[1. CALL TO ORDER]
[00:00:05]
I'D LIKE TO CALL TO ORDER THE PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING FOR MARCH THE 10TH. ROLL CALL, PLEASE. MEMBERS REITER, MEMBERS BALDING, MEMBER PEARLSTEIN, VICE CHAIR KOKE, CHAIR CAMERA, MEMBER MOUNTJOY, MEMBER CURRY, MEMBER GUNN, AND MEMBER PELICAN. WOULD YOU PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO OUR OWN NATION, INDIVISIBLE. ITEM NUMBER
[4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
FOUR, APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. FEBRUARY MEETING. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS SUBMITTED. I'LL GO AHEAD AND SECOND. SECOND.ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. NUMBER FIVE, PUBLIC COMMENTS REGARDING ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA. OKAY. NUMBER
[6.1 Advisory Committee Assignment Review]
SIX, ADVISORY COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENT REVIEW. OKAY, SO I HAVE A FEW UPDATES ON THE ITEMS. SO ON THE BOARD, WHICH IS NOT VERY CLEAR, BUT IT'S IN YOUR PACKET TOO. SO FOR, I'M JUST GONNA GO THROUGH EACH ITEM AND GIVE AN UPDATE.AND THEN IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING ANYONE ELSE WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE, WE CAN DO THAT AT THE END.
SO UNDER FACILITIES, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF GOING TO THE HISTORIC DISTRICT COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL NEXT MONTH FOR SOME PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS AT THE LIGHTHOUSE. SO WE ARE GOING TO. THERE'S A FENCE THERE THAT HAS BEEN DAMAGED, SO WE'RE GOING TO REPLACE THAT FENCE. WE'RE GOING TO HOPEFULLY DO SOME BRICKWORK AROUND THE BASE OF THE LIGHTHOUSE TO JUST MAKE IMPROVEMENTS.
RIGHT NOW IT'S WE'VE HAD PLANTS THERE, BUT THEY DON'T LIVE, SO WE'RE LOOKING TO JUST PUT BRICK. AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING SOME SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS TO MAKE THE SIDEWALK LARGER SO THAT IT'S ADA COMPLIANT. THAT'S GOING TO THE HGC IN APRIL.
SO WE ARE GOING TO SET UP A MEETING WITH TOM AND, SORRY, MR. CAMERA AND MR. PELICAN TO GIVE THEM AN UPDATE. AND THEN AT OUR NEXT MEETING, THEY'LL REPORT TO YOU GUYS WHAT WE UPDATED THEM ON. CAN I ASK A QUICK QUESTION ABOUT THAT? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
FENCING, THAT'S THERE? WHAT KIND OF FENCING IS IT? IT'S CHAIN LINK RIGHT NOW. WE'RE GOING TO PUT IN THE BLACK FENCING THAT WE HAVE EVERYWHERE ELSE. I WAS GOING TO ASK, I KNOW, AT ONE POINT WE HAD A CONTRACT WITH ONE FENCE COMPANY. WE DO. OKAY, I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF WE'RE STILL DOING THAT.
YEAH. FOR BOSWELL CEMETERY, THE COLUMBARIUM IS CURRENTLY IN THE INITIAL CONCEPTUAL DESIGN PHASE, SO WE'RE GOING TO SET UP A MEETING WITH MS. PERLSTEIN AND MR. KAMMERER TO GO OVER. THE DESIGN. AND THEN THEY CAN REPORT BACK AT THE NEXT MEETING ABOUT THAT.
FOR YOUTH SPORTS, WE HAVE SOME STUFF GOING ON AT IBARRA ALVAREZ. SO, STAFF IS REVIEWING VICE MAYOR ASKEW'S IDEA FOR KEEPING THE SOCCER FIELDS IN THEIR CURRENT LOCATION.
AND THE AIRPORT DIRECTOR IS GOING TO CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION WITH THE FAA.
FOR THIS ITEM, WE JUST ASK THAT THE MEMBERS WHO ARE ASSIGNED TO THIS KEEP A PULSE ON THE TOPIC. SO, THAT'S MEMBER MOUNTJOY AND MEMBER GUNN. WE'LL LET YOU KNOW IF ANY MEETINGS POP UP THAT WE THINK YOU SHOULD ATTEND. FOR PUBLIC ART, RIGHT NOW, THAT'S IN LEGAL'S QUEUE, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE STILL NEED TO GET IS LOCATIONS IN OUR PARKS OR FACILITIES WHERE WE WOULD WANT TO PLACE PUBLIC ART. SO WE'LL SET UP A MEETING WITH MEMBER CURRY AND MEMBER KOKI TO DO THAT, PROBABLY IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
LEGAL HAS A LOT GOING ON, SO THAT'S ON AT THE TOP.
SPECIAL EVENTS, SINCE THE WORKSHOP, STAFF, MYSELF. HAS BEEN INCORPORATING THE COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATIONS AND UPDATING THE DRAFT.
WE'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN THE REVISIONS ARE MADE AND GOING TO MOVE FURTHER. AND THAT IS MEMBER COOKEY AND MEMBER CURRY. AND THEN SCOTT AND I MET WITH MS. MOUNTJOY REGARDING THE POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS AT THE SUNRISE PARK TO CONSIDER IN THE NEXT BUDGET CYCLE. SO RIGHT NOW, THAT'S WHERE WE ARE. IF ANYONE'S INTERESTED IN HEARING MORE, WE'D BE HAPPY TO DO THAT.
THAT'S MEMBER MOUNTJOY AND MEMBER PEARLSTEIN. AND THEN GOLF, WE DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER UPDATES OTHER THAN THE BAR AND THE GRAND OPENING, BUT IF ANYONE HAS ANYTHING THAT
[00:05:02]
THEY'D LIKE TO ADD, WE CAN DO THAT. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE? JUST WITH THESE ASSIGNMENTS? YEAH. I THOUGHT I HAD PUT MY NAME DOWN FOR SPECIAL EVENTS. IS THAT RIGHT? BECAUSE, SHEILA, YOU'RE ON THREE OF THEM. I'M ON ONE. YOU CAN HAVE SPECIAL EVENTS. OKAY. I JUST, OKAY.WE'LL ADD A TRADE. YEAH. IT IS ABOUT THAT TIME. AND SPEAKING OF SPECIAL EVENTS, I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SPECIFIC SPECIAL EVENT. SO CAN I ASK YOU ABOUT THAT NOW, OR DO YOU WANT ME TO ASK AT THE END? YOU CAN ASK NOW.
SO I HAD A SHE'S A FRIEND, BUT SOMEONE WHO APPLIED FOR A SPECIAL EVENTS PERMIT.
THEY'RE TRYING TO DO AN EASTER EVENT WITH FLUFFY BUNNY AT THE YES MA'AM.
AT THE POCKET PARK. AND SO SHE'S BEEN TRYING TO RUN THAT DOWN. AND AS OF TODAY, THERE STILL IS NOT ANY APPROVAL AND THEY ARE THEY CAN'T ADVERTISE THEIR EVENT. YES, MA'AM. WE HAVE TO GET APPROVAL FROM MR. LASSIER TO PUT EVENTS IN THAT SPACE. SO WE'RE JUST WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM HIM. I WAS TOLD ABOUT THAT OF AN HOUR OR SO AGO. SO I PLAN TO TALK TO SOMEONE WHO MAYBE COULD GET IN TOUCH WITH MR. LASSIER, FASTER THAN US. SO THAT BRINGS ME TO A DIFFERENT QUESTION THEN, BECAUSE MY FIRST THOUGHT WHEN SHE SAID THAT, I WAS LIKE, WELL, I DON'T KNOW WHY. YOU WOULD NEED TO GET THE OWNERS PERMISSION OF THE PARK, BECAUSE WE LEASED THE PARK, ARE WE NO LONGER LEASING THE PARK? WE ARE LEASING THE PARK IN OUR LEASE AGREEMENT WE HAVE. IF A SPECIAL EVENT WANTS TO USE IT, THEY HAVE ASKED US TO FILL OUT A REQUEST FORM, SO WE HAVE BEEN DOING THAT SINCE WE'VE BEEN LEASING IT, OKAY? I JUST, YEAH, IT'S NOT A MATTER OF IF IT CAN HAPPEN OR NOT.
IT'S JUST HE HAS TO SIGN OFF ON IT. OKAY, SO ARE THEY, DO YOU? THINK THAT THEY'RE OKAY TO START ADVERTISING THEIR EVENT? BECAUSE IT'S, I WOULD GET HAVE HER GIVE US A DAY. I'M GONNA TRY TO GET IN TOUCH WITH HIM TOMORROW, I'LL LET HER KNOW. THANK YOU FOR THAT, THAT'S IT, THAT'S IT. IF THERE'S ANOTHER QUESTION, YOU JUMPED OVER THE MASTER PLAN? OH, I DID. YES, YOU DID. I BLACKED OUT, OKAY? SO FOR THE MASTER PLAN, THE COMMISSION REVIEWED IT AT THEIR LAST MEETING. AND WE TOUCHED ON FOUR TOUCH POINTS. THAT ARE PRESSURE POINTS THAT SCOTT AND I BELIEVE WE NEED TO INCLUDE IN OUR MASTER PLAN. SO WE'RE WORKING ON UPDATING THAT AND WE'RE GOING TO COME BACK WITH SOME OF THOSE IDEAS.
THEY'RE BEING MAINTAINING OUR FACILITIES AND PARKS, THE COLUMBARIUM. THE, NOT IN MY NOTES, EITHER. THERE'S ONE OTHER. IMPROVING FACILITY EFFICIENCY. SO SCOTT MICHELSON, PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR.
THANKS, KATIE. SO, YEAH, WITHIN, AT THE LAST COMMISSION MEETING, THE COMMISSION DID PUSH BACK THE MASTER PLAN. WE HAD BUDGETED $100,000 WITHIN OUR BUDGET TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT.
IT WOULD BE $100,000 FOR THIS INITIAL PHASE AND THEN $85,000 FOR THE SECOND PHASE OF IT, WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN BUDGETED IN THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. SO THERE WAS. THEY DID PUSH IT BACK TO US. I AM THINKING THROUGH THIS, AND OBVIOUSLY I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS WITH YOU. HOW I WOULD LIKE TO PROCEED IS I'M GOING TO RE-EVALUATE WHERE WE STAND ON A LOT OF OUR MAJOR PARK.
