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October 2005.pdfVOL.1 NO.3OCTOBER 2005 F R O M T H E M A Y O R Resulting partly from the experiences of the 2004 storm season in Northeast Florida, JEA has made vast improvements to its outage reporting systems and will soon begin using a new process that, in some cases, will actually inform JEA of a power outage even before the customer is aware of it. At the center of this new process is the Network Meter Reading (NMR) system that is being installed at all customer addresses in the JEA service territory. NMR electric meters will talk “wirelessly” to JEA’s Outage Management System (OMS), an elaborate computer system that receives the report of the outage, analyzes the problem to determine potential solutions, and then alerts repair crews to the source of the problem.With the implementation of the NMR system, JEA customers won’t need to call to report their power is out.When a customer’s NMR meter senses that no power is present, it will send a message to OMS, just like when the customer calls JEA to report that their power is out.As an added benefit, NMR keeps reporting outages until every customer has been restored. This means, for example, that during a widespread power outage in which JEA repair personnel are beginning to restore power to neighborhoods, the NMR system will continue to report those few remaining homes that are still without power. This service is operational for residential customers and will be in place in 2006 for commercial customers. If you prefer, you can still call JEA to report your power outage by calling 665-6000. I have received several letters and e-mails over the last few months concerning good services performed by our “first responders,” our fire and police. We are truly blessed to have an excellent staff running City Hall. In particular, the fire department and police personnel go about their business in a quiet and efficient manner that should give us all a sense of comfort. Knowing that with- in a few minutes of an emergency call one can expect an emergency crew to show up at the door certainly gives me confidence in our safety. Little known to most is the fact that we have a crime suppression unit that works very quietly to find and arrest “bad guys” before they become a menace to the public. I would also like to recognize the fact that both police and fire crew volunteers from our area and from Atlantic Beach went to assist in the areas hard hit by Hurricane Katrina. They put in long and hard hours under some pretty grim situ- ations. The mutual support agreements we have with Jacksonville, the other beach cities and the Navy at Mayport also add to our security in having resources available to meet any need. Over the many years I have been part of the Emergency Operations Center activities in planning for hurricane responses, I can tell you that Duval County has a team approach towards handling emergencies. The beach cities are part of that team and I have full confidence in our ability to make the right decisions, early on, to any threat, man-made or natural disaster effecting Atlantic Beach. city of atlantic beach newsletter OUTAGE REPORTING SYSTEM The City of Atlantic Beach has recently been rated by FEMA for participation in the Community Rating System, Floodplain Management Program.This program rates the City on its flood control systems and construction of structures in the floodplains. The City has received a rating of 8, which gives property owners in Special Flood Hazard Areas a 10% discount on their flood insurance. As part of the program, we supply lenders, insurance agents, and real estate offices with flood zone information.We maintain eleva- tion certificates and finished floor elevations in the permanent files on all properties. Additional flood insurance data for a site, such as the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) zone and the base flood elevation or depth if shown on the FIRM is provided in the Building and Planning Departments. For additional information, please contact us at (904) 247-5826 or stop by the Building and Planning Departments in City Hall. You will need to provide us with the street address and if available, the subdivision, lot and block number. COAB FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT PROGRAM John S. Meserve Mayor city of atlantic beach newsletter CALENDAR Meetings are held in the Commission Chambers unless otherwise indicated * These events will be held at Adele Grage Cultural Center,716 Ocean Blvd. ** These events will be held in the North Conference Room at City Hall,800 Seminole Road. W.H.A.L.E. (We Have A Little Emergency) is an education and