VOLUME 14 ISSUE 2                                                              APRIL 2005

Commissioner Frank Charles was sworn in for his third term as the City's Mayor on January 3^rd. He alternates with Mayor Gardiner of St. Augustine as the two cities' representative on the First Coast Metropolitan Planning Organization, which plans

and recommends funding for major road and transportation-related projects in the Duval/St. Johns/Clay County area. One of his major accomplishments as Mayor in 2004 was convincing the U.S. Postal Service to put a branch office on city hall property. His

full-time occupation is Chief Operating Officer of Pet Paradise, which provides care and boarding facilities for dogs and cats at locations in St. Augustine, Palm Coast and Jacksonville International Airport.

In January, Commissioner Edward George began his third year in office. He was sworn in as the City's Vice Mayor for 2005. He replaces former Vice Mayor Albert Holmberg, whose term as a Commissioner expired on December 31, 2004. Vice Mayor George is the City's representative on the Visitor and Convention Bureau and is active in the South Beaches Area Council of the Chamber of Commerce. He is very interested in matters that concern the City's beach, such as the restoration of eroded parts of it and providing restroom facilities to replace some of the port-o-lets that are now used. He

also is a strong proponent of sidewalk/bikepaths to make the City more attractive and safe for pedestrians and bicyclists, and of traffic calming. An engineer in metallurgy by education and training, he owns a consulting firm, E&S Consulting. He also owns Old City Bike Shuttle in St. Augustine.

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TWO NEW COMMISSIONERS SERVE THE CITY

In January 2005, two St. Augustine Beach residents were sworn in to begin their four-year terms as City Commissioners.

Commissioner Barbara Ellis has been a businesswoman in the St. Augustine area since 1986. She owned the Palm Bay Republic store that was in the Anastasia Shopping Plaza and still owns the store of the same name on St. George Street in St. Augustine.

For the past 20 years, she has served on the South Beaches Area Council and the Historic Area Council, both branches of the St. Augustine/St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce. Because of her background in business and her interest in tourism, she's the City's representative on the Tourist Development Council. In January 2005 she attended the Florida League of Cities' Institute for Elected Officials in Gainesville. She has a strong interest in ethics in government.

Commissioner Don Terrill is retired from the transport elevator industry and has lived in St. Augustine Beach since 1990. His community service includes founding member and President of the St. Augustine Chapter of United We Stand, the Ross Perot organization (1992-96), Chairman of the City's Police Chief Screening Committee (2003), Vice Chairman of the City Charter Review Committee (2003-04), and founding member and Chairman of the St. Augustine Beach Citizens' Action Committee (2003-04). He is the City's alternate on the Intergovernmental Committee. He attended in

January the Florida League of Cities' Institute for Elected Officials in Gainesville. Commissioner Terrill is interested in developing more involvement by City residents in the activities of their local government and in updating the interlocal agreement the City has with the County for the management of the City's beach.

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PROMOTION IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT

Mayor Charles swears in Police Officer Terry Prescott (right) as Sergeant. Sergeant Prescott was hired as a patrol officer by the City in June 1984. Since that time, he has performed in all areas of the Police Department from the reception desk to patrol to acting supervisor when the Chief and Assistant Chief were absent. He is the past Vice President of the St. Augustine Beach Volunteer Firemen's Association and a past Chairman of the St. Johns County Traffic Safety Team. Sergeant Prescott was the Department's only traffic homicide investigator since 1987 and served as the Department's detective from 2000. He also has represented the Police Department at various functions, ranging from local civic organizations to the State  Legislature.

Mayor Charles swears in the City's two newest police officers: Jeffery Wallace (middle) and David Tiller (right). Mr. Wallace is 26 years old and lives in Jacksonville. His previous employment included delivering medical supplies and working for SBI Nuclear Security. Mr. Tiller is 23 years old and lives in St. Augustine. He is married and has a three-month-old daughter. He is an Army veteran and previously worked as a security guard for the Wackenhut Corporation. Both officers are now undergoing the Police Department's mandatory twenty weeks of field training.

