05-11-94 v MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE BEACHES CITY OFFICIALS HELD IN CITY
HALL, ATLANTIC BEACH, AT 7:00 PM ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 1994.
PRESENT FROM ATLANTIC BEACH:
Lyman T. Fletcher, Mayor
Suzanne Shaughnessy, Commissioner
J. Dezmond Waters, III, Commissioner
Robert G. Weiss, Jr. , Commissioner
Kim D. Leinbach, City Manager
James R. Jarboe, Deputy City Manager
Maureen King, City Clerk
PRESENT FROM JACKSONVILLE BEACH:
Bill Latham, Mayor
Wilmer Clark, Councilman
Margaret McQueen, Councilwoman
Ed Parpart, Councilman
Richard B. Shore, Councilman
AND: Richard Brown, Councilman, City of Jacksonville
ALSO: John Gabriel, Engineer with J.T.A.
Susan Wiles from the office of Congresswoman Fowler
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Fletcher who explained the
meeting was being held for the purpose of receiving information
relative to the status of the proposed Wonderwood Road. Following
introduction of the elected officials, Mayor Fletcher invited John
Gabriel of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority ( JTA) to
report on the progress being made regarding the construction of the
proposed Wonderwood Road.
Mr. Gabriel reported on other JTA projects which are under way and
which he felt would also benefit the beaches communities, as
follows:
Trumpet Interchange at J. Turner Butler Boulevard: JTA working on
a redesign and hope to be able to save most, if not all, of the
trees.
Mayport Road/Atlantic Boulevard interchange: Reviewing proposals
from consultants and hope to be able to select a consulting
engineer within the next few months.
Monument Road Improvements: In final stages of design and should
be bid out by the end of the year and construction could begin by
spring 1995.
Discussion then ensued regarding the Wonderwood project and Mr.
Gabriel reported the environmental report had been submitted to the
Federal Highway Administration and Florida Department of
Transportation for review. He reviewed in some detail the proposed
route for Wonderwood Road and indicated it would be a six lane
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Wonderwood Road Meeting
May 11, 1994
road, with the bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway bridge being
four lanes. He indicated funds had been authorized for
preliminary engineering; however, no funds have been allocated for
right-of-way acquisition or construction.
Mr. Gabriel invited questions from the audience and Mayor Latham
indicated he had heard that the JTA was waiting for some indication
from the Navy regarding the future of the Mayport base before
making a decision to proceed with the Wonderwood Road. Mr. Gabriel
indicated the JEA was looking to see what impact, if any, the fate
of the Mayport Naval Station would have on the present projections
for this project. In further comments from the floor concern was
expressed regarding the future of the Mayport base since it was
felt the Navy' s plans for Mayport would, no doubt, be impacted by
the decisions of the JTA relative to Wonderwood. Several people
expressed shock and disappointment that so little progress had been
made on the project. Capt. Ziemer, Commander of the Mayport base,
indicated that Mayport would have ten additional ships and three
thousand additional personnel by 1995.
Mayor Fletcher felt in addition to concerns about the future of the
Navy at Mayport, the safety of the beaches ' citizens was a major
concern. He felt that Atlantic Boulevard was not adequate to
handle evacuation in the event of a hurricane. He felt it was
important that the JTA raise the priority level of the Wonderwood
Road because, with or without the Navy, the need for an additional
road, was critical.
Following the question and answer session it was agreed there was
a critical need for the Wonderwood Road for three major reasons,
namely, the safety of the beaches ' residents in the event of an
emergency, growth of the Mayport Navy base, and the economic impact
on the business community. Mr. Gabriel was asked to convey to
Miles Francis, the Executive Director of the JTA, the unanimous
feelings of those in attendance regarding the critical need for
this project and to request that the JTA raise the priority level
of this project.
Susan Wiles reported that the Wonderwood Road project was not in
the five-year priority list of the State of Florida. She indicated
a plan needed to be developed that would get this project listed as
a priority at the state level . The project could then be in line
to receive federal funds. She volunteered to work with the beaches
communities to get the project on track. It was agreed another
meeting should be scheduled at a time when Miles Francis would be
able to attend and that as many of the decision makers as possible,
including Congresswoman Fowler, Tommy Hazouri, Jake Godbold, and
representatives from the Department of Transportation, be asked to
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Wonderwood Road Meeting
May 11, 1994
attend. Harry Schnabel, Chairman of the Beaches Department of the
Chamber of Commerce indicated the Chamber strongly supports the
construction of the Wonderwood Road and also offered his
assistance.
There being no further discussion, Mayor Fletcher declared the
meeting adjourned at 9 :00 PM.
Mau een Kina 1
City Clerk