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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDocumentation_Regular_Tab 8A_6/8/2000 LL VILLAGE OF TEQUESTA e S " Post Office Box 3273 • 250 Tequesta Drive • Suite 300 Tequesta, Florida 33469-0273 • (561) 575-6200 �., q _ o Fax: (561) 575-6203 VILLAGE OF TEQUESTA REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES MAY 1, 2000 I . CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The Tequesta Redevelopment Committee held a regularly scheduled meeting at the Village Hall, 357 Tequesta Drive, Tequesta, Florida, on Monday, May 1, 2000. The meeting was called to order at 4 : 05 p.m. by Chair Joseph Capretta. A roll call was taken by Betty Laur, the Recording Secretary. In attendance were: Chair Joseph Capretta and Co-Chair Sharon Walker. Also in attendance were: Acting Village Manager and Village Clerk Joann Manganiello, and Department Heads . Co-Chair Basil Dalack arrived at 4 : 05 p.m. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Acting Village Manager Manganiello requested addition under ANY OTHER MATTERS consideration by the Committee to establish a specific day of the month to meet as requested at the last Village Council meeting. Co-Chair Walker made a motion to approve the agenda as amended. Chair Capretta seconded the motion. The vote on the motion was: Joseph Capretta - for Sharon Walker - for The motion was therefore passed and adopted and the agenda was accepted as amended. Co-Chair Basil Dalack arrived at this point in the meeting, at 4 : 05 p.m. Recycled Paper I REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES May 1 , 2000 PAGE 2 III. COMMUNICATIONS FROM CITIZENS Richard Berube, 4 Country Club Circle, commented that a monument sign in the Country Club had been placed in the middle of the foot path, and that people coming south from Turtle Creek could not see people coming out of Tequesta Country Club' s parking lot because a monument wall blocked the view. Mr. Berube explained that he lived 308 ' from the monument so he had not received notice this was going to happen. Mr. Berube reported that a great number of people were unhappy with this situation. Chair Capretta discussed the situation, stated that he was well aware of this problem, and that the Country Club was threatening to sue the Village over this issue. Mr. Berube suggested that a partial solution might be to take a wall down. Chair Capretta explained that he had asked the Homeowners Association to move one monument to an acceptable place, perhaps back where the old monument had been inside the sidewalk, that the size might be reduced, and explained that the monument across the road would probably have to be destroyed since he had found no acceptable place to move it. Chair Capretta commented that this problem would be solved within the next few weeks, and stated he would appreciate any ideas on how to fix the problem. Peggy Verhoeven, Point Drive, commented that the Winn-Dixie store in the K-Mart Plaza would be closing, which would take a big anchor away from that shopping center. Mrs . Verhoeven commented that perhaps the Village Council could find out if another store was going into that location. Mrs . Verhoeven requested that Village committee meetings be at night or that more notice be given so that more people could attend. Chair Capretta expressed disappointment that Winn-Dixie was closing their store in Tequesta, and explained that they were closing 110 stores nationwide. IV. APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR AND CO-CHAIR Co-Chair Walker made a motion to appoint Joseph Capretta as Chair with Basil Dalack and Sharon Walker as Co-Chairs. Co- Chair Dalack seconded the motion. The vote on the motion was: REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES May 1 , 2000 PAGE 3 Joseph Capretta - for Basil E. Dalack - for Sharon Walker - for The motion was therefore passed and adopted. V. REVIEW OF TEQUESTA FACILITY NEEDS A. Conceptual Site Plans and Cost Estimates as of 8/5/99 for: 1 . Plan A - Unitary Building for Fire and Police 2 . Plan B - Unitary Building for Fire, Police and Administration 3. Plan C - Original Plan to Construct a New Fire- Rescue Facility, Renovate Present Village Hall for the Police Facility, and Construct a Stand-Alone Village Hall-Site to be Determined (Present Site or Tequesta Village Center) Chair Capretta explained that this Committee would make a recommendation on this matter to the full Village Council, and discussed three points to consider: Whether there was a need for new facilities; whether money was available for the project, and whether the public could be assured the facilities could be built without increasing taxes . Chair Capretta commented on alternatives of only a fire rescue facility, or a public safety building to accommodate both Police and Fire Rescue, and/or a new Municipal Center, and stated if the need for new facilities was established, then the location needed to