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Minutes 04-18-96MINUTES OF THE TOWN MEETING HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1996, AT 7:00 P.M. PRESENT Gerald "Jerry" Taylor, Mayor Shirley Jaskiewicz, Vice Mayor Matthew Bradley, Commissioner Henderson Tillman, Commissioner Jamie Titcomb, Commissioner Carrie Parker, City Manager James Cherof, City Attorney Sue Kruse, City Clerk CALL TO ORDER Mayor Taylor called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m. and welcomed everyone. An invocation was offered by Commissioner Bradley, and was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Mayor Taylor explained that this is an opportunity to give the community a chance to speak out about what concerns them. Unlike the normal City Commission meetings, he did not limit the speakers to three minutes. The department heads were present to answer qLlestions. Mayor Taylor advised that we will answer any questions to the best of our ability this evening. However, certain questions may require some research. He invited the public to speak. Robert Brown, 100 Via De Casas Norte, is the Vice President of the Tradewinds Condominium Association, and the Treasurer of the Dos Lagos Homeowners' Association, which consists of 419 homes. Mr. Brown congratulated the Commission for having this town meeting. He felt it was important for the community to be heard. He would like to see more late night and early morning (4:00 a.m or 5:00 a.m.) police patrol of Miner Road, which is not lit. There are no particular major crimes, but petty thefts are constant and the people are scared that there are going to be burglaries. Mr. Brown advised that the storm sewer on the northwest corner of the Tradewinds ASsociation does not work. He asked if the City is responsible for this. City Manager Parker advised that the City is not usually responsible for storm sewers in condominium associations. Mr. Brown asked the City to take a look at it, He wished the Commission good luck, and thanked them again for having this meeting. Stella Rossi, 625 Whispering Pines Road, thanked the Commission for having this meeting. She would like to see a softer image in this City; one that is not a continuance o~ more pavement and concrete, in all neighborhoods, the streets should be lined with trees and shady. This invites people to walk and stroll. It is important that the streets are MINUTES TOWN MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 18, 1996 shaded;especially in the summer when it is very hot. They cool the streets and houses, save energy, and are attractive. Also, the right kind of trees need to be planted. Mrs. Rossi also would like a band shell. She said they have band shells in Portland, Washington, Daytona Beach, and Lake Worth. They are gathering places for people and are not obtrusive because concerts are during the afternoons on the weekends and end by 7:00 p.m. Also, they have a market on Saturdays and Sundays in Portland with vendors, musicians, jugglers, and food. Mrs. Rossi said the tiny neighborhood parks around the City of Boynton Beach are in the sun. They need a shade tree for the mothers and children. They also need some equipment. Mrs. Rossi advised that in the northwest cities, some of the streets do not have sidewalks. They simply extended the pavement to accommodate roller-bladers, bicyclists, and joggers. It also cuts down on maintenance because there is no grass there for the City to water and mew. She liked the marina design and the bridge design, but said the mangroves need to be protected because they are very crucial to our fishing industry. Mayor Taylor advised that there are plans to put an amphitheater in the Old School Square where the children's museum is going to be. He felt this was an ideal place for an amphitheater because this area will be our cultural center someday. He did not think anyone would complain about having an amphitheater in this area. He explained that people have been opposed to having a band shell in some of the other areas we considered because they felt there would be a problem with loud music. He agreed that the neighborhood parks need trees. Vice Mayor Jaskiewicz advised that some trees have been moved to the new park. She felt we will be seeing a much softer image to the City~ and advised that there are many landscaping plans that will encompass the entire City. Mayor Taylor added that there are also plans to line Boynton Beach Boulevard with trees. Commissioner Bradley liked the idea of the band shell. He felt we should continue to look for other locations for that sort of activity. If it is utilized during the middle of the day on the weekends, he did not think people would oppose it. MINUTES TOWN MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 18, 1996 Mayor Taylor stated that during the fund raiser for the Old School Square, supper was served and there was a band and the people danced on the grass. It was a family-oriented affair. He felt we should do something like this more often to bring the community together. He advised that City Manager Parker plans to have some concerts this summer thrOughout the City. We plan on holding the first one on the beach from 5:30 p.m. to sunset. Steve M¥ott represented the Royal Palm Village Neighborhood Association, which currently consists of about 200 homes. They are small, old homes. He asked the Commission to get the Neighborhood Specialist position filled. He said the Downtown Diistrict Coordinator, Ann Ford, was a great resource of information, was instrumental in getting the neighborhood associations started, and had a lot of good ideas. He said many people who are interested in the benefits of an association do not know how to get positive th!ngs going and lack the resources to make a difference. He advised that the Police DePartment has been very helpful with the formation of Crime Watch, and has always been available. Code Enforcement has also always been available. Mr. Myott looked forward tothe Commission's support and thanked them for the help they have already given. Mayor Taylor asked Mr. Myott to expand on the resources that are needed. Mr. Myott stated that Ms. Ford had a lot of experience and knew of the availability of different types ofigrants. She knew what neighborhoods have to do to be succesSful. Our neighborhood isiin a transition. It was built as a retirement community, but younger families now live thc~re. The houses are small and old, and the lots are small. It is going to be challenging toi make it an attractive family-oriented neighborhood. We need someone to help find