Item No. Orange Park, Florida The meeting of the Orange Park Town Council was called to order in the Town Hall Council Chambers at 7 p.m. with Mayor Gary Meeks presiding. Other Councilmen present were Vice-Mayor Eugene Nix, Councilman J.B. Renninger, Councilman Scott Land, and Councilman Steve Howard. Also in attendance were Town Manager Jim Hanson, Fire Chief Ty Silcox, Finance Director John Villanueva, Attorney Sam Garrison of Kopelousos, Bradley & Garrison, and Town Clerk Sarah Campbell. The invocation was given by Vice-Mayor Nix followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. MAYOR TO CALL ON ANYONE IN AUDIENCE WISHING TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL Mr. Drew DeCandis, Clay County Council on Aging, addressed the Council regarding their agency's 40 year history. They currently have a $5,000,000 budget for the transit operations and the aging operations. They have had no funding increases in four years. He requested a contribution of $35,000 from the Town to help support their Orange Park Senior Center. Any amount would be helpful or they will consider closing centers one day per week. Mr. Ron Flowers, 461 McIntosh Avenue, described the history of the sign located at the park next door to the T.C. Miller Community Center. Mr. Herbert Wilbert was a coach and pioneer of Orange Park Athletic Association in the 1960s. Mr. Robert Hunter was a volunteer at the center and helped with the weight lifting program. He paid for all of the equipment himself. Mr. Sherman Smith, 1710 Wells Road, spoke about the inspiration that these gentlemen provided to young people through their efforts. He stated that he is proud of the community and the Center. When he thinks about the goals for the Center he thinks of these two individuals who inspired them to start the programs. PROCLAMATION FOR LUPUS MONTH Councilman Renninger moved to approve the proclamation for Lupus Month. Councilman Land seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 5 to 0. Ms. Campbell will mail this proclamation to the requesting group. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING DATED APRIL 21, 2015 Vice-Mayor Nix moved to approve the Council minutes of the meeting dated April 21, 2015. Councilman Howard seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 5 to 0.
Page 2 FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE DESIGNATING TOWN PARKS AND ESTABLISHING RULES Vice-Mayor Nix moved to approve the first reading of an ordinance designating Town parks and establishing rules. Councilman Howard seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 5 to 0. Ms. Campbell read the ordinance into the record, by title only. FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE FOR HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SPILL COST RECOVERY Vice-Mayor Nix moved to approve the first reading of an ordinance for hazardous material spill cost recovery. Councilman Howard seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 5 to 0. Ms. Campbell read the ordinance into the record, by title only. FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE AMENDING OF THE 14-15 BUDGET FOR THE SECOND TIME Vice-Mayor Nix moved to approve the first reading of an ordinance amending the 14-15 Budget for the second time. Councilman Howard seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 5 to 0. Ms. Campbell read the ordinance into the record, by title only. RESOLUTION ACCEPTING TRANSFER OF FDOT LORING AVENUE POND Attorney Garrison stated that FDOT intends to convey four parcels of land to the Town pursuant to a 2004 agreement. They need a resolution from the Council in order to start the conveyance process. The agreement was originally signed in order for FDOT to construct a storm water retention pond on this land. The Town was paid approximately $199,000 in 2004 when the agreement was signed. Vice-Mayor Nix asked about the cost to maintain the property. Mr. Hanson stated that it will cost the Town $3,360 per year for a contractor to maintain this area. Councilman Howard moved to approve the resolution accepting the transfer of property from FDOT. Vice-Mayor Nix seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 5 to 0. RESOLUTION DESIGNATING AND NAMING TOWN PARKS Mayor Meeks stated that he would like to pull this item for additional research. He would like to have more information regarding Mr. Fromhart and his contributions of land for Orange Park Athletic Association. Vice-Mayor Nix asked if the Somer s Sunshine Park was already named and could be removed from this list. Mayor Meeks stated that the Council did designate the name, but it should be done formally through the resolution process.
