May 2005.pdfMAY 2005
VOL.4 NO.5
city of atlantic be
n e w s l e t t e r
Spring Into Action to
Conserve Water
This is a good time of year to
inspect irrigation systems for
damage and make needed
repairs. An irrigation system
break can waste thousands
of gallons of water and add
to the water bill!
Make sure the automatic rain
shutoff device is working
also. These are required by
Florida law on all automatic
sprinkler systems installed
since 1991.
Check the amount of irriga-
tion—fi inch to fl inch of
water is plenty to replenish
most lawns. By placing
several small flat cans (like
tuna cans) around the yard
during an irrigation cycle,
it's easy to determine how
much water is being applied.
For more information on
how to conserve water,
check out the St. Johns
River Water Management
website at www.sjrwmd.com.
Remember - No watering
between 10:00 AM and
4:00 PM
Old Appliances and
Spare Tires
If you have old appliances
or used tires that you want
to get rid of, the city will
dispose of them. You have
to arrange a special pickup
by calling (904) 247-5834.
Remember to remove the
doors from refrigerators/
freezers prior to placing
them out for pickup, and
remember you're limited to
4 rimless tires a year.
904-247-5800
www.coab.us
JEA WORK IN ATLANTIC BEACH
JEA is continuing the upgrades planned to avoid or minimize power outages like those the City
had last hurricane season. They have already replaced a significant number of transformers
and insulators along the eastern edge of the city with storm resistant models expected to per-
form more reliably in severe weather. JEA line crews are working 50 -hour weeks, with frequent
additional weekend work, to make sure they are ready for the upcoming season.
They are currently replacing power poles and upgrading conductors and transformers along
Ocean Boulevard, and replacing cables along East Coast Drive. This work is expected to
take approximately six weeks. While transferring transformers to new poles there will be
power outages to individual homes (three to four at a time). These power outages will last
several hours, but all work to restore power will be completed before crews quit for the night.
JEA crews will attempt to inform residents on the day of power outages, but will make every
effort to minimize the time power is off. They are also replacing underground cables in the
electrical distribution systems in the Selva Norte area.
Because of the narrow nature of Ocean Boulevard and East Coast Drive, residents are
encouraged to find alternate routes when JEA work is in progress. There will be one lane of
traffic in the vicinity of any JEA work on either street.
SECURING YOUR HOME COMPUTER
1. Install and Use Anti -Virus Programs:
Viruses can reach your computer through
floppy disks, CDs, email, websites, and
downloaded files. All files should be checked
for viruses before you use them. Update the
anti-virus program regularly.
2. Use Care When Reading Email with
Attachments: Do not open an email unless
you KNOW the sender, have RECEIVED
email from the sender before, the contents in
the subject line make SENSE to you, and it
passes your anti-virus program check.
3. Install Hardware and Software Firewalls:
A computer's firewall reviews network
traffic destined for or received from another
computer. The firewall determines if that
traffic should continue on to its destination
or be stopped.
4. Establish a Back-up Schedule for
Important Data: You should regularly back
up important files and store them in a safe
place, preferably not at your home.
5. Use Strong Passwords: Passwords
should be unique and unrelated to your
other passwords. A strong password is long,
uses combinations of uppercase and lower-
case letters, numbers, punctuation, and is
not a word found in the dictionary. Your
passwords should be changed frequently.
6. Increase Your Awareness of Internet
Security: www.secureflorida.org is a safe
website that is full of useful information
updated daily. Secure Florida's mission is to
protect the citizens of Florida by safeguarding
information systems, reducing vulnerability
to cyber attacks, and increasing our respon-
siveness to any threat.
For further information on Internet security,
contact Officer Tiffany Layson with the
Atlantic Beach Police Department at 247-5859.
WORKSHOPS TO BE SCHEDULED
Over the past year, the City Commission and residents have discussed issues related to the
changing character of the City resulting from the dramatic increase in property values, the
increasing pace of redevelopment with extremely large homes, and the need to explore strategies
that will, over time, preserve what is unique about Atlantic Beach.
During February, the City brought nationally recognized urban design consultant Nora Winter
from Boulder, Colorado to the City to conduct a public work session with the City Commission
to consider various options. During the recent Strategic Planning sessions, which
are held by the Commission each year, City officials recommended hiring Mr.
