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Meeting Minutes 4.29.21 General Obligation Bond Oversight Committee City of Miami Beach MEETING MINUTES No. 26 April 29, 2021 Members in Attendance Via Zoom: Karen Rivo, Chair Sean Smith Jack Glottmann Jason Greene John Bowes Carmen Browne Jason Koslowe Laura Veitia Francisco Diez-Rivas Staff and Guests Attendance: Maria Hernandez, Liaison John Woodruff, GOB Working Group Eric Carpenter, GOB Working Group Alina T. Hudak Devin Ramirez Thais Vieira Allison Novack David Martinez Rudy de la Torre Lily Alvarez Vanessa Vazquez Elizabeth Wheaton Lauren Firtel Liz Estevez Frank Garcia Roland Aragunde Michael Festa Alex Denis Jason Jacobson Maria Cerna Giancarlo Pena Tameka Otto Stewart Eric Garcia Rickelle Williams Jose Gonzalez Robert Rabinowitz Jani Singer John Aleman Scott Needelman 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. 26 April 29, 2021 Page 2 of 10 I. Roll Call and Introductions (Refer to the Meeting Audio Recording 4.29.21 on the G.O. Bond Website.) 0:44 Chair Karen Rivo called the meeting to order. Roll call was completed. II. Committee Business Adoption of Meeting Minutes from 03-25-21 2:22 Chair Karen Rivo requested a motion to approve the March 25th minutes. Motion: 2:34 Jason Greene made a motion to approve the minutes as presented. 2:38 Jack Glottmann seconded the motion. Motion passed. South Beach Designee Still Pending 2:47 Chair Karen Rivo informed the Committee Members that Marie Peter’s open seat will be filled next month by Scott Needleman, the President of Flamingo Park Neighborhood Association. Introduction of City Manager Alina T. Hudak 3:52 Alina T. Hudak commended the incredible work that is being done in this committee. She advised that she has worked with several G.O. Bond Programs throughout her career and has never seen a board and a chair work so well together. She expressed that it is an honor to serve the City and continue to fulfill her public service mission as the City Manager and that there are some items that she has asked Staff to revisit. She stressed the importance of keeping these projects within budget, expedited, and on-time, so she has asked Senior Managers to look at the projects that are stuck in a different way to legislatively approve these projects. She explained that she is worried about the budgets that are coming in higher. These issues will be a priority for her in the upcoming months. III. Community Outreach (Refer to pages 2-3 on the Agenda & Handout Packet on the G.O. Bond website.) 11:18 Allison Novack informed the Committee Members that staff will be speaking at the Flamingo Park Neighborhood Association on May 3rd at 6:00 pm. Staff is looking forward to possibly hosting an in-person ground breaking ceremony for project #24 Middle Beach Beachwalk in the north end and a ribbon cutting in the middle section this summer. Staff is also planning on hosting a community meeting regarding project #45 Fire Station #1 in July. She explained the list of upcoming meetings where items related to the G.O. Bond Program are discussed, on pages 2- 3 of the Agenda & Handout Packet. The highlighted items were differed. IV. Program General Status, & Sub-Projects Update, Closed Projects (Refer to pages 4-12 on the Agenda & Handout Packet on the G.O. Bond website.) 13:35 Maria Hernandez reported the G.O. Bond Project List by Phase, found on pages 4 & 5. She noted that project #56 Cameras- Beachwalk is now completed and close-out is pending, bringing the total count of completed projects to 8 out of the 57 projects. There are now 33 complete sub-projects, with 28 of them being closed out. Currently, there are 7 projects under construction G.O. Bond Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes No. 26 April 29, 2021 Page 3 of 10 and 22 projects in design. She explained that the G.O. Bond Revised Implementation Plan was approved at the April 21st Commission Meeting, so this chart is going to change in either June or July, because there will be many more sub-projects in Tranche 1. Explanation continued. V. New Implementation Plan Update (Refer to pages 13-15 on the Agenda & Handout Packet on the G.O. Bond website.) 21:26 Maria Hernandez reported that she has asked John Woodruff to discuss the G.O. Bond Revised Implementation Plan, found on pages 13-15. 22:00 John Woodruff reported that the G.O. Bond Revised Implementation Plan was approved at the April 21st Commission Meeting. The next step is to do a capital budget amendment at the May 12th Commission Meeting, to update the dollars, to fund the projects that are moving up to Tranche 1. The only project that needed funding before May 12th is project #31 Ocean Drive Improvement Project. 23:22 Chair Karen Rivo asked if anyone has any questions for John Woodruff. 