October 2018
OCTOBER 2018
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OCTOBER 2018
Wild Child Yoga; Adele Grage .......................5-7:30 pm
Mid Week Market; Bull Park .............................. 2-6 pm
Oct 4 Parking and Pedestrian Safety Committee 6 pm
Oct 8 City Commission meeting 6:30 pm
Oct 10 Environmental Stewardship Committee 6 pm Yoga; Adele Grage ............................................. 5-6 pm
Oct 15 City Commission workshop 6 pm Zumba; Jordan Center ............................ 6:30-7:30 pm
Oct 16 Community Development Board 6 pm Meditation Buzz; Adele Grage ........................... 7-8 pm
Oct 18 Parking and Pedestrian Safety Committee 6 pm
Yoga: Adele Grage ............................................. 3-5 pm
Oct 22 City Commission meeting 6:30 pm
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Songwriter’s Concert; Adele Grage .................... 5-9 pm
NOVEMBER 2018
Nov 1 Parking and Pedestrian Safety Committee 6 pm Wild Child Yoga; Adele Grage ............................5-7 pm
Nov 8 Pension Board of Trustees Meeting 6:30 pm Mid-week Market; Bull Park .............................. 2-6 pm
Yoga; Adele Grage ............................................. 5-6 pm
Nov 12 Veterans Day – City Offices Closed
Nov 13 City Commission meeting 6:30 pm Zumba; Jordan Center ............................ 6:30-7:30 pm
Nov 14 Environmental Stewardship Committee 6 pm
Nov 15 Parking and Pedestrian Safety Committee 6 pm 13
Meditation Buzz; Adele Grage ........................... 7-8 pm
Nov 19 City Commission workshop 6 pm 14
Fall Festival; Donner Park .......................... 11am-3 pm
Yoga; Adele Grage ............................................. 3-5 pm
Nov 20 Community Development Board 6 pm
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Nov 22 & 23 Thanksgiving Holiday - City Offices Closed
Nov 26 City Commission meeting 6:30 pm
Meetings are held in the Commission Chamber unless otherwise indicated.
CITY OFFICIALS
Ellen Glasser ...........................Mayor Donna Bartle.......................City Clerk
John Stinson,...............Commissioner Brenna Durden ...............City Attorney
Candace Kelly...............Commissioner Joe Gerrity.....................City Manager
Blythe Waters............. Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Hogencamp........ Dep. City Manager
Brittany Norris..............Commissioner
www.coab.us • (904) 247-5800
Gail Baker Community Center
at Donner Park
2072 George St.
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 13
16 Senior Bingo; Baker Center............................. 10-11am
Wild Child Yoga; Adele Grage ............................5-7 pm
17 Qigong; Adele Grage ..................................9-10:30 am
Senior Aerobics; Baker Center........................ 10-11 am
Mid-Week Market; Bull Park .............................. 2-6 pm
Yoga; Adele Grage ............................................. 5-6 pm
Zumba; Jordan Center ............................ 6:30-7:30 pm
Meditation Buzz; Adele Grage ........................... 7-8 pm
18 Monthly Artist Reception; Adele Grage .............. 5-8 pm
20 Family Fun Day; Campout Russell Park ........... 3-6 pm
Movies in the Park; Russell Park ............. 7:30-9:30 pm
21 Yoga; Adele Grage ............................................. 3-5 pm
23 Wild Child Yoga; Adele Grage ............................5-7 pm
24 Senior Aerobics; Baker Center........................ 10-11 am
Mid-Week Market; Bull Park .............................. 2-6 pm
Zumba; Jordan Center ............................ 6:30-7:30 pm
28 Yoga; Adele Grage ............................................. 3-5 pm
Acoustic Night with food truck; Bull Park ........... 5-9 pm
30 Senior Bingo; Baker Center............................ 10-11 am
Wild Child Yoga .................................................. 5-7 pm
31 Qigong; Adele Grage ....................................... 9-11 am
Senior Aerobics; Baker Center........................ 10-11 am
Mid-Week Market; Bull Park .............................. 2-6 pm
Yoga; Adele Grage ............................................. 5-6 pm
Calendar subject to change without notice•www.coab.us/recreation
Fish Fry • Train Rides • Clothing giveaway • Games and more
Come out and enjoy the beginning of the fall season.
Find Us
On
Facebook Visit us on facebook! www.coab.us/facebook
This referendum, if passed, will move the election of your representatives to
even-numbered years coinciding with the presidential and gubernatorial election
cycles. The numbers supporting such change are indisputable. On any given
presidential election cycle, between 7,500 and 8,500 of you vote. Alternatively, on
any given gubernatorial election cycle, about 5,500 of you vote. Contrast that with
the voter turnout for our typical odd-numbered year August election, when an average of
3,250 of you vote. I believe our current election cycle has the unintended consequence of
suppressing the vote of almost half of registered voters in our local election.
When I campaigned for the honor to represent you on the Commission, I
promised “Your Voice, Your Choice”. And perhaps the most important work I will
have accomplished during my term is ensuring each of you have the chance to
express “your choice” on a key City issue. That opportunity will come to you Nov. 6
in the form of a referendum designed to encourage and increase voter participation.
This is where you make your collective voice and choice known, and I believe as
members of this republic, we are duty-bound to cast our vote. It is a privilege and
right of the people to cast a secret ballot.
