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10/18/1993 COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY October 18, 1993 The City Commission, meeting as the Community Redevelopment Agency, met in regular session at City Hall, Monday, October 18, 1993 at 9:18 A.M., with the following members present: Arthur X. Deegan, II Chairperson Rita Garvey Vice-Chairperson Richard Fitzgerald Trustee Sue Berfield Trustee Fred Thomas Trustee Phil Henderson Ex-officio Trustee Absent: Lillian Trickel Ex-officio Trustee Also Present were: Peter Gozza Executive Director Michael J. Wright City Manager Milton A. Galbraith, Jr. Attorney Cynthia E. Goudeau Acting Secretary ITEM #2 - Minutes: Trustee Berfield moved to approve the minutes of the October 4, 1993, meeting. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. ITEM #3 - Unfinished Business a) CDC Status The Executive Director reported he is meeting with Jim Polatty, Economic Development Director for the City. In response to a question from Chairperson Deegan, Mr. Gozza indicated they were on schedule. ITEM #4 - New Business a) Appoint Ex-officio to DDB Trustee Thomas stated he wished to resign as ex-officio member to the DDB as he felt the chairperson of the CRA should be an ex-officio member on the DDB. Trustee Thomas moved that the representatives of the CRA on the DDB be the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of the CRA. The motion was duly seconded. Vice-Chairperson Garvey expressed concerns that she felt the City's Mayor should be an ex-officio member of the DDB. Upon the vote being taken; Trustees Thomas, Berfield, Fitzgerald and Chairperson Deegan voted "Aye", Vice-Chairperson Garvey voted "Nay". Motion carried. b) A.A. Avlicino proposal/withdrawal This proposal regarded use of Stepps building. Mr. Gozza reported this request has been withdrawn. c) Homeless Drop-In Center - Stepps Building Chairperson Deegan reported that the Homeless Task Force has had three meetings and they are recommending use of the Stepps Building as a temporary winter Drop-In Center for a maximum of two months depending on how cold the winter is. He stated this would provide overnight shelter with St. Vincent DePaul providing soup and sandwiches. He stated the Task Force is still working on a long range plan to address the homeless issue. Trustee Fitzgerald expressed concerns regarding the cost of the renovations being $32,000 for two months use. He also expressed concerns that the CRA is trying to sell the building or should the City need the property in conjunction with a police department, the building would be torn down. Vice-Chairperson Garvey questioned whether or not alot of monies had already been spent by the Stepps organization to accommodate the dormitory in the facility. Chairperson Deegan reported there were minor repairs to be done and ADA requirements to be met. Again concern was expressed that it was just two months. Chairperson Deegan stated that the actual costs might be less as they may only use the ground floor. Trustee Fitzgerald questioned whether or not there would be joint funding from other communities and not just Clearwater. Chairperson Deegan indicated the Police Chief is recommending asking others but they have not, at this time, until they know what Clearwater is willing to do. He stated the Task Force has been doing some fund raising and has $1,200 to fund utility bills in the facility. There are representatives of the County, Largo and Dunedin on the Task Force. Trustee Fitzgerald expressed concerns that once investment is started in the facility, it would become a permanent homeless Drop-In Center. He stated the purpose of that property is to market it or it may be used for parking in conjunction with the police department if the adjacent Barnett Bank is purchased for same. He questioned the need for air conditioning during the months of January and February and he felt this is a significant amount of dollars to be spending for a small amount of time. He also felt the facility should be located elsewhere. Chairperson Deegan indicated other facilities have been looked at, however, they would require more work than the Stepps building. Trustee Berfield indicated that air conditioning and a handrail for the second floor would not be needed if only the first floor is used. Chairperson Deegan indicated their intentions are not to use the second floor at this time. He stated the facility could house 50 people, however, the plan is to start with 30. He stated if it was decided to make it a permanent facility, they would then need to renovate the second floor. He indicated that Mr. Kelly, Building and Maintenance Supervisor for the City, had been asked to look at the building as a whole and what was needed to bring it up to standards. Trustee Thomas stated he agreed the costs could be reduced, however, at the present cost, it would equate to $178 per night per person and he would not want to approve funding at that level. He stated he is waiting for the Task Force to come back with a long range solution not just a short term one. He also indicated the City is in the midst of major rebirth in downtown and there should not be a homeless shelter in the middle of that area. He felt there was too little information to justify making this commitment. He stated, for the price, it would be possible to contract with some hotels and spend less per person per night. He again stated he was waiting to see the final solution from the Task Force. He indicated that the Orlando effort had been led by the private sector with government participating. He stated that while he believed great things would come from the Task Force, it was premature to make a $32,000 commitment. Vice-Chairperson Garvey stated that in the past when there were problems with cold weather, churches have opened shelters. She agreed a long range solution was needed. She questioned why the Commission was going to be asked to fund the program if the CRA owns the building. Chairperson Deegan indicated this was a Clearwater program but the CRA owns the building they wish to use. He stated the Task Force has not finished their work as there are questions still to be resolved. He felt they should start on a small scale. He said if the City of Clearwater expands to the size of the Orlando program, 700 persons will be served at any one time. Trustee Berfield indicated she was confused regarding the air conditioner repair and replacement. She questioned whether or not this was needed in order to provide heating during cold weather. Chairperson Deegan emphasized again that Mr. Kelly was asked to review the entire building to see what it would take to repair it on a permanent basis to meet code. Trustee Berfield suggested that Mr. Kelly be asked to look at the first floor only for temporary usage. She stated in Police Chief Klein's letter there was a different suggestion regarding