Page 3 Councilman Renninger commented on the need to hold off on the naming until the naming procedures were defined in a standard way. Councilman Land questioned the definition of parks. He noted that the second parcel at the TC Miller Community Center has previously been named separately and has its own address. Councilman Howard commented on whether the Magnolia Cemetery should be included in this list. Attorney Garrison stated that the Cemetery is named in the charter and can be treated differently. The Council continue to discussion on park types, locations, and amenities. Vice-Mayor Nix moved to amend the resolution. The Council discussed amending the resolution tonight or making all changes and adopting the resolution at a future meeting. Vice-Mayor Nix withdrew his motion. Mr. Hanson stated that a staff report on the naming of parks can be provided. It will include information on Mr. Fromhart s history with the property and the two parcels at the T.C. Miller Community Center. Councilman Howard requested information regarding the grant that was provided to the Skateboard Park and whether any formal name was used in the grant process. APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO THE CULTURE & RECREATION COMMITTEE Councilman Renninger moved to nominate Mr. Eric Lashley, Ms. Cindy Cheatwood, and Mr. John Capes to serve as members of the Culture and Recreation Committee for this year. Councilman Howard seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 5 to 0. APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO THE LAND USE PLANNING & POLICY COMMITTEE Vice-Mayor Nix questioned what happened to the previously formed Economic Development Committee. Attorney Garrison stated that this committee was combined with Site Plan Review last year to form the Land Use Planning and Policy Committee. Vice-Mayor Nix moved to nominate Mr. Frank Ricketts, Mr. Al Tidball, and Mr. Jim Hawkinson to serve as members of the Land Use Planning and Policy Committee for this year. Councilman Renninger seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 5 to 0.
Page 4 APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY/PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE Councilman Howard moved to nominate Mr. Jerry Linder, Mr. R.B. Juneau, and Mr. Ron Reese to serve as members of the Public Safety/Public Works Committee for this year. Councilman Renninger seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 5 to 0. APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Councilman Land moved to nominate Ms. Mary Hawkins, Ms. Connie Thomas, and Mr. Frank Ricketts to serve as members of the General Government Administration Committee for this year. Vice-Mayor Nix seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 5 to 0. APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO THE BUDGET & FINANCE COMMITTEE Mayor Meeks moved to nominate all of the members of the current Town Council and Ms. Barbara Davidson, and Ms. Sharon Kraus to serve as members of the Budget and Finance Committee for this year. Vice-Mayor Nix seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 5 to 0. AUTHORIZATION TO APPROVE DESIGN OF TOWN COUNCIL SIGN Mr. Hanson presented information on the proposed sign including costs and design. Vice-Mayor Nix recommended the addition of a sign that states Planning and Zoning Board Meeting at 7 PM Tonight. He recommended that 7 PM be included on both signs as the meeting start time. Councilman Howard agreed that noticing Planning and Zoning Board meetings is important. Councilman Land asked about the origin of calling the Town a bird and tree sanctuary. Ms. Campbell stated that an ordinance was passed previously by the Council that names the Town a bird sanctuary. Mr. John Capes, 1522 River Rd., stated that sometimes the Council meetings are held at different times. Vice-Mayor Nix questioned why the Council is approving the hanging sign which announces the meetings. Mr. Hanson stated that the poles were installed to advertise for upcoming special events. There was a recommendation that a sign be designed to be in place when there are no events happening. In addition, Council meetings should also be noticed, but when there are special event signs in place the meeting signs will hang below in order to still be seen. Councilman Renninger moved to approve the design for Town Hall Park signs. Councilman Howard seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 5 to 0.
Page 5 REPORT FROM AD HOC COMMUNITY CAT COMMITTEE Mayor Meeks read aloud the names of committee member nominees to serve on the Ad Hoc Community Cat Committee. The names are Mr. Ron Raymond, Chairman; Ms. Jane Hawley, Secretary; Mr. Frank Ricketts, Parliamentarian; Ms. Melanie Siefried, Ms. Barbara Davidson, Mr. Stephen Castiglia, and Ms. Carolyn Brantley. The committee proposed a termination date of June 18, 2015. Councilman Howard moved to approve the membership for the Ad Hoc Community Cat Committee and the termination date. Vice-Mayor Nix seconded the motion. Councilman Land questioned which members actually feed or manage colonies. Ms. Campbell indicated that Ms. Hawley, Ms. Siefried, and Mr. Castiglia feed or manage cats in the area. The motion to approve the nominees passed unanimously, 5 to 0. Mayor Meeks stated that the committee requested permission to have an off-site meeting to visit No More Homeless Pets. Attorney Garrison reviewed the sunshine law as it relates to open meetings. He stated that the site visit would be okay for an inspection trip, but no discussion on voting matters can be conducted at the site. The group needs to stick with fact-finding only. Any decision-making meetings need to take place within the Town limits, with proper notice. He stated that the rules for advisory boards