05-13-98 vMINUTES OF THE JOINT WORKSHOP MEETING OF ATLANTIC BEACH CITY
COMMISSION AND NEPTUNE BEACH CITY COUNCIL,HELD IN ATLANTIC BEACH CITY
HALL, 800 SEMINOLE ROAD, AT 7:15 PM ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 1998.
Present from Neptune Beach:
George Vaughn, Mayor
Thomas Tankersly, Vice Mayor
Ed Jones, Councilor
Ron Patronik, Councilor
Bob Shimp, Councilor
Present from Atlantic Beach:
Suzanne Shaughnessy, Mayor
John Meserve, Mayor Pro Tern
Richard Beaver, City Commissioner
Mike Borno, City Commissioner
Theo Mitchelson, City Commissioner
Also: Capt. Gaudio, Mayport Naval Base Commander
Alan Jensen, Atlantic Beach City manager
Maureen King, Atlantic Beach City Clerk
The meeting, which was held for the purpose of discussing matters of mutual concern, was called to
order by Mayor Shaughnessy.
Mayor Shaughnessy invited Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) representatives present for
a status report on the design for the proposed improvements at Atlantic Boulevard and Mayport Road
intersection.
ATLANTIC BOULEVARD/MAYPORT ROAD INTERSECTION
Miles N. Francis,Jr.,Executive Director of the JTA explained that the intersection was designed for
70,000 vehicles in a 24-hour period and traffic surveys had revealed that last year the intersection
carried 97,000 vehicles in a 24-hour period. Studies had indicated that the construction of the
Wonderwood Road would help but, by itself, would not be enough to alleviate the safety problems
at the Mayport Road intersection. He explained that a new Intracoastal Waterway bridge would be
built for west-bound traffic and the current bridge would be east-bound only. Also, the west-bound
lanes of Atlantic Boulevard would probably be raised by 3-5 feet. He reported that the Mayport
Road/Atlantic Boulevard intersection improvements were included in a 1992 bond issue. He felt that
the proposed fly-over would provide efficient traffic flow and, if deleted, could jeopardize the project.
Page Two
Minutes - May 13, 1998
Joint Workshop Meeting of Atlantic Beach City Commission&
Neptune Beach City Council
Atlantic Beach Commissioners and Neptune Beach Councilors generally, were in favor of improving
the intersection but were opposed to the flyover. Because the height of the flyover, along with the
additional height to add lighting, it was felt that the flyover would have a negative impact on the
quality of life in neighboring residential communities. Concern was expressed regarding ingress and
egress to both residential and commercial areas on Mayport Road between Atlantic Boulevard and
Seventh Street. Also, it was felt that the traffic entering Mayport Road from the flyover, would
exacerbate the already congested area at the Post Office and the hazardous intersection at Plaza. The
JTA representatives were urged to reconsider the design for this area, from a safety aspect. It was
felt that Wonderwood Road would take a lot of traffic off Mayport Road and JTA was urged to move
ahead with Wonderwood as quickly as possible.
Discussion ensued regarding the possibility of light rail and Mr. Francis explained that the Intracoastal
Waterway bridge would eventually have a separate light rail bridge.
Capt. Gaudio, Commanding Officer at Mayport Naval Station, indicated that he expected to see
growth in residency at the Mayport Station. He felt the traffic lights along Atlantic Boulevard should
be timed to more efficiently handle rush hour traffic. However, he felt that no single solution would
solve all the problems.
Mayor Shaughnessy indicated that the Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach elected officials wanted
to make their concerns known to JTA while the design was only at the 30% stage, so that the design
could be modified to address their concerns.
A-1-A DESIGN
Neptune Beach Councilors unanimously expressed opposition to six-laning A-1-A (Third Street)
through Neptune Beach which was primarily a residential community. It was felt that other options
for a north/south corridor should be considered. It was pointed out that a new section of State Road
9A had just opened and this road may be an alternative to A-1-A. A suggestion was also made to
close Florida Boulevard at Atlantic Boulevard. A suggestion was also made to do nothing and to let
motorists find an alternative route which best suits their needs. It was also pointed out that sections
of A-1-A in South Florida were two lanes.
In response to a question as to whether a decision to widen Third Street had already been made, Mr.
Bird of the Department of Transportation indicated that a decision had not yet been made. He
indicated that the study currently being undertaken was a preliminary study to get public input and
said he would report back relative to the comments which had been made opposing the widening of
Third Street.
Page Three
Minutes - May 13, 1998
Joint Workshop Meeting of Atlantic Beach City Commission &
Neptune Beach City Council
Mayor Vaughn felt that the proposed projects presented a golden opportunity for the beaches cities
to be involved in shaping the future of their communities. Councilor Tankersly suggested that a
Resolution opposing the widening of Third Street be drafted by each City Commission/Council and
sent to the DOT.
TOWN CENTER
Don Fagan, Chairman of the Town Center organization, reported that the organization could no
longer depend on festivals as a source of funds but would have to depend on businesses, government,
etc., and indicated it was his intent to come before the Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach
governments to request financial support. He pointed out that the Mayport Waterfronts project area
included the Town Center area and, in addition, it was a Town Center goal to have the area
designated as a Main Street area. He said he would like to finish the project to Third Street by 2000
and indicated he would like to neighboring cities to participate in this phase. Commissioner Meserve,
who serves as Chairman of the Mayport Waterfronts Partnership, indicated that Town Center was
not currently included as a Waterfronts project, but he would take the suggestion back to the board
and see if any grant funds could be secured.
The request to participate in the next phase of Town Center was well received by the elected bodies
of both cities, and they indicated they would wait for Mr. Fagan to come back with specific
information and cost estimates. Mr. Fagan said he was stepping down as Chairman but indicated that
while he did not yet know who the new Chairman would be, the board was very active and in good
hands.
The meeting adjourned at 11:30 PM.
MAUREEN KING
Certified Municipal Clerk