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HomeMy WebLinkAbout219866 - MINUTES - CRA MINUTES OF MEETING CITY OF DANIA BEACH COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2010 — 6:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order/Roll Call Chairman Castro called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Present: Chairman: Anne Castro Vice-Chairman: C.K. "Mac" McElyea Board Members: Bob Anton Walter Duke CRA Executive Director: Jeremy Earle City Attorney: Thomas Ansbro CRA Secretary: Louise Stilson 2. Approval of Minutes Board Member Anton motioned to approve the minutes of February 3, 2010; seconded by Vice-Chairman McElyea. The motion carried unanimously. 3. CRA Updates Jeremy Earle, CRA Executive Director, asked the board to approve an adjustment to the Calvin Giordano contract in the amount of$4,120.00 for a revised survey for the City Hall/Parcel 109 site. The revision is required due to the removal of the SW Park Street right-of-way. Vice-Chairman McElyea motioned to approve an additional $4,120.00 for Cabin Giordano to revise the boundary survey and plat; seconded by Board Member Duke. The motion carried unanimously. Director Earle asked the Chairman to provide an update on their trip to Washington D.C. Chairman Castro thanked Director Earle and staff for providing the necessary back-up documentation to carry to Washington, DC. She noted a detailed memo would be included in the March 9 City Commission agenda packet, which memo is also attached to these minutes. Chairman Castro was very impressed with Marlowe and Company's expertise on the entire process. She summarized that the trip went extremely well. Director Earle noted another delegation will go back to Washington in the fall. 4. Approval to contract with Broward County for Construction Manager Services for Parking Garage Jeremy Earle, CRA Executive Director, explained the Interlocal Agreement with Broward County for guaranteed services allows adding a "per hour" employee to staff, without additional paperwork, at a cost of$76 per hour. He noted the person selected is Shirley Santiago, a state licensed general contractor, state licensed structural plans examiner and structural inspector. Director Earle requested board approval for $42,560.00 for 7 months/80 hours per month, and noted that the 2010 budget has $65,000.00 allocated for this position. Board Member Duke motioned to approve an additional employee through the Interlocal Agreement with Broward County for the Construction Manager position for the parking garage, at a cost not to exceed $42,560.00; seconded by Vice-Chairman McElyea. The motion carried unanimously. 5. Bid Award—09-CRA-002 CCNA Engineering Continuing Services Contract Jeremy Earle, CRA Executive Director, noted he received 22 bids for the Engineering Continuing Services bid. He recommended that the board approve entering into an agreement with the 15 top ranked firms in order to provide access to both large and small firms over the next few years. Board Member Duke motioned to approve entering into an agreement for Continuing Engineering Services with the 15 top ranked firms; seconded by Vice-Chairman McElyea. The motion carried unanimously. 6. Recovery Zone Bond Presentation Representatives from Loop Capital Markets were not present at the meeting. Jeremy Earle, CRA Executive Director, advised he met with Bill Kyriakakis and Steven Tinsley of the Broward County Department of Economic Development, to discuss the hotel project and its potential inclusion in the Recovery Zone Facility Bond Program. He noted that the County has $61M in allocations and the hotel would be covered by this Program. Director Earle indicated that the City would not be on the line for the issuance of the Recovery Bonds for the hotel project; Broward County will issue the bonds and the liability will rest with the banks or the developer. He noted the City would need to adopt a resolution at the next City Commission meeting in support of the project. Board Member Anton noted that they directed the Finance Director to meet with Loop Capital Markets. He asked for back-up documentation to be attached to the resolution when it comes before the Commission. Minutes of Regular Meeting 2 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday, March 3,2010—6:00 p.m. Director Earle confirmed that the Finance Director met with the representatives of Loop Capital Markets. He restated that if the City had issued the bond, we would have been responsible; however, the liability will be with the banks or the developer. 