December 2012.pdfDecember 2012
Dec 4 *Cultural Arts & Recreation Advisory Committee 6pm
Dec 10 City Commission Meeting 6:30 pm
Dec 18 Community Development Board 6 pm
Dec 24-25 CITY OFFICES CLOSED
January 2013
Jan 1 CITY OFFICES CLOSED
Jan 8 Code Enforcement Meeting 6 pm
Jan 14 City Commission Meeting 6:30 pm
Jan 15 Community Development Board 6 pm
Jan 21 CITY OFFICES CLOSED
Jan 28 City Commission Meeting 6: 30 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.
December 2012
Dec 1 Holiday Tree Lighting – Town Center 3-8 pm
Dec 2 Yoga – Adele Grage 4-5 pm
Dec 5 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 4-7 pm
Dec 9 Yoga – Adele Grage 4-5 pm
Dec 12 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 4-7 pm
Dec 16 Songwriters’ Concert – Adele Grage 6-8 pm
Dec 16 Yoga – Adele Grage 4-5 pm
Dec 19 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 4-7 pm
Dec 20 North Beaches Art Walk – Town Center & Adele Grage 5-9 pm
Dec 20 Reception for the Artist – Adele Grage 6-8 pm
Dec 23 Yoga – Adele Grage 4-5 pm
Dec 30 Yoga – Adele Grage 4-5 pm
January 2013
Jan 2 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 4-7 pm
Jan 6 Yoga – Adele Grage 4-5 pm
Jan 9 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 4-7 pm
Jan 13 Yoga – Adele Grage 4-5 pm
Jan 16 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 4-7 pm
Jan 17 North Beaches Art Walk – Town Center & Adele Grage 5-9 pm
Reception for the Artist – Town Center & Adele Grage 5-9 pm
Jan 20 Yoga – Adele Grage 4-5 pm
Jan 23 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 4-7 pm
Jan 27 Yoga – Adele Grage 4-5 pm
Jan 30 Wednesday Market – Bull Park 4-7 pm
For the latest information, visit www.coab.us/events
or www.coab.us/recreation
Visit us on facebook! www.coab.us/facebook
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Holiday Hours for City Offices
City offices will be closed on Monday, December 24th, Tuesday,
December 25th and Tuesday, January 1st.
Atlantic Beach City officials and staff wish you and your family
a safe and happy holiday season.
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ABET Presents…The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
By Barbara Robinson
December 7, 8, 14, 15, *16, 21, 22 and *23, 2012
FAMILY COMEDY/ In this hilarious Christmas tale, a couple struggling to put on
a church Christmas pageant is faced with casting the Herdman kids – probably
the most inventively awful kids in history. You won’t believe the mayhem – and
the fun – when the Herdmans collide with the Christmas story head on! This
delightful comedy is adapted from the best-selling book and the only story ever
to run twice in McCall’s Magazine.
Showtimes: Fri & Sat at 8:00pm | *Sundays at 2:00pm
Admission: $15.00
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Atlantic Beach Toy Drive
Light up a child’s face and heart!
The City of Atlantic Beach is holding a toy drive for children in our north
beaches area. Citizens wishing to participate can drop off new unwrapped
toys at the Atlantic Beach Fire Station, 850 Seminole Road by
Wednesday, December 19th. Contact the Recreation and Special Events
Office at 247-5828 for more information.
Thanks for helping us make a child’s holiday season brighter.
Winter Water Conservation Tips
The holidays and our North Florida winter weather are here. Take action to protect your
pipes and keep your water use down during the chilly season! Frozen water expands,
and can cause piping to burst—not only wasting water, but potentially causing
water damage to your home and property. Here are some helpful conservation tips:
• Locate and test your master water shut-off valve. If a pipe breaks in your
house, you want to be able to shut the water off quickly.
• Turn off the irrigation system.
• Insulate hot water pipes to reduce the time it takes to get hot water to
the faucet.
• Insulate pipes in unheated areas of the house.
• Remove hoses from outdoor spigots and insulate the spigots as well as
the backflow preventers.
• Insulate any above-ground outdoor piping, including pool supply lines.
• Seal openings into the house where cold air could reach unprotected pipes.
