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March 2011.pdfCITY CALENDAR MARCH 2011 Mar 8 Code Enforcement Board / 6 pm Mar 14 City Commission Meeting / 6 pm Mar 15 Community Development Board / 6 pm Mar 22 *Cultural Arts & Recreation Advisory Committee / 6 pm Mar 28 City Commission Meeting / 6 pm APRIL 2011 Apr 11 City Commission Meeting / 6 pm Apr 19 Community Development Board / 6 pm Apr 25 City Commission Meeting / 6 pm Apr 26 *Cultural Arts & Recreation Advisory Committee / 6 pm Meetings are held in the Commission Chamber unless otherwise indicated. " These events will be held at Adele Gage Cultural Center, 716 Ocean Blvd. CITY OFFICIALS Mike Borno, Mayor John Fletcher, Mayor Pro Tem Jonathan Daugherty, Commissioner Paul Parsons, Commissioner Carolyn Woods, Commissioner Jim Hanson, City Manager Alan Jensen, City Attorney Donna Bartle, City Clerk www.coab.us • (904) 247-5800 Enjoy an Evening of Shakespeare The University of North Florida English Department will present "Shakespeare in the Park" at Jack Russell Park an Friday, April 15th and Saturday, April 16th at 8 pm. Bring the family and enjoy an evening of Shakespeare on an open stage under the stars. The event is free and open to the public. SPECIAL EVENTS MARCH 2011 Mar 6 Songwriters Concert / Adele Grage / 6 - 8 pm Mar 12 Wild Wonders / Dutton Island Pavilion / 1 pm Mar 17 North Beaches Art Walk / Town Center / 5 - 9 pm Mar 26 Wild Wonders — Dutton Island Pavilion 1 pm Mar 27 Acoustic Night Returns / Bull Park / 6.8 pm APRIL 2011 Apr 9 Wild Wonders / Dutton Island Pavilion / 1 pm Apr 10 Songwriters Concert / Adele Grage / 6 - 8 pm Apr 15-16 Shakespeare in the Park / Jack Russell Park /8 pm Apr 17 Apr 21 Apr 23 Apr 23 Acoustic Nights / Bull Park / 6 - 8 pm North Beaches Art Walk Town Center & Adele Grage / 5 - 9 pm Arts in the Park / Johansen Park / 10 am - 6 pm Easter Egg Hunt / Jordan Park / 10 am -1 pm Apr 30 Wild Wonders / Dutton Island Pavilion / 1 pm BET Presents... Tale of the Allergist's Wife Comedy By Charles Busch March 18-19, 25-27, 31 and April 1-2 An award-winning hit at the Manhattan Theatre Club and on Broadway. Winner of the Outer Critics Circle John Gassner Award. Marjorie Taub, the wife of a philanthropic allergist, is engulfed in a life crisis of Medea -like proportions. Showtimes: Thursday, Friday & Saturday 8 pm / Sunday 2 pm Admission: Adults — $15 / Senior, Student, Military — $12 There have been a lot of articles lately about "green" projects and "sustainability". While these terms mean a lot of different things, this is a good opportunity to report to you about several steps that your City is taking to save energy. First in this report will be things that have already been done. These include the purchase of seven hybrid vehicles in the Police Department and one all electric vehicle in Public Works to replace older gasoline powered models. One "low tech" solution that the City's been using is bicycles for Meter Readers. While they may take a compact pick-up truck to get to one subdivision or another, once there they often use bicycles to get around. Lighting retrofits have been completed in City Hall, the Commission Chamber and several other City buildings. The City also has been converting large amounts of paper records to electronic format to improve accessibility and to cut down on the space and energy needed in City buildings to store them. We are planning for several more projects. One group of these is made possible by two grants that will provide energy audits of 11 City buildings, replace and upgrade 23 HVAC systems in various City buildings, enable the City to replace one older vehicle with an all electric model, replace outdoor lighting in one of the City's major parks with LED fixtures and install a solar hot water system at the Fire Department. The biggest energy savings of all will be accomplished as part of our wastewater plant upgrade to meet the new nitrogen standards for the St. Johns River. Combining the City's two wastewater plants into one will literally save hundreds of thousands of dollars in electric costs per year. On top of that, a separate electric study has been done to determine the most efficient way to run the remaining wastewater plant which will result in the replacement of several less -efficient motors and blowers and adding a new electronic control system that will go a long way toward keeping your water and sewer bills down in future years. Cities and counties across the country are facing tough economic times. Many have had to reduce services and raise revenues. Finding ways to reduce energy costs in the future makes good sense. — Mayor Borno River Friendly Awareness and Education Campaign St. Johns Riverkeeper° is launching an exciting new campaign to raise awareness about the impact of our actions upon the health of the St John River and to inform and inspire people to