Immokalee Beautification MSTU Minutes 01/23/2019
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MINUTES
Meeting of the Immokalee Lighting and Beautification MSTU Advisory Committee on January 23, 2019.
CareerSource SWFL
750 South 5th Street
Immokalee, FL 34142
239-658-3000
A. Call to Order.
The meeting was called to order by Norma Garcia, MSTU Chair at 9:02 a.m.
B. Pledge of Allegiance and a Moment of Silent.
Norma Garcia led the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence.
C. Roll Call and Announcement of a Quorum.
Christie Betancourt opened roll call.
MSTU Advisory Committee Members Present:
Norma Garcia, Andrea Halman, and Cherryle Thomas.
MSTU Advisory Committee Members Absent/Excused:
Bernardo Barnhart.
Others Present:
Armando Yzaguirre, Peter Johnson, Frank Nappo, Wilna Cariany, and Bill McDaniel.
Staff: Debrah Forester, Christie Betancourt, David Berra, and Kayla Boney.
D. Introductions.
All board members introduced themselves to the members of the public. All public present introduced
themselves.
E. Approval of Agenda.
Staff presented the agenda to the board for approval. Staff announced that item I.2.ii. Landscape
Architect Design (Enclosure 9) has been replaced with an updated version that includes minor revisions.
Action: Ms. Andrea Halman made a motion to approve the agenda with updated Landscape Architect
Design Enclosure 9. Ms. Cherryle Thomas seconded the motion and it passed by unanimous vote. 3-0.
F. Approval of Consent Agenda.
1. Minutes
i. Joint CRA & MSTU Advisory Board Meeting for November 28, 2018 (Enclosure 1)
ii. Joint CRA & MSTU Advisory Board Meeting for December 12, 2018 (Enclosure 2)
2. Budget.
i. Current Budget (Enclosure 3)
3. Operations Manager Report (Enclosure 4)
4. Community Meetings (Enclosure 5)
Staff presented the board with the November 28, 2018 Joint CRA & MSTU Board Meeting Minutes, the
December 12, 2018 Joint CRA & MSTU Board Meeting Minutes, Budget, Operations Manager’s Report,
and Community Meetings.
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Action: Ms. Cherryle Thomas made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda as amended. Ms. Andrea
Halman seconded the motion and it passed by unanimous vote. 3-0.
G. Announcements.
1. Communications Folder
Staff reviewed the communications folder with the board and members of the public. The folder
contained the public notice for this meeting, CRA/MSTU 2019 Calendar, and flyers for upcoming
community events.
2. Public Comment speaker slips
Staff reiterated the public 3-minute speaker slip policy. The board will give more time if they feel
it necessary.
3. Welcome David Berra, CRA Project Manager
Mr. Berra introduced himself as a landscape architect who previously worked with Collier County
Parks and Recreation.
4. CRA/MSTU Budget & Work Plan Workshop- February 6, 2019 @ 10:00 a.m.
Staff announced that the joint annual Budget and Work Plan Workshop will be held on Wednesday,
February 6, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. at CareerSource.
H. CRA New Business.
1. Nominations for Chair and Vice-Chair
Nominations for MSTU Chair and Vice Chair began.
Ms. Cherryle Thomas recommended that the individuals who currently serve as Chair and Vice-
Chair remain in their respective positions.
Action: Ms. Cherryle Thomas made a motion to nominate Ms. Andrea Halman as Vice-Chair. Ms.
Norma Garcia seconded the motion and it passed by unanimous vote. 3-0.
Action: Ms. Cherryle Thomas made a motion to nominate Ms. Norma Garcia as Chair. Ms. Andrea
Halman seconded the motion and it passed by unanimous vote. 3-0.
2. Advisory Board Vacancy
i. Peter Johnson (Enclosure 6)
Mr. Peter Johnson introduced himself to the board and public as the Vice President of
Development of St. Matthew’s house Naples. Mr. Johnson gave a brief overview of his
personal background. Mr. Johnson also briefly discussed mission of the St. Matthew’s House
organization.
ii. Francisco Leon (Enclosure 7)
Mr. Francisco Leon was absent.
After a brief discussion, the MSTU board announced that they would like Mr. Peter Johnson to fill
the vacancy.