• If temperatures are predicted to reach near 20 degrees F, prevent pipes
from freezing by leaving faucets open at the slowest drip possible. Be
sure to turn the faucets off after the temperature rises.
• Open cabinet doors under sinks to allow heat to circulate around pipes.
• Before leaving town for an extended period, close the master shut-off
valve and drain your pipes by running fixtures until no water comes
out. Leave the heat setting in your house to at least 55 degrees.
• For more conservation tips, visit www.FloridasWater.com.
Remember Your Day:
Only irrigate on your day, before 10:00 a.m. and after 4:00 p.m.
Odd numbered addresses – Saturday
Even numbered addresses – Sunday
Nonresidential properties – Tuesday
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New Construction Activity Strong in Atlantic Beach
The Atlantic Beach Building Department’s year-to-date activity report for
September 2012 indicated that new construction continues to be strong. A
total of 20 new homes are currently under construction along the beaches and
within the Mayport Corridor area. This number is keeping track with last year’s
construction of 21 new homes. In 2008 through 2010, a combined total of
23 homes were constructed. The report for the current year also indicates that
permit applications for additions and remodeling projects has also been high,
with approximately $7 million being spent for renovations.
Before starting a project, homeowners should be certain that they are hiring a
qualified contractor that will do a safe and quality job. Hiring an unlicensed,
uninsured contractor could cost you time and money. If you have any questions,
contact the Atlantic Beach Building Department at 247-5826.
Drinking and Driving is NOT an Option
With the festive holiday season upon us, please, before you drink - think of
the options: make plans for a designated driver, take a cab, or spend the night
with friends.
Some Basic Facts:
• Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) is the % of alcohol in a person’s
bloodstream.
• Each of the following contains the same amount of alcohol:
- 12 oz can of beer (5% alcohol)
- 5 oz glass of wine (12% alcohol)
- 1.5 oz of 80-proof liquor (40% alcohol)
- 12 oz wine cooler (5% alcohol)
• Drivers at .08 BAC are four times more likely to cause a
crash than a driver with no BAC.
Remember that drinking and driving
is NOT an option.
YOUR PUBLIC UTILITIES DEPARTMENT
While JEA provides our electric service, the City of Atlantic Beach Public
Utilities Department provides our water and sewer service. In fact, our
utility also serves an area outside the City limits—encompassing a district
just slightly larger and more populous than the City of Jacksonville Beach.
During the 1980’s, Atlantic Beach purchased two private utilities,
expanding the water and sewer system north to Wonderwood Road and
west to the Intracoastal Waterway. Outside-City customers pay a higher
rate than residents, and those extra funds are transferred from the Utility
to the General Fund to help lower property taxes. In addition, our Public
Utilities Department treats wastewater from the Village of Mayport
through an agreement with JEA.
The main goal of the Department is to protect the public health and the
environment by meeting environmental regulations—most of which stem
from the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act. The water and
sewer systems are heavily regulated by the Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) and several other agencies.
Our water and sewer utility system includes 4 water treatment plants
and 1 wastewater treatment plant, 30 sewer lift stations and about 180
miles of water and sewer pipe. We have 22 full and part-time employees
and an $8.7 million annual budget.
The DEP requires that our treatment plants be staffed with State-licensed
operators. Most of our operators have advanced licenses and an average
of 18 years experience in Atlantic Beach.
Long-range planning has helped the utility run effectively and efficiently
in order to provide good service while keeping rates as low as possible.
For instance, based on recommendations in the 2006 Sewer Master
Plan, the City has continued to invest in the rehabilitation of sewer
mains—keeping rain water out of the sewer pipes. This process helps
prevent sewer overflows and will allow the City to defer construction
of additional tanks, saving capital costs. In addition, the City’s recent
wastewater treatment plant project will save operating costs of over $300,000
per year while meeting more stringent nitrogen limits. Our Water Master Plan
identified the need for the additional storage tank that was added in 2005, as
well as areas where older cast-iron pipe needed replacing. The City programs a
portion of that work each year.
Your Public Utilities Department continues to improve the City’s infrastructure,
and is here to serve you.
–Mike Borno
us make a child s holiday season brighter.
r tio Ti s
...(From the Mayor continued on next panel)
...(From the Mayor continued)