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06/16/2020 Council Work Session Meeting Minutes June 16, 2020 City of Clearwater Main Library- Council Chambers 100 N. Osceola Avenue Clearwater, FL 33755 Meeting Minutes Tuesday, June 16, 2020 9:00 AM Special Work Session - Imagine Clearwater Main Library - Council Chambers Council Work Session Page 1 City of Clearwater Council Work Session Meeting Minutes June 16, 2020 Roll Call Present 5 - Mayor Frank Hibbard, Vice Mayor David Allbritton, Councilmember Hoyt Hamilton, Councilmember Kathleen Beckman, and Councilmember Mark Bunker Also Present: William B. Horne II — City Manager, Micah Maxwell —Assistant City Manager, Michael Delk—Assistant City Manager, Pamela K. Akin City Attorney, and Rosemarie Call — City Clerk. To provide continuity for research, items are listed in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. 1. Call to Order— Mayor Hibbard The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. in Council Chambers at the Main Library. 2. City Manager Verbal Reports — Given. 2.1 Main Library Renovation At the December 16, 2019 Work Session Council approved a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) agreement with Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) Skanska USA Building, Inc., of Tampa, FL for Imagine Clearwater construction services which included renovations to the Main Library. Staff is seeking direction from Council on the status of this project. APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT: ENGF180013-DSGN-PROSVC Funds are available in capital improvement project ENGF180013, Imagine Clearwater, to fund this proposal. Mayor Hibbard recognized Hugh Coachman in the audience and said he did not support the proposed name change for Coachman Park and asked council if there was any support for Coachman Commons. There was council consensus to keep the Coachman Park name. Assistant City Manager Michael Delk said past discussions included whether the Main Library renovations could be done in more than one phase and the constructions costs associated with the rooftop. Depending Page 2 City of Clearwater Council Work Session Meeting Minutes June 16, 2020 on Council direction on item 2.2, staff may take another look at what the library offers within the City's financial resources. The most important decision for Council today is what kind of music venue/amphitheater does Council want to build and where, which may impact some of the library and park improvements. In response to questions, Mr. Delk said the genesis in the ULI study was that Clearwater have a more activated waterfront. ULI looked at the library as a valuable resource that was underutilized in terms of the level of activation. ULI wanted to also integrate the library's civic building and civic component to part of the park. The Committee that looked at the library as a separate project held meetings with the community and the Library Advisory Board, libraries have changed over the past 15 years, displacing stacks of books with technology, maker spaces, and items that could be checked out. He said the rooftop construction accounts for half of the library's renovation costs. Skanska representative Chuck Jablon said the 95% drawings were developed from the existing drawings developed 20 years ago. The team scanned the building from top to bottom and created a new set of drawings. The fifth floor included a proposed elevator outside of the building. The fifth floor-component was expensive due to the 2017 building code requirements, which would require structural improvements throughout the building. The demolition cost alone for the fifth level was over$1 million. Skanska representative Cyndie Phillips reviewed the proposed costs for the library renovations, which totaled$8.8 million. The team also looked at value engineering for cost savings options and identified over $2 million in savings. In response to questions, Mr. Jablon said it cost $125,000 to scan the building. The elevator was 20 feet in and was located where an isolated corridor could be located, allowing individuals access without going inside the building. The proposed elevator on the design was located in an area that would go through all of the duct work, electrical, plumbing and fire suppression systems. He said the team also proposed moving the entire 5th floor to the south-west portion for a better view, which also saved $1 million. He said the team recommends installing a new roof membrane to address the existing leaks. Stantec representative Daryl LeBlanc said the view from the rooftop to the venue is still being studied, the view would be 30 ft. higher from the library looking down for a limited view. Mr. Delk said the proposed rooftop was designed as public space and there was no anticipation for return on investment or to compete with the private sector. The City Attorney said Council has Page 3 City of Clearwater Council Work Session Meeting Minutes June 16, 2020 provided direction on the project but contracts have not been approved. Discussion ensued with comments made that the rooftop was designed to be an event space but does not have a proper kitchen space and there are several hotels on the beach with banquet facilities. Support was expressed with improving the library's integration with the park and installing a new roof membrane. 