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Item N01 MEMORANDUM Office of the County Administrator TO: Board of County Commissioners FROM: Thomas J. Willi County Administrator DATE: August 3, 2005 SUBJECT: County Divisions' Monthly Activity Report for July, 2005 MONTHL Y ACTIVITY REPORT - JULY 2005 KEY WEST AIRPORT . Monthly Airline Managers Meeting to discuss operational issues and prep for Hurricane Dennis. Guest speakers were Billy Wagner and Andy Newman. . From July 7th through July 10th, daily (sometimes twice daily) meetings were conducted with airport staff and airlines concerning Hurricane Dennis. Matt Strahan and his National Weathers Service (NWS) staff conducted briefings. . Briefings given to many members of the media (print and TV) concerning storm damage at the airport. . Meeting with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staff to discuss ongoing quarterly airport security inspection and audit. . Monroe County Planning Commission meeting in Marathon concerning our Major Conditional Use Permit application for the new McCoy Terminal Complex. . Monthly Division Director Meeting. . Monthly Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting. Assisted with presentation on the terminal height issue and the proposed Mario Sanchez Children's Park. . Budget Review meeting with the BOCC. . The monthly general airport meeting was held to discuss the many ongoing airport construction projects and hurricane repairs needed. . Meeting with our construction manager to discuss progress and changes needed to the plans and specifications for the new McCoy Terminal Complex. . Telephone conference with the FAA staff concerning and grant funding for the upcoming fiscal year. . Presentation given to the Big Pine Key Rotary Club concerning airport hurricane experiences and answered questions about the new terminal. 1 . Meeting with a film producer to discuss airport locations for future TV program. Gave tour of the airside and terminal facilities. Accomplishments during July 2005: . Passenger numbers are up 7.8% for the month and 11.4% year to date. . Approximately 3000 tourists and visitors were evacuated in a 24 hour period just prior to the arrival of Hurricane Dennis . Although we sustained more than $100,000 in damage to our facility, we were able to reopen the airport within 36 hours of the passing of the hurricane. . The TSA showed up to conduct their quarterly airport security inspection and audit 3 days after the hurricane had passed while we were still making repairs. However we passed with a perfect score and no violations noted. . We received unanimous approval of our Major Conditional Use Permit for the new terminal from the Monroe County Planning Commission. . With the exception two roof air conditioning units to be replaced on the main terminal building, and some hangar damage, all hurricane related repairs have been completed. . A new record for removal of a damaged aircraft from the runway with NTSB approval has been established. . .30 minutes flat. As a result, no inbound flights were cancelled as a result of the landing gear failure of a twin Cessna on July 22nd. . Our plans for the new Mario Sanchez Children's Park have been enthusiastically received by the Planning Commission, the BOCC and the public. A very favorable newspaper article and editorial appeared in the Key West Citizen. . The hangar project is coming along well, with 16 of the 20 new hangars now complete. Work on the final 4 has begun and paving of the entire hangar project area is near completion. . The Commercial Ramp has been seal coating and striped. The new segmented circle and wind cone are now in service. . Phase 3 of the Noise Insulation Program (NIP) is near completion with 36 of38 homes completed. . All of the new perimeter fencing around the entire airport property has been installed. Some removal of the old fencing remains to be completed. . The vegetation trimming proj ect to meet FAA Part 77 approach standards is well under way with the most difficult areas completed. . The project to relocate the runway approach lights has begun. . Work on the exterior renovation of the Adam Arnold Annex has begun. All of the air conditioning units on the roof have been replaced. Most of the new railings on the stairs, ramps and walkways have been installed. Web site updates: . Updated airline information. 2 . Added ground transportation information ref. off airport car rentals. . Updated F AQ page. MANAGEMENT SERVICES . Negotiate with Teamsters and review all revisions to date to proposed contract. . Review all changes to Firefighters, create pay plan document, review Unit 2 proposed contract, review changes recommended by firefighters' attorney and forward to Mike Casey for county review. . Worked with consultant in preparing RFP for HAS, HRA etc. Findings will be presented in September. . Worked on draft of Administrator's budget message. . Attended 3 meetings with Board regarding Budgets - July 14,21, & 25th. . Securing sample contract with MBNA for purchasing card - still attempting to get on agenda for August, but certainly by September. . Posted position in OMB. . Attended Library Advisory Board meeting to begin transition process to Community Services. . Finalize Personnel Policies & Procedure changes and agenda for August. COMMUNITY SERVICES . Working with Interim Division Director, Social Services Director, and Library Director regarding the Records Retention Project. . Created Emergency Contact List Spreadsheet in Excel for Community Services Division Employees. . Updated the Disability Council PowerPoint Presentation for Channel 76. . Traveled to Big Pine Key Library to attend the Library Advisory Board meeting with Sheila Barker, future Community Services Division Director. 