07/30/2007
CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION MINUTES
CITY OF CLEARWATER
July 30, 2007
Present: Frank Hibbard Mayor
John Doran Vice-Mayor
Carlen Petersen Councilmember
George N. Cretekos Councilmember
Paul Gibson Councilmember
Also present: William B. Horne II City Manager
Rod Irwin Assistant City Manager
Pamela K. Akin City Attorney
Cynthia E. Goudeau City Clerk
Brenda Moses Board Reporter
The Mayor called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall.
To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily
discussed in that order.
Presentations:
Swearing in of Police Officers
The City Clerk administered the Oath of Office to eight Police Recruits.
ABC, Excellence in Construction Award - presented by Perry Lopez, Ed Burke, and Melvin
Maciolek.
Building Construction Manager Perry Lopez presented the Council with the Excellence
in Construction Award for the Glen Oaks project.
Fire Department
Award a Contract for $4,451,404.10 for the construction of a new fire training facility and
renovation to the existing training building; construction of a pre-engineered metal
storage/supply building; construction of a pre-manufactured training burn tower; installation of
approximately 8,000 square yards of asphalt paving; expansion of the existing stormwater pond;
and related utilities, to Bandes Construction of Dunedin, FL, being the lowest responsible bid in
accordance with plans and specifications, award a Contract for $29,715 to Cumbey & Fair, Inc.
(EOR) of Clearwater, Florida, for site related construction engineering and inspection (CEI), for
a total project amount of $4,481,119.10, authorize the appropriate officials to execute same and
approve increasing Penny for Pinellas funding for this project by $1,348,500 by reducing Penny
for Pinellas funding for the Station 48 Renovation/Expansion project by that same amount.
The current Clearwater Fire & Rescue Training Facility was constructed in 1976 and no
longer meets the growing training requirements of the department. The single classroom limits
the number of classes taught and the number of students. The proposed project provides for
Council Work Session 2007-07-30 1
the construction of an 8,967 square-foot training (classroom) building, which will include three
classrooms, an exercise workout room, male and female bathrooms and locker facilities, a
protective clothing storage, cleaning and drying area with additional support space. This facility
also will be constructed as a category-5 structure, capable of providing a secure facility for fire
and rescue operations during hurricane and storm activation. Construction will provide for a
future addition of a larger City EOC (Emergency Operations Center) when funding becomes
available. The current office and classroom will be renovated into training staff offices.
The existing burn tower can no longer be used for realistic live fire training and does not
provide the capacity for additional training which is relevant to the types of real emergency
scenarios which firefighters face in Clearwater. This project also will provide for the construction
of a pre-manufactured, metal training burn tower, which will provide realistic high rise, multi-
family, single-family, hotel and motel fire and emergency response training. It also will provide
for a variety of specialized training.
The project will further provide for the construction of a 4,400 square-foot pre-
engineered, metal storage/supply building, which will provide needed space for fire department
equipment, EMS (Emergency Medical Services) supplies and protective gear. It also will
provide a space for repair of department self-contained breathing apparatus. The current
storage/supply facility is located at 2150 Range Road, and is in the same facility as the
department’s fire truck maintenance garage. As part of the City’s Fleet Maintenance Facility
Expansion, the fire truck maintenance operation will be consolidated with City Fleet
Maintenance; the Fire storage/supply facility will relocate to the new building at the Fire Training
Facility location and the property on Range Road will be sold.
Cumbey & Fair (EOR) will provide post design services during the construction period,
which includes engineering assistance with onsite observations and interpretations, review of
shop drawings, attending meetings, providing record drawings, and certifications for the City of
Clearwater, Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) and the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).
The Fire and Rescue Department will be responsible for day-to-day facility operations,
and the Building Maintenance Department will be responsible for facility maintenance. Annual
operating costs for the facility are anticipated to be approximately $26,000 more than the current
training facility and will be absorbed by the Fire Department operating budget. The Construction
period is 450 days, estimated to start in September 2007 and finish in December 2008.
In response to a question, Deputy Fire Chief Robert Dube said the County will pay 13%
of project costs. No additional FTEs (Full-Time Equivalent) will be required.
Parks and Recreation
Approve the Ninth Amendment to the Chi Chi Rodriguez Foundation lease agreement and
approve a continuing and unconditional guaranty agreement to Bank of America (BOA) for a
total aggregate sum not to exceed One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) for a loan held by the Chi
Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation, Inc., in the operation of the Chi Chi Rodriquez Golf Course
located on McMullen-Booth Road and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same.
(consent)
Council Work Session 2007-07-30 2
The Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation Inc. (Foundation) has developed and operated
the Chi Chi Rodriguez Golf Course and Pinellas County School program on the McMullen-Booth
site for over 21 years. On March 2, 2000, the City Council extended the lease between the City
and Foundation for use of this property by 15 years from its 2010 expiration to November 12,
2025.
Included in the Eighth Amendment to Lease Agreement was a provision for the
Foundation to pay the City 3% of its gross revenue as rent during the 15-year extension period
(estimated to be $50,000 per year). The rent payments were to commence upon the City
constructing a new clubhouse at the Glen Oaks Golf Course, which also was run at that time by
the Foundation. The clubhouse was not built and the golf course was transformed into the Glen
Oaks Park. The Ninth Amendment provides for the 3% obligation to be paid during the
extension period, 2010 to 2025.
The Foundation has restructured its Board of Directors and debt in anticipation of some
new initiatives being planned. The City of Clearwater has been a guarantor for past loans
granted to the Foundation for construction and operation of the course (as much as $2.5
million). The Foundation is requesting that the City continue to guarantee a current loan in an
amount not to exceed $1,000,000. The practical guarantee will decrease each year as the
bond's outstanding balance will decrease by $111,111.11 each year, starting August 1, 2008.
The practical guarantee is the amount that the City would need to pay for the golf course to stay
under City control should the Foundation default.
The City’s legal obligation currently is zero and will increase by executing this
agreement. The new agreement between the City, Foundation, and BOA (Bank of America) is
similar to past agreements.
In response to questions, Parks & Recreation Director Kevin Dunbar said the value of
improvements exceed $1 million. The City owns the land. The Foundation is expanding
classes and the County will provide teachers. It was stated the agreement would obligate the
City should the Foundation default.
Other Council Action
Volunteers
Discussion ensued regarding recreation center and library volunteers. Mr. Dunbar said
volunteers provide approximately $500,000 in services each year. The beach recreation center
is the only facility that has logged no volunteer hours. Mr. Dunbar reviewed volunteer hours
logged at each recreation center. It was suggested that volunteers not replace employees at
facilities with the highest use per FTE.
Hotel Densities
Planning Director Michael Delk reviewed the PPC’s (Pinellas Planning Council) two
proposals regarding overnight accommodations and condominiums. While staff is generally
supportive of the proposal, the PPC economic study indicates the changes are insufficient to
make overnight accommodations competitive on the beach. Staff should know by August 7
Council Work Session 2007-07-30 3
which version the PPC will endorse. If the City’s plan differs from the County’s, approval by
DCA (Florida Department of Community Affairs) and PPC would be required.
Speeding Fines
Consensus was to support the request that State Representative Hooper sponsor a bill
allowing cities to double speeding fines in residential neighborhoods.
Adjourn
The meeting adjourned at 2:35 p.m.
Council Work Session 2007-07-30 4