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Minutes 07-19-00 TOWN MEETING WITH COMMISSIONER BRUCE BLACK HELD IN THE LIBRARY PROGRAM ROOM, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2000 AT 6:30 P.M. PRESENT Bruce Black, Commissioner Kurt Bressner, City Manager Charlie Fisher, Commissioner OPENING REMARKS Commissioner Black called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. and asked everyone present to introduce themselves. The purpose of tonight's meeting is to allow residents an opportunity to speak about things they wish to bring to the attention of the Commissioners and staff. Commissioner Black said if he can't answer every question tonight, he will get the answers after he reads the minutes of tonight's meeting. Commissioner Black pointed out that he can't do everything that people ask, just because he is a Commissioner, but he is trying his best and noted that not everything can be done in a day. QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION Commissioner Black opened up the meeting for questions. Mr. Brian Edwards said he would like to speak about the progress on the overlay zoning district throughout the CRA District. Mr. Edwards would like to see a joint meeting held between the CRA, City Commission, the Planning and Development Board and staff to make sure that everybody is on the same page in order to arrive at a consensus on what everyone thinks this area should look like. Commissioner Black pointed out that there has been talk about changing the zoning on Federal Highway and staff has come up with a timeframe for changing the zoning. Commissioner Black said overlay zoning is a temporary fix and the real zoning needs to be changed. The Commission informed staff that they would like this done in two years and the possibility exists that the City may have to employ consultants to get this done. Commissioner Black pointed out that a meeting has been scheduled with the senior staff and the Commission to make sure everyone is on the same page. Now that there is a new City Manager staff is adjusting to Mr. Bressner's philosophy, which is 'openness and keeping the public informed. Also, the Commission wants to keep the public informed and in order to accomplish this, MEETING MINUTES TOWN MEETING WITH COMMISSIONER BLACK BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA July 19, 2000 there is a new agenda item on the Commission's regular agenda called "future agenda items" to let people know what will be coming up at future dates. Commissioner Black reported that at last night's Commission meeting, a celebration took place on Boynton Beach attaining the distinction of being the number one Beach in Palm Beach County. Certificates and tee shirts were given to everyone who helped attain this status. With regard to the Ocean Avenue project, Commissioner Black pointed out that it was decided not to do the first block from Seacrest to NE 1st because in the future there are plans to expand Government Center. The City is trying to get this information out to the public. Ms. Anne Centi asked about the status of the skating rink that was to be built in Quantum Park? Commissioner Black responded that the deal fell through. Also, Ms. Centi feels the City is starting to polarize neighborhoods, one against the other, and does not think that the Commissioners should contribute to this happening. Ms. Centi said that all people in the City should work together. Mr. Mike Ferguson asked the name of the Commissioner that was referred to at last night's meeting having 21 absences. Mr. Ferguson said that Commissioners only receive $4,200 and their salaries should be raised to at least $18,000 to attract better people for the job. Mr. Ferguson also feels that the term limits should be changed and he would like to see them changed to two three-year terms. Mr. Ferguson stated that Sterling Village consists of 840 units and has an annual budget of $1.7 million. He brought to the attention of Commissioner Black that their taxes are going up, they have to make changes because of new fire codes and the stormwater drainage bills are increasing by $50,000. In addition, new hot water heater regulations are costing them an additional $150,000. He pointed out in Palm Beach County 55% of living units receive the homestead exemption. Mr. Ferguson stated that senior citizens pay school taxes as well, and this comes back to the polarization of the neighborhoods. Sterling Village feels that some of the new rules and regulations placed upon them are ludicrous. Commission Black responded that everyone has to pay for the stormwater runoff fees and this amounts to $5.00 per unit, per month and pointed out that the businesses are the ones that got hit the hardest. Commissioner Black pointed out that there are reasons for codes and that everyone has to live with them. Commissioner Black said he would check into the new fire codes. 