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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 12-14-2009 TCERDA Treasure Coast Education, Research and Development Authority TCERDA Board of Directors Minutes of Meeting December 14, 2009 Convened: 11:42 a.m. (Suspended at 1:00 p.m. for joint meeting w/BOCC) Reconvened: 5:05 p.m. Adjourned: 5:55 p.m. The meeting of the Treasure Coast Education, Research and Development Authority (TCERDA) was held Monday, December 14, 2009, in Room 219 West, University of Florida Indian River Research and Education Center, 2199 South Rock Road, Fort Pierce, Florida. MEMBERS PRESENT: Jane Bachelor, Chair Jose Farinos, Vice Chair (did not reconvene w/Board at 5:05 pm) Dr. Kathleen A. McGinn, Secretary and Treasurer Tom Perona (joined meeting at 5:05 pm when Board reconvened) Travis Murphy Hoyt C. “Pat” Murphy, Jr. Dr. Peter Stoffella Stefan Matthes, P.E. MEMBERS ABSENT: Dr. Joseph C. Joyce O.R. “Rick” Minton, Jr. ALSO PRESENT: Ben DeVries, Executive Director, Treasure Coast Research Park Commissioner Doug Coward, BOCC Liaison Heather Young, Assistant County Attorney Robert I. “Rim” MacLaren, II, General Counsel Kathryn Hensley, School Board Member A. CALL TO ORDER Ms. Jane Bachelor called the meeting to order at 11:42 a.m. B. WELCOME MEMBERS AND GUESTS Ms. Bachelor introduced the new Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) liaison, Commissioner Doug Coward, to the TCERDA Board and welcomed him, the members and other attendees. C. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Ms. Jane Bachelor suggested changes to the minutes on Page 2 as follows: ? Item E: Legal Update – The last sentence should specify which city and suggested it be spelled out to say City of Fort Pierce. - 1 - ? Item F: Executive Director’s Report – In regards to the Pricing Schedule, change the wording from ‘a minimum of six months review’ to ‘reviewed at least every six months’ and change the motion from ‘adjust the pricing on an as-needed basis with a minimum of six months review and seek BOCC approval’ to ‘review Pricing Schedule at least every six months, adjust pricing and seek BOCC approval for commission payment.’ Also, second to last paragraph – Regarding the $2,500 contribution from the TCERDA Board for XE3 go karts – specify the funds would be reallocated toward the purchase of the go karts upon the condition that the insurance would be funded by another source. Ms. Bachelor requested a motion for approval of the November 5, 2009 TCERDA Board minutes. A motion th was made by Mr. Jose Farinos and seconded by Dr. Kathleen McGinn for approval of the November 5 minutes as amended. The motion and second carried unanimously by voice vote. D. TREASURER’S REPORT Dr. Kathleen McGinn updated the Board on the revenue and expenditures for this month’s report and stated that changes were made to the report and the amount encumbered is more accurate. She spoke about the $45,000 revenue in the Capital Budget from Jai Alai/gaming, stating the Marketing Committee would have the ability to use the revenue for marketing rather than infrastructure if the funds were moved from the Capital Budget into the Operating Budget. Commissioner Coward agreed that it was a good idea to move the funds and that he will look into it. A motion was made by Dr. Peter Stoffella and seconded by Mr. Travis Murphy for approval of the Treasurer’s Report as amended. The motion and second carried unanimously by voice vote. E. LEGAL UPDATE Mr. Rim MacLaren gave the Board an update on the following items for discussion among the Board members: ? Status of a Fort Pierce Utilities Authority (FPUA) Interlocal Agreement for utilities at the Park and discussed the Wal-Mart language in their agreement with FPUA. Commissioner Coward referenced the Wal-Mart Agreement, Page 2, Subsection 3 (deferral of annexation and tax abatement). He suggested the Board keep the structure as 10-year deferment based on occupancy, parcel by parcel, as opposed to the entire park (annexation could potentially be longer than 10 years). A motion was made by Mr. Stef Matthes to request the County and the City of Fort Pierce adopt the language as amended from Section 3, Page 2, for 10 years tax abatement and 10 years deferment of annexation from the City of Fort Pierce commencing on the C.O., on a parcel-by-parcel basis, and was seconded by Ms. Kathy McGinn. Mr. Stef Matthes stated the motion should include amended language from the County Attorney’s office (Heather Young). The motion and second carried unanimously by voice vote. ? Conveyance of the 60-acre parcel for the School Site; the School Board has concerns on the parcel being buildable. ? Sublease provision – to extend the deadline 12/31/09 to same termination date as School Board/UF lease – mid 2010 ? R-O-W Agreement – road construction, water/sewer, Kings Development, LLC ? UF/IFAS Weather Site – initiated, pending completion ? Interlocal Agreement with BOCC for Executive Director of Research Park to be equivalent to County Department Head for budgetary purposes – item being discussed for consideration by both Boards (TCERDA/BOCC) - 2 - F. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT Mr. DeVries gave the Board an update on the following items for discussion among the Board members: ? Architectural Guidelines Revision ? Broker Fee Language – 10% (5% to Broker, 5% to Park). He spoke to the BOCC and they were very receptive and supportive. ? By-Laws Amendment – removing language of posting meetings at the Port St. Lucie Courthouse ? Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) Letter – Currently, 28 states have language for renewable utility resources and letters have been sent to our local legislative delegation requesting their support of encouraging alternative fuels. ? Two Commission Letters – A letter has been sent to Commissioner Craft thanking him for his three years of service as the BOCC liaison to the TCERDA Board. A letter has been sent to Commissioner Coward welcoming him to the TCERDA Board as the new BOCC liaison. ? A meeting was held with Anthony Westbury providing him an update on the Research Park. Mr. Westbury wrote an article about the park in the local newspaper. ? The new website is in progress and will be on line shortly. Stacy Givens is working with Microweb on the specifics. ? Kings Highway/Research Parkway – The Treasure Coast Research Corridor members have proposed renaming a section of Kings Highway to Research Parkway. G. CHAIR’S REPORT Ms. Bachelor suggested moving the dates for the TCERDA Board meetings in 2010 from the first Thursday of every month to the second Thursday of every month, with a starting time of 1:30 p.m. She has a conflict in January. Therefore, beginning February 2010, meetings will be scheduled on the second Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m., as agreed to by the TCERDA Board. An email will be sent to the Board members to coordinate with their calendars for a January 2010 meeting date. She suggested the members look at the thth weeks of January 11 and January 18. Ms. Bachelor suggested honoring the past TCERDA Board members at the January meeting. Commissioner Coward suggested the Board honor them at a BOCC meeting and also recommended Mr. DeVries and the TCERDA Board Chair provide a quarterly update at a BOCC meeting as well. Changes will be made to the Board in January. Therefore, he suggested a presentation to former TCERDA Board members be made at a February BOCC meeting. A Nominating Committee was named to make recommendations for the TCERDA Board in 2010. Ms. Bachelor stated Dr. Peter Stoffella would be the Chair, and both Mr. Travis Murphy and Mr. Hoyt C. “Pat” Murphy would assist. Ms. Bachelor informed the Board members of FPL’s new sponsorship amount of $10,000 toward the XE3 Event (raising their original sponsorship pledge from $4,000). H. COMMITTEE REPORTS Ms. Bachelor provided the Board with the CDI Committee report. A letter was received from Gary Smigiel, Kings Highway Development, LLC, outlining the conditions of the proposed Exploration Parkway Land Dedication. They are proposing the dedication of right-of-way (ROW) adjacent to their land for ROW of Exploration Parkway, and a 50/50 split of associated road costs. The CDI Committee recommends the TCERDA Board accept the letter of conditions and go forth with the ROW initiative. Commissioner Coward stated that line items #3 and #4 are inconsistent with each other. Discussion ensued among the Board members. - 3 - Upon completion of Board member discussion on this item, a motion was made by Ms. Kathy McGinn to accept the ROW Dedication with revisions of retaining item #3 and modifying #4 to include the impacts beyond the road to be included; transportation impact less the value of the land. Mr. Travis Murphy seconded and the motion carried unanimously by voice vote. AGENDA SUSPENSION Since the scheduled Joint Meeting between the TCERDA Board and the BOCC was due to start shortly, Ms. Jane Bachelor requested the