Action: Ms. Cherryle Thomas made a motion to appoint Mr. Peter Johnson to fill the MSTU Advisory
Committee vacancy. Ms. Andrea Halman seconded the motion and it passed by unanimous vote. 3-0.
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I. Old Business.
1. MSTU Project Manager Report (Enclosure 8)
Staff reviewed enclosure 8 with board and provided board with updates on current projects.
Ms. Christie Betancourt announced that staff are looking into a resolution for the 11 poles that are
down from 1st Street to 9th Street.
Ms. Thomas asked if a decision had been made regarding brackets for FDOT poles. Ms. Debrah
Forester said that David Jones of FDOT is working on an agreement for the brackets.
Ms. Christie Betancourt said that the sidewalk project on Eustis, South 9th, and a portion of 5th has
been completed. Staff will be applying for a Community Development Block Grant for the
upcoming grant cycle to develop sidewalk improvements on Carver Street and the remainder of
South 5th. Staff would like to receive the remaining amount for the total estimated cost of the project
to complete construction.
Ms. Norma Garcia suggested that staff keep the Immokalee Water & Sewer District (IWSD)
updated on their projects. Ms. Garcia suggested that when staff receive complaints, they be directed
to Ofelia Gonzalez, Distribution Coordinator with the IWSD. Commissioner McDaniel suggests
that David Berra attend the IWSD meetings to ensure that proper communication between the CRA
and IWSD is taking place.
2. Contractor Reports
i. Landscape Architect Design (Enclosure 9).
Staff and Mr. Armando Yzaguirre both provided updates on trash pickup. Staff noticed that
issues with trash maintenance stemmed from trash gates not being open/closed properly. This
resulted in trash piling up and being placed on the floor. Trash that is on the floor is not picked
up by maintenance, and staff has been trash from the floor themselves. Mr. Yzaguirre noticed
that some areas near local businesses have had more issues with hazardous trash such as
broken glass accumulating. Mr. Yzaguirre suggested that Code Enforcement be notified of
these issues as they represent a safety hazard to the public.
Staff and the board agreed that this issue should be addressed at the next Immokalee District
Community Task Force Meeting. Ms. Debrah Forester suggested that David Berra meet with
Waste Connections and attend the Task Force Meeting on behalf of the CRA.
Ms. Christie Betancourt provided updates on the Immokalee Zocalo Plaza. She said that the
holiday decoration takedown has been completed, and damages were sustained to the
decorations at the Zocalo park due to storm winds. Ms. Betancourt provided pictures of the
damages for the board to review. Staff has filed a report on the damages and are looking into
having insurance cover the costs. Staff, board, and members of the public briefly discussed
having the Christmas Tree strapped to the ground in the future.
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Ms. Betancourt said that David Berra has begun work on an hours of operation sign and
lighting for the art wall for the Zocalo plaza. She also said that a storage container was
purchased for the storage of holiday decorations. The storage containers will have vents to
circulate air to preserve the quality of the decorations and will be located on Immokalee South
Park property.
Staff announced that they are once again looking into installing bike racks along the cattle
route on Main Street.
ii. Maintenance Report
1. A&M Monthly Report (Enclosure 10)
Mr. Armando Yzaguirre provided a monthly Landscape Maintenance Report for the
board to review. Mr. Yzaguirre provided an update ongoing maintenance. He also said
that many of the snowflake decorations have lighting issues and recommends that the
board and staff look into their insurance policy or warranty. In addition, the lights used
for tree decorations have continued to fall off, and Mr. Yzaguirre believes that this may
be an issue with manufacturing as well.
Staff also said that they are working on an agreement with the Florida Department of
Transportation (FDOT) regarding banners and new light poles. The agreement will be
that staff will pay for banners and electrical outlets to be installed on new poles purchased
by FDOT. Mr. Yzaguirre announced that A&M removed all the electrical outlets and
extension cords that had been left up. Mr. Yzaguirre also announced that he submitted a
bid for flowing plants for the triangle area. Mr. Yzaguirre suggested that the board use
SunPatiens in a variety of colors. He and the board discussed the approved banner arms
estimate for $2,000 Estimate #1062. Installation of 200 SunPatiens flowers will be $1,300
Estimate #1063. After some discussion, the board agreed to move forward with
installation of the SunPatiens.
