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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.