2 MEETING MINUTES TOWN MEETING WITH COMMISSIONER BLACK BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA July 19, 2000 Mr. Harry Marcus asked if under today's code when a non-conforming business changed hands, would the new owner be grandfathered in, if they kept the same name? Mr. Bressner pointed out if it is the same kind of business and there is no interruption in the business, then there is a continuation of the prior codes. However, the business would still be subject to the annual inspection for basic life-safety codes. A participant asked for an update on the status of the Ocean Avenue Bridge and stated there is a rumor that the spans don't meet. Commissioner Black responded that there is a person in the City that is in charge of the project and monthly meetings are held regularly and that this is the first time he has ever heard this rumor. Commissioner Black said that the City is moving forward with plans for a celebration for the bridge opening to take place sometime in October. A participant asked about the status of the Eckerd Drug Store scheduled to be built on the corner of Boynton Beach Boulevard and Federal Highway? Commissioner Fisher responded that the permits are ready, but thinks that the closing on the property hasn't been finalized. Also an update on the Gateway project was requested and Commissioner Black said that the project should be completed at the end of September or early October. Mr. Marcus noted that in Ocean Ridge there are beautiful trees that have been put up on their side of the new bridge and asked if the City would have the same type of trees? Mr. Bressner replied that Ocean Ridge is paying for its own landscaping. Commissioner Black stated that there will also be landscaping on the Boynton Beach side, but is not sure to what extent that would be. Ms. Joy Currier asked about the clinic that is supposed to be going up on MLK, Jr. Boulevard and has heard that everything is on hold. Ms. Currier inquired who made this decision and Mr. Bressner stated that he did because some long range planning along that corridor needs to be done to ensure that there is a proper mix of businesses, residences and institutional uses. Mr. Bressner requested that all parties get together to ensure that everyone is heading in the same direction. Ms. Currier said that the Community Relations Board had been in contact with the State and the County on how to move forward with the clinic and now they have been told that it has all been scrapped. Mr. Bressner said this is not the case and he has not heard this. Mr. Bressner said the City's position at this point is assessing, reviewing and making sure that all interested parties are involved. 3 MEETING MINUTES TOWN MEETING WITH COMMISSIONER BLACK BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA July 19, 2000 Mr. Ed Currier said that he heard that a building to house the City's trash trucks would be going up in place of the intended clinic. Mr. Bressner replied that there is nothing in the budget that would reflect this. Mr. Ferguson suggested that the City put out a progress report on the various projects in order to dispel these rumors. Commissioner Fisher suggested that a progress report could be included on the last sheet of the City's agendas. Mr. Ed Currier reported that Mr. Dan DeCarlo reported at a meeting last night that the project had been scraped. Commissioner Black felt that this is going to get resolved and that all the parties need to come together. Mr. Currier would like to see this project move forward as it has been in the works for many years. Mr. Brian Edwards inquired if this issue had already been approved by the CRA with regard to MLK, Jr. Blvd. and the overlay. Mr. Edwards would like to see a time frame in place to accomplish this because people have been waiting 20 to 30 years for a clinic. Mr. Bressner would like to see the Commission address this when they hold their goal setting process as the MLK, Jr. Boulevard and Federal Highway corridors are two very important corridors in the City that need to be addressed. Mr. Currier suggested in going ahead with the Ocean Avenue project that the project stop short of the railroad tracks instead of going a block beyond the tracks. This would save a lot of money. Mr. Bressner pointed out that the design plan for the promenade includes potential redevelopment of a lot of properties west of the railroad tracks and it is important that the project move west as intended. The reason the work is now scheduled to stop at 1st Avenue is due to the potential that exists for the Library area to be rebuilt. It makes no sense to tear up the area a second time. Commissioner Black also felt that not everything that is printed in the paper is 100% accurate. Commissioner Black stated that the Commissioners were upset because Gee & Jensen's proposal was so far off and it was never intended to kill the project. There was never discussion about not going forward with the Ocean Avenue project. Ms. Elizabeth Jenkins said there appears to be some controversy concerning the renaming of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Ms. Jenkins was opposed to having part of MLK, Jr. Blvd. remain that name and another part of the street known by another name. Ms. Jenkins would like to know what the City's intent is. Commissioner Black pointed out that it was one community that made this request and it will be addressed at the August 1st Commission meeting. The Commission will be able to respond to this request at that time and then the Commission will vote on the request. 