Meeting Minutes_05_20_21
General Obligation Bond Oversight Committee
City of Miami Beach
MEETING MINUTES No. 27
May 20, 2021
Members in Attendance
Via Zoom:
Karen Rivo, Chair
Jason Greene, Vice-Chair
Sean Smith
Carmen Browne
Jason Koslowe
Scott Needelman
Laura Veitia
Francisco Diez-Rivas
Absent:
Bryan Rosenfeld
John Bowes
Jack Glottman
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
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.
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Meeting Minutes No. 27
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I. Roll Call and Introductions
(Refer to the Meeting Audio Recording 5.20.21 on the G.O. Bond Website.)
0:01 Chair Karen Rivo called the meeting to order. Roll call was completed.
II. Committee Business
Adoption of Meeting Minutes from 04-29-21
1:25 Chair Karen Rivo requested a motion to approve the April 29th meeting minutes.
Motion:
1:32 Jason Greene made a motion to approve the minutes as presented.
1:37 Carmen Browne seconded the motion. Motion passed.
Welcome New Member: Scott Needelman
1:43 Chair Karen Rivo welcomed new member Scott Needleman, who is representing South
Beach and the Flamingo Park Neighborhood.
Meeting Calendar of Dates Approval
1:49 Chair Karen Rivo asked Maria Hernandez to present the calendared meetings for 2021,
which is found on page 2 of the Agenda & Handout packet. She requested a motion to approve
the calendared dates.
Motion:
2:34 Jason Greene motioned to approve the calendared dates.
2:57 Carmen Browne seconded the motion. Motion passed.
III. Community Outreach
(Refer to pages 3-4 on the Agenda & Handout Packet on the G.O. Bond website.)
List of Current Public Meetings
3:21 Allison Novack explained the list found on pages 3-4 on the Agenda & Handout Packet. She
noted that item #7 was deferred by Commissioner Meiner.
4:02 Chair Karen Rivo asked Allison Novack if it was possible to add a sentence after each item to
explain the action that occurred at the meeting.
4:38 Allison Novack explained that it can be done for the items that have clear actions, but that
others are discussion items with no action step. Moving forward, when there is an action, it will
be included after the item name.
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5:17 Maria Hernandez reminded the Committee Members that the items on this list are
hyperlinked and when the number is clicked, you will be directed to the item on the actual
agenda.
6:30 Sean Smith noted that the 72nd St. Community Complex is being discussed at the May 21st
Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee Meeting and he has heard there is a lot of push back
on this item. He asked what he can do to help when there is push back on a G.O. Bond project,
specifically this item.
7:20 Allison Novack thanked Sean Smith for bringing up this concern. She advised that as board
members, everyone who wants to should dial into the meeting and share their personal beliefs.
8:17 Chair Karen Rivo asked Sean Smith if the push back is regarding the funding or the project
as a whole.
8:27 Sean Smith explained that, to his understanding, the push back is to the project in general.
8:56 Chair Karen Rivo asked if David Martinez can provide an update to the Committee on the
72nd St. Community Complex project.
#1 72 St Community Complex
9:22 David Martinez reported that he has had several meetings with John Woodruff regarding
the committee memorandum, which will be the starting point for information to the committee,
such as understanding the project, the process of the project, and the funding for the project.
The design-build firm continues to value engineer the project, and Staff has seen the cost
estimate decrease. Staff is expecting to speak about potential funding sources and strategies at
the Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee (FERC) Meeting.
11:27 John Woodruff explained that Staff is currently focused on the current North Shore Library
site because it is oceanfront property and has a high value. The City would have to lease back
the current library site until the 72nd St. location is ready for it to be relocated.
13:46 Maria Hernandez referenced Sean Smith’s comments. She explained that she is also seeing
other stakeholders advocating for the project on social media.
14:17 Chair Karen Rivo asked David Martinez if Staff knows when Haskell, the design-build firm,
will be done with the cost estimate.
14:25 David Martinez explained that Staff is anticipating receiving that information towards the
end of June, but there is continuous conversation with them.
Discussion continued.
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16:54 Maria Hernandez suggested that, if there is time at the end of this meeting, Staff can have
a discussion with the Committee regarding some of the issues that are affecting construction
costs.
18:49 Chair Karen Rivo asked how item #8 on the regarding Barclay Plaza Apartments is related
to the G.O. Bond.
19:00 Allison Novack explained that this item was added to the FERC agenda by Commissioner
Arriola to discuss potential uses of the Barclay Plaza Apartments. In the memo, it is noted that
this location could be a possible relocation site for the tenants at the South Shore Community
Center.
IV. Program General Status, & Sub-Projects Update, Closed Projects
(Refer to pages 5-13 on the Agenda & Handout Packet on the G.O. Bond website.)