identification program for parents who have children in car seats. W.H.A.L.E. can make a difference in the event of a motor vehicle crash involving your child. Providing vital information about your child will result in a more efficient rescue effort by emergency personnel. In many cases, children are too young to identify themselves or their parents, should the driver be incapacitated. Rescue efforts may be delayed if emergency service personnel are unable to identify the child, emergency contacts, or special medical needs. By having this vital information, emergency personnel can better meet the needs of your child, and parents can feel safe knowing their children will be properly identified and cared for. W.H.A.L.E. CHECK requires the use of three self-adhesive stickers and one information label, which are placed in specific places on the car and car seat. W.H.A.L.E. CHECK is a free and easy program to participate in.W.H.A.L.E. packets can be picked up at any time at the Atlantic Beach Police Department, 850 Seminole Road,Atlantic Beach.This is also a great opportunity to have the installation of your child’s car seat inspected (call for Officer Layson’s hours at 247-5859). ATLANTIC BEACH LAUNCHES A W.H.A.L.E. PROGRAM NOVEMBER 2005 Nov.1 Commission Meeting (swearing in new officials) | 8:00 pm Nov.6 *Songwriter’s Concert | 6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. Nov.8 Code Enforcement Board Meeting | 7:00 pm Nov.9 *Tree Conservation Board Meeting | 7:00 p.m. Nov.14 City Commission Meeting | 7:15 p.m. Nov.15 Community Development Board Meeting - City Hall | 7:00 p.m. Nov.17 Board Member Review Committee Meeting | 5:00 p.m. Nov.22 *Cultural Arts & Recreation Advisory Committee Meeting | 7:00 p.m. Nov.23 *Tree Conservation Board Meeting | 7:00 p.m. Nov.28 City Commission Meeting | 7:15 p.m. OCTOBER 2005 Oct.1 *First Aid Training-$30 (CPR training on Oct.22nd,$40 for both) | 9:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. Oct.1 Fun Day/Camp-Out Under the Stars – Jack Russell Park | Begins 11:00 a.m. Oct.2 *Songwriter’s Concert | 6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. Oct.4 PRIMARY ELECTION - Voting Precinct | 7:00 a.m.- 7:00 p.m. Oct.10 City Commission Meeting |7:15 p.m. Oct.12 *Tree Conservation Board Meeting | 7:00 p.m. Oct.18 GENERAL ELECTION (if needed) - Voting Precinct | 7:00 a.m.- 7:00 p.m. Oct.18 Community Development Board Meeting,City Hall | 7:00 p.m. Oct.20 Board Member Review Committee Meeting | 5:00 p.m. Oct.22 *CPR Training-$30 (First Aid training on Oct.1st,$40 for both) | 9:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. Oct.23 *Acoustic Night | 4:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. Oct.24 City Commission Meeting | 7:15 p.m. Oct.25 *Cultural Arts & Recreation Advisory Committee Meeting | 7:00 p.m. Oct.26 *Tree Conservation Board Meeting | 7:00 p.m. John S. Meserve MAYOR Richard M. Beaver MAYOR PRO TEM J. Dezmond Waters, III COMMISSIONER Sylvia Simmons COMMISSIONER Paul B. Parsons COMMISSIONER Jim Hanson CITY MANAGER Alan Jensen CITY ATTORNEY Donna Bussey CITY CLERK CITY OFFICIALS C U R R E N T S Sidewalk Replacement In order to protect and enhance the pedestrian, bicycle and skateboard friendliness of Atlantic Beach walk- ways, the City Commission recently approved an ordinance requiring that any sidewalks being repaired or replaced must be replaced with smooth concrete. Sec. 19-7. Construction of drive- ways in rights-of-way. (h) Driveways that cross sidewalks: City sidewalks may not be replaced with other materials, but must be replaced with smooth concrete left natural in color so that it matches the existing and adjoining sidewalks. Yard Trash What about your yard debris? You are limited to no more than five cubic yards a week, not each day but a week. No single item may exceed five (5) feet in length or forty (40) pounds. If what you’re putting out for pickup looks too big, it probably is. If a contractor (including your Lawn Service) cuts down a tree or trims your palms and says don’t worry, the City will pick it up, WORRY! Any Contractor you pay to trim or remove trees is also responsible for removing and properly dis- posing the debris from your property and the City right-of- way. City Code: Section 16-5 For additional information concerning trash and yard waste pickup, call Public Works at (904) 247-5834, for reporting violations of City Code call (904) 247-5855. Classes The City of Atlantic Beach is offering the following classes at Adele Grage Cultural Center: First Aid/CPR training; Postnatal Fitness; and Scrap booking/ Photo Organization. Please call 247-5828 or visit our website @ www.coab.us for additional information.