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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1325 - MINUTES - City Commission MINUTES DANIA BEACH CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP MEETING JANUARY 17, 2002 1. Call to order Mayor Flury called the meeting to order 3t 4:30 p.m. 2. Roll Call: Present: Mayor: Pat Flury Vice-Mayor: Robert Chunn Commissioners: John Bertino C.K. McElyea Bob Mikes (arrived at 4:35 p.m.) City Attorney: Tom Ansbro City Manager: Ivan Pato City Clerk: Charlene Johnson City Manager Pato introduced Bonnie Temchuck, Assistant to the City Manager, who will begin employment with the City on January 22. Mr. Pato advised that Ms. Temchuck would be in charge of grants and special projects. 3. Discussion with Neal Aronson on revised architectural plans for proposed Pier Restaurant. Neal Aronson, Architect, presented revised drawings on a one-story pier restaurant structure showing a portion of the upstairs as an observation deck based on previous direction from the City Commission. He explained that the changes in the design provides a seating reduction in the main part of the sitting area with an enclosed portion of the restaurant recessed back about 6.5 feet off the edge of the pier to provide additional outdoor seating. The railings for the pier would now serve as safety rails opposed to having the structure on the edge of the pier. Sliding glass doors can open from floor to ceiling and square block windows were added for a nautical look with a covered entry in between the new bait shop. The second plan shows 1/3 of the observation deck closed with just a roof structure with no doors or windows to keep costs down and provide a new restaurateur the ability of expanding in the future. Mr. Aronson pointed out that the square footage for a two-story structure was estimated at 8,000 and that the one-story structure reduced the square footage to 6300 including the bait shop, the entry, and first floor a/c, dining, kitchen and bathrooms. Mr. Aronson estimated construction costs at $65.00 to $75.00 per square foot with a 15% contingency for a City budget of $400,000.00 to build the shell. Mr. Aronson advised that the City Commission would need to approve the design concept before he could proceed with ordering color renderings. MINUTES 1 JANUARY 17, 2002 WORKSHOP MEETING In regards to seating, Commissioner Bertino suggested shifting the portion of the building to the north and the south so that tables for 4 could be provided on one side and tables for two on the other side. Mr. Aronson explained that the pier was 40 feet in width and that he could change the 38 foot building to 36 feet. It was noted that there was 117 indoor and 66 outdoor seats for a total of 183, which did not include the second observation area. Commissioner Mikes suggested having the renderings available on display in the Atrium for the public to view prior to spending public funds to finalize the restaurant project. Commissioner Bertino also agreed that a suggestion box should be provide for public comments on the project. He asked Mr. Aronson what he thought the costs would be after the shell was completed. Mr. Aronson anticipated the electrical, plumbing, flooring and mechanical costs to run $40 to $50 a square foot at an estimated $150,000, excluding restaurant equipment. Restaurant equipment could vary considerably based on the style that is chosen by the restaurant operator. For clarification purposes, Mr. Aronson asked the City Commission on whether or not they want the design to include a covered area at the entrance to the restaurant. Ken Koch, Building Official, cautioned the City Commission that building anything beyond the approved footprint of the pier would require a lengthy approval process with the State of Florida, Department of Environmental Protection. The City Commission generally agreed they did not want to delay the process and Mr. Koch agreed to check with Kevin McCabe, EDC, on whether a temporary structure could be included. The City Commission generally agreed to give Mr. Aronson 30 days to complete a full size "sky view" color rendering and a large colored site plan. 4. Update on Riverland Road annexation proposal and discussion of Russ Klenet Lobbyist Agreement for annexation services. City Manager Pato advised that the results of the survey conducted by Russ Klenet for the Riverland Road area indicates some 36% to 37% undecided residents, 24% in favor of Dania Beach and 36% in favor of Fort Lauderdale. Russ Klenet, lobbyist, explained that the survey that was presented to the Riverland Road area was also used in the recent annexation campaign for the newly annexed area that entered the City on September 15, 2001. Mr. Klenet explained that the residents are familiar with Fort Lauderdale and that Dania Beach is relatively new to them. Based on the results of the survey, Mr. Klenet recommended moving forward with communication efforts to motivate those undecided residents on the benefits of annexing into Dania Beach as well as efforts to reach those residents in support of Fort Lauderdale. Mr. Klenet thought that the annexation would bring an estimated 7,000 more residents into the City and costs last year to the City for the annexation campaign was around $30,000, including brochure mail outs and events. City Manager Pato advised that the City would be able to provide services without slighting any other areas of the City and that the area would bring in enough revenue to be self-sufficient. MINUTES 2 JANUARY 17, 2002 