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October 2018 OCTOBER 2018 C it y C al e n d a r 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 2 3 7 9 10Spe C i a l e ve n t S 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 OC T O B E R 2 0 1 8 V O L . 1 4 N O . 1 0 C I T Y O F A T L A N T I C B E A C H N E W S L E T T E R 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, F ro m t h e C om m i S S i o n e r 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.