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There is one holiday during the next three months which will change the City's garbage/trash collection schedule. It is Monday May 30, 2005, which is Memorial Day. The changes to the schedule will be as follows:

Monday, May 30:         MEMORIAL DAY. CITY OFFICES CLOSED, NO PICKUP OF HOUSEHOLD WASTES.

Tuesday, May 31:         Residents scheduled for pickup on Monday will have pickup on TUESDAY.

Wednesday, June 1:     Residents scheduled for pickup on Tuesday will have pickup on WEDNESDAY.

Thursday, June 2:         Normal pickup of household wastes and yard trash/ special wastes.

Friday, June 3:             Normal pickup of household wastes.

There will be no change to the Wednesday and Thursday schedule of recycling pickups.

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SPRING BLOOD DRIVE

The Blood Center of the St. Johns based in St. Augustine will hold its spring blood drive on Wednesday, April 13, 2005 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The bloodmobile will be in the city hall parking lot at 2200 A1A South.

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2003 - 2004 Uniform Crime Report Statistics

The statistics below were provided by Police Chief Richard Hedges.

OFFENSES                                                 2003                         2004

Forcible Fondling                                             0                                 1

Robbery                                                          3                                 0

Aggravated Assault                                        16                               23

Burglary                                                         30                               25

Larceny/Theft                                               135                             148

Motor Vehicle Theft                                         8                                 7

Simple Assault                                                57                               62

Drugs/Narcotics

Threats/Intimidation                                           0                                3

Non-Forcible Sex Offense                                1                                 4

DUI                                                                46                              27

ARRESTS                                                   2003                            2004

Robbery                                                           2                                   0

Aggravated Assault                                         13                                 13

Burglary                                                           5                                    8

Larceny/Theft                                                 14                                    9

Motor Vehicle Theft                                         3                                    1

Simple Assault                                                 8                                   34

Drugs/Narcotics                                             10                                  19

Drugs/Equipment                                              4                                    4

Counterfeit/Forgery                                          3                                    3

Threats/Intimidation                                          0                                    3

Non-Forcible Sex Offenses                              1                                    4

DUI                                                               46                                  27

Destruction/Damage/Vandalism                        0                                    6

Weapons Violations                                         1                                    2

Liquor Law Violations                                    43                                  22

Miscellaneous Arrests                                     80                                116

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From left to right: Mayor Frank Charles, Mr. Dusty Young and Mr. Robert Samuels. At the Commission's February meeting, Mr. Samuels and Mr. Young of the St. Augustine Beach Civic Association presented to the City a DVD of the City's history, which Mr. Young had filmed. Copies are available from Mr. Samuels for a donation to the Civic Association. Interested residents may call him at 471-1686.

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WHERE WE'VE BEEN ...

During the past three months, the City Commission made the following decisions, among many:

• Approved the following ordinances:

        to extend the hours when alcoholic beverages may be sold during Superbowl.

        to establish standards for control of erosion and sediment.

        to prohibit the collection of commercial trash before 7 a.m. and after 7 p.m

        to authorize the outside display of merchandise under limited conditions at businesses.

        to increase certain fees for building, plumbing and mechanical permits.

• Approved the following resolutions:

        to create the position of Accounting Clerk for the Finance and Administration Department.

        to amend the Fiscal Year 2005 budget for various reasons.

• Did the following miscellaneous actions:

        approved the following conditional use permits: to allow construction of a single-family residence

        in a commercial land use district at 106 1^st Street; to allow an enclosed customer waiting area at

        Aruanno's Restaurant, 106 D Street.

        made the following appointments: Vice Mayor Edward George as the City's representative to the 

        Visitors and Convention Bureau; Commissioner Barbara Ellis as the City's representative to the Tourist

        Development Council; Commissioner Don Terrill as the alternate to the Intergovernmental Committee;

        Dr. Sonia Planey as a regular member of the Planning Board; Mr. Barry Tuttle and Mr. Alfred Guido

        as alternates to the Planning Board; Mr. George Richardi as a regular member to the Code Enforcement

