2015-0917 Regular City Commission Meeting

Home Browse Search

Summary Minutes: Regular City Commission Meeting September 17, 2015 City or Sunny Isles Beach. Florida says we want a show there and we feel it meets criteria that makes sense to us, he thinks we can open up that venue for them to put on that show. That is basically the idea. The idea of having that venue and the quality of the venue that we built there is for that reason. Commissioner Levin said she has not heard a discussion about leasing Gateway Park and she subsequently spoke to the City Manager and then to the City Attorney about it and they both said that the Commission would have to adopt a policy. Mayor Scholl said that the policy is a staff - driven issue, they would draft it and bring it before the Commission. Given that we are working on a Cultural Master Plan, we are going to look at venues that fit with the nature and the tenor of the things that we are trying to start in the City. But from his perspective, we can't produce everything that the City does for our residents. We want to keep expanding our cultural offerings and we have a great free - standing self - sufficient venue. Commissioner Levin said that the City Manager had suggested that we get an ordinance or a policy from another jurisdiction and she thinks it is important that we get one from a jurisdiction where they have an outside venue versus an indoor venue because there are different things to consider when it is outside. Commissioner Aelion said Gateway Park will be the first staging park for a venue for events and so forth. Being that the City is already 17 years old and has had ample experience with Heritage Park and Samson Oceanfront Park, he looks at Gateway Park as an added venue. He agrees with the Mayor in this case that it has to be looked at by staff. Staff will have to do the legwork and then come to the Commission with any proposals. Commissioner Levin said she understands that obviously we have been doing this for a while but the size of Gateway Park, the potential traffic, and the additional people that will be coming to the venue because it is so large. She has been thinking about it and this particular issue which is associated with it. Mayor Scholl said when the time comes we will talk about it but he thinks it is a little premature because we are not out soliciting anybody or have any scheduled. The point being that it is a perfect venue from the ingress and egress standpoint because the garage is by the bridge, you can exit west or east, and you can get out of the City pretty easy without going through the City. 13. CITIZENS' FORUM: REQUESTS, PETITIONS & OTHER COMMUNICATIONS 13A. Caroline Mathews said she has a couple of issues. Her first issue is that on Atlantic Boulevard on the sidewalk in front of the school there is a water meter metal plate which is not locked down. and so when the children are riding their scooters or bikes, or people are walking, occasionally they hit it just right and the big metal plate slaps into their ank=le or into the scooter, and down they go. All the plates on that well- traveled sidewalk have to be locked down. Mayor Scholl said it is probably a utility but we will look at it. Ms. Mathews said also. in Town Center Park the awning over the children's playground has been taken down for the hurricane. Is that the same as on tonight's agenda, and Cultural and Community Services Director Susan Simpson said no, that is a different project, it is an improvement. We received permission about a year ago to raise the roof of the awning 18