4 MEETING MINUTES TOWN MEETING WITH COMMISSIONER BLACK BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA July 19, 2000 Ms. Jenkins further asked how much input would the residents have when the City starts to address what will happen on MLK Blvd.? Commissioner Black said that the residents would play an important role and would be invited to attend the meetings for their input and to tell the City what they would like to see on MLK Blvd. Mr. Bressner pointed out that the Community Forum will be playing a key role in the planning process for MLK Blvd. and the City will be working with them, as well as the residents and businesses in that area. Mr. Bressner made mention of the several police officers who were present in the audience tonight. He stated they were present tonight at the request of Chief Gage who has asked the police department staff, whenever possible, to come to some of the community meetings to see what the issues are in the City. Mr. Bressner pointed out that this Commission is doing things differently. They are bringing the meetings out on the read and each of the Commissioners have decided to have community meetings and the advisory boards are going to be requested to hold their meetings in various places throughout the City. It is important to get out into the community to meet with people. Ms. Jenkins said she would like to see more officers out in the community in order to get to know the police officers better. Commissioner Fisher requested that the officers introduce themselves. Those present tonight introduced themselves and gave a brief background on themselves. Sgt. Dave Gainsborg said that he works the midnight shift and noted there are a lot of new recruits coming on board. Mr. Bressner asked how many officers are currently in training and Sgt. Gainsborg said that the police staff is almost full strength and there are four or five still in training. Mr. Bressner pointed out that when an officer completes the academy, there is another eight weeks of field training with another officer. Mr. Bressner announced that the Citizen's Police Academy will start on September 8th or 9th and if anyone would like to attend, he will furnish them with applications. Mr. Bressner also announced that the Fire Department has an academy and he has information on that as well. Ms. Alice Otis related her experience in attending the Citizen's Police Academy, which she found very rewarding. Lt. Greg Bean introduced himself and stated he works in the professional standards division in the Police Department. Lt. Carl Miller, the evening shift lieutenant, introduced himself and stated he was present tonight with Sgt. Eric Jensen and Sgt. Lee Thompson. Sgt. Tom Wallace stated he was in charge of 5 MEETING MINUTES TOWN MEETING WITH COMMISSIONER BLACK BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA July 19, 2000 the direct patrol unit and deals mostly in street narcotics, stakeouts and burglaries. A question was asked if bicycle patrolmen would be back on the streets and Mr. Bressner replied that the City has applied for a grant to reinstate this. Ms. Beth Miller, Vice Chair of the Community Relations Board, said that their Board beginning in January 2000, decided to take their Board on the read, but had difficulty in finding facilities. Commissioner Black pointed out that there is a misconception that the City wasn't allowed to use the grade schools and this is not the case. Ms. Miller stated if they used the school facilities there is a charge and Mr. Bressner said that the City would take care of this and the advisory boards don't have to pay for the price of a janitor. The City has an Interlocal Agreement with the School Board. Also, the City is looking at the Woman's Club and the Senior Center to hold meetings. Mr. Bressner reported that there was a staff meeting held today to discuss the meeting places for all the advisory board and 15 City facilities have been identified, plus four or five community facilities. There will be no shortage of meeting spaces. Ms. Miller also said they needed assistance in getting the word out on where and when their meetings take place and have had problems in getting the information in the newspapers. Mr. Bressner requested that Ms. Miller speak with Mr. Wayne Segal, the City's PlO. Also, Mr. Bressner said at some point the Commission meetings will be broadcast on cable and he would like to be able to have this information broadcast on the cable channel. Ms. Betty Thomas stated that a few years ago the Parks and Recreation Board went from area to area for its meetings and this used to be a good arrangement. Commissioner Black suggested that Ms. Thomas bring this issue up at a Board meeting to determine if the Board would like to go back to this. Mr. Bressner noted that the City has just purchased a new bus and this would be available for any City tour that the Board may wish to take. Ms. Thomas asked how Pond B would be utilized and when would it be completed? Commissioner Black distributed a booklet throughout the audience for viewing which showed what Pond B would look like when it was completed and reviewed the Plans for the Pond. Ms. Thomas inquired when the Pond would be completed and was informed it has to be ready by the end of September. The Pond must be completed prior to the bridge opening. Mr. Currier inquired how the contaminants in the water would be handled? Mr. Bressner replied there is a filtration system and a pumping system that settles out the solids. The water is treated before the water goes back into the Intracoastal. The Pond will function as a retention area and a certain level must be maintained in the Pond at all times for aesthetic purposes. In the event of a MEETING MINUTES TOWN MEETING WITH COMMISSIONER BLACK BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA July 19, 2000 major storm the distance between the top of the water and to the top of banks would be a storage area. The water from the downtown area and the runoff from the bridge is piped and held and then released into the Intracoastal at a controlled rate and treated as it goes out. Commissioner Black announced that a groundbreaking for Ocean Avenue is scheduled for August 1st. Also, Mr. Segal