01-29-96 v 4
MINUTES OF THE WORKSHOP MEETING OF ATLANTIC BEACH CITY COMMISSION
HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS AT 7:30 PM ON MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 1996
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Fletcher. Present, in addition to the Mayor, were
Commissioners Meserve and Reed. Staff present included City Manager Jarboe, Recreation
Director Johnson, Parks Supervisor Sowder, Beautification Coordinator Walker, and City Clerk
King. Several members of the Recreation Advisory Board were also present.
The meeting was held for the purpose of discussing proposed parks projects and providing
direction to city staff regarding those projects.
Beautification - Street Ends
Carl Walker, Beautification Coordinator, encouraged the city to improve and beautify the street
ends leading to the beach. He indicated beautification projects had been undertaken at 12th and
14th Streets as cooperative ventures between the city and the residents and felt this type of
cooperative project should be encouraged. He felt landscaping should be simple and low
maintenance. He pointed out the city had provided water for irrigation of the 12th and 14th
Street projects and he indicated he was working with Public Works to come up with cost
estimates for providing water at the other street ends. Mr. Walker indicated that $25,000.00 had
been included in the budget for these projects and he presented an outline which he felt could be
used to encourage residents to participate in cost-sharing beautification projects. (A copy of Mr.
Walker's recommendations for cost-sharing projects is attached hereto as Exhibit A). He
indicated he hoped to begin these projects in February or March and would use the city
newsletter, local newspapers and flyers to publicize the projects. He indicated at this time he was
seeking Commission approval so the projects could get started.
Mayor Fletcher indicated the City Commission had already endorsed this concept and felt that
staff should move ahead with their efforts to publicize the program. Mr. Jarboe indicated the city
would plan to move ahead with the projects and would keep the City Commission informed.
Recreation Advisory Board
The Mayor suggested that the parks be considered in the context of a"parks system" rather than
considering each park individually. He also stressed the need to develop a parks master plan and
felt the study which had recently been undertaken by the University of Florida students could be
used as a basis for such master plan.
Bull Park: Kelly Elmore of Genesis Group, Inc., presented conceptual drawings illustrating two
options for improvements to Bull Park. Plan"A" included additional landscaping and a pathway
through the park; plan"B" included more comprehensive changes and would change the focus of
Bull Park to a cultural arts park. This proposal included relocating the Adele Grage Community
Center and adding offices and an amphitheater, elimination of the tennis courts and adding
additional parking.
Page Two
Minutes -Workshop Meeting
January 29, 1996
Donner Park: It was felt with the construction of the Donner Park Community Center the future
use and development of the park needed to be considered. It was hoped that when the existing
trailer is removed, there would be adequate space to develop adult softball and soccer fields.
Howell Park: It was felt that the Recreation Advisory Board sub-committee concurred with the
staff recommendation which would be presented later in the meeting.
Jordan Park: Recommended improvements to Jordan Park included better lighting and a
concrete floor for the shelter. It was felt the city should consider extending Jordan Park into a
portion of the Public Works yard.
Jack Russell Park: Dezmond Waters presented sketch of Russell Park, which had been prepared
by the University of Florida, and presented the board's recommendations for Jack Russell Park.
Recommendations included expanding the toddler park, improving lighting and adding new
equipment. Alice Richardson suggested the city consider lighting"B" field. At present there is
only one lighted field which often results in games not being concluded until 10:00 pm which the
Atlantic Beach Athletic Association felt was too late on school nights; an additional lighted field
would allow two games to be played simultaneously and the children would be able to get home
earlier.
A copy of the recommendations of the Recreation Advisory Board is attached hereto as Exhibit
B.
Parks & Recreation Department
Following the presentations by the Recreation Advisory Board members, Alan Sowder presented
slides illustrating areas in the parks which he considered to be safety hazards - roots protruding in
pathways, broken benches, rotten wood in Howell Park bridges, cross-ties with rebar protruding,
broken and unsafe playground equipment, etc. He felt many of these conditions were safety
hazards and required immediate attention.
