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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. Carlos Espinosa, Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Resource Management (DERM), stated Congress recently adopted the Fiscal Year 2006 Energy and Water Bill, with a $3.5 million line item for the Miami River maintenance dredging project.  On behalf of the MRC, Mr. Brett Bibeau, MRC Managing Director, thanked Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the entire Dade Delegation, Governor Jeb Bush, Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami for their continued support of the Miami River Maintenance Dredging project, as well as their successful effort in securing the $3.5 million line item.  Bibeau stated it was his understanding that the appropriation is the new record high congressional ad.  Mr. Bibeau noted the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) and President were prohibited from budgeting for the project in FY ’06 and FY ’05, due to a required yet incomplete economic analysis, which has since been completed, therefore the Corps and President will be able to budget for the project in FY’07.  The 2006 Congressional line item is the 7^th consecutive annual federal appropriation for the Miami River maintenance dredging project.  Mr. Espinosa stated the local cost share for the project is secured.

Mr. Espinosa reported he had received an e-mail from Mr. Jerry Scarborough, ACOE, indicating the appropriated FY ’06 line item is only sufficient to award “Acceptance Section” seven of fifteen, which would take less than one month to complete, and since the contractors have commenced a stand by mode, the ACOE will wait until August 2006 (fourth quarter of FY ’06) to ask the contractors to recommence dredging and continue with additional funding made available in FY ’07, which begins on October 1, 2005.

Mr. Bibeau stated on November 7, 2005 the MRC requested a status summary of the project. Bibeau distributed the following points to the dredging subcommittee attendees:

·        The Miami River Maintenance Dredging project commenced in September 2004.

• The project is 40% complete.
• More than 240,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediments have been dredged thus far, in addition to debris including but not limited to 3 cars, 4 boats, 15 handguns and 3 bowling balls.
• The Miami River maintenance dredging project’s up to 5-year contract between the Army Corps of Engineers and Joint Venture of Weston Solutions and Bean Environmental is divided into 15 geographic “acceptance sections”, of which the first 6 acceptance sections have been completed, covering from the Salinity Dam at NW 36 ST in unincorporated Miami-Dade County , to east of the NW 22^nd Ave Bridge, in the City of Miami .

• The Miami River maintenance-dredging project will significantly improve the Miami River ’s marine industry, increase international trade, commerce and local employment, while improving the natural environment of both the River and Biscayne Bay .
• Thus far the following cost share’s have been expended in completing 40% of the Miami River maintenance dredging project:

Federal = $27.65 million

ST = $5.37 million

Miami-Dade County = $2.56 million

City of Miami = $1.98 million

Florida Inland Navigation District = $1.24 million

Total expended thus far = $38.8 million

·        The Miami River Maintenance Dredging project’s 31% local cost share, including funding from the State of Florida, Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND), City of Miami and Miami-Dade County , have been secured.  

• The Joint Venture’s dredging process and plant have proved more efficient than anticipated by the appropriated federal cost-share funding.
• The up to 5-year contract anticipated the potential for temporary standby periods while additional funding became available.
• The project’s sediment processing plant may remain in place, and the dredging project will be completed when the Army Corps awards the final acceptance sections, as the federal cost share balance is made available.
• Mass dredging may re-commence this federal fiscal year, in August 2006, and subject to available federal funding could be completed in August 2007, approximately two years before the 5-year dredging contract terminates in April 2009.
• The continued strong support from South Florida’s public and private sectors for this long awaited project is sincerely appreciated, especially Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen and the Dade Delegation, Governor Bush and the Florida Legislature, the Florida Inland Navigational District, Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami, Army Corps of Engineers, and the South Florida Water Management District  

The Dredging subcommittee recommended no revisions to the drafted project status.

Mr. Tim McIntosh, DERM, stated Miami-Dade County was increasing their previously discussed State budget request for dredging outside the federal navigable channel from $900,000 to $2.2 million.  Mr. McIntosh noted the County’s ST budget request for dredging inside the federal navigable channel remains $1.8 million.  Mr. McIntosh stated he would provide Mr. Bibeau with the County’s revised “Community Budget Issue Request” (CBIR).

