2025-11-12 SRC MinutesSUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCY COMMITTEE
Wednesday, 12 November 2025
Council Chambers
10050 NE 2nd Avenue
6:30pm
Minutes
1. CALL TO ORDER – By Chairperson Carol Eannace Respondek at 6:30pm
1a. Welcome to New Member Paul Madsen
2. ROLL CALL:
Present:
Mr. Richard Pluhar
Ms. Nicola Meyer
Ms. Silvia Kang
Mr. Paul Madsen
Ms. Carol Eannace Respondek
Also present:
Mr. Delroy Peters, Public Works Director & Staff Liaison
Mr. Neil Cantor, Vice Mayor
Not Present:
Vice Chair Ms. Patricia Casey
Ms. H Leigh Toney
3. MINUTES: Minutes approved from Meeting of 10=8-25
4. PUBLIC COMMENTS: None
4a. Presentation by Dr. Dishane Hawavithana, FIU Institute of Environment
Resilient 305 is a joint venture of FIU, UM, MDCC, MDC, City of Miami, City of MB,
Miami Waterkeeper, Catalyst Miami.
Initiative began in Little River at Soar Park with North Beach Resilient District. Matrix
includes these breakouts: Economy & Affordability; Health & Wellbeing; Environment;
Tech & Infrastructure; Shocks & Stressers. Using both qualitative (focus groups) and
quantitative data. Focus groups are asked to rank priorities, questions of climate
change impacts on neighborhoods and resilience investments. This data is presented as
Priorities, Initiatives, Proposals and Inventory of Tools (resilience). A Dashboard is being
developed with Tableau and will be available early 2026 on Resilient 305 website. Data
will be updated in either 2 or 5 years, not yet determined, per census block. This data
can be used for grant applications.
5. DISCUSSION and POSSIBLE ACTION:
5a. Tree Ordinance Discussion
Mr. Peters stated that the Tree Ordinance can be ready for Legal review by the end of
the week and then be available for Council review for the first meeting in December.
Mr. Cantor will assist this timetable.
5b. Candy Wrapper Cleanup Day, 2 November
Ms. Meyer talked about the success of this cleanup. There were about 25 people who
attended and helped clean the area. They netted about 7 bags of garbage or
approximately 40 lbs which was picked up by Public Works. Ms. Meyer asked PW for
their reco’s for next cleanup sites and their suggestion is the Barry area, tentatively
scheduled for February.
5c. Update on SRC Workshop – Living Seawall by Kind Designs
Ms. Respondek stated that this workshop was a big success. There was good interest
from the community (about 25 people attended) and Kind rep Maddie Rieger presented
extremely well, which Mr. Cantor concurred. Committee members present at the
workshop included Ms. Meyer, Mr. Pluhar and Ms. Kang, all of whom also enjoyed the
workshop.
Mr. Peters was asked about the construction of the seawall at Bayfront Park by Mr.
Cantor because Mr. Cantor is receiving many questions from residents who are unhappy
about the construction. The timeline Mr. Peters shared: rip rap removal, test piles
installed (now), permanent pilings installed and then the Kind living seawalls installation
(about 2 months away).
5d. Review of DERM webinar of 10-29-25, “Transformative Environmental Change of the
Biscayne Canal Adaptation Action Area
Ms. Respondek stated that this was one of the best County webinars because the
presenters were excellent. In addition to Dr. Tiffany Troxler of FIU and Dr. Katherine
Mach of UM Rosenthiel School, the standouts included Adriana Savino, Savino Miller, a
local landscape design and planning company. Savino Miller’s current nearby projects
include the new construction at MCDS and the new water resilient park on Miami
Beach. The other standout presenter was Mr. Walter Meyer of Local, a landscape
designer and urban planner based in Brooklyn, NY. Ms. Respondek urged Mr. Peters to
include Savino Miller in future plans for the Golf Course and Ms. Meyer in Stormwater
planning. Also attending this webinar were Ms. Meyer and Ms. Kang. Mr. Peters will
reach out to MDC for a link to this presentation.
5e. Green Day Ideas
Ms. Meyer reviewed the research she provided Committee members about composting.
Mr. Peters stated that the pilot program MS intends to conduct soon will be used by
Village facilities and residents may be able to join the program at their own expense.
Committee members discussed other possibilities for Green Day including a QR code for
composting info, a kids activation about composting, a sign up for future clean ups. Mr.
Pluhar reiterated his prior suggestion to involve the MS Arts & Culture Board in our
Green Day plans. All members appreciated this. Ms. Respondek will contact the Chair
of the Arts & Culture Board. Ms. Meyer and Ms. Respondek again spoke about the need
for a tent banner for SRC for Green Day and also suggested t shirts. Ms. Peters will ask
the Manager about a budget for this.
5f. Future Workshop Idea - Friends of the Everglades
Ms. Respondek suggested that Friends of the Everglades Exec Director, Eve Samples
would be a great presenter for a future workshop. Although members don’t know Ms.
Samples, most appreciate the work done by non-profit Friends of the Everglades. Ms.
Respondek stated that she had preliminarily reached out to Ms. Samples to see if she
might have time and be interested in hosting a workshop in MS and she is agreeable.
Ms. Respondek will work on this for a January or February workshop.
6. PUBLIC WORKS UPDATES:
6a. Project updates on MSV website
Mr. Peters talked about initiatives to make the website more dynamic, easier to use and
more interesting. He also spoke briefly about recently completed projects on 8th Avenue
(resurfacing + 8 catch basins) and the resurfacing on 96th Street.
Mr. Peters highlighted December 9 – Parks & Recreation Master Plan meeting. Ms.
Respondek asked about the date for the SFWMD meeting which is also supposed to be
sometime in early December.
Mr. Peters talked about the ongoing depressed swale project. Mr. Pluhar asked if there
had been any progress on regulations for perviousness. Mr. Peters stated that due to SB
180, MS is not currently going forward on that. Ms. Respondek suggested that we could
and should still create suggested best practices for MS driveways, walkways, etc. that
would aid our ability to mitigate stormwater. Mr. Peters said that he would revisit this
with the Village Manager.
7. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS:
(included in 6a PW comments above)
8. NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING – Wednesday, 14 January 2026 at 6:30pm
9. ADJOURNMENT