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ATV Park Ad Hoc Minutes 10/01/2013 A/ Collier er Coo- n.t, <�4. s A-, 06,j' 'o ATV Park Ad Hoc Committee Meeting S, Growth Management Division Main Conference Room \/�„ 2885 South Horseshoe Drive Naples, Fla. October 1,2013 5:30 p.m. I. Call to Order/Roll Call The ATV Park Ad Hoc meeting was called to order at approximately 5:34 p.m. by Chairman Joe Pelletier. A quorum was present. Those in attendance were as follows: ATV Park Committee: Joe Pelletier, Chairman Jeff Close, Member Ed Lukosavich, Alternate Member Mario Menendez, Member Greg Westgate,Alternate Member Not Present: Felix Garcia, Vice Chairman—excused Jonathan Harraden, Member- excused William Combs, Member- excused Barbra Pinx, Member Staff: Nick Casalanguida, Growth Management Division (GMD) Administrator Barry Williams, Parks &Recreation Dept. Director Connie Deane, GMD Community Liaison &ATV Park Committee Staff Liaison Toni Mott, Collier County Manager Property Acquisition Valerie Kullick, GMD - Minutes II. Adoption of Agenda Mario Menendez moved to adopt the agenda and Jeff Close seconded. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. III. Adoption of Minutes from September 3, 2013 meeting Chairman Joe Pelletier requested a motion to approve the 9/3/13 minutes. Connie Deane mentioned that she made some small formatting changes after providing the minutes to the committee members. Mario Menendez made a motion to approve the minutes with changes discussed and Jeff Close seconded the motion. ATV Park Ad Hoc Committee Meeting Minutes Oct. 1,2013/Page 2 of 8 MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. IV. Old Business A. Provide page 2 of minutes from July 17, 2013 meeting showing correction approved by the committee Chairman Pelletier passed out page 2 of the minutes and Connie explained that it just showed a rephrasing of a sentence that Barbra Pinx had pointed out at the last meeting. Extra copies were available for members of the public. B. Discussion regarding Responses from Letters of Interest/Request for Information Need to determine if want to move toward Request for Proposal and take to Board of County, Commissioners (BCC) and/or determine if there are other items the committee wants to recommend to the BCC 1. Received comments from Jonathan Harradan who is unable to attend this evening due to work 2. Received comments from Greg Westgate and Mario Menendez who are both expected to be at the meeting Jon Harradan's comments were provided to the committee members. The written statement he provided is below. As was brought up in the last discussion every park offers something different but together they cover all interests in the off-roading community. This money was acquired from a place that let every type of off road recreation participate not just ATV's or motorcross type bikes. (Option#3) I would like to move the remaining settlement money from the general fund and place it into two accounts. Account one would be an interest bearing account to help perpetuate the funds into the future. Account two would have the ability to have funds drawn off it for the following proposal- I would then like to see a program with the following established and planned Off-road vehicle parks for 1 year. Devils Garden,Tracks and Trails,Lazy Springs and the Red Neck Yacht Club. These parks have the choice to participate or not. If other parks become established they too will be eligible to participate. My thought is a 50%entry fee subsidization. The county and the parks will have to come to an agreement on the time frame to be paid. It is unreasonable to expect the county to write four checks every week. Every guest over the age of 16 years old would be required to show proof of Collier County residency with a valid ID or driver's license. I feel that for 1 year the benefit of someone fraudulently bringing children to the park that do not live in Collier County and getting the subsidization far outweighs the cost when considering the potential to encourage new riders in our area and chosen form of recreation. There will need to be a system in place to account for the number of visitors to these parks to prevent anyone from accusing them of any impropriety. I would like this program to be revisited 11 months from the date of inception. At that time the participation statistics from each of the parks should be made available for review. This way an educated decision could be made on how or if to continue this program and speculate the longevity of the funds made available. I have polled as many people in the ORV community as possible. It is my recommendation to not deposit any large sums of money to any one park. The remaining money should be used to encourage the possibility of an off-road park within the borders of Collier County. The majority of responses were to pursue Picayune Strand and encourage the development of an ORV trail system. RNYC Prices are: ATV Park Ad Hoc Committee Meeting Minutes Oct. 1,2013/Page 3 of 8 $60 For the entire weekend of camping and mudding. One day"Sunday Funday passes"are$30 cash only at the gate,and are good for Sunday only. Kids 12 and under get in for free! Devils garden-from 2013 Adult for Fri and Sat- $40.00 each Adult for Sunday Only- $30.00 each Children 6-12 for Fri and Sat- $30.00 each Children 6-12 for Sunday Only- $15.00 each Children 5 and under- FREE Active Military with proof- FREE Retired Military with proof- 1/2 OFF Lazy Springs- $10 for the day,per person $10 per off road vehicle $10 per boat or jet ski Kids 9 and under are free Florida Tracks and Trails- Pricing to be decided. Greg Westgate wanted to clarify that there was a cutoff date for accepting Letters of Interest and wanted to verify that we were no longer accepting Letters of Interest. Connie confirmed that we have not received any more