7. US-1 Landscaping Presentation Jeremy Earle, CRA Executive Director, advised that this presentation would be made at a future meeting. He Will meet with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) next week to try to increase the landscaping on US-1. Director Earle noted he may call a special meeting during the next two weeks to discuss this matter with the board. Director Earle noted that Hank Thomas, Downtown Dania Beach Development LLC, is here with members of his team to make a presentation for the future hotel development that will be part of the downtown redevelopment. He pointed out that the hotel design would be a prototype for the Indigo brand. Hank Thomas noted he is very fortunate to have Beame Architects as part of his team for the development of this hotel. He said he submitted his franchise application to the Intercontinental Hotel Group a few days ago and they are very excited with the project. Mr. Thomas further advised that his hotel partners will be Driftwood and remarked that he is very proud of that affiliation. Larry Beame, AIA, President, Beame Architects, provided a brief overview of the services they offer. He noted that this will be a flagship hotel that will be a catalyst for the redevelopment of Dania Beach. David Herbert, partner, Beame Architects, noted they have enjoyed working with Hank Thomas on the entire master plan. He said it was very exciting to go through the process of creating the sense of place and social interaction that they are giving to Dania Beach. Mr. Herbert explained that the different elements included in the master plan would also create a pedestrian-oriented atmosphere. He further described the hotel design and the exceptional Indigo features which make their hotels so unique. Board Member Duke noted our planning has come to fruition. He advised he has researched the Indigo Hotels and they are a good chain. Board Member Duke noted the height and general design fit well in our vision for the City Center. He questioned the cost for making the hotel regional. Mr. Thomas noted it is more costly to construct the roof and elevations. He believes this hotel will be very competitive cost-wise. Mr. Thomas remarked that this is an excellent time to be doing this project because of the current economic conditions. Board Member Anton questioned the timeline. Minutes of Regular Meeting 3 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,March 3,2010—6:00 p.m. Mr. Thomas noted he expects to hear from the Intercontinental Group in the next week. He indicated that they are very pleased with the concept. Mr. Thomas further advised that the next step would be to work on the CAD drawings. He also noted that he is looking for builders, consultants, and the entire design team. Mr. Thomas indicated that they should be ready for permitting in late summer or early fall, and ready to build by the end of the year. Board Member Anton noted he originally was concerned with the modern architecture, but has since realized that it is a good fit for the City. He asked if the display board could be displayed in the Atrium at City Hall. Chairman Castro questioned the status of the Recovery Zone Bond with the County. Mr. Thomas responded he is going to New York tomorrow to meet with representatives of Loop Capital Markets in order to begin the process. Director Earle noted there is no guarantee to receive funding from Broward County. However, they are interested in our project. 8. CRA Director Performance Review Chairman Castro requested the board forward their evaluations to Human Resources. She assumed we would follow the standard matrix for Department Heads. The board members indicated they did not receive the evaluation forms. Board Member Anton pointed out that Director Earle is not a Department Head. He noted we need to look at holding the same guidelines that we have for the City Manager and City Attorney. Board Member Anton indicated that at the last Budget workshop, when they discussed the City Manager and City Attorney's salaries, the Commission decided that there would be no increments due to budget constraints. Chairman Castro would like to see the reviews first, do the matrix and, at that point, make a decision on any salary increase. 9. Adiournment Chairman Castro adjourned the meeting at 6:58 p.m. Minutes of Regular Meeting 4 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,March 3,2010—6:00 p.m. ATTEST: COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT �p AGENCY LOUISE STILSON, CMC ANNE CASTRO CRA SECRETARY CHAIRMAN—CRA Approved: April 7, 2010 —a DANIA BEACH COYWJNITY gF0lVlLORAlNT AOlNC► Minutes of Regular Meeting 5 City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday, March 3,2010—6:00 p.m. INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM To: Vice Mayor C. K. "Mac" McElyea Commission Bob Anton Commissioner Walter Duke City Manager Robert Baldwin City Attorney Tom Ansbro From: Mayor Anne Castro Date: March 2, 1010 Subject: Marlowe & Company -Washington D.C. Trip Summary for Federal Funding Requests for Dania Beach Projects Please find a brief summary of my trip to Washington D.C. to meet with our lobbying firm of Marlowe & Company and the meetings they arranged with various staff members and members of the United States Congress to discuss funding requests from the City of Dania Beach. As previously discussed, the following is a list of funding priorities as agreed upon by the Commission: 1. Dania Beach Bridge Replacement (US1) 2. Dania Beach Renewable Energy Projects (Solar Street Lights) 3. Dania Beach Emergency Operations Center Project (BSO Station) 4. Stormwater Infrastructure Improvement Project 5. Sanitary Sewer Lift Station Improvement Project First, we met with Marlowe & Company staff members Josh Gaboron and Michael Willis. Both have worked on Capitol Hill prior to working for Marlowe and over the two days on the Capitol, it was evident that they not only have excellent knowledge of the process, but also the relationship with the members and their staffs to assure the necessary