Good evening and welcome to the City Council workshop on the Plantation Preserve Golf Course Improvements. Ms. Beggaro, would you please call the roll? Councilmember Anderson? Here. Councilmember Andrew? Here. Councilmember Kajan? Here. Councilmember Horland? Here. Councilmember Reinstein? Here. Mayor Sortle? Here. Assistant City Attorney Morgan? Here. Thank you. Thank you very much, Ms. Beggaro. Good evening, Mr. Machuda. Good evening. I'm Dave Machuca, Capital Projects Administration. I hope everyone has had a nice week. Tonight's workshop is being presented by Miller Legg, our consultant, to provide an update on the project, which will include additional condition assessment findings related to the existing pumps, the irrigation system, pump house, turf conditions, along with an overall overview of the proposed improvements. They will also discuss the proposed turf procurement strategy, bulk-end improvement alternatives. I know that was one of the topics that was talked about in the previous workshop. Preliminary concept plans, the overall project schedule, and an implementation approach. In addition, they're also going to talk a little bit about the public communication and stakeholder outreach strategy so that we can keep our residents, golfers, and other interested parties informed throughout the planning, design, and implementation phases of the project. So with that, I would like to turn it over to Dylan Larson with Miller Legg and his team. I think you covered it all. That's good. Thank you. Mayor and Council, we're happy to be here and give an update on the plantation preserve. We're very excited as we're moving forward with this. And, uh, okay, there we go. So like I said, um, very excited on the progress we're making, where we're going, and keeping you updated. So, uh, as Deb mentioned, um, we're going to go over some of the condition assessment findings we, we've conducted since our last, uh, update here on the pump, the pump house turf. Talk about the procurement, bulkhead, the plan, schedule, and that. We all know where it's located. And one of the things I want to reiterate is our team members that make up our, our team, uh, host of specialties there. And when I go through the presentational, I say a lot of we and us, cause I, I take our team's input and things like that. And not only that, the city staff and management, as well as input from the, uh, management group, the pro and the, uh, golf pro and the management there. So when I talk about things, I'm taking collective information of we and us as I talk. So getting right into it, one of the things we delved in deeper was the pump and irrigation assessment. And, uh, one of the key things they kind of look, we, we knew this, but it was really helpful for this, our, our turf consultant to dig into more details of all the elements and kind of score. He is a scoring system. You kind of see it scores, uh, 40 below which we'd even want. But again, the system's pretty old. It's 20 years old. We all know it. One of the interesting things I didn't see or that pointed out, you see the, uh, uh, following there on the, in the, um, sprinkler head, I guess that's from snails and some clams and stuff that go in the sprinkler system. So that's given an indication there's breaks in line or at the intake pump and clogging lines, things like that. So it was just an interesting thing I saw, but really with his overall assessment and all that, it's really a recommendation that we have to have a complete system replacement, the pump in its entirety, all of the irrigation lines with new HDPE going in. It's actually more labor, uh, effective to do that. New irrigation heads, controller and software, just everything's obsolete and all that. So that's the recommendation going for a complete replacement, uh, to move forward. The next thing we've kind of looked at closer in this, uh, past few months was the pump house itself and really delved into what was needed to code and electrical. And one of the key things when we looked at the geotechnical, which is a, a, a critical thing that our, uh, structure was looking at, what that slab was. And, uh, one of the, I guess, the key things that pushed over the edge, that slab thickness might not meet the current code needed for the structure and things like that. And we met with the building permitting department and so forth. And just with all those factors taken in account, uh, what was recommended collectively was to just do a complete demolition of that structure. It's just too old and all that, including the slab because it won't meet new code. Uh, we're a value in wet well, but now the, uh, uh, manifold, pump manufacturers that have a prefabricated structure. You see here, it's just easy to bring in and the skid, the whole thing 20 years ago didn't have this. This is just kind of the way to go. So that's recommendation. One unit comes in and it's a much easier permit and construct and all that stuff. So that's a recommendation on the pump house. The other thing that was delved into, uh, quite a bit deeper is the turf assessment. Our consultant here really went to, uh, a lot of lengths to look at, uh, probing and testing the soil in every green and fairway and look at all the elements and really dig in there and analyze the pH of the soil, the waters and, and all those elements of looking at it. And one of his philosophies is he doesn't just decide what turf to put