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MIAMI RIVER COMMISSION 
c/o Robert King High
1407 NW 7 St.,  Suite D
Miami, FL  33125

  Phone 305-644-0544
Fax 305-642-1136

I. Team Metro Melrose Presentation - The SSC welcomed Ms. Dany Berthold-Moise, Public Outreach Supervisor Team Metro Melrose, whom provided a brief overview of her organization and its responsibilities. Ms. Berthold-Moise invited the SSC to the Melrose “Triangle Cleanup,” an event sponsored by Team Metro Melrose and the Department of Solid Waste Management as part of its  9^th Annual Pride Week  (April 21-April 28) celebration. The “Triangle Cleanup,” noted Ms.  Berthold-Moise, would take place on Tuesday, April 24, 9:30 am-3:30 pm, b/w Northwest 39^th St & Northwest 26^th St. , from South River Drive to NW 37^th Ave. Ms. Berthold-Moise thanked the Miami River Commission for providing Team Metro Melrose with an upcoming Miami River boat tour to increase public awareness and education along the river corridor. The SSC thanked Ms. Berthold-Moise for her presentation.

II. Status of the Wagner Creek and Seybold Canal Dredging Permits and Corrective Action Plan – Mr. Jose Lago , City of Miami Department of Capital Improvements, noted the City of Miami had met with the consultants, whom had responded to the advertised Request for Letters of Interest (RFLI) to design and construct the Wagner Creek / Seybold Canal dredging project, on February 27-28-March 1, 2007. Mr. Lago stated the City had received the firms’ scope of services for the project, which are currently under review. Mr. Lago stated that the City Commission will consider the administration’s recommendation for design, permitting and testing only- perhaps for a portion of the total project boundary if sufficient funding isn’t available- in May/June2007. Mr. Lago added that the City Commission will subsequently consider a separate item, for the actual dredging, after May 2007, if sufficient funding is available.

III. Update on the Adoption of the Wagner Creek TMDL – On behalf of Ms. Diane Waters, City of Miami Public Works, Mr. Lago stated that The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) had yet to execute the final draft TMDL for Wagner Creek. Mr. Lago noted that the City of Miami Public Works Department had recently provided FDEP with information regarding TMDLs and the NPDES program.

IV. Status of WASD Smoke Testing of the Wagner Creek Western Sub Basin –Mr.Abdelrahman noted DERM had met with Mr. Juan Bedoya and Mr. Roy Patrick, WASD, and conducted site visits to select the next areas of the Wagner Creek water basin for smoke testing.  Mr. Rod Lovett , WASD, noted the county manager had curtailed all overtime work due to a “budget crunch” in the department. Mr. Lovett explained he would need to seek permission from Deputy Director Joe Ruiz in order to issue a Notice to Proceed for future smoke testing.

Mr. Lovett stated the WASD implemented the MRC’s recommendation to plant a flowering hedge to facade their facility along NW 5 ST and NW 7 Ave (across the street from the recently opened Tuscan Place affordable housing development).  Mr. Lovette noted a sprinkler system had been installed in order for the new flowering hedge to grow into a larger aesthetic buffer.

Mr. Lovett noted the WASD removed the fence and cleared their riverfront easement located on NW South River Dr. & NW 2 ST, in order for the MRC and Hands on Miami volunteers to create a pocket park on November 4, 2006.  Mr. Lovett added the WASD currently maintains their ownership of the park.

Mr. Lovette stated the WASD was considering installing a faucet at the new NW 2 ST riverfront pocket park, which would be kept under lock for their maintenance crew to use for watering the site with a hose.  Mr. Lovett stated the WASD maintenance crew would mow the pocket parks new grass in the near future.

Mr. Lovett stated he had met with one of the two restaurant owners adjacent to Pump Station #1 to negotiate the terms of their potential use of the County’s adjacent vacant parking lot.  Mr. Lovett added that, per the request of the WASD, Garcia’s Seafood had prepared a formal proposal for consideration, which would include terms for insurance, hold harmless, etc, which had been forwarded to the WASD’s legal department for review.

Mr. Chase stated the renditions of the façade treatment for the WASD’s riverfront Pump Station #1, in a similar architectural fashion as the adjacent historic Scottish Rite Temple , were favorably received by the MRC, Greenways and Urban Infill subcommittees. Mr. Lovett noted the WASD had not received a letter on behalf of the MRC approving the façade treatment for the structure and recommending the additional landscaping. Ms. Chase agreed to forward that request.

Ms. Chase asked Ms. Lucy Perez, SFWMD, if the existing contract with the MRC had been amended to add the $15,409 in potential 1998 SWIM funding to cover the aforementioned smoke testing. Ms. Perez noted she did not have an update regarding this matter, but would forward all questions to Mr. Evan Skornick .

Mr. Abdelrahman noted he had yet to reach out to the SFWMD to discuss funding for stormwater system bacteria testing a.k.a. “source tracking,” a form of testing identifying human and non-human sources of coliform bacteria. Mr. Abdelrahman noted “source tracking” is a costly technique, ranging from $300 - $500 per collected sample, with 10 samples taken at 50 locations.  Mr. Lovett asked if Wagner Creek would be included as a possible sampling area, and Mr. Abdelrahman replied yes.

V. New Business - Ms. Chase gave Mr. Lago the executed $75,000 City of Miami/MRC contract renewal, and asked that he return it to Ms. Elyrosa Estevez, City of Miami , for final City signatures.  MRC staff thanked the City of Miami and noted the required information and attachments the City requested as part of their NPDES Permit Application issued by the FDEP, was submitted in March.

Mr. Abdelrahman distributed a graph that measured fecal coliform levels, at testing locations with the Miami River water basin, per the request of the SSC at the February meeting during his presentation of  DERM’s “Third Quarter Miami River Basin Water Quality Improvement Plan - Quarterly Progress Report” (July-September 2006).

The next regularly scheduled public noticed SSC meeting was confirmed for the first Wednesday of the month, May 2, 2007 , 10 am , Miami River Inn, 118 South River Drive .

Meeting was adjourned.

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