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MIAMI RIVER COMMISSION 
c/o Robert King High
1407 NW 7St. Suite D, Miami FL 33125
Phone: 305-664-0544
Fax: 305-642-1136

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Mr. Eric Buermann , Chair of the Miami River Commission (MRC), convened the meeting at noon, Monday, October 1, 2007, Robert King High, New Board Room, 1407 NW 7 Street, Miami, Florida.

Miami River Commission Policy Committee Members and/or Designees attending:

• Eric Buermann, Chair of the Miami River Commission
• Robert Villar, designee for Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez
• Megan Kelly, designee for Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce
• Adam Lukin, designee for Dana Nottingham , Downtown Development Authority
• Dr. Ernie Martin , Neighborhood rep., appointed by Miami City Commission

MRC Staff: Brett Bibeau, Managing Director
Ashley Chase, Assistant Managing Director

Others attending interested in the River:

• Jim Murley, Florida Atlantic University
• Robert Weinreb, City of Miami
• Evan Skornick, South Florida Water Management District
• Gwin Tate , U.S. Coast Guard

I. MRC Chair Report
Chair Eric Buermann noted the MRC did not have quorum therefore would not take votes defer motions related to the September 10, 2007 MRC minutes to the MRC's November 5, 2007 meeting.

Chair Buermann stated the 12 th Annual Miami Riverday festival is scheduled for April 19, 2008 . Chair Buermann thanked MRC board Member Sallye Jude and Ms. Patty Harris for volunteering to assist with the planning of this year's free Miami Riverday festivities. On behalf of the MRC, Chair Buermann expressed his sincere appreciation of all the generous Miami Riverday sponsors, and encouraged them, as well as any potential newcomers, to contact MRC staff regarding next year's available benefits. Chair Buermann noted he intends to become a sponsor for the 2008 Riverday festival.

Chair Buermann stated he was pleased to announce that the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) had renewed the MRC's $250,000 appropriation for FY '08, which started today. Mr. Evan Skornick , SFWMD, confirmed the appropriation and stated a $3 million for the Miami River Maintenance Dredging project was also recently adopted to the FY 2008 budget. Mr. Brett Bibeau, MRC Managing Director, thanked SFWMD representatives Mr. Buermann and Mr. Skornick for their hard work and support. Mr. Skornick noted both budgeted items will be finalized by the SFWMD Governing Board in November. Mr. Bibeau noted that, thanks to the recent $3 million SFWMD line item, the $9-$13 million federal funding shortfall due to complete the $86 million project is now $6-$10 million; and, Miami-Dade County would therefore seek $10 million from the State during the 2008 legislative session, and the SFWMD will apply for a $3 million FIND grant in 2008. Mr. Buermann noted FY '08 is the last fiscal year under the project's 5 year contract, so its essentially now or never. The MRC discussed if the necessary remaining funding to complete the project under the current 5 year contract and price is not secured in 2008 from the ST and FIND, the locals could issue a bond issue and use the reoccurring stormwater utility fees for the bond / loan payments, since the stormwater system is the River's leading pollutant source.

Chair Buermann noted he has authorized MRC staff to submit a Harvard Innovations in Government $100,000 grant application.

II. MRC Subcommittee Reports

a. Dredging Subcommittee (DSC) – Chair Eric Buermann provided the following Miami River Maintenance Dredging Project report:

On May 24, 2007 the ACOE awarded dredging in the projects next acceptance sections 7 & 8 of 15, using the currently available $7 million federal cost share, which consists of the remaining $3.5 million appropriation from Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 and the $3.5 million included in the FY '07 Continuing Resolution (CR). The current contract provides 60 days for the contractors to remobilize from the time of awarding Acceptance Sections, therefore the dredging contract required dredging to recommence by July 23, 2007 . The ACOE indicated their contractors requested a 120 day extension for their remobilization deadline, based on the timeline for the Boskalis sediment processing plant to return from overseas and to resolve a seawall related issue at the AME Shipping property, which the contractors lease as an additional sediment processing area. The ACOE is yet to make their decision regarding the contractors requested 120 day extension to recommence dredging, which elapses on November 20.

Chair Buermann noted Mr. Brett Bibeau had traveled to DC last week to support Miami-Dade County 's request for securing the record high $7.5 million included for the project in the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee's FY '08 Energy and Water Bill, which is a $3 million (over 65%) congressional ad over the Honorable President's $4.5 million budget submittal.  The US Senate and Dade Delegation, therefore did a tremendous job in successfully providing a significant Congressional ad over a woefully insufficient Administration's FY '08 budget request, based on the ACOE's flawed Benefit to Cost Ratio for the project, which only calculates the cargo benefits and omits all the project's additional benefits, including but not limited to the approved $55 million Merrill-Stevens Recreational Boatyard expansion, generating 350 additional full time jobs, which will only occur upon completing the dredging project. The House Bill deferred line items to a lump sum amount divided consistent with the President's budget submittal. Therefore, if Congress passes the FY '08 Energy and Water Bill, it would include $4.5 - $7.5 million for the Miami River maintenance dredging project. Similar to the last federal fiscal year, there is the potential for a Continuing Resolution (CR) which would provide all line items the lesser amount of either the President's FY '08 request or the previous FY '07 appropriation, therefore under another CR the project would be provided $3.5 million in the upcoming FY ‘08.

