NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 15, ISSUE 1 JANUARY 2006
Mayor Charles (left) presents Community Service Award plaque to
Mr. Robert Samuels, President of the St. Augustine Beach Civic Association
in recognition and appreciation of the Association’s significant contributions
to the City’s quality of life. The Association sponsors the weekly Farmers’
Market, the spring and summer concerts-by-the-sea series at County pavilion,
and the Surf Illumination celebration in early December to mark the winter
holiday season.
Police Chief Richard Hedges (right) presents plaque of appreciation to Mr. Peter
Messler of the Oasis Restaurant in appreciation for what the Oasis did to help make
the Police Department’s “National Night Out” celebration in August such a success.
The Oasis provided food (hamburgers, hot dogs, buns, relishes, etc.) plus the
personnel to cook the food and serve it to the public.
CITY EMPLOYEE RECOGNITIONS
Mr. Richard Gray, Sanitation Foreman, receives a plaque from Mayor Charles
in recognition of his 15 years of employment with the City. Mr. Gray was hired
by the City on October 1, 1990 as a driver for the Public Works Department.
In June 1999, as part of the Commission-approved reorganization of the
Department, he was promoted to Sanitation Foreman. Mr. Gray is 41 years old,
was born in Ft. Lauderdale and moved to St. Augustine in 1978. He attended
St. Augustine High School and later worked as an installer for a local air
conditioning and heating company. He’s married, and he and his wife Dianne
have two teenage sons.
Mayor Charles presents certificate of appreciation to Mr. Gary Larson, Building
Official, in recognition of Mr. Larson’s five years of employment with the City.
Mr. Larson was hired by the City on August 7, 2000 as the City’s Building Official.
His previous jobs include Deputy Building Official and Building Inspector for the
City of Sanford, Florida; Building Official for Nassau County; and Building Official
for the City of Ocoee, Florida. He’s also worked in the private sector as a
construction manager, a project manager and regional director of operations for
the Peico Engineering Company of Jacksonville. He has a B.A. in Education from
the Florida Technological University in Orlando and State certifications as a building
inspector, plans examiner and building code administrator. He and his wife Joanne
live in Nassau County.
City Commissioner Michael Longstreet, who is active in Boy Scout Troop
243, at the City Commission’s October 10th meeting presented proclamations
to three Scouts in recognition of their achieving the rank of Eagle Scout.
Shown above, left to right: Commissioner Longstreet and Eagle Scouts
Julian Chalfant, Joshua Longstreet and Michael David Garner.
CHANGES TO CITY’S GARBAGE/TRASH COLLECTION
SCHEDULE BECAUSE OF HOLIDAYS
During January, February and March of 2006, the City will celebrate the following holidays which will change the garbage/trash collection schedule: Monday, January 2nd, in honor of the New Year’s Day holiday on Sunday, January 1st; Monday, January 16th, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday; and Monday, February 20th, which is Presidents’ Day. The collection schedule on each of these holidays will be as follows:
Monday, January 2: HOLIDAY. CITY OFFICES CLOSED. NO PICKUP OF
HOUSEHOLD WASTES.
Tuesday, January 3: Residents scheduled for pickup on Monday will have
pickup on TUESDAY.
Wednesday, January 4: Residents scheduled for pickup on Tuesday will
have pickup on WEDNESDAY.
Thursday, January 5: Regular pickup of household wastes and yard trash/special
wastes.
Friday, January 6: Regular pickup of household wastes and yard trash/special
wastes.
There’ll be no change to the recycling pickup schedule.
Monday, January 16: HOLIDAY. CITY OFFICES CLOSED. NO PICKUP OF
HOUSEHOLD WASTES.
Tuesday, January 17: Residents scheduled for pickup on Monday will have
pickup on TUESDAY.
Wednesday, January 18: Residents scheduled for pickup on Tuesday will
have pickup on WEDNESDAY.
Thursday, January 19: Regular pickup of household wastes and yard trash/special
wastes.
Friday, January 20: Regular pickup of household wastes and yard trash/special
wastes.
There’ll be no change to the recycling pickup schedule.