        Board; and Mr. Albert Holmberg as an alternate to the Code Enforcement Board; the Public Works

        Director, Marc Chattin, to the County's Local Mitigation Strategy Committee; Ms. Nancy Nevacoff to

        another three-year term as a regular member of the Beautification Advisory Committee.

        approved raising the threshold for purchases requiring formal, advertised bids from $5,000 to $10,000.

        approved the hiring of a Building Inspector for the Building Department and an Accounting Clerk for

         the Finance and Administration Department.

        approved extending the deadline for the City's Code Enforcement Inspector to pass a certification test

         to June 2005.

        approved the following special event permits: the Flagler College Sport Management Association's 5K

         beach run and related events on April 2; the Eastern Surfing Association's Southeast Regional

        Championships on April 9-11; the Knights of Columbus's 5K beach run on April 16^th.

        heard a report from representatives of the St. Johns Cultural Council about the Council's efforts to

         repair the former city hall and make it an arts center.

        approved waiving the bid requirements and hiring a contractor to put a sidewalk/bikepath from 1^st to

         2^nd Street, and in the Lakeside Park south of the police station.

        approved allowing the Florida Department of Financial Services to lease an office in city hall for $350 

        a month for two of its workers' compensation fraud inspectors.

        endorsed the Beautification Advisory Committee's comments concerning a proposed Scenic Highway

        plan for A1A Beach Boulevard that was prepared by a consultant working for the County.

        approved the following proclamations: to recognize February 2005 as Library appreciation month; to

        declare March 22, 2005 as International Women's Day; to designate the City as "Turtle Town USA" 

        for beach cleanup on Saturday, April 23^rd.

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WHERE WE'RE GOING ...

• Arbor Day Celebration. It is scheduled to be held on Friday, April 29, 2005 at 5:00 p.m. at city hall. The City's Beautification Advisory Committee is now making preparations for the celebration. There'll be music, refreshments and a guest speaker. A tree in honor of Arbor Day will be planted in the Lakeside Park south of the police station. Members of the public are invited to the celebration.

 

• Residential Developments. There are two major ones. The first is the London Tract on the east side of the Boulevard between the Bermuda Run and Sea Colony subdivisions. This is an 18.18 acre tract. At its February 7^th meeting, the City Commission approved the developer doing the following: putting no more than 72 clustered residential units on the property; transferring the number of residential units that could be put on the commercial acreage next to the Boulevard to the residential part of the tract; deeding to the City the commercial acreage (which is between 1.5 and 2 acres) for open space; and providing to the City a 10-foot wide strip of land for a public beach access. The developers may ask the Planning Board to hold a concept review/final development plan hearing on April 19^th. In addition, the City Commission will review a proposed Planned Unit Development ordinance and a land use change ordinance at a meeting in May or June. The public will have ample opportunity to review and comment on this proposed development.

         The second development is for 48 clustered residential units and 10 single-family homes to be

         constructed on 58 lots on vacant land on the west side of the Boulevard between 4^th and 8^th Streets.

         The developer proposes opening 4^th and 8^th Streets, closing 5^th Street, and leaving 6^th Street closed.

         He would provide beach access walkovers at the east end of 5^th, 6^th and 7^th Streets, raised

         intersections to slow traffic, and parallel parking spaces along the Boulevard for beach visitors. This

         proposed development will likely be reviewed by the Planning Board at its April 19^th meeting. The

         development would require a Planned Unit Development ordinance that requires Commission approval.

         Also, Commission approval will be needed for the beach walkovers, the raised intersections, the

         parking, and the closing of 5^th Street.

• Restroom Facilities for Beach Visitors. At this time, the only public restroom facilities for beach visitors are port-o-lets. As practical as port-o-lets are, they do not project a modern and sophisticated image for our community. The City has found a company that manufactures pre-fabricated, concrete facilities. Unfortunately, the Florida Department of Transportation will not allow such structures to be located on the beach because of the potential of damage to the structures from storms and hurricanes. At its March 7^th meeting, the City Commission decided to have a restroom facility put on one of the City-owned plazas on the east side of the Boulevard at A Street.