AND AS KATIE HAD MENTIONED, IS REALLY LOOKING AT THOSE IN THE NEXT THREE YEARS. DO WE WANT TO PROCEED WITH A FULL-ON MASTER PLAN? OR DO WE WANT TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND SAY, ALL RIGHT, THESE NEXT THREE, FOUR YEARS, WE HAVE A LOT OF STUFF THAT IS COMING DOWN THE PIPES. AND DOWN THE PIPE, AND JUST TO MENTION SOME OF THE STUFF THAT KATIE SAID IS, WE'RE REDEVELOPING THE MLK FIELDS. THAT'S A HUGE PROJECT. WE HAVE BEACH HARMONIZATION, WHICH IS HAPPENING, AND MR. GLISSON IS HERE TONIGHT. THAT'S GOING TO TOUCH ON THAT. WE HAVE A DECISION ON YBOR ALVAREZ SPORTS COMPLEX, SO THAT'S GOING TO BE HAPPENING. WE HAVE ALL OF OUR BEACH ACCESSES AND COMING UP WITH A PLAN ON ALL OF THOSE AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO FUND ALL OF THEM. AND THEN THE COLUMBARIUM. SO JUST ON THE PARK SIDE ALONE, WE HAVE A LIST OF FIVE TO SEVEN. I MEAN, THESE ARE JUST FIVE THINGS, AND THERE'S EVEN MORE. SO MAYBE TAKE A STEP BACK FROM THE IDEA OF A FULL-BLOWN MASTER PLAN, ACCOMPLISH THESE,
[00:10:01]
AND COME UP WITH A PLAN FOR THE NEXT THREE TO FIVE YEARS.WITHIN THAT WE SET. AND THEN WE LOOK FORWARD ON DEVELOPING, MAYBE...
MASTER PLAN THAT IS FOR FACILITIES AND WHERE WE GO FROM THERE. SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW. I THINK WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS AFTER I GATHER ALL MY THOUGHTS ON THAT AND HOW WE WANT TO PROCEED AND HOW I WOULD MAKE.
A RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE IS REVIEW THAT WITH YOU AND SEE IF YOU ARE ON BOARD WITH THAT AS WELL.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THAT? MATT, YOU HAVE SOMETHING? YEAH. JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS, AND I'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE. I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO SEE, I THINK A SCALED BACK VERSION OF THIS IS APPROPRIATE FOR THE REASONS WHY YOU SAID.
WE ALREADY HAVE A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE KNOW ARE COMING. YEAH. BUT ALSO I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO PLAN FOR THE FUTURE, BECAUSE SOMETIMES THAT'S HOW WE GET IN THESE HOLES.
BUT I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO SEE OUT OF WHETHER IT'S THE SCOPE OF THAT MASTER PLAN. OR WHATEVER, SCALED BACK PLANNING OR WHATEVER, EVEN IF IT'S JUST IN THE NEXT THREE TO FIVE YEARS, I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO SEE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF WHAT, ALL OF THE MAINTENANCE THAT IS REQUIRED FOR EVERY ASSET THAT WE HAVE.
RIGHT. SO HOW OFTEN SHOULD A SOCCER FIELD GET REFURBISHED, OR A BASEBALL FIELD OR THE? WHAT DO WE ANTICIPATE OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS FOR THE LIGHTHOUSE? WE KNOW THE COLUMBARIUM IS COMING, BUT THEN WHAT DOES THE REST OF THE. CEMETERY REQUIRE SO THAT WE HAVE SOME IDEAS, BECAUSE I THINK, AND PART OF THIS IS JUST HOW MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT WORKS. THE MONEY IS NOT GOING TO BE THERE UNTIL YOU HAVE TO HAVE IT BECAUSE EVERYTHING ELSE TAKES PRIORITY.
BUT IF WE HAD A BETTER IDEA OF ALL OF THE ASSETS THAT WE HAVE AND WHAT IT TAKES TO MAINTAIN THEM FROM AN ACTUAL WORK SENSE.
AND THEN A DOLLAR AMOUNT, IF WE AS MUCH AS WE CAN DO THAT, I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO SEE THAT. AND I DO THINK IT'S PRUDENT, AGAIN, AT THAT THREE TO FIVE YEAR RANGE, AND MAYBE NOT WAITING UNTIL THE END OF FIVE YEARS, TO THEN BE WORKING ON A MASTER PLAN.
BUT THEN HOW ARE WE DOING THIS IN CONJUNCTION WITH WHAT THE COUNTY IS DOING ALSO? SO THOSE WOULD BE MY, THOSE WOULD BE THE THINGS THAT I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN SEEING FROM ALL OF THAT.
YEAH, BECAUSE, I MEAN, THE SHEER FACT OF MAINTENANCE ALONE ON WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE.
WE OBVIOUSLY KNOW THAT THAT NUMBER IS EXTREMELY HIGH. I MEAN, JUST OUR SHADE STRUCTURES ALONE, WE'RE DEALING WITH SOME OF THOSE NUMBERS.
SO, YES. YEAH. SCOTT, WE'VE MADE A BIG DENT INTO THE FIELDS AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE ADDRESSING THEM IN THE NEXT ONE TO TWO YEARS. AND I JUST THINK THE PROCESS THAT WE HAVE STARTED NOW WITH THE MAINTENANCE CREW.
AS FAR AS HAVING A SET CREW FOR THE FIELDS, FOR MLK, FOR ELM STREET, FOR US AT BABE RUTH, AND AT YBOR.
THOSE GENTLEMEN NOW ARE GETTING A GRASP OF HOW TO MAINTAIN THOSE FIELDS, AND WE NEED TO GET A CALENDAR, A BETTER CALENDAR GOING FORWARD. SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT THOSE FIELDS GET A REST BECAUSE THEY CAN'T KEEP GOING 365.
AND THAT GOES FOR BABE RUTH AND ANYBODY ELSE, BECAUSE THERE HAS TO BE A REST PERIOD.
FOR THESE FIELDS. YEAH, SO THOSE ARE JUST OUR NORMAL OPERATIONAL MAINTENANCE EXPENSES THAT WE BUDGET EVERY YEAR FOR. I UNDERSTAND. AND WE'RE GETTING TO THAT POINT WHERE WE'RE GETTING BETTER AND BETTER AT THOSE MAINTENANCE.
BUT ALSO, AS MEMBER KOKE SAID, IS THE LARGE-SCALE CAPITAL COST OF YEAR AFTER YEAR, WHAT IS HAVING TO BE REPLACED AND WHAT ARE THOSE COSTS AS WELL. AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE, AND I THINK I'VE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE TOO, BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD PERSON, IS IT ERGONOMIST? IS THAT WHAT THE TERM IS AT THE GOLF COURSE? OH YEAH.
BUT HOW CAN WE TAKE THAT PERSON AS AN ASSET AND THEN BE ABLE TO GET INFORMATION WHERE? MAYBE HE'S GUIDING SOME OF THE PARKS AND REC WITH THINGS THAT WE COULD BE DOING TO MAKE THAT BETTER? I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT GOING IN THE FUTURE. I'M NOT SURE HOW THAT WOULD EXACTLY WORK, BUT OBVIOUSLY THAT PERSON HAS A GREAT DEAL OF KNOWLEDGE THAT WE COULD BENEFIT FROM.
SOUNDS GOOD. THANK YOU. CAN I BRING UP SOMETHING NOW
[00:15:02]
REGARDING MR. MICHELSON, I THINK. I THOUGHT YOU DID A GREAT WORKSHOP. WAS THAT JUST A WEEK AGO? IT SEEMS LIKE IT WAS TWO WEEKS.YEAH, IT WAS A WEEK AGO, YES. IT WAS JUST A WEEK AGO.
IT SEEMS MUCH LONGER. I THOUGHT YOU DID A GREAT OPTION, EXPLORING ALL THE OPTIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE.
AND AT THE END, IT KIND OF STARTED TALKING ABOUT MONEY. AND THAT'S WHEN THINGS GET KIND OF SERIOUS.
AND I THINK ONE PART THAT WAS, IT MAY HAVE JUST BEEN GLIDED OVER, I'M NOT SURE.
BUT THE PERCENTAGE OF THE... PLAYER CONSTITUENTS OF WHICH ARE THE CITY RESIDENTS AND WHICH ARE NOT.
BECAUSE IT'S ONE THING HAVING COUNTY PEOPLE OR OFF-ISLAND PEOPLE USE FIELDS YOU ALREADY HAVE. IT'S ANOTHER, IF YOU START TALKING ABOUT BORROWING FIVE OR TEN MILLION DOLLARS, WHERE THE TAXPAYERS ARE GOING TO HAVE THAT. I JUST THINK IT'S BETTER TO ADDRESS THAT UP FRONT THAN NOT BE SURPRISED BY IT LATER. AND IT PROBABLY WOULD REQUIRE SOMEONE COORDINATING WITH THE COUNTY WHEN YOU START COMING UP WITH PRICE TAGS FOR THE CHOSEN OPTION. THAT THEIR CONTRIBUTION SHOULD PROBABLY BE HALF TO TWO-THIRDS, ACTUALLY. AND IF WE IGNORE THAT EARLY, I THINK IT'LL JUMP UP ON US LATER. IF WE GET AHEAD OF IT, IT'LL MAKE OUR OPTIONS MUCH MORE REALISTIC. SO MY COMMENT REGARDING THAT IS AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH YBOR ALVAREZ, I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT FOR MYSELF TO KEEP YOU UP TO DATE ON ALL THAT INFORMATION. AND I THINK MAKING SURE THAT OUR DEPARTMENT WORKS CLOSELY WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING WITH THE MOST ACCURATE INFORMATION TO MAKE OUR DECISIONS.
OKAY. AND YEAH, I MEAN, ACROSS THE BOARD. THE NUMBERS ARE 70, 30, 65, 35 PERCENT OF CITY, NON-CITY THROUGHOUT OUR YOUTH SPORT ORGANIZATIONS. THE BIGGER NUMBER IS COUNTY, CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT. IT IS, BUT WHERE IT GETS HARD, AND TELL ME, YOU WOULD KNOW THIS BECAUSE YOU WORK IN THESE ORGANIZATIONS, I THINK WHERE IT GETS TOUGH IS BECAUSE A LOT OF THE KIDS DO GO TO FERNANDINA BEACH HIGH SCHOOL. AND A LOT OF THEM DO STILL LIVE ON THE ISLAND, BUT IN THE UNINCORPORATED PARTS.
