13:39 Barbie Hernandez reported that staff executed the agreement between the City and the
consultant on January 20th. The consultants are very eager to begin. They are currently working
on a schedule. The schedule will be provided at the February 18th committee meeting.
1:14:40 Maria Hernandez asked Barbie Hernandez if the project can move to the Design and
Permitting Phase on the dashboard.
1:14:44 Barbie Hernandez responded not yet since a second notice to proceed (NTP-2) has not
yet been issued but will be issued within the next 2-3 weeks.
#30 Skate Park – Current Completion Date Estimate: 2022
1:14:50 Barbie Hernandez reported that Staff received a preliminary proposal from BCC. This
project will need to go to the Design Review Board (DRB) for approval. Currently, the estimated
design phase will take about 9-11 months and construction will take about 10 months. The
projected completion date will be sometime in 2022.
1:15:34 Chair Karen Rivo asked Barbie Hernandez if this project is really going to take 2 years to
complete.
1:15:40 Barbie Hernandez explained that Staff will know a more certain schedule once it goes
through the DRB for approval.
1:16:24 Seam Smith stressed the importance of Staff doing as much as they can to sell this project
to the neighborhood and do the best they can with outreach.
1:17:18 Barbie Hernandez agreed with Sean Smith.
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee
Meeting Minutes No. 23
January 21, 2021
Page 9 of 10
1:17:55 John Bowes asked Josiel Ferrer if Staff has done research regarding slowing down the
speed on 71st Street.
1:18:50 Josiel Ferrer explained that Staff is currently working with the Florida Dept. of
Transportation (FDOT) on an item to reduce speed on 71st Street and Normandy through some
type of traffic calming installation. Staff is also trying to get FDOT to modify the context
classification of the road, by reducing the lane width from 12 feet to as little as 10 feet and allow
the City to add additional crosswalks in the area. Staff is also seeking to connect the existing
bicycle lanes and create protected bike lanes in the corridor.
1:21:46 John Bowes asked Josiel Ferrer if he believes the State is going to allow him to do what
needs to be done in order to slow down the traffic in this area.
1:21:57 Josiel Ferrer explained that there is no project in the books for this, but it is something
the City is working on internally.
#39 Part 1 Seawalls/Shorelines – Current Completion Date of Design Phase: April 2022
1:22:44 David Martinez explained that three seawalls are being managed by CIP; Maurice Gibb
Park, 8100 Hawthorne Avenue, and Brittany Bay Park. The next step for the seawall at 8100
Hawthorne Ave is to issue an NTP-2 for construction in February. Brittany Bay Park is located on
Collins Avenue, on the north side of 63rd Street. This seawall includes an overlook. Staff is
planning to begin the procurement process within the next few weeks.
1:24:29 Nelson Perez-Jacome explained that the other seawalls include Jefferson Ave nue, Lenox
Court, Garden Avenue, Bonita Avenue, Rue Notre Dame, Trouville Esplanade, and 7150 Indian
Creek. These seawalls are all in the Design phase and are expected to complete this phase in
August 2021. Staff has procured a pool of seawall contractors in anticipation of these seawalls
completing design. The first seawall to go under construction is Jefferson Avenue.
VIII. Quick Wins Remaining
(Refer to pages 45-47 on the Agenda & Handout Package on the G.O. Bond Website.)
#57 Cameras in Entertainment District - Current Completion for Lummus Park February 2021
1:28:36 Captain Steve Feldman introduced the Committee Members to Captain Eric Garcia who
is going to be taking over the Technical Services Unit.
1:29:31 Roland Aragunde reported that the contractor has successfully installed all the fiber cable
at Lummus Park. Staff is now doing the final connections to the cameras and is going to begin the
fiber splicing that needs to be done at Ocean Rescue and Police headquarters.
#56 Cameras on Beachwalk – Current Completion Date: February 2021
1:30:17 Roland Aragunde reported that the fiber order will be delivered by the end of January or
the beginning of February. In the meantime, workers will be on the beachwalk installing the
camera mounts.
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee
Meeting Minutes No. 23
January 21, 2021
Page 10 of 10
#44 Public Safety Radio System – Current Completion Date: February 2021
1:31:22 Chief Virgil Fernandez reported that Staff has been back and forth with Rebecca Towers.
The original plan was to put a generator in the building but there is not enough capacity in their
electrical system for a generator. Staff is now moving onto Plan B, which will require the
replacement of an existing electrical panel. Staff is hoping to begin testing by February.
1:35:02 Lazaro Guerra reported that six of the locations are complete and four locations are in
different stages of completion.
1:35:58 Chief Virgil Fernandez reported that there should be a project savings of about $1 million,
but it still is not confirmed until Staff signs off and the system is fully accepted.
1:37:16 Jack Glottman explained that he views this project as a life safety system, so the City wanting
to add a generator seems like a valid reason. He asked if the City has considered using solar panels
with batteries to provide backup power.
1:37:52 Chief Virgil Fernandez explained that what Staff has currently is a battery backup. The
building did not have their own electrical drawings, so staff had to create them. According to the
consultant, the tower is well within their limits. This created a back and forth discussion between
the City and Rebecca Towers about a system that probably should have been replaced a couple
of years ago. The easiest thing for the City to do is maximize the battery capacity.
IX. Public Comment
1:41:22 Chair Karen Rivo asked if anyone from the public would like to speak at this time.
No one spoke.
X. Adjournment
Meeting was adjourned.