agenda be suspended and then reconvened after the joint meeting to complete outstanding items. It was moved by Mr. Stef Matthes and seconded by Ms. Kathy McGinn to suspend the agenda and reconvene immediately following the joint meeting. The motion and second carried unanimously by voice vote and Ms. Bachelor suspended the agenda at 1:00 p.m. AGENDA RECONVENED Upon completion of the Joint Meeting between the TCERDA and BOCC Boards, Ms. Bachelor reconvened the TCERDA Board agenda at 5:05 p.m. (Mr. Tom Perona joined the meeting at this time. Mr. Jose Farinos did not attend this portion of the meeting.) Ms. Bachelor remarked that the Board had a terrific joint meeting. The draft Interlocal Agreement between TCERDA and the BOCC was the topic of discussion among the Board members, whereby the County would grant budgetary authority to the Park’s Executive Director equivalent to a County Dept. Director. The County Finance Department and Purchasing Department procedures still apply. Upon further discussion, it was the consensus of the Board to have a copy of the draft Interlocal Agreement distributed to the Board members for further discussion and approval at the January Board meeting. When Ms. Bowers routes the draft Interlocal Agreement to the members, she will also forward copies of the Ground Lease, and add the Letter of Confidentiality and Credit Application to the January agenda for further discussion. The Treasure Coast Research Corridor Association would like the name of Kings Highway changed to Research Parkway. After the Board members discussed this request, a motion was made by Dr. Kathy McGinn and seconded by Mr. Travis Murphy for Stef Matthes to draft a letter to the County requesting the name change for that portion of Kings Highway from Okeechobee Road to Angle Road. The motion and second carried unanimously by voice vote. The next topic of discussion was the proposed school site. Discussion ensued in regards to the school site and a proposed Lyceum concept. It was suggested to move the school site from west to east to front on Kings Highway and utilize the remaining 15 acres fronting Kings Highway for a Lyceum. Ms. Kathryn Hensley stated that Kings Highway was the original proposed site for the school. The School Board voted to accept the deed wherever the site is deemed buildable. The water on the more western parcel and the proposed road cutting through that parcel was cause for concern for the School Board members. Discussion among the Committee members continued. The CDI Committee proposed having additional discussion at the January meeting to explore the idea of a lyceum for educational/community use. It was moved by Dr. Stoffella to accept the location movement of the school site from east to west for frontage on Kings Highway with an MOU to discuss the location with the School Board. Mr. Travis Murphy seconded the motion, which carried by voice vote. I. NEW BUSINESS Ben DeVries and the Chair will give presentations to the City of Fort Pierce Commissioners. ? (Mr. Stef Matthes left the meeting at 5:50 p.m.) - 4 - ? A motion was made to reappoint Dr. McGinn and appoint Mr. Mike Adams, President—Adams Ranch, to replace Mr. O. R. “Rick” Minton, Jr., upon the expiration of their terms on January 22, 2010. Mr. Minton has previously expressed his desire to retire from the Authority Board upon the expiration of his term. It was moved by Mr. Tom Perona to recommend to the BOCC the reappointment of Dr. McGinn and the appointment of Mr. Mike Adams for four –year terms on the TCERDA Board, effective January 22, 2010. Mr. Pat Murphy seconded for further discussion. Upon completion of discussion by the Board, the motion and second carried unanimously by voice vote. Dr. Kathy McGinn will submit a cover letter and application to the BOCC requesting the opportunity to serve another term on the TCERDA Board. Ms. Bachelor will send a letter on behalf of the TCERDA Board to the BOCC Chairman in support of these two appointments. J. ANNOUNCEMENTS No announcements at this time. K. ADJOURNMENT Upon no further announcements or discussion, Ms. Jane Bachelor requested the meeting be adjourned. It was moved by Mr. Tom Perona and seconded by Ms. Kathy McGinn to adjourn the meeting at 5:55 p.m. The motion and second carried unanimously by voice vote and Ms. Bachelor adjourned the meeting. Minutes submitted by: Anne Bowers The next TCERDA Board meeting is scheduled for January 15, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. in Room #219 West - 5 -