the Barefoot Resort & Golf community. A Brief Review of the - - PDF document

A copy of this document was provided to those in attendance at the September 12, 2011, 5:00 p.m. Barefoot Bridge Repainting Project Information Meeting held at City Hall. It mirrors the statements made by City representatives during the information meeting. It is intended to provide additional information about the project and to clarify some inaccurate statements and assumptions that have been circulating within the Barefoot Resort & Golf community.

A Brief Review of the City’s Financial Relationship with the Barefoot Resort & Golf Community

Over the past two weeks, there has been verbal and e-mail discussion within the Barefoot Resort & Golf community suggesting that the community has contributed and continues to contribute far more to the financial well-being of the City of North Myrtle Beach than the City does to Barefoot’s financial well-being. This has led some to conclude that the City should pay whatever it takes to accomplish the bridge repainting project without at any time closing the bridge to all vehicular traffic. What follows is a factual assessment of the City’s general fiscal relationship with the Barefoot community.

• Barefoot Resort was developed as a PDD
• It is incorrect to say that the developer of Barefoot Resort & Golf “gave” the City

roads, a bridge and other infrastructure for “free.” The fact is that any new development within the City of North Myrtle Beach is required to provide the infrastructure necessary to service that development, including roads, drainage, water, sewer, etc. This prevents the burden of growth from being disproportional to existing residents citywide. The developer of Barefoot Resort & Golf freely chose to dedicate the infrastructure as public facilities and subsequently dedicated those facilities for City maintenance. This funding liability is now equally shared by all North Myrtle Beach taxpayers.

• When the development was transferred from the original developer to the

successor in interest, two items of infrastructure, the fire station and a new water tower, had not been completed. The City negotiated an agreement to provide the money to construct the fire station (total cost: $1.5 million, City’s portion: $600,000) and the water tower (total cost to City: $2.07 million). The City will receive some but not all of this money back via supplemental impact fees over time.

• The City also completed and paid for road improvements to enhance access to

Barefoot Resort as follows:

• Water Tower Road Paving - $1.9 million
• Highway 31 Interchange - $3.1 million
• Long Bay Road Paving - $700,000
• A significant part of the City’s original interest in supporting and annexing the

Barefoot Resort & Golf development hinged on the developer’s stated plan to build a significant commercial district within the development. However, over time, this commercial aspect has failed to materialize, and this has significantly reduced the fiscal benefits of the Barefoot development to the City.

• Barefoot Resort & Golf accounts for about 11% of the total assessed value
• f the City of North Myrtle Beach, which means that the Barefoot

community, including its golf interests, pays about $1.325 million in property taxes annually to the City of North Myrtle Beach. However, the City of North Myrtle Beach provides general services directly to the Barefoot community at a cost to the City in excess of $3 million annually. This includes police, fire/rescue, bridge operators and other basic services paid for out of the general fund. This imbalanced fiscal relationship is typical of most residential developments that do not include a substantial commercial component. (Barefoot Landing is a separate PDD and unrelated to Barefoot Resort & Golf.)

Additional Clarifications

• A number of very pointed emails have been circulating within the Barefoot

community stating that Barefoot Resort & Golf deserves extra project money because the community has “put North Myrtle Beach on the map.” We all agree that Barefoot is a nice development, however, the City would point out that in all

• f its marketing efforts Barefoot Resort & Golf takes great pains to NOT mention

the development’s actual location within the City of North Myrtle Beach. Indeed, all marketing seeks to identify Barefoot as a Myrtle Beach development. Over the years, North Myrtle Beach city leaders, some no longer with us, have spoken with Barefoot leaders about this marketing focus to no avail. It would be nice if those who market Barefoot as a resort destination and as place to call home did begin to recognize the city that supported the development in its earliest days, and which provides it with services today…the City of North Myrtle Beach, the community

• f which Barefoot Resort & Golf is a part.
• Our Public Works Director will later get into some of the project specifics but it is

important that we identify upfront what people are really talking about when they call for the repainting project to occur with one lane open at all times. Not only would this approach move the cost of the project from its current $907,000 price tag to a $2.1 million price tag – IF the contractor agrees to hold to his 2010 bid price– but it would also require moving the project from its current November- January time frame to an April-September time frame. That would be required

because, if the contractor cannot shroud the bridge to provide for an enclosed environment where temperature can be controlled so that paint will adhere to the bridge structure, then the contractor must paint during the warm months and during the day.