out where this has been done before, how has it has been done, the keys to encouraging resident involvement, etc. COmmissioner Jaskiewicz stated that at a previous meeting, Mr. Myott said he knew of some people who would volunteer for a paint up/fix up program. She asked him to start a~sembling those people. She also referred to Gateway Boulevard and advised that the Interlocal Agreement has been executed, and we are hoping to progress in that area in th~ very near future. COmmissioner Bradley felt resident involvement is the linchpin to putting the City on track. It is very important that individuals feel they are being listened to and responded to. He felt community policing is a very good start, but he would like an exchange of dialogue between the City staff and the residents to extend into recreation, utilities, and public works. He said the block captains of Crime Watch are in touch with the residents on a daily basis and know their needs. He would like communication to increase to such a 3 MINUTES TOWN MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 18, 1996 level that everyone is talking to each other and ultimately the message will be received by the people who can do something about some of the problems. He felt that involvement at the very basic block level is the way to build the growth in this City. Mayor Taylor stated that one of our major goals was neighborhood revitalization, and the key to that was getting the homeowner associations started. Areas like Leisureville, Gelfview Harbour, and Hunters Run, have homeowner associations, but many of the single-family neighborhoods do not. Therefore, the City provided the resource of somebody to help the people form neighborhood associations, and Code Enforcement was brought in to enforce what those people wanted enforced in their particular neighborhoods. Through these neighborhood associations, people came together and found that they all had the same concerns in their neighborhoods. Also, this is how they get a voice to get the government to react to them. In the past year, several neighborhood associations have been formed and are doing great things. One of them picked up about three truckloads of trash one weekend. The businesses formed an association to work together to fix up the businesses along Boynton Beach Boulevard. Mayor Taylor said it is going to take time, but we want to do whatever we can to make these things happen. ViCe Mayor Jaskiewicz felt the formation of all the neighborhood associations was one of the best things that has happened over the past year. It is getting people to take pride in their areas and bringing everyone together. City Manager Parker advised that we are currently advertising for a Neighborhood Project Specialist. Tedd Ganser, 709 Buttonwood Lane, suggested combining the smaller communities like Sandalwood and Dos Lagos to get the 50 person minimum requirement in .order to have the Citizens Observer Patrol (COP) program in those neighborhoods. He volunteered to try to get that coordinated. His telephone number is 369-1053. Mayor Taylor advised that four or five more cars will be available for this program in the next four or five months. He stated that this program is extremely effective. He pointed oat that like Mr. Brown, most people will say that they need more police patrol; however, there are only a certain number of police officers. They patrol constantly. You may not see them all the time, but they cannot be everywhere. The City is divided into zones, and the police officers are shifted around constantly, depending on where the crime is happening. Therefore, it is very important that we have groups like COP to be additional eyes and ears for the Police Department. 4 MINUTES TOWN MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 18, 1996 Sadie Bercik, 2704 S.W. 4th Street, was opposed to the speed humps that are to be installed on her street because some of the residents were concerned that speeders may hit the children playing in the street. She said the petition that was circulated was for speed signs, not speed humps. She did not think speed humps will keep motorists from speeding. She asked why speed humps are not installed on every street in Boynton Beach, since motorists speed on every street and there are kids playing on those streets too. She felt it would be discriminatory to install them in her area only. Mayor Taylor stated that the subject of speed humps came up because the community requested that the Commission do something about the people speeding through their area. They feared for the children's lives. He said signs do not stop speeders. Speed humps control speed. Sometimes even their visual effect will cause people to slow down before they even get to them. They have proven effective in other communities. He said Ms. Bercik is the first person who he has heard speak against the speed humps on S.W. 4th Street. He said the Commission would only consider installing speed humps on City streets if the community wants them there. Vice Mayor Jaskiewioz stated that speed humps are different than speed bumps. Speed humps are only raised four inches over a 12 foot area and are a deterrent. Dan Boyer resides on S.W. 7th Street in Lake Boynton Estates. He is currently President of the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Native Plant Society. He thinks the City of Boynton Beach is one of the finest cities along Florida's Gold Coast, and he enjoys living here. He would like to see the City become more of a an environmentally-oriented city. The City has done this already to a certain extent with the garbage recycling programs, the environmentally preserved areas, the tree planting programs, and the parks, but he felt we could do more. He would like the City to consider additional landscaping along some of the streets and parks. For example, where he lives, there are many Melaleuca trees planted along the streets. They are exotic pest trees and cause allergic reactions. He encou~ aged the City to consider replacing them with more desirable trees like Oaks or Sabal He felt to bea trees, exotic Florida becau~ dune s =alms. Boynton Beach Oceanfront Park is a gem, but that we are missing an opportunity Jtify it with native coastal hardwood trees and palms like Paradise trees, Geiger .~ilver Palms, or Thatch Palms to give the park a natural Florida look. Years ago, )alms were planted there. They are yellow now and do not represent the real Also, the City planted Beach Scaevola there. This is an environmental problem it is invading the dune system at the beach. It will grow taller and take over the ,stem as it has done in Delray Beach. In addition, it blocks the view of the ocean. 5 MINUTES TOWN MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 18, 1996 P Delray Beach is replacing this plant with indigenous dune species. Beach Scaevola is a category 1 exotic pest plant on Florida's list of the most invasive plant species. He asked the City to look into this matter. Mr. Boyer advised that light fixtures that cast light skyward waste energy and do not contribute to safety, security, or utility. He said we have lighting like this in the City. He noticed that the proposed Ocean Avenue Bridge has decorative lighting that is not shielded. The light will go straight up and sideways into the mangrove areas. This is a waste of energy and is not very good environmentally. He would not like to see the City repeat the mistake the City of Boca Raton made. If you drive on U.S. 1 in Boca Raton south of Mizner Park at night, the lighting there is horrendous. It looks like Coney Island. There is a great deal of glare and a great deal of energy waste. Jeanne Chwalik, 535 N.W. 4th Avenue, Delray Beach, Florida 33444, telephone number 276-4603, has worked in the City of Boynton Beach with youth programs throughout the years and has taught school here. At the present time, she has a code violation that she is having difficulty dealing with. She has been teaching baton twirling in the City for about 20 years with the Recreation Department, and as her program grew, she had requests for private lessons. Initially, she taught them in a parking lot or in her driveway, but decided this was not safe for her students. She looked for a place that would be safer and would provide the correct environment. Storefronts are unacceptable because the ceilings are very Iow. She found a warehouse with high ceilings, a smooth floor, and caged lights, which met her needs. However, she was notified that she was in violation because that area is zoned light industrial and she is not permitted to teach baton twirling in a light industrial area. She asked for suggestions on how to allow this type of activity to continue in this warehouse. Mayor Taylor asked how many students are in a class at one time. Ms. Chwalik said her classes contain four to eight students, but most of the time she does private lessons at the warehouse. She holds her big classes at the Civic Centers in Boynton Beach and Delray Beach. She holds her small classes at the warehouse because the Civic Centers are booked. City Manager Parker advised that this area is zoned light industrial. We looked at every permutation of teaching that we could under the Code and none of those classifications are allowed in that zone. There is no variance procedure for this. The only option is to amend the Code to allow this use and then, of course, it would apply to all the light industrial zones in the City. She said it had been suggested that Ms. Chwalik use one of the community schools. 6 MINUTES TOWN MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 18, 1996 Mayor Taylor asked if there is any other Code problem besides the use. City Manager Parker stated that we did not look to see if there is adequate parking, etc., since the use is not allowed. Mayor Taylor suggested holding lessons in a park. Ms. Chwalik stated that parks are not good because of the grass and the heat. She said it is much better for the children to be inside. She said she was asked to leave several places because she was on City property. Commissioner Bradley asked if she had approached Congress Community School. MS. Chwalik said she approached all the schools and their facilities are booked. FQrthermore, they do not want you giving a lesson for one child that might bring them only $3 or $4. Mayor Taylor promised that we will look into this to see if we can find a solution. Fritz Pinis is the President of the Seacrest Villa Apartments, which is south of the Boat Ramp Park. He said the park is supposed to be closed at 10:00 p.m. and open only for fishermen. However, a lot of other activities go on there after 10:00 p.m., particularly on the weekends. People drive in there with their radios blaring, and talking loudly. Two weeks ago, on a Saturday, from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., there was a group there having a party. The boom boxes were so loud that he could not hear his television. He called the POlice Department, as he has done on other occasions. The Monday after that, he met wi~h Sgt. Carrion. Sgt. Carrion called the lady in the Recreation Department who issues the permits and found that they generally tell the people that they cannot consume alcohol inthe park. (Mr. Pinis said he can go there everyday and find empty beer cans in all the disposal areas.) The lady in the Recreation Department said she does not ask people if they are going to be playing music. However, if they mention it, she tells them to keep it down. Mr. Pinis said the Police Department has always been good about coming out there when he has called. The problem is that the people are gone before they get there. He realizes that they have more important matters to take care of: He suggested installing gates so that people cannot drive in there, or posting a warning sign about being there after 10:00 p.m. and about being there for anything other than fishing. He knows the Police DePartment is working on this and he appreciates that. He asked for whatever assistance the Commission can offer. A resident of 281 N.E. 19th Avenue commended the Boynton Beach Police Department. EWell Miller, 1399 S.W. 30th Avenue, said he has heard a lot of things mentioned this evening about trees, crime, etc., including Citizens Observers Patrol, which he thought was · an excellent idea. However, he said it is a known fact that criminals commit crimes as long aS they are willing to pay the price society charges. He did not think it was a matter of how 7 MINUTES TOWN MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 18, 1996 many police officers we have. He felt we need more severe penalties. He felt we have a good police force, and has heard good things about Chief Gage. Mr. Miller said he is a businessman in Boynton Beach and employs approximately 120 people. He would like to see more businesses come into Boynton Beach. He thinks the way to draw more businesses is to look at the cost to bring businesses in. He said certain communities have volunteer fire departments. He has heard that we employ over 80 firefighters in the City. City Manager Parker explained that we have a joint fire emergency medical service. Tt~erefore, the words "Fire Department" is a little bit of a misnomer. All of our firefighters are certified EMTs and a good number of them are paramedics. We run an ambulance service, and the majority of our calls are medical related. We have very few fire calls. Therefore, we could have a volunteer fire department, but that would not necessarily reduce the medical needs of our population and the ambulance service that we provide. Mr. Miller would like to see less government. He felt this would attract more business. He felt fire rescue should be viewed from a free enterprise standpoint. He thinks the City should get out of this business. He felt we are competing with free enterprise. The cost of the firefighters and equipment is a major expense. With regard to life safety, he said we need to have elite teams for saving lives, but not the cost of firefighters. He is a businessman and has insurance. He said the firefighters are going to watch his warehouse barn if it catches on fire. They are not going to risk their lives to save his equipment and electrical materials. He felt the cost of insurance is such that it is almost double taxation to pay for people to be on staff in the capacity of firefighters, medics, etc., as well as having his own insurance that he pays for as a business person. He felt it would be beneficial to the City if the Commission took these items under consideration. Al Stanley lives in Leisureville. He said the City had to borrow the money to pay for the Tradewinds settlement. Also, they had no money to give the police and fire a raise. Yet, they had money for this beautiful City Hall which has many things wrong with it. Also, two boardwalks were built in a period of ten years. The boardwalk is the lousiest job he has ever seen. The boardwalk is very uneven. He asked if there is anyone in City Hall who could look into the jobs we give out to contractors. When you give out a contract for millions of dollars, it should be investigated and the job should be looked at as it is being done. Dennis Dougherty, 703 Sunset Road, thanked the Commission for this forum. He hoped more of these forums would be held. He opposed the speed humps. He thinks they are 8 MINUTES TOWN MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 18, 1996 appropriate in shopping centers and private communities only. He agreed with Ms. Bercik that if you are going to put them on one street, you should put them on every street. He wondered how much it would cost to put them on every street. He said if you put humps on one street, other people are going to want them. He did not think this was the answer. He said there is a park three blocks away from the street where the humps are proposed to be installed, and he never saw anyone playing in that park. He said he can go down that block at 25 miles per hour, which is the speed limit, and easily hit a kid diving into the street. A speed hump will not make a difference unless you put it every five feet. He felt the Commission should listen to all the people, not just a small group of people who make a lot of noise. Mayor Taylor said a group of people asked the Commission about speed humps, and it was in the newspaper the next day. After that, three other areas called him to ask for sl~eed humps in their neighborhoods. A series of three speed humps are needed to be effective, the cost of which would be $1,000. Commissioner Bradley stated that the City is not expending any funds. He advised that the homeowners are paying for the speed humps. Mr. Dougherty asked if the speed humps are definitely going to be installed on the street in question. Mayor Taylor advised that staff is studying this situation and will present their report to the City Commission to make the final decision. Commissioner Titcomb said he will advise Mr. Dougherty when this item is placed on the agenda. Mr. Dougherty asked if the water tower is going to be painted. Mayor Taylor said it is not going to be painted. He advised that it costs $250,000 to paint towers, and they have to be painted every four or five years. Mr. Dougherty would have liked the words "Boynton Beach" on the top of the tower to have been bigger for advertising purposes. He said you cannot see them from 1-95. Commissioner Jaskiewicz advised that we have discussed realigning the lights so that they shine on the words "Boynton Beach". Mir. Dougherty said he heard some talk about an ordinance that would eliminate trailers and commercial vehicles in residential areas. He did not want to see 50 foot campers and tractor/trailers parked in driveways. He asked if this could be done retroactively. He also asked how it would be enforced. Commissioner Jaskiewioz explained that she was concerned with community appearance. A survey was taken of all the other communities inl South Florida to see how those cities enforce particular things. We have never had an o~dinance that addressed painting of homes or rotten fascia board. We also were concerned with parking on swales. We came to a consensus on the way that we wanted homes to be maintained. That was put into effect about two weeks ago. We felt we 9 MINUTES TOWN MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 18, 1996 needed more study on boats, driveways, and trailers. We will have a workshop on this and invite people to attend and give their opinions before any ordinance is enacted. It can be enforced, and it can be improved. We are not considering prohibiting them entirely. We are considering having them park on the sides of houses. Mr. Dougherty felt the whole downtown revitalization is very important. He asked how much it will cost the City to restore the old school where the museum is planned. City Manager Parker advised that the total cost for restoration of the building, excluding any interior furnishings or museum exhibits, is about $1.2 million. The City has allocated $300,000, and the State has funded $600,000. The community must raise the remaining $300,000. No money from the State or City has been allocated for the interior museum exhibits yet. This sounded reasonable to Mr. Dougherty. He told the Commission to keep up the good work. Klm Kelly owns the Cafe Barista in the Central Business District. She inquired about the facade loan for business owners and the County grant program for new businesses coming into the downtown. She asked if the City has any other plans for this area and, if so, what the time limitations are. Mayor Taylor stated that the Economic Development Grant should come before the County Commission in the next 60 days. MS. Kelly asked if she