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2017-01-03 Council Meeting Minutes MIAMI SHORES VILLAGE 10050 N.E.2nd Avenue Miami Shores, Florida 33138 Tel: (305) 795.2207 Fax: (305) 756.8972 E-mail: EstepB@MiamiShoresVillage.com Barbara Estep, MMC Village Clerk MIAMI SHORES VILLAGE REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING The Miami Shores Village Council held their regularly scheduled Council Meeting on Tuesday, January 3, 2017. The meeting was called to order at 6:30 PM with the following individuals present: PRESENT: Alice Burch ABSENT: Steven Zelkowitz Herta Holly MacAdam Glinn Ivonne Ledesma ALSO PRESENT: Tom Benton, Village Manager Barbara Estep, Village Clerk Jesus Suarez, Assistant Village Manager CONSIDERATIONS 1) CONSENT AGENDA* Barbara A. Estep *Matters included under the Consent Agenda are routine, self-explanatory matters and are not expected to require discussion or review. Items will be enacted by one motion. If discussion is desired by any member of the Council, that item must be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered separately. If the public wishes to speak on a matter on the Consent Agenda, they must inform the Village Clerk prior to the start of the meeting. They will be recognized to speak prior to the approval of the Consent Agenda. A) APPROVAL OF THE DECEMBER 6, 2016 COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES AND BUDGET HEARING MINUTES. B) AN ORDINANCE OF THE MIAMI SHORES VILLAGE COUNCIL AMENDING SECTION 400, DISTRICT “R” OF THE “SCHEDULE OF REGULATIONS” CONTAINED IN THE ZONING APPENDIX OF THE VILLAGE’S CODE OF ORDINANCES, PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY, PROVIDING FOR CONFLICTS AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. (1st Reading) C) APPROVAL OF SELECTION COMMITTEE’S RANKING OF THE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS SUBMITTED FOR STATE LOBBYIST SERVICES. D) AWARD OF BROCKWAY MEMORIAL LIBRARY DESIGN CRITERIA PACKAGE WORK TO ALLEQUEZ ARCHITECTURE INC. IN THE AMOUNT OF $49,000. Ms. Estep read the information related to the Consent Agenda as well as the individual items contained within the Consent Agenda. Councilwoman Holly moved the Consent Agenda as presented. Councilwoman Ledesma seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous in favor of the motion. 2) VILLAGE CLERK Barbara A. Estep A) AN ORDINANCE OF THE MIAMI SHORES VILLAGE COUNCIL, MIAMI SHORES, FLORIDA, ADOPTING THE 2017 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT SCHEDULE ANNUAL UPDATE TO THE MIAMI SHORES VILLAGE 2025 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. (2nd & Final Reading) Ms. Estep read the caption of the Ordinance into the record. Councilwoman Ledesma moved to adopt the Ordinance on second reading. Councilwoman Holly seconded the motion. Mayor Burch opened the floor for the Public Hearing but as no one came forward to speak, she closed the Public Hearing and called for the vote which was unanimous in favor of the motion. 3) VILLAGE MANAGER Tom Benton A) A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI SHORES VILLAGE COUNCIL, MIAMI SHORES, FLORIDA, CALLING FOR A REFERENDUM REGARDING THE ISSUANCE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION DEBT BY MIAMI SHORES VILLAGE IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS ($20,000,000) FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING A NEW COMMUNITY CENTER AND ASSOCIATED RECREATION FACILITIES. Ms. Estep read the caption of the Resolution into the record. Council Members discussed whether or not to hear Mr. Benton’s information related to the community center and hear from the residents in attendance or to postpone the item until all five members of the Council could be present. The Council chose to hear from Mr. Benton and the residents and to re-agenda the item for the next meeting. Mr. Benton provided background information related to the project including hiring the professional firm to conduct a feasibility study and the numerous meetings held with the community, neighbors, recreation department users and instructors, etc. Mr. Benton reviewed the floor plans developed by the consultants that were based on the input received and the survey results, as well as the elevation drawings designed by the architectural firm of Bermello-Ajamil. He further indicated that Councilman Glinn’s firm had previously priced out the building as proposed. Mr. Benton spoke of the average debt service costs associated with a $20 million bond and the proposed retirement of the aquatic center bond which would reduce the net debt service per household. Mr. Benton advised that the project would be constructed using the “construction manager at-risk” method which allows for value engineering, and he provided examples of the cost savings available. Mayor Burch and Mr. Benton reviewed some of the professionally administered survey results including the sample response size, the proposed facility based on class offerings and usage. Mayor Burch opened the floor for public comment and reviewed the guidelines. Mary Benton Ms. Benton indicated that although she is generally in support of facilities that will benefit the residents of the community, she will not support the proposed community center project as climate change impact is ignored. Elizabeth Cowen Ms. Cowen spoke of the difference between “wants” and “needs” and would support