23:29 Jason Greene asked if there were any changes made by Commission to the revised plan that the committee endorsed. 23:40 John Woodruff explained that it was approved as is. VI. Public Comment 24:25 Chair Karen Rivo asked if anyone from the public would like to speak. No one spoke. VII. Ocean Drive and Washington Ave 24:56 Eric Carpenter reported that the Ocean Drive and Washington Avenue Master Plan, which is being done by Zyscovich Architects, was originally set to release their concepts after 6 months. Staff was able to get Zyscovich Architects to advance their concept, due to the high traffic the City receives in this area. Staff believes that we will receive the concept plan portion by June. It will then be presented to the Arts & Culture District working group and this committee. In addition to the infrastructure, there are zoning configurations, transportation recommendations, economic development and place making suggestions. 27:22 David Martinez reported that the Mayor and Commission asked the administration to prepare a Letter to Commission explaining the tentative timeline of this project. Staff is going to recommend that this project follows the same trajectory as project #45 Fire Station #1, which is to hire a Designer and a Construction Manager-At-Risk. This requires commission action for authority to put out a Request for Qualifications (RFQ). If Staff can get authorization at the July G.O. Bond Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes No. 26 April 29, 2021 Page 4 of 10 Commission Meeting, Staff foresees a shovel in the ground no earlier than July 2023. As City Manager Alina T. Hudak mentioned, Staff is looking at shortening internal processes in order to complete projects quicker. 30:30 Chair Karen Rivo asked what the $2 million dollars allocated for Tranche 1 is for. 30:45 Eric Carpenter reported that the overall $20 million dollar budget is going to be about $14 million dollars in construction and about $6 million dollars in soft costs. The $2 million dollars is the cost of a portion of the masterplan for both Ocean Drive and Washington Avenue and the design services for Ocean Drive. Discussion continued. 33:30 Carmen Browne asked for a short synopsis of both project #31 Ocean Drive and #36 Washington Ave Corridor. 33:50 Eric Carpenter reported that project #8 Lummus Park is meant to improve the landscaping, irrigation, and walkways. Project #31 Ocean Drive is meant to be a streetscape project, where the streets are to be raised to the sidewalk level and have a more decorative surface and to make Ocean Drive a pedestrian promenade. Project #36 Washington Ave Corridor is meant to improve the streetscape and lighting. 35:38 Jason Greene expressed that he believes the Committee and Staff did the right thing in endorsing the advancement of these projects. 36:38 Jack Glottmann asked if the City has received any feedback from the community and business owners regarding the street closures and restaurants having extra tables on Ocean Drive. 37:22 Eric Carpenter explained that Staff has been heavily engaged with the business community and residents. There is a good blend of the two in the City’s Art Deco Arts and Cultural Panel. There seems to be more positive than negative responses to pedestrianizing Ocean Drive. Staff is making sure that there is some flexibility in the plans just in case there are some conversions in the future. The other items are still being debated. 38:50 Chair Karen Rivo asked when will be the time that the plans go to the community for input. 39:07 Eric Carpenter explained that Staff is having community meetings every other week on the Arts and Cultural Panel. Zyscovich Architects is going to reveal their draft concept, which will then get vetted further with the Art Deco Arts and Cultural District Panel. There will be many future opportunities for the community to provide input. VIII. Major Tranche 2 Projects Update (Refer to pages 16-20 on the Agenda & Handout Packet on the G.O. Bond website.) G.O. Bond Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes No. 26 April 29, 2021 Page 5 of 10 40:45 Chair Karen Rivo advised that based on some good feedback, Staff will not go through every project during each Committee Meeting. This will allow Members and Staff to dig a little deeper in the projects. #1 72 St Community Complex 41:40 David Martinez reported that Staff has begun the negotiations with Haskell, the selected design-builder firm. Staff has been meeting with the firm to bring the cost down. There is a meeting in early May, where Haskell will inform Staff when to expect their final proposal, which includes any redesign features and a revised cost estimate. The redesign features must meet the City’s RFQ and the design criteria that was included in the solicitation. As directed from City Commission, Staff can reject the final proposal, if necessary, and move on to the second selected firm. Concurrently, the City Commission directed Staff to present this project to the Finance Committee, to explore the desire to seek additional funding. The current total budget for this project is approximately $65 million dollars, which includes the G.O. Bond approved budget and the supplemented funding from the City Commission. The Request for Qualifications for this project states that a design-builder firm will build this project for $55 million dollars, and the remainder is for soft costs. 