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10/19/2015 BROWNFIELDS ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES CITY OF CLEARWATER October 19, 2015 Present: Chair Ryley Marchion, Vice-Chair Barbara Green, Board Member Jamie Andrian Blackstone, Board Member Joseph DeCicco, Board Member Katie See, Board Member Debra Swisher Absent: Board Member David Jaye, Board Member Phyllis Franklin, Board Member Arthonia Godwin, Also Present: Diane Hufford - Economic Development Coordinator, Patricia O. Sullivan - Board Reporter The Chair called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. 2 —Approval of Minutes 2.1. Approve minutes of the November 17, 2014 Brownfields Advisory Board meeting as submitted in written summation. Member Green moved to approve minutes of the November 17, 2014 Brownfields Advisory Board meeting as submitted in written summation. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. 3 —Citizens to be Heard re Items Not on the Agenda: None. 4 - Clearwater Brownfields Program brochure See Exhibit A re Brownfields Program Status Economic Development Coordinator Diane Hufford reviewed Brownfields program accomplishments in Clearwater and the City's new informational brochures on Clearwater's Brownfields Program. The Brownfields map did not change. The brochures will be distributed at approximately 9 City meetings and at the Engineering Department and will be available to the public in the Planning & Development Department and at all City library branches. The City will apply for the FY (Fiscal Year) 2016 EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Assessment Grants and request up to $400,000 for Brownfields projects, focusing on the North Marina District. The submission deadline is December 16, 2015. 5 - Update re Bid #61-15 VCTC Voluntary Cleanup Tax Credit Award Ms. Hufford said following the bid process, the City Council approved a placement agreement with Fallbrook Credit Finance LLC to broker the sale and transfer of ownership of the City's Brownfields Advisory 2015-10-19 1 VCTC (Voluntary Cleanup Tax Credits) certificates, which total $273,975.35, and approved an Agreement of Sale and Assignment of Florida VCTC for the sale and transfer of ownership of the VCTC certificates to a potential purchaser. To maximize the City's return on investment, Fallbrook Credit Finance was deemed to have provided the most responsive bid and was selected for exclusive brokerage services of VCTC certificates as detailed in the Invitation to Bid. Transferable tax credits were priced with a cents- per-dollar of credit purchase price. Fallbrook Credit Finance guaranteed no less than $0.88 per dollar of each credit and included all brokerage service fees. Based upon Fallbrook Credit Finance's bid, the City would receive $241,098.31. In response to a question, Ms. Hufford said many corporations needed federal tax credits; the City was a non-profit and could not use the credits. 6 — Update re BSRA (Brownfields Site Rehabilitation Agreement) for 2506 Countryside Boulevard. Environmental Specialist Joe DeCicco said the site assessment and cleanup of property at 2506 Countryside Boulevard was completed. Thirty-two thousand tons of arsenic contaminated soil were removed and disposed of offsite. Monitoring groundwater impacted by the contamination continued. The site was formerly a golf course; an apartment complex was planned. Neighbors had been concerned a big box store would be constructed on the site. In response to questions, Ms. Hufford said the City's website listed contaminated sites within Clearwater. The 4-acre property used as a staging area for the Stevenson Creek dredging project needed to be assessed for contamination. The site will be included in the EPA Assessment Grants application. 7 — North Marina Area Master Plan Presentation Senior Planner Katie See said ULI (Urban Land Institute) had issued several recommendations to revitalize and strengthen downtown. One recommendation was to take better advantage of views from land and from Clearwater Harbor. A small portion of the City's Designated Brownfields Area was within the North Marina District, which extended from Clearwater Harbor to the Pinellas Trail and was bounded by Cedar and Eldridge streets Ms. See said 3 design concepts, prepared by the planning consultant for the North Marina District's Master Plan, will be presented at the third stakeholders meeting on October 20, 2015. Ms. See encouraged residents to complete a survey on the City's website re different types of available development. Recommendations will be presented to the City Council in December. In response to questions, Ms. See said the Pinellas County School Board did not want to sell North Ward School but was interested in leasing the property for arts with an educational component. One design concept featured the Francis Wilson Playhouse. A developer was working on the former Moss Feaster site. The beauty and possible uses for North Ward School were discussed. Brownfields Advisory 2015-10-19 2 6 — Election of Officers Member DeCicco moved to reappoint Ryley Marchion as Chair. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. Member Green moved to appoint Joseph DeCicco as Vice Chair. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. 