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Minutes 08-09-95 MINUTES OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD MEETING HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9, 1995, AT 7:30 P.M. PRESENT Ron Washam, Chairman Wilfred Hawkins, Assistant to the City Elizabeth Jenkins, Vice Chairperson Manager Joy Currier Lt. Chris Yannuzzi, Police Department Blanche Girtman Michael Lyons Wayne Patrick Dee Zibelli Belky Cruz, Alternate ABSENT Fawn Bradley Marie Lengert I. OPENING, PLEDGE, PRAYER Chairman Washam called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag was led by Michael Lyons, followed by a moment of silent prayer. II. ROLL CALL The Recording Secretary called the roll. Vice Chairperson Jenkins and Mr. Patrick were not yet present. III. RECOGNITION OF VISITORS Chairman Washam welcomed Anne Centi, Chairperson of the Education Advisory Board, to the meeting. He also welcomed Mrs. Cruz' husband and son, and thanked Lt. Yannuzzi and Mr. Hawkins for their attendance. IV. AGENDA APPROVAL Ms. Zibelli added Item VI.A (Median on Ocean Parkway). MINUTES COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA AUGUST 9, 1995 Motion Ms. Zibelli moved to approve the agenda as amended. Ms. Girtman seconded the motion which carried unanimously. Mrs. Currier asked if letters are sent to the members of the Board who do not attend these meetings. Chairman Washam advised that the City Clerk's Office keeps a record of attendance and sends out letters to the members who are absent. At this point in the meeting, Vice Chairperson Jenkins and Mr. Patrick arrived. V. MINUTES APPROVAL Motion Mr. Lyons moved to approve the minutes of the July 12, 1995 Community Relations Board meeting. Mrs. Currier seconded the motion which carried unanimously. VI. CORRESPONDENCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS A. Median on Ocean Parkway At the last meeting, Ms. Zibelli was concerned about a median and trees in the north end of the City. She said she was advised by Mr. Hawkins that the Parks Department is checking out the cost of automating the sprinkler system and the cost of trees. She thanked them for advising her of the status of this situation. B. The Wrice Process Mrs. Currier thanked Lt. Yannuzzi and Mr. Hawkins for their efforts regarding this process. She felt they are doing a great job. VII. PUBLIC AUDIENCE No one in the audience wished to speak. 2 MINUTES COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA AUGUST 9, 1995 VIII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Poinciana Mr. Hawkins reported that demolition has begun. The school on the south side of the road has been torn down, and two houses will probably be torn down next week. We are tidying up all the formalities of the design of the school. Engineering calculations for drainage are being done. Construction will begin in September or October and will probably be finished next summer. The School Board wants to keep on schedule and keep the inconvenience to the neighborhood at a minium. Mr. Hawkins felt everyone will be pleased with the final project. He said the new building will be built prior to the site itself being completed. Therefore, the old school will remain standing while the new building is being constructed. He said the new building will definitely stand out in the neighborhood. It is going to be a very modern building. No delays are anticipated. Mr. Hawkins advised that the bus route will not stop at 12th and N.W. 1st Street during construction. B. High School Mr. Hawkins referred to several newspaper articles. He advised that the high schools will not be built until the School Board finds a funding mechanism. An article in the July 31 Sun-Sentinel outlined the funding alternatives the School Board has to address. The School Board needs to build 24 brand new schools (16 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, and 3 high schools). Two of the high schools will be in Boynton Beach (one in the east and one in the west). The School Board needs to raise about $1.15 billion by the year 2000 to get all 24 schools constructed. The following are the alternatives for funding the construction costs: A one cent sales tax - According to today's Palm Beach Post, this will raise between $1.14 million and $120 million per year. To do this, the School Board must ask the County Commission to place a sales tax referendum on the ballot. The School Board must also get support from the County's seven largest cities (Boynton Beach being one of them). The electors will then vote on this during a special election in May or June. 3 MINUTES COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA AUGUST 9, 1995 A half cent sales tax - This would raise approximately $57 to $60 million a year through the year 2000. The School Board can place the referendum directly on the ballot without approval from the County or municipalities. A special two-year property tax - This would raise $104 million a year. The School Board would have to seek voter approval in a referendum to levy a tax of $2 per $1,000 of taxable property value. The School Board has tenatively approved their budget without a property tax increase. The final hearing is scheduled for September 19. Long-term loans - The School Board may borrow money from different sources. However, they have borrowed quite a bit already and may have exhausted this option. According to the newspaper, surveys have been conducted and the people are leaning toward the one cent sales tax. Mr. Hawkins stated that Boynton Beach has a lot at stake and that whatever the voters approve, we need to stay on top of this matter and make sure we get our high school first. He advised that at 5:00 p.m. this evening, the School Board is holding a special workshop session to discuss these funding sources. C. Decision '95 Mr. Hawkins distributed a summary describing Decision '95. He was in possession of a booklet containing all the materials needed to run this program, including the curriculum regarding city government to be taught to the students. The curriculum is very simple. He said this is an in-depth program which could involve a week-long series of activities. It depends on how much the schools are willing to get involved. He advised that the principals and teachers have already reported back to school and we need the members of this Board and the Education Advisory Board to approach them and try to get a commitment from them. Mr. Lyons asked if the private schools in Boynton Beach and the "I Have a Dream Children" are allowed to participate in this program. Mr. Hawkins answered affirmatively. He advised that the curriculum can be applied to any grade level. Therefore, elementary schools can participate. 4 MINUTES COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA AUGUST 9, 1995 Ms. Girtman pointed out that the parents are required to accompany the elementary and middle school students on field trips. Therefore, she suggested only allowing the upper grades to participate. Chairman Washam stated that this item will be further discussed during the workshop after this meeting. D. Update on Wrice Process On behalf of the Police Department, Lt. Yannuzzi thanked the Board for their praise of the Wrice Process. He stated that this is not a one man operation and commended Sgt. Ramsey and Sgt. Dean for their involvement. He stated that this was a joint effort which involved all the members of the Police Department. He also thanked the members of the Board for their involvement in the process. He advised that we need community support in order to keep the process going. It will die if the community does not continue to support it. He also thanked Ms. Girtman for letting the community utilize her property for this process. Lt. Yannuzzi advised that training was held from July 19 through July 21, and there were two marches during that time period. There was a tremendous outpouring of community support and involvement. Approximately 200 people participated, including about 30 from Pompano Beach. He thanked the Pompano Beach Police Department for assisting with security. Three houses that were causing the majority of the problems were targeted. They were between 3rd Street and 4th Avenue, and 4th Street and 3rd Avenue. As part of the training, only one march was scheduled for July 20. After that march, the community wanted another one the next evening; however, funding was not budgeted for the police officers to provide security during this march. Nevertheless, 27 officers offered to provide security without pay for the 119 members of the community who showed up for that march. Lt. Yannuzzi stated that there has been an abundance of community involvement. He reported that on July 28, participation was down to 86 people. Mrs. Currier advised that 93 people participated in the July 29 march and according to Mr. Lyons, 59 people participated in the August 5 march. According to Dr. Wrice, Lt. Yannuzzi stated that involvement has a tendency to wane. However, even if it dropped down to five or ten 5 MINUTES COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA AUGUST 9, 1995 people, if those five to ten people are dedicated, this process will continue to function. Lt. Yannuzzi announced that the sixth march is scheduled for August 11 at 7:30 p.m. Participants will meet at the Public Works Complex (the 200 block of N.E. 9th Avenue behind St. John's Church). The route will be changed. We will go by the three drug houses again, but we will end up back on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Lt. Yannuzzi advised everyone that the marches will always be announced on purple flyers. He also advised that the officers on duty during the marches were instructed to take action if they see any traffic violations, open container violations, or any other violations. Community meetings are held on Monday nights to critique the previous march, to schedule the next march, and to provide training. The next meeting is scheduled for August 14 at 7:00 p.m. at Heritage Park. Also at these meetings, the location for the next meeting will be chosen. Therefore, it