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Exh 3AAGENDA ITEM 3A AUGUST 11, 2003 August 5, 2003 MEMORANDUM TO: The Honorable Mayor and Members of the C FROM: SUBJECT: Follow{up Report Additional Palm Tree for Town Center; A request was made at the last commission meeting for the city to add a medulla palm at the southwest corner of the Ahern/Ocean Boulevard intersection. One had originally existed at that location several years ago, but was relocated as part ofthe most recent Town Center renovation project. There aze no physical problems with placing a palm tree back at that location. The cost is estimated to be $4,200. City staff has already expressed a concern that the present budget for the Ocean Boulevazd extension of the Town Center Streetscape Project will not be enough to cover the cost once the bids are in, so the addition of a palm tree would probably require a budget increase. A good time to consider this addition will be when the bids aze brought to the Commission for approval Sidewalks on Sherry Drive; A concern was raised about the sidewalks on Sherry Drive being a public safety hazard because of the way several of them turn pedestrians more directly into the intersections. The engineers that designed the Core City Project are looking into options for improving the situation and will make recommendations on a street-by-street basis within the next several weeks. Grates on 9`h Street; It was reported that some of the recently installed grates on 9s' Street were not set properly and li-iade noise when hit by automobiles. The City's inspector. on the project checked into these the following day and they should be repaired by the time of the City Commission meeting. Pavin¢ on l1'h Street; The Commission asked if it would be possible to include a complete repaving on 11~' Street between Seminole Road and Parkside Drive because the partial repaving done by the City's contractor had left the road rough. The cost to put a new overlay on this section of 11"' Street is estimated at $8,500. Staffs recommendation is to wait on any decision to repave this section of street until the final Core City Change Order when the available balance is known. A number of other proposed project additions have also been "put on the back burner" until the project is nearing completion that should also be considered at that time. Woods Across from the Laeoon in Selva Lakes; Someone asked if the city would consider maintaining and/or cleaning up a section of woods beginning at the northeast corner of 11 `h Street and Linkside Drive. The only maintenance the City has done in this area in the past is to cut the trees back so that they would not protrude into the right of way. The Linkside AGENDA ITEM 3A AUGUST 11, 2003 Homeowners Association has cut the grass since the creation of the subdivision. It is not recommended that City crews take on any additional responsibility for this area. Flasher on Plaza Drive; It was reported that one of the faces on the flashing light at the intersection of Plaza Drive and Royal Palms had been broken. It has since been repaired. Hazardous Waste Collection Day; ABer the most recent success in the Hazardous Waste Collection Day held on Saturday, July 26`h, the Commission asked if the City of Jacksonville could hold similar events more frequently in the beaches area. Councilwoman Elaine Brown has been asked if this is possible. She said she would look into it and report back when she has an answer. Stage for Bull Park; A suggestion was also received at a recent event held in Bull Park for the City to purchase a small stage that could be used by entertainers. City Recreation Director Timmy Johnson is looking into various options and cost for a portable stage that could be used in Bull Pazk as well as in other city facilities. Comalaint on Utility Due Dates; Commissioners recently received a letter from a citizen complaining that the city's due dates for utility bills were unreasonable. They had left town for a two-week vacation and received a notice from the City when they returned that the bill was past due and a late fee would be assessed. The City Code Section 22-29 states as follows; "The bills for service shall be due and payable on the date of billing and shall become delinquent fifteen (15) days thereafter. Ifthe bill is not paid within fifteen (15) additional days (or thirty (30) days from the billing date), service will be discontinued." The City of Atlantic Beach established an automatic payment service a couple of years ago to accommodate customers who have issues such as this with timely payment. It is an automatic bank draft program whereby the amount of their utility bill is automatically drafted from their checking account on the due date. It is a voluntary program that is free to all the Atlantic Beach utility customers. _ . Another option would be to extend the due dates for all utility bills. However, this brings two financial problems upon the City. The first is a one-time decrease in cash flow resulting from customers taking a little longer to pay their bills and the second is an estimated increase in the amount of bad debts written off. For each additional day that the City provides for payment of utilities, the City's customers would be expected to delay their payment for one additional day. If the City expects approximately $9.5 million per yeaz from utility billings (water, sewer, sanitation and storm water) and there aze 261 working days in any given year, then the cash flow reduction to the City would be equal to $36,400 per day ($9.5 million/ 261 days per yeaz). The additional loss through bad debt write offs is not that easy to calculate. They may be other alternatives to providing additional help to people with problems paying their utility bills on time if the City Commission would like to explore them AGENDA ITEM 3A AUGUST 11, 2003 Signs to Tide views/Dutton Preserve; A recommendation was made at the last commission meeting that the City could improve the public's use of the parks by adding new signs to the Dutton and Tideviews Preserves. This suggestion has merit because the directional signs to Dutton Island Preserve had not yet been relocated after the just-completed Church Street extension project. The public will be directed to both Dutton and Tideviews Preserve from Mayport Road via Church Street. With both pazks on the same sign, the number of signs can be reduced. The public will then be directed to Tideviews Preserve going south on Main Street at the Church Street intersection and to the Dutton Preserve by continuing going straight west on Church Street. The relocation of these signs should be complete within the next couple of weeks.