be determined. Public meetings would be needed to show costs and plans to the residents and to get their input . Chair Capretta expressed hope that a decision for a recommendation could be made at this meeting. Co-Chair Walker expressed her vision that there would no REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES May 1, 2000 PAGE 4 longer be a Village Hall used only for Village meetings, but a facility belonging to every resident so that Homeowners Associations, grade school chorus, and others could hold meetings there. Co-Chair Walker explained that she had attended seminars sponsored by Florida League of Cities and had learned of things that cities throughout the State of Florida had done for their citizens that could be adopted by Tequesta. Co-Chair Walker reported that the previous Sunday' s Palm Beach Post had contained an article regarding how West Palm Beach was expanding their current library, and explained the need for an expanded library for Tequesta. Co-Chair Walker stated her belief that new facilities were needed-especially for Fire Rescue and Police-and that the public needed to be shown the conditions in which the firemen were living. Co-Chair Dalack expressed his opinion that the Committee should proceed with this matter. Chair Capretta commented there was no controversy over a stand-alone Fire Rescue facility, and that the first controversy arose when discussing a Public Safety building since some people believed a new facility should be built and others believed the old Village Hall building should be renovated. Chair Capretta requested that the Committee think about a referendum on Public Safety, plans for a municipal facility, and the location preferred. Co-Chair Walker asked for clarification on what was meant by a referendum, and discussion resulted in a decision to use the term "preference poll" instead of "referendum". Co-Chair Dalack recommended starting with Item (3) - Plan C, since it covered the present condition of the Village Hall and the cost of renovation. Co-Chair Dalack recommended looking at what the Village had, why it might be inadequate, and whether it should be eradicated; and asked for input from Police Chief Allison and Assistant Police Chief Garlo as to whether their present facility was unliveable. Co-Chair Dalack clarified that discussion of Public Safety was the starting point. Chair Capretta commented that once a decision was made on Public Safety then municipal facilities should also be discussed, and a master plan should be established even if everything was not going to be built at the same time. REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES May 1 , 2000 PAGE 5 Co-Chair Walker concurred that the Committee should look at the entire municipal complex. Co-Chair Walker commented that when the Committee got to the point of discussing phasing she would request disclosure of escalation of construction costs . Chair Capretta commented he had recently met with Mr. Zuccarelli of JMZ Tequesta Properties regarding his delay in starting the first building of his project. In order to apply pressure to get the building started, Chair Capretta explained he had told Mr. Zuccarelli that the Village was planning to tear down the old Publix building by July 4th, and had given him a week or two to think about it. Mr. Zuccarelli had notified Mr. Capretta last Friday that he was going to proceed with construction. Chair Capretta commented that if the public preference poll indicated a Public Safety building would be built, the Police and Fire Rescue could be accommodated in the old Tequesta Plaza building during construction; therefore, a decision on when to demolish the building should be delayed. Chair Capretta called for a discussion of the alternative plans presented on the agenda. Acting Village Manager Manganiello discussed Plan C, which was renovation of the annex and garage, with new construction for Fire Rescue and to fill in gaps between those structures; renovation of the present Village Hall for Police; and a stand-alone Village Hall at a site to be determined. The Fire Rescue facility was estimated to cost approximately $2 million. It was pointed out that the footprint of the present Village Hall would only accommodate half the space needs of the Police Department, that the Village Council Chambers would be eliminated, and that the architects and engineers had cautioned against renovation of the existing building since it would have to be gutted completely and could only be hurricane hardened to certain limits. Acting Village Manager Manganiello commented that the cost of all of the buildings in Plan C was estimated at $4 million. The Acting Village Manager explained that the Community Development Department would be housed in the Municipal facility under this plan, and that temporary quarters would have to be found for them during construction. Ms . Manganiello explained that the Police REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES May 1 , 2000 PAGE 6 Department had compromised their space so that they could be accommodated within the present building footprint. Plan B was described as having the same square footage as Plan C for Fire Rescue (approximately 10, 000 s. f. ) and the Police (approximately 5, 000 s. f. ) . A separate Village hall would have to be built at another location. Acting Village Manager Manganiello explained that the architects had indicated the present building would be hurricane hardened to the upper limits of a category 2 storm, which would meet the Standard Building Code, and that anything more would cost extra. Acting Village Manager Manganiello commented that the hurricane hardening should be compatible with the hurricane evacuation plan. Fire Chief Weinand explained that Palm Beach County recommended hurricane hardening only for a category one storm, since after that the storm surge would place the Village under water and evacuation should have taken place. Acting Village Manager Manganiello explained that the cost figures quoted were as of August 5, 1999, and the longer construction was delayed the higher the cost would be. Co-Chair Walker questioned whether space should be provided for use as an emergency shelter. Fire Chief Weinand responded that present plans were to use the Tequesta Recreation facility as a shelter for individuals who could not evacuate; however, the preferred plan was to relocate those individuals outside the Village under their reciprocacy agreement. Acting Village Manager Manganiello explained that Plan B was for a unitary Fire, Police, and Administration building which would infringe on the adjacent Village Green (passive park) , making the park only .75 acres. Acting Village Manager Manganiello explained that the Village' s Comprehensive Plan requirement was for 2 acres of neighborhood parks for every 1, 000 in population, so that the Village needed approximately 10 acres of neighborhood parks, and now had only 5 acres, therefore were under the requirement . Because of the Comprehensive Plan, the Village would have to mitigate the park space, and the largest parcel available within the Village was the Dorner land. Ms . Manganiello explained that buying that land would cost almost $145, 000 to make up the . 65 acres of park, plus the fountain would have to be moved. The REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES May 1 , 2000 PAGE 7 cost for Plan B without mitigating the park and moving the fountain was estimated at $7 million, and all of the facilities would have to be razed. Co-Chair Walker questioned the impact to surrounding neighborhoods, to which Acting Village Manager Manganiello responded there had been no official impact study; however, some of the neighbors had indicated they would prefer not to have all that activity in their back yards. Co-Chair Walker stated she would like to hear from the Police and Fire Chiefs regarding sharing a building. Plan A was described by Acting Village Manager Manganiello as a unitary building for both Fire and Police. Acting Village Manager Manganiello explained that Chief Allison and Chief Weinand had been consulted regarding sharing a building, and their comments had been incorporated in the plan design. The resulting plan represented a compromise with a common lobby, fire on one side of the building, and police on the other side. Ms . Manganiello explained that the fire and police personnel were not cross trained to do each other' s jobs . The plan had some other shared space, however, the Police Department was required to abide by certain requirements in keeping their space secured for accreditation purposes, while Fire Rescue needed open access by the public. The lobby would therefore be secure with a receptionist to direct visitors . Cost for all new construction was estimated at $2 .5 million, and a new Village hall would be required, which was not included in the cost. Co-Chair Dalack questioned and received clarification that the $145, 000 for park mitigation could be avoided by using Plan A and locating the Village Hall somewhere else. Co-Chair Walker suggested using the vacant Village Hall land as park area for Ridgewood Community instead of building the Village Hall next door, and requested that the cost of the land be obtained in order to compare with the cost of using Dorner property for a park. Acting Village Manager Manganiello explained that parking requirements were affiliated with Police and Fire operations and she was not sure how much of the park area would be needed for parking. Chair Capretta summarized discussion so far as being in favor of one or the other options for Public Safety on the present site REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES May 1 , 2000 PAGE 8 with no municipal facility on this site. Co-Chair Dalack inquired whether the Village owned any other land within the Village that could be used to accommodate Plan A or B, to which Acting Village Manager Manganiello responded only the land at Tequesta Plaza or the present site would be large enough. Chair Capretta commented if the Village bought any land for parks that lots should be purchased for small neighborhood parks . Acting Village Manager Manganiello summarized the estimated cost for each plan: Plan A - $2 . 