Monday, February 20: HOLIDAY. CITY OFFICES CLOSED. NO PICKUP OF
HOUSEHOLD WASTES.
Tuesday, February 21: Residents scheduled for pickup on Monday will have
pickup on TUESDAY.
Wednesday, February 22: Residents scheduled for pickup on Tuesday will
have pickup on WEDNESDAY.
Thursday, February 23: Regular pickup of household wastes and yard trash/special
wastes.
Friday, February 24: Regular pickup of household wastes and yard trash/special
wastes.
There’ll be no change to the recycling pickup schedule.
AARP Volunteer Tax Service at St. Augustine Beach City Hall, 2006
EDITOR’S NOTE: The information below was provided by Mr. William Schuerman, the local coordinator for the American Association of Retired Persons’ Taxaide Program.
AARP will again provide free tax preparation and electronic filing services for tax year 2005 taxes at St. Augustine Beach City Hall. The service will be provided each week on Thursday and Friday during the 2006 filing season starting Thursday, February 2,2006 and continuing through April 14th. Hours of service each day will be 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. In order to expedite completion and accuracy of returns, all taxpayers utilizing this service are strongly urged t bring their social security card and a copy of last year’s (2004) tax return with them. Electronic filing will be provided free, and all taxpayers are encouraged to use this service. All service will be on first come, first served basis, and no reservations will be accepted. This service if for relatively straightforward individual returns only and not for returns requiring depreciation of assets required for businesses and rental real estate. AARP membership is not required, and the volunteers will serve all ages and marital statuses.
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP
City staff wants to thank the members of Chapter 4425 of the American Association of Retired Persons for their help every three months in preparing this newsletter for mailing. Their nimble fingers fold and close with adhesive strips hundreds of copies of the newsletter in a few hours.
FLOOD PROGRAM INFORMATION
Editor’s Note: The information below was provided by the City’s Building Official, Gary Larson.
Flooding is an act of nature that respects no boundary lines, either community or personal. Flooding in St. Augustine Beach is caused by heavy rains in short periods of time, such as during the seasonal thunderstorms and storm surges that accompany tropical storms or hurricanes.
Because of St. Augustine Beach’s location and its low lying areas, there is always the threat of flooding due to heavy storms. Due to this ongoing threat, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has identified parts of the City as Special Flood Hazard Areas on the National Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM). These areas are designated with a Base Flood Elevation based on a 100 year storm event. The potential for flood loss always exists, and residents should know and respect this flood loss potential and be prepared to deal with this hazard accordingly.
Many residents within the City live in houses that were constructed before the City of St. Augustine Beach joined the National Flood Insurance Program. These homes are constructed below the established Base Flood Elevation for the City or are built lower than the current 10-foot elevation required by City ordinance. The owners of these residences find that this can cause extensive problems when they wish to improve their homes.
Certain homes located within the flood-prone areas of the City are subject to the requirements under what is called Substantial Improvement. This also applies to a business if the structure is located in a designated flood-prone area. Substantial Improvement means any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition or any other improvement which is equal to or in excess of 50% of the market value for the structure only This does not include the value of the land. If the proposed work has a value greater than 50% of the market value, the owner is required to bring the complete structure up to the current standards for flood zone locations. In some cases, this is financially unfeasible.
Residents need to be aware that if your residence or business is damaged due to a major storm event and the damage is in excess of 50%, you will be required to demolish the structure and rebuild it to the current codes. For some property owners, this can also require a single-family residence being constructed where a duplex or tri-plex rental unit once stood. The Building Department recommends that property owners check with the Department to see what records are on file for their property.
The Department maintains an extensive set of files for buildings within the City. Homeowners with questions regarding flood zone determinations, floor elevations, elevation certificates and other questions regarding property improvements should contact the Building Department. Individuals interested in purchasing property within the City should also contact the Building Department prior to closing on the property. Numerous individuals purchase property and then find out they cannot make the improvements they wish to do because of code requirements.
For any questions regarding your property within the City, please contact the Building Department at any time during working hours at 471-8758.