21:00 Maria Hernandez explained the charts found on pages 5-12 on the Agenda & Handout
Packet. She explained that project #40 41st St. Lighting Upgrades has now been closed out,
bringing the total of closed sub-projects to 29. There are currently 7 sub-projects under
construction and 23 sub-projects in design. She explained that next time the committee meets,
the charts will have different data due to the new implementation plan bringing more projects
into tranche 1.
Explanation continued.
V. Public Comment
25:17 Chair Karen Rivo asked if anyone from the public would like to speak.
25:27 Robert Rabinowitz asked if the parking lot is included with the selling of the North Shore
Library.
25:58 John Woodruff noted that there is no sale yet. It is important to know that there are 5
parcels that make up the location. He said he does not know if the parking lot is included but
there is a Commissioner who is interested in sub-diving the parcels to a certain degree to have
green space in the back.
26:37 Robert Rabinowitz asked if a voter referendum is needed to sell city owned land.
26:50 Jason Jacobson explained that it depends where the land is situated, if it is waterfront or
not, and which district the land is in. He explained that Staff needs to do a title search to find out
if a voter referendum is needed.
VI. New One-Pager Handout Sample
(Refer to page 14 on the Agenda & Handout Packet on the G.O. Bond website.)
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28:58 Maria Hernandez presented the one-pager draft sample that was requested at the April
29th Oversight Committee Meeting. This one-pager will have a list of the challenges that Staff is
facing with specific projects. It will also list if the budget and/or schedule is affected due to the
challenges, and what are the action items needed to move the project along. Staff wanted to get
the Committee’s input on the first draft. She explained that she reached out to Jack Glottmann
since he was going to be absent for this meeting. He suggested adding 2 more columns: a
completion target date for the action item and to show who is responsible for the action item.
30:31 Chair Karen Rivo asked the members to share any ideas they may have. She asked if anyone
had any initial thoughts on the one-pager.
31:07 Carmen Browne said that she thinks the one-pager is great.
32:56 Scott Needelman asked how in depth is Staff going to get on the one-pager due to the
limited space.
34:22 Maria Hernandez explained that she agrees with Scott Needelman in keeping the
information on the one-pager high level and only focus on the things that really matter to move
a project forward.
37:18 Chair Karen Rivo asked Maria Hernandez to populate the one-pager with all projects that
have challenges and then send it to the Committee Members for another chance for feedback.
VII. New Tranche 1 Project List
(Refer to page 15 on the Agenda & Handout Packet on the G.O. Bond website.)
38:10 Thais Vieira explained the New Tranche 1 Projects list found on page 15 on the Agenda &
Handout Packet on the G.O. Bond website. There is a total of 10 projects and sub-projects that
have been moved up to Tranche 1, which total $59,285,000. Design and permitting will begin for
the 3 Baywalk segments, which connect the gaps from 5th street to Lincoln Road. The Flamingo
Park Masterplan and LED Lighting in Flamingo Park will complete all the remaining projects at the
park. The Scott Rakow flooring is the last project at the Scott Rakow Youth Center. She reported
that Staff is currently making the changes on the G.O. Bond Dashboard and all these projects will
be populated onto the Dashboard before the next Committee Meeting.
VIII. Tranche 1 Projects Update
(Refer to pages 16-21 on the Agenda & Handout Packet on the G.O. Bond website.)
#45 Fire Station #1
40:50 David Martinez reminded the Committee Members that, at the April 29th Committee
Meeting, Staff discussed that the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) was in the process of
analyzing the cost estimate of the project. The estimate came back very high. Currently, the City’s
consultant is looking over the CMAR’s cost estimate, however their own estimate also came back
high. Staff is looking at this very closely and will be requesting a meeting with the City Manager’s
Office to discuss options.
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43:10 Jason Greene asked if there have been any thoughts about pausing the construction of
some of the big projects for several months due to the high spike in prices of material.
43:59 David Martinez explained that Staff has discussed pausing some of the projects, but that
comes with a risk. Staff needs to perform an exercise in calculating potential risks to provide this
information to the City Manager.
45:40 Carmen Browne asked David Martinez what he meant by the cost estimate coming back
high and how high. Is it so far off the mark? She asks him to explain why there is a CMAR and
consultant both creating cost estimates, and what that all means.
46:26 David Martinez explained that the cost estimates are significant, approaching double the
total of the budget. He says there must be discussions on the gap and what to do. What happens
for this project, which is considered a ‘construction manager at-risk procurement’, is that Staff
hires two entities. One is a designer that develops and designs the project and walks it through
the Historic Preservation Board process. The other entity is the Construction Manager at Risk,
which acts as a consultant to us. They provide information on constructability, scheduling, and
real prices in the marketplace. We compare notes on cost estimates from all perspectives, and
they give us opinions on ways to value engineer costs down. Then there is a bidding process
which results in a Guaranteed Maximum Price or GMP.