5 million Plan B - $ 4 . 7 million plus mitigation = Approximately $5 million Plan C - New Construction + Renovation = $2 million plus a stand alone Village Hall = $2 million Chief Weinand indicated that he had only received plans A and B that morning and did not yet know the interior layouts to see if they would be operational. Chief Weinand commented he knew Plan C was adequate, and he saw some problems with the layouts of A and B that would need to be adjusted, but he was sure that they could be fixed. Acting Village Manager Manganiello commented that Plans A and B had been done just to see if they would fit on the site and if direction was given to staff they could have the Chiefs work with the architects to be sure their needs would be met, and the buildings could be adjusted accordingly. Chief Allison indicated he and Chief Weinand had worked on the details of Plan C for four years . Co-Chair Dalack questioned whether the allotment of space for Plan C could be put into A or B, which was verified. Co-Chair Dalack commented it did not make sense to renovate rather than build new since it would cost the same, so the only choices were really between plan A and plan B. Co-Chair Walker questioned the Chiefs and the firefighters who were present in the audience whether there was a preference between A or B, to which Chief Weinand responded that the firefighters did not have the plans in front of them, but expressed a concern that changing to drive-through apparatus bays as shown in Plan A and Plan B from the stacked bays in Plan C would REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES May 1 , 2000 PAGE 9 require six bays and the plan would need to be elongated to accommodate the different type of bays. Acting Village Manager Manganiello explained that the architects, Gee & Jenson, had been responsible for design of the North Palm Beach public safety facility, and were working on another one in Stuart, so they were well versed in working with Fire and Police Chiefs to meet their needs. Acting Village Manager Manganiello stressed that the plans had been done to show the facilities would fit on the site and were open to total change. Chief Allison commented he preferred Plan A with all new construction. Chief Weinand commented the firemen could work with either plan but cautioned that there must be room for the heavy equipment and to lay out the hose. Ed Resnik commented he attended the last meeting of this Committee when these three alternatives were discussed in greater detail, and this had been a good review of the development of the three alternatives since that meeting. Mr. Resnik reported the quality of the existing building had been extensively discussed and he had left with the impression that the building was not worth renovating because it would take a lot of money to bring it up to standards, that the best alternative was a fire safety building, and that an administrative facility which would include Community Development would be the subject of discussion at another meeting. Richard Berube recommended planning 20 years ahead to have facilities sufficient to last that long, and commented that many issues should be considered. Acting Village Manager Manganiello responded that the Village had considered annexing five different areas a few years back and that Fire and Police at that time were adequate to serve the needs of that additional annexation. Acting Village Manager Manganiello advised that the Police had compromised their space needs and that could be studied further. Pert Towne stated it was her understanding with the discussions that the Police and Fire Rescue would be located on the present site and asked whether it might be relocated at a future time, to which Chair Capretta REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES May 1 , 2000 PAGE 10 responded it would not be relocated. Peggy Verhoeven questioned whether Dream Cars would be vacating their space, of which Chair Capretta stated he had no knowledge. Geraldine Genco questioned where the original Village hall was to go when Plan C was developed, to which Acting Village Manager Manganiello responded that had not been decided and staff had been directed to proceed with trying to find space to accommodate Village Council Chambers during construction, which had not been very successful, but as a fallback the Village could have used the Tequesta Recreation Center. Chair Capretta commented that a possibility which had been considered was the former Burt Reynolds theater. Ms. Genco commented Plan A showed a footprint of a 2-story Village hall and a new Fire Rescue and Police building, with a 1. 