Live from City Commission Meeting - 2/28 - Beach GMP contract

Click here for link to back-up material.  Click here for live audio.

Carrr is giving a history of the project and what has preceded up until tonight.  The Commission was given the current cost information at the 12/20/11 meeting.  Commissioner McVoy is absent so far.  The seawall repairs only include the cap.  He says that the seawall was found to be sound.  He is reviewing the Interlocal Agreement with Palm Beach County.

More people here now at 6:11

Carr still.  Morganti has brought a GMP bid based upon responses from various subcontractors.  The bid includes the utility portions of the project - some of these have been budgeted for previous years and are being moved forward.  These have to be done at the same time that the other improvements are being done since these are underground.  He says that the GMP addresses all the Interlocal Agreement items.  Staff is requesting approval of Amendment No. 1 with Morganti tonight which includes the GMP - staff recommends moving forward.  There are a number of risks if we do not more forward with the project and could jeopardize the money made available through the Interlocal Agreement with the County.  He is saying that the infrastructure needs to be re-done regardless and would be money spent anyway.  The casino building is on time and on budget.  The tenants that the city has signed leases with will soon start with their improvements of their own spaces.  He is saying that the bank is still fine on their commitment for take out financing on the building.

The Mayor confirms that there is a $1.3 million over what had been anticipated.  She asks what will not be done due to the overage.  Carr says no specific project was attached to those dollars in the 2012 budget.  She was told by the former City Manager that she knew that this was more than a $5 million, in May of 2011.  Was the Commission aware at that time?  Carr says yes.  Mazwell said that his motion was to go ahead with the project only if it were not over $5 million.  Carr says that the estimate of cost was higher than $5 million.  They are saying that the "beach" portion is $5 million - it is the utilities, lighting and seawall repair that make it over.  Mulvehill is sorting out the changes since 2009.  Margoles says that Singer and Kimley Horn did a beach site plan study in April of 2009 - it was what people initially wanted at the beach.

Maxwell regarding the turtle lights and the seawall issue.  He says that a contractor would know that both would have to be addressed at a beach location.  It should have been there on day 1, and it probably was, but no one discussed it at the time - since it put the project over the $5 million.  Margoles says that it was discussed before many Commission meetings.  She says that the item should have been priced from the beginning - it was only in May.  Maxwell says that we may never know the truth of how we got there tonight.  He said that we need to be transparent and that the city has not been up until this point - like saying the building is not being torn down, etc.

Maxwell says that anything over $5 million includes everything but turtle lighting, seawall, utilities, etc.  Mulvehill says that these options are now requirements.  He is saying that this never really was a $5 million project.  She says that hindsight shows where the mistakes were.  Margoles says that this was a process.  It was not possible to assign a project cost without all the design elements in place.  Maxwell points out that the Morganti contract was passed by the City Commission at 1 a.m. - part of the May 3rd, 2011 meeting.

6:40 p.m. - McVoy still not here.

The Mayor is asking what is in and what is out of the plan.  Margoles is reviewing the "green" items and she says some are out now, but they might be able to phase them in later on.  Margoles says there is more in than out.  Amoroso is not comfortable how we got here.  Why did we find out about the lighting so late in the process?  Margoles says that they weren't aware of the cost - they knew about the requirement - but it was only in May that they found out the price.  $800,000 includes lighting the western half of the parking area.  Maxwell says that there aren't a whole lot of poles out there now.  He wonders how you can spend so much on lighting.  More on lighting... Maxwell says that if we don't go ahead with this, then the building cannot open.  Margoles says that is right.  They share frustrations.

Carr says how we got here, he supposes is important, but if we want to move the City forward, this has to be done now.  A decision needs to be made.  The Mayor says that it has been her goal that things are on time and on budget.  She is walking the walk.  She is upset that this has been known for a long time and there has been a lack of transparency up until this point.  Everyone knew but the public that this was not a $5 million project.  She agrees with Mr. Carr.

McVoy appears at 6:55 p.m.

The Mayor is entertaining a motion.  McVoy wants a 30 second re-cap before a motion.  He is getting a report on the green elements of the project.  I will get the public comment after the motion on video for posting tomorrow.  McVoy appreciates everyone's patience with his situation.  The project has had a long course, he is unhappy that some things are not in and maybe there can be cost savings along the way that may help put those things back in.