Perhaps there is no profession in our society with a worse reputation than
that of politics. One only has to monitor the news to see the behavior of politicians
at the national, state and sometimes even local level to confirm my belief. Yes, I am
a politician. And as a part of that peer group, my hope is to change the perception
of politicians and affect some change in my peer group. Yet, I know the most
effective way to accomplish such a goal is for the people to speak.
Friends and neighbors,
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One could make the argument that lack of turnout is the voter’s voice and
choice. While I can’t argue against such a statement, I can argue that regardless of the
reason for the disparity in voter participation between local and state or national elections,
we should not ignore you when you are expressing your voice and choice. Think about this
question: Which election has the greatest potential to impact your quality of life and what
you see every day when you walk out of your home?
Whether you agree with my assessment for the need to change the election
cycle is not important. What is vitally important is giving you the opportunity to choose.
Change such as this is far too important to your answer to my question in the previous
paragraph to leave it to five elected officials.
Should you need more information, wish to debate the referendum question’s
merits or lack thereof, or simply just want to discuss the referendum, please contact me
or my colleagues on the Commission. Most importantly, discuss the referendum with your
friends, neighbors, and anyone with a stake in the outcome. Make sure everyone you
know is adequately informed to voice their choice.
God bless you all and thank you for allowing me to serve you.
John M Stinson
Adjust Timers for
Daylight Savings
Sunday, Nov. 4
One timer that tends to be
forgotten when Daylight Savings
Time comes around is the timer on
our irrigation systems. Remember
when making adjustments to all the timers in the home and car to change the
irrigation’s timer, as well.
During the fall and winter months, residents should irrigate one day per week
before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. Know your days:
Address Irrigation Days
Homes with odd addresses Saturday
Homes with even addresses Sunday
Non-residential properties Tuesday
For more information on water conservation, visit www.FloridasWater.com.
About coyotes: Be in the Know
In Florida, to trap a coyote means to euthanize a
coyote. Rather than killing coyotes, the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Commission (FWC), U.S. Humane Society, USDA
Wildlife Services and other experts suggest that communities
co-exist with these animals.
The public is encouraged to immediately report
coyote sightings by calling your local law enforcement agency
and to dial 911 if there is imminent danger. In Atlantic Beach,
please report coyote sightings by calling Atlantic Beach Animal Control
at (904) 247-5866 or by e-mailing tlayson@coab.us. Unusual coyote
behavior also can be reported to FWC's Wildlife Alert number at (888) 404-3922.
Coyotes are generally not a threat to people and are usually easily scared
off by using hazing techniques such as yelling, throwing rocks, or using air horns
or pepper spray. The City of Atlantic Beach encourages residents to become
knowledgeable about these animals, keep cats indoors, and don’t place food
outdoors that will attract wild animals. More information is available on the City
website at www.coab.us.
Community Blood Drive Oct. 12
The City of Atlantic Beach will host a
community blood drive from noon to 5
p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, in the parking lot of
City Hall, 800 Seminole Road. Donors will
receive a wellness checkup including blood
pressure, temperature, iron count, pulse
and cholesterol screening.
A message from ABPD about traffic control devices
By Michelle Cook, Police Chief
The most common requests for service that the Atlantic Beach Police Department
receives involve traffic concerns. Specifically, many of our
residents ask for stop signs, traffic signals or other traffic
control devices to be installed in their neighborhoods.
We welcome these requests and want to share here how
we determine whether a new traffic control device is
warranted.
Atlantic Beach City Ordinance 21-1 states that the City
adheres to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
(MUTCD) when making these critical decisions. The MUTCD is the U.S. Department
of Transportation Federal Highway Administration’s guide for establishing the
standards used by road managers to install and maintain traffic control devices on
public streets, highways, bikeways and private roads open to public travel. This
go-to manual provides a framework for uniformity and consistency, and is used
throughout Duval County.
When the ABPD receives a request to install a traffic signal or stop sign, we take
the guidance set forth by the MUTCD; research the location; and review crash
information, traffic volume and other criteria. If the ABPD determines that the
data meets the MUTCD’s benchmarks, or comes close, an engineering study is
commissioned to determine whether the location meets the requirements for a traffic
control device. If the ABPD deems in its initial review that the location does not
meet the MUTCD’s benchmarks, an engineering study is not performed.
Please know that the APBD is here for you and is willing to review any traffic
concern you have. While each of our officers responds to traffic-related calls, we now
have an officer whose primary responsibility is to address these specific concerns. If
you have a traffic issue to share with us, please (904) 247-5859 and describe the
type of activity you are concerned about, along with the time of day that it is most
prevalent.
The Kids Hope Alliance and
Beaches Habitat for Humanity is
planning a six-week workshop
series, “Foundations for Success in
Parenting,” for Beaches community
parents of children ages 0-5. The
workshop series aims to help parents
increase their confidence, network
with other parents, and discover
information and resources to nurture
children in their crucial early years.
An orientation meeting and registration will be held from 6:15-7:30 p.m.
Oct. 1 at Seaside Community Charter School, 2865 Mayport Road. The workshop
is supported by a grant from the Beaches Community Fund at The Community
Foundation for Northeast Florida. For information or if you are unable to attend this
meeting, contact Sue Goebertus at (904) 595-5801 or sue@beacheshabitat.org.