on based on his bias. He really lets the course speak to what will be tolerated there. Let the science and data speak what will work there. Um, and this is through that analysis and given all the site conditions and level of play and things like that, the recommendation is the greens would be Tiff Eagle, Bermuda, and then the rest of the course really be a platinum TE Passpalum. It's different than what we have now. We have a Seedorf Passpalum. It's, it's, it's a different type, but it's, it's a newer strain, breed, whatever you want to call it, but it's complimentary to, uh, the Passpalum we do have now. If we have contamination, if it grows through, et cetera, like that. A lot of other reasons, but a lot of, in a lot of information went into that for that recommendation of that type of turf. Okay. So with that said, the city had, uh, proceeded to try to qualify some contractors with the letter of interest to kind of vet, uh, the nurseries or sod farms out there. So that process has started to see what, what farms are qualified to provide this material at the quality level that the city will need certified, et cetera, things like that. So that's in process now. And then quickly to talk about the bulk alternatives, as mentioned, that was discussed last, uh, meeting when we talked about variety of vinyl, steel, things like that. Wood. One of the things to accommodate your request is, um, we really still recommend wood, but in our bidding process, what we'll do is have wood as the base bid from the contractor and have them bid, bid alternates, which means they'll give us a price to put a vinyl repair in, how much that would cost to put in front of the timber, et cetera, vinyl replace, as well as concrete that was brought up. So we can get actual bid comparisons in the future of what that costs. We have estimates, but we could really then make that decision at the time. There's a lot of elements that go in into it means the methodology, the geotechnical that's needed. If you can have, you know, drill the sheet pile in without dead man anchors host of things like that. And this allows us to kind of move forward and get the actual bids and make a decision later and then be pinned down now if we want to do that. So that's what we recommend there. Um, but we think wood would work, and again, that's a later decision. You can see TPC there. So one of the big things now is moving in the concept plan of what's been shown here. I know it's kind of hard just to say, okay, you know, what's here, but a lot of the elements are, as I mentioned before, we're not realigning the courses, we're not putting new holes in, not swapping whole things. We're tweaking what's happening. That tweaking is still a lot of work and it's going to improve the course. Some of the key elements are, as we mentioned before, you know, sand bunkers will be reduced. Those are high cost level items. A lot of courses are reducing, taking those out. So sand bunkers are being reduced strategically placed. A lot of areas of waste bunkers being put in. That's like a shell rock goes in, especially where we have the mature trees, sods not growing into the shade. It just makes sense to have it there. That reduces your maintenance costs, irrigation fertilizer costs, things like that. And reducing the mounding and some things like that, circulation patterns, et cetera, like that. Replacing the bridges and bulkheads, we talk like that. So there's a hole by hole comparison in there. Again, it's kind of, you know, to see, but the concept plan has been provided. Schedule, that's the most important thing. So one of the key things we have looked at again in talking everything and phasing, there's no longer a phasing proposed just based on a variety of factors. The last time we're talking about a few phases. So now everything we're proposing to do is in 2028. Okay. Just given the pump and house and things like that and talking to staff. So with that said, some of our real key dates I want to highlight for the council, where the council would have to take action and looking at is coming on October 2026 this year. We want to bring forth a contract to secure that turf that allows us to get it in time for the 2028 construction, so we know what's happening. In the same vein, same meeting, the construction authorization for our construction design for the balance of the course and the construction administration for the full course efforts. And then we're looking at is the following year, October 2027, would be the award for the contractor to renovate and construct to be able to go into 2028. So one of the key things driving that is us to get the design and everything done so we can be in procurement in 2027 and so forth and really take action. We need to have that contractor on board, really. So we really need to have them mobilized and starting in February of 2028, now they're starting to be able to complete on time. And we're projecting through, you know, basically the end of the year to make sure everything grows in and all that because we're doing all of that work. Okay. And mostly, most important I should say, the Parks Department has now implemented a website so the public can go to get project updates. They have placed some QR codes and scanners at the course. I think those went up today or what have you, yesterday. So the public can have an update here and get updated on what happens. And it'll include the golf