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June 2012
June 11 City Commission Meeting 6:30 pm
June 19 Community Development Board 6 pm
June 25 City Commission Meeting 6:30 pm
June 26 *Cultural Arts & Recreation Advisory Committee 6 pm
July 2012
July 4 CITY OFFICES CLOSED
July 9 City Commission Meeting 6:30 pm
July 10 Code Enforcement Board 6 pm
July 17 Community Development Board 6 pm
July 23 City Commission Meeting 6: 30 pm
July 24 *Cultural Arts & Recreation Advisory Committee 6 pm
www.coab.us • (904) 247-5800
CITY OFFICIALS
Mike Borno, Mayor
Jonathan Daugherty, Commissioner
Maria Mark, Mayor Pro-Tem
Mark Beckenbach, Commissioner
Carolyn Woods, Commissioner
Jim Hanson, City Manager
Alan Jensen, 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.
June 2012
Jun 2 Wild Wonders – Dutton Island Preserve 11 am
Jun 6 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 4-7 pm
Jun 10 Songwriters’ Concert – Adele Grage 6-8 pm
Jun 13 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 4-7 pm
Jun 16 Wild Wonders – Dutton Island Preserve 11 am
Jun 21 North Beaches Art Walk – Town Center
& Adele Grage 5-9 pm
Reception for the Artist – Adele Grage 6-8 pm
Jun 24 Acoustic Nights – Bull Park 6-8 pm
Jun 27 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 4-7 pm
July 2012
July 4 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 4-7 pm
July 8 Songwriters’ Concert – Adele Grage 6-8 pm
July 11 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 4-7 pm
July 18 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 4-7 pm
July 19 North Beaches Art Walk – Town Center
& Adele Grage 5-9 pm
Reception for the Artist – Adele Grage 6-8 pm
July 25 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 4-7 pm
July 29 Acoustic Nights – Bull Park 6-8 pm
November 2011
Nov 2 Mid-Week Market – Bull Park 4-7 pm
Nov 9 Mid-Week Market – Bull Park 3-6 pm
Nov 16 Mid-Week Market – Bull Park 3-6 pm
Nov 17 Holiday Artisans’ Faire – Adele Grage 5-9 pm
Nov 19 MarshFest – Dutton Island Preserve 10am – 3pm
Nov 20 Songwriters’ Concert – Adele Grage 6-8 pm
Nov 23 Mid-Week Market – Bull Park 3-6 pm
Nov 30 Mid-Week Market – Bull Park 3-6 pm
December 2011
Dec 3 Holiday Celebration – Town Center
Dec 18 Songwriters’ Concert – Adele Grage 6-8 pm
Dec 15 North Beaches Art Walk – Town Center & Adele Grage 5-9 pm
Reception for the Artist – Adele Grage 6-8 pm
For the latest information, visit www.coab.us/events or www.coab.us/recreation
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For the latest information, visit www.coab.us/events
or www.coab.us/recreation
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Make Independence Day
Safe and Enjoyable for Everyone
The City of Atlantic Beach would like to remind you of the City ordinance adopted
in 2004 that makes it illegal to sell, possess, or shoot off any fireworks other
than the “sparkler-types” at any of the beach cities. Considering the recent
drought conditions and the wildfires in our region, the possession and/or use
of personal fireworks is strongly discouraged.
Cat Complaints
Atlantic Beach Animal Control receives an influx of cat-related complaints this
time of year. It seems that cats are everywhere: males are looking for love,
females are having litters every other month, and kittens are running amok.
There are complaints of cats fighting at night, killing birds during the day,
and using gardens as public toilets – and everybody wants to know what
can be done about it. Cats can be divided into three groups, and how to fix
the problems varies from group to group.
Group one: Pets. If these cats are out creating mischief, it’s because their
owners are allowing them to wander outside and off their property. This is
against City ordinance. Owners should never allow cats outside unsupervised.
Pet cats should also wear collars with phone numbers in case they get lost.
Microchipping is recommended, as cats are notorious for losing collars.
Jacksonville Animal Care and Protective Services will microchip animals for
$10 each. Go to www.coj.net/pets for details.
