July 2006.pdfVOL.2 NO.7JULY 2006
F
R
O
M
T
H
E
C
O
M
M
I
S
S
I
O
N
E
R
My comments
this month are
addressed to the
process of public
input into local
government and
how it affects our daily lives in
Atlantic Beach. Let me start with
our form of City Government. We
are what is referred to as a weak
City Commission and strong City
Manager form of Government.
What does that mean to you and
me? It means that the responsibility
of the Commission is to set policy
and the City Manager and staff are
here to carry out that policy. This
means that each and every one of
your City Commissioners represent
and listen to each of you individually.
You simply need to contact us, be
it via phone, e-mail or letter.
This year, the Mayor has started
the Neighbor-to-Neighbor
Beachside Chat meetings at four
locations throughout the city. The
first meetings took place in May
and the next round is scheduled
for August. These meetings are a
method where you can bring to our
attention major concerns, requests
and make other comments. There
were a small number of citizens
that attended the first four meet-
ings. THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN
A LOT MORE, WHERE WERE YOU??
The information gathered from
these meetings in May is in a
report format and is being
reviewed by the Commissioners,
City Manager and staff, to identify
what actions should be taken or
answers should be provided.
city of atlantic beach newsletter
ONLY IRRIGATE 2 DAYS PER WEEK —
BUT THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS!
(continued on back)
• If you use micro-irrigation (drip type irrigation)
• If you water with a handheld hose with a
shut-off nozzle
• If you use water from a wet-detention pond
• If you irrigate with discharge from a
water-to-air air conditioning system
• New landscape may be watered at any time
on any day for the first 30 days,and every
other day for the next 30 days.
• You may water-in lawn chemicals any time
within 24 hours of application.
It’s hurricane season again and that can mean a
possible “Boil Water”order if there’s any possi-
bility of our water system being contaminated
due to a large number of water breaks or loss
of pressure.Of course,if there’s no power—
how can you boil water? Here are some other
methods to disinfect drinking water if you
don’t have power:
• Plain chlorine bleach (not the scented or
enhanced types):Most household bleach in a
bottle is 5.25% sodium hypochlorite.Add 8 -
10 drops of bleach per gallon of water.Mix
thoroughly,cover and let sit for 30 minutes
before using.The water should have a slight
chlorine odor—if not,repeat the dosage and
allow it to stand another 15 minutes.If the
chlorine taste is too strong,allow the water
to stand for a few hours,or pour the water
from one clean container to another a few
times.
• HTH (granular calcium hypochlorite):Add
and dissolve a heaping teaspoon for each two
gallons of water to make a stock chlorine
solution,which will be used to disinfect
your drinking water.Do not drink the stock
solution! This solution will be similar to
the household bleach,so follow those same
directions to disinfect the drinking water.
• Iodine:Common household iodine from the
drugstore can be used to disinfect drinking
water.Add 5 drops of iodine to each quart of
clear water,or 10 drops per quart of cloudy
water,and let stand for at least 30 minutes
before use.
• Commercially available products:Chlorine
and iodine tablets with the necessary dosage
for drinking water disinfection are available at
some sporting goods stores and drug stores.
Follow the instructions on the package.If the
instructions are not available,use one tablet
for each quart of water.Some stores also sell
small filtration or distillation units used by
campers and boaters.
EMERGENCY DISINFECTION OF DRINKING WATER
For more information on water conservation,check out the St.Johns River Water Management
District’s web site at www.sjrwmd.com.
Also remember – No watering between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM.
Nobody wants to waste our valuable water resources,and one way to make sure we don’t is to
follow the 2-day per week irrigation rule.However,there are times when it’s allowable to water
more often.You may water at any time under these circumstances:
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.
Donald Wolfson
MAYOR
Jamie Fletcher
COMMISSIONER
J. Dezmond Waters, III
MAYOR PRO TEM
Sylvia Simmons
COMMISSIONER
Mike Borno
COMMISSIONER
Jim Hanson
CITY MANAGER
Alan Jensen
CITY ATTORNEY
Donna Bussey
CITY CLERK
CITY OFFICIALS
C
U
R
R
E
N
T
S
The next process is the modifications
to the existing building codes. For
many months, the City Commission
and Community Development
Board have studied the issues,
reviewed various proposals, met in
workshops and held public hearings
to resolve how we balance the need
to preserve the character of various
neighborhoods and still protect our
individual property rights and those
of our neighbors. What started out
as a simple issue has grown to
become an emotional one and
has caused some of our citizens
to take sides. We, citizens and
commissioners, need to set aside
emotions and work to identify and
resolve the simple, factual issues
related to size of lots and the size of
homes that can reasonably be built
on various sized lots, yet protecting
our individual and collective property
rights. It is time to quit adding to
the problem. It is time to come
together and do what is right. Too
many people’s time and money has
been spent to not resolve this issue.