PROJECTS
Here’s an update on some of the City’s major projects.
1. Family Fountain, County Pier Park. This is a joint City/County/private sector project. A fountain for children to play in will be constructed adjacent to the County’s fishing pier. Thanks to the County, the City has received a Florida Recreation Development Assistant Program grant of $112,500. An additional $28,125 will be provided by the City and area businesses and private donors. At its October 10th meeting, the City Commission approved its civil engineering consultant, Stone, Joca and Mahoney, preparing the plans and specifications and obtaining the required permits for the project. The consultant is also researching what materials should be used for the metal parts of the fountain, such as the pumping system, because of the corrosive effects of salt spray from the ocean. The City has until April 30, 2008 to complete the project.
2. A Street/A1A Beach Boulevard Traffic Signal. This is a joint City/County project, as both A Street and the Boulevard are County-owned roads. The City paid for the plans and specifications to be prepared. The County will pay the construction costs of over $100,000 for the signal. This project was supposed to have been finished by the end of December, but because of the destruction of traffic signals in south Florida due to Hurricane Wilma, the signal company has been busy in that part of the State. It’s likely that the new signal for A Street will be installed by the end of February 2006.
3. Linda Mar Subdivision Stormwater System. This subdivision, one of the City’s oldest, was developed without any drainage system to prevent the flooding of streets and private property. The City Commission has approved a system which will take water from storms and pump it by an underground pipe from the subdivision to the drainage system under State Road A1A to the west. The deadline for bids was December 1st. Because only one bid was received, the City is advertising again for bids. The deadline will be January 12th. The City Commission will review the bids at its February 6th meeting.
4. Restrooms at A Street and 10th Street. The City Commission has approved having public restrooms and shower facilities located on one of the plazas on the east side of the Boulevard at A Street and on one of the City-owned lots on 10th Street east of the Boulevard. At its November 7th meeting, the Commission approved an appropriation of $59,000 for the A Street restrooms and approved the Public Works Director contracting with an engineer and an architect to prepare plans for the 10th Street restrooms. The County will provide water for the restrooms, as well as the showers, and will keep them clean. The City will be responsible for stocking them with soap, toilet paper, etc. Preliminary work for the construction of the A Street restrooms has been started. A local architectural/engineering firm has been hired to design the 10th Street restrooms and parking lot.
5. Sewer System Improvements. The improvements are the installation of sewer mains in older subdivisions in the City where the residents now rely on septic systems for sewage treatment. The mains will take the sewage to the County’s treatment plant on 16th Street west of the City. The City has received a grant of $13 million from the State. The County’s Utility Department is administering the grant on the City’s behalf, as the Department provides sewage collection and treatment services to the residents in the City’s newer subdivisions. This project’s schedule at this time is the following: bids will be advertised in July 2006, opened on August 15th, and the contract awarded in September. Construction will start in October 2006 and likely last for three years. The City administration will recommend that the County begin the project on the west side of the Woodland subdivision and work southwards. Subdivisions where the sewer mains will be installed include Chautauqua Beach, Coquina Gables, Atlantic Beach, Minorca, Linda Mar and Sandpiper Village. Before the project is started, the County Commission will have to decide whether to relieve each homeowner part of the sewer connection fee. An additional cost to the homeowner will be deactivating the septic system and connecting the house to the sewer main.
6. Visioning Plan for A1A Beach Boulevard. The City Commission has hired a consulting firm, Wallace Roberts and Todd of Coral Gables, to help the City develop a plan to guide development and redevelopment along its “main street,” A1A Beach Boulevard. The Commission has also approved the appointment of a citizens’ committee composed of twenty residents and business owners. The Visioning Committee meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. in the Commission meeting room at city hall. As of the date (early December) of this report, the Committee has held two meetings and has discussed a number of major issues concerning the Boulevard, such as the integration of mixed use development and a blend of residential and commercial interests; the pattern of land uses and development and activities that both residents and visitors can enjoy, such as ongoing events and activities; incorporation of the area’s history; making the Boulevard more pedestrian-friendly and family-oriented; and having more green space. The Committee has also discussed the impediments to developing a vision for the Boulevard, such as a lack of direction and the difficulty in getting a consensus. Phase I of the visioning process has been completed. Phase II, community assessment and the development of a vision, was started in December. Persons interested in reviewing what the Visioning Committee has done thus far may review the minutes of the Committee’s meetings at the City Manager’s office.
