Meeting Minutes_06-17-21
General Obligation Bond Oversight Committee
City of Miami Beach
MEETING MINUTES No. 28
June 17, 2021
Members in Attendance
Via Zoom:
Karen Rivo, Chair
Sean Smith
Carmen Browne
Jason Koslowe
Scott Needelman
Laura Veitia
Francisco Diez-Rivas
Bryan Rosenfeld
John Bowes
Jack Glottmann
Absent:
Jason Greene, Vice-Chair
Staff and Guests Attendance:
Maria Hernandez, Liaison
John Woodruff, GOB Working Group
Eric Carpenter, GOB Working Group
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
Tameka Otto Stewart
Eric Garcia
Rickelle Williams
Jose Gonzalez
Jani Singer
David McKinney
Robert Rabinowitz
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. 28
June 17, 2021
Page 2 of 8
I. Roll Call and Introductions
(Refer to the Meeting Audio Recording 6.17.21 on the G.O. Bond Website.)
2:32 Chair Karen Rivo called the meeting to order. Roll call was completed.
4:24 Chair Karen Rivo reported that, with Staff’s recommendation, the July G.O. Bond Oversight
Committee Meeting is canceled. The next Committee Meeting is September 23rd.
II. Committee Business
Adoption of Meeting Minutes from 05-20-21
5:29 Chair Karen Rivo requested a motion to approve the May 20th meeting minutes.
Motion:
5:35 Carmen Browne made a motion to approve the minutes as presented.
5:42 Francisco Diez-Rivas seconded the motion. Motion passed.
Motions Log (New Document)
(Refer to pages 2-6 on the Agenda & Handout Packet on the G.O. Bond website.)
Motions Log
6:10 Maria Hernandez reported that this new document was a recommendation from Chair
Karen Rivo. It is a ‘living’ document that logs all the motions the Committee has made since the
beginning of the G.O. Bond in early 2019.
7:53 Chair Karen Rivo asked if any of the Committee Members have feedback on the Motions Log
document.
8:15 Jack Glottmann suggested a column that lists the project # that the motion relates to.
8:27 Maria Hernandez accepted Jack Glottmann’s suggestion.
III. Community Outreach
(Refer to pages 7-9 on the Agenda & Handout Packet on the G.O. Bond website.)
9:13 Allison Novack reported the items related to G.O. Bond Program Projects document found
on pages 7-9. She informed the Committee Members that Staff has been waiting for approval to
schedule a ribbon cutting for project #24 Middle Beach Beachwalk. She is working with the Mayor
and Commission’s Office to schedule a ribbon cutting that works for everyone in July. Staff will
also be planning a groundbreaking for project #12 North Beach Oceanside Park Beachwalk. She
also mentioned the new blog post that is found on the G.O. Bond website, which discusses the
security camera projects.
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June 17, 2021
Page 3 of 8
12:11 Maria Hernandez reported that there will be a Capital Budget Presentation tomorrow, on
June 18th, that includes many projects. John Woodruff will be showing and discussing the G.O.
Bond portion of tomorrow’s presentation to the Committee later today.
IV. Program General Status, & Sub-Projects Update, Closed Projects
(Refer to pages 10-21 on the Agenda & Handout Packet on the G.O. Bond website.)
13:51 Maria Hernandez reported the G.O. Bond Project List by Phase found on pages 10-12,
which is the first time Staff is presenting this list with the newly added projects to tranche 1. The
added projects are shown in red. There are 31 projects that are closed and 2 projects pending a
closeout. There are 8 projects under construction, 22 projects in design, and 16 in planning. The
total amount of projects and subprojects are 84, as compared to 74 before the revision was
approved. She explained the Program Progress Update, found on pages 13-20, which shows a
comparison of the original revised implementation plan compared to the current. She explained
that the savings to date is the same as last month’s; there won’t be a change until more projects
are closed. Some of the savings will be used for the Park projects, which John Woodruff will
discuss during his presentation.
23:00 Jason Koslowe asked Maria Hernandez to expand on her comment regarding using some
of the savings for Park projects.
23:08 Maria Hernandez explained that there is a savings of $1.9 million in the Park’s category.
