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06/1990 Atlantic Beach CourierVOLUME 1, NO.4 William I. Gulliford, Mayor mmissioners: Robert B. Cook, Sr., Glenn A. Edwards, Adelaide R. Tucker, John W. Weldon, Alan C. Jensen, City Attorney, Kim D. Leinbach, City Manager, Maureen King, City Clerk EDITOR: KAREN S. MOORE City Of Atlantic Beach B O A R D S CODE ENFORCEMENT BOARD George Bull, Jr. William J. Dorsey Mary Lyle Perry Heywood Dowling, Jr. Mattie Freeman Herbert Moller Edward Martin COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BOARD Johnny D. Bass Kathleen Russell Ruth Gregg Samuel T. Howie W. Gregg McCaulie Louis MacDonel Don Wolfson PENSION BOARD OF TRUSTEES David Archer Joan LaVake Richard E. White Ronald W. Wingate PUBLIC NUISANCE CONTROL BOARD Willie Miley J. C. Green HOSPITAL BOARD Dorothy Kerber, Atlantic Beach Representative TREE CONSERVATION BOARD Peggy Cornelius Dezmond Waters Carolyn Woods Sandy Sheppard Jim Pelkey RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD Donald Fagan, Chairman Henry Batts Gerard Vermey David Turner Jeff Croom Richard Riley Alice Richardson JUNE 1990 From The Mayor's Desk tlantic Beach continues to progress in the areas of solid waste and beautification. Citywide recycling is almost a year old and has been highly successful because of the interest and concern of people like you. We have recently purchased a chipper to reduce yard trash volume. We will be establishing a drop-off point for recyclable and hazardous household items not picked up at curbside. We will have a place where our residents can take or dispose of any- thing not picked up at curbside in the very near future, this service is very important to protect our environment, now and in the years to come. The Beautification Committee wrote a tree or- dinance, which has been adopted and is respon- sible for the design and erection of the new "welcome to" signs in Atlantic Beach. They are working on numerous future projects including tree planting and a revised sign ordinance. Design work has started on bicycle paths. I would suspect the first one will be built on Semi- nole Road, followed by other major arteries like Plaza. We realize the importance of getting this done. Hurricane season starts June 1. We will be attending a countywide emergency planning meeting on June 2nd in downtown Jacksonville. We need to be better prepared than we have been in the past; Hugo taught us this lesson. I am humbled and excited about the level of citizen help and involvement on all our Boards and committees. It makes Atlantic Beach a better community, now and in the future. If you are interested in helping on committees I have men- tioned, contact Georgia Horn at City Hall. We will take all the help we can get. Regards, Bill Gulliford, Mayor Water Use Restrictions Mayor Gulliford recently received a letter from Henry Dean, Executive Director of the St. Johns River Water Management District, regarding water use restrictions in our area. As many of you know, we have been under water restriction for some time but according to Mr. Dean a water shortage warning is now in effect in our area. This warning was de- clared by the Governing Board of the St. Johns River Water Management District and includes a call for voluntary reductions in water demand. The Board has requested that water users cease non-essential daytime uses of water and make other efforts to conserve water. The City of Atlantic Beach requests your assistance in gaining compliance with the Governing Board's request by: • Assuring that green areas (lawns, medi- ans, etc.) within our area of jurisdiction are irrigated only between the hours of 4:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., and 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. three days per week, with properties at even numbered addresses watering on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday; and properties with odd num- bered addresses watering on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday (no irriga- tion on Friday); • Encouraging your neighbors to con- serve water. Beach Safety With Summer upon us, we thought it would be a good idea to go over some of the rules regarding beach usage. Below is a list of do's and don'ts for a safe and enjoyable sum- mer. • Surfboards must have a tether not ex- ceeding eight feet in length securely fastened to it with the free end securely bound to either the ankle or wrist of the surfer. • Motorized boats or other motorized ap- paratus must stay 200 feet or more off the beach. • Sailboats or catamarans parked on the beach may not obstruct the view of life- guards performing their activities, and should not be parked in the sea oats or dunes. • Alcoholic beverages are not permitted on the beach. • All dogs must be fastened to a leash not to exceed twelve feet in length. Dogs may swim in the ocean un- leashed with their owners, however, the dog must be immediately put back on the leash before returning to the beach. • Anyone who takes an animal on the beach must have an Atlantic Beach tag. Tags may be purchased at City