2008 0416 Special City Commission Meeting

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Summary Minutes: Special City Commission Meeting April 16, 2008 Sunny Isles Beach, Florida Collins A venue. Commissioner Brezin referenced FDOT's opening statement that they are concerned about pedestrian safety, and added that this is a safety hazard. Commissioner Scholl said this is a very important issue and the reason we want to address this today is very meritorious; it is a health and safety issue. Danny Iglesias, FDOT, explained that Gus Pego can't give an engineering solution when nothing has been presented to the Department on the advantages and disadvantages. He added that work done on side roads impacts FDOT as well and that is why we need to look at all the angles. He said a signal warrant study was done a couple of years ago for that location, but it did not take the new school into consideration. Therefore, the report needs to be updated and the Department cannot provide an answer until then. Mayor Edelcup said he finds it amazing that people are asking for studies to be done today three months from when the school opens with 1,600 children, and whether the study supports it or not, we are asking for that intersection to be open with a light. The City is willing to pay for it, and certainly it is in FDOT's purview to be able to grant a variance as long as the warrant conditions are met, and we will supply you with required documentation but we need to have this done by yesterday. That property owner has property rights too and we just can't arbitrarily close offhis side driveway because that is the easier solution for FDOT. There are just too many instances where we need to work closer together and cooperatively to get something done where everyone in this community, 6,000 voters and 15,000 people, wants it. Vice Mayor Thaler said the word here is expedite, whatever reports that need to be done needed to be done yesterday, noting that the Mayor under estimated the amount of voters we have as we have almost 9,000 voters. We need to get on the same playing field, and whatever has to be done we will make every effort to do so, and he trusts that FDOT will do the same. Mayor Edelcup requested FDOT and Eric Penfield to do whatever it takes to get this done and said he believes that FDOT has the power to grant variances. Mr. Pego clarified that FDOT does not grant variances for signal warrants, but can grant variances for space criteria. He said you have at 183rd Street a very good crossing signal which is your main access to the school, the parts that need to be looked at besides this solution is what other solutions are there, and there are many. Since we don't have the information what improvements are being made on 183rd Street to control and improve that roadway including the pedestrian features. He said the City Manager had talked about some sidewalk improvement projects that are going to be undertaken by the City, but they may need to be expanded to include some roadway reconstruction in order to build the road properly with proper drainage and sidewalks. Part of that improvement could be right-of-ways constrained with separators which are temporary until a roadway can be constructed properly with a proper divider to control the movements out of that driveway. When people come out of that driveway and realize that they can't go northbound on Collins, they will turn right going south on Collins and make a u-turn at the next available median opening. Tony LoCastro, Education/School Committee, voiced his concern that FDOT hasn't done an impact study for this location. He said FDOT should be asking how they can lessen the impact on traffic. 3