is important to participate in the march or attend the meeting so that you know when the next march is going to be and where the next meeting is going to be held. If you cannot attend a particular march or meeting, you can call Community Affairs at 375-6150 to find out when the next meeting or march is scheduled. After hours, this same number can be called for a recorded announcement. E. Update on Code Enforcement Issues Lt. Yannuzzi stated that since Code Enforcement is part of the Police Department, we are utilizing them as much as we can as part of the Wrice Process. About three weeks ago, E-Z Mart was targeted. Ten to 15 violations were recorded. This coming Friday, a reinspection will be done. Lt. Yannuzzi will advise the Board of the results of the reinspection at the next meeting. This past Friday, Roberts Restaurant was inspected by the Police Department, Code Enforcement, the Building Department, and the Fire Department. Several violations were discovered. They will be given an opportunity to make the necessary corrections and then they will be reinspected. In response to Ms. Girtman regarding the area further east on Martin Luther King Boulevard, Lt. Yannuzzi said Bell's Market could very well be targeted next, as well as 6 MINUTES COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA AUGUST 9, 1995 any of the other residences along that roadway. Other areas of the City could also be targeted, such as Pool's Market (formerly known as JB's) at 12th Avenue and N.W. 4th Street and Quick Stop. Lt. Yannuzzi said Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard was targeted at Dr. Wrice's suggestion. He said Dr. Wrice drove around the City and felt the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard corridor and the Seacrest Boulevard area needed to be targeted first. The drug houses were targeted for the first march and will be visited again this coming week. Lt. Yannuzzi said he requested that the Quick Stop area be the target for the Friday night march; however, the community decided on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Based on the community's decision and Dr. Wrice's observations, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard will be targeted for two or three weeks. This area was not targeted by the Police Department. Perhaps based on this march and the next meeting, the community will make some other determinations as to where we should move. When this area is cleaned up, the Police Department will go with the members of the communitiy to whatever other area they want to target. The Police Department's only function is to support the community. He recognized the other City departments that are supporting the community, namely Public Works, the Fire Department, Parks and Recreation, the City Manager's Office, and the City Commission. Vice Chairperson Jenkins asked about the violations that previously existed at E-Z Mart. She stated that E-Z Mart could have already been put out of business because of previous violations. Lt. Yannuzzi believed that all the code violations are contained in the current inspection. He explained that E-Z Mart, the American Latin Grocer, and JB's Market were targeted under the Nuisance Abatement Law. He explained that one of the requirements under the Nuisance Abatement Law is for the Police Department to purchase narcotics on the property at least twice. Timely arrests were not made; therefore, the case against E- Z Mart was dropped. JB's is under new ownership and the Police Department did not want to charge the new owners with violations that occurred under a previous owner. However, a letter was sent to the new owners, advising them that the previous owner was about to be cited under the Nuisance Abatement Law and warning them that should their business fall victim to the Nuisance Abatement Law, we will prosecute. The American Latin Market on 3rd Street and Boynton Beach Boulevard rents their space. We targeted the business specifically, not the property owner. At the request of the business owner, the Police Department 7 MINUTES COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA AUGUST 9, 1995 provided him with a list of things he could do to rectify the situation. Once a Notice of Violation is given to a business, the Police Department has 30 days to attempt to purchase drugs on that property to show that the owner did not heed the warning. At the end of that 30 day period, if we have documented sales, then we can proceed through the court system. However, they have that 30 day window to rectify the situation. Unfortunately, the Police Department was focusing on other areas of the City and did not make any other drug purhases on that property. Therefore, that case was dropped. Chairman Washam asked if the target area is chosen at the Monday meetings. Lt. Yannuzzi advised that we have been focusing on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard because of Dr. Wrice's suggestion. This will be the third week that we are targeting that area. Hopefully, as a result of cleaning up that