November 2015.pdfNovember 2015
Nov 9 City Commission Meeting 6:30 pm
Swearing-in Ceremony for New Elected Officials
Nov 10 Code Enforcement Board 6 pm
Nov 11 Veterans Day - City Offices Closed
Nov 12 Pension Board Meeting (North Conference Room) 6:30 pm
Nov 17 Community Development Board Meeting 6 pm
Nov 23 City Commission Meeting 6:30 pm
Nov 24 *Cultural Arts & Recreation Advisory Committee 6 pm
Nov 26 & 27 Thanksgiving Holiday – City Offices Closed
December 2015
Dec 10 Pension Board Meeting (North Conference Room) 6:30 pm
Dec 14 City Commission Meeting 6:30 pm
Dec 15 Community Development Board Meeting 6 pm
Dec 22 *Cultural Arts & Recreation Advisory Committee 6 pm
Dec 24 & 25 Christmas Holiday – City Offices Closed
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www.coab.us • (904) 247-5800
CITY OFFICIALS
Carolyn Woods, Mayor
Mark Beckenbach, Mayor Pro-Tem
Maria Mark, Commissioner
Jonathan Daugherty, Commissioner
Jimmy Hill, Commissioner
Nelson Van Liere, City Manager
Richard Komando, City Attorney
Donna Bartle, City Clerk
Meetings are held in the Commission Chamber unless otherwise indicated.
* These events will be held at Adele Grage Cultural Center, 716 Ocean Blvd.
November 2015
Nov 4 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 3-6 pm
Nov 7 MarshFest – Dutton Island Preserve
Nov 11 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 3-6 pm
Nov 15 Songwriters’ Concert – Adele Grage 6-8 pm
Nov 18 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 3-6 pm
Nov 19 North Beaches Art Walk – Town Center & Adele Grage 5-9 pm
Nov 25 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 3-6 pm
December 2015
Dec 2 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 3-6 pm
Dec 3 Holiday Artisans’ Faire – Adele Grage 5-9 pm
Dec 5 Holiday Celebration & Tree Lighting - Town Center 3-9 pm
Dec 9 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 3-6 pm
Dec 16 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 3-6 pm
Dec 17 North Beaches Art Walk – Town Center & Adele Grage 5-9 pm
Dec 20 Songwriters’ Concert – Adele Grage 6-8 pm
Dec 23 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 3-6 pm
Dec 30 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 3-6 pm
www.coab.us/recreation
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BLACK PEARL SINGS!
November 6, 7, 8, 13, 14 and 15
Friday & Saturday 8 pm - Sunday 2 pm
By Frank Higgins
Directed by Celia Frank
DRAMA WITH MUSIC/Music unites strangers and bridges racial divisions in this powerful story.
It’s 1935 and an ambitious white song collector for the Library of Congress visits a Texas prison where she meets Pearl, an African-American woman with a soulful voice and steely spirit.
“Black Pearl not only sings, but soars. This is a play of discovery-of self, of personal power, of the importance of heritage-but it is also a vivid reminder that the things that connect us are often stronger than the things which divide us.” – Broadway World
Begin Your Holiday Shopping Early this Year
As the holiday shopping season quickly approaches, keep in mind that we have wonderful local shopping opportunities if you are inclined to look for special gifts in a pleasant and calmer environment rather than fight the traffic, crowds and madness of the malls and
big box stores. Our Town Center has many wonderful small shops and will once again
be a colorful and festive holiday scene unique to any other in the Jacksonville area. The
North Beaches Arts Walk on Thursday, November 19th, will be the perfect opportunity to
enjoy the area and find special gift items at local shops and from Arts Walk participants.
Another great place to pick up special and unique gifts is at the Holiday Artisans’ Faire on
December 3rd at the Adele Grage Cultural Center. This one night only event is held from
5 to 9 pm and will feature exceptional artists displaying their unique gifts for the holiday
season. This is one event you don’t want to miss. So bring your family to the Holiday Artisans’ Faire to enjoy refreshments and some festive holiday shopping.
