June 2005.pdfJUNE 2005
VOL.4 NO.6
city
atlantic beach newsletter -
Get 'Em While They're Hot!
A mosquito is about the
size and weight of a grape
seed. To a lightweight like
a mosquito, 90° heat is a
pizza oven and a 10 mph
wind is a hurricane. Spray
the bushes with a garlic
juice/soap mix during the
heat of the day to safely
kill and repel mosquitoes.
In a blender, liquefy 10
cloves of garlic, strain the
juice into one gallon of
spring water, and add 1
tablespoon of liquid dish-
washing soap. Spray the
woody bottoms of the
shrubs where it's dark and
moist. Caution: The soap
spray might damage the
leaves of plants, so be
careful not to spray them.
(Mayor's letter contin-
ued from back)
built it bigger than planned
because they liked what they
were doing, all at no additional
cost to the city. In my 10
years of office, that's a first.
Right after the Park ceremo-
ny we dedicated the new
bike/pedestrian path along
Plaza Drive, another project
the city has put in place to
provide safe recreation for all.
We have a long term plan for
such attractive bike paths
throughout our community.
I commend the Commission
for their actions to maintain
our quality of life in the com-
munity and the
staff for making
great strides in
accomplishing
our strategic John S. Meserve
goals. Mayor
904-247-5800
www.coab.us
SAFETY AT THE BEACH
There's nothing better than a day at the beach, however, no environment is risk free. The
ocean is powerful and unpredictable, and without the proper safety precautions our local
beaches can be dangerous. Below are safety tips to review before visiting the beach this year:
1. Swim Near A Lifeguard. The numbers don't lie. According to the United States Lifesaving
Association (USLA), the odds of drowning at a public beach are nearly five times greater
without lifeguard supervision. Always swim near an open lifeguard tower.
2. Learn To Swim. Learning to swim is the best defense against drowning. Do not enter the
ocean unless you know how to swim. Similarly, never rely on flotation devices such as rafts
or boogie boards in place of actual swimming ability.
3. Never Swim Alone. There is safety in numbers. When you swim with a buddy, if one of
you has a problem, the other may be able to help or signal for help from others.
4. Swim Sober. Alcohol is a major factor in drowning. Alcohol can reduce body temperature
and impair swimming ability. Most importantly, alcohol and drugs impair good judgment,
which may cause people to take risks they would not otherwise take.
5. Protect Your Head and Neck. Never dive into the ocean headfirst. It's a leading cause of
head and neck injuries. Always enter the ocean feet first.
6. Leash Your Surfboard. Surfboards should be used only with a leash. With a leash, the
surfer will not become separated from the flotation device.
7. Don't Fight the Current. Ever notice that "muddy" ocean water appearance flowing away
from the shore? Chances are that's a rip current. Rip currents account for over 80% of res-
cues performed by lifeguards each year. Even the strongest swimmers get caught in them.
They are dangerous because they pull you away from the beach into deeper water. To get
out of a rip current, do not fight the current by trying to swim to shore. Instead, swim parallel
to the shore until you are out of the current. Then you can swim safely back to the beach.
8. Pay Attention to the Beach Warning Flags. This year Atlantic Beach has adopted a new
Beach Warning Flag Program. When the lifeguards are on duty, there will be flags flown on
poles at the Ahern, 6th Street, 11th Street, 15th Street, 18th Street, and Oceanwalk beach
accesses. The flags' color indicates the ocean's current hazard level. GREEN (low hazard)
indicates calm conditions, YELLOW (medium hazard) indicates moderate surf and/or currents,
RED (high hazard) indicates high surf and/or strong currents, DOUBLE RED indicates that the
water is closed to the public, and PURPLE indicates dangerous marine life present. It is impor-
tant to check the flag status before entering the water.
For additional water safety tips, you can visit the United States Lifesaving Association's
Web site at: WWW.USLA.org, or contact Officer Tiffany Layson with the Atlantic Beach Police
Department at 247-5859.
COMMUNITY CHARACTER WORKSHOPS SCHEDULED
The City has now scheduled two public
participation workshops to seek input from
residents related to strategies that will preserve
the unique character of Atlantic Beach. The
first meeting will be a start-up workshop on
Tuesday, June 14th, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at
Atlantic Beach Elementary. The second
meeting will be a "hands-on" Open House on
Thursday, June 16th beginning at 5:00 p.m.
in the Commission Chambers. A final series of
public workshops will be scheduled in August.