WHERE WE’VE BEEN……
During the past three months, the City Commission has made the following decisions, among many:
1. Approved one ordinance for transmittal to the Department of Community Affairs. This ordinance amends the Capital Improvements Element of the City’s Comprehensive Plan by adopting an updated five-year capital improvements plan. The Department will review the ordinance and then send it back to the City with comments for either amendments or final adoption.
2. Approved the following resolutions:
- to recognize October 16-22, 2005 as Florida City Government Week.
- to amend the Personnel Manual to change the work period for police officers.
- to support the request by the Sarasota County Commission that legislation be passed to allow local governments to use cameras at signalized intersections to catch drivers who violate the law by running red lights.
- to support St. Johns County’s list of priority issues for the members of the Florida House and Senate who represent the County.
- to direct the City to use the term “Christmas Tree” in place of “Holiday Tree.”
3. Did the following miscellaneous actions:
- approved a proclamation to declare October 2005 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
- made the following appointments to City boards: Mr. Marshall Schneider as alternate to the Code Enforcement Board; Mr. Alfred Guido and Ms. Joyce Williams as regular members of the Comprehensive Planning and Zoning Board, and Mr. Michael Aulicino as an alternate to the Board.
- approved the Assistant Police Chief using vacation leave during his probationary period.
- approved the removal of two No Parking signs on the north side of 11th Street east of State Road A1A.
- approved an amendment to the lease agreement with the St. Johns County Cultural Council for the renovation of the former city hall. The amendment changes the date for when the former city hall is to be ready for occupancy to September 1, 2006.
- decided not to approve an ordinance which would have put on the September 2006 primary election ballot the question whether the City’s voters want to set the building height limit at 35 feet.
- approved the Public Works Director’s proposal to put holiday lighting on the 14th Street plaza adjacent to Barnacle Bill’s restaurant.
- approved two permits for special events: the November 19-20 surfing event sponsored by the Christian Surfing Association; and the Civic Association’s Surf Illumination Holiday Season Celebration at the County pier park on December 3rd.
- did not approve additional lighting for the Lakeside Park south of the police station. This project will be requested in the Fiscal Year 2007 budget.
- approved an agreement with the Sea Colony Homeowners’ Association which allows the City’s police officers to do traffic enforcement in Sea Colony, where the streets are owned by the Association.
- denied a request to change the land use for four lots on B Street east of the Boulevard from commercial and medium density residential to low density residential. The change would have allowed developers to build 35-foot high houses in the commercial land use area adjacent to the Boulevard.
- decided to continue honoring the sacrifice of Police Officer Ron Parker, killed in the line of duty in the City in 1975, by holding a commemoration ceremony each January at Ron Parker Park.
- approved the following conditional use permits: for construction of a condominium hotel to replace the Seaway Motel at 471 A1A Beach Boulevard; for construction of a single-family residence in a commercial land use district at 103 3rd Street.
- approved the donation of sick leave by City employees to a Public Works employee who had exhausted his accrued sick and vacation leave because of an illness.
- discussed having two Commission regular meetings each month and by consensus directed the City Manager by agenda management to keep the agendas from becoming too long for the one regular meeting scheduled each month.
WHERE WE’RE GOING…
1. Beach Management. The County manages the City’s beach under an interlocal agreement that was approved in the mid-1980s and which hasn’t been revised since then. With changes to regulations pertaining to the beach, such as the habitat conservation plan that the City has asked the County to develop on its behalf, it is time for a new beach management agreement. Mr. Dave Williams, the County’s Beach Operations Chief, will be at the Commission’s January 2nd meeting to provide a progress report on the habitat conservation plan and the steps the City and County need to take to negotiate a new agreement.