7 - Board Member Comments: None 10 - Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 6:25 p.m. Chair row Brow Ids Advisory Board Brownfields Advisory 2015 -10 -19 3 b 0- c , 2 0 6-- • _� 'water U ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & HOUSING BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM STATUS The brownfields brochure features the Clearwater Northwest Fire and Rescue Station #51 located at 1720 Overbrook Avenue. The City needed to reduce fire response time in the northwest area of the city. The City purchased a former contaminated junkyard and built a $3 million dollar facility on 1.59 acres. The facility is a 24 hour 7 days a week operation with twelve employees at this neighborhood station. Over 200 tons of impacted soil was removed from "hot spots ". Engineered fill, vapor barriers and chemical- resistant pipe gaskets were designed to prevent potential contaminant exposures. Remaining low -level impacts were addressed through institutional controls and monitoring. The City of Clearwater, Florida Brownfields Area (CBA) is one of the city's oldest sections with low income, minority population in the most densely populated county in Florida. In 1997 the City of Clearwater was awarded its first EPA Brownfields Assessment Pilot grant, and recent events indicate that the city's cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields properties is still an active campaign. The Clearwater Brownfields Area (CBA), with approximately 244 regulatory listed sites located in over 7,000 properties is spread across more than 1,842+ acres. Clearwater has the distinction of being the first state - designated brownfields area in Florida. Clearwater defines brownfields as "redevelopment opportunities that result in viable economic and community development, residential, and open- space /greenspace projects." The definition reflects a perception of brownfields that is results- oriented, viewing challenges as opportunities rather than insurmountable liabilities. Over the last decade, Clearwater has moved aggressively to attract funding for its brownfields program and is applying for 2016 EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant funds. The City has received a total of $2,641,000 in EPA grants and $1.7+ million in state and other brownfields related funding. Clearwater has conducted 90 Phase I Environmental Assessments, 15 Phase II Assessments, and fourteen sites have been cleaned up and readied for reuse. Source of Grant Funds Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) $ 35,000 Economic Development Administration (EDA) $ 35,000 Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) $2,500,000 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act $ 400,000 Federal Environmental Protection Agency Job Training (EPA) $ 141,000 Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) $1,025,000 Florida Office of Tourism, Trade & Economic Development (OTTED) $ 610,980 Total $4,746,980 October 9, 2015 6ch,bl 1 , c9o/.5f - m -ao SUBJECT Approve a placement agreement with Fallbrook Credit Finance, LLC to broker the sale and transfer of ownership of the City of Clearwater's Voluntary Cleanup Tax Credits (VCTC) certificates and approve an Agreement of Sale and Assignment of Florida Voluntary Cleanup Tax Credits (in substantially the form attached hereto) for the sale and transfer of ownership of the VCTC certificates to a potential purchaser, and authorize appropriate officials to execute same. RECOMMENDATION The City of Clearwater Invitation to Bid No. 61 -15 for brokerage services was issued in July, 2015 for the sale of the City of Clearwater Brownfields Voluntary Cleanup Tax Credits (VCTC) totaling $273,975.35. To maximize the City's return on investment, Fallbrook Credit Finance, LLC (the Broker) was deemed to have provided the most responsive bid and was selected for exclusive brokerage services of VCTC certificates as detailed in the Invitation to Bid. After evaluation of the bids was completed the City of Orlando verified excellent service provided by the Broker for the sale of VCTC certificates. Transferable tax credits are priced with a cents - per - dollar of credit purchase price. Fallbrook Credit Finance, LLC (the Broker) guarantees no less than $0.88 per dollar of each credit and includes all brokerage service fees. The City possesses tax credit certificates in the amount of $273,975.35. Based upon the bid presented by the Broker, the City of Clearwater will receive $241,098.31. The Broker's services include, but are not limited to, the following: Securing client purchase of the VCTC certificates; drafting of all legal documents including purchase agreement ( "Agreement of Sale and Assignment of Florida Voluntary Cleanup Tax Credits ") between certificate Buyer and City of Clearwater as well as placement agreement between City of Clearwater and Broker; the filing of the required transfer documents and forms with the State of Florida; and management of the transfer of funds from the Buyer to the City. Council approval is also requested for an Agreement of Sale and Assignment of Florida Voluntary Cleanup Tax Credits (in substantially the form attached hereto), which shall be executed by the City Manager or his designee at the time a purchaser has been identified and secured, setting forth the terms under which the city and said potential purchaser will effectuate the transfer of the VCTC certificates. Staff recommends approval of the placement agreement and Agreement of Sale and Assignment of Florida Voluntary Cleanup Tax Credits (in substantially the form attached) . [G M15-9216-049/172539/1]