2005 1208 Regular City Commission Meeting

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Summary Minutes: Regular City Commission Meeting December 8, 2005 City of Sunny Isles Beach, Florida felt we should bring this up again considering the fact that we had the fire on the day before Thanksgiving [November 23, 2005] that totally gridlocked Collins Avenue and certainly demonstrated the need to have an emergency evacuation area in the event that something happens on Collins A venue, and we need to have the ability to move people throughout the City. He said the people in Vista View were completely blocked and could not get out. Mayor Ede1cup stated that there are a number of reasons why the pedestrian bridge is needed. He noted that we recently built Town Center Park and the people that live north to that park can have the ability to be able to go across that pedestrian bridge through what will be an extension of that Park at the west end, into the Park and not have to go all the way up to Collins A venue. He said that within two years we will be building a school at 182nd and North Bay Road, and for the people that live in that back area along the western fringe, the Bellagio, Vista View, Plaza of Americas, children from that area need to be able to get to school and it is not appropriate to have children walk along Collins A venue and fight heavy traffic every day to get to school. He said also those who want to travel by foot and walk throughout the City, there is a definite plus by having this bridge there again for the same reason not to have to walk along Collins Avenue with heavy traffic. He said this road is only for pedestrian traffic and solely to be opened for emergency vehicles, the road will be built with a gate and the gate key would be kept by the Police Department or the Fire Department and they would only have the ability to open that road when they deemed that there was an emergency situation or disaster in the City. He said he is recommending today that this Commission authorize staff to move forward with the development with a bridge for that area, that doesn't mean it will get built tomorrow, there is a lot of studying and engineering work that needs to be done. He said we are talking about something that is going to happen sometime in the future but now is the time to start that project. Assistant City Manager Vera said another thing is that the bridge will provide a connection to the Town Center Park, since it is going to lean right into the strip that we acquired from the Bellagio and it will connect the whole park area, so it will be comfortable for people to walk across. Vice Mayor Thaler said that it would also save time for the 911 emergency trucks, they won't have to go on to Collins Avenue and they will be able to get to Winston Towers and that area on North Bay Road and Atlantic Boulevard faster and in many cases you are dealing with seconds to save lives. Commissioner Iglesias said that he spoke with the City's Grant Coordinator George Fisher that there is money out there in the County in the FDOT that actually does pedestrian/emergency, and noted that he was able to get $3 Million from FDOT for Sunny Isles Boulevard and that there may be $500,000 to $1 Million out there that we can use for this project. Mayor Edelcup said that the State has made this a priority to get traffic provided for. Commissioner Brezin said that the children are very important and this would be a safe crossing for them where they have access to the school. Commissioner Goodman said that we must get approvals from DERM, the Federal government, and we have to go through a lot of things before it is approved, it has to do with a waterway, land use, etc., so it will be a while. Public Speakers: Henry Kay; Lou Marmer; Cassey Gabor; Isaac Aelion; Marianna Talalaevsky 12