area, we will be able to move on to other areas. Lt. Yannuzzi stated that a community leader needs to lead the meetings, marches, be the spokesperson, and organize the group. This person cannot be a police officer or someone associated with the government because this is not a government process. It is a community process. Until we get a community leader, we have an agreement with Alan Jackson of Pompano Beach to attend our meetings and one march a week. In response to Mrs. Currier, Lt. Yannuzzi advised that we will eventually go back to the Cherry Hill area, but at this point the community is focusing on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. In response to Mr. Patrick, Mr. Hawkins advised that we are getting the Health Department involved. Also in response to Mr. Patrick, Lt. Yannuzzi advised that the Parole and Probation were contacted by telephone and requested that we send them a letter asking for their participation. Chairman Washam commended everyone who has participated in the Wrice Process. He urged the community to stick together. In response to Mr. Patrick's question about what is going to happen after Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is cleaned up, Lt. Yannuzzi's personal opinion was that the businesses that are now there will be catering to law-abiding patrons as opposed to loiterers and drug dealers. 8 MINUTES COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA AUGUST 9, 1995 Mr. Lyons asked about the Pompano Beach march in which Boynton Beach is going to participate. Lt. Yannuzzi advised that the plans for this are only tentative at that time. The Boynton Beach Police Department plans to provide transportation to Pompano Beach on Friday, August 25, at 7:00 p.m. to participate in one of their marches to show our gratitude for their assistance. Our next march will be on Saturday, August 26. Mr. Cruz asked how many drug sales have to be made before closing the drug houses. Lt. Yannuzzi said the Nuisance Abatement Law focuses on businesses, not real or residential property. However, the City Attorney has already been directed by the Commission to look into what can be done civilly. At the Federal level, real property is be taken through the RICO Law. In response to Mr. Cruz, Lt. Yannuzzi said the businesses are responsible for what occurs on their property, inside or outside. IX. NEW BUSINESS A. Discussion on a grocery store along Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. requested by Michael Lyons Mr. Lyons asked about getting a grocery store in the north end of the City. Ms. Zibelli believes the only store allowed in that area was the Quick Stop because it is zoned R1A. Mr. Hawkins said anyone who would like to put in a commercial establishment is going to have to request rezoning. There is a small amount of commercial zoning along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. He said he was previously informed by Winn Dixie and Publix that they chose to close their stores in that area due to their market surveys. Mr. Hawkins stated that nobody has chosen to do updated market surveys to see if they can thrive in that area. He said that at some point, we are going to have to take the initiative to try to lure other chains to that area. However, first we need to make that area attractive. Then we need to offer an incentive to businesses to locate to that area. We have begun to do these things. Vice Chairperson Jenkins pointed out that families cannot afford the prices that the stores in that area charge. Mr. Hawkins agreed. He said the businesses need to attract a wider clientel. He said people are not going to go to a place that they are 9 MINUTES COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA AUGUST 9, 1995 afraid to go to. Also, if small businesses charge a high price, they are going to limit their clientele. If they try to market themselves to a wider array of people, volume will increase and they can lower their prices. Mrs. Currier suggested letting Winn Dixie know that the City now has a bus system to bring the people to their store if they locate in that area. Chairman Washam stated that the government is not the answer and that it is going to take a lot of effort on the part of the community to go to the service groups and the Chamber of Commerce and let them know that this area needs to be serviced and that viable people live in that community. B. Soup Kitchen Vice Chairperson Jenkins invited everyone to the anniversary celebration of the Soup Kitchen on Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Wilson Center. Chairman Washam thanked Vice Chairperson Jenkins and Mr. Patrick for the work they do with the Soup Kitchen. He thanked Mrs. Currier for the work she has done on other projects, especially for representing the Board with regard to the Wrice Process. X. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Board, Mr. Lyons moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:44 p.m. Mr. Patrick seconded the motion which carried unanimously. Eve Eubanks Recording Secretary (One Tape) 10