9/28/1993 - Laserfiche WebLink

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BOOK 90 rnu 653 Breakwaters International is involved in a pilot reef project on Long Island Sound based on a direct contract with the Township of Avalon, New Jersey. She predicted that as public projects become more common, the competitive process will be best. ' Ms. Garafa quoted an article from the Vero Beach Press Journal which credited Commissioner Adams with the statement that the County could not accept competitive bids because there is only one patented PEP reef. Ms. Garafa argued that submerged artificial reefs have been in existence for centuries, and Breakwaters has a system comparable to the PEP reef. Ms. Garafa offered to give more details on the comparable and differing features of the two systems. She assured the Board that her company could do the permitting work at a lower cost and in less time. She detailed their past performance and asked if the Board would allow Breakwaters' project engineer, Mr. Christopher Schmidt, to speak on the technology. Chairman Bird preferred to limit the discussion to procedure and leave the technical aspects to the BSPAC. Commissioner Adams advised that the BSPAC prefers to hire a company with knowledge and experience in Florida permitting and mitigation. She assured Ms. Garafa that we have not gone into this project blind; we have worked with engineers and state and federal agencies. Commissioner Adams resented the way the project continually is picked apart. She preferred that Breakwaters International appear before the BSPAC. Commissioner Adams asked whether Breakwaters International is licensed to bid in Florida, and Ms. Garafa responded that they currently are not but have made application and can start projects. Commissioner Adams preferred to do business with companies with a local track record because we have a lot at stake. If Breakwaters International has a good product, BSPAC will be happy to listen to their presentation. The County has made a decision on the PEP reef project. Commissioner Macht also favored doing business with a company which is knowledgeable about permitting in Florida and experienced in this field. He reminded Ms. Garafa that the subject contract is for a portion of the ultimate extension of the reef. It will be 2 or 3 years before we can make a definitive judgment about whether the system is going to work and to what degree. It would not be in the best interests of the taxpayers to experiment with another system. Commissioner Eggert agreed, and felt that Breakwaters International should make their presentation to BSPAC for possible future reef construction. 14