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04-10-21 Town Hall Meeting adopted minutesMINUTES Town Hall Meeting Saturday, April 10, 2021 - 10.00 AM Gail Baker Community Center ATTENDANCE: Present: Ellen Glasser, Mayor- Seat 1 Candace Kelly, Commissioner- Seat 4 Brittany Norris, Mayor Pro Tem/Commissioner- Seat 5 Absent: Bruce Bole, Commissioner- Seat 2 Michael Waters, Commissioner- Seat 3 Also Present: Shane Corbin, City Manager(CM) Brenna Durden, City Attorney (CA) Amanda Askew, Planning and Community Development Director(PCDD) Lori Diaz, Deputy City Clerk CALL TO ORDER Mayor Glasser called the meeting to order at 10:01 a.m. 1 TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION AND PUBLIC COMMENTS Tree Code Update PCDD Askew reviewed proposed amendments to Chapter 23 — Protection Trees. She spoke about the next steps of the review process and mentioned the goal of the First Reading for approval by the Commission would be in May. Jesse Dattilo asked about ribbons placed on trees. PCDD Askew explained the ribbons could be markings for many different reasons. They could be part of a tree survey being completed or a marking for trees to be taken down. Ms. Datillo asked how new property owners are informed about tree regulations. PCDD Askew explained when a new resident or customer comes in to establish utilities, information regarding the City is provided at that time. Once the Tree Code is complete, additional detailed information would be available. Jane Wytzka asked about details in the Ordinance regarding a current homeowner wanting to cut a tree down due to maintenance issues. PCDD Askew explained the details of the Ordinance. Matt Schrader talked about resilience provided by the tree canopy and asked about how it plays into the Ordinance. PCDD Askew explained information regarding resilience is part of the information in the Ordinance. Town Hall April 10,2021 Steve Fouraker spoke about the information on the City's website about tree cutting,planting, and maintenance being confusing and outdated. He asked about the website posting of active tree permits and was told the City could do a better job at keeping the information updated and would work on it. It was explained the ESC was created to assist the City with keeping tree permit information current and updated. Mr. Fouraker asked about fines for unpermitted tree mitigation. PCDD Askew explained the process of the fines. CM Corbin and CA Durden expressed concerns about including additional procedures of enforcement to the Ordinance. It was explained if more procedures keep being added, it will take longer for COAB to pass the Tree Ordinance. Darlene Lawrence expressed concern about limbs from a tree hanging over from a vacant lot next to her property. PCDD Askew explained the procedures for addressing concerns about the tree. A conversation ensued regarding the rights and procedures of taking down or trimming down a neighbor's tree. A citizen asked about the process of removing a damaged or diseased tree. PCDD Askew responded there is no fee for removing an unsafe and unhealthy tree. Amy Palmer suggested reviewing language from Alachua County's new tree laws. She also mentioned how code versus code could create the disruption of trees on construction swales. PCDD responded by sighting the regulations of swales and how swales could affect trees. Lisa Goodrich inquired about the timeline for approval of the revised Tree Code. PCDD Askew explained the goal is to present the revised copy to the Commission in May for the first reading. Depending on how many changes are suggested by the Commission, the second reading could take place in June.ESC Outreach would be ready to start community outreach immediately upon Commission's final approval. A citizen asked if staff is offering guidance to citizens about tree root damage as opposed to just taking down a tree. Also, if homeowners understand they could tie a heritage tree designation to their deed? PCDD Askew mentioned tree root damage is not part of the current Code? She explained people could voluntarily designate a heritage tree to their deed. Mayor Glassed explained her hope for this Commission to pass something that does not get repealed by the next Commission or preempted by the State. She mentioned the State Statute allows someone to obtain a letter from an arborist to remove the roots due to safety reasons. Connectivity PCDD Askew explained the Bicycle and Pedestrian Connectivity Plan is a subset of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. She explained the purpose of the Connectivity Plan is to allow pedestrians to move throughout the City safely without driving. PCDD reviewed the highlights of the plan. A citizen mentioned the high volume of traffic and the busyness of the roads in COAB. PCDD Askew expressed that the purpose of the Connectivity Plan is geared towards connecting specific areas for a safe way for pedestrians to travel to the areas. Town Hall April 10,2021 A citizen asked if the location have been prioritized for the plan. PCDD responded no priority has been set for locations within the plan. It was explained when roads are repaved or realigned as part of the Complete Streets program,plans would be reviewed to determine if a connectivity option is available to work in the two plans together. Latrenia Thomas asked for improvement on Dutton Island Road to help control the speeding of cars and improve the area's safety. Mayor Glasser suggested monitoring speed and possibly include a traffic calming light for the area suggested. PCDD Askew explained, with the Complete Streets program, working with the Connectivity Plan would help with traffic calming options. Matt Schrader expressed his gratitude for the Connectivity Plan and is thankful for allowing community suggestions. He expressed his opinion on additional options for connectivity, and it was recommended by Mayor Glasser to send an email with his suggestions. Mayor Glasser mentioned people reached out to her regarding the following topics and suggestions: Cut through at 11th on Seminole Road Speed study was done near Jack Russel Park and could possibly add a bike lane Ahern Street connection to Town Center Additional crossing at Howell Park A citizen asked if it was possible to open the end of Seminole Road to access Hanna Park. Mayor Glasser replied there is no plan to open the road to access the park due to an easement on the COJ side of the road. However, she mentioned the upcoming Connectivity Plan would allow safer access to parks. She also mentioned the possibility of a new pocket park and bike park may be added, including a possible gate on the SW corner of Hanna Park. A citizen asked for more information regarding the East Coast Greenway. PCDD Askew explained it is a street path connection for bicycles and pedestrians from Key West to Maine. The path passes through Mayport Road. She stated within the next few years, COAB would be getting additional funding for wider sidewalks for the Greenway. CM Corbin briefly explained the history of COAB being added to the East Cast Greenway. A citizen spoke about high hedges on Sherry Drive and the need for maintenance.Mayor Glasser responded, asking CM Corbin to reach out to the contractor to address the issue. A citizen spoke about the importance of tree shade and this being a great opportunity to implement the Tree Master Plan with the Connectivity Plan to add trees and shade to the City. 2 PUBLIC COMMENTS - OPEN TOPIC A citizen asked about the expansion of the Gail Baker Community Center. Mayor Glasser explained possible reallocation of funds from COJ, and if approved, the funds may be used for doubling the size of the Gail Baker Community Center and the rebuild of the Lifeguard station. A citizen promoted awareness for Earth Day. Town Hall April 10,2021 Commissioner Kelly expressed her support for the topics discussed. Commissioner Norris expressed her support of the Connectivity Plan and Tree Ordinances and thanked the community for attending and expressing their opinions. A citizen expressed her frustrations about the lack of community attendance at the City meetings. She spoke about people not wanting to attend meetings but will still complain about projects and issues within the community. She asked if there were any additional ways to promote better attendance at the meetings. The Mayor and Commissioners agreed and stated attendance is an issue. A conversation ensued regarding the frustration of lack of attendance and different options to invite people to attend meetings. Amy Palmer suggested adding incentives in the Tree Code to make it more appealing for citizens and residents to keep trees instead of removing them. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Glasser adjourned the meeting at 11:28 a.m. Attest: fdAt6, C Donna L. Bartle, City Clerk len Glasser, Mayor Date Approved: 9/i 3/z I Town Hall April 10,2021