Following Mr. Sowder's presentation, Timmy Johnson presented a report with staff
recommendations for improvements to each of the parks. He presented three options for
improvements to Howell Park ranging from designating a part of the park as a conservation area
and reducing the amount of maintained area, to undertaking a major refurbishing project using
recycled material, aluminum bridges, etc., which would have at least a 20 year expectancy. The
cost of these options varied from $100,000.00 to $220,000.00. He sought direction from the City
Commission as he felt some of these problems were serious safety hazards .
s
Page Three
Minutes - Workshop Meeting
January 29, 1996
Mr. Johnson recommended Bull Park be further developed as a toddler park with the addition of
updated playground equipment, water fountains, etc.
Community Development Block Grant funds had already been used to improve Jordan Park and
current recommendations were for improved lighting, volleyball court, and concrete flooring for
the shelters.
Mr. Johnson's recommendations for park improvements are attached hereto as Exhibit C.
Following the staff presentations, Jim Jarboe stressed the importance of addressing the safety
issues, including the toddler playground in Jack Russell Park. He also asked direction from the
City Commission regarding the unnamed triangular park at 16th Street. He felt the dense
underbrush should be removed as it created a visibility hazard at the intersection. Following
further discussion it was felt there had been some misunderstanding regarding whether the
property was to be "cleared" or "under brushed" and there was consensus that under brushing of
the land would be beneficial.
During further discussion it was felt that maintenance was a serious issue and should be
considered in any future improvements.
The City Manager indicated staff would meet with the Recreation Advisory Board and present a
joint recommendation to the City Commission at their meeting on February 12, 1996 regarding
the problems in Howell Park.
There being no further discussion, the Mayor declared the meeting adjourned at 10:00 pm.
Mau een King
City Clerk
Note: The City Clerk's office was not provided copies of design sketches, drawings, etc. which
were used in the above presentations.
EXHIBIT A
Workshop 1/29/96
STREET END BEACH ACCESS BEAUTIFICATION PROGRAM
Purpose: To encourage , through a "share-cost" matching
program, landscaping enhancements to the street end
accesses . Improvements are intended to provide clean,
aesthetically pleasing , and low maintenance greenspace
areas between Beach Avenue and oceanfront at each street
end.
Procedure: The City will provide water for installation
of irrigation systems . Staff will also assist in the
landscape design of areas to be improved, to include
recommending planting material . Neighborhood residents
will be responsible for collection of funds , landsca-
ping material and installation, and maintenance pro-
gram for improved accesses .
Promotion of the program will be by media ( "Tideviews" ,
local newspapers , flyers , etc. ) and interested groups
and/or neighborhoods will be given written information
and guidelines. Beautification Committee members and/or
staff (Coordinator, Gardener ) will be available to meet
with groups for detail planning and recommendations .
The finished plan, with proposed cost and provisions for
maintenance , must be approved by Beautification before
water source is supplied.
Cost: Expense will vary dependant on size and con-
figuration of area to be landscaped. Public Works can
determine cost involving water lines installation. The
extent of landscaping, and type and number of plants to
be installed will govern planting cost. NOTE: In all
cases , landscaping improvements are to be cost-conscious
with strong emphasis on low maintenance, low water con-
sumption, and minimum of plant replacement needs . Prior
to any work being performed, an educated "ball park" fig-
ure with vendor estimates for project will be determined.
'
,
�
��'
Exhibit B
Workshop 1/29/96
ATLANTIC BEACH RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD
RECOMMENDED BUDGET ITEMS FOR PARK IMPROVEMENTS
NOVEMBER 15, 1995
BULL PARK $ 24,000
New Playground Equipment
Gazebo
Beautification
Picnic tables
Trash receptacle
Bike rack
DONNER PARK $ 32,000
Water fountain
Two-rail fence
Beautification
Sprinkler system
Benches
Grills
Volleyball court
Concrete floor for shelter
Dug outs
New playground equipment
Trash receptacles
Exercise trail
Bike rack
HOWELL PARK $110,000
Benches
Gazebo
Trash receptacles
Picnic tables
Plant Identification
Renovate bridges (as needed)
Material for trails
Trail border
Create parking
Park Signs
Raise pathways
� °~'
^�
�
°
JORDAN PARK $ 6,800
Lights thoughout park
Volleyball court
Concrete floor for shelter
Slide for playground
Grass seeds
OCEAN $ 12,000
Handicap ramp
RUSSELL PARK $ 20'000
Picnic tables
Finish two-rail fence
Light playground area
Light racquetball court
Benches
Beautification
New playground equipment
Water fountains
MARVIN'S GARDEN $ 4,500
Under brush
Benches
Water fountain
MISCELLANEOUS $ 10,700
Installation
Labor
etc.