Staff might need about $1.2 million for #10 Maurice Gibb Park, but John Woodruff is going to
explain where all the funding gaps are on the projects and what Staff’s strategy is to move
forward.
24:20 David Martinez explained that Staff is seeking two different grants. One of the grants will
allow the opportunity to return about $600,000 back to the savings.
V. Public Comment
26:00 Chair Karen Rivo asked if anyone from the public would like to speak.
26:09 David McKinney advised that the Historic Preservation Board sent Staff a letter regarding
the South Shore Community Center. He expressed that this Center is a national asset that
deserves to be preserved intact. He asked that Staff consider other sites for Fire Station #1.
VI. Capital Budget Update
(Refer to pages 22-38 on the Agenda & Handout Packet on the G.O. Bond website.)
28:20 John Woodruff went through the FY 2022 Proposed Capital Budget General Obligation
Bond presentation found on pages 22-38. The same presentation will be given to the Finance
Economic and Resiliency Committee the next day. He further explained that Staff is seeing a
dramatic impact on some of the City’s capital project costs due to construction cost increases.
Contractors have no choice but to build high contingencies into their cost estimates to
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June 17, 2021
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compensate for the cost increases. Page 27 illustrates the price comparisons for construction and
selected construction materials between last year to this year. The G.O. Bond projects that are
currently being impacted are 72nd St. Community Complex, Bayshore Park, Fire Station #1, Police
Headquarters, and Maurice Gibb Park. The funding gaps can be found on page 28 of the Agenda
& Handout Packet (Slide 7 of the presentation). Explanations are as follows:
#1 72nd St Community Complex
31:32 John Woodruff reported that if funding was available for the 72nd St. Community Complex,
the contract could be awarded by September 2021. The estimated shortfall range is $24.6 million
to $49.1 million. Staff’s recommendation to close the gap is to use parking bonds to close the gap
between the total parking cost and the $10.5 million already budgeted in the project. Staff also
recommends funding the remaining portion of the project gap from the sale of city properties
that may or may not include the current North Shore Library site.
#10 Maurice Gibb Park
33:25 John Woodruff reported that Staff is hoping to award the contract for construction in
December 2021. The estimated shortfall is $1.2 million. Staff is recommending applying $1.2
million of $1.5 million available of G.O. Bond park category savings through a FY 2021 Budget
Amendment to keep the project moving.
#15 Par 3/Bayshore Park
34:11 John Woodruff reported that originally this project had a shortfall of $6-7 million dollars,
but David Martinez’s team has done an amazing job of value engineering this project while
keeping all the important elements. The budget gap is now $1.9 million dollars, which is much
more manageable. Staff recommends applying $1.5 million of savings from the Middle Beach
Recreational Corridor 2 project available due to awarded grant funds through a FY 2021 Budget
Amendment. Staff also recommends adding $400,000 of additional appropriation through the
FY 2022 Capital Budget process from the Quality of Life – Mid Beach fund.
#45 Fire Station #1
34:51 John Woodruff reported that this project is more of a “wait and see” situation. The contract
is anticipated to be awarded in October 2022. The estimated shortfall is $6 to $10 million dollars.
Hopefully, by Summer 2022, the costs of material will decrease by the time that the construction
manager begins the bidding process. Staff’s recommendation is to use funds from the sale of five
vacant parcels of land identified by Property Management and CBRE’s asset inventory study to
fund the project gap.
#48 Police Headquarters Facility
35:22 John Woodruff reported that since this is an internal project, Staff has a little bit more
flexibility to review the scope. The contract is anticipated to be awarded in October 2021. Work
is phased over time as funding is split between Tranches 1 and 2. The estimated shortfall is $4 to
$5 million dollars. Staff’s recommendation is to review scope for potential changes and use
Tranche 1 funding to complete short term elements and potentially supplement Tranche 2 funds
in future years with additional funding.
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36:11 John Woodruff discussed the capital project funding options found on pages 34 and 35 of
the Agenda & Handout Packet (slides 13 and 14 of the presentation).
39:26 John Woodruff explained Staff’s next steps, which is found on pages 36 and 37 (slides 15
and 16) of the Agenda & Handout Packet. The Operating Budget Finance Meeting is on July 16th.