Hall Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 P.M. • For the consideration of others, please clean up after pets and dispose of trash properly. Copies of all ordinances pertaining to the above are on file in the City Clerks office at City Hall. Parks & Recreation Department The Annual Easter Egg Hunt was a great success! The great crew at the Parks & Rec- reation Department hid over 1,000 eggs, and they were ALL found by about 185 children. Hats and bonnets were diverse and all had a great time. Rose and her crew can't wait until next years hunt! YMCA Summer Camp for ages 4-13 be- gins June 11th and runs in 2 week sessions until August 17th. Registration forms are available in the modular office in Jack Russell Park. If you show enough interest, we may be able to provide a Mothers Morning Out, in the Fall!! BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP!! For more information on either of these projects, call Rose at 241-7431. All of us remember the day we tainers, aluminum and steel cans, moved into our Atlantic Beach home are all currently being collected on or apartment. The closets were emp- assigned days based upon your ty, extra boards were put in the attic neighborhood. to increase storage space, the cup- So far with your help, we have boards were bare, and for some of us established one of the most suc- the garage was waiting to house the cessful recycling programs in the endless list of things we wanted to State of Florida. We have reduced keep if we only had a garage. the volume of waste going to the In no time at all, the closets were landfills about 15%, full, the cupboards well stocked, and The state mandated goals are a the garage was posted as a hard hat 30% reduction in the waste stream. area. It was now time for spring Although we are well on our way cleaning. With the utmost care we to meeting this goal, there is room sorted through our prize possessions for improvement. putting items to keep in one pile and Plans are currently being made to sneaking sentimental items out of the provide for disposal of motor oil, discard pile while no one was look- cardboard goods, automobile bat- ing. The pile of discarded items at the teries, and other hazardous waste curb grew to mountainous heights materials such as lead based paint, and our work was done. When we antifreeze, and transmission fluid. returned home the next day the In spite of the efforts of many of; mound of garbage was gone. Out of you to participate in the recycling sight, out of mind... But not really program, there are many residents You see, our city is currently facing both in single family homes and a major problem with disposal of our multi family units that are resisting solid waste, or garbage as it is more recycling efforts. Unfortunately the often called. Current disposal old cliche of "pay now or pay methods are equivalent to stockpiling later" does not apply to the gar- Atlantic Beach,, Florida June, 1990 A publication the Solid Waste Committee our possessions in the garage. Gar- bage situation. We are paying now bage is picked up, at curbside and and we will pay more later. Recycl- carried to landfill sites in our ing provides an avenue for us to neighboring city of Jacksonville. Just hold the line on costs now and as our garage has a maximum reduce the increases later by reduc- capacity, landfills too have max- ing the volume of trash that needs imum capacities. Our landfills are to be disposed of at landfills. quickly reaching theirs. In the past Coping with this garbage crisis we have just built new ones much will require some changes in the like we could build an additional living habits of our,residents. Luckily storage shed in our yard. However we live in a progressive city where land is becoming a rare commodity lifestyle is important. To maintain and to find an appropriate parcel on the quality of life we so cherish, we which to build our new "garbage must have _enough vision to ad- garage" has become a monumental dress these issues head on while task. This problem is not unlike trying there is time to correct the problem to find available space in your yard and prepare for the future, to -put a second or third storage shed If you have not received a recycl- without ruining the garden or ing bin, need yours replaced, or rerouting the sprinkler system. need an extra one, call 241-0341. If Thus the need arises to reduce our you have any ideas, suggestions, or waste stream or the volume of gar- comments regarding this matter ` bage going to the landfills. Several present them to the Solid Waste alternatives have been considered; Disposal Committee at their • Bum the garbage in incinerators. meetings the first Wednesday of • Build new landfills. each month at 7;30 p.m. at City • Enlarge existing landfills. Hall. If you cannot attend the • Recycle. meeting contact one of the commit- - Ignore the problem. tee members, We want your input • Pay to transport the garbage to in determining the course of action i other cities (if one can be found), for Atlantic Beach as we embark Your city, Atlantic Beach, has on our assault of the garbage crisis. chosen