The City encourages your participation in this
important process.
Prompted by residents' concerns over
development patterns that may, over the long
term, forever alter the special qualities of the
City, the Commission recently engaged the
services of urban design consultant, Nore'
Winter, to assist the City in exploring all
aspects of this issue. The City hopes to
develop a reasonable plan that will guide the
City in future decisions related to redevelop-
ment of residential areas. Residents have
expressed concerns specifically related to
very large houses built on small lots, loss of
tree canopy and natural features and also
parking issues. Mr. Winter is a principal
partner with Winter and Company in Boulder,
Colorado. His firm has worked throughout the
country with communities experiencing similar
difficult issues. The June meetings will be Mr.
Winter's second trip to the City.
Please check the City's
Web site at
www.coab.us
for addition-
al informa-
tion as the
meeting dates
approach.
C
T
Y
OF
ATLAN
TIC
BEACH
IT TAKES Two
You may have heard or seen some of the recent water
conservation commercials promoting no more than
twice per week, 3/4 of an inch, watering of lawns and
landscapes. Overwatering landscapes can cause weed
growth, fungus and plant disease. The St. Johns River
Water Management District has a proposed regulation
that will be noticed in August 2005 that will restrict
irrigation to no more than twice per week.
As part of the "Think Two" campaign, Tom MacCubbin
agreed to lend his expertise to the Water Management
District to educate the public on lawn and landscape
irrigation techniques. Tom is an Extension Agent IV
with full professor equivalence at the University of
Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
and the Orange County Agricultural Extension Service.
MacCubbin has degrees in horticulture from the
University of Maryland. He has written four books on
landscaping and gardening, has a question/answer
column in the Orlando Sentinel, and a radio program,
Better Lawns and Gardens. For more information about
Tom, go to www.floridaswater.com. To ask Tom
lawn and gardening questions, e-mail him at
tom@betterlawns.com.
John S. Meserve Richard M. Beaver
MAYOR MAYOR PRO TEM
). Dezmond
Waters, III
COMMISSIONER
Sylvia Simmons Paul B. Parsons
COMMISSIONER COMMISSIONER
James Hanson
CITY MANAGER
Alan Jensen
CITY ATTORNEY
Donna Bussey
CITY CLERK
FROM THE MAYOR
The Grand Opening of our Oceanside Rotary
Skateboard Park on Saturday, May 14th was a
resounding success. Several hundred people,
including dozens of skateboarders, were there
to celebrate this new activity for our youth. It's
a great sport and the wonderful park is a tribute
to all those involved in its financing and construction. Some
thanks are in order, first to our own Sandy Forsyth (of Aqua
East Surf Shop) who back in 2001 learned of our thinking about
a skateboard facility and made a commitment of $5,000 before
it was much more than a pipedream. Oceanside Rotary col-
lected $ 60,000 as their major civic project to celebrate 100
years of Rotary, and our Councilman Art Graham provided
$35,000 from the County. Comcast also contributed $5,000.
Whether a small or large donation we had many contributions
that truly made the Park a `public/private" effort. Tat Chan was
the designer and used input from local skaters to come up with
enough challenges for both beginning and advanced skate-
boarders. Grindline was the construction firm and they actually
(letter continued in Currents section inside)
City ofAtlantic Beach
800 Seminole Road
Atlantic Beach, FL 32253
Presort Standard
US Postage Paid
Jacksonville FL
Permit No. 1645
)une Calendar
SUN MON TOES WED THURS FPRI 5 A T
Meetings are held in the Commission
Chambers unless otherwise indicated
* These events will be held at Adele Gra e
9
Cultural Center, 716 Ocean Blvd.
** These events will be held in the Conference
Room at City Hall, 800 Seminole Road.
1
Art E through
July 1 st,allllday
Art done by UNF
students
2
3
4
5
"Songwriters' Concert
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
6
7
8
*Tree Conservation
Board Meeting
7:00 p.m.
9
10
11
12
13
City Commission
Meeting
7:15 p.m.
14
Community Character
Workshop at Atlantic
Beach Elementary
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
15
16
Community Character
Workshop
5:00 p.m.
17
18
19
20
21
Community
Development Board
Meeting
7:00 p.m.
22
"Tree Conservation
Board Meeting
7:00 p.m.
23
24
25
26
*Acoustic Night
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
27
City Commission
Meeting
7:15 p.m.
28
`Cultural Arts &
Recreation Advisory
Committee Meeting
7:00 p.m.
29
30