adopt river -friendly lifestyle practices. The River -Friendly Awareness and Education Campaign will consist of educational literature, website content, a River Friendly Pledge, workshops, a rain barrel project, and a proposed River - Friendly Home Makeover Contest in the fall of 2011. The goal is to provide the public with informative resources and tools that will help them make more informed choices to better protect their St. Johns River. River -Friendly is also Beach -Friendly, and teaches us how to protect our beaches, marshes, and the Intercoastal Waterway. Rain Barrel Project The Rain Barrel Project will kick off the campaign on March 1, 2011 by partnering with participating businesses, schools, and organizations to raise awareness about conserving water and how to be "river -friendly." While everyone may not decide to install a rain barrel at their home or business, the Rain Barrel Project provides a creative platform to inform the public about our partner's support for the river and the many ways we all can live a "river friendly" and "beach friendly" lifestyle. Please check the St. Johns Riverkeeper's website beginning March 1 for additional information about the campaign, including river -friendly tips for landscaping, workshops, and the rain barrel project: www.stjohnsriverkeeper.org or call: 904-256-7591. Conserve Water — Only irrigate on your day, before 10 am and after 4 pm. Odd numbered addresses - Saturday Even numbered addresses - Sunday Nonresidential properties - Tuesday For more information on conserving water visit www.floridaswater.com. WILD WONDERS Returns to Dutton Island Preserve Do you enjoy the great outdoors and nature? A hands-on nature program for the entire family will be held at Dutton Island Preserve in Atlantic Beach beginning in March. Mike Rossi, an experienced local educator, will present his program "Warm Fuzzies and Prehistoric Pals". Kids can experience one-on-one encounters with turtles, snakes, small mammals and reptiles. Dance, storytelling and humor are interwoven into this delightful presentation. The Wild Wonders Program will be held on the following dates Saturdays at 1 pm — March 12 & 26 and April 9 & 30. DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME Don't Forget to Change Your Clocks As a reminder, Daylight Savings Time begins at 2 am on Sunday, March 13th. Set your clock one hour ahead. Remembering to change your clock for Daylight Savings Time is also a great opportunity to give some attention to the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home. Replace batteries in your battery powered detectors once a year and test them at least monthly throughout the year. Detectors that are part of a built-in fire alarm system should be tested as part of the fire alarm test and maintenance schedule prescribed by the manufacturer. It is also recommended that all detectors be given a good dusting and vacuum cleaning every six months. Household Hazardous Waste Event The City of Jacksonville will have a mobile household hazardous waste vehicle at the Jacksonville Beach Public Works Facility parking lot (1460 Shelter Ave) on Saturday, May 14th from 8:30am to 3pm. For more information call Jacksonville's Solid Waste Division at (904) 387-8847. A complete list of items that will be accepted at this event is located on the COJ website at www.coj.net. This is the only hazardous waste collection scheduled at the Beach for 2011, so don't miss this opportunity to dispose of your hazardous waste items. ELECTION INFORMATION Primary Election — August 30, 2011 General Election (if run-off required) November 8, 2011 OFFICES UP FOR ELECTION: Mayor/Commissioner — Seat 1 (2 year term) Currently held by Mike Boma Commissioner — Seat 2 (4 year term) District 13H Currently held by John Fletcher Commissioner — Seat 3 (4 year term) District 13G Currently held by Paul Parsons Candidates must be registered to vote in the City of Atlantic Beach, must have been full- time residents of the city for at least one year prior to qualifying, and must not hold any other elective office. Candidates for Seats 2 & 3 are required to reside within the district for which they are seeking at least one year prior to qualifying and must remain full-time residents of their respective district during any term in office. The Mayor has no district requirement. The Mayor and Commissioners are all elected At -Large. Residents, please contact the City Clerk for details and important information if you are interested in running for office. The City Clerk serves as the City's "Supervisor of Elections". QUALIFYING DATES Qualification of candidates will begin at noon, Monday, June 20, 2011 and will end at noon, Friday, June 24, 2011. Visit the City's website at www.coab.us/ elections for more information and links to the detailed election calendar, district map and Duval County precinct finder page.