2. Sale of Two City-Owned Lots. The lots are formally titled Lots O and P, Atlantic Beach Subdivision, and are located on the south side of 15th Street at the street’s eastern end. The lots were given to the City in 1996 by the owner of the Hampton Inn property in exchange for the City vacating 14th Street east of the Boulevard so that the Hampton Inn could be built across the street right-of-way. For three years, the City Commission has debated the possible uses of these two 90x46.5-foot lots. Suggestions have included making them a parking lot for beach visitors, a park, or a combination of park and parking lot. However, because of the small size of the lots, their usefulness for public purposes is limited. The Commission approved in late summer offering them for sale. The deadline for bids was November 28, 2005. Seven bids from five bidders were received. Most of the bids were $600,000 and less for both lots. However, one bidder submitted two significant bids. The Commission will review the bids at its January 2nd meeting and decide whether to accept one or to advertise for new bids.
3. Amendments to the City Charter. There are two proposed ones that will be considered in the coming months. One concerns the hiring and firing of the Chief of Police. At the 2002 primary election, the City’s voters were asked to approve a Charter amendment which would have required four votes instead of three to remove the City’s Police Chief. That amendment failed with 797 voting “no” and 736 voting “yes.” The “no” votes may have been due to the title of the amendment on the ballot, which was “Removal of Chief of Police Without Cause.” Voters may have thought they were voting on the removal of the Chief. Because of this possible misunderstanding, the City Commission has approved an ordinance being prepared to amend the Charter. This will likely be similar to the Charter amendment that the voters did approve in 2002 concerning the hiring and firing of the City Manager. That Charter amendment requires a supermajority (four Commissioners) to vote in favor of the hiring or removal of the Manager.
The second Charter amendment concerns whether the City’s voters want to have the Mayor directly elected by the people or to continue the current way the Mayor is elected, which is each December of January, the Commission elects one of its members to be Mayor for the coming year.
An ordinance for each Charter amendment will be reviewed by the Commission at its January or February 2006 meeting. The Commission has already approved one Charter amendment for the September 5, 2006 primary election. This amendment asks the voters whether they approve the City Commissioners being paid for the work they do as Commissioners on the City’s behalf.
4. Palm Row Residential Development. Mr. Ben Bass has proposed building 48 residential units clustered as either townhouses or condominiums in five buildings between 4th and 7th Streets on the west side of the Boulevard. Mr. Bass is asking the City to vacate 5th and 6th Streets and two alleys, and to change the zoning from commercial and medium density residential to planned unit development. The Commission in October denied the street/alley vacation request, and in December, after Mr. Bass presented a revised proposal, directed that the proposal be reviewed by the Planning Board. At this time (early December), no date has been set for the Planning Board’s review.
5. Parking of Recreational Vehicles in Residential Areas. At this time, City regulations allow the parking of recreational vehicles and mobile homes in residential areas only for a limited time to unload, load or do minor maintenance on them, and only for seven consecutive days twice a year: once between January 1 and June 30; the second time between July 1 and December 31. A resident who uses an RV as a mobile office has asked that the regulations be amended to allow him to park his RV more often at his home. The Commission will review a proposed ordinance at its January 2nd meeting.
6. Ocean Ridge Residential Development. This is a planned unit development of 72 single-family homes that Mr. Jay McGarvey and his associates want to build on 23-plus acres that are located east of Mickler Boulevard between 11th Street and the Sea Oaks subdivision. The Planning Board has held three meetings on this proposed development and will do a final review with the public at the Board’s December 20th meeting. At that meeting, the Board will likely make a recommendation to the City Commission as to whether or not the planned unit development ordinance should be adopted. The Commission then will consider this recommendation at either its January 2nd regular meeting or at a special meeting later in the month.
7. Consideration of Changes to the City’s Height Regulations and Classification of Certain Streets. The City Commission will hold a special meeting on January 23, 2006 at 7:00 p.m., during which it will discuss changes to the City’s height regulations to allow chimneys and ornamental features on buildings to exceed 35 feet if certain setback requirements are met. The Commission will also consider whether certain streets in the City need to be reclassified, because their width doesn’t meet the standard for their current classification.