What’s happening at city hall these days? Plenty.
The city commission will be in session and facing a hefty agenda when this issue of the Key West Weekly hits newsstands on Thursday, Oct. 9.
Visit keyweekly.com on Friday for a full report of the commission’s decisions and discussions. The morning session of the commission meeting begins at 9 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, with the evening session beginning at 5 p.m. The full agenda and background materials are available at cityofkeywest-fl.gov.
Here’s a look at some of the topics the commission will consider:
• Commissioner Monica Haskell wants the city to conduct a “targeted review of building permits issued between January 2020 and April 2025,” due to the cost-prohibitive expense that would be incurred if the city hired a consultant to review all permits from those years. Instead, Haskell wants the consultants to focus on permits that were modified in the online tracking software; that involved “contractors shown favoritism by (the chief building official) as documented in emails and texts collected by the Grand Jury”; and permits related to life-safety issues.
• The commission is expected to approve a month-to-month contract with Orlando attorney Mayanne Downs, who will work as Key West’s contracted city attorney for 12 to 18 months. The city attorney search committee recommended the short-term arrangement, after receiving no applications members could recommend for the full-time position. Downs would charge $495 per hour, plus travel and other expenses. Her firm, Downs Aaron, is located in Orlando. Before the meeting, commissioner Sam Kaufman outlined his opposition to Downs’ contract. Kaufman pointed out that the local law firm of Vernis & Bowling would do the job for $230 per hour and its attorneys, including school board attorney Dirk Smits, are located and have significant experience in Monroe County and Key West.
• Commissioner Lissette Carey wants the city to reimburse her $6,170 for legal fees she incurred in her defense of a recall petition against her.
• Commissioner Donie Lee wants the city to respectfully ask the Navy to withdraw its objection to Wisteria Island mooring field. The new mooring field would eliminate the profusion of derelict vessels around Wisteria Island and the related nearshore water pollution. But the navy’s objection is delaying the project and jeopardizing $1.6 million in grant funding for it.
• What to do with the historically significant, but physically deteriorating, former diesel plant at Truman Waterfront, which Keys Energy Services gave to the city at no charge years ago. Preservation experts on the city’s Historic Architectural Review Commission (HARC) strongly oppose the building’s demolition, but the estimated cost of the needed structural repairs is at least $7 million.
The Key West Art & Historical Society also opposes the plant’s demolition. Michael Gieda, executive director of KWAHS, wrote to the commissioners, “…we were deeply dismayed to see demolition listed as a city-recommended option for the historic complex. The Diesel Plant comprises a series of brick structures, with the oldest dating back to 1883. Originally constructed as a gas works facility, it was converted to produce commercial electric power in 1887, just five years after Thomas Edison’s pioneering Pearl Street Station began operation in New York City. This makes Key West one of the earliest cities in the United States to adopt commercial electrical power, a remarkable distinction that underscores the site’s historical importance. The Diesel Plant remained operational until the early 1950s when the Steam Plant on Trumbo Road became the island’s primary power generator.
“Neglecting – or worse, demolishing – these historic structures would be a profound disservice to the City of Key West and its residents. It would also stand in direct contradiction to both the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Charter. The City’s own mission statement, “Honoring Our Past and Embracing Our Future for a Better Key West” outlines a clear commitment to preservation,…
“We respectfully urge the City Commission to uphold the recommendations of its own Historic Architectural Review Commission and to act in accordance with the guiding principles and core values of the City of Key West. Under no circumstances should the City consider demolishing the historic Diesel Plant. Instead, the City should lead by example, championing the stabilization and adaptive reuse of these buildings through a public-private partnership that benefits the entire community.”
• Creating a new employee protection whistleblower policy, which was recommended in the grand jury report that resulted from the ongoing investigation into alleged corruption by the city’s former chief building official, Raj Ramsingh, who was indicted and arrested in April and now faces multiple felony charges, including obstruction of justice and organized fraud.
• City manager Brian L. Barroso and his team will update the commission on progress in fulfilling the recommendations contained in the grand jury report that resulted from the indictment and arrest of three former city officials — former building chief Raj Ramsing; his brother Ron Ramsing, the former city attorney and former code enforcement director Jim Young.
• Lee proposes to establish the position of inspector general, who will have investigative and subpoena power to look into potential fraud and will report directly to the city commission.
• Consider a one-year, $130,000 water-quality monitoring contract with Stantec, which Kaufman has concerns about and seeks to make the contract more specific.
