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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-02-29 CRA Board Special Meeting Minutes MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING CITY OF DANIA BEACH COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2012 - 6:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order/Roll Call Chairman Flury called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Present: Chairman: Patricia A. Flury Vice-Chairman: Bobbie H. Grace Board Members: Anne Castro C. K. "Mac" McElyea CRA Executive Director: Jeremy Earle City Attorney: Thomas Ansbro CRA Secretary: Louise Stilson Absent: Board Member: Walter Duke Board Member Castro motioned to excuse the absence of Board Member Duke; seconded by Vice-Chairman Grace. The motion carried unanimously. 2. CRA Updates Director Earle noted he was part of a panel at Nova Southeastern University today, and everyone was amazed at what Dania Beach has accomplished in the past few years. 3. Presentations There were no presentations on this agenda. 4. Consent Agenda Items Added to Consent Agenda: #4.4 Items Removed from Consent Agenda: #4.3 4.1 Minutes: Approve minutes of January 10, 2012 CRA Board meeting 4.2 Travel Requests: None Addendum 4.4 Resolution#2012-CRA-001 A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOARD OF THE CITY OF DANIA BEACH, FLORIDA, PROVIDING FOR A BUDGET AMENDMENT TRANSFERRING AND CONSOLIDATING A PORTION OF CURRENTLY APPROPRIATED FUNDS FOR THE COLLEGE GARDENS CAPITAL PROJECT INTO THE DANIA BEACH HEIGHTS CAPITAL PROJECT; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICTS;FURTHER, PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Vice-Chairman Grace motioned to approve the Consent Agenda, with the addition of Item #4.4., and with the exception of Item #4.3; seconded by Board Member Castro. The motion carried unanimously. 4.3 Calvin Giordano additional services approval Chairman Flury asked for clarification. Director Earle explained this is a housekeeping issue due to requests we have received from Broward County. Chairman Flury confirmed with Director Earle that when we request additional services from a consultant, the item is previously approved by the CRA Director. Board Member Castro motioned to approve Item #4.3; seconded by Vice-Chairman Grace. The motion carried unanimously. 5. Proposals and Bids There were no proposals on this agenda. 6. Discussion and Possible Action 6.1 Economic Development Strategy Ana Zeinieh, Economic Development Director, reviewed the draft Economic Development Strategic Blueprint prepared by Boyette Strategic Advisors, which was included in the agenda packet. She recommended we move forward with the program for entrepreneurship. Ms. Zeinieh noted that we have already implemented some of the recommendations made by the consultant. She further said that we should also look at providing rent subsidies for businesses; it 1 um start the economy in Dania Beach. Ms. Zeinieh would be a recruitment tool and it could jump y advised that Boyette Strategic Advisors will provide a more detailed presentation at a future meeting. Minutes of Special Meeting 2 Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,February 29,2012—6:00 p.m. Chairman Flury questioned the cost of$25,000.00 paid for this study, and noted that we need to develop a 3-5 year work plan so that we know what we are doing. She noted that the Board needs to have an opportunity to talk about what they think is a priority. Director Earle responded that this is a precursor of some of the issues to be addressed and all the information will be presented with details. Chairman Flury noted the information should be available for the public. 6.2 CRA Implementation Priorities Director Earle noted we have made significant progress and we should update the plan. He commented we will need community meetings, not as in-depth as we originally did; however, we want to hear what our residents want. Director Earle advised that he will bring the recommendation to the Board during the budget process. Chairman Flury noted the section on funding is missing. Director Earle responded we will focus on grant funding this fiscal year. Chairman Flury would like the funding portion added to the report. She pointed out that the plan does not necessarily work well without the funding. Director Earle confirmed for Chairman Flury that the plan update will be discussed at the April CRA Board meeting. 6.3 US-1 Landscape Phase 1 and Phase 2 Update Director Earle noted the US-1 Phase 1 Landscaping project is done and we are preparing the close-out documents. He advised that there was an accident during the weekend of February 10, and we have received a cost of $22,000.00 for repairs. Director Earle indicated that the work must be done by the contractor due to the warrantee. City Attorney Ansbro clarified that a claim would be filed by our insurance carrier and will then be subrogated to the vehicle owner. Director Earle noted that we received two bids for Phase 2 and the committee is reviewing them. He advised that the contingency for the project is $375,000.00. Director Earle indicated that the firms do not know if they can do the project without the add-ons. The recommendation from some members of the Committee is that we do a series of borings along the corridor which would determine if we have to do any additional work or not. He said that Ronnie Navarro, City Engineer, Public Services Department, asked Calvin Giordano and Associates