Winter to assist the City with a process that will examine what is special
about the City and what regulations may be needed to preserve
the City's character. The Commission expressed several key
objectives, including the need to create an active public
participation process, and an end result that would not
unreasonably restrict individual property rights.
Workshop dates have not yet been set, but these are anticipated
to occur in late May and early June. The City encourages your
participation, so please watch your local newspapers,
check the City's website at www.coab.us, or call the City
at 247-5826 for future meeting times and dates.
C I
T Y O F A
T L A N TIC
BEACH
HURRICANE SURVIVAL TIP
Review homeowners insurance
policy declaration page to:
a. Verify the amount of deductible
you will pay if a hurricane
damages your home
b. Verify you have Law & Ordnance
coverage (insures you are cov-
ered to restore your home to
current building code if required)
c. Determine if your policy pays
actual cash value (ACV) (cost
less depreciation / age) or
replacement cost for damaged
possessions
d. Photograph property and store in
a waterproof bag in a safe place
with an inventory list, a copy of
your insurance policy and the
phone number to report claims
e. Work with your insurance company
to make an estimate of your "out
of pocket" expenses, if your
home were damaged and you
had to occupy temporary quarters
f. Follow evacuation orders to keep
your family safe
Call the Florida Department
of Financial Services at
1 -800 -22 -STORM for help with
questions or with storm -related
claims.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLES
How many trailers/recreational
vehicles can you park/store on
your property?
Depending on lot size, you can
have 1 trailer or 1 recreational
vehicle on a residential lot that
is 5,000 square feet in lot area or
less, and up to 2 trailers/recreational
vehicles on a minimum lot area of
10,000 square feet.
Where can you park/store your
trailer/recreational vehicle?
All trailers/recreational vehicles
must be kept 15 feet behind the
Front Property Line, this is known
as a 15 foot setback.
Where's the Front Property Line?
The front property line begins
where the City Right of Way ends,
so check your property survey or
call the Code Enforcement Office
at (904) 247-5855 before parking/
storing that trailer/recreational
vehicle.
John 5. Meserve Richard M. Beaver J. Dezmond Sylvia Simmons
MAYOR MAYOR PRO TEM \ 3ters, III COMMISSIONER
COMMISSIONER
Paul B. Parsons James Hanson
COMMISSIONER CITY MANAGER
Alan Jensen
CITY ATTORNEY
Donna Bussey
CITY CLERK
FROM THE MAYOR
Your Commission recently completed another
round of Strategic Planning. Interesting to
note that the facilitator who has moderated
two years of strategic planning for the city
volunteered that we were far ahead of most
other city government bodies he has worked
with in both long range plans and our ability
to work together as a team. We still have a full plate, with
Mayport Road improvements, solving the drainage issues of
the Hopkins Creek residential area, and continuation of our
bike path master plan topping the list of projects that will
require much effort. We formally added a new project this
year, and that is to tackle the issue of how to maintain the
ambiance of Atlantic Beach. In order to accomplish that, we
need to first, with much public input, define what we mean
by our "ambiance," what is it we want to
retain. Then we hope to establish a plan to
accomplish our goals. We'll not please
everyone, but if we work together we can
keep our village a wonderful place to raise
our children.
John S. Meserve
Mayor
City o(Atlantic Beach
BOO 5eminole Roar{
Atlantic Beach, FL 32255
Presort Standard
US Postage Paid
Jacksonville FL
Permit No. 1645
May Calendar
SVN MON TVE5 WED THVR5 FRI 5 A T
1
*Songwriter's Concert
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
2
3
4
5
6
7
Art in the Park Festival
Bull Park
10 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
8
9
City Commission
Regular Meeting
7:15 p.m.
1❑
1 1
*Tree Conservation
Board Meeting
7:00 p.m.
12
Pension Board of
Trustees
6:00 p.m.
13
14 Skate Park
Grand Opening
Jack Russell Park
9:00 a.m.
Dancing in the Street
11:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
15
*Acoustic Night
Bull Park
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
16
17
Community Dev.
Board Meeting
7:00 p.m.
18
19
Board Memeber
Review Committee
Meeting
5:00 p.m.
20
21
22
23
City Commission
Regular Meeting
7:15 p.m.
24
*Cult. Arts and
Recreation Advisory
Committee Mtg.
7:00 p.m.
25
*Tree Conservation
Board Meeting
7:00 p.m.
26
27
28
29
3
3 1
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 Conference Room at City Hall, 800 Seminole Road.