recycling as its first point of attack on this garbage crisis. _Each Michael Levine household in the city has been pro- Solid Waste Committee Member vided with a recycling bin. Ecology and Physics Teacher n ri Newspapers, plastic and glass con- Terry Parker High School A Message from your Mayor Several years ago we appointed a solid waste committee to study collection and disposal of our waste. That activity lead to the first citywide recycling program in North Florida. I believe that was just the beginning, the first step in responsible action leading to the significant reduction of 'our waste stream, and the elimina- tion of hazardous wastes in our community and its environment. I would like to briefly share my com- mitment as Mayor to this effort. Our next step is two -fold; we need to find another way to dispose of our yard trash other than the landfill, and we need.a site where citizens can dispose of hazardous materials, thereby keeping them out of the ground, and water supply Mechanized composting may be the best alternative for getting rid of vard trash, It.seems to be one of several options we are investigating. The economics of it may reel ire ct Beacheswide effort. We have formed a committee made up of appointees from each Beach city to investigate this and other alternatives. Yard trash should never have to leave the Beaches. All of us have old paint, pesticides, and other potentially hazardous materials in our houses and garages, Where do you get rid of them when they are no longer needed? Put them in the garbage? Pour them in the ground? We need a better alter- native, and the best seems to be a C01iCCt'ion :,its, 'v'v'il� is yOli C"--it-Al I cui� take environmentally damaging materials, centrally located and ac- cessible to the entire community. The solid waste committee is working on a site and a layout for such a facility, and I will continue to push this pro- ject until it is a reality. That site can also double as a collection area for other recyclables like cardboard, which we don't pickup at the curbside. I would like to see us reduce our waste stream by 50% in the next five years; I believe it is achievable, Add- itionally, I want to make sure we keep the hazardous materials out of our environment; we owe that to future generations; to leave our com- munity in the condition we found it, or better! That is called progress, How To Make A Backyard Compost By: Alison Johnson Recycling leaves and grass clip- pings in a compost pile is one of the best things you can do for your yard, shrubs and flowers. Just about everyone who has ever built a compost pile has a "best" way, which tends to complicate things. The truth is they all work, To make a SIMPLE compost pile, work from the bottom up; (8) 2 inches dirt (7) dampen with water (6) sprinkle blood or bone meal (5) 8 inches leaves or grass (4) 2 inches dirt (3) dampen water (2) sprinkle blood or bone meal (1) 8 inches leaves, grass etc. Continue to build 3-5 feet. Tum the pile every two to three weeks until you have rich, dark crumbly com- nnct urifh mncf of fho nrirri-I Lmrrt o etc, unrecagnizab-le, Work the com- post into dirt around plants, mix into planting hole or use as a mulch around plants. It's an excellent fer- tilizer, Why not give it a try! Earth Notes . Did You Know That... 1, Recycling just one aluminum can can save enough energy to run your television set for 3 hours. 2. Recycling a ten foot stack of newspapers saves one whole tree. 3. Americans go through 2,5 million plastic bottles every hour, only a small percentage of which are now recycled, 4. The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle will light a 100 -watt bulb for four hours. 5. If we all installed "low flow" shower heads, we could save billions of gallons of water every year, without even noticing. 6. About 70%of the garbage Americans create is compostable, including yard waste, food waste, Urnnri rfrvi nrmAr "WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE WORLD" "GIVE IT BACK AND HELP TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE" Conte to the 2nd Annual 4th of July a "TRASH BASH"To Celebrate Recycling Hot Dogs; Chips, Cokes, Watermelon, Games, Suprises and LIVE ENTERTAINMENT 11 a.m. - 2p.ni. RUSSELL PARK Frisbees to the First 700 PeopleE i T 9 A ° K Bringing Recyclable Rents!/ Solid Waste Breakdown (Figures in Pounds) MONTH GARBAGE TRASH SLUDGE RECYCLING July 1989 August September October November December 1,434,380 1,364,520 1,368,820 1,602,760 1,077,550 603,940 390,220 400,000 286,200 275,640 24,300 24,940 January 1990 * 1,368,140 425,340 February *1,193,680 245,900 March 866,420 435,330 April 2,176,360 33&,440 *indicates an adjustment to this figure 466,780 491,620 424,120 875,620 609,780 188,020 1,003,480 620,760 783,660 770,160 37,710 101,920 85,830 98,040 92,140 84,960 88,640 82,200 99,320 106,660 Bill Gulliford Typesetting & printing donated by Financial Printing, Inc. / Recycled paper donated Mayor by Waste Management Barking Dogs can really be a nuisance to residents who are ill, sleeping daytime or who work at home. Please consider your neighbors and keep