WORKSHOP MEETING Commissioner Mikes pointed out that most of the residents from the area do not want an • intrusive government and they do not want any changes to their lifestyle. This would include code and zoning issues and did not believe the area would impose much cost impact on the City. Mr. Klenet advised that the community is very sensitive to environmental issues and he did not believe that the area would be service-intensive as it is built out and that the residents are showing an interest towards a smaller community. The City Commission generally agreed to have Mr. Klenet move forward with the annexation plans for the Riverland Road area. 5. Discussion regarding assignment of Cable Television Franchise from Broward County to the City for annexed areas, and extension of that Franchise. (Gary Resnick, City Attorney's Office). 6. Discussion of proposed Cable Television Ordinance. (Gary Resnick, City Attorney's Office) Attorney Gary Resnick, Weiss, Serota, et al, explained that both #5 and #6 could be addressed together and introduced Attorney Scott Robbins from the firm. Attorney Resnick explained that due to the recent annexation in 2001, the City needs to approve an assignment agreement with AT&T from Broward County for the area as the assignment expires the end of March. Mr. Resnick advised that the City's existing Cable T.V. Franchise Agreement is also with AT&T(granted in 1973, renewed in 1989, and expiring in 2008) and is significantly out-of-date based on current law. The assignment with AT&T for the newly annexed area would only be until March. Once a renewal is pursued, he was hopeful that AT&T would have an incentive to address the service standards outlined in the Ordinance proposed for adoption and upgrade services in the rest of the City. Commissioner Mikes advised that problems occurred because of so many cable company mergers and that service quality has declined extensively. Attorney Resnick explained that the City's current Franchise Agreement is non-exclusive and no provisions exist mandating AT&T to provide meeting coverage. Attorney Resnick explained that the FCC took away local government jurisdiction, however, the Ordinance would provide the City the ability to mandate certain minimum service standards and regulations on the cable company. Discussion followed on the required stations that broadcast from the Fort Lauderdale/Miami area and a credit being provided to customers in terms of audio and video quality. Mr. Resnick explained that the new franchise agreement would involve a negotiation process and that he would be working with Finance Director Keller to obtain franchise fees previously received by Broward County for the newly annexed area. Attorney Resnick agreed to provide the City Commission with a copy of the Franchise Agreement with Broward County and the franchise Ordinance recently passed by Coral Springs. The City Commission generally agreed to move forward with the Assignment and presentation of the Ordinance on the February 12 agenda. MINUTES 3 JANUARY 17, 2002 WORKSHOP MEETING *Continued discussion of the 28th Year Community Development Block Grant Program from the January 10th workshop meeting: City Manager Pato explained that after the workshop session, he thought that the City Commission expressed an interest in focusing ,funding from the 281h Year CDBG Program towards the 803 complex combined with park, street and lightng improvements for the area. Mr. Pato advised that he met with Broward County and confirmed that the CDBG funds could be used to purchase property and construct buildings as long as the buildings are used for public services benefiting the community. City Manager Pato explained that staff has been pursuing interest in acquiring the property presently behind 803 as the building has been condemned and demolition scheduled. City Manager Pato advised that the 281h Year program would not begin until October 2002 and he thought funding might cover planning process costs for a multiple-use facility be built behind 803. In addition, he thought BSO could be moved from City Hall to the 803 complex to free up space at City Hall and the facility could provide a permanent computer lab for the children. Mayor Flury stated that the Boisey Waiters building is not suitable for children due to the lack of access and was of the opinion that the City Commission's top priority was to focus on the needs of the children in the community. Commissioner Mikes pointed out that over the next couple of years municipalities are not going to be able to obtain revenue from the state and that grant funding is needed more now than ever. He recommended pursuing Broward Boating Improvement Program ® grant funds for the Boisey Waiters Center site opposed to tying up funds from the CDBG program. Commissioner Bertino stated that drugs are the most pressing problem experienced in the Community Development Block Grant target area and that the expansion of the 803 site would provide a tremendous asset to the community. He recommended working with BSO on the PAL program for the park to also provide activities for the children. Commissioner McElyea was concerned that the 50x100 foot lot behind 803 may not provide enough parking for all of BSO and that another location in the area should be considered for the activity center for the children. He agreed that other uses should be considered for the Boisey Waiters Center site. Vice-Mayor Chunn thought that something could be built at Boisey Waiters in connection with the PAL program with grant