50:15 Carmen Browne asked if this all can make it work and how a decision is made on what to
do.
50: 28 David Martinez responded that he does not expect the numbers to come down drastically,
which is why CIP staff needs to meet with the City Manager’s Office to discuss whether to wait
or proceed, or seek additional funding, which is ultimately a Commission decision.
51:23 Scott Needelman asked David Martinez how much room is there to value engineer the
project to bring the total cost estimate down. How far off are we with the current proposal?
52:39 David Martinez explained that he has been working with Fire Chief Virgil Fernandez for
some time to bring the cost estimate down. Currently, what is being requested by Chief
Fernandez is all necessary for the fire station. He explained that the programming of the fire
station cannot go down any lower without giving up a lot of critical needs such as the number of
bays and the air-conditioned space that they need to properly function.
Discussion continued.
59:25 Jason Koslowe asked John Woodruff if Staff is only seeing an increase in the projects that
have construction material, or is Staff also seeing it in projects such as parks where there is not
much building.
1:00:11 John Woodruff explained that this question is for David Martinez because he is the one
who is seeing the pricing of these projects.
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1:00:20 David Martinez gave an example where a contractor that Staff is working with on multiple
projects informed them that concrete prices went up 35% over the last couple months. The cost
of labor has also increased.
1:01:47 Alex Denis reported that he has heard from various vendors that plywood and concrete
seem to be very big concerns. On the labor side, there seems to be a shortage due to construction
demand in the South Florida region. It is too soon to tell if this is a temporary situation or if it will
drag out.
Discussion continued.
#15 Par 3/Bayshore Park
1:06:33 David Martinez reported that Staff is expecting to get approval from DERM sometime
this month. The cost estimate came back over budget so a meeting with the City Manager after
Memorial Day Weekend will be requested. There will also be a Budget Workshop on June 4th with
city staff and the Commission, where funding gaps will be discussed for all projects. This project’s
budget is more workable than Fire Station #1 because it has a lot of stand-alone components,
which makes it easier should phasing of construction be needed.
#10 Maurice Gibb Park
1:09:27 David Martinez explained that Staff hired a consultant and a third-party estimator to
compare notes and cost estimates. The consultant’s number puts the project in budget, while
the third-party estimator came out a little higher. As a reminder, this project is in the same
waiting pattern as #15 Par 3/Bayshore with DERM.
1:10:47 Maria Hernandez noted that there is a $2.1 million dollar savings in the Park’s category.
The purpose of the savings is so help fill funding gaps that some projects may have. Use of the
savings, however, would require Commission approval.
#54 Marine Patrol Facility
1:11:54 David Martinez reported that this project is moving forward into the Planning phase.
Staff will begin to reach out to the Police and Fire Department to discuss programming needs for
the facility.
#5 Flamingo Park Master Plan
1:13:10 Maria Hernandez presented the map of the Flamingo Park Master Plan found on page 22
on the Agenda & Handout Packet on the G.O. Bond website.
1:13:14 David Martinez reported that this map shows a great example of a phased approach to
building a park. This project started in the 1999/2000 G.O. Bond and the items in green were
completed already. The project has two subprojects in the current G.O. Bond. One is the Youth
Center and replacement of the PAL facility which is a $15 million dollar project. The other is the
remaining Master Plan improvements which has the baseball stadium renovation, the softball
field renovation, the butterfly garden, several entry features, a plaza renovation, a renovation to
the old historic lodge, and new pedestrian pathways. The softball field and baseball fields are
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almost ready. Staff recently completed some other park improvements, including exercise
equipment and are completing the handball courts.
1:18:37 Chair Karen Rivo asked if these projects will be completed by 2023.
1:18:52 David Martinez explained that Staff is going to advance the minor design that is remaining
for the baseball stadium, softball stadium, and the parkwide projects to start the procurement
process. All the parts will be moving in some sort of forward direction approaching Tranche 2.
1:20:07 Scott Needelman asked how the sub-project #52 Flamingo Park LED Lighting fits into the
parkwide projects.
1:20:22 David Martinez explained that the LED lighting is for the football field, as well as around
the park site.
1:21:02 Scott Needelman stated that the neighborhood would like some input on how the
parkwide projects are going to be designed. He asked that when the design process begins, Staff
work with the neighborhood.
1:21:27 David Martinez said absolutely.
1:21:28 Scott Needelman asked if there is a time frame on when the design process will begin.
1:21:33 David Martinez explained that Staff just received approval from Commission to move
forward with these projects. Staff will begin to populate the Dashboard with dates and time
frames.