SO THE POINT OF HAVING THESE ORGANIZATIONS CLOSE BY IS SO YOU CAN GET TO PRACTICE AND YOU CAN GET, YOU KNOW, SO YOU'RE NOT HAVING, LIKE, IF YOU'RE A PARENT THAT WORKS OUT IN JACKSONVILLE AND THEN YOU HAVE TO COME HOME, GET YOUR KID AT YOUR HOUSE, AND THEN GO OUT TO YULEE TO 17 AGAIN TO GO TO AN HOUR-LONG PRACTICE, FAMILIES ARE GOING TO START TO SAY, OH, THAT'S... IT'S TOO HARD TO DO. THEN IF YOU'VE GOT KIDS IN TWO DIFFERENT LEAGUES AND YOU'VE GOT TO BE AT TWO PLACES AT ONE TIME. OR RIGHT AFTER, YOUR WHOLE NIGHT IS SPENT OUT. SO I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE IT. AND I'VE MADE THAT ARGUMENT BECAUSE 100% OF THOSE KIDS ARE NASSAU COUNTY KIDS. ALL OF THEM ARE. AND IT WOULD NOT HURT MY FEELINGS ONE BIT IF THE COUNTY, YOU KNOW, IF THE COUNTY WERE TO KICK IN MORE OF THIS. WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE SKATE PARK.
SITUATION. AND THE COUNTY WAS ALL SUPER EXCITED THAT WE HAVE AN OLYMPIAN HERE. AND AT THE RIBBON CUTTING, THEY SHOULD BE KICKING IN BECAUSE A LOT OF THE KIDS THAT SKATE AT THE PARK ARE ALSO COUNTY KIDS.
SO IT DEFINITELY HAS TO BE A PARTNERSHIP. AND I DON'T DISAGREE THAT IT WOULD BE NICE IF WE COULD GET MORE OF THAT SUPPORT FROM THE COUNTY. WE'VE BEEN SUBSIDIZING IT FOR AN AWFUL LONG TIME. IS THE CONTACT POINT THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, OR IS THERE A SUBGROUP OR SOMETHING LIKE OUR GROUP HERE THAT THEY HAVE OR DON'T HAVE? OTHERWISE, WE'D JUST BE PETITIONING. I THINK IT'S PROBABLY AN ASK BETWEEN OUR CITY MANAGER AND COUNTY MANAGER POPE. I WOULD IMAGINE THAT DISCUSSION AND THEN IT WOULD GO BEFORE THEIR COMMISSION AND OUR COMMISSION TO ACCEPT SUCH THINGS. BUT I THINK AS THE YEARS HAVE GONE BY, IT'S GOTTEN BETTER WITH NASSAU COUNTY AND WHAT THEY CONTRIBUTE. AND, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT GOING TO... KISS A GIFT TOWARDS THE MOUTH, BUT TWO YEARS AGO I GOT $50,000 BASED ON DEPUTY CITY MANAGER GETTING ME $50,000 TOWARDS A BATTING CAGE. SO, YOU KNOW, THERE IS SPOTS WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN REALLY, REALLY, REALLY GOOD AT. AND, YOU KNOW,
[00:20:02]
I DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO RECTIFY THIS PROBLEM.OF HAVING NASSAU COUNTY KIDS COMING OVER TO FERNANDINA.
BUT I THINK THERE'S GOT TO BE A BETTER WAY OF HANDLING HOW THE TWO ORGANIZATIONS, LIKE SCOTT SAID, THE OPPORTUNITY TO INCREASE AWARENESS IS ALREADY THERE. WE'VE ALREADY STATED ALL THESE THINGS TO THE...
TO THE COMMISSION, WE'VE STATED IT TO THE CITY MANAGER, WE'VE SAID IT TO NASSAU.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S STILL FERNANDINA'S BATTLE. AND, YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS LIKE IT LAYS ON OUR SHOULDERS THAT WE HAVE TO BE DOING, YOU KNOW, THE HEAVY LIFTING SO FAR. I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT HOW DO YOU DO THAT LIFTING? IS IT PETITIONING SOMEONE IN THE COUNTY? I MEAN, WE'RE ALL COUNTY RESIDENTS.
WE ALL PAY... WE ALL GET PAID TAXES TO NASSAU COUNTY. I MEAN, WE COULD ALL GO TO A MEETING AND SAY, HEY, WE'D REALLY LIKE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU FOR THE 1.7 THAT YOU'VE COMMITTED TO THE CITY. BUT WE NEED ADDITIONAL MONIES BECAUSE OF WHAT THIS IS. AND, I MEAN, THE BOTTOM LINE IS, WE'RE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT, RIGHT? LIKE, VYING FOR RESOURCES, WHETHER IT'S LAND OR PLACES TO PUT THINGS. OR THE MONEY TO PAY FOR IT, AND THE WILL TO PAY FOR IT. THERE'S ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE AT PLAY FOR THEM AS WELL. BUT, AGAIN, WE ARE. ALSO, COUNTY RESIDENTS, AND I KNOW I, FOR ONE, FOCUS MORE ON THIS THAN I DO AT THE COUNTY LEVEL, ON JUST ABOUT ANYTHING.
BUT WE COULD BE LOBBYING FOR THOSE. AND I'VE SUGGESTED TO THE SOCCER FOLKS THAT THEY GO TO THEIR MEETINGS AS WELL AND ASK FOR THOSE, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS BECAUSE THEY ARE THEIR COUNTY RESIDENTS ALSO. SO I THOUGHT THE WORKSHOP WAS VERY PRODUCTIVE, RIGHT? I DO THINK IT WAS PRODUCTIVE. I THOUGHT THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, TWO OPTIONS. AS WE'VE GONE THROUGH THE PROCESS, THE PROPERTY BY SIMMONS, AND I'M GLAD WE WENT THROUGH THAT PROCESS.
BECAUSE THE PROPERTY AT SIMMONS TAUGHT US STUFF THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN WE DO WITH THAT PROPERTY? SO WE WERE ABLE TO MARK THAT OFF.
SO NOW THE OPTIONS ARE, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE POSSIBILITY OF KEEPING IT WHERE IT IS.
THERE IS AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT FOR 1.7 FROM THE COUNTY TO COME TO THE CITY. THAT'S WHERE WE ARE AT THAT POINT. I MEAN, FURTHER DISCUSSIONS COULD BE HAD. AND WE'RE ALSO NOW LOOKING AT IF WE WERE TO KEEP THESE SOCCER FIELDS WHERE THEY ARE, HOW DOES THAT FIT WITHIN THE REALM OF THE AIRPORT? AND WOULD WE EVEN BE ABLE TO DO THAT? SO THOSE ARE THE TWO THINGS WE'RE LOOKING AT. AND I THINK AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, I WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP YOU UPDATED SO THAT YOU'RE ABREAST OF THE SITUATION AS WE MOVE FORWARD. AND I WAS TRYING TO FOLLOW ALONG AT THE MEETING OR THE WORKSHOP ABOUT, I DIDN'T FULLY UNDERSTAND.
VICE MAYOR ASKEW'S, WHY WOULD WE KEEP THEM WHERE THEY ARE? BECAUSE, FIRST OF ALL, THEY'RE PROBLEMATIC WHERE THEY ARE. AND I WOULD, THE DRAINAGE, I MEAN, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE REBUILT. IS THAT CORRECT? SO KEEPING THEM WHERE THEY ARE. FIRST OFF IS WE HAVE TO GET APPROVAL. RIGHT. AND DOES THAT WORK WITHIN, WOULD THE AIRPORT ALLOW THAT? IT'S AIRPORT LAND. RIGHT. SO YES, THE FIELDS ULTIMATELY HAVE TO BE, SO MAINTENANCE AND REBUILDING, YOU COULD PROBABLY REBUILD WHERE THEY ARE. I DON'T WANT TO SAY REBUILD. BRING THEM UP TO WHERE THEY SHOULD BE. AT THAT LOCATION IS CHEAPER THAN JUST REBUILDING AND MOVING THEM TO ANOTHER LOCATION. SO AT THIS POINT, WE COULD SECURE THE LAND AND WE CONTINUE TO OPERATE AS IS.
AND THEN DEVELOP A PLAN AS WE MOVE ALONG TO GET THEM TO WHERE THEY NEED TO BE.
BUT IF WE WERE TO GO ON THE SOFTBALL FIELD, THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO PLAY WHERE THEY'RE AT.
BUILD UP THE SOFTBALL FIELDS AND THEN WE GIVE THE EXISTING PART BACK TO THE AIRPORT FOR THEIR HANGERS. IS THAT WHAT THE ORIGINAL PLAN WAS? YEAH, SO THE WAY THAT THINGS ARE LOOKING AND FALLING IS THAT IF WE WERE TO DO THAT, MLK FIELDS ARE LOOKING TO PROBABLY HAPPEN SOONER.
SO AS ELM STREET LITTLE LEAGUE... AND THE MLK FIELDS ARE BEING REFURBISHED. ELM STREET LITTLE LEAGUE WOULD GO OUT TO THE SOFTBALL FIELDS AT YBOR. AND THEN, WHEN THOSE ARE DONE, THEY WOULD GO BACK. SO THERE WOULD BE SOME ISSUES THERE.
SO THE CONCERNS THAT I HAVE HEARD FOR THE ASCU PLAN IS
[00:25:02]
THAT THEY ESSENTIALLY ARE GOING TO BE STILL PLAYING FOR YEARS ON THE NOT GREAT FIELD. SO THEY HAVE A PLACE TO PLAY, BUT IT'S ON THE SAME CONDITIONS THAT THEY'VE BEEN DEALING WITH. AND THAT NOW THE PARKING IS GOING TO BE SEVERELY IMPACTED BECAUSE OF THE, IT'S NOT CRANE ISLAND, BUT THE CABANA LANE PROJECT. CALLED, I DON'T KNOW WHAT, THAT.PROJECT IS CALLED. BUT IT'S LIKE THE LIVE WORK SPACE THAT'S ADJACENT TO THERE, SO THAT EATS INTO THE PARKING. SO IF THAT DOESN'T GET REWORKED, I'M CONFUSED ABOUT HOW THAT. SO I THINK THE FIRST STEP IS THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COULD KEEP SOCCER WHERE IT IS. AND IF WE DO, THEN WHAT IS THE? HOW DO WE INCORPORATE PARKING, MAKE SURE THAT PARKING IS TAKEN CARE OF, AND THEN WHAT IS THE PLAN MOVING FORWARD TO FIX SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT ARE EXISTING AT THE SOCCER COMPLEX? AND ALL OF THOSE ARE GOING TO BE EXAMINED AND, I THINK, BROUGHT TO THE COMMUNITY AS WE MAKE OUR DECISIONS. BEFORE THE LAND IS PURCHASED. I GUESS I'M CONCERNED ABOUT HEARING ALL OF THOSE STEPS, THINKING...
WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME FOR THE APPRAISAL THAT WE HAD, RIGHT? THAT TIME STARTS RUNNING OUT AND TICKING.
YEAH, I MEAN, YEAH. IT'S LIKE THE CITY MANAGER SAID, WHICH I THINK WAS A GREAT, IT'S CHALLENGING. IT'S LITERALLY CHALLENGING AND WE ARE TRYING TO WORK THROUGH THIS AND FIND A SOLUTION.
OH, GO AHEAD, I APOLOGIZE. I MEAN, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT IN THINGS KATIE FOR GOING THROUGH THIS. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR OTHER CONCERNS REGARDING THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENT SHEET? IF THEY'RE NOT, AND WE'LL JUST MOVE ON FROM? I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE HAD REVIEWED IT, MADE SURE YOU WERE SIGNED UP FOR WHAT YOU HAD ORIGINALLY SIGNED UP. SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE GOOD. OKAY,
[7. STAFF COMMENTS]
THANKS. THANK YOU. 7.1, THE GOLF CLUB AND PARKS AND RECREATION UPDATES. ALL RIGHT, CHAIR, KAMARA, I JUST WANT TO INTRODUCE MR. GLISSON, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER. HE'S HERE TONIGHT.HE'S GOING TO GIVE US SOME UPDATES ON SOME OF THE... ITEMS THAT MAYBE YOU DON'T HEAR FROM US A LOT ABOUT. SO I APPRECIATE MR. GLISSON BEING HERE TONIGHT. SO HE HAS A FEW UPDATES HE'D LIKE TO GO OVER WITH YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHAIR, JEREMIAH, KLITSON, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER. I JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU, AS SCOTT MENTIONED, JUST GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON A FEW COMMUNITY PROJECTS THAT ARE UNDERWAY THAT DO TOUCH RECREATION SPACE, RECREATION AREAS, SO YOU'RE BETTER INFORMED ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON. MS. RIVERA MENTIONED A FEW MINUTES AGO THE LIGHTHOUSE, SOME LIGHTHOUSE WORK THAT'S UNDERWAY, AND THERE'S TWO THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW WITH THE AMELIA ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE.
ONE IS THE PHASE TWO OF THE RESTORATION. PHASE ONE WAS COMPLETED LAST YEAR.
THAT WAS THAT EXTENSIVE, GRANT FUNDED PROJECT THAT INVOLVED THE RESTORATION TO THE EXTERIOR OF THIS ICONIC STRUCTURE.
THIS IS THE TEDIOUS REMOVAL OF PAINT FROM THE INTERIOR BRICK. AND THAT PROJECT SCHEDULE WILL BE COMPLETE BY MID-APRIL. AND A GRANT HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR PHASE THREE, AND THAT WOULD BE CONTINUED.
REPOINTING WORK OF THAT INTERIOR BRICK. AND THAT'S BEEN REQUESTED FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027 THROUGH THE HISTORIC SPECIAL CATEGORY, OR HISTORIC RESOURCES SPECIAL CATEGORY GRANT. SO THE MAINTENANCE OF THAT STRUCTURE THE PRIORITY. BUT WITH THAT, AND WHAT MR. VERA IS TALKING ABOUT, WAS THE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE GROUNDS TO BETTER ACCOMMODATE A VISITOR EXPERIENCE. AND WE'RE WORKING ON MARKETING THIS ICONIC STRUCTURE TO INCREASE REVENUE. TO RECOGNIZE THE HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE OF FLORIDA, FERNANDINA'S OLDEST BUILDING, AND TO MAKE IT MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR CLIMBING TOURS, TO VISIT THE FACILITY. IT'S SAD TO SAY THAT. OUR LIGHTHOUSE, WHICH IS THE OLDEST WORKING LIGHTHOUSE IN FLORIDA, THE WESTERNMOST LIGHTHOUSE ON THE EASTERN COAST, ONE OF THE ONLY LIGHTHOUSES IN NORTH AMERICA TO BE IN TWO DIFFERENT STATES, AND ITS LIFE IS CURRENTLY RANKED 32 OUT OF 48 THINGS TO DO HERE. WE GET BAD MARKS BECAUSE OF LACK OF ACCESSIBILITY. YOU CAN'T
[00:30:01]
GET TO IT. SO WE'RE WORKING ON IMPROVING THAT AND CHANGING THAT. WE CAN DO BETTER. WITH THAT. SECOND THING, AND DIRECTOR MICKELSON MENTIONED THIS IS THE BEACH HARMONIZATION.OH, JEREMIAH, CAN I ASK A QUESTION ABOUT THAT? SURE.
SO WE SO WITH THE RENOVATIONS. I THINK THAT WAS LIKE SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS THAT WE GOT FROM A FEDERAL GRANT FOR THE FIRST PHASE, AND THEN BOTH THE SECOND PHASE AND THIRD PHASE ARE FEDERAL MONEY? SO THE FIRST PHASE WAS REALLY TWO GRANTS WAS FROM THE FLORIDA LIGHTHOUSE ASSOCIATION FOR AROUND A HUNDRED AND THIRTY HUNDRED 25. THE FLORIDA SPECIAL CATEGORY GRANT WAS $500,000.
THAT'S WHAT DID THE EXTERIOR WORK. WHAT? THIS PHASE THAT OCCURRED THIS YEAR IS JUST FUNDED FROM OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND WITHIN THE GENERAL FUND. THAT'S ABOUT $100,000 TO TAKE CARE OF SOME INTERIOR WORK. IT ALSO SHOWS THE STATE THAT WE'RE STILL COMMITTING OUR OWN FUNDS TO THIS PROJECT, NOT JUST RELYING ON GRANT APPROPRIATIONS. SO ANOTHER SPECIAL CATEGORY GRANT THROUGH THE STATE HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR NEXT YEAR.
SO MY QUESTION, THE REASON WHY I WAS ASKING ALL THAT IN DETAIL IS, SO WHEN THE WORK IS DONE NEXT YEAR ON PHASE THREE, WILL THOSE IMPROVEMENTS HAVE OUR LIGHTHOUSE IN GOOD SHAPE FOR A GOOD, LONG TIME? THAT WE REALLY SHOULDN'T HAVE TO SPEND MONEY? AND THEN IS THAT SOMETHING WE WOULD BE CHARGING MONEY FOR? TOURS TO MAYBE BE ABLE TO, CAN WE EARMARK THOSE TOURS TO GO TOWARDS THE RESTORATION OF THE WORLD? LIGHTHOUSE, SO WE'RE ALWAYS... YES, SO YES TO BOTH OF THOSE QUESTIONS.
YES, THESE IMPROVEMENTS WILL READY THE LIGHTHOUSE FOR A COUPLE DECADES BEFORE MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS ARE NEEDED AGAIN, AND ALSO TO BETTER MARKET THIS FACILITY SO THAT IT CAN BECOME SELF-SUPPORTING. YOU'LL SEE THAT TO BOTH THE NORTH OF US, ST. SIMONS, TO THE SOUTH OF US, WHERE THE LIGHTHOUSE TAKES A DIVE INTO THE HISTORY. YOU CAN VISIT THE FACILITY. TAKE YOUR PICTURE, TAKE YOUR SELFIE, GO UP TO THE TOP AND, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE.
THERE'S A LOT OF LIGHTHOUSES OF AMERICA IS A BIG THING, AND PEOPLE TRAVEL TO SEE THE LIGHTHOUSES AND YOU JUST CAN'T GET TO OURS. SO, YEAH, WE DID NOT BRING IN HARDLY ANY MONEY IN 2024, WHICH WE, WE KNEW BECAUSE OF RENOVATIONS. THAT WAS GOING TO BE A LOW INCOME, LOW REVENUE FOR THE USE OF OUR LIGHTHOUSE, BUT ABSOLUTELY IS TO MAKE IT. SO THEY CAN START BRINGING IN REVENUE TO HELP SUPPORT THE CONTINUED MAINTENANCE OF IT. THANK YOU.
OKAY, ON TO BEACH HARMONIZATION. THIS IS A LONG-AWAITED PROJECT THAT'S NOW NEARLY 90% DESIGNED, SO YOU'LL SEE MORE DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS PROJECT WITH YOU ALL. AND AT A CITY COMMISSION LEVEL. THIS PROJECT INVOLVES THE IMPROVEMENTS TO SEVEN BEACH PARKS ON AMELIA ISLAND. THE CITY COMMISSION ACCEPTED THE FIRST CONCEPTS IN 2023, AND THE PERMITTING IS MOSTLY COMPLETE THROUGH FDEP, AND THIS IS LARGELY FUNDED THROUGH YOUR TOURISM DOLLARS.
SO THE FIRST ELEMENT OF THE PROJECT IS THE RENOVATION OF SEASIDE PARK AND SOME OF THE BRANDING CHANGES RELATED TO OUR SIGNAGE. SOME MORE FOR THAT WILL COME SOON. BUT EXPECT SOME CONTINUED CONVERSATION AT A COMMISSION LEVEL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COUNTY HERE IN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS.
AND LOOKING AT CONSTRUCTION TO SEASIDE TO HAPPEN TOWARD THE END OF THIS CALENDAR YEAR.
OKAY, HAP ENGINEERING IS THE CONSULTANT THAT'S BEEN WORKING ON THAT, AND WE JUST RECEIVED AN UPDATE THERE AT 90%, SO THEY'RE READY TO START TALKING ABOUT IT AGAIN. AND WOULD THAT PROJECT BE DONE BEFORE THE BEACH IS OPEN NEXT SEASON? UNTIL WE CAN, THAT WOULD BE IDEAL. WE'RE STILL TOO FAR AWAY TO EVEN KNOW THE CITY'S PORTION OF THOSE COSTS. A MAJORITY OF IT IS GOING TO COME, AGAIN, FROM YOUR TOURISM TAX DOLLARS, BUT THERE'S STILL A CITY PORTION THAT WE WOULD NEED TO FUND. WE NEED TO DETERMINE WHAT THOSE COSTS ARE BEFORE WE CAN EXACTLY SCHEDULE WHEN THAT WORK WOULD OCCUR. WHILE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE BEACH, BEACH RE-NOURISHMENT, THERE'S TWO THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. ONE, THE CHANNEL DREDGING, WHICH IS AN ANNUAL PROJECT WHICH REMOVES SAND FROM THE KINGS BAY ENTRANCE CHANNEL. THAT PROJECT IS COMPLETE. THAT EQUIPMENT WAS REMOVED FROM MAIN BEACH PRIOR TO THE CAR SHOW. THAT HAPPENED THIS WEEKEND.