4 acre park, and inquired whether that size park conformed to the comprehensive plan. Acting Village Manager Manganiello explained that was the park as it existed today. Ms . Genco proposed considering a construction project adjacent to the existing facilities to be slightly larger than currently shown on Plan A to provide more space for the Police, and when that facility was completed the current buildings could be demolished and the land used as a park. Ms . Genco commented that this would involve only one move. Acting Village Manager Manganiello expressed her opinion that if the adjacent residents were opposed to a Village Hall on the present park site, they would probably be more against a Public Safety facility. Ms. Genco explained that with her idea, there would be a park all the way around the facility, which would provide a buffer. Ms. Genco also proposed making the Public Safety building two stories to provide more room for the Police. Acting Village Manager Manganiello explained that a two-story building had been discussed and revisited and had not been preferable, and expressed her opinion that building the facility should not be put off any longer. Ms . Genco stated agreement but that Village Hall was in the wrong place, and if this was not a final plan why couldn't Fire and Police be moved to the east with a park around it, to which the response was that was REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES May 1 , 2000 PAGE 11 a possibility. Co-Chair Dalack commented Plan C had been eliminated, and that the entire Village Council should decide details. Ms. Genco commented her proposal was the only one that would involve only one move. Ms . Genco inquired as to the cost for moving and relocating, to which Acting Village Manager Manganiello responded that those costs had been considered and had originally been built in. Acting Village Manager Manganiello explained that staff was looking for a recommendation to the Village Council, and that any further progress or changes that staff was directed to make would come back to this Committee to consider for a recommendation to the full Village Council. Co-Chair Walker noted moving the Public Safety facility east could impact Blair House, and Ms . Manganiello recalled that had been a consideration for keeping the building to the west. Ms . Genco stated she would appreciate her proposal being included as a design choice. Ms . Genco stated she was in favor of the Committee making a recommendation to the Village Council on the Police and Fire facility, but she was not in favor of this Committee making any recommendation on the Village Hall until more information had been provided publicly. Acting Village Manager Manganiello responded that information was available and would be provided to Ms . Genco and to the public. Mary Ann Quigley stated she had been concerned that a Village Hall might be built adjacent to the home she had lived in for 30 years, but that what Ms. Genco proposed was frightening. Mrs . Quigley described how close her home was to the proposed building site and invited anyone to come to her home to see the situation. Mrs. Quigley commented if the Blair House residents knew what was happening they would be at this meeting, and to have fire trucks so close would be a hazard. Mrs. Quigley stated she would hate to have to sell her home. Betty Nagy questioned why it wouldn't be better to build a 2-story building for the police department, to which Acting Village Manager Manganiello responded staff could look into that if directed by the Village Council. REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES May 1, 2000 PAGE 12 Co-Chair Dalack commented Plan C had been eliminated, and that Plan B had effectively been eliminated because of the extra cost of park mitigation. Co-Chair Dalack commented that Plan A would eliminate the possible loss of the Village' s lot in Tequesta Plaza. Co-Chair Dalack commented that as far as details, he was grateful for all the comments that had been presented. Co-Chair Dalack questioned Chief Allison whether more space for the Police Department would better serve the needs of the Village, and if so, how much cost would be added to the construction. Chief Allison explained that the original space needs assessment done by Gee & Jenson some years ago had shown that the Police Department needed 7, 185 square feet. An additional 30% had been added for mechanical and electrical. Included in the 7, 185 square feet had been an 1, 700 square foot indoor shooting range, which Chief Allison commented would not be a big loss since it was something the police did not have now and would probably be a nightmare to operate. Garage storage spaces had been included, which the police now had off-site in the Public Works facility. A generator room had also been included, which would be accommodated in the Fire Rescue building. Chief Allison explained that when those items were removed, the 5, 000 square feet allotted