46:25 Laura Veitia asked if the $10 million dollars for soft costs was being used for the relocation of the FPL transmission lines. 46:39 David Martinez confirmed the soft costs cover the relocation of the transmission lines, the eventual 10% contingency, funding of CIP Staff management, permit fees, and costs for the design criteria professional. 48:38 Laura Veitia asked if the budget was realistic due to the high proposals. 48:48 Eric Carpenter explained that the design-builder firms did not have to add all the items that were added to the project, but the City did have a minimum of items that were necessary. Unfortunately, the firms did not separate the necessary items from the additional items in the proposal. 49:57 Sean Smith asked if sports lighting is a necessary item in this project. 50:07 David Martinez said it is a “must have” item. 50:09 Sean Smith said good because the Parks and Recreation Committee passed a motion for adding sports lighting to active use fields. He asked if this budget includes operating costs. 50:23 David Martinez confirmed that operating costs are a separate budget. 50:33 Jack Glottmann asked if Staff is going to do things differently to avoid this issue in the future. G.O. Bond Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes No. 26 April 29, 2021 Page 6 of 10 50:46 David Martinez said that are definitely some things that staff has learned from this. One learned lesson is for Staff to represent the “must have” items and the “would like to have” items differently. Another lesson is to have a different weight scale for the selection process. 51:45 Carmen Browne said she wanted to back track a little. She made note how David Martinez said Staff has been meeting with Haskell and they are to meet again in early May. She expressed how the cost estimate from Haskell is $90 million dollars, which leaves a large gap between the approved budget and the proposal. She asked if the Finance Committee differed this item to their May 21st meeting to see what happens. 52:34 David Martinez explained that Staff’s desire would be to come back with some material from Haskell after the May 21st Finance Committee meeting. Staff is also going to present to the Finance Committee the cost estimate that a consultant prepared. 54:13 Chair Karen Rivo asked if the “must have” items were presented to the voters. 55:00 David Martinez explained that the proposed cost estimate may never be able to get down to $55 million dollars. 56:17 Francisco Diez-Rivas asked what is the time limit that Staff must negotiate in order to go to the second bidder, and so on. 58:12 Alex Denis explained that staff has been very clear with the bidder that this is not going to drag out for months. 59:03 John Bowes explained that he worked for a procurement company for 5-6 years and that the proposed cost estimate is just a starting point. He expressed that in his experience sometimes the starting point was irrational, and many times did not meet the specified criteria. 1:00:35 Sean Smith said he agrees with John Bowes but that his only concern is that Haskell’s renderings are out in the public and residents are excited about the concepts. Residents saw what $94 million dollars looks like, but they don’t know what $55 million dollars looks like. Discussion continued. #45 Fire Station #1 1:06:41 David Martinez reported that at the last Committee Meeting he informed the Members that Staff provided Kaufman Lynn, the Construction Manager, the 30% drawings so that they can begin their pricing and cost estimate. Staff was hoping to receive the pricing by the end of March, but they asked for more time. When Staff takes this to Commission for approval, Kaufman Lynn will do their own bid to get prices on all construction work, which is overseen by the City. They are currently reaching out to their vendors and subcontractors to receive accurate industry costs. Staff is expecting the cost estimate in mid-May. Once Staff receives the cost estimate, they will analyze the numbers to make sure it makes sense. Once this is complete, the final renderings will G.O. Bond Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes No. 26 April 29, 2021 Page 7 of 10 be presented to this Committee (GO Bond) and to the community before taking the project to the Historic Preservation Board (HPB). 