 

• Charging Rent for Private Businesses and Individuals to Use City Hall for Meetings. The City Manager will get information (fees, procedures the businesses will have to follow) for the Commission's April or May meeting.

 

• Beautification of City Property between 10^th and 11^th Streets. The City owns three lots on the north side of 10^th Street and has an option to buy two more adjacent lots on 11^th Street in 2007. Also, the City owns the adjacent plazas. All of these properties are on the east side of the Boulevard. At its March 7^th meeting, the Commission decided to have a landscape architect develop a coordinated beautification plan for the five lots and the two plazas. Hiring of a particular landscape architect will likely be done at the Commission's April meeting.

 

• Scenic Highway. The City's "main street," A1A Beach Boulevard, is a segment of the County's Scenic and Historic A1A Highway. The County has hired a consulting firm, which has developed a number of proposed changes to the Boulevard, such as a roundabout at Pope Road and raised intersections at 3^rd, 8^th and 14^th Streets. Many owners of businesses along the Boulevard are concerned that the roundabout and raised intersections may not only discourage drivers from using the Boulevard but may also hinder access to the businesses, because the center turning lane will be removed at certain intersections. The Beautification Advisory Committee is holding a special meeting on March 29^th with business owners, the City Commission, Planning Board members and the County's consultant. This newsletter may be mailed before the 29^th. The public is invited to that meeting. It's likely that the City Commission will discuss at its April 4^th meeting the Scenic Highway plan for the Boulevard.

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PROJECT UPDATE

Of the many projects the City is currently undertaking, we highlight the major ones below.

1 Sewer System Improvements. The improvements will be putting in underground sewer mains in some of the City's oldest subdivisions, where the residents now use individual septic systems for sewage disposal. The sewer mains will carry sewage to the County's sewage treatment plant at the west end of 16^th Street. Because of the small lots in the older subdivisions, septic systems are close to each other. This concentration can result in groundwater contamination. To remedy this, the County has obtained for the City a $3 million State grant and has provided $1.5 million more for this project. At the City Commission's February 7^th meeting, County Utility Department Director Bill Young said that public hearings on this project would be held in April. He also explained that the costs to the individual homeowner would be the following: a $1,938 impact fee and between $1,300 and $2,000 to connect the home to the central sewer main and to make inoperable the septic system. The County may allow the impact fee to be paid by the homeowner in installments over several years. The St. Augustine Beach Citizen Advisory Committee will hold a public meeting at city hall on Wednesday, March 30^th, at 7:00 p.m. Mr. Young and the County's wastewater consulting engineer will be present to answer residents' questions about this project. Then, at the Com-

mission's April 4^th meeting, Mr. Young will present the project's facilities plan and its capital financing plan. The former plan will have details about the type of central sewer system proposed; the latter plan will explain how the project is to be funded.

• Traffic Calming. This is a means to improve the qualify of life in a city by the adoption of various means to slow the speed of vehicles on city streets. The means can consist of traffic signals, speed bumps or humps, marked crosswalks, signs, medians, narrowing a street's travel lanes, and raised intersections that cause vehicles to slow. In late 2003, the City Commission hired a traffic engineering firm to develop a traffic calming plan for certain major streets in the City, such as A1A Beach Boulevard, A Street, 16^th Street and Pope Road. To date, the Commission has adopted three projects in the traffic calming plan: marking crosswalks on the Boulevard with signs to tell drivers that pedestrians in the crosswalks have the right-of-way; hiring a contractor to put a raised intersection on A Street at 5^th Avenue; hiring a traffic engineering firm to design a traffic signal for the A Street/A1A Beach Boulevard intersection. The County will buy the signal system and pay to have it installed. This may happen late in 2005. The A Street raised intersection project has been started.