Action: Ms. Andrea Halman made a motion for the MSTU to approve Estimate #10 63 to install 200
SunPatiens plants, at a not to exceed amount of $1,300.00 dollars. Ms. Cherryle Thomas seconded the
motion and it passed by unanimous vote 3-0.
Mr. Yzaguirre said that an irrigation box needed to be replaced after being run over by a
car on Main Street. Complete repairs to the area, pavers, and replacement of the irrigation
box will cost an estimated $750 Estimate#1064. Staff suggest that a safety hazard sign
be put in place and that it be taken care of immediately. Due to the issue being an
emergency, the board will not make a motion to approve the estimate. All three estimates
were approved.
Staff announced that the contract with Grady Minor will not be renewed. Staff would
like David Berra to take over Grady Minor’s duties and keep them in house to reduce
cost.
2. Project Manager Report (Enclosure 11)
Mr. David Berra announced that the contract with Grady Minor has been revised and the
overall proposal has been reduced slightly.
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Ms. Debrah Forester provided the public with a background on the sign projects. There
are two signs, one on first street, and one on Panther Crossing. Staff are in the process
of approving repairs to a third sign, a monument sign that’s located at the triangle.
Dr. Frank Nappo asked how the maintenance of the signs will be handled. Ms. Forester
informed Dr. Nappo that it will be included in A&M maintenance. Staff said that they
are aiming for completion of these projects with Grady Minor by September of 2019.
3. TIGER Grant- Immokalee Complete Street (Enclosure 12)
Ms. Christie Betancourt provided board an updated timeline of the TIGER Grant for board and
public to review. Ms. Norma Garcia requested an update on N 9th Street. Ms. Betancourt informed
the board that North 9th Street is designated under the TIGER Grant; therefore, they are unable to
request for funding for that area at this time.
Ms. Garcia stated that students are walking in the road due to the gap. She also expressed concern
over the flooding in that area. Ms. Betancourt announced that she would contact Trinity Scott who
is our point of contact for TIGER Grant updates. Commissioner McDaniel requested that he receive
a follow-up with Christie after she contacts Ms. Scott.
Ms. Garcia announced that she would like to have the MSTU put more focus on beautification. Ms.
Garcia announced that she would like to have banners on the light poles year-round and change
them seasonally. Staff informed Ms. Garcia and the board that changing the banners on the poles
can become costly if it is done frequently. Staff agreed to include more focus on beautification in
the workplan.
4. Code Enforcement updates
There were no updates from Code Enforcement.
5. Other Agencies
Habitat for Humanity
Wilna Cariany announced updates for Immokalee Habitat for Humanity. Ms. Cariany announced
that Faith Landing has sold 140 homes to date. She said that Habitat for Humanity is currently
working on creating 280 new homes in a new location. The new homes will be connected two story
homes with garages. There will be 50 single family homes in Esperanza place. The timeframe for
the project to begin is spring of 2020. Ms. Cariany also said that Habitat for Humanity is in need
of volunteers.
J. Citizens Comments.
Dr. Frank Nappo announced that there will be a celebration Sunday, January 27 at 10:00 a.m. for the
completion of the two homes built by Residential Options of Florida (ROOF) in Arrowhead Reserve.
The homes will serve developmentally disabled adults in Immokalee. Furniture donations are still being
accepted.
Ms. Cherryle Thomas announced that the Immokalee Chamber of Commerce is hosting a meet and greet
for Florida Community Bank to celebrate their partnership with Synovus. The meet and greet will be
held February 21st at 1400 N 15th Street.
Ms. Debrah Forester announced the Special Meeting of the Collier County Planning Commission meeting
that will take place on January 31st at CareerSource at 10:00 a.m. The Immokalee Area Master Plan
updates will be reviewed.
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K. Next Meeting Date. The next MSTU meeting will be on February 27, 2019 @ 9:00 A.M. at
CareerSource SWFL. 750 South 5th Street, Immokalee, FL.
L. Adjournment. Meeting Adjourned @ 10:30 A.M.