Exh 3AAGENDA ITI'rNI #3A
OCTOBRR 24, 2005
October 17, 2005
MEMORANDUM
TO: The Honorable Mayor
and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Jim Hanso
i~'ty~anage
SUBJECT: Follow- p Report
Memorial Plaque for "Elements" Sculpture at Five Points; A request was made at the last
commission meeting to look into the possibility of installing a memorial plaque on the
"Elements" sculpture at the five points intersection. One plaque has recently been installed on
that sculpture listing the artists name, the Mayor and Commissioners, and a description of the
artwork. A picture of that plaque is attached for your review.
The cost to add a second plaque in memory for the recently deceased sculptor would be
approximately $550.00. We could expect delivery in six weeks after it was ordered. The Mayor
and Commission should decide if a second plaque should be ordered.
Retention Basin at Buccaneer Wastewater Treatment Plant; At the last meeting, a concern
was raised about possible dangers to children playing in the retention basin at the Buccaneer
Wastewater Treatment Plant from debris in the bottom. Since that meeting, staff has inspected
the area and found a few limbs from adjoining trees that had fallen in. They will be removed.
This area does not appeaz to pose any substantial threat to people. The slope on the side is such
that people could easily walk out when there is water in the bottom and the total depth of the
water could not get above approximately 3 feet before running across the adjacent road.
Pedestrian Crossing at the Mayuort/Plaza Intersection; A citizen camz to the last commission
meeting requesting improvements be made to allow citizens to more easily cross Mayport Road
at the Plaza Road intersection. A specific complaint was that the "walk" light was so short as to
make it difficult for many people to get across. The light timing is very short far pedestrians. A
signalization project on the Mayport Road corridor is to be constructed at about the same time as
the medians are installed begizuung in FY 2007. Engineers are already considering the
possibility of adding pedestrian actuated crossing lights, which would extend the time available
for pedestrians when used.
Jasmine Street Retention Pond; Two complaints were received about the Jasmine Street
retention pond at the last commission meeting; that the slopes on the pond and the concrete rip-
rap make the pond banks dangerous and unattractive and second that sand spurs were growing
azound the grassy bank of the pond.
AGENDA ITEM #3A
OCTOBER 24, 2005
City forces placed the concrete rip-rap azound the pond side slopes in 1997 because of ongoing
erosion problems. Improvements can be made if the pond is dredged. The city recently obtained
a topographic survey of the bottom of the pond to determine if it should be dredged. That survey
shows that the pond has filled in significantly in the 14 years since construction. The original
design depth was -6.75 feet and the average depth now is -4.0 feet. While the pond's treatment
and attenuation volumes are not significantly impacted, dredging will be needed to restore the
pond to its original permitted depth. It is anticipated that this project will be budgeted in FY
2007. As part of this dredging, some of the dredge materials can be placed along the sides of the
pond to restore the original slope and cover up the unsightly rip-rap.
Sand spurs are covering some of the grass area around the pond. The best estimate of a way to
get rid of the sand spurs is to use a chemical for a total kill off of the vegetation (like Round-up)
followed by re-sodding of the affected azea. The area around the pond is not presently irrigated
and the estimated cost to install and water the grass until it is established is $15,000. This is not
considered to be a public recreation azea, although some of the adjoining neighbors occasionally
fish in the pond. The City Commission should consider whether or not the re-sodding of the area
should be included in an upcoming budget amendment. No funds are available in the current
budget for this project.
Kayak Launch at Tidc views; The City also received a complaint about the poor design of the
kayak launch at the Tideviews Park and about the difficulty in getting kayaks out to the launch.
The complaints are correct; the facilities for launching a kayak aze almost impossible to use and
it is a considerable distance from the Tideviews parking lot to the kayak launching area. Funds
have already been included in the current budget for the addition of a floating dock at Tideviews,
which will make the current launch area far more usable. It would not be advisable to add roads
in Tideviews Park because they would~take away from the ambiance of being in a natural
preserve. However, it is possible, with prior authorization from the city's recreation staff, to
drive from the Tideviews parking lot around the FDOT retention pond to a point that is much
closer to the kayak launch thereby reducing the distance people would need to carry their boats
and equipment. One problem will remain for kayakers using Tideviews; it is impassable to
kayaks due to low tide for several hours each day. While it may be an acceptable stopping place
for kayaks during certain times, it will never be as functional as the facilities at Dutton Island.
Mosquitoes on Jordan Street; Last, a complaint was received about the number of mosquitoes
in the Jordan Street area. The city's Public Works Department records all citizens' complaints
about mosquitoes and relays them to the City of Jacksonville so that a flyover spraying can be
arranged. This was the first complaint received by the city about mosquitoes in the Jordan Street
area recently. Mosquitoes have been quite numerous in other parts of the city in recent weeks
and t11C JuCii.SGI'iV1i1C i~iGSgL11tG CGnuGI Division conducted a flyover spraying on Saturday
morning, October 15~'.
Cellular Calls to 911; A complaint was received at the last meeting about the handling of a call
to 911 from a cellular phone in Atlantic Beach. Seethe attached report from David Thompson on
the differences between technologies for land lines and cell phones and how they relate to the E
911 system.
AGENDA ITElY1 #3A
OCTOBER 24, 2005
Information on E911 and Cellular Phone Calls
At the October 10, 2005 City Commission Meeting, a citizen expressed concern relative to a
cellular telephone call, and the delays that she encountered when trying to report a medical
emergency to Jacksonville Fire and Rescue. The Atlantic Beach Police Department has
contacted that citizen, and the Police Department asked Jacksonville to investigate this matter
relative to the performance of their staff. This investigation has not been completed at this time.
However, the following information is being provided to explain some of the facets of the E911
system as it relates to cellular phones.
The E911 system is based on the location of the telephone call. When an incoming call is
received, the E911 system searches the database and displays the name of the person registered
at that address, the address itself, the telephone number, and the agencies responsible far primary
police, fire, and EMS responses. This system is based on the physical location from which the
call originates. Based on the location of the address, the 911 call is channeled to Atlantic Beach,
Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, or Neptune Beach where the 911 call is answered.
Cellular phones are portable, and they obviously do not have physical addresses. The technology
for cellular phones is also much different from "land" lines." As a result, calls from cellular
phones are handled differently from 911 calls on "land" lines.
. All cellular telephone calls are directed to the City of Jacksonville where they are answered by a
911 operator. The 911 operator attempts to determine the nature of the emergency and which
' agency has jurisdiction. Then, the call is forwarded to the appropriate agency for response. If
the 911 operator is not provided with accurate information, or the 911 operator misinterprets the
information or makes a mistake relative to which agency has the jurisdiction to respond, then the
call may be channeled in the wrong direction, and a delay occurs.
Currently, there is a nationv~~ide effort to implement technology that car_ triangulate the signal
between cell towers:.It will be able to provide a close approximation of the cellular telephone
location. When someone calls in on a cellular telephone, the system will help to pinpoint the
location of the user, which will help establish the agency responsible for emergency services.
This is not available in Jacksonville today.
AGENDA ITEM #3A
OCTOBER 24, 2005
,- f,,
.,