going to other cities for assistance. Chairperson Deegan added that in addition to the cost for the building, there are other costs, such as, personnel costs. Vice-Chairperson Garvey expressed concerns that Clearwater will be assuming the responsibilities for the homeless of Largo and Dunedin. Chairperson Deegan indicated that these individuals would come from this area and stated someone has to start the process of addressing this problem. Trustee Fitzgerald questioned whether or not sites had been looked at outside of Clearwater. Trustee Thomas stated they still do not have a final recommendation on how to solve the problem. He stated the problem has been around for many years and he wants a proactive long term solution. He supports an Orlando plan of a public/private program. He did not feel it was appropriate to bring in the homeless from Dunedin and Largo when the City is in the midst of trying to redevelop downtown Clearwater. He requested the Task Force determine a long term solution. He said originally he thought they were looking at sites in the Industrial Park, not in downtown Clearwater. He stated he was opposed to using the Stepps building for this purpose. Trustee Berfield suggested this be taken back to the Task Force for more definitive information and to come back with other suggestions. She also suggested the Task Force work in conjunction with the churches. She stated the homeless do not belong to a particular city. Chairperson Deegan indicated that among the members of the Task Force, there are representatives of the Pinellas Coalition for the Homeless and they are the ones that have spear-headed the efforts in the past and are now asking for a more organized process for this winter. Vice-Chairperson Garvey and Trustee Thomas stated they were looking for a long term solution. Trustee Fitzgerald stated he was not in favor of spending $32,000 for two months of use and he felt that other sites other than Clearwater should be investigated. ITEM #5 - Executive Director Verbal Reports Mr. Gozza indicated he would have his goals and objectives for the CRA's review at the next meeting. He stated the Main Street Program will also be discussed at that meeting. He reported he has met with the City Manager and others and the transition is going smoothly. He stated the shared secretary with the DDB has been discussed and the costs and recommendation have been provided. He stated as follow-up from the joint meeting with the DDB, he has developed a letter to send out to new businesses and he has met with Judi Hackett to look for a downtown site in which to locate his offices as well as Ms. Hackett's. Trustee Thomas stated one issue he wished Mr. Gozza to look at was the lack of parking in the downtown area. He stated he has also asked the City Manager to look at this issue. He indicated during the Sun Bank negotiations, there were statements made that there is a 2,500 space shortfall. He requested the CRA direct the Executive Director to meet with the City Manager to determine the correct amount of parking for the existing buildings and what is the actual shortage of parking in downtown. He recommended a freeze for 60 days on any new development until they can come up with a plan for parking. Vice-Chairperson Garvey stated she would not support a freeze. Chairperson Deegan indicated he would not either, but he felt the idea of determining what the real parking needs are, might be worth looking into. Mr. Gozza was directed to work with the City Manager and the zoning division to determine the real parking needs for the downtown area. Vice-Chairperson Garvey indicated a parking study had been done sometime ago and perhaps that should be used as reference. Chairperson Deegan stated it would be necessary to update that report. ITEM #6 - Other Trustee Business Vice-Chairperson Garvey questioned whether or not Mr. Henderson, Chair of the DDB, was ready to address the issue of DDB staffing. Mr. Henderson indicated the DDB is waiting to see what can be worked out regarding space and that Judi Hackett has been hired as a consultant. Vice-Chairperson Garvey stated she felt one of the concerns was that the DDB is now being charged for secretary time and she had been told they were hoping to be relieved of that for the next three months. Mr. Henderson indicated that in the DDB meeting, there was discussion regarding bringing to the City Commission a request for waiver of those expenditures, however, he did not feel that was appropriate. He stated one of the issues discussed at the joint meeting was the DDB paying for services provided by General Fund staff. Vice-Chairperson Garvey questioned whether or not the CRA could reimburse the City for the DDB's expenses for three months. Mr. Gozza indicated that an actual bill had not been sent to the DDB but had been discussed and that staff was keeping track of time. Trustee Thomas questioned why the CRA would reimburse for the DDB. Trustee Garvey indicated because the DDB was not notified in advance that it was going to be charged. Trustee Thomas felt they had known about it and Trustee Garvey stated her only point is that if anyone picks up the cost for the DDB, it should be the CRA, not the City Commission. Trustee Thomas again emphasized the DDB knew they were going to be billed. He stated the recommendation of Chairperson Deegan is that the DDB could come to the City Commission if there was an undue hardship in paying these expenses and ask for relief. He stated as a member of the City Commission, if the shock of the expenditures was so great, he would support a 30 day issue if the DDB came before the City Commission and made that request. Chairperson Deegan asked Mr. Henderson if the DDB anticipated asking the CRA for anything. Mr. Henderson indicated they would wait for the bill but he believed they would be able to handle the expenditures. He stated that Vice-Chairperson Garvey is voicing what he believes, and that is, the City should not pick up any of the cost. He felt if there was a problem, the DDB would come to the CRA. Trustee Thomas requested someone research the legality of the CRA picking up expenses for the DDB. The City Attorney indicated it would depend for what expenses the request was made. Trustee Thomas stated there is a Clearwater ordinance governing the DDB and the Chairperson of the CRA is being requested to review it and come back with recommended changes. Chairperson Deegan indicated he will be getting with Mr. Henderson, Chairperson of the DDB, and with the City Attorney regarding this. Mr. Henderson reported regarding parking at the County utility building. He stated the church being exclusive users of the building will no longer be in effect and that the gates will go up at 5:30 p.m. with free parking for anyone. He stated all the merchants have been told. ITEM #7 - Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 10:07 A.M.