3 UF /IF AS/Monroe County Extension 4-H . Attended 4-H Camp Cloverleaf with two youth from Marathon. Monroe County youth camped with 4-H members from Broward, Miami-Dade and Lee counties. Approximately 70 youth participated. . Hosted a 4-H Congress orientation and District Council meeting at Jacobs Aquatic Center. Approximately 20 youth and adults were present from Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. The youth prepared for the annual statewide 4-H Congress event held in Gainesville during the week of July 25-29. One Monroe County 4-H member attended this state event. . A forestry 4-H project and a hurricane preparedness/lightning safety program at the Founder's Park summer day camp program was presented to 25 youth and 5 adults at two different sessions and at the Girl Scout's summer day camp located at Camp Wusumkee on West Summerland Key to 24 youth and 2 adults. . Received a National4-H School Age Child Care Team Award presented by the National Association of Extension Family & Consumer Science Agents. The award will be presented at an annual conference in September. Horticulture . Green Thumb Nursery Certification meeting held with The Nature Conservancy and Florida Scenic Highway Program to discuss the grant monies awarded by Florida Exotic Pest Plant Control (FLEPPC) to fund an educational and recognition program for Florida Keys garden centers that are "Green Thumb certified" . . Predatory wasps were released to control the Pink Hibiscus Mealybugs in Key West. . Twelve Master Gardener interns have started an intensive 12 week horticultural training program. Upon completion of the course they will be Master Gardener volunteers that will assist the Monroe County Extension Horticulture agent in answering homeowner's horticultural questions at regional plant clinics, event booths, lecture series, and landscape demonstrations. . Horticultural site visits were made in Key West, Bay Point and Islamorada. . Post-hurricane Plant Clinics were held in Key Largo (1) and Key West (1). . An Extension Education booth was displayed at the US Navy Safety and Health Fair July 26 with the theme of "Poisonous plants and animals of the Florida Keys" per their request. 4 . A Florida Yard & Neighborhood (FYN) Yard Certification was awarded to a residence in Islamorada. Marine . A planning meeting was held with commercial fishing representatives to develop a Key West Seafood Festival for January 21,2006 at Bayview Park. Extension and Monroe County Commercial Fishermen, Inc. will jointly organize this special I-day event that will bring seafood directly from the fishermen to the consumer. . 19 marinas and fishing related businesses from Big Pine Key to Key Largo were visited to discuss the reef fish tagging program with fishermen. . A two-slide PowerPoint presentation was developed and published on the county cable TV channel advertising the black grouper carcass collection program and freezer locations. . Participated in the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Scientific and Statistical Committee meeting in New Orleans to review and comment on the red snapper, king mackerel, and lobster stock assessments. Of the three species, red snapper is the only one that remains overfished. Administrative . Cristina Lindley received the "Employee of the Month" award at the July 20 Board of County Commissioners meeting in Key West. . The Extension web site was significantly updated. Media . Extension agents spoke six times at US 1 Radio. One agent spoke on WGMX radio. Three articles were published in local papers and magazines. Two agents were interviewed and quoted by the media on Extension-related Issues. Libraries Web site Update: . Information Portal: Over 13,000 searches were performed on the Library's Information Portal during June 2005. In July, the Information Portal was restructured utilizing recommendations from staff and public users. (see <http://ipac.kevslibraries.org/ipac20/ipac.isp?profile=remote> ) Publicity for the new Information Portal will occur in the coming weeks. . VTH site: According to VTH statistics, the Library link on the county homepage is the most frequented page. The library's pages on the VTH site continue to grow. In July, we debuted the Florida East Coast Railroad page and received 5 excellent media coverage of the new resource. All library locations have updated calendars of events and meeting room schedules. . Milemarkers: Unique visitors to the www.mile-markers.org <http://www.mile- markers.org/> site increased over 19% from June to July. Approximately 750 unique visitors viewed 1,200 images in July. The most popular search term was "hurricane" . . Future initiatives: The Library Administrator met with a representative from the State University System's Digital Projects Planning Committee to discuss possible collaborations to digitize and web-deliver more archival materials from our vault. Our oral history collection, 1830's court documents, early weather logs, fishing industry images, Black history materials, and other collections interest the institutions participating in the Florida Heritage Collection project. Activities and Events: . Library Administrator, Anne Layton Rice, met with middle- and high-school teachers, consultants, and curriculum advisors to discuss the School District's new local history curriculum. The library will actively partner with the School District on this project by providing students with historical documents in electronic format. . The Library's National Endowment for the Humanities grant, "On the Waterfront: Preserving Key West's Past" ended June 30th. Our local newspapers published numerous stories about this successful project. Local donations will sustain preservation efforts on these artifacts for several more months. . The new Library Advisory Board District 4 representative was approved by the BOCC. We look forward to welcoming Brad Trout at the next meeting of the Library Advisory Board. . Tom Hambright provided "Juneteenth" African-American heritage programs for the Bahama Village Land Trust Coalition and the Key West Sunrise Rotary. . Friends of the Key West Library donated $ 27,000.00 to the Library for materials, children's programs, and Library projects . 474 Monroe County residents signed up for new library cards in June. This brings our total library cardholders to 29,720. . Over 500 children participated in the libraries' Summer Reading Programs in June. Events have included puppet shows, Wild Bird Center presentations, papier-mache art, and a farcical presentation of "Cinderella" by Fantasy Theatre. 6 Bayshore Manor (Hurricane Dennis Update) . On Friday, July 8, 2005 at 4:00 pm 13 of the 15 residents of Bayshore Manor were evacuated to the Monroe County Sheriff s Detention Center/Juvenile Justice building. . Two residents were released to family members before the evacuation. Four staff members accompanied the residents including the Administrator. . The residents were returned to Bayshore Manor on Sunday, July 10,2005 at 10:00 am. The evacuation was without incident or problem and went smoothly. Nutrition Program . In addition to our everyday operations of providing meals at the Nutrition Sites and home-delivery service, several Program staff participated in hurricane preparedness and operations activities for Hurricane Dennis. Two employees manned the evacuation staging area at Sugarloaf School and others assisted in the call down of people on the Special Needs Evacuation Registry. . A special July 4th celebration was held at the Key West Nutrition Site on Friday, July 1,2005. The fare was typical consisting of barbecued chicken, baked beans, cherry cobbler, and festive cookies. The Site was decorated in red, white, and blue bunting and the stars and striped. The Florida Keys Council of the Arts videotaped the event for a promotional effort. Clients were treated to entertainment by keyboard player, Bob Widener. Patriotic songs prevailed. Funding for the concert program is provided by a grant from the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs through the Florida Keys Council of the Arts. The grant also funded entertainment by Mark Davis at Bayshore Manor in July. . On July 25,2005 the Shine Program, a volunteer organization developed to assist older adults with understanding the Medicare Program and the Prescription Drug component, held an open house at the Monroe County Nutrition Site/Senior Center. Eileen Evans, Shine' s Volunteer Coordinator, had many prestigious guests from the Alliance for Aging in Aging in Miami and the Department of Elder Affairs in Tallahassee. It was an excellent event and the refreshments were wonderful. It was well advertised and attended. . In June, Epilepsy Education programs were conducted by the Epilepsy Foundation of South Florida at all the Nutrition Sites. Also, HIV Education for Seniors (a an educational requirement of the Older American's Act Grant)was taught by the Monroe County Health Department at Sites throughout the county. These were excellent presentations and very sensitive to concerns of older adults. There were also several Senior Lunchtime Concerts at the Nutrition Sites. 