• When people talk about how easy it would be to shroud just one side of the bridge

and allow for one lane of traffic to occur throughout the project, they may not understand that the Coast Guard requires that the Barefoot Swing Bridge open on demand to boat traffic, as well as on schedule for tugboats. There is no leeway in that Coast Guard requirement. Before the bridge could be opened to on-demand and scheduled boat traffic, all shrouding would have be removed from the bridge,

• therwise, as the bridge opens, the shrouding will act as a sail and create a

destructive imbalance for the bridge. This means that, under the one-lane-open scenario, a significant part of the contractor’s day will be spent setting up and taking down shrouding and other equipment, not actually scraping and painting. That is why there is such a large cost differential between the two project approaches.

• Everyone recognizes and appreciates that complete or partial closure of the

Barefoot bridge to vehicular traffic will cause some Barefoot residents and visitors to be inconvenienced. They will have to utilize the Water Tower Road/Highway 31 entrance/exit to Barefoot. If their destination is somewhere within North Myrtle Beach, this may add 10-11 miles to a trip that would be shorter were the bridge to remain open. If they are headed to points some distance south or north of North Myrtle Beach, odds are they are already using the Water Tower Road/Highway 31 connection for ease of access and faster travel. The City’s focus has been on to how minimize this inconvenience. We can all agree that there is far less vehicular traffic utilizing the bridge during the December-January time frame (when the bridge would be closed to all vehicular traffic) than there is at any other time of the year. Again, Barefoot’s golf and other business interests agreed with us on this fact, and that is why they asked us to move the project to the November-January time frame this year.

• Incorrect information has been circulated within the Barefoot community

regarding how the City sought bids on the bridge repainting project. The City did not simply select a contractor at whim. The City solicited public bids for the bridge painting project on two separate occasions, the first time in April/May 2010 and the second time in December 2010. On both occasions, public bid notices were placed in the local paper and the appropriate construction plan rooms were notified, such as Dodge, AGC, etc. (A construction plan room is an office where contractors can look at project plans without having to pay to obtain them from the owners bidding the work. Contractors pay a subscription or dues to participate in the service.) Also, project notices were sent to South Carolina Business Opportunities, a state publication for public bids. The City received bids from contractors located in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia.

• The residents of Barefoot Resort & Golf have a keen interest in their section of

the North Myrtle Beach community and, so long as accurate information is used in the effort to further that interest, that is healthy and admirable. The seven members of the North Myrtle Beach City Council also have a genuine interest in and appreciation for Barefoot Resort & Golf. It is an attractive and popular

• development. HOWEVER, the members of City Council do not have the same

luxury that the residents and owners at Barefoot have— City Council members cannot allow themselves to limit their focus to just one section of the city. In making their project funding and other decisions for one area of the city, they must take into consideration all of the monetary and other needs facing the entire city of North Myrtle Beach. Unlike many other cities in America in these recessionary times, the City of North Myrtle Beach is in sound financial shape and that is because the City Council has budgeted for projects and services in line with realistic revenue projections.

Barefoot Swing Bridge History

• The City agreed to accept the responsibility for the maintenance of the Barefoot

Bridge in 1998 as part of the development of the Barefoot Resort PDD. Since this was a previously used bridge, all mechanical components were reconditioned and/or replaced by the original bridge manufacturer, and the bridge was cleaned and painted. However, original lead based coatings were not removed from the structure at that time.

• Routine maintenance and repairs are performed on a regular basis by the City

bridge crew and contractors, where necessary. The City provides 4 bridge

• perators, and the City provides one bridge crew leader primarily dedicated to

bridge maintenance. Total cost of these services: $261,000 annually.

• Discussion and evaluation of the bridge’s paint condition began in 2007. The City

deferred the work due to neighborhood access issues because Water Tower Road was not paved at that time.