BUT ALSO SOME EQUIPMENT CAME IN TO CONTINUE TO BEGIN TILLING THE BEACH.
CHURNING UP THE SAND ON THE BEACH RELATED TO THE NASSAU SHORELINE STABILIZATION PROJECT. SO, TWO SEPARATE PROJECTS. ONE HAPPENS EVERY YEAR. THAT'S THE CHANNEL DREDGING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CORPS. THAT SAND GOES TO THE NORTH END OF AMELIA ISLAND AT PORT CLINCH AND ON DOWN TOWARD NORTH BEACH. AND THEN EVERY SEVERAL YEARS, DEPENDING UPON FEDERAL FUNDING, DEPENDING ON STORMS, WE'LL SEE A BIGGER RENOURISHMENT PROJECT. AND THAT USUALLY RUNS FROM ABOUT MAIN BEACH ON DOWN TO.
TO SEASIDE. SO THAT WORK HAPPENED LAST YEAR. THE RE-NOURISHMENT PROJECT HAPPENED LAST YEAR. PART OF THEIR PERMIT REQUIRES THAT THEY COME TILL THE BEACH PRIOR TO TURTLE SEASON. WELL, THAT'S ALSO SPRING BREAK.
[00:35:02]
THAT'S ALSO AS PEOPLE ARE NOW GOING OUT TO THE BEACH. THE TIMING'S NOT IDEAL, BUT THEY ARE ESSENTIALLY PLOWING UP THE BEACH, CHURNING UP THE SAND FROM MAIN BEACH ON DOWN TO SEASIDE. IT'S GOING TO TAKE ABOUT 10 DAYS TO COMPLETE. WE'VE ASKED THEM TO STAY OUT OF THE SEASIDE ON-BEACH PARKING AREA.THERE'S NO REASON TO GO THERE. WE DON'T WANT TO ENCOURAGE TURTLES TO NEST THERE. THERE'S VEHICLES THAT WILL BE GETTING STUCK THERE. AND ALSO TO LIMIT THEIR TILLING WORK ON WEEKENDS, TO SHUT DOWN THEIR OPERATIONS EARLY.
SINCE IT'S GOING TO BE NICER WEATHER AND THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE ALREADY GOING OUT TO THE BEACH. ALSO, ASK THEM TO KEEP OUR DRIVE LANE OPEN, ADJACENT TO THE... FRONTAL DUNE FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE BECAUSE OCEAN RESCUE IS BEGINNING TO START GUARDING THE BEACHES. THEY WERE AGREEABLE TO THOSE CONDITIONS. THEY SHOULD BE OUT OF THERE, LIKE I SAID, IN ABOUT 10 DAYS, BUT YOU MAY SEE SOME STUFF ONLINE AS TO WHY ARE ALL THIS BIG HARROW OUT THERE ON THE BEACH. WE'RE NOT PLANTING CROPS. WE'RE JUST CHURNING THE SAND, AND IT'S RELATED TO THE CORE REQUIREMENTS WITH THEIR PERMIT. WELL, THAT MAKES THE SHARK TEETH PEOPLE HAPPY BECAUSE THERE WILL BE NEW SHARK TEETH AND SHELLS, SO WE CAN AT LEAST TELL PEOPLE TO GO LOOK FOR THAT. I CANNOT VENTURE TO SAY WHAT YOUR POSITION ON THAT, BUT YEAH, IT WILL BRING SOME STUFF UNDERGROUND UP TO THE TOP. VERY SOFT SAND, SO EXPECT WHEN YOU SINK DOWN, WHILE YOU'VE GOT FRESH SNOW, YOU'LL SINK DOWN A BIT. HEY JEREMIAH. YES, SIR. SORRY, CAN WE JUMP BACK TO THE BEACH HARMONIZATION JUST FOR A MINUTE? CAN YOU TALK ABOUT, WAS THAT INITIATED BY THE CITY OR THE COUNTY? LIKE, WHO'S DRIVING THAT WHOLE THING? I WOULD SAY IT WOULD BE BOTH. THIS HAS BEEN IN CONVERSATIONS FOR A WHILE ABOUT THE USE OF THE TDT DOLLARS, TOURISM DEVELOPMENT TAX, THAT THOSE FUNDS HAVE BEEN BUILDING TO REINVEST INTO OUR BEACHES. THE CONCEPT OF PULLING THIS MONEY TOGETHER AND HAVING A JOINT EFFORT GOES BACK FIVE YEARS NOW. THEY ENGAGED A FIRM.
IT'S BEEN MOVING RATHER SLOWLY, PROBABLY BECAUSE IT IS AN INTERLOCAL TYPE OPERATION, REALLY INVOLVING YEAR THREE.
THE AMELIA ISLAND CONVICTIOUS BUREAU, THE TDC ARM, THE COUNTY, AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE CITY. THERE'S A LOT OF PERMITTING INVOLVED BECAUSE YOU'RE DOING ALL THIS WORK AT MULTIPLE BEACH LOCATIONS.
SO JUST THE CONCEPT ALONE, IT WAS FINALLY VETTED FOR APPROVAL BACK IN 2023.
SO YOU CAN SEE IT'S MOVING SOMEWHAT SLOWLY, BUT WE'RE AT A POINT WHERE YOU'LL START TO SEE MORE ACTIVITY ON IT.
BUT BACK TO YOUR ANSWER, YES, IT WAS A COOPERATIVE, JOINT ENGAGEMENT BY.
REALLY, PREVIOUS COMMISSIONS ON BOTH SIDES, BUT IT WAS TO USE THOSE DOLLARS TO PUT BACK INTO THE BEACH, WHERE A LOT OF THOSE DOLLARS ARE GENERATED FROM PEOPLE THAT COME TO THE BEACH. OKAY, SO DID WE HAVE TO GO TO THE COUNTY AND LOBBY FOR IT? NO, NO, IT'S ALREADY COMMITTED TO THIS. I MEAN, I KNOW IT WAS, BUT AT THE TIME, WAS IT? OH, YES, THERE WAS A REQUEST FOR THAT FUNDING TO GO BACK INTO THESE PROJECTS. WE WERE LOOKING AT SEASIDE. THAT'S NEARING THE END OF ITS LIFE. THAT WHOLE COMPLEX, BOARDWALK COMPLEX, WENT IN AND... 2004, I BELIEVE IT WAS. SO IT'S NEARING THE END OF ITS LIFE. WE COMMITTED TO REPLACING ONE SECTION HERE ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT WE'RE REPLACING EVERYTHING HERE SOON. AND WE'RE GETTING TO THAT SOON PART. OKAY, THANKS. AND THEN WITHIN FIVE YEARS-ISH, RIGHT, SHOULD BE MAIN BEACH? I DON'T WANT TO COMMIT TO THAT SCHEDULE YET UNTIL WE REALLY SEE THE CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BRING FORWARD, PROBABLE COSTS, THAT KIND OF STUFF.
BUT YEAH, MAIN BEACH IS ON THE LIST OF THINGS TO DO, AND WE'VE SEEN SOME CONCEPTS RELATED TO THAT.
PETERS POINT, SCOTT ROAD, ARE SOME OF THE OTHER ONES. I MEAN, ALL SEVEN PARKS ARE GETTING A FACELIFT, BUT YEAH, THAT'S IN THE PLAN. I HAVE A QUESTION THAT SOMEBODY ASKED ME THE OTHER DAY WHEN THEY WERE AT THE BEACH. SOMEBODY BROUGHT UP TO ME, DO WE HAVE A TOW TRUCK? COMPANY? NUMBERS THAT IF SOMEBODY GETS STUCK ON THE BEACH, HOW, YOU KNOW, CARS ARE REMOVED ON THE BEACH WHEN THE CAR IS STUCK THERE? WHAT'S THE PROCESS? USUALLY, SOMEONE ON THE BEACH IS EAGER TO SHOW THEIR FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE OFF IN HELL. WHICH IS HILARIOUS. I GET IT, BUT, YOU KNOW, THE TURNING OVER OF THE DIRT. THE SAND WILL CAUSE MORE CARS TO BE STUCK, WITHOUT A DOUBT. NO, YOU'RE RIGHT. AND THAT'S WHY WE DID ASK THE CORPS TO STAY OUT OF THAT DRIVING AREA AT SEASIDE. SURE, TO KEEP IT FROM THAT. SO TO KEEP IT FROM DOING THAT. WE DON'T NEED IT, YOU KNOW, ONE, WE'RE NOT TRYING TO ENCOURAGE TRAILERS TO GO TO NESS FOR VEHICLES OR PARKING.
THAT WOULD BE COUNTERINTUITIVE, RIGHT? AND SECONDLY, WHY CREATE A SAFETY ISSUE THERE? WHERE WE'RE JUST, VEHICLES WILL BE GETTING STUCK AND THEN, TO YOUR POINT, OTHER PEOPLE WILL BE TRYING TO HELP? OR THEY'RE CALLING IN TOW COMPANIES, CLOGGING UP THE DRIVE AISLE.
THERE'S NO GOOD REASON TO DO THAT. THEY WERE AGREEABLE TO MAKE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS.
DO WE DO REGULAR MAINTENANCE TO THAT AREA TO KEEP IT, I DON'T KNOW, I MEAN, IS THAT AN AREA OF MAINTENANCE THAT WE HAVE TO DO AS A CITY TO KEEP THAT DRIVABLE? WE DO
[00:40:01]
NOT. I MEAN, WE DO ADJUST THE SIGNAGE AND THE BOLLARDS THERE THAT DELINEATE THE DRIVE AISLES. THE REGULAR TRAFFIC DOES KEEP IT PRETTY PACKED DOWN. THE APPROACH GOING OUT. ONTO THE BEACH IS ALWAYS A MAINTENANCE ISSUE.THERE'S A LOT OF EROSION THERE AT RIGHT THERE AT SEASIDE, EXCUSE ME, RIGHT THERE AT SLIDERS GOING OUT INTO THE BEACH. AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WILL BE ADDRESSED IN THE PROJECT. WILL THAT BE LIKE PAVED? THERE'LL BE WHAT'S PROPOSED AS A CONCRETE DRIVE AISLE, A LITTLE EXTENSION THERE.