Staff will follow up with departments to finalize budgets on July 23rd. The City Manager and the
Office of Management & Budget will finalize the Proposed Budget in August and prepare for the
two public hearings in September.
41:39 Carmen Browne thanked John Woodruff for the presentation. She advised that she is very
interested in project #1 72nd St Community Complex. She asked when the negotiation process
with Haskell will be complete.
42:31 John Woodruff explained that Staff has been working with Haskell on value engineering
with the current scope, which will be presented to the City Commission.
43:20 David Martinez explained that Staff has come to terms on the scope changes with Haskell
through value engineering and the City’s consultant is in full agreement as well. Haskell is now
working on the revised pricing with the new reductions. A formal proposal shall be given to Staff
from Haskell by the end of June. At this point, Staff will present the proposal to the City
Commission.
45:00 Jack Glottmann asked why the range of the shortfall for project #1 72nd St Community
Complex is so wide.
45:16 David Martinez explained that the broad dollar range is the face value of the project before
any value engineering occurred. The $25 million dollars is a reasonable estimate of where Staff
thinks we can land with the current value engineering exercises.
Discussion continued.
50:32 Jack Glottmann asked if Staff would still negotiate with the runner up contractor if the final
proposal is $25 million dollars and additional funds are provided.
51:09 David Martinez explained that the direction the Commission gave Staff is to negotiate with
the top contractor. Staff was given the authority to move on to the runner up contractor if an
agreement is not made between the City and Haskell.
52:53 Alex Denis explained that this process is dictated by Florida statue. The City can negotiate
with Haskell up until the point that Staff decides that we can’t come to an agreement. If the City
moves to the runner up, no more negotiations with Haskell can occur with this project.
54:14 Scott Needelman asked where Staff went wrong in estimating the budget for this project.
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55:28 David Martinez explained that when the G.O. Bond process began in early 2018, all the
departments created a list of projects that were either needed and/or wanted by the community
for the project. These projects had rough numbers attached to them, and in some cases, the
scope wasn’t well defined. Unfortunately, many of the budgets were reduced during the approval
process, with the idea that there could be discussions in the future about additional sources of
funding if required. Maria Hernandez elaborated further by explaining that there are cost
escalations that happen over time, besides the escalation caused by the pandemic, and that is
one of the reasons why the administration wanted to advance projects from future tranches to
be able to increase buying power.
Discussion continued.
59.29 Scott Needelman asked what happens when the budget gap is too great to overcome, if it
is possible to scale down a project.
1:00:20 John Woodruff advised that it is not uncommon in GO Bond Programs all over the country
for projects to be abandoned, to be changed in some way, or to be done in a much smaller scale,
or phased. These are the kind of things that happen, especially at the back end of the programs.
These decisions are made by the City Commission. There are no constraints by law, however it is
very difficult to sell the public on the next GO Bond, if the City doesn’t live up to the commitments
made in the prior program.
1:04:21 John Bowes advised that this project is an important project for the residents of North
Beach. He expressed the importance of reducing the cost and still getting a decent project for
the community to help the development needed in that area. He stated that he rather discuss
how the City can get to the estimated budget instead of what elements to cut to get to the
estimated budget.
1:06:35 Laura Veitia agreed with John Bowes that this project is a very important project for
North Beach.
Discussion continued.
1:11:22 Jason Koslowe asked what elements of project #15 Par 3/Bayshore Park were value
engineered since Staff was able to bring the gap down to $1.9 million dollars, compared to the
estimated shortfall of $6-$7 million dollars.
1:11:46 David Martinez explained that the large components of the project have remained
unchanged. This project extends through a couple of budget cycles. Some of the elements that
Staff is going to leave out include excess park furniture, lighting, and railings that can be added
later.
VII. Tranche 1 Projects Update
(Refer to pages 40-47 on the Agenda & Handout Packet on the G.O. Bond website.)
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#45 Fire Station #1
1:14:43 Maria Hernandez reported to the Committee Members that they all received a letter
from David McKinney. The letter was forwarded to the Historic Preservation Board (HPB). This
letter is requesting that the South Shore Community Center and Fire Station #1 become
designated contributing buildings. Debbie Tackett refreshed the HPB’s memory on what Staff’s
position was regarding the South Shore Community Center at the June 15th HPB meeting. The
HPB concluded that they would like for Staff to prepare applications for the reclassification of the
two buildings. This item will go back to HPB at their September meeting.
