City Manager Briefing Report November 2011 Eric M. Soroka, ICMA-CM City Manager This report is prepared in order to inform the City Commission of the status of major projects and ongoing matters. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Legislative Program and Priorities. The proposed 2012 Legislative Program and Priorities was reviewed at the November Workshop Meeting and is scheduled for adoption at the February Commission Meeting. Founders Day This event attracted over 6,100 people at Founders Park on November 6, 2011. Our largest crowd in 15 years. Aventura City of Excellence School Highlights ACES students participated in the annual Aventura Veterans Day Celebration. Prior to the event students had an opportunity to meet with veterans and learn about their experiences. Middle school students participated in the ACES science fair. Several projects were selected for the district competition in January. ACES held its third annual spelling bee at the Aventura Arts and Cultural Center The ACES holiday bazaar fundraiser was a great success. Over forty vendors selling a wide variety of items were on hand as hundreds of parents and students enjoyed shopping while supporting ACES. City Manager Briefing Report
Sixth grade students traveled to Bone Valley where they learned about various Florida ecosystems, enjoyed canoeing down the Peace River and participated in fossil hunting. The ACES boys soccer team defeated Sagemont 4-1, improving their overall record to 5-0. Middle school students enjoyed a live theater performance of Midsummer Night s Dream. Police Department Statistics & Highlights Monthly Crime Overview Crimes from September 2011 and that increased: Robbery up by 4; Aggravated Assault up by 4; Larceny up by 12; Theft-Auto up by 3. Crimes from September 2011 and that decreased: Simple Assault down by 3; Burglary down by 1. 180 160 September 140 120 October 100 80 60 40 20 0 Robbery Aggravated Assault Simple Assault Burglary Larceny Theft-Auto City Manager Briefing Report 2
Calls for service for October 2010 compared to decreased by 147. Officer Robert Myers was named police officer of the month. City Manager Briefing Report 3
Arts and Cultural Center The following represents the programming for the month: November Date Event Time Attendance 2-Nov New World School of the Arts Dance Division 10AM 326 2-Nov New World School of the Arts Dance Division 7:30PM 152 4-Nov Ana Gasteyer 8PM 220 5-Nov Stayin Alive 8PM 325 11-Nov Veterans Day 10AM 170 12-Nov An Evening With Lucie Arnaz 8PM 153 13-Nov The Choreographers' Ball 3PM 229 18-Nov A Midsummer Night's Dream - Smart Stage Matinee 10AM 326 18-Nov A Midsummer Night's Dream - Smart Stage Matinee 11:30AM 148 19-Nov Connie James: Raising the Bar 8PM 159 20-Nov A Midsummer Night's Dream - Smart Stage Matinee 11AM 98 20-Nov A Midsummer Night's Dream - Smart Stage Matinee 1PM 117 27-Nov Miami Int'l Piano Festival George Li 4PM 226 29-Nov ACES Spelling Bee 8:45AM 600 3249 Traffic Signal Intersection of NE 185 th & NE 28 th Court. This request was previously denied by Miami-Dade County Public Works Department as it did not meet the criteria for approval. Our traffic engineers, Kimley- Horn and Associates, Inc. submitted an updated report to the County for their review. Based on the data collected it appears there is enough justification for a signal at that location. We will continue to monitor closely. Pending Development Projects Submitted for Review Island Estates Phase II Tentative Plat Fairmont Turnberry Hotel Extension, West Country Club Drive Chase Bank at NE 209 th and Biscayne Blvd. Puerto Aventura residential condominium, Miami Gardens Drive (Terzetto north site) Lubavitch Synagogue (permanent building), Miami Gardens Drive City Website Update. The City s website will undergo an extensive renovation during the next five months in order to provide a more user friendly and state-of-the-art site. A vendor has been selected to redesign the City s website, cityofaventura.com. Staff has inventoried the pages on the current website and is in the process of updating content for the new site. Below is a picture of the City s new Home Page. City Manager Briefing Report 4
Northeast County Library Branch Construction County staff is organizing a ground breaking for this project during the month of December. Shuttle Bus Service October Shuttle Bus ridership: Monthly Ridership Summary Blue Route 4,712 23% Red Route 2,921 14% Green Route 4,158 20% Purple Route 4,534 22% Yellow Route 4,547 22% Monthly Ridership 20,872 Website Information Top 5 Requested Website Pages www.cityofaventura.com 1. Home page 2. Jobs 3. Community Development City Manager Briefing Report 5
4. Police 5. Community Recreation Center Top 3 Requested Documents www.cityofaventura.com 1. Job Application 2. 2011/12 Operating and Capital Budget 3. Aventura Activites Fall and Winter ebrochure Top 5 Requested Website Pages www.aventuracharter.org 1. Home page 2. Staff Email System 3. Staff 4. Calendar 5. Press Releases & Photo Galleries Top 3 Requested Documents www.aventuracharter.org 1. Holiday Bazaar 2. Lunch 3. Reading Buddies Press Release There are 1,704 Twitter followers for the City. aventuracenter.org had over 10,500 visitors a month. Biscayne Boulevard City Property The City continues to accept informal proposals for the sale or lease of this property. Major Capital Improvement Projects Status Report Aventura Founders Park Improvements Complete This project consists of replacing exercise equipment, pour in place surfacing and shade covers for bleachers. City Manager Briefing Report 6
Mall Informational Sign Complete Biscayne Boulevard Decorative Lighting Improvements Phase I The supplier has informed that the poles will be shipped on December 2, 2011. However, due to the proximity to the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays, the Notice to Proceed has been issued with a January 2, 2012 commencement date and an April, 2012 completion date (60 calendar days). The pre-con will be held in mid-december. Coordination of ARRA monies available and costs provided by the low bid contractor will allow street light pole installs from NE 199th Street to the Lehman Causeway on the east side of Biscayne. The FDOT permit has been issued. Country Club Drive Bus Shelters The bus shelter structures have been ordered and are expected to arrive in mid- December. Locations include construction of two (2) bus shelters on Country Club Drive, one (1) bus shelter will be constructed on the NE corner of Biscayne and NE 213th ST and one (1) bus stop will be upgraded, located just north of the Causeway on West Country Club Drive. NE 191 ST NE 188 ST NE 31 Avenue Asphalt Overlay The work authorization for design was approved at the October Commission Meeting. Construction drawings will be completed by January 1, 2012. Consequently, the project will be advertised for bids and construction can be expected to commence in April, 2012. The project will provide for asphalt milling and resurfacing improvements on the above referenced roadways. Government Center Parking Expansion This project consists of adding a parking deck adjacent to the Government Center. The firm of PGAL was selected to perform architectural services for this project. Phase 1 studies are underway. Design is anticipated to be complete by August 2012. City Manager Briefing Report 7