Posted on July 24, 2023
Saying, “It’s go time,” Key Biscayne Councilman Oscar Sardiñas opened the gates to a 6-1 vote Tuesday night, handing the keys to Black & Veatch’s consulting firm to organize, sequence and prioritize the Village’s Resilient Infrastructure Integration and Implementation Plan.
“At the end of the day, it’s time to move forward,” he said, saying the positive 2020 vote on the GO Bonds was the sign the Village’s citizens wanted ways to protect their property and way of life. “This is not a time to step back … you can’t do it without a good program manager and one who’s on our side to do it right.”
The conversation about spending $1.381 million for a consulting firm had raised concerns from several Council members at the May 9 meeting.
The item was brought back Tuesday night, and B&V Associate Vice President Rafael Frias III, based in the Coral Gables office, explained how the national firm would help over the next 10 to 15 years.
Councilman Oscar Sardiñas.
“We’re well aware of your $250 million complex program,” he said. “You’re being proactive to address climate change, one of the few (communities in South Florida) moving forward with projects.”
Although there are uncertainties, he said the reality of sea level rise “is happening, and things need to be evaluated, and things need to get done … You could have an alternative with no action, but as years go by, things get more difficult.”
The Village’s five lines of defense — shoreline (erosion), stormwater, utilities, roadways, and regulations — include some 50-100 projects.
“That’s where we come in,” Frias said, noting his team would “create an assessment on how vulnerable you are and how you want to proceed. With just a few projects, you don’t want this, but with a plethora of projects … we’ll be around.”
He said the firm has been doing these assessments for many years, including a $130 million project on North Miami Beach.
A Key Biscayner kayaking on a flooded street after a storm.
His explanation and earlier conversations with Council members and Resiliency and Sustainability Chief Dr. Roland Samimy smoothed most concerns.
Councilman Brett Moss, for instance, questioned if spending $1.3 million was just to receive a booklet, he stated at the May 9 meeting. But, a clearer explanation Tuesday and the 2- to 3-hour meeting earlier showed him the value of hiring Black & Veatch.
“Historically, for the Village, it’s been difficult to manage our consultants,” he said. “This is something we need; what’s going to guide us.”
He also said “insurability” is why the residents need this.
“We’ve already seen the effects of insurance; they’re leaving or increasing (the cost) dramatically,” he said. “This is not (a project with) all the bells and whistles … or to be the best of the best, but we need to be intelligent on what we’re doing.”
New Public Works Director Cairo Cangas will oversee Black & Veatch’s work and the overall projects as they unfold.
Councilman Brett Moss.
Even if the Village prematurely ends its deal with the firm, for any reason, its proprietary work will still be available for another firm to follow, if so desired.
Vice Mayor Frank Caplan said a pervasive question among residents has been, “Why is this necessary?” and “Why now?”
“We’re talking about 50-100 projects, which is a significant number,” he said. “When you’re looking at a multitude of projects … when and how wrong decisions could be made, so multiply that by 50-100 projects …”
Village Manager Steve Williamson also answered the “Why now?” question.
“We’ve had questions on financing mechanisms. Are we putting the cart in front of the horse?” he said. “It’s like building a plane while in flight, but we’re out in front of the plane. We probably should have had these guys on board a year ago … getting (people) comfortable on how we spend your money.”
Vice Mayor Frank Caplan.
The $1.3 million cost has been reduced by $330,000 through funding from a state grant. An additional $870,000 is part of a state revolving loan fund (at a payback of $100,000 annually); the rest is budgeted through the General Fund.
Black & Veatch will manage the program’s implementation, while AECOM’s engineering firm will design it.
Councilman Ed London, who cast the lone “nay” vote, felt it was like signing “a blank check” since the program would call for hiring a construction manager, and then there’s the uncertainty of future costs. “God knows what it’s gonna cost us,” he said.
London preferred to move on the immediate K-8 Basin plan, hire an experienced worker for the open engineer position in the Village’s Public Works Department and “do it internally. We do the one project and see how that works out, and then we go forward.”
Councilman Ed London.
But, Councilman Fernando Vazquez, who made a career working on projects such as these, said, “I don’t know any substantial (program) that doesn’t have a program manager on board. Sorry, Ed, but K-8 doesn’t have anything to do with the overall (plan) … K-8 is just one part.
“You don’t send just one platoon into battle and see what we got. You’ve gotta marry the Army, the Air Force, the Navy … We don’t even know what is underground because we haven’t done the vulnerability assessment yet. This is a tremendous threat, climate change. I say, ‘Let’s go!’ ”
The next step will be a workshop in August when AECOM will provide more details on the K-8 Basin, the project’s first phase.
Councilman Fernando Vazquez.
Council member Allison McCormick said that by making an investment in an outside consultant, it would hopefully mean getting the “day-to-day” smaller issues back in focus by Village staff. “It could strike that balance,” she said.
“The things we are setting out to do … these are bold,” Mayor Joe Rasco said. “There is consternation here. … But, like Oscar says, if we don’t start, we’re never gonna do it.”