your dogs relatively quiet. A bark here or there at the postman, meter reader or sanitation worker is understandable; but incessant barking at anything in sight be- comes a nuisance. Animal Control now has a separate num- ber and an answering machine for non -emer- gency animal calls. The number is 246-1648. For animal bites, vicious animals at large or emergencies, call A.B.P.D. at 249-5606. Your cooperation is appreciated by other animal owners and non -animal owners. Public Works If you have any trash or debris to be picked up, contact our Public Works Depart- ment. However, according to Section 16-9 of the City Code, trash and debris caused from the operation of lot cleaning or clearing, and contractors debris caused from building, re- building or otherwise altering of buildings or structures shall be removed by the owner or contractor performing the work. Spent oil or greases accumulated at garages, filling sta- tions or similar establishments will not be removed by the city. Public Works would like to remind every- one to set their recycle bin out by the street by 7:00 a.m. on the morning of their pickup. The truck comes around early and we don't want them to miss you. If you don't have a bin, contact the recycling hotline at 241-0341. Ricky Raccoon says RECYCLE - it's for the good of the Earth! If you have any white goods (refrigerators, stoves, etc.) you would like to have picked up, call Public Works at 246-2766. Pick up day for those types of items is Friday only. Thankstothe American•: s ! The City employees of the City of Atlan- tic Beach would like to thank the American Legion Post 316 of Atlantic Beach for honor- ing them at their Honors Night Friday, May 11, 1990. The employees take pride in their jobs and it is great to see that others ap- preciate the jobs they do. Thanks again to the American Legion. Bloodmobile • for Visit A few months ago, City of Atlantic Beach employees took it upon themselves to join the Florida -Georgia Blood Alliance. The em- ployees wanted to make a conscious effort to help those in need and invite you to do the same. Florida -Georgia technicians will be at Jack Russell Park, July 23, 1990 from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. to accept blood dona- tions. If you have questions about donating blood, please call your physician or the Florida -Georgia Blood Alliance at 353-8263. City Clerk Atlantic Beach is fortunate to have many excellent volunteers who give freely of their time to serve on various boards and commit- tees. The contributions of these people are in- valuable and help to make the city a better place for all and we appreciate very much the work they do. This month, however, we have had to say good-bye to some of those volunteers. Jerry Strayve and Allen Salfer, who have served on the Code Enforcement Board since its incep- tion in 1984, have both resigned to have more time for other interests. Mary Lyle Perry has accepted an appointment to fill one of the vacancies on the Code Enforcement Board and we look forward to a long working rela- tionship with her. It is with deep sadness that we say good- bye to Jack Brooks who recently passed away. Mr. Brooks was recently appointed to the Public Nuisance Control Board. We will miss Jack and extend our sincere condolences to his family. We are also losing two of our City Hall employees. Community Development Direc- tor, Rene' Angers, who has worked for the City for seven years, has taken other employ- ment. Building Clerk, Brenda Dockery, will be leaving in June to return to her home in Mem- phis. We will miss Rene' and Brenda but wish them both well in their future endeavors. Atlantic Beach Fire Line by the Atlantic Beach Fire Department The Atlantic Beach Fire Department is happy to announce two new firefighters reported to work last month bringing the department up to 4 men per 24 hour shift. This leaves a couple of vacancies in our vol- unteer program. If you have an interest in firefighting or Emergency Medical Services, come and talk to us. If you missed the open house last month you missed a very impres- sive show of fire rescue skills and equipment We were proud to show off the new E -One pumper and squad. The show included car crash extraction, elevated victim rescue, water rescue tools, Trauma One Helicopter Evac, firefighting and home safety. Look for another open house in October during Fire Prevention Week. Your Fire Department now responds to over 1000 calls a year and looks forward to serving and protecting our growing community. Last issue we reported the Fire Depart- ment would start flushing, flow testing and repairing of the city's fire hydrants this past March. Due to problems with the gauges, Chief Rew reports the testing will be done during the months of June and July. Flush- ing sometimes results in dirt particles in your water but, according to Chief Rew, this should only last a short time. Flow testing is done a couple times a year and is very im- portant in analyzing the performances of the hydrants. The city apologizes for any incon- VE.