funding as the facility is no more remote than I.T. Parker Community Center, which is also surrounded by water. He suggested that Public Works could also be included in the project based on their expansion needs. Bobbie Grace stated that the Northwest/Byrd Pointe Civic Associations agree with the City Commission that they do not want a band-aid fix for the Boisey Waiters building and that a new recreation building should be built at a site that would best serve the community. Mrs. Grace pointed out that the Dania Economic Development Corporation property is currently building a second senior citizen building. She suggested that the City Commission consider building another Boisey Waiters Center on the DEDC ® property. In addition, she advised that there are two properties in the southwest section that might be utilized for a recreation center. For the record, Mrs. Grace read letters MINUTES 4 JANUARY 17, 2002 WORKSHOP MEETING dated October 18, 2001 and January 17, 2002 from the Northwest/Byrd Pointe Civic Associations providing recommendations for the 28" Year CDBG program. Commissioner Bertino stated that the City Commission set aside Capital Improvement Project funds for a new community center costing approximately $500,000 to be built anywhere on the park site at Charlie Will Thomas Park. Commissioner Mikes mentioned that the City has grown to a 25,000 population and that the southwest and northwest sections of the City receive more improvements from grant funding than any other sections of the City. The City Commission must focus attention on the drug dealing problem and the best use of the CDBG funding would be to expand the 803 site for BSO. Albert Jones stated that the 25th, 26th and 27th CDBG projects have not been completed. He mentioned that there are children in the southwest section of the City who also deserve a recreational complex. He reminded the City Commission that a resolution had been presented from three civic associations requesting that the 28th Year CDBG funding be allocated for a community center combined with the Public Works complex. He pointed out that 27th Year CDBG funds were allocated for improvements to the northwest section. Although he agreed that drugs are a problem in the community, he felt it was divisive to utilize CDBG funds for just the northwest section without considering the needs of the southwest section. Mayor Flury clarified that the 28th Year Grant is only going to provide $225,000 in funding and that the money will not go very far and that everyone agreed that a community center and computer lab for the children was the first priority. Mayor Flury disagreed with Mr. Jones' comments about the lack of input from the community on CDBG projects as she reviewed the grants from the 26th and 27th CDBG programs, which showed ample community involvement. City Manager Pato clarified that Broward County requires the City to present an application by the end of the month and that the information only came to the City in mid- December. The funds can only be spent in the target area and there are restrictions to the grant. Commissioner Bertino understood that residents want facilities for their own areas and that there are areas in the City that do not have meeting halls, however, the City Commission is dealing with limited funds. Commissioner Bertino suggested that Mr. Jones utilize the Lions Club for community meetings or that citizens could meet at the schools and churches in the area. He stated that the City must use the funds in the high crime area to reduce the drug problem and that this would be addressed by expanding BSO and provide a strong police presence for a positive environment for the children. Mayor Flury pointed out that Bonnie Temchuck obtained $5 million in grant funds for Hollywood last year and that she has been a grant writer for many years. Mayor Flury suggested the idea of committing to focusing the 291h Year CDBG funding towards a new community center in an appropriate area in the southwest section. Commissioner Mikes pointed out that it makes no sense to spread the City's resources from taxpayer funds so thin by paying operational costs for additional community centers. MINUTES 5 JANUARY 17, 2002 WORKSHOP MEETING • Commissioner Bertino pointed out that the City is a small town and that staffing is another cost consideration. He felt it was economically efficient to solidify existing community centers to best utilize staffing and provide a higher quality center for everyone. Bernice Armstrong suggested that the City check into the size of the property behind 803 as she thought the vacant lot was very narrow and may not provide sufficient parking. City Manager Pato advised that the plans for the area would be designed to meet the parking requirements and that the plans would be brought to the community for review. Mr. Jones agreed that more police presence and expansion of the 803 site near the CW Thomas Park area would be good for the community; however, he was concerned that too much building is being crammed in an area that is already over built. Mrs. Grace suggested sending a letter to Sheriff Ken Jenne to see what funding may be available through the PAL program. Commissioner Bertino pointed out that the School Board property located on the north side of CW Thomas Park might be a great location to develop a football stadium or gymnasium complex. 7. Adjournment. ® This meeting adjourned at 6:35 p.m. MAYOR-COMMISSIONER CITY CLERK Approved: February 12, 2002 MINUTES 6 JANUARY 17, 2002 WORKSHOP MEETING