Group two: Stray cats. These cats had owners at one time, but are now
forced to live on the streets. They were lost, thrown out or abandoned. Often
neighbors will feel sorry for these cats and feed them, but no one is willing to
claim ownership and provide veterinarian care for them. Unfortunately these
animals also become nuisances and create most of the cat-related calls to
Animal Control. They should be trapped, vaccinated, sterilized and re-homed.
There are several cat rescues in the Jacksonville area that can assist. If no
one in the neighborhood is willing to step forward to help the cat, Animal
Control should be contacted.
Group three: Feral cats. These are usually the second and third genera-
tion offspring of unsterilized strays and free roaming pets. These cats are
unsocialized and wary of people. They seldom make good pets. There are
organizations that trap, neuter, and release (TNR) feral cats to live out the
rest of their lives in the wild. A TNR cat will generally have the tip of its ear
clipped off to indicate that it has been sterilized and vaccinated. If you would
like to learn more about TNR, please visit www.FCNMHP.org.
Atlantic Beach Animal Control desires for all residents – two-legged and four-
legged – to live peacefully within the City. Please call (904) 247-5866 if
we can be of assistance.
Enjoy Your Pool while Conserving Water
Now that temperatures are heating up, the pool is inviting. Here are a few ways to save water
while enjoying your swimming pool:
• Use a pool cover. Covering your pool regularly can reduce evaporation by up to 95%.
• Use shrubs and fences to reduce wind evaporation.
• If the water level drops more than an inch per day, check for leaks. Look for loose
tiles, cracks, or saturated soil near the pool.
If you suspect a leak you can check by doing an evaporation test or contacting a
professional.
• Lower the water level in your pool to avoid water loss from splash-over.
• Backwash pool filters only as needed, or clean by hand-washing them.
• Check your water bills. Any changes might indicate a leak or other problem needing
investigation.
Remember, only irrigate on your assigned days before 10:00 a.m. or after 4:00 p.m.
Odd numbered addresses – Wednesday and Saturday
Even numbered addresses – Thursday and Sunday
Non-Residential – Tuesday and Friday
HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS – ARE YOU READY?
Special Needs Shelters
The Duval County Emergency Preparedness Division maintains
a registry of clients who have been identified as persons
with either special medical needs or special transportation
needs during an emergency. These individuals require as-
sistance during evacuations and sheltering or need special
transportation to a shelter. Individuals with special medical
needs who plan on using a public shelter during an evacuation
should register well in advance by contacting the Emergency
Preparedness Office by phone at (904) 630-2472 or visiting
www.coj.net to complete a registration form. A new registry
is created each year in January, so individuals must re-register
every year to remain in the system. Once the registration
form is completed it is reviewed by a health care professional
and categorized by the assistance required. Individuals are
then assigned to a shelter or hospital and to the appropriate
transportation agency, if applicable.
Police Services
Our Police Department has been in the news
recently by making arrests in some major crimes
quickly. One was a bank robbery where they apprehended
the suspect and recovered the money in less than 20 minutes
after receiving the call. In another case, officers responded to
a burglary call but arrived after the suspect had fled. However,
they got a second call from a nearby house and apprehended the
subject in both cases in about 30 minutes after they received the
first call. The suspect was a registered sexual predator who had
been released from prison within the last month.
One of the detectives involved modestly referred to the two
arrests as “getting lucky”. While congratulations are in order
for these two fine efforts by our officers, it is best to look at the
bigger picture of crime in our City and police responses before
forming any conclusions about the effectiveness of our Police
Department.
Two statistics about police departments are good tools to use;
average response times and overall crime rates. The average
response time to emergency calls in Atlantic Beach last year was
approximately two minutes. That is to say that, on average,
a police officer can be at your door in two minutes in Atlantic
Beach after the call comes in to our dispatch center for a major
crime. Many other cities report their response times in the 5-10
minute range.
A second comparable factor is the crime rate. For Part One
Crimes, which include murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault,
burglary, larceny and auto theft, Atlantic Beach’s rate in 2010
was just over 35 per 1,000 population. Other police departments
in Duval County had rates for similar crimes at 45 per 1,000 or
above during that year and the rate statewide was 41 per 1,000.
The bottom line is that there are fewer crimes per capita in Atlantic
Beach and, when there is one, officers respond very quickly.
While the recent incidences add another reason to thank the
dedicated men and women in our police department, they
deserve our greatest praise for the work they do day in and day
out to help make Atlantic Beach a great place to live and work.