is setting up a big celebration for the opening of the bridge in combination with Pond B. Mr. Edwards noted that there is a big increase in the Haitian, Guatemalan and Hispanic population in the City and would like to know how the City plans on getting these communities more involved in the City. Commissioner Black agreed that there is a diverse population in the City, but was not sure if staff has looked at this issue. Mr. Edwards would like to hear more from the various nationalities on what their view of the City is and how involved they are in the City. He suggested that the City could come up with some type of form to gamer this information. Mr. Bressner stated there is a very active involvement program at the Rolling Green School and the principal informed him that the parents of these children are somewhat reluctant to get involved in the community, but the children, through the school, have become more involved. Mr. Bressner pointed out that historically, in other parts of the country, these nationalities have not wanted to be involved in an active role within the community. Ms. Currier pointed out that at the HeadStart Program in the City, the parents of these children come out for their children. On July 30th, HeadStart will be holding its graduation and she asked everyone to attend to see all the parents that will be present. Mr. Edwards also felt that the forefathers of this community have not been given proper recognition and would like to see parks and streets named after these individuals. Commissioner Black said that a few years ago an historical survey of the City was undertaken, but nothing ever developed from the survey. However, this issue is being revisited. Commissioner Black would like to see bronze historical markers throughout the City showing how things started and how things got their names. Ms. Thomas inquired if the walkway at Pond B was connected to the walkway at Mangrove Park and Commissioner Black replied it is not connected. However, staff is looking at other things that would include Mangrove Park walkway. Ms. Centi would like to see more multi-lingual police officers and firemen hired by the City. Officer Gainsborg responded that the police department has tried to hire more minorities, but it is very difficult to recruit bi-lingual officers. There are 7 MEETING MINUTES TOWN MEETING WITH COMMISSIONER BLACK BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA July 19, 2000 many officers on the force that do speak Spanish. Sometimes, the police officers will utilize other City workers to assist with interpreting. Commissioner Black announced that at the next City Commission the following topics would be discussed: Term limits, Raises for the Commissioners, and Single member districts. If anyone has any comments on these topics, please feel free to contact the Commissioners with your opinions. With regard to who does and does not pay taxes, Commissioner Black said he went to the County to get some statistics and got some tapes from the City. He determined that there are many places throughout the City that do not pay taxes and this is not going to change. Commissioner Black would like to see a bigger Library and other things that would be good for the entire City. There is only $1million for CIP projects and the wish list came in at $66 million. Commissioner Black distributed the wish list from the CIP meetings to the audience to review. Commissioner Black reported that approximately 29% of the 27,000 people who pay taxes in our City pay somewhere between $0 and $200 in taxes. As far as areas in the City, the figures show that it is not just Sterling Village and Village Royale, but this whole section of the City is Iow. Therefore, something needs to be done about bringing this area of the City up to a better quality of life. The reason he is looking at this is from a fire protection point of view and noted that the City's response time is over seven minutes. Commissioner Black would like to see more fire stations in the City. Mr. Ferguson suggested that the City could raise some additional money by raising the fees to use the beach and raising the price for the beach decals for local residents. Also, the local option sales tax could be raised. Mr. Bressner noted that the legislature in Florida has clamped down on revenue means for municipalities and it is very difficult to find the dollars that the City needs. The City is looking at ways to generate any additional funds for some of the capital projects. At least by doing the CIP meetings, the City now knows that it has a target of $66 million for capital improvement projects. Members of the audience discussed the various projects listed on the CIP wish list. Commissioner Black pointed out that the City is looking at different ways to get some of the projects completed without having to raise the tax rate. A man in the audience requested that the Beach keep its lifeguards on duty longer than 5:30 p.m. because many people use the Beach in the evening and a 8 MEETING MINUTES TOWN MEETING WITH COMMISSIONER BLACK BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA July 19, 2000 man almost died getting caught in a rip tide and there were no lifeguards. He suggested that the lifeguard schedules be staggered in order that they could stay later to accommodate the people who use the beach in the evening. Adjournment CommiSsioner Black thanked everyone for attending tonight and concluded the meeting at 8:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Barbara M. Madden Recording Secretary (2 tapes) 9