2.2 Imagine Clearwater - Park Redevelopment At the December 16, 2019 Work Session Council approved a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) agreement with Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) Skanska USA Building, Inc., of Tampa, FL for Imagine Clearwater construction services. Skanska has provided staff with pricing options for redevelopment of the park and amphitheater sites. Staff is seeking feedback from Council on the direction of this project. APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT: ENGF180013-DSGN-PROSVC Funds are available in capital improvement project ENGF180013, Imagine Clearwater, to fund this proposal. Assistant City Manager Michael Delk said council has a priority for a world class facility and aggressive entertainment venue for the waterfront, with programming that justifies need for such a facility. Staff is seeking direction on what council wants to build and where. Once the decision is made, staff will be able to manage the project based on the City's available resources, while preserving a lot of the key components (i.e., water fountains, shade structures, family and play areas, etc.). Stantec representative Greg Myer provided a PowerPoint presentation. Option A flips the stage and VIP area. Option 8 moves the performance venue to the north side of the park, closer to Drew Street. This option provides an open view of the park and bay and separates the venue from the condos. He said he was not sure of the noise change will be that dramatic of a difference. The layout of the performance venue and stage will have a north-south orientation. The destination playground and garden area are moved to the most southern portion of the park. This change also moved the back of house of the performance venue closer to Drew Street, creating less conflict with the park. He said this option does increase the walking distance from the drop off area at the lower gateway plaza and creates a grading issue, requiring more fill. Option C moves the performance venue to the north, while working with Page 4 City of Clearwater Council Work Session Meeting Minutes June 16, 2020 the natural grade of the existing conditions. He said this option maintains the advantages of Option B and provides cost savings due to less fill. Option C also moves the back of house to the west of the park, facing the bayside walk area. Mr. Myer said the team recommends Option C as the better option. In response to questions, Mr. LeBlanc said, if the venue is moved to the south, most of the back of house will be on the left side, limiting exposure to the bay. The 25 parking spaces on the north side for the playground can be designated ADA parking; the entire park is ADA accessible. He said the stage area will be at elevation 12 and 30 at the north bluff walk, as one goes up, one will look at over the performance venue canopy structure. The green space will be smaller in Option C. The green area behind the covered seating area will have a slope in Option C. Mr. LeBlanc said the size of the proposed lake can be reduced so that it looks like a waterbody in the park and not a storm drainage pond. Discussion ensued with concerns expressed that there is not sufficient parking for the marina, support was expressed for Option C. In response to a question, the City Manager said the concertgoers can park at a 600-space parking garage off Ft. Harrison Avenue. The proposed garage will be large enough to accommodate the park users and downtown retail patrons. Parking for the marina is shared parking, ensuring there is parking available for the dock users when they come. He said there are other park users who could use the parking, the challenge has been not to exclusively make the parking for the marina users when not in use. Mr. Delk said staff will present items at the council meeting identifying action needed by Council, based on today's direction. Council needs to determine if they want to build the back of house and covered seating and move it to the north, staff will build a design of the balance of the park around that. Regarding the amenities, staff will not incorporate a dog park or tennis courts unless council direction to do so is given. Skanska Superintendent Grady Freeman said Phase 1 is the library development work and Phase 1A is the utility work that serves the library and the external elements of the library and north bluff. Phase 1 includes some Duke Energy utility work for some of the park amenities and demolition. The force main work is needed across the western end of the park, which ties into the existing force main on the north. This allows Duke to take their existing feeders that go to Clearwater beach out of the central park area. He said relocating the Duke infrastructure will allow Page 5 City of Clearwater Council Work Session Meeting Minutes June 16, 2020 the team to install the lake and other foundation elements throughout the central park area. All of the work is underground. The timeframe for the project is 36 months. Mr. Jablon said the project could be completed within 28 months if the park is closed. In response to questions, Mr. LeBlanc said the bandshell building has a bank of restrooms, adjacent to the multi purpose room, which are intended to serve at half capacity. The location of the remaining restrooms has not been determined, restrooms will be required if the splashpad is installed. Mr. Freeman said public parking could potentially be built on the south end while the northern portion of project is being built. He said Skanska's plan does not cover natural gas. Identifying conduits for EV charging station infrastructure would be completed before landscaping is done. Engineering Construction Manager Tim Kurtz said the Duke utility work will be deeper than any other infrastructure to be installed as part of the project and Skanksa can start the process with their vendors as soon as staff direction is given. The GMP process will take 6 weeks, staff anticipates presenting the agreement to council at the September 14 meeting. The City Manager said if the park cannot be built as designed, staff will come back to council. The Council recessed from 10:59 a.m. to 11:10 a.m. Discussion ensued regarding the proposed number of seats. It was stated that motions can be made at the council meeting regarding the number of seats. In response to concerns, the City Attorney said the referendum language Councilmember Beckman read was for the second referendum that addressed the Imagine Clearwater issues and the improvements needed in the park. The referendum for the bandshell was held two years prior, the referendum addressed the city owned bandshell and associated facilities, including removable seating. 3. City Attorney Verbal Reports — None. 4. New Business (items not on the agenda may be brought up asking they be scheduled for subsequent meetings or work sessions in accordance with Rule 1, Paragraph 2). — None. 5. Closing Comments by Mayor— None. 6. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 11:56 a.m. Page 6 City of Clearwater