1:17:18 David Martinez explained that Staff is still moving forward with the development of the
fire station at the current selected site. Staff will be bringing a presentation of renderings to the
G.O. Bond Oversight Committee in the future.
1:19:00 Jack Glottmann asked what the life expectancy of the current Fire Station #1 is and is it
a risk to the residents.
1:19:33 Maria Hernandez responded that she believes it is more of a risk to the firefighters. She
explained that this fire station is a top priority to get them the fire station that they need.
1:20:29 Chief Virgil Fernandez expressed that the building itself is falling apart. He noted that the
City pays a lot of money to keep the existing building minimally functioning, when those funds
could be used to help more of the other fire stations as well. Fortunately, Fire Station #3 is not in
as bad condition as Fire Station #1.
1:22:51 Chair Karen Rivo expressed her belief that as an Oversight Committee, Members need to
make sure that this project moves forward as fast as it can.
#15 Par 3/Bayshore Park
1:24:46 David Martinez reported that Staff is still waiting to hear back from DERM before the end
of June. Staff is in the process of submitting the final plans to the Building Department to begin
the permit process.
#10 Maurice Gibb Park
1:26:52 David Martinez reported that Staff is still waiting on the Army Core of Engineers and
DERM’s final approval.
#48 Police Headquarters Facility
1:27:37 Frank Garcia reported that the next milestone is 90% Construction Documents, which
Staff is expecting by August 2nd, followed by 100% Construction Documents on August 27th.
Tentatively, construction will be from December 6, 2021 to September 29th, 2022.
#33 Tree Planting- Tranche 1
1:30:22 Elizabeth Wheaton reported on the map shown on page 47 of the Agenda & Handout
Packet on the G.O. Bond website. The map was created to help show the completed reforestation
efforts. Reforestation will continue in some areas such as Normandy Isle. The upcoming areas
include Normandy Shores, especially the tennis center area, Pinetree Drive and La Gorce Drive.
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There will be an extensive reforestation in the Middle Beach neighborhood, adding 400 trees.
Floral trees are also going to be added by the pump station on 28th Street. Staff is working on
defining the scope of the reforestation of the Middle Beach Beachwalk.
1:33:58 Scott Needelman asked Elizabeth Wheaton how the type of tree gets selected and the
location get decided on.
1:34:25 Elizabeth Wheaton explained that the City has an Urban Forester that scopes out the
neighborhood to see where existing utilities are, figures out what complications Staff might have,
what is the look and feel of the canopy, and then works with home owners.
VIII. Brief Updates
(Refer to pages 48-50 on the Agenda & Handout Packet on the G.O. Bond website.)
#40 41st St. Corridor Improvements
1:37:21 David Martinez reported that Staff is currently selecting the designer and proposals are
expected back on June 28th. A committee will then convene to rank the designers, which will then
be discussed with the City Manager. The City Manager will then go to the City Commission with
her recommendation. Staff will be presenting an item at the June 23rd Commission Meeting and
will be requesting authorization to put out the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the
Construction Manager at Risk.
#24 Middle Beach Beachwalk
1:38:59 David Martinez reported that Staff is still working on the 11 street ends and anticipating
the completion of 3 of them during July. The remaining street ends will follow weeks after.
#12 North Beach Oceanside Beachwalk
1:40:27 David Martinez reported that staff received the fully executed contract. Staff issued a
Notice to Proceed (NTP) No. 1 to the contractor on June 14th, so they can begin their permitting
process. Construction is anticipated to begin sometime in July and will be ongoing for 12 months.
IX. Public Comment
1:41:23 Chair Karen Rivo asked if anyone from the public would like to speak.
No one from the public spoke.
1:43:35 Maria Hernandez noted that the previously requested Project Challenges Tracker sheet
found on page 39 of the Agenda & Handout Packet has been updated. This document is a live
document that will be updated and reported regularly.
X. Adjournment
1:49:00 Meeting was adjourned.