was sufficient to meet the needs of the Police Department for now and for the future . Chair Capretta commented that now Plan A had been chosen, which included a Village Hall, and the public would be asked to approve the recommendation. Co-Chair Walker commented that a possible approach would be to take the Village Hall sketch from the materials presented today for presentation to the public, requested research into the possibility of mitigating land for a park for the Ridgewood Community to meet the Comprehensive Plan requirements, which would be an active neighborhood park, and to begin to allocate money in Parks and Recreation for mitigation. Acting Village Manager Manganiello commented that Chair Capretta had requested research regarding the number of school-age children in Tequesta to try to provide sufficient neighborhood parks . Chair REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES May 1 , 2000 PAGE 13 Capretta commented that the Village would not want to purchase a 5-acre park, but would utilize the concept of small neighborhood parks . The preference poll was discussed. Co-Chair Dalack commented it would be more helpful to hold several workshops to inform the public what had happened. Co- Chair Walker commented she had requested at the last Village Council meeting that the Chiefs begin to take slides of their facilities so that the public could understand what they had today, and requested they include in the presentation items such as time spent in taking prisoners to the Palm Beach County jail. Co-Chair Walker suggested two evening public information workshop sessions and one Saturday morning session. Chair Capretta questioned whether the decision of the Committee was to build a municipal center downtown. Both Co-Chair Dalack and Co-Chair Walker responded affirmatively. Chair Capretta commented that two downtown locations, one on Bridge Road and one on Tequesta Drive, with the layout for each, should be presented to the public. Co-Chair Dalack made a motion to recommend to the full Village Council adoption of Plan A. Co-Chair Walker seconded the motion. The vote on the motion was: Joseph Capretta - for Basil E. Dalack - for Sharon Walker - for The motion was therefore passed and adopted. VI . Discussion Regarding Decision by JMZ Tequesta Properties, Inc. (JMZ) Not to Extend the Contract Perioe Associated With the Construction of a Municipal/Civic/Cultural Facility on the Southwest Parcel (Parcel No. 1) of the Tequesta Village Center. Acting Village Manager Manganiello reported that JMZ had denied the Village extension of the contract time associated with the repurchase agreement . Chair Capretta commented REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES May 1 , 2000 PAGE 14 that the Village no longer needed the extension, since a decision had been made to build on the downtown property. Acting Village Manager Manganiello reported that per the repurchase agreement construction would need to begin on the new Village Hall by March 16, 2001. Chair Capretta requested Gee & Jenson be contacted to prepare a schematic and asked to be notified of how long it would take to prepare a presentation. Co-Chair Walker made a motion to recommend building a Village Hall in Tequesta Village Center and to proceed with public workshop forums to disseminate information. Co-Chair Dalack seconded the motion. The vote on the motion was: Joseph Capretta - for Basil E. Dalack - for Sharon Walker - for The motion was therefore passed and adopted. VII. Discussion Regarding Public Relations Plan for Tequesta Residents Relative to Village of Tequesta Facility Needs. Acting Village Manager Manganiello suggested the format proposed by Co-Chair Walker for presenting the information to the public, using a slide presentation at workshop meetings . It was the consensus of the Committee to request that the Village Councilmembers bring their calendars to the next Village Council Meeting and that the workshop dates be set by the full Village Council. It was clarified that the preference poll would offer a choice of two possible parcels for the new Village Hall: parcel one on the southwest corner on Bridge Road or parcel two on the northwest corner on Tequesta Drive. VIII. ANY OTHER MATTERS Acting Village Manager Manganiello requested establishment of a set day of the month for the meetings of this Committee. Consensus of the Committee was to set the REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES May 1 , 2000 PAGE 15 meetings on either Monday or Wednesday from 2 to 4 p.m. IX. ADJOURNMENT Co-Chair Dalack made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Co- Chair Walker seconded the motion. The vote on the motion was: Joseph Capretta - for Basil Dalack - for Sharon Walker - for The motion was therefore passed and adopted and the meeting was adjourned at 5:58 P.M. Respectfully submitted 4.-e_27e.."ct, (- Betty Laur Recording Secretary ATTEST: Joann Manganiello Village Clerk DATE APPROVED: