MINUTES CITY OF INDIAN ROCKS BEACH REGULAR CITY COMMISSION MEETING

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1 MINUTES CITY OF INDIAN ROCKS BEACH REGULAR CITY COMMISSION MEETING The Indian Rocks Beach Regular City Commission Meeting was held on TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018, in the City Commission Chambers, 1507 Bay Palm Boulevard, Indian Rocks Beach, Florida. Mayor-Commissioner Kennedy called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. PRESENT: Mayor-Commissioner Joanne Cookie Moston-Kennedy Vice Mayor-Commissioner Edward G. Hoofnagle Commissioner Phillip J. Hanna Commissioner Nick Palomba Commissioner Philip M. Wrobel City Attorney Randy D. Mora City Manager Brently Gregg Mims City Clerk Deanne B. O Reilly, MMC Finance Director Daniel A. Carpenter, CGFO 1A. REPORT OF Pinellas County Sheriff s Office. The Pinellas County Sheriff s Office presented the April 2018 Crime Analysis Report for the City of Indian Rocks Beach, and addressed the City Commission s questions and/or concerns. 2. PUBLIC COMMENTS. Jim Palamara, th Avenue, stated he will be reporting the owner s representative of Lana s Red Lion Pub to the Pinellas County Licensing Board for illegal construction with no licenses or permits. He stated the shelled parking lot needs to be maintained as there are no marked spaces and there is insufficient backup room for vehicles. There is also an accumulation of trash in the parking lot. He stated individuals are still urinating outside of Lana s Red Lion Pub. He stated the lack of lighting in the parking lot and the failure to maintain and trim the vegetation creates the perfect environment for this type of activity. Mr. Palamara stated the buildings at th Avenue are nuisance buildings and have been abandoned. He stated there is also illegal construction happening there. Mr. Palamara provided suggestions to help curb the illegal activity and maintenance of those properties. Page 1 of 6

2 Kelly Cisarik, 448 Gulf Boulevard, stated she witnessed a man urinating facing Gulf Boulevard in front of the Red Lion Pub. 3A. REPORTS OF THE CITY ATTORNEY. No report. 3B. REPORTS OF THE CITY MANAGER. City Manager Mims provided a brief status report on the following projects: City Hall Renovation Project, Phase II. City Hall staff is in the process of moving into the trailers and the contractors will begin work on the City Hall Administrative Offices on May 14, Pinellas County Sheriff s Office Work Space. The PCSO will be located in the Civic Auditorium where the kitchen used to be. A PCSO logo will be placed on the outside window. 10 th Avenue Park. The pour-in place material has been laid along with the replacement of some play equipment. 5 th Avenue Pocket Park. Another roll of LED lights will be placed on top of the Gateway Sign. 5 th Avenue Pocket Park Ribbon Cutting. The City will be coordinating a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Hoofnagles for the 5 th Avenue Pocket Park. 1 st Street Boardwalk. Solar power LED lighting will be installed. Other than that, the boardwalk is finished. Gulf Boulevard Undergrounding Utilities Project. The City still needs to secure four more easements for the transformers (green boxes). If the easements are not secured, then Duke Energy would redesign the drawing and go through the approval process with the other utility companies at a cost to the City. The project is estimated to take 12 to 18 months to complete and the project will start at the south end of the City in June/July Keegan Clair Park Parking Improvements Project. A notice to proceed was issued to Rowland Construction for the Keegan Clair Park and Parking Improvements Project. Parking restrictions would need to be placed to prevent beach parking and Holiday Inn parking. Finance Director Carpenter reviewed the Financial Report ending March C. REPORTS OF THE CITY COMMISSION. The City Commission thanked the volunteers and the residents who participated in the IRB Beachfest and stated it was a great success. Commissioner Palomba: Reported on the Beach Renourishment Project stating the project will begin in and stop in Treasure Island, and then skip to Sand Key and continue south to Treasure Island. Page 2 of 6

3 Commissioner Wrobel: Thanked Joe McCall for taking over the Homeowners Association stating it is so great to see someone pick it up and run with it. Just as Julie Hoofnagle has done with Action 2000, Inc., He stated it takes a lot of time to run these organizations, but it is very rewarding. Thanked Kelly Cisarik for volunteering to sit on the Pinellas Suncoast Fire and Rescue District s Task Force. Agreed with the City Manager concerning the Keegan Clair Parking Lot stating some kind of restriction would need to be in place. Mayor-Commissioner Kennedy: Provided a brief report on her May 7, 2018 Conversations with the Mayor. Announced the upcoming events and meetings for the organizational groups and City. 4. ADDITIONS/DELETIONS. None. 5. CONSENT AGENDA: A. APPROVAL of the April 10, 2018 Regular City Commission Meeting Minutes. B. APPROVAL of the April 10, 2018 City Commission Work Session Minutes. C. AUTHORIZING the City Manager to enter into a Contract for Audit Services with Moore Stephens Lovelace, P.A., for Fiscal Years Ending September 2018, 2019, and 2020, with costs not to exceed $28,000 for each of the three years. D. ACCEPT AND FILE the City of Indian Rocks Beach Floodplain Management Plan Progress Report. E. PROCLAMATION: Proclaiming May 2018 as Older Americans Month. City Attorney Mora read the Consent Agenda, consisting of Agenda Item Nos. 5A through 5E. MOTION MADE BY COMMISSIONER PALOMBA, SECONDED BY VICE MAYOR- COMMISSIONER HOOFNAGLE. UNANIMOUS APPROVAL BY ACCLAMATION. 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS: None. 7. OTHER LEGISLATIVE MATTERS: None. 8A. PRESENTATION: East Gulf Boulevard Nature Park Project by Jake Zimmerman, RLA of Heartwood and Bark, PLC. Page 3 of 6

