2008 0619 Regular City Commission Meeting

Home Browse Search

Summary Minutes: Regular City Commission Meeting June 19,2008 City of Sunny Isles Beach, Florida more before installation and operation. Vice Mayor Thaler asked what we are going to do for a year on 183rd Street. Mayor Edelcup said we have an alternate plan to put a police vehicle at the intersection at the end of RK Plaza, and Raanan Katz has volunteered to provide a parking space for the officer to be able to monitor that intersection. Mayor Edelcup asked if we used information from the study previously done by Dezer/Trump. Mr. Penfield said yes, they utilized the viable data. Mayor Edelcup said that Dezer/Trump said that they thought they had permission for the traffic light, but they didn't want to spend $300,000 for the median and the light, and therefore they didn't go forward. Mayor Edelcup asked that someone research the matter. Mayor Edelcup said that we need to move as quickly as possible to come up with a logical, sensible, reasonable argument as to why there should be a light there. City Manager Szerlag asked ifFDOT has a slate of criteria to grant a variance on a signal that does not meet warrants. Mr. Penfield said that the waiver of a warrant and approval process is different for a site plan or a variance that you typically encounter from municipalities because there are no specific ordinances or code regulations that they adhere to. There is engineering judgment involved in terms of granting approval for a traffic signal at a particular location but warrants are guidelines to help them make that decision. City Attorney Ottinot asked if variance approval was a discretionary decision by the government officials, and Mr. Penfield said yes, with the caveat that there are guidelines they must follow. He added that there will be some liability issues, if they approve a signal for a location and it is not warranted or justified and there happens to be a crash at that location. City Attorney Ottinot said that the City had agreed to hold FDOT harmless for any areas of concern. Mayor Edelcup said he wants the Commission to see written documentation showing the reasons and thought process as to why we should be granted a variance before it becomes a discussion item on the agenda. City Manager Szerlag said that FDOT looks at the warrants for guidance, the total package will have a cover letter stating that we would now like to proceed with a variance request, and here is why the Traffic Engineer thinks that Sunny Isles Beach should be granted a variance, and then issue bullet points in conjunction with those guidelines. City Attorney Ottinot said someone like Senator Gwen Margolis may be able to help in this regard. So that City Manager Szerlag closed saying that we will have the warrants, make this strictly a mathematical formula issue. The City's cover letter and supporting documentation will request and indicate a need for the variance. Also we will attach any letters of support from officials. Letters of support from Sally Heyman, Rudy Crew, and Martin Karp were also suggested. Mayor Edelcup added the City's agreement to hold FDOT harmless on any liability. Mr. Penfield said he can provide the report in two weeks. City Manager Szerlag said this will be a discussion item on the July 17,2008 City Commission meeting agenda 12C. Discussion regarding the Proposed Traffic Management Plan Prepared by Keith and Schnars, P.A. Action: Transportation Engineer Jose Rodriguez, of Keith and Schars, reported that this is a Traffic Management Plan as it affects the neighborhood surrounding the new school, and he presented a power-point presentation. He noted that there will 950 students the first year, and that there is no on-site stacking area, they are using 182nd Drive as their pickup and drop- 13