I look forward to meeting with
you at our next series of Neighbor-
to-Neighbor Beachside Chats in
August. In closing, remember the
process of government as being one
of getting community input, be it in
zoning rules or discussing specific
neighborhood problems; your mayor
and commission are here to listen.
Mike Borno
City Commissioner
ATLANTIC BEACH FUN RUN
The Atlantic Beach Cultural Arts
and Recreation Advisory Committee
is sponsoring a fun run on the
beach Saturday, August 12 at
6 p.m. Preregistration forms are
available on the Atlantic Beach
Parks and Recreation website. The
run begins at the lifeguard station
in Atlantic Beach, located on the
east end of Ahern Street, one block
north of Atlantic Blvd.
Jul 4 Independence Day Holiday -
City Offices Closed
Jul 9 *Songwriter’s Concert | 6-8 p.m.
Jul 10 City Commission Mtg| 7:15 p.m.
Jul 11 Code Enforcement Board Mtg | 7 p.m.
Jul 12 *Tree Conservation Board Mtg | 7 p.m.
Jul 13 Board Member Review Committee
Mtg | 5 p.m.
Jul 18 Community Development Board Mtg
| 7 p.m.
Jul 23 *Acoustics Night at Bull Park |
6-8 p.m.
Jul 24 City Commission Mtg| 7:15 p.m.
Jul 25 *Cultural Arts & Recreation Advisory
Committee | 7 p.m.
Jul 26 *Tree Conservation Board Mtg| 7 p.m.
(continued from front)
www.coab.us •(904) 247-5800
You may have seen some of the news reports
on algae growth in the St.Johns River.One
way of helping the river and its tributaries is
to eliminate septic tanks and connect to a
central sewer system that provides additional
treatment to wastewater.State law actually
requires anyone whose property line is within
100 feet of a sewer main to connect.
Since Atlantic Beach started the Septic-to-
Sewer Conversion program in May 2000,
over 170 septic tanks have been eliminated!
Atlantic Beach has an excellent assistance
program for those who are planning to
connect to the City’s sewer system.Our
Conveyance Division Director meets with
residents to discuss requirements,answer
questions and coordinate with contractors.
The City also offers financial assistance.
Two types of financial assistance are available:
Community Development Block
Grants will pay for the entire conversion if
you meet the income requirements,and if you
live in the residence that is connecting to the
sewer system.
City Financing is available for either the
entire conversion,or part of the cost as
desired.Interest rates are excellent—4% for
loans paid back on the utility bill,or 5% if a
separate bill is requested for the loan payback.
If you’re ready to get rid of your septic tank
and connect to the City’s system,contact
Chris Walker,Conveyance Division Director
at 247-5874 or Donna Kaluzniak,Utility
Director at 247-5834.
HELPING THE ENVIRONMENT
WITH SEPTIC TO SEWER CONVERSIONS
JULY 2006
Aug 7 *Neighbor-to-Neighbor Beachside Chat
| 7- 8:30 p.m.
Aug 8 Neighbor-to-Neighbor Beachside Chat -
Jordan Park Community Center,1671
Francis Avenue | 7- 8:30 p.m.
Aug 9 Neighbor-to-Neighbor Beachside Chat -
Donner Park Community Center,2072
George Street| 7- 8:30 p.m.
Aug 9 *Tree Conservation Board Mtg| 7 p.m.
Aug 10 Neighbor-to-Neighbor Beachside Chat -
Oceanside Church of Christ,1029 Snug
Harbor Court | 7- 8:30 p.m.
Aug 10 **Pension Board of Trustees | 6 p.m.
Aug 10 Board Member Review Committee
Mtg | 5 p.m.
Aug 12 Fun Run on the Beach - Atlantic Beach
Lifeguard Station | 6 p.m.
Aug 13 *Songwriter’s Concert | 6-8 p.m.
Aug 14 City Commission Mtg | 7:15 p.m.
Aug 15 Community Development Board Mtg |
7:00 p.m.
Aug 22 *Cultural Arts & Recreation Advisory
Committee | 7 p.m.
Aug 23 *Tree Conservation Board Mtg | 7:00
p.m.
Aug 27 *Acoustics Night at Bull Park |
6-8 p.m.
Aug 28 City Commission Mtg | 7:15 p.m.
AUGUST 2006
The next series of “Chats”have been scheduled for August.Please refer to the calendar below
for date,time and location information.We urge you to attend a neighborhood “chat”to
express concerns,comments and/or suggestions,or to just listen to input from others.It is an
excellent way to meet your elected officials and neighbors while gathering in a more casual
manner at a location with familiar surroundings.If you have a question regarding these
meetings,please contact Donna Bussey,City Clerk at 247-5809 or e-mail dbussey@coab.us.
NEIGHBOR-TO-NEIGHBOR BEACHSIDE CHATS