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MIAMI RIVER COMMISSION 
c/o Robert King High
1407 NW 7 St.,  Suite D
Miami, FL 33125  
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I & II. Status of Miami River Federal Navigable Channel Maintenance Dredging Project & Funding and Status of “Bank to Bank” Maintenance Dredging Project & Funding – Mr. Buermann asked Mr. Brett Bibeau, MRC Managing Director, to provide the Dredging Working Group with and update on the project’s available funding.  Mr. Bibeau distributed copies of an itemized list of the grand total $55.26 million currently appropriated between the Federal, State, County, City, and FIND for the 40% complete project.  Mr. Bibeau noted the State’s recently appropriated $3.2 million Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 line item is their record high appropriation for the project, and essentially completes the State’s cost share to complete the project.  Mr. Bibeau thanked the Governor and FL Legislature for their continued support for the project, and acknowledged the local elected officials, marine industrial businesses, Miami River Marine Group, Marine Industries Association of South Florida, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, and Miami River developers whom wrote the Dade Delegation in support of the County’s appropriation request.

Mr. Bibeau reported that the House of Representative’s Energy and Water Subcommittee recently released their preliminary FY ’07 budget proposal, including $4.1 million for the Miami River maintenance dredging project, which equates to a $600,000 “congressional add” over the President’s $3.5 million budget submittal for the project.  Mr. Bibeau stated the Senate’s Energy and Water Subcommittee is expected to release their preliminary FY ’07 budget proposal before the end of May 2006.  Mr. Bibeau distributed copies of the letters which have been mailed thus far to the Senate Energy and Water Subcommittee Chair Domenici, Ranking Member Reid, Senator Mel Martinez, Senator Bill Nelson, House of Representative’s Energy and Water Chair David Hobson, and Ranking Member Visclosky, from several City and County Commissioners, marine industrial businesses, Miami River Marine Group, Marine Industries Association of South Florida, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, and Miami River developers, in support of the County’s $24.2 million “critical priority” FY ’07 federal appropriation request.  Mr. Bibeau stated he expected additional support letters will be mailed in the upcoming days, and thanked everyone for writing to express their continued support for the completion of the long awaited project.  Mr. Bibeau noted the House and Senate figures would then proceed to conference, where a final FY ’07 federal appropriation amount will be agreed upon.  The Dredging subcommittee noted the ACOE’s significant expenditures in the Gulf Region due to Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma, and the war, have made it more difficult to secure the federal cost share balance due to complete the project.    

Mr. Buermann asked Mr. Bibeau to comment on the draft “Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) Between Miami-Dade County, FL and the Dept. of the Army for Acceptance and Return of Advanced Funds for the Maintenance of the Miami River, FL Project”, provided by the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) to the County, which formerly serves as the local project sponsor, when local advanced funds were being considered as a mechanism to avoid the first temporary demobilization.  Mr. Bibeau noted the distributed funding status summary indicates only an estimated $38.81 million of the $55.26 million appropriated thus far has been expended in completing 40% of the project, leaving an available appropriated balance of $16.45 million, which is sufficient to dredge “acceptance sections” 7-10 (of 15), for an estimated cost of $16.1 million.  Mr. Bibeau stated executing the MOA would allow the ACOE to award sections 7-10, because currently they are only able to award sections per the prescribed cost-share formula.  Therefore, since there is only $3.5 million of the federal cost share currently available, the ACOE is only authorized to award acceptance section 7.  Mr. Bibeau noted when remobilized the contractor estimates completion of one acceptance section per month.  Mr. Bibeau stated the MOA would not result in any increase nor decrease of the local cost shares, rather allow what the local partners have already appropriated for the purpose of dredging the Miami River to be spent at a rate faster than the federal funding as dictated by the cost-share formula.  The Dredging subcommittee noted the ACOE’s dredging contract expires in April 2009, which is sufficient for two federal funding cycles, FY ’07 and FY ’08.  

Mr. Carlos Espinosa, Interim Director of the Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Resource Management (DERM), stated because the project commenced at the salinity dam, it will not produce any navigational, economic or environmental benefits, until it is completed to the mouth at the confluence of Biscayne Bay .  Mr. Espinosa noted the MOA does not guarantee the federal cost share balance due will become available to fully fund dredging within the final acceptance sections 11-15.  Therefore, the dredging subcommittee discussed the worst case scenario would become that the previously appropriated local cost share would be expended to dredge AS 7-10, completing 2/3 of the project, and the $24 - $28 federal cost share balance due isn’t appropriated to fully fund AS 11-15, then the local cost share partners would be left to cover the federal cost share balance due to complete the project.  Mr. Gary Winston , MRC designee for Miami-Dade ST Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, suggested exploring the possibility of phasing the local advanced funding strategy over a two year period.  Mr. Winston stated Miami-Dade ST Attorney Fernandez-Rundle remains in strong support of completing the Miami River maintenance dredging project, and asked to be informed if there was anything she may to do assist.

The Dredging subcommittee directed Mr. Bibeau to provide them with a draft presentation outlining the different potential scenarios to utilize the currently appropriated funding, and secure the balance due to complete the Miami River maintenance dredging project.  Mr. Buermann asked Mr. Bibeau to provide the draft presentation to the subcommittee members prior to the June Dredging subcommittee meeting, and place a review of the draft on their June agenda.  Mr. Espinosa stated the timing is appropriate for the project’s partners to analyze the potential scenarios to complete the project.          

III.  Status of Removal of NW 5^th Street Bridge Prior to Dredging within that Acceptable Section - Mr. Evan Skornick stated the Florida Department of Transportation, has been communicating with the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), regarding expediting the removal of the NW 5 ST Bridge, which is built into the Federal Navigable Channel.  The FDOT is attempting to remove the bridge prior to the dredging arriving in that area, which if the dredging funding is made available may be in early-mid 2007. 

V. New Business – The Dredging subcommittee confirmed the next regularly scheduled third Wednesday of the month meeting for June 17, 2006 , 10 am .  Mr. Bibeau thanked DERM for hosting the Dredging subcommittee meeting in order to have a speaker phone available for the ACOE to call in.  Mr. Bibeau stated the speaker phone in the MRC’s conference facility was recently repaired, therefore next month the meeting will return to the regular location, 1407 NW 7 ST.

The meeting adjourned.

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