• Upon completion of the Water Tower Road paving project, specifications were

prepared and initial bids were received in May 2010 for the reconditioning of the Barefoot Bridge. Bids ranged from $2.1 million to $2.8 million, which were substantially over budgeted funds. The City attempted negotiations with the low bidder to modify the project scope and bring the project within allowable funding

• limits. However, negotiations were not successful and so all bids were rejected.
• Structural repairs to the bridge were completed in October 2010 at a cost of

$125,000. This work was done at night to minimize impact on vehicular traffic. In addition, the work was scheduled outside of the bridge painting contract in order to minimize the time required to perform the cleaning and painting operations.

• Additional research was conducted for alternative coating systems in order to

minimize the project’s impact on the Barefoot community. This resulted in a new bid/specification package that was let in December 2010 with resulting bids ranging from $907,000 to $1,800,000. At that time, the plan was to accomplish the work in the January 2010 – April 2011 time frame.

• Significant community input was received concerning the planned work schedule

extending into the spring golf season. For example, the Mayor, City Manager and Public Works Director met with Sammy Puglia, Tom Staats and Ron Hendrix of Barefoot Resort & Golf, who urged the City to move the project from its original January 2010-April 2011 time frame to the current November 2011-January 2012 time frame. The representatives said that having the bridge closed during the December 2011-January 2012 time frame would be the best scenario for golf interests at Barefoot, since it is the least productive time of the year for golf

• interests. After consulting with the low bid contractor, who agreed to hold to his

bid of $907,000 for another year, the City moved the project to its current time frame.

• The current project time frame also coincides with the Barefoot Bridge’s lowest

traffic volume.

Bridge Repainting Project Details

• The contract was awarded to Saffo Contractors of Wilmington, NC for their bid

price of $907,000 This was the lowest bid tendered. It is based on full closure of the bridge to vehicular traffic for up to a maximum of 49 days, partial closure (one lane) to traffic for up to 42 days, and encapsulation

• f lead paint that cannot otherwise easily be removed.

Previous bids to keep one lane open throughout the project came in at a low cost of $2.1 million with a contract period of 181 days. However, the City cannot afford that additional cost. Keeping the bridge open to vehicular traffic throughout the project nearly doubles the cost due to Coast Guard requirements and the need to balance the bridge on its pedestal.

• The Coast Guard requires the bridge to open to

passing boat traffic. This would require many

• penings and closings during the life of the project.

Because the bridge is “delicately” balanced on its pedestal, the weight at both ends of the bridge must remain the same when it is fully open. This would require the contractor to remove ALL project

equipment and personnel each time the bridge is

• pened, resulting in many costly set-ups and take-

downs throughout each day. However, if the contractor is allowed to keep the bridge open full- time for an extended period of time, with the bridge balanced and secured through the use of cribbing systems at either end of the bridge, then the contractor can work without having to respond to boat passages or ongoing bridge balancing

• challenges. This results in a huge cost savings.
• The contractor has 91 days to complete the entire project
• The contractor may close the bridge to all traffic for up to a maximum of 49 days
• The bridge will be cleaned with high pressure water jets and repainted with an

encapsulation coating system. This approach minimizes cost and time, while providing a coating life of 10-15 years with a 10 year warranty.

• During the project phase when the bridge is closed to all vehicular traffic and
• pen full-time to boat passage, it will be structurally supported (cribbed) at both

ends and secured during cleaning and painting operations. This will ensure that no harm comes to the bridge’s support or other components. The bridge also will be draped to control temperature, allowing the contractor to work continuously despite fluctuations in outside temperature, which would otherwise negatively impact the ability of the paint to adhere to and bond with the bridge, thus slowing the project considerably. The draping will also assist in the required capture of all cleaning and painting debris.

• While it would be unlikely that an emergency would impact both entrances/exits

to Highway 31 off Water Tower Road, if that did occur, the bridge work contract provisions allow for the City to direct the contractor to cease operations and

• pen the bridge. We anticipate this can be accomplished in 6 to 8 hours. The

City can also provide evacuation through Dye Estates via Gray Heron Road to Long Bay Road, which provides a connection with Highway 90.

• Detour signage will be installed to adequately direct traffic to Barefoot Resort via

Highway 22 – Highway 31 – Water Tower Road. Additional signage may be placed for alternate routes via Highway 90 based on community input.