«E«e [11 -LE «S«lig .L1lay Cause. Reminder to dog owners: Please carry your material (pooper scooper) with which to clean up dog feces any time you take your dog off your property, espe- cially on the beach. Failure to do so may re- sult in a citation. Feral Cats and Raccoons are numerous and are reproducing this time of year. They are hungry and searching for food. It is not advisable to feed these animals. Best solu- tion is to trap them. Call for information on the city traps at 249-5606. Parents and teachers who bring children to the park are reminded to watch their chil- dren carefully. A park is a public place where access is open to all. Be especially careful when the children need to use the restrooms. Go with them. There have not been any incidents that have initiated these thoughts, but the Parks Department does not want to wait for such a traumatic incident to happen before taking precautions. The Atlantic Beach Athletic Association will close out its 1990 season June 9th at Jack Russell Park. The closing day ceremonies will include a marathon baseball game, homerun derby competition and lots of good food to eat. The Atlantic Beach Athletic Association invites all Atlantic Beach citizens to come and make a day of it at the park and help support the little league. The kids had a great year under the new lights and are already looking foward to next season. The parks look great thanks to the con- centrated efforts of Darold and Pat. These two men keep the parks in this city cut, trimmed, clean, safe and looking great. Please stop and thank them when you see them; they work hard to insure your enjoy- ment in the park during your leisure time. Earth The City of Atlantic Beach celebrated Earth Day, Sunday, April 22,1990. A small gathering took place at the entrance to Russell Park on Plaza Road at 2:00 p.m. Present for the festivities were the Mayor, Commissioners and some city staff members. A Dogwood Tree which was given to the City by Waste Management of Jacksonville was planted along the right-of-way to com- memorate Earth Day 1990. They also pre- sented the City with a plaque for the identi- fication of the tree and the reason for its planting. Waste Management of Jacksonville has pledged to donate an additional tree for each 300 tons of materials collected for recycling. Beautification Committee Have you noticed the new "Welcome to Atlantic Beach" signs which have recently been placed at four strategic locations within our city? They replace the signs which were not only very old but in poor condition. The project was undertaken and sponsored by our Beautification Committee who feels that the signs reflect an image of our first-class community. Another project of interest to all our citi- zens is the "Yard of the Month" award. It's open to all residential property within our city limits and is intended to recognize any yard with an outstanding appearance which exhibits pride, time and energy spent by our residents. The recognition award is given monthly. Know of a yard which you feel qualifies? Please let us know. The Committee meets the second Wed- nesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the City Commission Chambers at City Hall. Al citizens are enc to attend. Give It Back - Recycle! • Coming Commissio June 11 & 25 July 9 & 23 August 13 & 27 All meetings start promptly at 7:15 p.m. For up-to-date information about City events, tune into Continental Cable Channel 51. Atlantic Beach Baseball Teams 1 to State Teams representing the Atlantic Beach Ath- letic Association will be traveling to the Babe Ruth Bambino Major and Minor League State Tournaments in July. The Minor League Players (ages 8-10) will leave for Newberry, Florida on July 5th, and the Major League Players (ages 11- 12) will leave for Taveres, Florida on July 12th. All expenses for these trips are the responsibility of the Atlantic Beach Athletic Association, and this means they will need to tap into the generosity of the city's citizens. The 18 children on each of these teams will be out during the month of June raising funds to help pay for the trips. These tournaments are a first for the kids here in Atlan- tic Beach. They are excited about the games, as well as the fact they will be representing Atlantic Beach. Please don't let them down ... Help sup- port them as they attempt to raise the necessary funds. For contributions or information please contact Rich Murray at 241-0462, John Seroyer at 247-0677 or Jack Russell Park at 249-2982. City of Atlantic Beach Courier 716 Ocean Boulevard P.O. Box 25 Atlantic Beach, Florida 32233 Important Telephone Numbers Police & Fire Emergencies.......... 911 Police & Fire Non -Emergencies.. 249-5606 City Hall ......................................... 249-2395 Animal Control ............................. 246-1648 Garbage & Trash ........................... 246-2766 Parks &Recreation Department.. 241-7431 J.E.A. (street lights) ....................... 396-5310 Tax Collectors Office .................... 630-2000 Property Appraisers Office ......... 630-2025 Recycle Hotline ............................. 241-0341 Bulk Rate U.S. Postage Paid Jacksonville, FL Permit No. 1645