Holiday Celebration & Tree Lighting
The Beaches Town Center along with the Cities of Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach are sponsoring a holiday kick-off celebration on Saturday, December 5th. The festivities
will begin at 3:00 pm with a bike parade through Town
Center and everyone is invited to decorate their bikes and
join in the fun. There will be many activities to keep the
little ones busy including music, dance performances, face painting, arts and crafts for all ages and carriage rides. The Mayors of both cities will light the community tree
and Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive by sleigh at 6 pm
for the tree lighting and visit with the kids. For more information, go to www.
beachestowncenter.com.
A Note From the Building Department
The maps and geographical data that the City of Atlantic Beach uses are available on
our website at www.coab.us. When you click on City Maps and Records and view
City Maps, you can find anything from the original Spanish Land Grants from 1824,
to the current City Street Map, FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps and Voting Districts.
If you click on Recorded Plats, you can find lot sizes, recorded easements across
properties and City rights-of-way. The City of Jacksonville website is another site we
frequently use at http://maps.coj.net/jaxgis/. This site is interactive and links to
the Property Appraiser website.
There is a lot of interesting information to be found about our City and your property at
both of these sites. Take a look when you have a chance.
MARSHFEST 2015
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7
DUTTON ISLAND PARK & PRESERVE
1921 Dutton Island Road
Atlantic Beach, FL 32233
Festival Begins at:
10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Free to the public
Kayak & Canoe Tours of the Marshes ◊ Live Americana Music ◊ Nature Hikes ◊
Fishing 101 for all Ages ◊ Environmental Exhibitors ◊ Fun Family Activities ◊ Wild
Wonders
Fish Fry Fundraiser – Hosted by Boy Scout Troop
Original Play featuring The Monarch Butterfly
John November
MARSHFEST 2015 T-SHIRTS
Designed by Brittany Norris
RAFFLE PRIZES
For more information visit www.timucuantrailparksfoundation.org or contact
Maria Mark, Executive Director of the Timucuan Trail Parks Foundation
(904) 707-3584.
Keep Your Water Meter Accessible & Clear of Debris
Are the water meters on your property visible and accessible? The City’s water meters
should have “free and clear” access, which means our meter readers can easily access
the meter. If the area around your water meter is clear, our meter readers can quickly
and accurately collect your meter reading. Every day, the City’s meter readers visit more
than 600 meters, and keeping the area clean and clear helps them do their job efficiently.
Ways you can help the City access your water meter are:
• Trim bushes, trees and grass that block the way or cover the meter.
• Minimize plants in the area which meter readers must travel to get to your meter.
• Remove all branches hanging lower than six feet over the meter box.
• Do not park vehicles on top of meters.
• Do not cover the water meter with yard waste and debris.
Additionally, a clear meter box makes it easy to ensure that the lid fits properly, is safe
and can be quickly turned off in an emergency.
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Dear Neighbors
This will be my final newsletter, as on November 9 the new Mayor and Commissioners will be inaugurated.
It has been my honor and pleasure to serve the City in all my positions
for the past 21 years. We have been through a lot together starting
with the creation of the citizen committees and my appointment to the then Beautification Committee.
It was during my service on the Community Development Board that
I learned more about the inner workings of our City government
and the team that ran it. There were some good things going on at City Hall. By focusing resources on maintaining and improving our infrastructure, Atlantic Beach was ahead of the curve and does not
have major concerns of failing infrastructure like many cities. The
City finances have also been well maintained we have the lowest tax
rate at the beach and a healthy reserve to see us through most any
emergency.
There were two major concerns that spurred me to run for office:
the common practice of staff and commissioners skewing the facts
to promote projects of certain developers and the institutionalized
neglect of the Mayport Corridor area.
Work on the corridor began the first year I was on the commission with
the Mayport Corridor Improvement Program and continues this year
with the Mayport Corridor Community Redevelopment Area Project.
The goal of this project is to insure tax dollars from this area are
reinvested in this area to make improvements to the infrastructure; safety and recreational opportunities, which will be a welcome benefit to all.
Solving the other problem by instituting open government policies
proved to be much more difficult. But with your help we now have
new staff, video streamed commission meetings, improved agenda schedule allowing citizens time to review issues, and 24-hour online access to most public records.
As I say goodbye I want to thank you for the part you have played in
helping to make these important positive changes for Atlantic Beach.
Blessings to you and yours,
Carolyn Woods