1:10:42 Chair Karen Rivo asked David Martinez if the HPB approves the site, what happens then. 1:10:57 David Martinez said that if the Historic Preservation Board approves this location, then Staff will be able to continue the design process, and eventually obtain building permits and begin the construction of the facility. 1:11:31 Maria Hernandez explained that she believes the HPB is the Board that can approve a demolition permit. 1:11:50 Eric Carpenter agreed with Maria Hernandez, but he believes that since this facility is a city owned building, the City Commission can overrule the HPB. He is going to research this topic and get back to the Committee. 1:12:35 Chair Karen Rivo asked if the issue regarding the tenants has settled down, in terms of information. 1:12:40 Maria Hernandez advised that Staff has clarified the issue on several occasions and stressed the fact that there is a lot of time between now and the possible demolition of the building. The tenants have their leases until the end of this year, and they can receive an extension to the lease for next year. Staff is currently looking for an alternative facility for the tenants. 1:13:31 Carmen Browne asked if this project was impacted by the possible removal and/or relocation of palm trees. 1:13:55 David Martinez said yes and that he forgot to mention that the relocation of the transmission lines on project #1 72nd Community Complex is also affected by the possible removal and/or relocation of palm trees. 1:15:25 Elizabeth Wheaton reported that there are two ordinance amendments. One is for Chapter 46, which is the City’s tree preservation code and the other is for Chapter 126, which is for land development regulations. These amendments are companion items so they will move together. Commissioner Meiner, as the sponsor, requested that these items be differed until May. An internal question that has come up with the differed items is how this will impact the 90-day moratorium in place, which prevents any removal of palms on both public and private property. Staff does not currently have the answer to this issue. #15 Par 3/Bayshore Park 1:17:51 David Martinez reported that Staff finally received a written response from DERM. Initially, the response was alarming because they requested more monitoring wells and data, so Staff met with DERM. G.O. Bond Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes No. 26 April 29, 2021 Page 8 of 10 1:18:48 Elizabeth Wheaton explained that DERM has agreed to allow the City to separate out the contamination as its own separate project. This separation allows the G.O. Bond project to move forward while the City continues to monitor the contamination. Overall, it was a positive meeting. 1:20:12 David Martinez explained that Staff will be hearing from DERM the terms of proceeding as early as May. This will allow Staff to close out the permitting process and proceed to the Building Department and DERM for other permits. Although the cost estimate came down a little, work still needs to be done to bring it down further. Staff will be meeting to discuss alternatives and solutions to get closer to the approved budget. The total budget is about $20 million dollars, which includes the G.O. Bond funding and funding that Staff had before the G.O. Bond passed. The main issue with the budget is cost escalation since this project has been going on for several years. 1:24:30 Jason Koslowe asked if DERM is going to issue the approvals sometime in May, which will allow Staff to move forward with the procurement process. He expressed that he would hate to see any more delay in this project. 1:25:33 David Martinez said that Jason Koslowe is correct. 1:27:50 John Bowes asked if the contamination is fertilization and pesticides. 1:28:03 Elizabeth Wheaton explained that since this site is a former golf course, the main concern is arsenic, which comes from the use of fertilization and pesticides. 1:28:19 John Bowes asked if the testing has already been done. 1:28:33 Elizabeth Wheaton explained that the contamination is ongoing, which is why it was so important to separate it from this project. DERM is requesting that the City develops a health and safety plan as construction is happening. Discussion continued. #24 Middle Beach Beachwalk PH3 1:31:54 David Martinez reported that there are three segments to the Beachwalk. The first segment, on the south end, opened in March. The final two segments that will connect all the way to 46th Street will open by the end of next week. Staff is currently going through the inspection process and working with FPL regarding the lighting of the project. 