During last Monday’s Miami Town Council meeting, council heard updates on the progress of the Inspiration School affordable housing project, as well as the police department HVAC project. Meanwhile, disagreements over the structure of council agendas and reports sparked debate among council members and attendees.
Fidelis Garcia and Prince Twumasi, of the Arizona-based nonprofit Chicanos Por La Causa, provided council with an update on the progress of the Inspiration School project.
Twumasi, the project manager, said interior pipe work was starting in the old school building and that the building's exterior work, which now boasts new paint, was almost complete.
“It's looking as if it's a brand new building,” he said.
Garcia, the nonprofit’s advocacy manager, said framing was complete and drywall was about 75 percent done at the former school. Scaffolding has gone up around a second building behind the school, where the cafeteria once stood.
“We're hoping the project is complete by the first week of November,” Garcia said. “We anticipate that the units, hopefully, will rent up pretty quickly. I've already had some people that have contacted me saying they're interested.”
Between the two buildings, there will be 40 units – one-, two-, and three-bedrooms – with handicapped-accessible units at ground level. The complex will include a fitness gym, a playground, and a sitting area and grill between the two buildings.
A proposal by Councilman Dan Moat to revise future agendas by moving the call to the public during town council meetings ahead of reports ultimately died for lack of a motion.
“We definitely need to revise some of our public speaking,” said Moat. “I think it could be more organized this way.”
Town Attorney Joe Estes pointed out that the move would have to come through an ordinance amending town code because the order of business was written into the town’s code.
Estes said this was “typically not normal.”
He recommended that council direct him to draft an ordinance to bring back. He also noted that state law allows a call to the public, but does not require it.
Vice Mayor Sammy Gonzales was skeptical of the need for the proposal.
“How it's scheduled has been working previously, and I just don't understand why we want to have any kind of changes to how it's going,” Gonzales said.
In his own report, Councilman Jose “Angel” Medina read a historical presentation on the towns of Ray and Sonora, drawing some parallels with Globe-Miami.
This drew a protest from audience member Richard Huerta, who argued Medina’s report was “wasting taxpayer money” and had “no value to the town.”
As Medina began his report, Huerta – who had earlier led the invocation – silently held up two small signs reading “STOP” until he was directed to lower them by Mayor Gil Madrid on the grounds that they were disruptive.
Huerta argued that state law allowed holding signs at council meetings; Madrid, while acknowledging this, said cities and towns could also set their own standards.
Meanwhile, during the council’s discussion of the police department's HVAC system, Rivera said a quote for electrical work was expected no later than May 15 – after a May 6 target date was set at the last council meeting – and that mid-June was the target date for finishing the mechanical work.
The HVAC project’s timeline had been an issue of contention during the last council meeting. Police Chief Manuel Hernandez reported that air conditioning had been mounted in the police station's back room and was working well.
During Town Manager Alexis Rivera’s report, he said he received “very encouraging communication” from the governor's office regarding funding support for the Bloody Tanks Wash and Mackey's Camp flood mitigation project, and said the conversation would continue the next day.
Rivera also said the town was in talks with Freeport McMoRan to establish a contract facilitating purchase of 100 percent of the reclaimed sewer water produced for Freeport's Miami operation. The goal, Rivera added, was to increase Miami's revenue stream.
He also updated the council on the town's facade program.
“I hope by this week we receive all the applications and start working,” he said.
In other business, the council appointed Miami resident Sarah Way to a one-year term on the town's design review board, filling the board's remaining vacancy.
The council also voted to table two items for further review: a proposal to increase speeding fines and put up warning signs, and a revised job description for the economic development director position.
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