course as well as the clubhouse. That's on a different evaluation, but that information will be found here. So that's important for the public communication. And with that, questions. And just, I was like, for the heck of it, when I was looking at the presentation, that slide was at the beginning and that's 2006 when it opened. So I just took a 2026 just to see the changes. That sign looks the same, that little sign, but it is different. That didn't last 20 years, but the statues are. But one of the things I found interesting, you can see all the houses in here, but you just see kind of the screening of the houses now with the mature vegetation and so forth. So whatever. So with that, questions. Great. Thank you. I'll turn it over to my colleagues. Councilmembers, any questions? Councilmember Fragitt. Thank you for the presentation. So the tweaking that we're going to do, it's going to stay, we're going to keep it true to the original architect. Because, like, if we change it too much, then we can't utilize the name of the architect and the marketing of the courses. So we will be keeping that, the integrity intact? Yeah, because the alignment, the layout, the distances aren't changing. The features are changing, some of the mounding and things like that. And the mounding isn't, that's just a, you know, those are kind of individual elements. But the mounding, which is, causes a real issue with the maintenance and the mowing and scalping and just starts being drainage, a host of things like that, and cart circulation. But no, the layout and concept is still the same. Okay. So how is the platinum an improvement or better than what we have out there? You say it's a new strain. So it's not the same species, but it's in that line. And I'm not a grass expert. I might have to have Harry come up and talk about it. But the reason is the platinum's recommended is basically because it meets all the criteria that we're looking at. And again, all these were looked at of Bermuda, the altered dwarf Bermuda and things like that. So what was put in before was Seadorf Pass Palant was kind of new to the market back 20 years ago. It served its purpose. A lot of folks aren't keeping that in. It was as good for coastal areas. Again, it worked really well, and everybody said that it lasted a good 10 years. I think management was indicating at year 12 or 15 they started having issues and sprayed the edge, and that's when the weeds got in and kind of, you know, lose control. Again, it's tough to have any turf last 20 years and be good. Typically, how long does turf last? It depends on what it's maintained. But, Harry, what would you say would turf last? Could it be 20, 30 years? Okay. Could you come up to the microphone, please, and identify yourself again? Yes. Harry Bowers, golf course architect. Thanks for having us here. Thanks for the question. The Platinum Pass Palant is a new cultivar. It's been out about four or five years, but it's a thinner leaf blade than the sea dwarf was. It has better root structure. It's got better density at the surface. It's also more friendly to take care of than the old sea dwarf. It's not as susceptible to nematodes and other pests and whatnot. So it's in the same genetic strain, but it's a new cultivar. Again, one of the reasons that was in the back of our mind is this inability to strip and bury. Past balum is very difficult to get rid of once you start it. And it has a very deep root system. We've seen roots as far as two feet below surface. So it's tough to get rid of. So we started thinking about sustainability of the golf course, but also down the road what is the city left with. If the Bermuda starts coming back in splotches, it's such a different color and a different leaf blade, it'll show up. So you're going to have to fight that every summer. You're going to have to go out and herbicide it and that's more chemicals and whatnot. So there was more put into this than just saying we're going to go with past balum and we think it's a better surface. Okay. Regarding the bulkheads, what are the varying lives if we go wood? What are the options that you're going to present to us and then what's the life of them? Yeah. So the bulkheads are wood is about 15 to 25 years. Vinyl is about 30 to 50. And concrete's 50 plus. 50 plus. Okay. I guess my last question for now would be, so we would close at the end of February, the beginning of February? We would iron out the exact details of when we would close and so forth because there's some elements. Again, this shows by month and some quarters, right? So if we're going forward, we'd narrow down exactly what those dates are. What we would look at is October, our key date, we're moving forward, right? Because management and everything has to know exactly when the course is closing. You've got to communicate membership things, when tournaments have to be rescheduled. All those things fall in the line. But Harry's indicated, you know, there's some work that can happen of spraying the course. You start the herbicide spraying, but you can still be playing for a couple weeks on there. So actual closure, you know, might be... We want to get every penny out of it before we close it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And one of the key things is our team has talked about, you'll either lose your prime season in February of 2028 or at the back end, right? You're going to lose one side or the