1:22:01 Sean Smith explained that park users are running into issues because the fields are being
shared with all park programs. He explained that this was discussed at a Parks & Recreation
Committee Meeting, where members looked for alternative areas in the park. He asked if there
are alternative areas in the park for users to play and/or if the current fields can be looked at as
multi-purpose fields.
1:23:28 David Martinez explained that Sean Smith’s concerns can be an easy fix and that
discussions with the Parks & Recreation Department need to be done.
1:24:07 Sean Smith expressed the need to push ahead sub-project #52 Flamingo Park LED
Lighting. He explained that this will improve the overall activation of the park and benefit the
community.
IX. Brief Project Updates
1:25:56 Maria Hernandez explained that this item was added to the agenda to discuss any quick
or updates of a project. For example, an LTC went out for an RFQ for project #40 41st St. Corridor
Improvements. She asked David Martinez to provide an update.
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#40 41st St. Corridor Improvements
1:26:37 David Martinez explained that the RFQ is for the consultant that is going to design the
project. The RFQ will be out for 45 days and either go to Commission in July or September.
Simultaneously, Staff is bringing another RFQ to the June 23rd Commission Meeting for a
Construction Manager at Risk.
1:28:11 Maria Hernandez asked David Martinez or Alex Denis if there is an update with project
#12 North Beach Oceanside Park Beachwalk.
#12 North Beach Oceanside Park Beachwalk
1:28:30 Alex Denis reported that Staff was supposed to have receive the contract from the
contractor, that was approved by the City Attorney’s Office, yesterday, May 19th, but it was not
received.
1:29:04 Maria Hernandez asked if there are any updates that Staff has in terms of moving forward
with any of the projects.
#37 Sidewalks- Tranche 1 & #38 Streets- Tranche 1
1:29:18 Rudy de la Torre explained that the contractor is about 50% completed in the North Bay
Road area and should take another month to totally complete. The contractor will then move to
the Flamingo Park area and Pennsylvania Ave. The contractor is also doing a lot of sidewalk
restoration work in North Beach.
#33 Tree Planting- Tranche 1
1:31:25 Elizabeth Wheaton explained that Staff completed the last reforestation of South Beach,
as well as areas along Garden Avenue in April. There are a couple of projects that Staff has
requested quotes to go out for bid, such as La Gorce, Pinetree, and almost all of Middle Beach.
Staff is working with Vanessa Vazquez and Kevin Pulido to have outreach before the project
begins. Staff has also received feedback from residents who are asking for more shade trees on
the beachwalk.
1:33:06 Chair Karen Rivo asked Staff to remind the Committee Members the impact that the
moratorium is having on the G.O. Bond projects.
1:33:23 Elizabeth Wheaton explained that Staff is tracking the impact because originally Staff
thought that the moratorium lasted only 90 days, but it has now been confirmed that the
Commission must remove the moratorium.
1:33:53 David Martinez explained that, currently, there are no immediate issues with any of the
G.O. Bond projects.
#24 Middle Beach Beachwalk
1:34:47 Chair Karen Rivo said she wanted to raise an issue that she has heard from some residents
regarding accidents on the beachwalk when walking out from their buildings. She asked who
from Staff can address this concern.
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1:36:12 David Martinez responded that he is aware that this is a very common issue that has
been discussed at Commission and Commission Committee meetings.
1:36:51 Vanessa Vazquez explained that there is a lot of discussion regarding this issue. Staff has
done extensive signage to make sure that people are aware of the rules on the beachwalk.
1:37:40 Frank Garcia explained that Staff is currently working on Phase 1 of the Beachwalk
Bollards project.
Discussion continued.
X. Public Comment
1:42:20 Chair Karen Rivo asked if anyone from the public would like to speak.
1:42:22 Robert Rabinowitz agreed that there is an issue on the beachwalk with the speeding
bicycles. He explained that he is enjoying the beachwalk immensely and it turned out beautiful.
He agreed with Elizabeth Wheaton’s statement that shade is needed on the beachwalk. He
explained that benches have been discussed at the MBNA meetings. He praised the street ends
signage that has been added but stressed the importance of needing more along on the
beachwalk.
1:46:15 Chair Karen Rivo asked Laura Veitia if she has any comments or questions.
1:46:26 Laura Veitia asked if there is an update with the North Beach Oceanside Park Renovation
project.
1:46:37 David Martinez explained that Staff is in the process of reviewing the early procurement
documents to put this project out to bid. He explained that there is a small budget gap, but he
has met with John Woodruff and they are working through that issue.
1:47:15 Laura Veitia asked what the estimated timeframe is on when residents will be able to
enjoy this project.
1:47:24 David Martinez said he is hoping to have this project procured in the next 4-5 months, to
hopefully have construction begin in early 2022. This project is going to take about 12 months of
construction.
Discussion continued.
XI. Adjournment
1:52:46 Meeting was adjourned.