CEDAR KEY COMMISSION MEETS
January 8, 2016
Meeting Specifics
The City of Cedar Key City Commission met on Tuesday, January 5, 2016, immediately after the Cedar Key Community Redevelopment Agency adjourned at 6:35 pm at City Hall. Present were: Mayor Heath Davis, Vice-Mayor Dale Register, and Commissioners Sue Colson, Royce Nelson, and Diana Topping.
Staff in attendance included: Police Chief Virgil Sandlin, Fire Chief Robert Robinson, Public Works Director Bill Crandley, City Clerk Nicole Gill, City Clerk Assistant Michael Hancock, and Receptionist Crystal Sharp.
Among those in the audience were: Beverly Ringenberg, Stanley Bair, Allison Nelson, Pat and Cindy Bonish, Roger McDaniels, Connie O’Dell, Janice Fugate, Mac Cox, Dennis Gill, Chris Topping, Doug Maple, Mandy Offerle and Frank Offerle.
PUBLIC COMMENT
FDOT SR 24 Work:
Florida Department of Transportation District Two representative Rebecca White addressed the commission regarding the work currently being done on State Road 24 in Cedar Key. The FDOT is repairing and protecting the Back Bayou Creek, Canal, and Channel Number Three bridges. Also to be accomplished is the restriping of the traffic lanes on the bridges to add designated “shared bicycle lanes,” lanes where both vehicles and bicyclists ride with the vehicles yielding to the bicycles.
The project should be completed this summer; the cost is $741,680. Most of the work is occurring under the bridges, minimizing motorist impact.
FDOT’s explanatory information sheets state that the work includes: cleaning and inspecting bridge supports; replacing any areas of damaged concrete; repainting steel structures with a protective coating; and adding cathodic protection to foundations to extend life.
ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS
RBEG Grant:
The city received notice from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Area Director Stephanie Hodges that her department has reviewed the city’s engineering plans for marina improvements, potentially to be funded by Cedar Key’s Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG). Hodges advised the city to move forward with hiring an appraiser for the project. Once the appraisal report is accepted by her office, the project may go out for bid.
Only one appraiser applied for the job, Tompkins Appraisal Group based in Lake City, Florida. Commissioners unanimously approved hiring the group.
FRDAP Grant Plans:
Commissioner Sue Colson explained the FRDAP grant process and requirements and reminded the audiance of the many public meetings that were announced and completed to develop the plans presented for approval this evening. Commissioner Colson held first of these ten plus meetings in October 2014 at the Community Center. That meeting was attended by over 15 concerned citizens of Cedar Key and the surrounding area who discussed many ideas and concerns and voted for the different ideas. During the many subsequent meetings, the ideas were further discussed and refined. All the meetings were open to the public and were posted at City Hall and in the Cedar Key News.
City Park:
Diana Topping cited her plan for improvements to City Park. They included: drums for children to play; a new L’il Sharks sign; a merry-go-round; retractable basketball hoops; tetherballs; an outdoor removable volleyball court; fibar; new hand dryers in bathrooms; landscaping to include two oaks and crepe myrtles replacing oleander. Topping repeated that she worked with Sue Colson on these decisions.
When asked by audience member Pat Bonish, sensing corrosion, questioned the maintenance requirements and if the retractable hoops and merry-go-round are salt-water approved. Topping replied, “I’ve done the best I could do…before I made a decision.”
Another resident cited concerns about the suggested placement of the volleyball court in the west side of the park where large tents are regularly erected at festivals. The resident was told that the court was portable, could be moved from place to place.
Commissioners unanimously approved moving forward for the City Park plans.
Cemetery Point Park:
Sue Colson reminded the audience that Cemetery Point Park, unlike City Park, is intended to be more passive, contemplative, and “low impact.” The plan for improvements included: Frisbee golf stations; picnic tables; a water fountain; a telescope; a dinosaur head for children to climb upon; a new ridge trail on the south side of the large depression; refurbished older trails; refurbished exercise stations; a stationery, recumbent exercise bicycle; safe steps leading to a fishing area; safe and erosion resistant matt at the kayak landing; fencing to mark trail heads; and landscaping to include two sizeable oaks and a monkey bars turned trellis.
One resident expressed concerns that the telescope which was planned to face east toward SR24, would allow people to see into places where they should not. Researched there and then, it was determined that the telescope was only as strong as a standard pair of birding binoculars, 10 x 40, and should pose no difficulty; however, the decision was made to place the telescope facing more to the north, limiting viewing mostly to the islands and waterways.
Topping expressed her concern that she “was supposed to have input,” on this (Cemetery Point Park) park and that she only knew of one meeting. She had “set up a meeting on January 7,” two days hence. She said that she thought this a “little unfair.”
After some fact checking by the Cedar Key News it was found that of the ten or more posted public meetings involving the Cemetery Point Park, Topping attended at least four the meetings, and at these meetings, both the City Park and the Cemetery Park were discussed. The meetings were also attended by others interested the park projects and their input was welcomed and discussed.
The two park plans final concept had been previously submitted to the state for approval and the item was placed on the January 5th commission agenda to get the city’s approval so that the projects could be put out for bids.
Davis asked if Topping had any issues with the plan presented by Colson. Topping wondered if the area was too hot for oak trees to grow. Cedar Key Garden Club President Roger McDaniels explained that the trees would grow; the area is filled with oak trees. Topping expressed her concern that the plan may be too much additional labor on the part of the city Public Works Department. Public Works Director Bill Crandley replied that it was not too much work and affirmed that he was comfortable accomplishing the scope of work.
Other concerns regarding the Cemetery Point Park included: sandspur control and using clam shells in place of the mat at the kayak landing.
Commissioners unanimously approved the plan for Cemetery Point Park.
Magistrate Approval:
Commissioners unanimously approved the “Tri-Party Agreement for Special Magistrate Services” to hear resident Tina Ryan’s appeal of the city’s decision to deny a Certificate of Approval for the awning placed on her property, which may or may not have been in the Historic District at the time of construction.
The process is a mandatory one; the city must take part if a magistrate is requested by the owner of a property. The magistrate’s $200 per hour fee is shared equally by the owner and the city. The magistrate listens and makes a recommendation; the commission may or may not take that recommendation. The magistrate appointed is a retired attorney from Alachua.
Police Truck Purchase:
After considering several other bids, commissioners unanimously approved the purchase of Ford truck from Santa Fe Ford for $27, 595. A budget plan was presented to purchase the truck by City Clerk Nicole Gill and authored by Mayor Davis. Commissioner Nelson make a motion for the purchase to come solely from the Police budget. The motion passed.
Code Enforcement:
Mayor Davis explained the city’s efforts regarding code enforcement. One part of code enforcement involves buildings; those enforcement issues are dealt with by the Cedar Key Building Department through Bob Kagan.
The other code enforcement issues are dealt with by the city through its code enforcement officer Virgil Sandlin. Davis cited eight issues currently being dealt with that included items such as: seawalls; imperviously paving too much of a property; raceway construction; expired permits; etc. Violations are being "worked through" with individual homeowners, the Seabreeze, the Big Deck (which was resolved that evening), and Hudson Foods.
Community Center Rental:
Mayor Davis presented lack of clarity and practice on the rental of the Community Center to no-profits. Sometimes in the past, the full $200 rental has been applied; at other times, not. Davis explained that the logic might be that if the event was making money, then the $200 should be charged.
Commissioner Register explained that the Lions Clubdoes many events, gathers money, but gives it all away. An audience member expressed the concern that if the Community Center cannot pay for its own operation, then citizens would have to pay to keep it in operation; that would not be servicing the public.
Commissioners voted to charge $200 rental for those non-profit groups making, gathering money at Community Center events.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:45 pm.
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