1. Walmart Foundation, Community Grants Program, in the approximate amount of $5,000 for the Miami Beach All Stars Best Practice Youth Development Program.
Walmart local community grants are awarded through an open application process and provide funding directly from Walmart and Sam’s Club facilities to local organizations.
The Administration is seeking funds from Walmart for the Miami Beach All Stars Best Practice Youth Development Program. The program promotes academic success and positive personal development of underserved youth within the community. Through the provision of year-round, youth enrichment activities, the program seeks to reduce risk factors and build protective factors by offering youth the opportunity to develop lifelong interests and acquire social, emotional and cognitive skills that promote academic success, healthy youth development, and ultimately successful families and communities. The program offers an after-school program at Nautilus Middle School during the school year in addition to a summer program for middle school-aged youth throughout the community.
The Administration is requesting $5,000 in support of these activities. No matching funds are required.
2. ALDI Smart Kids Grant Program, in the approximate amount of $5,000 for the Miami Beach All Stars best Practice Youth Development Program.
ALDI Smart Kids is a special program dedicated to supporting the health and wellness of the children in our communities by partnering with local community organizations that encourage kids to be active in the areas of education, physical activity, nutrition, socializing and the arts.
Funds from this grant will also be utilized in support of the Miami Beach All Stars Youth Development Program, described in the preceding section. ALDI funds may be used for staff time and effort dedicated to health and nutrition programming; transportation costs; incentives for youth participation and engagement in the program; sports equipment; and general program materials and supplies.
The Administration is requesting $5,000 in support of the Miami Beach All Stars Program. No matching funds are required.
3. Florida Department of Health, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Matching Grant Program, in the approximate amount of $28,000 for Equipment and Training for Fire Department Personnel.
The Florida Department of Health, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Matching Grant Program provides emergency medical service providers with funds to acquire, repair, improve or upgrade emergency medical services systems. Funds must be used for the improvement and expansion of emergency medical services within a list of eligible activities outlined by the State.
The City’s Fire Department intends to procure equipment with the grant funds, including a LUCAS chest compression system. With the rise in cardiac complications caused by COVID-19, a LUCAS chest compression system is the best practice for managing patients in cardiac arrest to reduce the risk of exposure to care providers. It is also especially important because it can be used for beachfront emergencies and traumatic care. The Fire Department also intends to use EMS grant funds to purchase trauma equipment and provide Tactical Combat Casualty Care training for Medical Personnel.
The total project cost is $35,000 and the City Administration is requesting funds in the approximate amount of $28,000. The Fire Department will provide matching funds in the amount of $7,000 from budget code 011-1220-000674-19-410-506-00-00-00.
4. Approval to submit Appropriation Funding Requests to the Florida Legislature in the approximate amount of $1.5 million, for water and transportation projects.
The State Legislative Session is scheduled to begin on March 2, 2021; however, preparations have already begun, including work on appropriations requests. The Administration will be submitting requests for critical water and transportation projects. House and Senate sponsors ensure the funding requests are submitted to the Legislature. The projects are as follows:
Sewer Pump Station 1 Resiliency Improvements
The City of Miami Beach owns, operates, and maintains a sewer collection and transmission system within the City’s service area that is comprised of gravity sewers, force mains, pump stations, and monitoring systems. Sewage is collected throughout the City and pumped to Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department’s Central District Wastewater Treatment Plant for treatment and disposal. The City’s sewer infrastructure is required to provide a high level of service and directly impacts the public health, safety, and the local environment. Sewer Pump Station 1 (PS 1) is located at 1051 Jefferson Avenue. PS 1 currently serves approximately 49,000 people (including residents, tourists, and employees) and is anticipated to serve approximately 66,500 people by 2045.
The purpose of this project is to increase the resilience of PS 1 by rehabilitating the mechanical, structural, electrical, instrumentation and controls, and ventilation and air conditioning equipment and performing overall facility hardening. PS 1 was identified as a High Criticality asset in the City of Miami Beach Water & Sewer Renewal and Replacement Report dated May 2018 and was included in the 2020-2024 implementation timeframe in the City of Miami Beach Sewer System Master Plan dated October 2019. A significant failure of PS 1 carries the risk of discharging sewage into neighborhood streets, canals, and eventually Biscayne Bay. The Administration is requesting approximately $500,000. Matching funds are not required, and the total cost of the project is $3,000,000.
75th Street Water Booster Station
The City of Miami Beach is a wholesale water customer of Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, but owns, operates, and maintains the water distribution system within the City’s service area. The performance of the City’s water distribution system is critical and directly impacts the health of the City’s residents. Failure of a water booster station could affect water pressure in the distribution system. It is important to maintain sufficient water pressure in the distribution system to prevent boil water notices, ensure customers have adequate water pressure, ensure sufficient water flow and pressure for firefighting, and ensure sufficient pressure to maintain safe operation of the distribution system.
The 75th Street Water Booster Station (W-2) is located at 750 West 75th Street and currently serves approximately 158,900 people; it is anticipated to serve approximately 211,800 people by 2045. W-2 is nearing the end of its useful life and requires significant hardening and rehabilitation to improve reliability moving into the future. W-2 was identified as a High Criticality asset in the City of Miami Beach Water & Sewer Renewal and Replacement Report dated May 2018 and was included in the 2020-2024 implementation timeframe in the City of Miami Beach Water System Master Plan dated October 2019. In order to ensure reliability moving forward, a complete hardening and rehabilitation of the booster station is recommended. Overall, this project will greatly increase the resilience of the water system, protect public health, increase safety, and mitigate emergency-related risks. The Administration is requesting an appropriation of $500,000. Matching funds are not required, and the total project cost is $2,800,000.
South Beach Pedestrian Priority Zone
The South Beach Pedestrian Priority Zone is premised on the adopted modal priority which places pedestrians first, transit and bicycles second, and private automobiles third. It is a priority project in the 2016 Miami Beach Transportation Master Plan. The project aims at mitigating community concerns with pedestrian safety by introducing improvements such as traffic calming, wider sidewalks, signalization improvements conducive to better pedestrian experience, wider/clearer sidewalks, high-emphasis crosswalks, ADA ramps, improved landscaping, and lower speed limits. In addition, the project pursues various policy changes to strengthen the Pedestrian Priority Zone. The goal of the project is to implement area-wide improvements to pedestrian and bicycle facilities in already walkable neighborhoods and designate the area as the South Beach Pedestrian Priority Zone. The Administration is requesting an appropriation of $500,000. Matching funds are not required, and the total project cost is $1,900,000.