• The contractor’s early completion incentive is $2,000 per day
• The late completion penalty is $2,500 per day

Public Safety and Ambulance Staffing

• The North Myrtle Beach Public Safety Department will position necessary

Fire/Rescue and Police personnel on the West side of the bridge to maintain effective response times and services. During the bridge closure, two Public Safety Officers (Police) will be committed to the Barefoot Community and will remain in the Barefoot community at all times. During the bridge closure, the fire truck pumper that is usually located at the Barefoot Station will be changed out for the City’s new Quint fire truck. This is a combination ladder/pumper truck and provides aerial fire fighting capability. If additional fire fighting response is required, the City will send equipment from its Station #3, which is located 11.2 miles from the rear entrance to the Barefoot community. The Horry County Fire Chief has committed to providing either a paramedic at the Barefoot Station during bridge closure or an

• ambulance. If it is a paramedic, that person will ride with City

fire/rescue personnel on the City fire truck to a medical rescue scene in Barefoot and assist a victim while ambulance transport

• arrives. City Fire/Rescue personnel are also EMTs. The fire

trucks carry important life-saving equipment as well.

Opportunities for Public Input

The Barefoot Bridge Repainting Project has been discussed in the following public venues:

• City Council Meeting March 1, 2010
• City Council Meeting April 5, 2010
• City Council Meeting April 19, 2010
• City Council Meeting June 7, 2010
• City Council Meeting July 19, 2010
• City Council Meeting August 2, 2010
• City Council Meeting August 15, 2010
• City Council Meeting December 20, 2010
• Barefoot Resort HOA and HOA Board Meetings – Various dates during 2009 -

2010

• Barefoot Resort & Golf – Various dates May 2010 – December 2010

Community Awareness

• Information on the Barefoot Bridge Project has been covered in the Barefoot

Resort Residential Association Newsletter. (We greatly appreciate the opportunities we

have been given to place City news in this publication. The information presented here tonight will make up the bulk of an article to run in the newsletter in the next issue.)

• The December 20, 2010 news release describing the movement of the project

from 2010 to 2011, and the basic specifics of the project, was provided to Omni Management Services and we appreciate the release having been provided to all home owners on the Barefoot Resort Residential Association Website. (It was still there as of September 8, 2011.) Via email on December 20, 2010, Community Manager Pam Basilicato also stated that the release would be sent to all Barefoot

• wners. We greatly appreciate this communication path as well.
• Information about the project has been included in the City’s “CURRENTS”

newsletter, which is mailed to all NMB water and sewer customers.

• Information on the project has been provided to the City’s Email News Group,

which receives news releases at the same time they are sent out to the news

• media. Some Barefoot community leaders are included in that list. (You can sign up

to be on the list by sending your email address to pcdowling@NMB.us . You can request that your name be removed at any time. Your email address will not be used by the City for any other purpose or provided to any other party for any other type of use.)

• Information on the various stages of the project over the last few years has been

widely covered by area news media outlets

• Details of the project have been communicated directly to Barefoot golf, HOA

and other leaders via email

• Information about significant steps in the project’s development has been posted
• n the City’s website at www.NMB.us (Under “New & Noteworthy” on that

website, a “button” labeled “Barefoot Bridge Repainting Project” has been established and you will find future postings of project information at that location.)

• Information on the project has been included at various times on the City’s

Channel 15 TV information channel. (Many in Barefoot Resort currently do not have access to this Time Warner Cable-provided government channel but will soon through a franchise-required HTC City of NMB TV information channel).

• Information about the project is always included in the speech that the City

Manager regularly draws from in his speaking engagements throughout the City. Copies of that speech with the project information in it are always available for take-home by members of the audience.

• Information about the project has been discussed at length during the City’s

weekly Wednesday (8:20am) news talk show on WNMB Radio in North Myrtle Beach, and it has been discussed on WRNN Talk Radio following new developments in the project.

• We encourage you to keep abreast of all City news and information by visiting

www.NMB.us and reviewing our “Press Releases” and “Agendas” sections; by adding your email address to the City’s Email News Group, which receives all news releases at the same time they are sent to news media, plus Council agendas and other notifications; or by calling or emailing Public Information at 843-280- 5612 / pcdowling@nmb.us