4 City Manager Mims stated this is a project that has been in the capital plan for at least two years, and Mr. Zimmerman has prepared a conceptual drawing. He stated the purpose of the work session is for Mr. Zimmerman to explain what the proposed nature park is and what it is not. Jack Zimmerman, of Heartwood and Bark, PLC, presented the conceptual design for the East Gulf Boulevard Nature Park Project. The nature park will be a passive park that gives residents access to the water to recreate in a kayak or canoe or just to get close to the water to have a picnic. It will be a passive nature park to enjoy the nature setting. Mr. Zimmerman highlighted the following items: The project consists of the right-of-way of East Gulf Boulevard from the cul-desac down to the water. The parking area would be right off the cul-de-sac with handicapped parking on concrete and the remaining parking would be a soft surface like a shell. A shell pathway leading to the water basin for canoes and kayaks, sightseeing. In the fill area, there would be some passive recreation elements, i.e., a picnic table, a barbecue, educational signs, and another walkway that picks up and goes down to the water. At the water line, there are some issues about getting through the mangroves in order to get a launch out to the water for canoes and kayaks. SWFMD has reviewed the conceptual design and has made some suggestions, which have been included in this conceptual design. There is not much mitigation for the project up close to the water. From that standpoint, the permitting is fairly simple. The process of permitting everything from the filled area down to the waterline is where SWFMD is concerned, and the City needs to be sensitive to the environment there. In order to create a little opening in the mangroves, it would need to be done in a way that the wetlands are not damaged too much, because the City would have to mitigate whatever damage was done there. City Manager Mims stated where there is currently landscaping, the City will be erecting a privacy fence to shield the abutting owners from the park. Commissioner Hanna inquired if there would be any solar light pathway, with City Manager Mims stating this will be a daytime park and it would close at dusk. Commissioner Palomba inquired if there would be bike racks, with Mr. Zimmerman stating there is one bike rack in the estimate; however, since this is a conceptual design, additional bike racks would be easy to include. Commissioner Wrobel inquired about the number of parking spaces, with City Manager Mims replying there would be three at the road and two golf cart spaces in the park. Page 4 of 6

5 Commissioner Wrobel inquired if there will be a gate, with Mr. Zimmerman replying the entrance would be more like the beach accesses. He stated there is enough existing vegetation there that no one would drive into that area and boulders or palm trees would be added to the entrance in order to keep vehicles from driving through that area. Commissioner Wrobel asked what is the area size of the park, with Mr. Zimmerman replying 500 feet by 100 feet, which is a little over an acre. Commissioner Wrobel inquired if the City would mitigate in that area or does the City need to go somewhere else, with Mr. Zimmerman replying that has not been discussed with SWFMD yet. However, some of the mitigation could be done by the removal of exotic vegetation within that area, but it is probably going to be a replant issue and it may not be on this property. Commissioner Wrobel inquired if there would be a freshwater spigot, with Mr. Zimmerman replying no. Vice Mayor-Commissioner Hoofnagle stated it is a nice conceptual plan; however, he hopes the barbeque grill is not implemented for the respect of the abutting neighbors and safety because he does not think the residents want fires or cooking going on back there. Vice Mayor-Commissioner Hoofnagle stated he would like the parking to be restricted to Indian Rocks Beach residents only, so that it is not used for beach parking. Vice Mayor-Commissioner Hoofnagle stated in the event the cost associated with opening up the mangroves is too high, he hopes the mangroves would be left as they are and just have it be a nature park instead of focusing on the canoes and kayaks. Vice Mayor-Commissioner Hoofnagle stated for the safety of the surrounding residences, he thinks it would be a good idea to consider a gate that closes at dusk along with adequate signs that say Park Closes At Dusk. He is speaking from someone who lives on a beach access, stating a lot happens at night, most of it is undesirable and gates could be put in without the same repercussions the City would have if gates were put up at the beach accesses. City Manager Mims stated staff is in the process of drafting the proposed FY 2019 Budget and updating the 5-Year Capital Plan, and it appears that the Florida Wildlife Commission (FWC) has at least two different funding sources where the City could possibly receive grants. City Manager Mims explained the FWC grant process and timeline. He stated this project would be a couple of years out in the 5-Year Plan. Page 5 of 6

6 City Manager Mims estimated the cost for this project is $165,000; however, with inflation, the cost of the project would increase over the next couple of years. Therefore, the estimate in the 5-Year Plan would be $200,000. City Manager Mims stated the City would be using grants to fund this project, and the State is all about water access and the public s right to access the water. Mr. Zimmerman stated the estimated cost of $165,000 does not include the mitigation cost because the City does not know what that mitigation is just yet. City Manager Mims agreed with Vice Mayor-Commissioner Hoofnagle that there should not be any barbeque grill by the pavilion. There was no public comments. City Manager Mims stated this property has been rezoned to the Preservation district. The project is going into a zoning district that was designed for this kind of activity. CONSENSUS OF THE CITY COMMISSION FOR STAFF TO PROCEED WITH THE Conceptual DESIGN OF THE EAST GULF BOULEVARD NATURE PARK PROJECT ELIMINATING THE BARBEQUE GRILL. 9. OTHER BUSINESS. None. 10. ADJOURNMENT. MOTION MADE BY COMMISSIONER HANNA, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER WROBEL, TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 7:49 P.M. UNANIMOUS APPROVAL BY ACCLAMATION. June 12, 2018 Date Approved Joanne Moston-Kennedy, Mayor-Commissioner ATTEST: Deanne B. O Reilly, MMC, City Clerk /dor Page 6 of 6