WOuld still be eligible for the grant even though she already opened her business. City Manager Parker advised that the City set aside $50,000 for the facade program, and applied for the County's $50,000 grant program. The County program has been approved at the staff level and has to go to the County Commission for final vote. Inthe meantime, three business owners, including Ms. Kelly, have put in applications over the past year. They have already made improvements. Since Ann Ford has left, City Manager Parker has not had the time to write up the criteria. She asked the Commission how they felt about retrofunding the pending applications. Mayor Taylor asked if matching money is required. City Manager Parker said we used the City's $50,000 to match the money. Matching money is required for the interior, but not for the exterior. Mayor Taylor could not tell Ms. Kelly when the Commission will be addressing this issue. Ms. Kelly left her telephone number to be called when that information is available. Her telephone number is 586-941, and her pager number is 854-3589. 10 MINUTES TOWN MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 18, 1996 Betty Zolten was concerned about the median on Gateway Boulevard from Seacrest Boulevard to High Ridge Road. She said all the entrances to Boynton Beach are unattractive. She understands that DOT is now in charge of the medians. She asked when the City is going to take them over and start to beautify the area. City Manager Parker explained that Ms. Zolten is referring to the 1-95 interchanges. The only one that has been funded right now is Boynton Beach Boulevard, and they are supposed to be starting that this week. The Gateway and Woolbright intersections are on the plan but have not yet been funded. Ms. Zolten stated that trash is not picked up and lays in front of homes and driveways for weeks. She said nobody gets off the trucks to pick up the trash, and if they cannot pick up tree branches or furniture, or if it is not tied in a neat bundle, they leave it lay there. Mayor Taylor explained that piled up trash is picked up once a week. Commissioner Jaskiewicz added they will still be picked up if someone calls the City. Mr. Myott noticed a car fender laying in the yard of one of the homes on Gateway Boulevard for a couple of weeks. Bob Eichorst advised that we are in the process of advising the residents of that home that we are going to haul it away this time and in the future, they will be charged a minimum of $25.00 for hauling. Mr. Eichorst stated that as a rule, we do not pick up auto parts. MS. Zolten also expressed concern about street lights. She has reported 60 street lights that were out. She said no one else seems to report them. She wondered if the police officers could report them if they notice them out during their patrol. She also felt we need better street lighting. Mayor Taylor said this is the only City that he knows of that picks up everything that is put oat, but a car fender should be taken to the junk yard by the owner. If the clam truck picks up something on Tuesday and someone puts something out on Wednesday, it could sit there for a week. However, they are normally very good about picking it up if you call them. Mayor Taylor advised that this matter will be looked into, especially the area in question. City Manager Parker stated that Ms. Zolten is very good about going around the entire area an~l reporting street lights that are out. She said many times we have no way of knowing that they are out. Unfortunately, with some of the Florida Power and Light cutbacks, we are not getting as quick a response as we used to get. Mayor Taylor advised that we can also check into this. He asked if they are being replaced and knocked right back out. City 11 MINUTES TOWN MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 18, 1996 Manager Parker said we have an agreement with FPL that if we think it is a vandalism situation or that the lights are being shot out, we will let FPL know and they will install hooded protectors in those areas. Commissioner Titcomb felt the City does a very good job at picking up the garage. He was surprised to see trucks back into off areas of the City and dump loads of garbage. He wondered if that garbage is coming from other cities. He said perhaps a second component to this could be enforcement issues that come down hard on people caught dumping. Marie Shepard, 140 W. Ocean Avenue, hoped progress is being made toward getting a high school in Boynton Beach. Commissioner Bradley advised that he and a group of people from the City went to Dr. Joan Kowal's (the new Superintendent of Schools) office today and aggressively discussed the high school in Boynton Beach. As plans come into focus, he will keep us informed. He advised that the high school has not been forgotten. We think it is a crucial component in the feeder school system. Dr. Kowal has been invited to speak at the Education Advisory Board meeting on May 2 at 6:30 p.m. in the Commission Chambers. He urged everyone to attend to show their interest in a high school. In addition, he felt it was very important for us'to show up in full force at the School Board meetings to let them know that we want to be next on the list to get a high school built. Commissioner Jaskiewicz stated that we have a excellent Education Advisory Board that places emphasis on education priorities in our City. They are doing a tremendous job for the educational system in this City. They meet on the first Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m. in Commission Chambers. Mayor Taylor was sure the Visioning Assembly will be focusing on this matter. Liinda Szatmary, Vice Chair of Community Affairs of the Boynton Beach Chamber of C0mmeme, thanked the Commission for having this town meeting. She said the Chamber considers itself one of the City's partners in business. The Chamber supports the City's efforts to recruit an Economic Development Officer, and would appreciate being involved inthe selection process. Kathy Shabotynskyj, President of the Board of Directors of the Greater Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce, presented Mayor Taylor with a check, in the amount of $1,000.00, for the Visioning Conference. Mayor Taylor thanked the Chamber and stated that we appreciate what they are doing. He informed the public that the Commission has met 12 MINUTES TOWN MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 18, 1996 several times with the Chamber of Commerce to discuss how we can work together to help develop economic incentives in the community. We want to