a facility that is more in keeping with the community and of a more manageable size and cost, but does not believe that the Village needs the center as proposed. Frank Hornstein Mr. Hornstein spoke of traffic concerns with a new facility and resident safety. Felipe Lemor Mr. Lemor spoke of public safety needing to be the priority for residents rather than a new community center. Spoke of his experience as a victim of crime. José Ferrer Mr. Ferrer spoke of the survey results and the fact that the neighbors were expecting to have additional meetings prior to the issue being on a Council agenda. He expressed his belief that the proposed building is too large and will generate too much traffic. Manny Haddad Mr. Haddad, a member of the Recreation Advisory Board, spoke of the data provided and his belief that there is a disconnect between the survey results and presented design. He also spoke of the need to address public safety. Steven Shulman Mr. Shulman expressed his support of a new building but not one of the size and cost of what is proposed. Sylvia Peraza Ms. Peraza indicated that she does not use the community center facilities and believes that the plan is too large for the community. She is not in favor of a tax increase and believes that the Village should just fix the existing issues at the center. Jose Ferrer Mr. Ferrer raised the issue of Constitution Park. Johnathan Meltz Mr. Meltz, Chair of the Recreation Advisory Board, spoke of the preparation and process that was undertaken to get to this point and indicated that the proposed building and associated cost to construct represents the results of the survey, community input and class size/building utilization studies. Mr. Meltz further stated that you “can’t put lipstick on this pig” and attempt to fix the problem. He spoke of the many other communities that advised the Village that they had not built their new communities centers right or large enough to accommodate their usage. Mayor Burch closed public comment. Individual Council Members expressed their views on the project, with Councilwoman Ledesma indicating that she had taken a tour of the building and spoke of numerous problems which cannot be fixed using a Band-Aid approach. However, she stated that she will not support the project if the $20 million cost is not lowered significantly. She stated that the Village does not need a Rolls Royce center. Councilwoman Holly spoke of knowing that the community center is well used and falling apart because of its age but is not in favor of a $20 million price tag to build a new center. She spoke of a smaller scale building which would be more affordable for the property owners. Mayor Burch spoke of the Council Members running on a platform supporting the need for a new community center and her respect and agreement of Mr. Meltz’s comments. Mayor Burch also spoke of the ongoing efforts of the Police Chief and Police Department to address the concerns for public safety, as well as pointing out the traffic study report conducted to determine where traffic control measures are called for. The consensus of the Council was to once again have the item placed on the January 17, 2017 Council Meeting agenda for consideration by the full Council. 4) ANNOUNCEMENTS The Village Clerk read the announcements. 5) PUBLIC COMMENTS (3 Minute Time Limit Per Speaker) Steven Shulman Mr. Shulman spoke of the process to be followed at the next Council Meeting with respect to the proposed resolution calling for a bond referendum to be placed on the April election. Elizabeth Cowen Ms. Cowen reiterated her earlier comments and her opposition to funding a $20 million community center. Dan Kerr Mr. Kerr spoke of the need to have public safety as a constant conversation and spoke of the number of calls for service in the Village. Nancy Cigno Ms. Cigno spoke of her jazzercise class and appreciates the work that has been done in developing the plan for a new center as there is a definite need. Jose Ferrer Mr. Ferrer indicated he had heard a lot of negative comments and expressed his opinion that the proposed building is not what is needed – advocated for a smaller building. Sylvia Peraza Ms. Peraza compared her home to the community center in that regular repairs and maintenance should be done to keep the building in better shape. 6) COUNCIL COMMENTS Herta Holly Councilwoman Holly indicated that there comes a time when buildings can no longer be maintained and the fact that the community center needs additional space as there are programs being turned away due to space constraints. She thanked those in attendance and wished everyone a healthy, prosperous 2017. Ivonne Ledesma Councilwoman Ledesma spoke of wanting to support a new community center but one with a lower cost. She also spoke of the need to be flexible and the need to switch focus when new issues arise, specifically regarding public safety. Alice Burch Mayor Burch relayed conversations with various elected officials from Surfside and Miami Springs specifically, who advised her that they now wished that they had built their community centers larger. Mayor Burch also read a resident’s letter regarding one of the Village’s Public Works sanitation crews. 7) ADJOURNMENT The January 3, 2017 Council Meeting was adjourned at 8:03 PM. ________________________ Alice Burch, Mayor _________________________ Barbara A. Estep, MMC Village Clerk