1:32:50 Chair Karen Rivo praised the project. 1:32:59 David Martinez explained that there are 11 street ends, that have significant improvements. Three street ends are being used as staging areas. These street ends will be completed sporadically. Once the project is complete, Staff will be hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony. G.O. Bond Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes No. 26 April 29, 2021 Page 9 of 10 #8 Lummus Park 1:34:10 David Martinez reported that CIP will be taking over the project from the Parks department. The consultant working on Lummus Park is the same consultant as the Beachwalk and North Shore Ocean Side Park. They are currently preparing surveys and the masterplan. At the next Committee Meeting, staff will be able to provide more details of the project, such as the timeline. 1:35:50 Jason Greene asked who the consulting firm is. 1:35:52 David Martinez said Calvin, Giordano & Associates. IX. Public Comment 1:36:12 Chair Karen Rivo asked if anyone from the public would like to speak. 1:36:17 Robert Rabinowitz thanked David Martinez for the Middle Beach Beachwalk update. X. Committee Open Dialogue 1:36:54 Chair Karen Rivo requested an open conversation with the members about their work as a committee. This is the time for members to brainstorm what can be done better and/or differently. She asked the members if there is additional information that they need. 1:37:25 Jason Greene advised that he does not need any additional information. At the start of the G.O. Bond Oversight, he sat down with Maria Hernandez, Eric Carpenter and John Woodruff to map out what information he wanted to receive and now it is provided monthly. 1:39:00 Chair Karen Rivo expressed how amazing it is to have such accessible Staff that are so good at meeting with you and answering questions. 1:39:15 Jack Glottmann said that he believes the members receive a lot of great information and he is glad to hear that the Committee is going to focus more on the bigger projects. He suggested a one-pager that focuses on the bigger projects, which can list current challenges, next steps, and updates. 1:40:16 Chair Karen Rivo asked the Members if that would be helpful for them. 1:40:43 Jason Koslowe agreed that they are receiving a lot of great information. He agreed with Jack Glottmann’ s suggestion of a one-pager. 1:41:30 John Bowes said that from a new member’s perspective, there is a ton of information provided. He believes that time will help them absorb the information. He explained that sometimes it’s hard to keep up with the acronyms used and when voting on motions happens quickly. He said that Staff does a great job at showing the information from different angles. G.O. Bond Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes No. 26 April 29, 2021 Page 10 of 10 1:43:02 Carmen Browne said she agrees with John Bowes. She said she appreciated the focusing on the bigger projects because she was able to spend more time doing research before the meeting. She expressed that she enjoys hearing from Staff on the individual projects and the time they spent on explaining the details. 1:44:45 Chair Karen Rivo said that she believes the one-pager that Jack Glottmann suggested will be helpful for her too. She asked the members if there are other things that staff should be doing regarding communication. 1:45:23 Jack Glottmann asked with everyone being consumed with the pandemic, do you feel like the community is still engaged. 1:45:54 Allison Novack said there is a lot of engagement, whether it’s a resident really interested in a specific project and/or wanting to understand the bigger picture of the G.O. Bond. She explained that she works closely with the Neighborhood Affairs team to reach out to residents. 1:48:52 Francisco Diez-Rivas asked Allison Novack if there is a way on the Waze app to put a marker on all G.O. Bond project locations. 1:49:06 Allison Novack said she is not sure, but she is going to do the research. 1:50:05 Chair Karen Rivo asked the members if they would like Staff to do something differently during the meetings or do any improvements to the agenda. 1:50:27 Laura Veitia expressed that she believes that Staff has been more than willing to elaborate when necessary, due to the amount of information that is provided prior to each meeting. She does not find an area that needs improvement. 1:51:18 Jason Greene asked if the Committee Meetings are going to continue via Zoom. 1:51:28 Maria Hernandez said resident committees can continue via Zoom until further notice. Discussion continued. XI. Adjournment 1:56:18 Meeting was adjourned.