be open to business and broaden the tax base in the community to get the money for the programs we want to implement, instead of it coming from the taxpayers' pockets. Sarah Williams thanked the Commission for this opportunity tonight to share our cdncerns, and for the meetings at the Bible Church of God and St. John Missionary Baptist Cl~urch. She thanked all who gave support toward the betterment of Boynton Beach. MS. Williams said the drug problem is serious in the area of MLK Boulevard and N.E. 11th Avenue. She thanked Chief Gage and his staff for their support in cleaning up the area. She made an appeal for all efforts and support to help to clean up the area. Drug deals arb made and open court gambling is going on along the streets in question. She asked wino owns the property at the very edge of the street. She said that is where the drug deals a6d open gambling occur. She said she received a citation about some rental property she oWns. She said this house is historical. She stated that she had the Police Department put her place under surveillance, and they broke the windows and doors because a drug s~.le was expected. Ms. Williams advised that she maintains her property. She said she received a courtesy letter letting her know about the new appearance code. It did not state what the violation was. She felt it was a shame that the City cites people for the maintenance of their property, but allows this kind of blight and deals to take place on the C!ty's property. She appealed to the Commission to do something about this. Mlayor Taylor was familiar with what is happening along MLK Boulevard. He said we have t~ reeducate people not to throw their garbage down right where they are. He advised that tile City spends $30,000.00 a year to do special trash pickups on MLK Boulevard three times a week. We do not do this anywhere else in the City. We also pick up the City lots, al~ the way down to the edge of the road. We tried to build a pride in the people, and it has tq come from within. One of the goals is to reVitalize MLK Boulevard and to bring b~Jsinesses in there to fill the empty lots. Chief Gage and his staff have refocused their e~forts on cleaning the drugs out of there. He was sorry to hear that Ms. Williams' property was damaged: Clty Manager Parker advised that a claim has been filed against the City's insurance cgmpany to pay for the repair of the windows and doors. Additionally, Chief Gage has been focusing efforts on MLK Boulevard. In the last two weeks, in cooperation with the Sheriff's Office, 56 drug arrests were made. City Manager Parker also advised Ms. Williams that the County has adopted a new program for historic buildings. We have recently started an historic site survey of buildings in the City. She told Ms. Williams to 13 MINUTES TOWN MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 18, 1996 give Tambri Hoyden her building address and Ms. Hoyden will find out if she qualifies for some historic grant money to fix up her house. Vice Mayor Jaskiewicz stated that Chief Gage has emphasized a lot of effort in the area in question. Unfortunately, she felt the judicial system fails us. She ventured to say that of those 56 arrests made, everyone of them will be out on the street again. This is why you cannot lick the drug problem as it exists today. She felt we need more support through the Legislature. The laws need to be changed. It is not that the police are not doing their jobs; they are just not getting the help they need to keep the criminals off the street. Mayor Taylor stated that the people can do something. When they go to the polls to elect judges, they do not know which judges turn criminals loose and which put them in jail. Perhaps at election time, the newspapers could print the records of those judges. Then the people could make a better decision about who they want to vote for. Commissioner Bradley advised that over 100 people participated in the first Wrice march, and the feeling of power that existed was incredible. He was not sure we will solve the drug problem until the community is fed up enough and takes charge of the situation themselves. The Police Department does its job; however, unless we take our streets back,: nothing is going to change. B~ d. Gran thanked the Commission for this opportunity. She has spent many years working in the drug and addiction field with adolescents. She said we have to take our c~mmunities back. She thought the Wrice Process was the answer until she read in the newspaper that it fell apart because of economics; because people are surviving from drug money. She would like to restore and beautify the City. She felt we can take our City back. She also felt that we do not have to spend $30,000.00 on one area just because p~ople do not care. She felt we need to go back to the values that this country was founded on. Commissioner Tillman advised that there are some processes going on to deal with the dr~g problem, spruce up the area, and make it a part of the City. However, it is going to take ~ime. In addition, the City, police, and judges can only do so much. The community has tO take their neighborhood back. MyraiJones advised that the anti drug marches and the Wrico Process are alive and well. She .~ aid Code Enforcement made a statement that as a result of the anti drug marches, peopl a are taking care of their violations. She stated that there are "for sale" signs on a ceupl .~ of houses and the drug dealers are gone. Also, on the north side of St. John 14 MINUTES TOWN MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 18, 1996 MiSsionary Baptist Chumh there used to be some people who harassed us. They are not there any more and the house is boarded up. We are making progress. We will be celebrating our one year anniversary on July 12th and 13th. The Wrice Process participants from Ohio, Georgia, Texas, and all over Florida are coming down to help us. The Police Department has been very supportive and has protected us and marched with us. Also, we are the only City in Florida that has had the Commission support us and march with us. In addition, the City Manager has been very effective in getting the employees to help us. At this time, Chief Gage introduced Jim Culver, the new Volunteer Coordinator/Public Information Officer in the Police Department. Mayor Taylor could not praise the people who participate in the Wrice Process enough. He urged everyone to at least experience one march. He said it is the safest place in all of Boynton Beach to be on a Friday or Saturday night because of our fantastic Police Department. Al!len Polak, 645 W. Ocean Avenue, stated that about three years ago, the City inadvertently turned off the water in 42 homes because of nonpayment of water bills. He sdggested bringing back the red tag system and placing red tags on people's doorknobs to remind them to pay their water bill or their water will be shut off in 24 hours. Mayor Taylor explained that people get two water bills before the City even thinks about sl~utting off their water. The method of putting red tags on doors was discontinued for economic purposes. City Manager Parker explained that we used to have a 30 day shut off/tag system. Now we have a 45 day shut off/double billing system. Commissioner J~skiewicz stated that there was a problem associated with the doorknob hangers. Sometimes they blew off or were removed by children, and people never received them. Ciiy Manager Parker added that some people were embarrassed to have a tag on their door. Mi. Polak pointed out the City requires people to put up a deposit, but they still shut their water off. He felt the City should take into consideration that they do not pay the people interest on that money. Mr. Polak stated that according to the Code, if the customer is home and is willing to write a check out to pay his water bill, the check would be accepted. Ohe employee refused to take his check. Diane Reese stated that we do not encourage our meter readers to take money from customers because it is a liability for the meter readers. A lot of customers want to pay in cash, and we do not want to put that re~sponsibility on the meter reader. The meter reader would have to stop reading meters 15 MINUTES TOWN MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 18, 1996 and bring that cash into the City. However, we are looking into a new voluntary system to notify customers of delinquent accounts by telephone. Mayor Taylor added that we now refund all residential deposits after 24 months if the customer has a good payment record. Otis Walker, 707 N.W. 3rd Street, said the Florida Highway Patrol is releasing troopers to the cities that participate in the patrol of 1-95. He would like Boynton Beach to participate in this program. He felt this would be a great help to our Police Department. Mr. Walker stated that the City has many advisory board members that have given 20, 25 or30 years of continuous service to the City. They are award~ad with a certificate at the annual board dinner. He pointed out that advisory board members come and go. He sL~ggested that the ones who have given continuous service to the City over a period of time be awarded with a pin or with the same award that the City employees get. Mayor TaYlor thought that was a good suggestion. MI'. Walker said the Wrice Process really works. He commended City Manager Carrie Parker and the Mayor and Commissioners who gave us the resoumes to help clean up the street. We have made a dent and will continue to make dents, but we need participation from the residents in those areas where we march. The only cooperation we have received thus far is from Rolling Green and Ridgewood Hills. We need help from other residents. Mike Bottcher, 148 S.W. 24th Avenue, felt the Commission was doing a great job turning the City around and pushing forward into the future where it needs to be going. He cdmmended Commissioner Bradley for his statements in the Sun-Sentinel yesterday and erlcouraged the rest of the Commission to work with him to find ways to curtail the activities of the topless establishments in the City. He said these establishments give our fide City a negative perception. RObert Brown suggested printing a telephone number on the water bills every month so people can call confidentially to report drug activity. Ms. Reese anticipated going to an envelope system next year so that notices of special events can be mailed with the utility ROY Fraker, a resident of West Boynton Beach and an active business person in the community, thanked the present Commission for bringing us this far. He felt the open workshops that the present Commission holds help push our City into the future. He 16 MINUTES TOWN MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 18, 1996 reminded everyone that many people, including the present Commission and Virginia Farace, marched before the Palm Beach County School Board and insisted that Poinciana not be leveled. We not only saved Poinciana from being leveled, but we received a remodeling grant. He believes the same people are going to be standing before the School Board insisting on a high school. He said there were quite a few residents who had to stand behind them because the School Board does not listen to elected officials in few numbers. They listen to large groups of community people who vote them into where they sit: Mr. Fraker asked how long the Neighborhood Specialist position has been budgeted, along with the Economic Development position. He also asked why the Chamber of Commerce was not included in the Economic Development portion so we could bring other entities like Palm Beach County Tourism Development and Economic Development, etc., to our City. He also asked how long the interview process takes. He said interviews were conducted in September and 17 applications were received, but for some reason the application and interview processes are being started over again. City Manager Parker explained that those positions were budgeted since October. We have not interviewed for the Economic Development Coordinator. We have done nothing with that position because we were rewriting the job description. We recently published it iin the trade magazines, the main street publications, the downtown development association publications, and various newspapers. She said Mr. Fraker was part of that procedure. When we went out for the first time on the Neighborhood Specialist position, we lost some of the applications, so we are starting over to give everyone a fair chance. Mr. Fraker pointed out that the Visioning Conference is going to take place on May 2nd. After that conference, he wanted to get to work. He hoped the Economic Development COordinator and the Neighborhood Specialist are on staff by then or shortly after. City Manager Parker advised that we are very busy hiring several senior staff. We had three department heads leave this year. We have new positions to fill that are very critical to the whole process. She reiterated that these positions were only budgeted from OCtober, and in October we had no job descriptions. They were only conceptual ideas. We are moving forward. She apologized that