Chair Buermann deferred to Mr. Bibeau for a report on his Washington DC trip. Mr. Bibeau noted he had traveled with representatives of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce (GMCC), and had met with representatives from the House and Senate Dade Delegations, Energy and Water Committee, and the Army Corps of Engineers, including Assistant Secretary of the Army (ASA) Woodley.

In August the Local Project Sponsor and ACOE executed an amendment to the Project Cooperation Agreement, in order to allow the immediate use of the previously appropriated local cost share, and any additional “non-required contributed” funds provided by the locals, including the ST's $5 million appropriation last session and the $3 million appropriated in the SFWMD's FY '08 budget, which is the District's first cost share towards finishing the 40% complete $86 million dollar project with no further delays under the current contract and flat rate per cubic yard removed established in 2004.

Chair Buermann clarified a misprint in a recent Miami Herald article which reported the Miami River dredging had been awarded $125 million, when in fact the Port of Miami dredging project was authorized for $125 million in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA).

The Dredging subcommittee's next regularly scheduled third Wednesday of the month publicly noticed meeting will be held October 17, 2007, 10 am, at the South Florida Water Management District Miami-Dade Regional Office, Conference Room, 6 th Floor, 2121 SW 3 rd Avenue.

b. Urban Infill Working Group (UIWG)- Mr. Jim Murley noted the UIWG October agenda includes a follow up presentation from Mr. Nottingham regarding the DDA's draft Downtown Master Plan, which is scheduled to be presented to the full MRC in November. Mr. Murley stated the UIWG is also expecting a presentation from the new owners of the historically designated East Coast Fisheries. In addition, the UIWG will be meeting with the City of Miami to offer our assistance in implementing the river related components of the City's recently adopted Parks Master Plan. Ms. Ashley Chase, MRC Assistant Managing Director, stated Ms. Lara de Souza, City of Miami, will be providing a presentation of the Parks Master Plan at the Wednesday, October 10 Greenways Subcommittee meeting.

Mr. Murley noted the next UIWG meeting will be held October 10, 1407 NW 7 ST, at 9 am .

C. Greenways Subcommittee – Dr. Martin stated the Miami River Greenway remains under construction.

Dr. Martin noted that on September 27 City Commissioner Sarnoff placed on his District Agenda Items a discussion of the Miami River Greenway. Mr. Robert Weinreb , City of Miami , noted that the item may have been deferred, adding that the Commissioner had wished to discuss the future maintenance/governance of the Miami River Greenway.

Dr. Martin stated MRC-sponsored and coordinated Greenway clean-up events with hundreds of University of Miami volunteers are scheduled on Saturday October 6 and October 27, 10-noon, on the City owned on-road Greenways along S. River Drive from Jose Marti Park to NW 2 ST and along North River Drive from NW 3 ST to NW 6 Ave.

Chair Buermann noted securing the $750,000 match for the potential Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND), grant to fund half of the estimated $1.5 million seawall repair, is moving at a glacial pace, and it may interfere with dredging the mouth of the river if the contractors arrive before the new seawall is constructed allowing the remains of the collapsed seawall, which are in the federal navigable channel, to be removed.

Dr. Martin noted that-per the request of the MRC to compare City Commission approved Riverwalk cross-sections with as built and permitted dimensions-MRC staff will present two sets of approved Miami River Greenway cross sections during each Greenways subcommittee meeting. Dr. Martin added that the City of Miami has requested modifications to four of five of the private sector constructed riverwalk sections, because they were not consistent with the dimensions approved by the City Commission. Dr. Martin noted that the June Greenways minutes reflect a review of the Latitude on the River and adjacent Neo Vertika riverwalk's City Commission approvals vs. as-built dimensions, supplemented with the approved renditions and recent photographs of the subject as-built riverwalk sections. Dr. Martin stated that the Greenways subcommittee noted the City Commission approved riverwalk renditions for the aforementioned riverfront developments are wider than the as-built riverwalks, and the approved plans provide connectivity to adjacent riverwalk sections, while the as-built sections fail to connect. Therefore, Dr. Martin noted he and the Executive Committee directed MRC staff to advocate for the City to require the developers to make the necessary corrections to their riverwalks, in order to make them consistent with the Riverwalk dimensions unanimously approved by the City Commission.

The Greenways subcommittee's next regularly scheduled second Wednesday of the month meeting will be held on October 10, 2007 , 2 PM , 1407 NW 7 ST.

D. Stormwater Subcommittee - Mr. Bibeau stated that on September 11, the City Commission contracted CH2MHill for the design and permitting of the Wagner Creek & Seybold Canal Dredging project. The Subcommittee commends the City of Miami for making progress in achieving the long-term goal of dredging Wagner Creek & Seybold Canal . In addition, Mr. Bibeau noted the City Commission authorized an Interlocal Agreement in order for the Scavenger Decontamination vessel's existing $200,000 contract with the City of Miami , which provides 5 hours per week of service on the Miami River , to be supplemental with Miami Dade County 's additional $100,000 for additional service hours on the Miami River . Mr. Bibeau added that both items are consistent with the Miami River Basin Water Quality Improvement Plan and the Miami River Corridor Urban Infill Plan.

The Stormwater Subcommittee's next publicly noticed meeting will be held this Wednesday, October 3, 10 am , Miami River Inn, 118 S. River Drive .

E. Economic Development & Commerce- Co-Chair Megan Kelly stated the EDC's next meeting is scheduled on October 9, 3 PM , Robert King High.

III. New Business – No new items were addressed/discussed:

The meeting adjourned.

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