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Minutes 1-14-12 Minutes of the Town Hall Meeting Donner Community Center January 14, 2012 Attendance: Mayor Mike Borno Mayor Pro Tem Maria Mark Commissioner Mark Beckenbach Commissioner Jonathan Daugherty Commissioner Carolyn Woods City Clerk Donna L. Bartle Mayor Borno called the meeting to order at 10:00 am and welcomed everyone. He explained the purpose of the meeting is to gather public input to consider during Strategic Planning and asked speakers to fill out a speaker form for the record. Mayor Borno explained the handouts that were available and made an announcement about Dog Park Passes. Mayor Pro Tem Mark introduced Leslie Katz from AmeriCorps Vista and explained she is volunteering at Beaches Habitat and they are starting their Neighborhood Revitalization Program. Leslie Katz, AmeriCorps Vista, stated that Habitat has been building affordable homes at the Beaches and is looking to expand their services and see how they can better serve the beaches. She urged citizens to complete a survey and announced plans for a community garden. Mayor Pro Tem Mark reported the topics that were discussed at the first Town Hall meeting at Adele Grage Community Center and opened the Floor to Public Comments. Darlene Kelley, 1047 Hibiscus Street, explained the need for sidewalks in her neighborhood and on Main Street. Michael Hoffmann, 176 Camelia Street, explained the JTA transportation options for the beaches. He stated the problem for citizens west of Penman Road is that the trolley stops there. If he wants to catch the trolley, he has to either walk about a mile from his house to the stop, or catch the shuttle to Penman Road and pay two fares, which are going up. He wants the trolley to extend its route to end at Atlantic Blvd. and Mayport Road and requested that the Commission make an inquiry or send a letter asking for that. Mr. Hoffmann also had concerns about West 1 Street and the business strip that includes Hullihans Landscaping. He complimented the landscaping on one side, but pointed out that the shrubs on the West 1 Street side are 3 feet high and mostly dead. He believes they are supposed to do more than a 3' hedge and requested that Commissioner Daugherty contact the business to see about them doing the same thing on the West 1 Street side as the other side. Mr. Hoffmann explained he has requested landscaping on West 1 Street for the past twelve years and still has concerns there is not enough buffer from Atlantic Blvd. He requested that the City do something to add a buffer in that area. Ernest Davis, 35 Robert Street, owner of Voo Swar, expressed concern about the ditch near his street. He stated it is an eye sore and mosquito infested to the point that he can't sit outside. He further explained that the walls of the ditch are caving in and it causes the trees growing in and around the ditch to fall. He is afraid that eventually it will cause structural damage to his house. He requested help from the elected officials to resolve the problem. Commissioner Beckenbach asked if there is flooding. Mr. Davis confirmed there is. Mayor Borno explained the ditch is owned by FDOT and reported the history of attempts made to get something done. Leslie Wingfield, 45 Robert Street, commented that she has had flooding problems for a long time and asked for help in the past, but the problem still exists. She explained that, in the past, senior citizens could get help with home repairs and wanted to know what happened with that program. She requested that the Commission look into it and make the programs available for seniors in her neighborhood. She also asked that sidewalks be put in her neighborhood to help with safety. Sam Rousar, 1102 Mayport Landing Dr., wants West Atlantic Beach to have some of the same things as East Atlantic Beach, such as sidewalks, and would like to see the problems of the ditch resolved. Robert Schlenoff, 1094 Stocks Street, commented on the unsafe conditions of the ditch and asked for help from the Commission. He expressed support for the recent proposal for Rose Park and suggested connecting the second piece of property and making it a dead end. He also suggested adding equipment for various ages. He stated he believes it would be a great improvement to the area. Commission Daugherty clarified that the ditch Mr. Schlenoff is commenting on is next to the bicycle path. Tom Trost, 2348 Ocean Forest Drive, stated that the Mayport Ferry could be gone within two months and would have a significant impact on our community. He asked if there is any way the schedule could be cut back rather than doing away with it altogether. The Mayor explained the efforts they are making while working with Councilman Bill Gulliford and others. Mayor Pro Tem Mark gave details on upcoming meetings regarding the Mayport Ferry and urged the citizens to attend and voice their opinions. Discussion ensued. Mr. Hoff wann pointed out that the ferry loses customers when they raise their fares. Discussion ensued about the possibility of covering the various ditches and treating them for mosquitoes. Karen Kempf, 1501 Challenger Ct. W, employee of the City, commented on the City not having a Vision Statement or Mission Statement. She explained why the City should have one and how it would be helpful to employees, citizens and elected officials. Ms. Kempf further stated she would like to see areas of Jacksonville down Mayport Road be incorporated into Atlantic Beach. Commissioner Woods explained that citizens start the process by petition. Mayor Borno further explained the process. She also inquired about an Atlantic Beach liaison being on the Mayport Waterfront Partnership and suggested having a water