other. So we kind of want to make sure if we're committing to open January of 2029, we want to be open, not sliding into it, right? You want to be open new with your thing. So you're going to want to make sure at that back end you're kind of covered. So it's either one side or the other or that shoulder we always got to worry about. Okay. And then this is not really a question for you, but more of a comment. I know there's a lot of comments and questions from the members who are curious, like, how their dues will in continuing their membership. And I'm going to just state that we're going to assure them that they'll be fair whatever we decide. Thank you, Council President. Great. Thank you for the great comments, Council Member Fadgen, Council Member Anderson, and then the Mayor. Really? I see. Mine says two. It was the same question as Fadgen, as Council Member Fadgen. The time they're out of use, I assume you're essentially saying pro-rate or whatever. We'll make them whole one way or another, charge them less, pro-rate or do they ever allow them to have access at other courses that might be managed by the same company? Things like that, so they could have an alternative during that out time. I'm not sure. I've heard discussions on that. That's really not in our area, but I know courses that have talked about reciprocal things usually have a higher membership dues or typically private. I don't know about the management company. This is obviously a municipal course. Right. That's probably something we need to work out with them and with parks. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Would you mind if I let Council Member Andrea go next since I messed that one up? Thank you. Council Member Andrea. Thank you. It really might be for Mr. Spencer, but on this procurement, is the LOI mandatory for a firm to bid on the turf? Charles Spencer, Procurement Director. The LOI was solicited to seek interest because we don't know this space. The consultant came with some firms that he thought may be interested in this opportunity and in order to be fair and make sure we get proper market value, we decided to solicit to see if there was any other growers out there in this space. It didn't render any results, just to be honest. So we did go through that process and it rendered nothing. Zero. And it was out there for a number of days. I don't want to say we didn't get any responses, but none of a viable sense that we can solicit an opportunity to bid on a project this size. So we did do our outreach to make sure that we were tagging the right market groups. Okay. I think that with that being said, the timeline is a little aggressive, but… The timeline relating to… That you would bring this back to Council next month. Oh, well… Based on that information that you just shared with us, but… Well, yes. Considering that we only have one source, we're going to go directly to that source and request a proposal. Depending on how that negotiation goes, we can turn that around and get it back presented to you all. But we're working on the scope now for that process. So you're not going to put it out again? No. The LOI was the opportunity for those to provide an opportunity. So they could say, hey, raise your hand if you're interested. And we didn't render any results. So to go back out, we'll just be redundant at this point. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Thank you very much. In terms of playing other courses, I think it is part of the golf card where you can play a bunch of different courses. So golfers kind of in the summer at least have a rotation. The premier card. Yeah. Yeah, the premier card. So that helps a little bit. My question is for the architect. If we have new grass, will it change the golfer's experience? In other words, is it easier to hit off of, harder to hit off of? It's all hard. Can everybody get a better score? It's all relative to the handicap. I know. It's all hard. Anything will be better than we have now. Yes. You won't notice a big difference. The Platinum Pass Palum TE is a thinner leaf blade, which most golfers prefer. Right. Because then club hits the ball and you're good. Yeah. Some of the problems or the complaints about Pass Palum from the better players is that it's tough to take a divot and it's sticky. You know, the ball doesn't run out. Of course, the majority of your golfers, the mid to high handicap golfers, they kind of like it because the ball is always sitting right up and you can kind of sweep it. Me too. I'm there now too. I'm a sweeper. I'm not a divot guy. That's right. Yeah. There will be an improvement, but it's going to be hard to tell. Even if the sea dwarf, spotches of sea dwarf would pop back up, you'd have to be a trained eye to really tell the difference because the color is going to be almost identical. Harry, don't run away. I'm up next. Stay with us, Harry. How are you? Thank you. First of all, I want to thank the team and thank administration for listening to us. I think that all of us were concerned about the phasing. We want to go ahead and shut it down and get it done and do it the right way. And I think that you've heard us also whether it comes to the turf, the greens, or the bulkheads. We don't want to be Pennywise and Dollar Foolish. We want to be responsible. But we want to do this right because it is a gem in our community. So when you were here last, you did not recommend the Pats Fallon. So