AND THEN ALSO, THE PARKING LOT AREA WOULD HAVE A CONCRETE DRIVE AISLE AND THEN PAVERS ON EITHER SIDE TO STILL FACILITATE DRAINAGE AND STORMWATER. BUT ALSO BE A LITTLE MORE MAINTENANCE-FRIENDLY THAN WHAT'S THERE. THAT'S A HUGE IMPROVEMENT. TWO OTHER THINGS I'LL RUN THROUGH REAL QUICK.
AT THE NEXT COMMISSION MEETING ON THE 17TH, YOU'LL SEE TWO BID AWARDS RELATED TO OUR TWO RECREATION FACILITIES, AND THIS IS FOR APPROVAL OF $175,000. WE ARE PARTWAY THROUGH A PHASED MAINTENANCE APPROACH TO THESE FACILITIES, REPLACING WINDOWS AND DOORS, AND UNTIL THERE'S A COMMITMENT TO BUILD SOMETHING NEW, WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF WHAT WE HAVE. SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING SOME MORE WINDOWS REPLACED.
RECOGNIZE THAT BOTH COMPLEXES CONSIST OF SEVERAL BUILDINGS.
THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE THINGS TO TAKE CARE OF. ATLANTIC REC HAS FOUR, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH A LOT OF WINDOWS AND DOORS TO THE FACILITY. SO WE'VE BEEN PHASING THE REPLACEMENT OF THOSE WINDOWS AND DOORS OVER REALLY THREE OR FOUR YEARS TO MAKE IT A LITTLE EASIER TO SWALLOW THE PRICE TAG. SO THAT WILL BE GOING TO COMMISSION NEXT WEEK.
HOPE TO HAVE THAT WORK DONE HERE WITHIN THE NEXT 60 DAYS. AND THEN, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE WATERFRONT PARK. A LOT OF PROGRESS HERE TOWARD THE VERY END OF THAT CONTRACT. 90% OF THE TREES ARE IN. THE LOW-LEVEL LANDSCAPING IS GOING IN RIGHT NOW. LIGHT POLES AND BOLLARDS WILL BE GOING IN NEXT WEEK, AS WILL THE REMAINING SIDEWALKS AND SOME OF THE BRICK PAVERS.
YOU'LL REALLY START TO SEE IT COME ALIVE HERE IN THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS.
THE DEADLINE AT THE PARK OPENING IS NEXT WEEK, SO THAT'S WHY THIS RUSH TOWARD THE END BY THE CONTRACTOR. THE SHRIMP MONUMENT AND THE PICNIC TABLE WILL LIKELY BE SET NEXT WEEK.
THE PLAY STRUCTURE IS STILL IN PRODUCTION, BUT THE GRAND OPENING IS SCHEDULED FOR 4-11, APRIL 11TH, AS WAS MENTIONED, AND HOPE YOU ALL CAN ATTEND.
THAT'S ALL I HAVE, UNLESS YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR ME. WHAT IS THE SHRIMP FEATURE? THE SHRIMP MONUMENT IS THE MONUMENT THAT'S IN PARKING LOT A. IT'S THE...
PROBABLY DON'T, LET'S SEE, WITHOUT PULLING UP. IT HAS A LARGE SHRIMP BOAT ON IT.
IT'S A MONUMENT RIGHT THERE, WESTERN PART OF PARKING LOT A. THAT WILL BECOME A FEATURE PIECE IN THE WATERFRONT PARK.
OKAY. BUT THE TWO PIECES THAT WILL MOVE OVER IS THE ANCHOR THERE TO PUT A BRETT. SO IT NEEDS TO MOVE ANYWAY FOR THE DEMOLITION OF BRETT. AND THEN THAT SHRIMP MONUMENT, WHICH IS SOMEWHAT ODDLY PLACED RIGHT THERE, IN PARKING LOT A. YOU CAN'T REALLY GO, VISIT OR LOOK AT IT WITHOUT STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DRIVE AISLE. SO IT WILL BE A BETTER PLACE THERE IN THE WATERFRONT PARK. IS THERE GOING TO BE LIKE A WHOLE EVENT? A BUNCH OF STUFF GOING ON? YEAH, THERE IS. THERE'S GOING TO BE A CONCERT. THE YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL IS WORKING ON HELPING, NAMING FOR THE NEW PIRATE STATUTE.
SO, YEAH, IT'S GOING TO BE A GREAT TIME. THE MORE, THE MERRIER, SO PLEASE COME.
BRING YOUR CHAIRS. ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME? DO THEY HAVE A DATE FOR BREAD? YET? WE DO NOT.
UNTIL WE SECURE A BID, WE REALLY CAN'T NAIL DOWN A DATE. WE DO HAVE A SCHEDULE, A ROUGH SCHEDULE.
IT'S GOING OUT TO BID HERE, PROBABLY NEXT EIGHT WEEKS.
TENTATIVE START FOR DEMOLITION WOULD BE MID-JUNE.
BUT UNTIL WE SECURE CONTRACTOR AND DETERMINE MOBILIZATION AND ALL THAT, IT'S STILL JUST A BIT OF A GUESSTIMATE.
BUT PERMITTING WILL BE IN HAND HERE SOON, AND THEN TARGETED DEMOLITION IS MID-JUNE. AND HOW LONG IS THIS ROAD GOING TO BE CLOSED? IS THAT A SIX-MONTH PROJECT OR IS IT SOON? THIS SECTION WILL BE OPEN BEFORE SHRIMP FESTIVAL. OKAY, BUT NOT THE WATERFRONT PART.
YEAH, BUT THERE WILL BE OTHER WORK AS WE MOVE FURTHER UP THAT WILL RUN ON THROUGH, I THINK IT'S THE MID-JULY.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, THANKS, MR. GLISSON. IT KIND OF SHOWS YOU GOING BACK TO TAKING A STEP BACK FROM THE MASTER PLAN. AND ALL OF THE STUFF THAT IS CURRENTLY GOING ON WITHIN JUST OUR PARKS. AND NOT EVEN MENTIONING NECESSARILY THE RECREATIONAL SIDE OF IT. SO THERE IS A LOT GOING ON. I APPRECIATE MR. GLISSON BEING HERE TONIGHT.
AND JUST TO TOUCH ON A FEW THINGS. WITH WATERFRONT PARK, WE'RE ALSO PUTTING IN, WE'RE GETTING IN LINE THE GREENERY, WHICH DOES SOME OF THE MAINTENANCE DOWNTOWN.
SO THEY ALREADY BID TO DO THE LANDSCAPING WORK AT THE GREENERY. WELL, SO THAT, AND ALSO THE RESTROOM CLEANING, WE'RE GETTING THAT IN LINE AS WELL, SO TO GET GOING COME APRIL. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WITH THE BEACH HARMONIZATION AND TALKING AND REFERENCING.
[00:45:01]
SOME OF THE STUFF THAT HE SAID IS IT'S. IT'S PLANNING ON THE BOARDWALK AT SEASIDE PARK. SO TRYING TO TIME THAT OUT BECAUSE WE'RE GETTING TO A POINT WHERE THAT BOARDWALK DOES NEED TO BE REPLACED.AND THEN LOOKING AT MAIN BEACH AND TRYING TO TIME THAT OUT AS WELL AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH SOME OF THE ITEMS, FOR EXAMPLE, KATIE AND I ARE LOOKING CLOSELY AT THE SHADE STRUCTURE. CAN IT MAKE THAT TIME FOR WHEN WE DO HIT THE BEACH HARMONIZATION AT MAIN BEACH? SO THOSE ARE JUST TWO LITTLE ITEMS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, NOT SMALL, BUT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THOSE. SO JUST JUST A FEW MORE UPDATES FROM THE PARKS AND REC SIDE IS WE ARE NOW, FOR THE MOST PART, UNLESS WE HAVE ANY OTHER ISSUES COME UP, THE BEACH ACCESSES, WE HAVE SPENT THE MAJORITY OF OUR MONEY WITH THE REPAIR, THE REDECKING, AND THE PUTTING HANDLES ON THE BEACH ACCESSES FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR. WE ARE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF WORKING THROUGH BEACH ACCESS NINE, WHICH IS AT JASMINE. I DON'T HAVE ANY NEW UPDATE ON THAT AT THIS POINT. IF I WHEN I DO, I'LL MAKE SURE I UPDATE YOU GUYS. ARE YOU THINKING THAT THAT WOULD BE BEING DONE POTENTIALLY OVER THE SUMMER, OR IS THAT SOMETHING YOU CAN WAIT UNTIL THE END OF THE SEASON? I DO NOT WANT TO DO IT DURING THE SUMMER.
YEAH, IT'S A VERY UTILIZED BEACH ACCESS. YEP, SO WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THAT. THANK YOU. YES. THE COLUMBARIUM.
WE SHOULD HAVE INITIAL CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS SHORTLY, SO WE'LL BE GOING THROUGH THAT PROCESS AS WELL. I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT, MUCH NEEDED. AND THEN I THINK THOSE ARE ALL THE UPDATES I HAD. I DID HAVE THE MLK FIELDS ON THERE. I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT DATE, BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT...
POTENTIALLY IN APRIL, GOING TO THE COMMISSION FOR A FORMAL APPROVAL FOR DESIGN OF THOSE FIELDS AT MLK. I'LL KEEP YOU POSTED AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT.
AND THEN I HAD THE MASTER PLAN. I WANTED TO UPDATE YOU ON WHAT THE COMMISSION HAD, WHAT HAPPENED AT THE LAST COMMISSION MEETING. SO WE'RE WORKING AND DEVELOPING HOW WE WANT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT. AND THEN, OBVIOUSLY, IVOR ALVAREZ, WHICH WE HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT EARLIER. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME RIGHT NOW? I HAVE A QUESTION AS FAR AS THE WATERFRONT PART GOES. HAS THERE BEEN A DECISION ON THE PLAY STRUCTURE? IS IT JUST LIKE GETTING... YES, THERE HAS. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO, KATIE, IF WE COULD EMAIL THAT... CAN WE JUST EMAIL THAT OUT TO THEM AFTER? YEAH, IF YOU DON'T MIND, IF WE COULD JUST EMAIL YOU WHAT WAS DECIDED UPON AND THEN... WE'LL GO FROM THERE. WHAT ELSE? IT'S IN PROCESS, RIGHT? OH, YEAH, YES, IT'S ORDERED. IT'S IN PRODUCTION. OKAY. YEAH, IT'S JUST I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S GOING TO GET HERE IN TIME. WE'RE WORKING ON IT. SO WHAT WAS I? A COUPLE THINGS I WANTED TO SAY, AND KATIE KIND OF DOWNPLAYED THIS A LITTLE BIT, BUT WITH THE SPECIAL EVENTS.
