Beach Redevelopment Discussion

Back on October 13, 2009 there was a Work Shop in order to discuss 5 items. The Commission makeup was Clemens, Golden, Lowe, Jennings and Mulvehill.

The first item was an update on the structural analysis of the Beach Casino Building and the amended Interlocal Agreement with the County.

During the course of that meeting it was discussed that
1. B. P. Taurinski, forensic engineer, said that the concrete needed to be excavated, the steel cleaned and protected with a rust inhibiting coating and new concrete placed back. The improvements would make the structure sound and would have a life of at least another 15 years without any restoration.
2. They received 3 bids to perform the building restoration project between $635,000 and $700,000 in case the commission did not move forward with rebuilding the casino.
3. Taurinski reiterated that the structure was safe when Jeff Clemens asked if the columns had to be replaced.
4. City Manager Stanton estimated the cost to paint the building would be around $30 to $40 thousand.
Originally, this was my idea. We have a beach fund and could pay for all these improvements. The tenants could have stayed in the building and we could wait for any costly improvements when the economy was better.

During this workshop meeting it was revealed:
1. The idea was to rebuild the casino at a cost between $4.5 to $5 mil and remove the utility infrastructure improvements from the agreement. The cost to the city would be $250,000.
2. The City would also agree to reduce the lighting component which had an estimated cost of over $300,000.
3. The County allowed decal parking on the upper level but the commission and the original plan allowed for 99 decal parking spaces which now is reduced to 55 and a hike from the lower lot.
4. Somehow between then and now, the cost to build our casino jumped from $5 million max to $6.45 million and infrastructure went from hundreds of thousands to over a million including lights.

I don't recall any meeting where removing the infrastructure costs and having the Utility pay for them was voted on either during this commission or any subsequent commission. So all of a sudden a discussion to do a certain thing became an approved decision and it became approved for the entire beach redevelopment project, not just the Casino. And this is why Vice Mayor Maxwell has been screaming and no one has been listening.