TOTAL: $220,000
EXHIBIT C
Workshop 1/29/96
- •
CITY OF
Aftleutac Vead - 961414
IF
PARKS & RECREATION DEPT.
-- � -- - _ 716 OCEAN BOULEVARD
ATLANTIC BEACH, FLORIDA 32'r.:33
TELEPHONE (904) 247-5825
January 15, 1996
To: Jim Jarboe, City Manager
From: Timmy Johnson, Recreation Director
RE: Park Improvements
The parks of the City of Atlantic Beach are in dire need of improvements. Urgent
consideration must be given to the our parks to make them safe and inviting.
Because of the importance of community parks and safety factors involved in best
serving our citizens, I am sure you will agree that the following improvements are
necessary.
Attached is a copy of park recommendations I presented to the Recreation Advisory
Board Wednesday, November 15. These recommendations were voted on and
approved by a 5-0 vote. Below is a more detailed list of park improvements
provided by the Recreation and Parks Department.
My initial recommendations included using all of the allocated $220,000 for Howell
Park improvements (See Option C). These improvement were very costly because
of the recommended use of recyclable material. Because water tends to rest in the
park, treated wood material will erode rapidly and is not capable of withstanding
constant water exposure. Since November 15, I have developed other less costly
options. If either Options A or B are selected, additional park improvements are
recommended as follows. See below - (All prices are estimates):
Howell Park
Option A: Redesignate part of Howell Park as conservation area
- Reduce the amount of area maintained
- Reduce the amount of bridges
- Reduce the length of the walking trail
- Reduce the number of entrances
Treated material
Total: $100,000
Option B: Treated Material*
Bridges $32,000
Path Turf (mulch) $ 8,000
Border Logs $ 16,350
Park signs, Trash receptacles
Benches $ 9,000
Labor $ 20,000
Parking $ 5,000
Gazebo $ 12,000
Plant Identification $ 7,000
Total: $110,000
Treated material life expectance 8 - 12 years
Option C. Recyclable Material*
Aluminum Bridges $ 75,052
Path Turf (Tire Rubber) $55,000
Plastic Border $ 62,080
Park Signs, Trash receptacles,
Benches $ 12,868
Labor $ 15,000
Total: $220,000
* Recyclable material life expectancy - 20 + years
Russell Park
With few serious problems, our most active park is Russell Park.
Update playground equipment $ 15,000
Water fountain (1) $ 2,000
Picnic tables and park benches $ 2,622
Finish two-rail fence $ 4,500
Light Playground area $ 2,000
Labor $ 6,000
Total: $ 30,000
•f..
Bull Park
Small park located near Adele Grage Community Center. Because of the size of Bull
Park, it would be best to designate it a tot Park. This would require replacing the
large merry-go-round with a smaller one, purchasing a park sign and replacing the
broken large swing with a jungle gym. Other improvements include:
Update playground equipment
(see summary) $ 14,000
Picnic table/ Park sign, Benches $ 5,600
Water fountain (1) $ 2,000
Labor $ 5,000
Total $ 26,600
Jordan Park
Thanks to George Worley, Sharette Simpkins and the Community Development
Block Grant (CDBG) funds, there are not many improvements needed.
Park lights $ 3,500
Volleyball court $ 1,500
Concrete flooring for
shelters $ 1,600
Total $ 6,600
Donner Park
The construction of the Community Center will enhance Donner Park, but other
improvements are needed to bring this park to complete service and community
satisfaction.
Update playground equipment $ 15,000
Water fountains (2) $ 2,300
Two-rail fence $ 6,500
Park benches, Picnic tables,
trash receptacles $ 3,200
Concrete floor for shelter $ 800
Labor $ 5,000
Total $ 32,800
Ocean
Handicap Ramp $ 14,000
(labor included)
Total $ 14,000
Marvin's Garden
Under brush
Benches
Water fountain
Total: $10,000
Grand Total $220,000
Please be advised, once planning and site design is complete for the Tresca Property,
funds will be needed for developing the Park; therefore, please keep in mind the
grants the City of Atlantic Beach receives require a 50% match.
The above park improvements will not only optimize our parks, but will make
them user friendly and inviting.