AH, SWEET. THE SPECIAL EVENTS PROCESS HAS BEEN A LOT OF WORK. SHE HAS PUT A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT INTO IT.
WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO GET THAT THROUGH THE PROCESS SO WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH OUR SPECIAL EVENT PROCESS. SO A LOT OF HARD WORK PUT INTO THAT.
AND I ALSO WOULD JUST TO PUBLICLY, AS MR. KAMARA, CHAIR KAMARA SPEAKS ABOUT QUITE OFTEN, IS OUR MAINTENANCE, PARKS MAINTENANCE TEAM. THEY DO WORK EXTREMELY HARD AND DO A LOT FOR THIS COMMUNITY.
AND WE'RE COMING INTO A HOT SEASON. WE'RE PREPARING FOR THAT. AND OBVIOUSLY, MR. BIGGERS HAS SOME GREAT UPDATES FOR YOU.
THE GOLF COURSE IS, I'M STILL SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THE GOLF COURSE. SO WE'RE WORKING VERY HARD, AND I KNOW HE'S WORKING VERY HARD. SO I APPRECIATE BOTH OF THEIR EFFORTS AND ALL THE WORK THAT THEY DO. SCOTT, JUST ON THE MAINTENANCE TEAM, HOW HARD IS IT TO KEEP GOOD PEOPLE? LIKE, IF WE CONTINUE TO BUILD THINGS, CAN WE HIRE TO SUPPORT ALL THAT, OR IS IT? IS IT ALWAYS A CHALLENGE? YEAH, I THINK THAT IS A CONSIDERATION AS WE BRING ON A NEW PARK IS ONE OF TWO THINGS. DO WE LOOK TO OUTSOURCE THAT MAINTENANCE, OR DO WE LOOK AND WE ANALYZE, DO WE NEED ANOTHER EMPLOYEE?
[00:50:03]
SO WE'RE CONSTANTLY DEALING WITH THAT. I WILL SAY, THOUGH, THAT PARK, HISTORICALLY, PARKS AND RECREATION HAS BEEN LIKE THE STARTING DEPARTMENT.WHERE PEOPLE JUST LIKE, WANT TO GET A JOB WITH THE CITY, SO THEY START THERE. AND THIS PAST TWO YEARS, WE HAVE MAINTAINED A FULL STAFF. AND MOST OF THEM HAVE BEEN HERE THROUGHOUT THE TIME THAT SCOTT AND I HAVE BEEN HERE.
SO WE'RE REALLY LUCKY TO HAVE THE CREW WE HAVE. WE HAVE A PHENOMENAL CREW.
THEY'RE ALL ON BOARD, POSITIVE ATTITUDES. WE'RE REALLY, REALLY LUCKY TO HAVE THEM. YEAH, SO WE ALSO HAVE THE, WHAT WE DO IS YOU, DEPENDING, THERE'S DIFFERENT LEVELS.
THERE'S A MAINTENANCE TECH, ONE, TWO, THREE, AND A SENIOR TECH. SO DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU COME IN IN IN THE CERTIFICATIONS THAT YOU HAVE, THAT WE HAVE SET FORTH TO FOR YOU TO MOVE UP. SO THERE IS A PATH NOW THAT WE USE THROUGHOUT THE CITY IN MAINTENANCE POSITIONS WHERE YOU CAN YOU GET THIS CERTIFICATION, YOU MOVE UP. I WILL SAY THAT KATIE AND ANOTHER ADMIN COORDINATOR THAT WE HAVE, WE HAVE BEEN VERY PROACTIVE.
WITHIN TRAINING OUR INDIVIDUALS SO WE CAN GET THEM UP TO A MAINTENANCE TECH, THREE OR EVEN MORE. SO THEY ARE GETTING THOSE PROMOTIONS TO HELP KEEP THEM WITHIN OUR DIVISION. WE'VE HAD FIVE EMPLOYEES START AS TECH ONES AND BECOME TECH THREES IN THE PAST TWO YEARS. IT'S REALLY IMPRESSIVE. AND I JUST WANT TO COMMENT, IT DOES REALLY SHOW WHAT WE STARTED WITH TWO YEARS AGO VERSUS WHAT WE HAVE NOW. IT'S LIKE NIGHT AND DAY. THEY'RE MORE EXPERIENCED. THEY KNOW HOW TO HANDLE DIFFERENT SITUATIONS, BOTH ON A VERY POSITIVE NOTE. AND THEY KNOW, I'D SAY, THEY'RE 40 TO 50 PERCENT FASTER IN GETTING THINGS DONE BECAUSE THEY'RE QUALIFIED NOW IN MAKING THOSE DECISIONS.
WHEN THEY'RE THERE AT THE PARK. SO THAT'S ALL BEEN A GREAT PROGRAM FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS. HOW MANY MAINTENANCE WORKERS ARE THERE FOR THIS PARK? WE HAVE 11 POSITIONS RIGHT NOW.
YEAH, IT'S A CONSTANT. WE CONSTANTLY TALK ABOUT THAT AND, YOU KNOW, DO WE HAVE ENOUGH IN THOSE POSITIONS? THEIR CAMERA IS SHAKING HIS HEAD.
NO. BUT WE CONSTANTLY HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT AND WHAT IS THE LEVEL OF STANDARD THAT THIS COMMUNITY EXPECTS FROM US.
SO, AND ARE WE MEETING IT WITH THE EMPLOYEES AND THE AMOUNT OF EMPLOYEES THAT WE HAVE? WE ARE A DRASTIC FLUX, TOO.
SO, LIKE IN THE OFF SEASON, LIKE WHEN IT'S COLD AND THE GRASSES ARE DORMANT, YOU DON'T HAVE NEARLY AS MUCH WORK. OH, WE WORK HARDER.
BUT THEN YOU GOT TO CUT THE GRASS EVERY WEEK AND EVERY BLADE OF GRASS WE HAVE.
THAT'S A BIG JUMP IN RESOURCE NEED. YEAH.
YEAH. SO, A FEW THINGS. AND I'M REALLY GLAD THAT YOU SAID THAT. BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO HIGHLIGHT VERY SHORTLY OF ALL THE WINTER PROJECTS, SO AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE SUMMER PROJECTS AND WE SEE THINGS THAT ARE COMING UP.
WE CONTINUALLY KEEP A LIST OF JUST IN JUST LITTLE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE CAN DO THROUGHOUT THE PARK SYSTEM.
WE PUT THOSE IN THERE AND THEY'RE INCORPORATED INTO OUR WINTER PROJECT LIST OF THAT STUFF THAT WE CAN DO IN-HOUSE. SO WE'RE ACCOMPLISHING THOSE AND WE PRIORITIZE THOSE, SO YEAH.
WHEN WE'RE NOT CUTTING GRASS, WHEN THE WHEN? THE LARGE PERCENTAGE OF OUR PARKS CREW, WHICH IS PROBABLY EIGHT TO SEVEN, SEVEN, EIGHT OR NINE OF THEM THAT ARE OUT CUTTING GRASS. UM, WHEN? WHEN THEY'RE NOT DOING THAT IN THE WINTER, AS YOU STATED, UH, THEY ARE DOING OTHER THINGS.
SO, AND WE'RE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO DO SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS AT A MUCH SMALLER, SHORTER.
OR NOT AS FAST PACED, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A COUPLE GUYS THAT THAT ARE DOING PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER AS WELL, BUT IT DOES SLOW.
THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH, THANK YOU. DO YOU WANT ME TO TOUCH ON SPECIAL EVENTS? OH, YEAH, WILL YOU PLEASE? I'M SORRY, THAT'S OKAY. SO, WE JUST HAVE A WE'RE RAMPING UP FOR OUR SPECIAL EVENTS. THIS MONTH, WE HAVE FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY BOOK SALE, WHICH IS MARCH 11TH THROUGH THE 14TH. WE HAVE CATS, ANGELS. SPECIAL EVENT AT THE ATLANTIC REC CENTER ON MARCH 12TH THROUGH THE 14TH. WE HAVE MIND TRAVEL, SILENT PIANO MEDITATION AT MAIN BEACH ON MARCH 14TH. WE HAVE THE EASTER EGG HUNT.
THAT'S A CITY EVENT. THAT'S MARCH 21ST. THAT'S GOING TO BE AT CENTRAL PARK. WE HAVE THE GM TAILGATE TOURS.
THAT'S AT MAIN BEACH, I BELIEVE. WE HAVE EMILY'S PROMISE, WHICH IS A SKATE COMPETITION THAT'S ON MARCH 28TH AT THE SKATE PARK.
FAITH CHRISTIAN ACADEMY IS HAVING A 5K ON MARCH 28TH.
[00:55:03]
CHURCH HAS THEIR EGG HUNT DOWNTOWN. THEY'RE CLOSING THAT STREET JUST RIGHT IN BETWEEN THE TWO CHURCHES.SOUNDS UNCENTER WILL BE APRIL 3RD. WE HAVE THE EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE ON APRIL 5TH AT MAIN BEACH AND THEN THE WATERFRONT PARK OPENING ON APRIL 11TH. WOULD YOU MIND EMAILING ME THAT LIST? IT'S IN THE MINUTES, BUT I CAN EMAIL IT TO YOU.
OH, IN THE MINUTES? YEAH, OR THE PACKET. I'LL EMAIL IT TO YOU. THANK YOU. WELL, YEAH, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
THANK YOU. THAT'S A LOT. WE ALWAYS HAVE A LOT GOING ON HERE. WE DO HAVE A LOT OF SPECIAL EVENTS. WE'RE IN THE HIGH 50S, MAYBE 60S, AND SOMETIMES IT'S HARD FOR US TO KEEP UP WITH SOME EVENTS. BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T KNOW HOW TO FOLLOW THE PROCESS. SO WE'RE REALLY HOPING THAT THE SPECIAL EVENTS GUIDELINES WILL GUIDE PEOPLE MORE.