to give us a quote to do the job. Minutes of Special Meeting 3 Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,February 29,2012—6:00 p.m. Vice-Chairman Grace confirmed with Director Earle that Phase 2 of the project would take approximately 6 months to complete. Board Member Castro asked Director Earle to talk to the City of Hollywood to insure that their landscape is not the same as ours. The Board agreed to move forward with the borings which cost will be derived from contingency. Chairman Flury asked Assistant City Manager Donnelly to make sure we move forward with the borings. She noted this project is filled with a 70 percent contingency funding and we do not need to exceed the bid amount. Lastly, Chairman Flury remarked that this project cannot be delayed because it has already taken a long time. 6.4 CRA Neighborhood Projects Update Director Earle referred to the College Gardens project and advised that we are dealing with issues such as acts of vandalism and people cutting down the trees. He noted that the plans are now being reviewed by Broward County. Director Earle further explained that there will be paver crosswalks on the west side of Phippen Waiters Road, which will also need to be approved by Broward County. Once we have the permits from Broward County, we will order the pavers which would take 3 weeks to be made. He thought it would take about 4 weeks before the pavers are installed. Director Earle clarified that the trees have all been placed; therefore half of the project is complete. Chairman Flury suggested we wait until the pavers are ready to replace the trees that have been cut down. Director Earle noted that the trees have not yet been placed in the Dania Beach Heights project, because the plans for the traffic circles are being reviewed by Broward County. Discussion followed regarding possible solutions to help us move the projects faster. Director Earle noted that we could have shovel ready projects processed with the County, instead of waiting for the contractor to do it; however, this would be a deviation from how the City does things. Board Member Castro pointed out that the consultant designing the plans should be the one meeting with Broward County to make sure they agree with our design. Board Member Castro motioned to front-end load some of these projects in the future, having the County review them at the design stage, versus the contractor stage; seconded by Vice-Chairman Grace. The motion carried unanimously. Minutes of Special Meeting 4 Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,February 29,2012—6:00 p.m. Director Earle advised that we are ready to proceed with the Sun Garden Isles project and demolition has begun. He added that we will need to address some issues with the School Board of Broward County, such as signage and flashing lights for school zones. 6.5 Community Garden Director Earle reported this project has not begun. He noted he needs to work with the City to get water to the site. Director Earle further advised that he is working on a RFQ for an established urban farmer to help us with the process. He clarified that he may only use $60,000.00 of the $75,000.00 budgeted for this project. Board Member McElyea suggested a well for the garden. Board Member Castro suggested cisterns to capture water; a horizontal and/or vertical well; decorative solar lights; and anything else to maximize the use of this property and make it a green community garden. She thought we could find grant opportunities for this project. 6.6 On-Street Parking Director Earle noted this issue will come up during the budget cycle. He would like to start implementing the 327 on-street parking spaces. Director Earle remarked that the Municipal Parking Garage cannot service the parking needs of the entire City. All parking should be revenue generating which could offset the cost of maintenance and parking enforcement. He further stated that this will be very important to our future redevelopment. Director Earle commended the Board for implementing the Payment-in-Lieu Program. Vice-Chairman Grace clarified with Director Earle that the numbers shown in the Summary of On-Street Parking Rates for Selected Florida Cities included in the agenda packet are only estimates. The numbers will need to be re-visited when we are ready to establish our parking rates. Chairman Flury noted that Director Earle needs to come back to the Board with very specific costs and revenue at budget time. 6.7 CRA Signage Construction Director Earle referred to the Secondary Architectural Gateway and the Tertiary Architectural Gateway signs included in the agenda backup. He noted these two types of signs could be installed throughout the City. Director Earle said that during the next Fiscal Year he will be requesting allocation of funds to place these signs at the entrance of our neighborhoods. Chairman Flury noted she does not like the Tertiary sign, she thinks it is awkward. Board Member Castro noted she does like them. She pointed out these are not large signs but markers. Minutes of Special Meeting 5 Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,February 29,2012—6:00 p.m. Vice-Chairman Grace noted she likes the Secondary Gateway sign. She asked Director Earle to create a smaller version of the one included in the agenda packet. Board Member Castro noted we need to create a policy for the installation of the signs based on the roadway and the location; however we must be consistent throughout the neighborhoods. Both Chairman Flury and Vice-Chairman Grace agreed that there should be gateway and secondary signs, because we are a small city. Board Member Castro does not agree with this suggestion. Director Earle noted he will create a plan and policy as to where our initial signs will be installed and bring it back for review and approval by the Board. Board Member McElyea noted that signs are a good idea. The Board generally agreed to have Director Earle redesign the Secondary sign to be smaller. 