access needed to be successful. In addition, we met with the principal Howard Marlowe, who is also knowledgeable, ethical, and has over twenty seven years experience in his current organization as well as previously working on Capitol Hill. It should be noted, Marlowe & Company only handle local governments and non-profits for clients, which provides additional credibility when approaching members of congress and/or staff. With these priorities in mind, Marlowe and Company made the following appointments for the delegation from Dania Beach. • Dan Veoni — House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Minority Staff Member. We met with Mr. Veoni specifically to discuss item 1 on the list, US1 bridge replacement. The funding request was for $10 million dollars to complete engineering, NEPA studies and any other preliminary construction requirements for the railroad and US 1 bridge. Mr. Veoni is the minority staff member representative on the House Transportation & Infrastructure. He, as well as subsequently his counterpart the majority staff member, advised the Highway bill is currently stalled and may not make it through this session. All requests for funding/earmarks may have to be resubmitted later in the year. Since our return however, I have seen one news article which indicates the highway bill may be moving again. • Peter Gould — House Transportation & Infrastructure, Majority Staff Member. Again, we provided the same presentation that we did to Mr. Veoni. We also advised we had support from many groups including FIND (Florida Inland Navigation District), MIASF (Marine Industry Association of South Florida), Broward County, Port Everglades as well as surrounding cities. Funding from DOT/FDOT was discussed and we explained the current structure, policy and process of the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). With the new hub funding mechanism, which Dania Beach has none, it makes it virtually impossible to obtain MPO funding, although we are trying to place the project on the unfunded list of MPO projects for approval purposes. • Rep. Ron Klein and Chief of Staff Garrett Donovan — We met with Representative Klein and discussed the bridge project as well as all of the other funding requests. They indicated they might have more success with some of the other projects and we have already received an email from his Legislative Director Mira Kogen advising they have received the stormwater earmark funding request for FY 2011 and reminding us that we have a responsibility of a 45% match in this process, so it appears this item may be moving forward in Congressman Klein's office. • Bill Couch and Treon Glenn — Legislative Aid and Correspondent respectively for Senator Bill Nelson. Senator Nelson entertains several municipalities in a town hall setting. Included in our group was Riviera Beach and Collier County as well as some other small cities. Overall, Senator Nelson indicated funding/earmarks would be difficult to obtain during this session due to the budget deficit; however, his staff members seemed genuinely interested in our project which would have regional impact. They have asked us to follow up with them in a separate memo regarding the various regulatory obstacles that we face in order to move our projects forward, which we will do. • Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz - We met with Representative Wasserman- Schultz and she was very interested in the bridge project. Her staff asked a great number of questions. After our meeting, Marlowe & Company recommended we primarily pursue the bridge funding projects with Representative Wasserman-Schultz office, while we pursue our other projects with Representative Klein, but keep both in the loop to have cross-support for each of the funding requests. Representative Wasserman-Shultz, aware of the fact that we requested $10 million dollars, asked if we could get started in our engineering and NEPA studies with less, such as $1 million. We advised we could get started and again indicated we have regional support for this project which has a regional impact. In addition to these meetings, Marlowe & Company will follow up with several more points of contact with the members of Congress and their staff. They will forward thank you letters summarizing our meetings as well as provide specific recommendation to the members as to how they can include our projects in on-going bills, grant programs and other funding sources. They will meet again with these staff members over time and remind them of Dania Beach's requests. In the end, the congressional members and their staffs will have had contact with Marlowe & Company and/or City officials more than a half dozen times. In summary, the trip and expenses associated with the travel as well as fees paid Marlowe & Company are well worth the access and potential return the City may receive from this trip. It is very possible that we will obtain some funding in the next fiscal year, FY 2011, for one or more of these projects, however nothing is guaranteed, especially in this political and economical climate. Marlowe & Company has suggested we travel to Capitol Hill at least twice a year to build and maintain a relationship with members of Congress to assure success of current and future funding requests.