7 Transportation (Hurricane Dennis Update) . Hurricane Dennis evacuation began with the calling of 330+ Special Needs Clients not including the 60+ Medical Managed Clients that are handled by Fire & Rescue. This began Thursday July ih at 12 noon with the actual evacuation taking place Friday July 8th morning at 7 a.m. 39 Special Needs Clients were transported via Monroe County School Board buses and Monroe County Transportation buses to Coral Shores High School in Tavernier, which we believed was the final destination for our clients. However that was not the case as the State decided that they should be moved once again this time to Florida International University (FlU) and that they would provide the means for that transport. However, the State did not transport our Special Needs Clients as they had agreed. At that point the County was quick to respond by contracting with Greyhound to transport our clients to FlU and Monroe County Transit provided a five wheelchair passenger vehicle to take those that needed to remain in wheelchairs for their trip to FlU. The return after the storm took place at 7 a.m. on Sunday July loth using four Monroe County Transit buses and County drivers to return our well traveled and tired clients to their homes. The entire process ended about 7 p.m. by the time our last driver returned to their home. All and all it was a very successfully executed evacuation. Welfare Program Due to the nature of both the direct case service units and financial services provided through the Welfare Program statistics for July 2005, are not available from the various offices until the lOth of August. Below is a list of our service units for the month of June 2005. . In the month of June, and as in any month our main goal is to serve the public, identify their needs, giving the best possible results to our clients. Our work is demanding and constant. Among 5 Social Workers, 3 in Key West, 1 in Marathon, and 1 in Plantation Key our statistics revealed the following. Continuing Open Cases: 257 New Cases: 27 Office Visits: 240 Home/Field Visits: 22 Referrals by Phone: 2,102 Referrals in Writing: 567 Pauper Cases: 5 Bayshore Manor Applicants 0 LIHEAP (Household App's) 52 Total Electrical Assistance (June 2005) - ($6,697.57) . In the month of June, we made a large supply order for (LIHEAP) Low Income Home Energy flyers, and Posters to place around the different agencies to give exposure to the service that we provide to needy clients. 8 . Business cards for the social workers and upper management were ordered and received in the month of June, along with appointment cards which is a help to the social worker and client in keeping the dates and times clear. . Training for the new Easy Trak Program was held in the end of May, and the new procedures were implemented beginning June 1,2005. This program was created to help keep track of our Welfare and HCRA cases, as well as LIHEAP cases giving us better access and control of information and enable us to generate monthly reports. . Short staff meetings are held periodically as a primary means of communication with each other. Susan Hawxhurst encourages input from the team for the betterment of the program and implements changes as needed. . The Welfare Program staff was involved with the Special Needs Evacuation for Hurricane "Dennis". The entire Key West Welfare staff included: Lora Albritton, Rebecca Angel, Calvin Coughlin, Helen Garcia, and Susan Hawxhurst; all provided a call center for all applicants registered on the Special Needs list. Staff assistants in the Middle Keys and Upper Keys handled incoming calls into the Special Needs Registry. All applicants were called at least (one time) and some required call backs up to (three additional times). All contacts were documented and kept for verification. . During Hurricane Dennis Kim Wilkes participated as the Social Services representative in the E.O.C. Emergency Support Function #1 Transportation for the Special Needs clients. Kim is the Social Worker/Supervisor in the Marathon Office. . Edith Zewadski-Bricker, Social Worker/Supervisor in the Plantation Key Office, served as the Staging Area Manager at the Special Needs staging area at Coral Shores High School. After the Special Needs clients were transported to (F.I.U) Florida International University, Edith served as the Monroe County Shelter Liaison in Miami until all of the Special Needs clients were released and returned to their homes in Monroe County. This was the first time that a Welfare staff person has served in this role. 39 Special Need clients were transported and sheltered during Hurricane Dennis. . Following Hurricane Dennis, Welfare Director, Susan Hawxhurst, and supervisor of the Call Center conducted a meeting of all Social Service staff that participated in calling the Special Needs clients. All participants gave input and suggestions for future storm evacuations. . Helen Garcia Administrative Assistant prepared a written report of the "Hurricane Rap Up Meeting" to be shared with administration. GROWTH MANAGEMENT . Continued conversion of building permit applications and handouts to web site. . Re-advertised Assistant Building Official position at Plantation Key Office. 