THE PORT EVERGLADES DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDS APPROVAL.
This item supports the Broward County Board of County Commissioners' ("Board") Value: "Ensuring economic opportunities for Broward's diverse population and businesses" and the Goal: "Increase the economic strength and impact of revenue-generating County enterprises balancing economic, environmental and community needs."
The Department of the Army ("DOA") U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning to commence a Federal Navigation Channel maintenance dredging project ("Federal project") within Port Everglades in the fall of 2019. This is the first DOA-initiated maintenance dredging at Port Everglades since 2012, and will include dredging in the Entrance Channel, Turning Basin, and the Southport Access Channel. This Federal project is 100% Federally funded. The Port Everglades Department has requested that areas adjacent to Berths 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 25, 26, 27, and 30, be dredged to remove some shoaling as part of this Federal project. Port Everglades is responsible for the additional costs associated with dredging the berthing areas up to 100’ from the bulkhead. A Memorandum of Agreement ("MOA") with the DOA is required to authorize the work to be completed as part of the Federal project (see Exhibit 2). Having the DOA complete the berth maintenance dredging as part of the Federal project significantly reduces the cost to the Port, since the dredging equipment will already be mobilized to the area to perform the Federal Channel maintenance. The Environmental Protection and Growth Management Department has a separate agenda item addressing the additional cost of placing dredged beach-quality material on the shoreline at Dr. Von D Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park.
It is currently estimated that approximately 77,000 cubic yards of material will be dredged from the identified berth areas at an estimated cost of $1,014,000. The MOA requires full payment of the $1,014,000 within 90 days of execution of the MOA. The DOA will provide a final accounting of the additional costs for the dredging covered by the MOA, and the County will be responsible for providing additional funds if the costs exceed the $1,014,000 estimate, and will receive a refund if the final costs are lower than that estimate.
The DOA is currently planning to advertise the maintenance dredging project for bid in June, 2019. Since the Board will not return from the summer recess until August 13, 2019, staff requests that the agreement be approved in its substantially final form and the County Administrator be authorized to execute the MOA and any related financial instrument on behalf of the County once finalized by DOA, subject to the final review and approval as to form by the Office of the County Attorney.
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