responses. Greg also inquired as to whether or not we could review the details of the packets/letters that were received. Chairman Pelletier said that we could do that. He also said he wanted to bring up the matter of continuing to search for land in Collier County. He said that we have spent approximately $26,000.00 searching for land in Collier with the help of Hans Russell, and did not have much luck. Joe said he went back through all his old records and meeting minutes and found several statements made by Collier County officials that they were not interested in staffing, insuring and running an ATV park. Joe read a quote made by Mr. Williams that stated something to that effect. Nick Casalanguida said that was a true statement. Joe said at this point, the ATV Committee got permission from the BCC to start looking outside the county. This lead to the Letters of Interest from several parks (none in Collier). Joe said he feels a little disturbed now that all of a sudden, some of the committee members are talking about a "voucher system" to go to various parks. Joe thought that the purpose of the committee was to find an ATV site, not to establish a voucher system. He thinks it's a bad idea to use the money in this way because when it's gone, that's it. He feels that using a voucher system and continuing to look in Collier is a waste of time. Nick Casalanguida said that he thinks the committee has a lot of choices. One choice is if the committee feels they can't find any property, they can wait. Or, perhaps the committee may decide to buy a smaller parcel of land, if that is all they decide they can afford. Another option is to offer to partner with a park or parks. We could do some sort of voucher system. Another choice is going out and developing a Request for Proposal. Those are all available options. Nick said that the BCC gave them permission to look outside the county, develop some options, see what the Letter of Interest generated and then come back to them with some recommendations. The bottom line is that the BCC will take their comments under advisement and still make their own decision. Nick said that what they're here to do tonight is lay out some options, prioritize the group of options and if it's not unanimous, that's okay. That's the message you'll carry to the BCC. Joe asked if it was okay to go to the BCC with a split decision. Nick said yes, you just tell them a couple people felt one way, a couple felt another. The BCC may ask staff what they think should be done with the money at this time. ATV Park Ad Hoc Committee Meeting Minutes Oct. 1,2013/Page 4 of 8 Barry Williams suggested we write the ideas down on a white board as the committee comes up with them. He said he had also heard the committee talk about putting the money in an interesting bearing account and this is something they may want to address tonight. Greg Westgate said that he would like to come to a decision and make a recommendation — ASAP. Nick asked if he meant that he'd like to put a RFP out there, saying we're looking for something within certain parameters, to do something permanent with the county. Invest in some sort of third party park environment, whether it's Mr. Wigham in Collier, FTT in Charlotte, Redneck Yacht Club, or any others. Greg said he thought it would be a waste of time for some parks to respond, as they don't fit the parameters of what the committee wants. Nick responded that we need to choose the parameters, let people apply, then rank the choices and perhaps start negotiations. Joe Pelletier mentioned that he remembered one meeting where the committee discussed how they would get the most "bang for the buck" — the most amenities, the security, family friendly, a place with directional trails, etc. In his opinion, a voucher program wouldn't fit this ideal. The money would be going to places that don't fit in these parameters. He's also concerned with the amount of time the committee has taken (going on two years) and the falling attendance at the committee meetings. Nick asked that we go around the table and everyone can express their opinion and thoughts. Mario started by stating that the idea of a voucher system had been his. He came up with this idea because he doesn't think there is anything out there that fits the parameters that the committee had been looking for. He thinks this would be a quick solution; with it anyone in the county could go out to any park and ride. Then the county could reimburse them half (or whatever they decide), and people could ride. He doesn't think it matters where the park is located. Mario's recommendation is to put some money in an account right now, that would allow riders to start riding now (wherever they want), and continue looking for property or at partnering up with one (or more) of the parks. Mario also recommends moving the money from the general fund into its own account, where it is less likely to be used for other purposes. Greg Westgate made a motion to move the money into a segregated account by itself. Ed Lukosavich seconded the motion. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Nick said that this is a recommendation that we will bring to the BCC and they will make the decision. Jeff Close asked Joe what his opinion was. Joe said that he honestly likes Florida Tracks and Trails (FTT). He appreciates that Terry Cooke has been to every meeting and done his due diligence. He thinks the plans for FTT offer everything the committee has been looking for. Nick stopped Joe and pointed out that they can't pick a vendor at this meeting. You can express your opinion about who you like and the course of action you would like to take. Joe's recommendation is that Collier County partner up with a group or park. Joe would also like to start this process by issuing an RFP. Nick said that the way to do that is to advertise for various interested parties to provide the committee with specifications including: what they can offer; hours of operation; etc. Nick said that it will be a third party that reviews the specs (maybe a staff member, an attorney, the Purchasing Dept., etc.) and they will rate them, based on what they have to offer. One entity would be selected, and then negotiations with that one entity would begin. ATV Park Ad Hoc Committee Meeting Minutes Oct. 1,2013/Page 5 of 8 Jeff Close agreed with Joe. He likes the idea of partnering up with a specific park. Joe doesn't mind the voucher idea. However, the problem he does have with the voucher system is that sooner or later the account is going to run out of money. Ed Lukosavich likes the voucher program. He likes the idea of starting to be able to ride right away. He pointed out that FTT is not open yet and he wants a place to go now. He thinks the park that the county works with should offer everything that ATV riders want in terms of types of vehicles including: dirt bikes; 4-wheelers; etc. Greg Westgate thinks they should choose one entity and focus and build on that. There followed some discussion regarding different parks in the state, what types of vehicles they allowed, and how far people were willing to travel in order to ride. Joe questioned the fact that perhaps there were parks out there that would not want to accept the vouchers offered. Mario agreed and suggested some type of reimbursement from the county after the fact, directly to the Collier County resident. During the discussions, Barry Williams had been writing the various ideas and suggestions down on the white board. He suggested looking at the list and prioritizing by rank, what the group liked best. Mario said they had already agreed on one idea (segregating the money), so thought they should look over the others options and see who likes what. Barry listed what was on the board. 1. Issue an RFP for partnering with one park that exists or is shovel ready. 2. Issue an RFP for a voucher system for all identified parks that responded to the RFI. 3. Seek property inside and outside of Collier County. 4. Place the balance of the money from the settlement with the water management district in an interest bearing account (which the committee agreed to earlier in the meeting) but use the interest to pay for a percentage of reimbursement to riders. 5. Do something similar to a voucher system for a specified period of time, perhaps six months, and continue to look for a permanent spot by conducting an RFP. The committee talked about these options. Ed suggested using a voucher system until the RFP for a partnership was processed. All seemed amenable to that idea. Nick feels that the committee needs to develop formal criteria for an RFP. He discussed how the selection process may work. He thinks there would be an impartial selection committee. They would rate the submittals based on criteria probably developed by the committee. The criteria may include specifics such as hours of operation, access, acreage, facilities, etc. They may select the best vendor and go into negotiations for price. Each item offered by each park may score a point in the process, and the higher score the better. Greg Westgate listed some of the points that he thinks are important to the riders such as an organized trail system, wooded area, 800 to 1,000 acres, various tracks, open and accessible to the public more than seven-to-10 weekends per year (preferably open all year round), and with camping on-site. Nick thought these were all acceptable criteria for the list. He said that the more criteria a participant met, the higher they would score. He explained that you have to make the criteria list somewhat open and reasonable, so that the RFP process is open to all who may be able or willing to try and meet the criteria. Nick asked if they could wrap up one part of the discussion regarding the temporary voucher system. He wanted to know if what he was hearing was that they wanted to do a limited voucher system and go through with trying to prioritize a park in which to invest. Greg asked what the voucher system would/could pay for. Nick said it might be a good idea to ask to ATV Park Ad Hoc Committee Meeting Minutes Oct. 1,2013/Page 6 of 8 direct county staff to work with the County Attorney's Office (CAO) to explore a voucher system; determining what it would take and what the parameters might be. That would be part one of a motion. Nick also asked if they wanted to put a limit on it. Mario thought they should put a limit on both money and time. Nick suggested not exceeding a certain amount of money and a 12-month time frame. The committee discussed various aspects of the proposal, including how much money they may want to use for the voucher system. There were various amounts discussed from $100,000.00 to $500,000.00 with some disagreement as to an appropriate amount. Greg said they should just go ahead and make a motion to start a criteria list for an RFP. Joe feels that the voucher system is a waste of time. Greg Westgate made a motion to send out a solicitation for plans (RFP) in order to start the process of ranking them by a provided criteria list. Ed Lukosavich seconded the motion. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. Nick asked if the there was any interest in the voucher system now. Joe Pelletier restated his opinion that it would be a waste of time. He feels that by the time it goes to the BCC, then the details are discussed with the CAO, it will be "a long time", you won't be able to ride immediately using the system. Nick concurred that it would probably be at least three-to-four months, but he was not sure. Ed Lukosavich made a motion to set aside $250,000.00 for a maximum of one year to be used for a voucher system (details to be determined later). Nick clarified by saying it would be to direct staff to see if they can develop a voucher system and if it can be done, to use $250,000.00 for a period of up to one year. Ed agreed with the clarification. Mario Menendez seconded the motion. MOTION FAILED 3-2 (with Pelletier,Westgate and Close dissenting). Nick said that Barry will detail the three motions voted on in the Executive Summary to let them know that two were unanimous, and inform them that there was interest in the voucher system and it may be looked at again. Nick now suggested that a formal list be created for desired criteria. The following items were added to the list: • Greater than 800 acres • Uplands &wooded (less lakes) • Camping • Hours of use/open year round • Distance to Collier(the closer the better) • Variety of vehicles allowed on site • Directional Trail System preferred • Safety provisions provided • Business plan (for sustainability) • Facilities (quantity/quality) • Shovel ready—existing or when available? ATV Park Ad Hoc Committee Meeting Minutes Oct. 1,2013/Page 7 of 8 Greg Westlake made a motion to adopt the suggested criteria (listed above) discussed in the meeting. Ed Lukosavich seconded the motion. MOTION PASSED UNANINMOUSLY. Connie asked for clarification of items we're moving forward with. Number one is placing money in an interest bearing account and to use the interest for ATV items only. Number two is to go out for a solicitation based on the listed criteria; to determine a park that you can bring back and recommend to the Board. Then you can negotiate with them to get the best deal that you can for the available money. Nick agreed. C. Any other old business items anyone wants to discuss? No comments on old business. We will move on to new business. V. New Business—any new items the committee wants to discuss? No new business to discuss. VI. Public Comment Scott Perez wanted to comment that he has seen a lot of progress in today's meeting. He has attended many of these meetings and has watched the step-by-step process over the last couple of years. He feels like today the committee is almost "there", and has come together with the help of Nick. He thinks it's going in the right direction. Dave Kelly with the Red Neck Yacht Club (along with Rob White — operations manager) wanted to talk to the committee about their concerns about two wheeled bikes. Dave said as he sat and listened to them develop their criteria list, he feels they (RNYC) meet the majority of items on the list. He wanted to point out that he put in their RFI that he believes within 60 days he would be able to provide a place for two wheeled vehicles to ride. He wanted to remind them that the RNYC is permitted to be open over 200 days per year. He said their proposal is not for Collier residents to come to RNYC events, but for the RNYC to open up on days just for ATV and other vehicles to come and enjoy the 900+acres they have. He feels it would be a different environment compared to their RNYC scheduled events. Greg Westlake said that he and some friends went out to the RNYC shortly after they opened to ride, and were unable to. He wants to know why they haven't changed policy yet to accept dirt bikes and have a trail system. Dave said they have spent the last 1 1/2 years checking into what type of track is required for dirt bikes and other recreational vehicles. He said they have been researching options during this time period for airboat tracks, ATV racing circuit, motocross stuff Nick advised them that when they submit their next proposal, they need to be very careful about what they put in it — do they have the amenity, is it planned, is it existing?Are you willing to do it? These are the details you must put in your proposal. Ivor Wigham asked how many people in Collier County actually ride. Nobody had a firm answer. Mario said there are several thousand registered ATV's in Collier County — he thinks over 3,000. Barry Williams wanted to add a couple of items. He said he thinks it may be a good idea to put into the Executive Summary the fact that the group has looked at the Miami-Dade Jetport ATV Park Ad Hoc Committee Meeting Minutes Oct. 1,2013/Page 8 of 8 property and let them know it was ruled out for a variety of reasons — the biggest being the three-to-five year waiting period. He said it also would be good to mention Mr. Wigham's informative meeting about his riding school. It just documents the research that the committee has done. Nick also wanted to remind everyone that the decision is ultimately going to be up to the BCC, no matter what the committee may recommend. VII. Next Meeting Date Nick asked Barry to work with Connie about drafting an Executive Summary and putting it on the BCC Agenda. They feel like it should be ready for the Tuesday,Nov. 12 BCC meeting. As chairman, Joe Pelletier will attend the BCC meeting with Nick to present the recommendations. Nick said they would ask for an afternoon time certain slot. Nick said that once the Executive Summary is drafted, Connie will send an e-mail with the draft for committee members to look over and comment on. If they have any questions or input, they need to email ONLY Connie back. The ATV committee will be meeting after the BCC meeting. The committee is looking at Tuesday, Dec. 3 as a tentative meeting date. Connie will send out e-mails as time gets closer. Nick needed a motion to request an afternoon time certain slot for the BCC meeting. Ed Lukosavich made a motion to ask for a 3 p.m. time certain slot.Jeff Close seconded the motion. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. VIII. Adjournment Chairman Pelletier asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Greg Westgate moved to adjourn,Ed Lukosavich seconded the motion. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Having no further business the meeting was officially adjourned at 7:07 p.m.