9 . Continued investigation of permitting software systems to upgrade current system. . Completed initial draft fee schedules for building and planning permits and applications, which will presented to the BOCC in September. . Conducted damage assessment and storm damage documentation tasks using personnel from Code Enforcement and Building Departments during and after Hurricane Dennis. . Crafted draft amendments to Land Development Regulations to expedite permitting for large master planned communities and provide for expanded downstairs below base flood enclosures of greater than 299 square feet. . Continued preparation of necessary GIS maps and documentation to support amendments to Comprehensive Plan to implement Goal 105 and to address concerns raised by DCA. . Initiated preparation of draft regulations to implement Big Pine Key and No Name Key Community Master Plan including "formula retail ordinance" and "mitigation ordinance". . Held community workshop for Stock Island-Key Haven U.S. Highway 1 Corridor Enhancement Plan on July 26,2005. . Received recommended approval on July 27, 2005, from Planning Commission on ordinances to implement Tavernier Historic District Guidelines and Overlay District and Tavernier Creek to MM 97 Corridor Development Guidelines and Overlay District. . Completed initial working draft of the Monroe County Land Acquisition and Management Plan. . Removed 14 derelict vessels and several thousands of pounds of marine debris from Hurricane Dennis and checked and repaired aids to navigation and regulatory markers. . Carried out actions to implement Pump-out vessel program in Upper Keys by accepting a bid for Pump-out vessel (on August BOCC agenda) and completing interviews for Pump-out Captain. . Continued working out details, funding, and cooperative arrangements to complete aerial digital photography over flights of the Florida Keys. . Continued work on enhancement of the GIS including purchase of new GPS and developing new data structure for GIS files. 10 . Prepared Fire Rescue street maps with street index for review and approval by the Fire Chief and staff. FIRE RESCUE . Five new firefighters began employment on July 5. Two are currently certified Firefighter/Paramedics, two are paramedics in training, and one is a state-certified paramedic who currently practices as a firefighter/EMT. Two vacancies remain. . Final inspection for two new pumpers was completed at the factory. Delivery expected in early August. . Participated in Emergency Operations Center and field operations related to preparations and response to Hurricane Dennis. . Received notice from the Insurance Services Office that the service area of Fire Station 17 (Conch Key) has been upgraded from Class 6/9 to Class 4/9 due to improvements in staffing and apparatus as well as water supply upgrades. Web site upgrades . Revised Mission and Vision Statements added. . The Training Calendar has been added to the web site. PUBLIC SAFETY . Administrated the on-going construction project for new guidance signs and taxiway lights at MTH. . Evaluated alternatives associated with and/or related to the operating permit renewal for Cudjoe Key Lined Landfill. . Initiated response and recovery activities associated with and/or related to Hurricane Dennis. . Conducted numerous meetings regarding the County's response to Hurricane Dennis, subjects included: evacuation strategies, sheltering for General Public, Persons with Special Needs & Medical Management Patients, support for and evacuation of essential personnel of governments, utilities, hospitals, and the County's policy and past and present practices of compensating essential employees. 11 . Initiated Hurricane Dennis debris removal. . Participated in on-going coordination with local school district about incorporating EHP A into new schools and retrofit of existing facilities. . Coordinated with various radio stations about co-location at County communications facilities and towers. . Used the County's Web site extensively during the response and recovery phases of Hurricane Dennis. PUBLIC WORKS . Hurricane preparation of all County buildings and grounds for Hurricane Dennis. . Deployed staff at E.O.C. . Completed damage assessment for County buildings and grounds. . Cleaned County roads of debris for Hurricane Dennis. . Working to remove debris from private roads per direction of Board of County Commissioners. ENGINEERING . Managed debris removal and monitoring contract necessitated by Hurricane Dennis. Thus far, 65,709 CY of vegetative material has been removed from County right-of-way. . Duck Key Drainage Contract: Preconstruction conference held July 27 and a Notice to Proceed issued. . Key West Airport Terminal: RFQ for Contractor at Risk being advertised. - Pre- submittal conference August 3,2005 . Americans with Disabilities Act: 11 responses to our RFQ received July 29 to assess all County facilities. These will be short listed and a contract brought to the BOCC in the near future. . Roth Building/Old Mariners Hospital: Close out of project, final pay application being processed. . Public Works facility on Rockland Key: Programming phase being accomplished in-house. 12 . Upper Keys Government Center: RFQ for Contractor at Risk scheduled for September 22. Preliminary site drawings completed. 13