taxi from Mayport to downtown. Mayor Borno explained that it had been evaluated in the past, but it could come up again. Hank Brigman, 307 9 Street, stated he believes that people don't necessarily want a smaller government but instead want a more efficient and creative government. He liked the idea of a Mission Statement. He suggested that the City think creatively when handling the problem of space at the Police Building. He explained there are multiple ways to find more space and solve the problem and urged them to think out of the box. John November, 647 Beach Avenue, reported on plans for a Scholarship Fishing Tournament to benefit youth scholarships, marine science and the Duke TIP program. He suggested building a sense of community by using creative landscaping such as a roundabout on Main Street that would break up the flow of traffic. He wants a kayak launch on the north side of Dutton Island and a low impact connection between Tideviews and Dutton Island. Mr. November also explained that Selva Marina Country Club made a huge difference in his childhood and hopes that something can be done so kids can have it available to them. He congratulated the Commission for coming together as a unit regarding the Police Building Minutes of the Town Hall Meeting on January 14, 2012 Page 2 of 4 issue and asked that they keep the Mayport Road option open. He asked that if they save money on the Police Building they use the money for improvements to the west side of Atlantic Beach. Mayor Pro Tem Mark reported on the Police Building Workshop which was held earlier in the week. She explained a committee will be formed and asked citizens to apply to be on it or any other board or committee. Commissioner Daugherty reported the current vacancies on the Pension Board of Trustees and the Cultural Arts and Recreation Advisory Committee and urged the citizens to apply. Mayor Borno asked Ralph Marcello to give a summary on the transition from Beaches Habitat construction to renovation. Mr. Marcello explained, for years, Beaches Habitat has built affordable houses and many are located off Mayport Road and in Atlantic Beach, but now they are implementing revitalization. He explained that he, Leslie Katz and Joyce Freeman are at the meetings to listen to the citizens in the community and to meet the local needs to renovate, fix, weatherize, rehab individual homes. He reported on various projects and urged citizens in need to complete the surveys. He answered questions from citizens. Mr. Hoffmann stated, regarding the Police Building, he is in favor of whatever needs to be done to protect documents and evidence. He expressed concern that a lot of our young people are being taken downtown in the Duval County jail unnecessarily and if they live at the beach, they should have a place to keep them until their parents can get them, stating he supports whatever is necessary to do that. He is also in favor of a substation on Mayport Road instead of building a complete new station as the planners have suggested. Mayor Borno explained those are the things that the Committee will be looking at. Sally Clemens, 1638 Park Terrace W., asked how many people will be on the Police Building committee and if citizens all over Atlantic Beach can have space in the garden and how much would it cost. Ms. Katz answered yes and the estimated cost is $10.00 per year but it is not final. Mayor Pro Tem Mark explained that the number of committee members to be on the Police Building Committee has not been determined yet. Ms. Wingfield inquired about Meals on Wheels. Mayor Pro Tem Mark told her she would give her the information to go through ElderSource. James MacFarlane, 857A England Ct. E, Jacksonville, Director of Mayport City Mission, SonRise Worship Center, reported on his food pantry program. He explained it is open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and there are absolutely no qualifications, so all you have to do is show up and get food. He stated the guidelines limit you to once per month, but they are handing out several bags of groceries which is food for your whole family. Discussion ensued about other food programs. Mr. Brigman stated there seems to be a disconnect in that we have citizens in need, we have the governmental unit and then independent services and he wanted to know if there is a way the City can set up a citizen liaison between the citizen needs and the various services. Commissioner Daugherty asked Ms. Kempf if we have an information resource center. She answered Gail Baker usually knows the resources available and helps citizens when possible. Mr. Brigman suggested consolidating responsibility by including the three beaches. Ms. Kempf suggested having a resource board at each of the Community Centers. Kathie McGuiness, 1631 Beach Avenue, reported that the Beaches Women's Partnership has just gone under but believes that the database still exists and offered to contact Alice Stratton, who started the Beaches Women's Partnership to see if the information can be accessed for the beaches. It was suggested that Ms. Katz speak to Alice as well. Commissioner Woods agreed that a kiosk would be an easy solution Minutes of the Town Hall Meeting on January 14, 2012 Page 3 of 4 for an ongoing need. Ms. Kempf explained that it would require a change to the City's policy if we were to allow posting information on the City bulletin boards. Mr. MacFarlane explained how the Mayport City Mission meal program has progressed over the last year and a half. He indicated they are running out of room and hope to expand. Mayor Borno adjourned the meeting at 11:42 am. Q12 Donna L. Bartle, CMC City Clerk Minutes of the Town Hall Meeting on January 14, 2012 Page 4 of 4