2007 0816 Regular City Commission Meeting

Home Browse Search

Summary Minutes: Regular City Commission Meeting August 16,2007 City of Sunny Isles Beach, Florida 11. MOTIONS 11A. Call for a Motion to confirm the appointment of Mark Glicksman to fill a vacancy on the Historic Preservation Board (Commissioner Iglesias). Action: Commissioner Iglesias reported confirming the appointment of Mr. Glicksman. Vice Mayor Thaler moved and Commissioner Brezin seconded a motion to accept the appointment. The motion was approved by a voice vote of 5-0 in favor. 12. DISCUSSION ITEMS 12A. Discussion regarding Preliminary Business Case for Acquiring the Fishing Pier at Pier Park from Dr. Robert Cornfeld. Action: [City Clerk's Note: See item 4A, Letters from City Manager and Mayor and Photos of Fishing Pier distributed before the meeting.} City Manager Szerlag reported that the State-owned Fishing Pier at Sunny Isles Beach is now closed because of structural deficiencies caused by Hurricane Wilma. Rehabilitative costs are estimated at $4 Million Dollars and he and Mayor Edelcup believe the City should request the State of Florida to make necessary capital improvements so that we can have a functioning fishing pier in Miami-Dade County, which was constructed in 1936, and the County has given it an historic designation. He said if the State of Florida agrees to fund repairs to its Pier, we then recommend that we enter into a long-term lease to manage it as one of our recreational/ educational components, and there is also a potential to use the Pier for security purposes. He noted that he included letters written by Mayor Edelcup to Mayor Carlos Alvarez, as well as an open letter to Governor Charlie Crist. He said he has also written to the Secretary of DEP, and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz asking her to come at her convenience to visit with the Mayor and him to hopefully take ownership of our quest to get the State of Florida to make repairs, which is actually a total rehabilitation to this Pier. Public Speakers: Cassey Gabor; Bud Scholl Mayor Edelcup noted that in addition, they received a letter today from Miami-Dade Commissioner Sally Heyman, expressing her willingness to approve and recommend this to the County Commission as well, so we have the support of many governmental agencies. He said the Pier is historic, it has been a tourist attraction here since 1936, it is the only Pier left in all of Miami-Dade County, and one ofthe last seven (7) piers in the tri-county from Palm Beach County down to Miami-Dade County, so it is very important for the City and its residents and the organizations within the City to get behind this movement for officials and federal officials that this Pier needs to be preserved and protected, and that the City is going to participate in such a manner as to keep this thing going forward and we are basically requesting that these other governmental agencies step forward and bring the Pier into better shape than it is in today, as it has been closed since Hurricane Wilma, and hopefully our efforts will be rewarded and we will be able to reopen the Pier and bring this attraction back to South Florida and make it the continuation of the historic Pier that it has been and it will be a fishing pier and sightseeing operation for years to come. 11