Mr. Fraker's application was lost in the process. Mr. Fraker felt that the Commission, City Manager Parker, and staff have done an excellent job in promoting our City. 17 MINUTES TOWN MEETING BOY'NTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 18, 1996 Mr. Fraker said he has spoken to many of the residents and volunteers and there seems to be a communication gap within the City. He is a business owner and private business consultant. He assists people in developing businesses and making sure that they stay in ;business longer than a year. He said there is a certain degree of business ethics and customer service orientation that go along with business. You always have to put your customers first and if you de not, you find yourself with no money and out of business. When our current President of the United States was elected, there was a lot of talk about bringing quality management into our government. He was excited about that because if they put the customer first, that means the voice of the people would be heard. Some of his experiences in the City show a lack of communication. He explained the difficulty with contacting department heads, specifically Parks and Recreation, getting questions answered, getting phone calls returned, and screening of calls. He wondered if we might look into how big businesses operate, grow, prosper, and become very successful through the use of quality management. Does the customer come first? Does the customer deserve an answer to a question within 24 hours and if they cannot get an answer in 24 hours, are they at least notified in writing that the problem is being worked on? That kind of accountability would reassure our residents and give the newspapers nothing to write about. He commended the City Commission for returning his calls or dropping him a note. He said he does not get that same response from department heads. He realizes they are busy, but he felt communication is a must. He said there has been a serious problem with communication and in getting department heads to be cooperative with volunteers and communicating their wishes and needs, and advising what is being done and what is not being done. He suggested looking at our standards and how we respond to our citizens' needs, how we answer them, how quickly we answer them, and in what manner. He has been treated with a little bit of disrespect by department heads. He would like that looked at, and he would like a system in place that would ensure that in the future when volunteer p[ojects are embarked upon, department heads treat the volunteers with respect and dignity, return phone calls, and answer questions so that we do not lose volunteers because the department heads are too busy. He asked if we can look at the City as a business and treat the citizens as our customers and try to work for a little better communication. Overall, he was impressed and happy to be in the City, anxious to be annexed, and looked forward to working with the City on Visions. He also looked forward to many more years of successful business/City relations. Vice Mayor Jaskiewicz would not judge the efficiency of a department head by him sitting behind his desk. Mayor Taylor said many of our 49,085 citizens call and there is no way that a department head could take all those calls. He said the department heads work for City Manager Parker and respond to her. He understands Mr. Fraker's concept about running the City like a business; however, he said you cannot reach a CEO of any other 18 MINUTES TOWN MEETING BOYNTON BEACIt, FLORIDA APRIL 18, 1996 company this evening. However, you can get through to the City Manager and the Commission. He said the Commission's job is to respond to the people and advised Mr. Fraker to call the Commission if he needs something from the department heads. He said the department head probably would not get anything done if they did nothing but answer the phone. With regard to the two positions Mr. Fraker asked about, Mayor Taylor stated that those positions have been open since October, but there have been a lot more priorities in the City. We have hired some very high level people and have worked on some very high level projects. He said he meets at least weekly with the City Manager and usually has a minimum of 20 projects for her. He pointed out that he is one Commissioner and that the other Commissioners also have projects for the City Manager. He does not know how City Manager Parker balances all those balls in the air at one time, but she does. He said she relies on staff. He stated that every citizen's complaint is equally important, and we want to respond to all of them. He advised Mr. Fraker to use the correct communication line and COme to the Commission. He agreed that service is the product that we provide. He said we need to deliver it in the best and quickest way possible, and we keep working to do that everyday. Commissioner Bradley announced that on Friday, April 26th, at 6:00 p.m., there is going tobe a ribbon cutting ceremony for the children's playground. He said this is real evidence of change in Boynton Beach, and evidence demonstrates commitment and change. Commissioner Titcomb thanked the people for participating in this town meeting. He has enjoyed this process of listening without going through the formal procedures normally associated City Commission meetings. He hoped we do this at least once a year to keep the dialogue going. COmmissioner Tillman also thanked the public for coming out. He said this forum is e~idence of change. He stated that this level of concern and participation had not existed previously. He felt Boynton Beach is at a prime spot, is where a city should be, and that it can only get better. ViCe Mayor Jaskiewicz advised that a year ago we became very focused on goals and have worked very hard to achieve them. Communication was one goal. She was proud of what we have accomplished this past year. Mayor Taylor also thanked everyone for coming out. He asked them to let other people know if they have enjoyed this format. He promised to hold more of them. He said there 19 MINUTES TOWN MEETING BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA APRIL 18, 1996 is no problem that is unsolvable if we talk about it and look at it together, and there is no problem that this community cannot overcome. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the City Commission, the meeting was adiourned at 9:50 p.m. CITY OFBOYNTON BEACH ATTEST: Mayor / , ~/~~q'ice M yor / / ~ (~ommissioner ' CitYC'Clerk Recording Secretary (Four Tapes) sioner ,~m/missioner 20