I'm assuming based on the soil content, the analysis, are those some of the reasons? The analysis proved a lot of things. The science kind of proved a lot of things. That we didn't have back in April. Right. The other big thing is just not going to be feasible to try to do a lot of earth work and go under the soil and get into the water table. And that was a big concern there. You can't strip it. It's going to be tough. It's really tough grass. I'm feeling a little better about it when you're telling me about the new strain and the root system isn't as deep. If someone can elaborate a little bit about the learning curve for the maintenance of it. Can you speak to that? Yeah, Pats Fallon does have a learning curve to it. But some of the new strains of Bermuda also have learning curves to that. It's not a very difficult learning curve, especially if the superintendent is experienced, probably certified superintendent. They have a network within their association to be able to call other superintendents that have had Pass Fallon and whatnot. When I redid the Palm Beach Par 3, what, 18 years ago, we did Sea Dwarf Pass Fallon. And we're talking about redoing it again now. And they need to stay Pass Fallon because they don't have good water quality. But there really hasn't been too many complaints. And they're still putting off Pass Fallon greens. Okay. But they're looking at the platinum TE also. The Sea Dwarfs kind of run its course. So I don't want to jinx anything, but I know that sourcing, and we just discussed it, was a concern with the Pass Fallon. If we are not able to negotiate a deal that is feasible for this project, what would be our backup plan? Would we do TIFF Eagle? You're going to have TIFF Eagle on the greens. I know we are. Yeah. But would we? Because did Delray, do you know if Delray Municipal Cause did tell Ray TIFF Eagle? I think Delray is Bimini. It is Bimini. Okay. Which we did talk about Bimini, but our consultant is also a consultant there and three other courses that have Bimini. And they're seeing mutation three years out because it's not a certified grass. Okay. Genetically, it doesn't meet the requirements to be a certified by the USD. Right. So we're just going to ensure that we get a... Yeah. And Jacaranda has gone with Bimini. With Bimini. Right. And so we'll see. We'll get a good... Okay. I... The real alternative that I wanted to see was Celebration Bermuda. Turf consultant liked a variety called TIFF Tough. Mm-hmm. We're just scared to death that five years after we... If we went to Bermuda without being able to strip and bury... Right. Five years later, the city would be going. It's going to start to emerge. Sure. We're fighting contamination like crazy. Right. Right. So then any savings you might have seen, you've just lost. Right. And that's not what we want to do. Okay. No, it's not. I think you're going to be extremely happy with it. Okay. I mean, I've done it on five... I've done Pass Palum on five golf courses. Turnberry Isle, when we redid that, was all Pass Palum. They're redoing it again this year. I don't know if they're going to stay with Pass Palum or not. They've kind of got water quality issues like you do. Mm-hmm. But it's been used. The old Palm Golf Club, which is a very, very high-end club in Palm Beach Gardens, we're still Pass Palum. We just converted the greens to Tiff Eagle. Okay. And we went to the Platinum TE six years ago when it first, five years ago when it first came out. So, no complaints. Okay. I appreciate that. The analysis and the backup material was very helpful because I... Your question about the learning curve... I was concerned, yeah. ...is really important. And we've all talked about it. The city's aware of it. Our whole team, we've talked about it. We've got an extremely good turf consultant, Tom Trammels, former superintendent. And we've got a very good superintendent out there who's really done a great job. And I know that was in the report that they've been maintaining this course over the last, you know, several months since he's been there. I think it's been a little longer than that. Yeah. Given the conditions, been doing a very good job, but... Given the tools. Right. Again, I was just... And you reassured me by telling me that the root system isn't going to be as long and deep because I have been to the course and I've seen... Yeah. Pull one and it goes for a long ways. We've got a couple other questions. Council Member Anderson and then Council Member Reitenstein. Thank you, Harry. Charles. Mr. Spencer. Circling back to you. Did you say you had the LOI out only for days? 15 days. So we only got one response. I thought you said you had one, but it wasn't valid. Two. And neither were valid. So they were responsive, but they weren't valid. Correct. So why wouldn't we run it longer and advertise more and run it longer? Just really... Well, we're trying to maintain it. Well, there's a few reasons. One, it's a LOI, so it's not a formal solicitation. It's really just trying to engage interest in who's going to be interested in this marketplace. Two, we're trying to maintain a schedule as well. Fifteen days for LOI, which is not a heavy lift. It was... Middle leg. Yeah. Answer some questions. Put it in. Give us some contact information. We'll engage you on a later end. So it's not like a formal solicitation. It wasn't... It's not a heavy lift for any contractor that wants to