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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.