 

• Lakeside Park. This is a city-owned park south of the police station. The City has received a State urban forestry grant of $9,377 for the purchase of trees and shrubs. This amount will be matched by cash or in-kind contributions from the City worth $9,377. A local Boy Scout, Mr. Joshua Longstreet, is putting in landscaping and making other improvements as a community service project for his Eagle Scout badge. The City Commission has approved a contractor constructing a sidewalk/bikepath through the park to connect the south end of Old Beach Road with the State highway sidewalk. A small paved parking lot will be constructed, and eventually a second dock will be built for use by area fishermen (and women).

 

• Land Acquisition Program. In December 2005, the City Commission approved the City starting a program to acquire undeveloped land in the City for preservation, open space and other public purposes. To date, the City has acquired the following: three lots along 10^th Street east of the Boulevard, with the option to buy in 2007 two adjacent lots that are on 11^th Street; one acre of land on the east side of the State highway that was part of the Cooksey property and was deeded to the City by Mr. Jay McGarvey. The City also has the potential to acquire up to 2 acres on the east side of the Boulevard that are part of the London Tract. The developers of the Tract have agreed to give this land to the City in exchange for a transfer of development rights from this acreage to the residential part of the Tract to the east. Another possible acquisition is the 6 acres of vacant, commercial property on the west side of the Boulevard north of the shopping center. The City is discussing with the owner, Mr. Charles Atkerson, the possible exchange of his 6 acres for two City-owned, oceanfront lots at the east end of 15^th Street. The Commission has accepted Mr. Atkerson's proposal to have the two lots and the 6 acres appraised, with the City and himself splitting the appraisal cost equally. The Commission has hired an appraiser, who should provide his appraisal report in March or early April. The report then will be the basis for negotiations between Mr. Atkerson and the City.

 

• Drainage Improvements. St. Augustine Beach was incorporated in 1959. However, it wasn't until 1992 that the City undertook to have a master drainage plan. The initial phases of the plan resulted in the City acquiring the Mizell Road retention pond, the easement for the drainage canal between SR-A1A and Mizell Road, and drainage pipes and other improvements in the Ocean Woods, Sandpiper Village and Coquina Gables subdivisions, and along 12^th, 13^th, 14^th and 15^th Streets west of the Boulevard. The improvements are continuing. Once the St. Johns River Water Management District approves the City's application for a master drainage permit, the City then will do such projects as the Linda Mar subdivision forcemain, the piping of the 2^nd Avenue ditch and improvements for 6^th and 7^th Streets east of the Boulevard.

 

• Visioning Survey. "Visioning" is the development of a plan for changes or improvements for a section or neighborhood of a city or for an entire city. The plan is based usually on comments provided by residents by means of workshop meetings or a questionnaire survey as to what improvements they would like to see made. Last fall, with review by the Planning Board and City Commission, the Building Department developed a questionnaire for what changes residents would like to see done to the City's "main street," A1A Beach Boulevard. The questions asked covered such topics as whether the speed limit on the Boulevard should be lowered; whether commercial land along the Boulevard should remain commercial or be changed to residential; whether setbacks should be reduced to attract more businesses, and so on. Over 2,000 questionnaires were mailed to residential and businesses. Nearly 200 were filled out and returned. Most of those who replied want to change the zoning along the Boulevard from commercial to low or medium density residential; most were against incentives to attract new businesses and were against raised medians, narrow lanes and parking on either side of the Boulevard. Most were in favor of more landscaping/beautification, as well as marked crosswalks for pedestrian safety.

        There are two related topics concerning visioning for A1A Beach Boulevard: First, Commissioner

        Longstreet at the March 7^th Commission meeting presented a report on a Smart Growth for Cities

        conference that he attended. The main theme was building "sustainable" communities; i.e., cities that had

        many essential businesses clustered within walking distance of where people live. The second related

        matter  was a proposal by Commissioner Terrill that the City establish a policy to stabilize its tax base.

        Commissioner Terrill proposes that the City not allow any more of the commercial area along the

        Boulevard to be changed to residential uses. He believes that commercially developed properties

        provide more tax revenue to the City than residential properties. His proposal, the information provided

        by Commissioner Longstreet and Mr. Larson's survey will be discussed by the Planning Board at

        meetings in the near future.