Mr. Bibeau provided Dredging Subcommittee meeting attendees with the following updated Miami River Maintenance Dredging project funding summary, utilizing DERM’s estimated funding matrix:

• Federal

Ø      Appropriated Subtotal=$31.15 million

Ø      Expended Subtotal=$27.65 million

Ø      Federal Cost Share Balance Due=$27.11 million

(Mr. Bibeau noted there was $600,000 available in leftover funding from Dredging Acceptance Sections 1 and 2, as well as another $600,000 estimated in additional leftover funding once the ACOE approves Dredging Acceptance Sections 3, 4, 5 and 6 as completed.)

• State

Ø      Total State Coast Share=$13.5 million

Ø      Appropriated Total=$9.95 million

Ø      Spent Thus Far (Mobilization +Acceptance Sections (AS) 1-6 of 15)=$5,370,953

Ø      Appropriated Available Balance=$4,579,047

Ø      State Cost Share Balance Due=$4 million

(Mr. McIntosh noted the State’s funding “Spent Thus far” may be closer to $6 million, but agreed to double check his data.)

• Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND)

Ø      Total Cost Share=$6.68 million, consisting of $4.08 million in the channel and $2.6 million outside of the channel

Ø      FIND Funding Spent Thus Far (Mobilization +AS1-6)=$983,313 in channel and $259,000 “bank to bank”

Ø      Appropriated Available FIND Funding=$1,801,000 in channel and $1,475,000 outside the channel

Ø      FIND Cost Share Balance Due=$983,313 in channel and $866,000 outside the channel 

• Miami-Dade County

Ø      Total Cost Share=$4,639,972

Ø      Total Spent Thus Far (Mobilization +AS1-6)=$2,563,206

Ø      Pledged (partially appropriated) Balance Due=$2,059,794

• City of Miami

Ø      Total Cost Share=$3,450,899

Ø      Total Spent Thus Far (Mobilization + AS 1-6)=$1,988,743

Ø      Pledged (partially appropriated) Balance Due=$1,462,156

Mr. Bibeau thanked everyone who wrote letters to Mr. Josh Bolton, Office of Management Budget (OMB), supporting the $26.7 million pledged federal cost share balance due for the project to be included in the President’s FY ’07 Budget request, including Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen, Mayor Alvarez, City and County Commissioners and State Representatives. Mr. Bibeau added that President Bush had drafted language to Congress appropriating $194.2 million to the Army Corps of Engineers Operation and Maintenance account for uses including dredging in State’s impacted by Hurricanes Ophelia, Katrina and Rita.  Mr. Bibeau stated Congress hadn’t acted upon the President’s Hurricane Katrina supplemental appropriation request yet, and may add additional ACOE Operation and Maintenance dredging funding in the potential supplemental budget bill for State’s impacted by Hurricane Wilma.  Mr. McIntosh and Mr. Espinosa acknowledged that although the State of Florida and Miami River were impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma, the Miami River maintenance dredging may not be considered a funding priority, considering the ever-present competition among other more drastically affected areas.  Mr. Buermann noted it would be beneficial for Florida , especially the Miami River Maintenance Dredging project, to be included in the Wilma supplemental budget.

Mr. Bibeau stated he had met with Mr. Dorian Valdez and Mr. Frank Reddish, regarding potential additional federal funding sources for the Miami River maintenance dredging project.  Bibeau added he has a follow up meeting later in the day with the SFMWD to discuss the possibility of the SFWMD applying for federal grant funding for the project.

Mr. Bibeau stated since the Dredging subcommittee’s October meeting, he had distributed an e-mail noting the hurdles in the local advance cost share funding option, therefore recommending the alternative not be pursued at this time.  Mr. Espinosa agreed to provide Mr. Bibeau with the drafted local advanced funding agreement, which the ACOE had provided the County for consideration.

III. Update River Utility Crossings –Mr. Bibeau stated he was unaware of any utility crossing relocation issues at this time.

IV. Status of Removal of NW 5^th Street Bridge Prior to Dredging within that Acceptable Section – Mr. Gwin Tate, US Coast Guard, stated he had not received an update from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) concerning the status of the Fifth Street Bridge’s removal and replacement. Dr. Bohnsack asked Mr. Tate to solicit the status from the FDOT.

V.  New Business – The Dredging Subcommittee confirmed the next regularly scheduled third Wednesday of the month meeting for December 21, 2005, 10 am, Robert King High, 1407 NW 7 Street.

The meeting adjourned.

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