are different than they would be for the Council. Mr. Frank Ricketts, 2253 Marcia Court, clarified that a meeting cannot be held off-site. Attorney Garrison agreed with this statement. STAFF REPORTS Mr. Hanson stated that the cat ordinance is completed, the tree grant has been submitted, and the work on Old Orange Park Road is complete. He stated that these three items could be removed from the staff reports list. Councilman Land moved to remove these three items from the staff reports list. Vice-Mayor Nix seconded the motion. Councilman Howard asked about the pavement striping on Old Orange Park Road. Mr. Hanson stated that he will research this question with Mr. Pavlos. Councilman Howard stated that he reviewed the tree grant that was prepared by Ms. Campbell and that it looks good. The motion to remove the three items from the staff reports list passed unanimously, 5 to 0. Mr. Hanson stated that the Town had to perform an emergency manhole repair along DeBarry Avenue. The manhole was cracked and sewage was leaking into the ground nearby. He stated that the work may exceed $25,000 and he wanted to formally notify the Council of the project. Mr. Hanson stated that FDOT previously extended the maintenance contract for the southern portion of US 17 for 90 days. The contractor replaced some of the plants, but the current
Page 6 maintenance level is the best we will likely get from the contractor. The Town will begin to maintain this area to make it presentable when the 90 day extension expires. Chief Silcox presented a quarterly report for Fire Department activities. He highlighted the live fire training that was held. The training included 50 firefighters from four agencies. He also noted one cardiac arrest patients that was revived and two heart incidents where patients were transported to Orange Park Medical Center for procedures. Councilman Renninger questioned whether CPR classes are open to the public. Chief Silcox stated that three training sessions have been conducted for local businesses. The classes will start for the community soon as well. They also hope to train all Town staff to be CPR certified. Councilman Howard asked about the status of the mobile emergency rescue vehicle. Chief Silcox stated that the first reading of the budget ordinance tonight moves the funding to start this process. Once the funding has been moved he will be able to place the order, as he has already obtained three quotes. Mayor Meeks asked about the number of calls outside of the Town limits. Chief Silcox stated that Rescue 19 ran 628 total calls; 221 of those calls were in the County. He stated that the department runs 2,600 to 2,800 calls per year. Vice-Mayor Nix asked about the business recognition program he recently proposed. He received a listing of new businesses but only four are truly new to the Town. Not all businesses rise to the level that should be recognized. He proposed that new businesses along US 17 or Kingsley Avenue could be recognized and that the Council could set some guidelines for recognition. Mr. Hanson stated that he can bring some information to future meetings. The Economic and Community Development Department will be providing a quarterly report that includes any big permits or certificates of occupancy issued. He will provide the Council with a list and they can decide which businesses to recognize. Attorney Garrison had nothing to report. Ms. Campbell stated that she would like feedback from the Council regarding workshop dates on either May 20 or May 26. She stated that a General Government Administration Committee meeting also needs to be scheduled in order to review employee benefit insurance renewals. TOWN COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilman Renninger thanked those who participated in the mission and vision workshop. He received many compliments on the structure of the workshop. Councilman Renninger stated that the next Northeast Florida League of Cities dinner will be held at the Casa Marina on Thursday, May 21.
Page 7 Councilman Land had nothing to report. Councilman Howard thanked the Council for their recent completion of the vision and mission statements. He stated that the process went well. Councilman Howard stated that the annual police memorial event will be held on May 7. Councilman Howard stated that Days Inn owner, Mr. Paz Patel, was honored with an award and $10,000 to be donated to the USO. Councilman Howard congratulated the Public Works Department on the recent fence cleanup project near US 17 and I-295. Councilman Howard stated that he received information unsolicited regarding feral cats. He is requesting that this information be forwarded to the Council and the committee. Vice-Mayor Nix stated that the rear screen in the Council Chambers is useless for viewing PowerPoint presentations like the one given tonight. He stated that the Council needs screens in front of them. Mayor Meeks requested information on screens so that the Council can see the information that Ms. Campbell is presenting. Vice-Mayor Nix noted that Sgt. Ed Kazckowski is retiring from the Police Department and his last day will be Thursday. Mr. Frank Ricketts, 2253 Marcia Court, asked if there was a limit to the number of committees that a resident can serve on. Attorney Garrison stated that advisory committee members have flexibility. Mayor Meeks congratulated Councilman Renninger on conducting the vision and mission workshop which was well done. Mayor Meeks asked Mr. Hanson to look into the fencing issue near the lift station on Kingsley Avenue. The fencing has been incomplete for several weeks. ADJOURNMENT Councilman Howard moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:05 PM. Vice-Mayor Nix seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 5 to 0.