6.8 Arts Council Ana Zeinieh, Economic Development Director, noted that the Arts Council name will change. She further advised that Elizabeth Wentworth, Wentworth Creative Management, Inc., was hired to develop an Arts Council which involves 5 appointed Commission members as well as community members. Director Earle clarified for Chairman Flury that there will be a total of 9 members on the entire Council. Board Member Castro pointed out that City Attorney Ansbro needs to write the enabling resolution to create the board. City Attorney Ansbro noted he will need Ms. Wentworth to provide him with the board definitions, number of members and their duties. Board Member Castro noted she does not want the condition to be a Dania Beach resident to be included in the membership requirements. She said that if artists from other areas want to join the Council, we should let them be a part of it. Board Member Castro suggested the political appointees not look at the applications for the other ad hoc members of the Council; it should be the City Manager, CRA Director or the Community Development Director, so we keep the politics out of it. She also recommended having more members than previously suggested. Chairman Flury agreed with having 5 Commission appointees and the other members to be selected by the City Manager, CRA Director or City Attorney. She further suggested we allow outsiders to be part of the Council, provided they are Broward County residents. Minutes of Special Meeting 6 Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,February 29,2012—6:00 p.m. It was the consensus of the Board to follow the recommendations made by Chairman Flury and Board Member Castro. Ms. Zeinieh noted we are seeking placemaking grants as part of the funding. She indicated that the CRA Board members need to speak with Ms. Wentworth individually. Board Member Castro would like the individual meetings and the of the resolution preparation by the City Attorney to happen simultaneously, so we can move forward without further delay. Lastly, she commended Ms. Wentworth for her efforts to secure funding for the City at a major level. 6.9 Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration Ana Zeinieh, Economic Development Director, noted that the Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration will be held October 13-14 at Frost Park. She advised we will close Fronton Boulevard in order to have all of the vendors in one location. Ms. Zeinieh further said that they are hiring a logistics manager for the event. Chairman Flury asked staff to remove the reference to "VIP" under the Tents and Canopies for Sponsors/Operations section on the Expenses page included in the agenda backup. She remarked she does not want to use "VIP" for anything. Chairman Flury pointed out that there is an expense page, but no income page. Director Earle explained that he needs to know the costs associated with the event before developing the income details. Vice-Chairman Grace noted that we need to plan in advance. She is concerned that we do not have enough time to make it a successful event. Ms. Zeinieh noted that we have been planning this event for approximately two months, including weekly meetings. She indicated we have set our priorities and added that the sponsorship package will go out this week. Ms. Zeinieh stated that if she feels that the event will not be a successful one, she will advise everyone involved to hold off until we are ready. Director Earle agreed with Vice-Chairman Grace's concerns. We need to manage the expectations for the first year; it will be small, but hopefully it will grow. He advised he asked Clive Taylor, coordinator for the Vintage Motorcycle Show, to help with the planning. Director Earle noted that the team has a deadline; however, if he feels that the event will not meet our expectations, he will cancel it. Board Member Castro remarked it can be done; don't let anyone dampen your spirits. It is important to understand that this is the first year and it will gradually grow. She noted that we need revenue projections. Board Member Castro wants to make sure that the western part of the City is included in the event. She pointed out that staff needs to get the restaurant buy-in early, and we do not have a lot of seafood restaurants. We may have to go outside the City and ask Minutes of Special Meeting 7 Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,February 29,2012—6:00 p.m. it other seafood restaurants to bring a booth here. Board Member Castro suggested moving the event to February, March or April, when the tourism season is at its highest point. P g 7. Adjournment Chairman Flury adjourned the meeting at 7:20 p.m. ATTEST: COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY LOUISE STILSON, CMC PATRICIA A. FLURY CRA SECRETARY CHAIRMAN—CRA Approved: April 4, 2012 DMI A BEAa, COMM4NIT1i REOEYtl01'MtNT Ati�fOCY,` Minutes of Special Meeting 8 Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Wednesday,February 29,2012—6:00 p.m.