participate. I just worry that it's going to jam us on a timeline if we don't have options. Yeah. We did reach out to sources that we thought would be interested in this place. So it's not just we posted on DemandStar and said, okay, we did reach out to those that were known in this market and said, hey, City of Plantation is doing this project. Are you interested? You were clear how much square feet or whatever? Yes. Yes. What, this is a big job? That was very important to identify the amount of turf that we would need for this job and the timeline necessary to make sure it's delivered. So, obviously, no one was interested. Excuse me, Charles. Folks, I'm just going to ask you to be a little quiet as we finish up this workshop, please, as you enter. Thank you. Go ahead, Mr. Spencer. Yeah. So, yeah, it was very important to make sure we get that information up front so contractors knew what they were getting into ahead of time. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much for the presentation. This is somewhat of a corollary, but, Mr. Larson, in terms of the linear trail that is adjacent to and surrounding the park or next to the park, will there be any effect on that? Will that remain open? Good question. Part of this will include now the replacement of those bridges within the linear trail. So, that'll happen at the same time. We'll have to work with parks if those get done earlier or not, would the trail be open, you know, when the course is not. So, we'll have to work out those details, but it'll be closed for a period of time because of those three bridges within the trail will get replaced as part of this, too. So, may I ask then is that whatever notice we're putting out to advise golfers in terms of the timeline for the golf course that there's maybe a separate notice for the linear trail since we do have a lot of residents that enjoy that? That's a good point. Yeah. Thank you. Great point. Thank you. One last question. I'm sorry, Harry. But what, are there, is there any way we can prevent or how will we mitigate the possibility of pet spallum emerging underneath the Tiff Eagle and the greens? Is that a concern? We're going to strip the greens and the green complexes. Okay. Because we do have a couple of small areas on the golf course that did not have any arsenic problems and we can do that, but it's pretty limited. But yeah, we're going to do that. Okay. So that'll be stripped of the greens anyway because, you know, usually a USGA green is 12 inches of mix above the gravel layer. Okay. You've got 18 and 20 inches of material above that gravel layer. Years of top dressing and things like that. It's pretty common to have that much. Okay. So we need to strip that off anyway. We want to get back to the original 12 inches of mix. Okay. All right. And another thing about the Paspallum that you might be interested in is that there's only one, well, there's two or three sod farms in the state of Florida that are doing Paspallum, but not to the quantity we need. We reached out to the large sod farm in Texas and one in Oklahoma that have that kind of quantity. They were not interested. So the other one that is interested is in Georgia. So it's not, you know, it's really kind of limited to areas that have soil condition problems or drought problems, that kind of thing. Right. And that was my concern was the lack of potential sourcing. Yeah. It's not a grass that we can just pick up. Right. Anywhere. Yeah. At those quantities, you know. But I just want to add the one source in Georgia is very respected and one that is preferred and well-known. Okay. It meets all the qualifications of the quality control we want, the certified elements. They could have the size we need. Very, very well-known in the industry. Yeah. And we've been very comfortable. The turf consultant, he put in certain criteria like fumigation before you plant the next, you know, stock of sod or grass. Things like that. Took care of pest control and whatnot. And they're one of the best turf farms in maybe not all the way out to the west coast. But a good part of the United States, Pike Creek, is very well-respected. That's reassuring. Councilmember Andrean? I think that was maybe the point that we were all alluding to. Right. We're worried about what we're going to see in terms of pricing coming back because there are not a lot of players in this field, and that's going to hinder competition. So I hope we'll reach out to… No. It's within the budget, and we already have numbers. So we're comfortable with that. It's in line. Okay. But I hope we'll still reach out to both vendors, the one in state and the one in Georgia, just so that we can see, you know, a level of competition and compare pricing. Okay. Thank you. Any other comments or questions, council members? Well, gentlemen, thank you so much for the presentation. The only request I'd have of parks. I'm sure we'll have others along the way. But when we start to get moving on that, I'd love to see drone footage of the progress. And I'm sure you've already thought about that. But to have the drone footage out there so folks can really see the progress. of the course. I appreciate that. Okay. Yeah. A time lapse or even drone footage of, you know, as the course is coming together and the sod is light, I think that would be good for all of us. So if there are no other questions, we are going to adjourn the workshop at 533 and we'll start the…