WELL, NOW WE'RE ADDING A NEW PLACE TO HAVE EVENTS. IT'S GOING TO BE GREAT. IT'S GOING TO BE GREAT. I DID IT. EMAIL EVERYONE ABOUT THE GOLF COURSE BAR OPENING EVENT THAT'S HAPPENING NEXT THURSDAY, WHICH IS FROM 5 TO 7. INVITE ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND YOUR ENEMIES. WE WANT EVERYONE TO COME TO THAT.
AND THEN I WILL SEND AN INVITE ABOUT THE WATERFRONT PARK OPENING, BUT THE HONEY BADGERS WILL BE PLAYING, AND IT'LL BE FUN. YAY, YEAH. GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY.
GOOD EVENING. JEFFREY BIGGERS, GENERAL MANAGER FOR NITTANY BEACH GOLF CLUB. SO I'M GOING TO START OFF WITH KIND OF OUR NUMBERS AND KIND OF GO THROUGH THAT. FEBRUARY NUMBERS FOR GOLF. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, JUST FEEL FREE TO ASK ME.
GOLF REVENUES WERE UP 20% FROM LAST FEBRUARY 25. AND I THINK THAT WAS PRETTY GOOD CONSIDERING THE YOU KNOW, THE WEATHER AGAIN. WE CAME CLOSE TO DOING THE SAME NUMBER OF ROUNDS AS WE DID LAST FEBRUARY, AND I WAS PRETTY IMPRESSED WITH THAT. SO WHAT IS IT WITH THE WEATHER? BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING, A LOT OF COLD DAYS, AND YOU WERE UP 20%. WE DID.
WELL, WE WERE UP 20% IN TOTAL REVENUES. SO WHEN I GO THROUGH SOME OF THIS, SOME OF THIS, WE'VE INCREASED SOME OF OUR RATES. ROUNDS WERE ALMOST WHAT THEY WERE LAST YEAR. BUT THEN YOU'VE GOT TO CONSIDER WE HAVE A DRIVING RANGE THAT WAS OPEN THIS YEAR. WE HAVE A TEACHING PROFESSIONAL THAT'S GIVING LESSONS NOW. SO SOME OF THESE OTHER AREAS WITH INCREASED RATES, THAT'S WHERE OUR REVENUES ARE UP.
AND WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT EVERY YEAR, DEPENDING ON WHERE WE'RE GOING AND WHAT WE NEED AT THE GOLF COURSE. AND IF YOU LOOK THERE AS WELL, THE ROUNDS PER GOLF ROUND WENT UP $2.82. AND ALWAYS, AS I LET YOU GUYS KNOW, THAT NUMBER THERE IS ALL ROUNDS.
SO AS WE'VE INCREASED MEMBERSHIP. SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE PLAYING MORE BECAUSE THEY'RE A MEMBER, BUT THEY JUST PAY A WALK-IN FEE OR A CART FEE. WHEREAS IF THEY SAID, I DIDN'T WANT TO JOIN AND I JUST PLAYED GOLF, I MIGHT GET A LITTLE MORE DOLLARS OUT OF THAT PERSON, BUT MAYBE LESS ROUNDS. SO THAT'S WHERE WE HAVE TO LOOK WHEN WE'RE BUDGETING WITH GREEN FEES AND CART FEES. BUT OVERALL, AS THAT NUMBER KEEPS GOING UP, THAT'S A GOOD NUMBER.
SO, AS FAR AS FOOD AND BEVERAGE GOES, IT WAS DOWN A LITTLE BIT. I THINK SOME OF THAT WAS, WHEN WE GO BACK TO WHERE YOU WERE SAYING.
YOU KNOW, THOSE COLD DAYS, WELL, WHEN WE HAVE THREE OR FOUR DAYS, WE DON'T DO 20, 30 PLAYERS BECAUSE IT'S COLD.
WELL, THOSE PEOPLE AREN'T COMING IN AND EATING, SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S OUR BREAD AND BUTTER AS THE GOLFER.
WHEN IT COMES TO DAILY, YOU KNOW, FOOD AND BEVERAGE.
WHEN WE HAVE LARGER EVENTS, THAT'S WHERE WE CAN MAKE MORE MONEY IN THOSE AREAS, SO.
THAT NUMBER WAS DOWN JUST SLIGHTLY, BUT WE STILL AVERAGED, YOU KNOW, HAD AROUND 20 MAJOR FOOD AND BEVERAGE EVENTS. A COUPLE I'D LIKE TO JUST NOTE, FEBRUARY 7TH, THE PRIDE EVENT, WE HAD 120 PEOPLE IN THERE. THE BAR WAS NOT TOTALLY COMPLETE THAT EVENING, BUT IT WAS A GREAT EVENING.
ON FEBRUARY 20TH, WE HAD OUR PRIME RIB NIGHT, WHICH WE'RE CONSIDERING MAYBE DOING THIS QUARTERLY, AT LEAST TWICE A YEAR. IT'S REALLY A FAN FAVORITE. WE HAD 68 COME. MY NAME IS MR. MICHELSON WAS THERE. REALLY GOOD EVENING. A COUPLE TOURNAMENTS WE HAD. THESE ARE TWO THAT WE'VE HAD AT LEAST FOR THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE YEARS, WITH THE BEYOND THE BADGES TOURNAMENT AND THEN THE BASEBALL TOURNAMENT. THE BASEBALL TOURNAMENT DID GET RAINED ON A LITTLE BIT, BUT THEY DID COMPLETE THEIR EVENT. BUT AGAIN, A REALLY GOOD DAY AND BOTH OF THOSE EVENTS WE DO FOOD AND BEVERAGE WITH. THOSE ARE GOOD ONES AND WE HOPE TO KEEP HAVING THOSE COME BACK. GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCE. YOU KNOW, PARKS WAS TALKING ABOUT THEIR STAFF. OUR STAFF DOES A TREMENDOUS JOB, AND WE'VE HAD A VERY GOOD CORE STAFF SINCE I'VE BEEN THERE. WE HAVE TWO MAINTENANCE TECHS, A MECHANIC, A SUPERINTENDENT, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT, AND EIGHT PART-TIME. SO, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S BEEN PRETTY SOLID SINCE I'VE BEEN THERE, AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY I APPRECIATE THEM.
THEY DO A GREAT JOB EVERY DAY, AND AS I GO THROUGH THIS, YOU'LL SEE SOME OF THAT THAT THEY'VE DONE.
OUR NORTH WELL PROJECT, THAT LAST PORTION ON THE RADIO CONTROLS, THEY WERE ACTUALLY ALL INSTALLED
[01:00:01]
ON WEDNESDAY, THE 4TH, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ONE RADIO THAT'S GOING TO HAVE TO CONTROL THE NORTH WELL. IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A KIND OF A MISSTEP IN THERE THAT THEY NEEDED A STARTER MOTOR ON THAT WELL TO PUT THE RADIO CONTROL ON.SO I'M IN THE PROCESS OF LOOKING WITH PROPUMPS AS WELL AS FREEMAN WELL DRILLERS TO TRY TO FIND A PRICE TO GET THAT IN. I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO BE TOO EXPENSIVE.
BUT WE'RE GOING TO COMPARE THOSE TO GET THAT IN SO WE CAN GET THAT RADIO CONTROL PUT ON THAT ONE, EXCUSE ME, ON THAT NORTH. WELL. OUR IRRIGATION CONTROL SYSTEM, SO THIS IS ALL THE COMPUTERS AND THE SATELLITES THAT CONTROL OUR IN-GROUND IRRIGATION SYSTEM. THAT HAS BEEN AWARDED TO SITE 1 WITH HUNTER IRRIGATION. WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF LOOKING FOR A VENDOR TO INSTALL IT.
WE HAVE THREE QUOTES, AND WE'LL BE MOVING FORWARD FROM THERE. AND HOPEFULLY WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THEM OUT SCHEDULING A DATE.
BECAUSE THEY'LL ALL HAVE TO BE TOGETHER ON SITE TO GET THAT IN. SO THIS IS VERY BIG FOR US. IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW, I THINK THE LAST TIME THIS WAS REPLACED WAS 2015, 2016. BASICALLY, ALL OF IT WAS ANTIQUATED AND WE WEREN'T GOING TO RECEIVE ANY UPGRADES. SO WE NEEDED TO DO SOMETHING.
SO APPRECIATE THAT GOING THROUGH. THIS IS THE NEXT TWO LITTLE PARAGRAPHS ARE KIND OF A WRITE UP FROM WHAT WE'VE DONE ON THE GOLF COURSE OVER THE WINTER. SO, YES, WE'RE MOWING ALL SUMMER, BUT DURING THE WINTER, YOU KNOW, THE TEAMS REMAIN FOCUSED ON REALLY COURSE IMPROVEMENT AND CLEANUP. DEBRIS BETWEEN HOLES THREE AND SIX SOUTH HAS BEEN CLEARED, AS YOU CAN SEE IN THAT IMAGE. SOME OF THAT IS OUR STAFF. SOME OF THAT IS CONTRACTED OUT.
BUT IT'S REALLY GIVEN US AN AREA TO LOOK THROUGH AND SEE MORE OF THE GOLF COURSE. AND THIS WAS AN AREA THAT HAD A LOT OF DEBRIS IN IT FROM JUST BUILDUP OVER THE YEARS, FROM HURRICANES AND... WHAT HAVE YOU ON THE GOLF COURSE. WAS THAT LIKE A BIG PILE OF BRUSH WHEN WE DROVE OUT THERE, LIKE, ON THAT OTHER SIDE? JUST BIG, YEAH, TOWERING, YOU KNOW, 08, 10 FEET HIGH. YEAH, WOW.
YEAH, JUST BEEN STORAGE, KIND OF A STORAGE IN THE WOODS. SO NOW IT'S REALLY OPENED UP AND LOOKS GOOD. AND THAT STAFF'S ALSO BEEN REMOVING VINES, UNDERBRUSH, ANYTHING TO KIND OF CLEAN UP ON THE OUTSIDE AREAS.
OBVIOUSLY WE WANT THE FAIRWAYS AND THE GREENS AND THE BUNKERS AND EVERYTHING TO LOOK GOOD, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO KIND OF OPEN UP. WHICH IS ALSO DEALING WITH THE TREE TRIMMING.
WE'VE DONE, ANYTHING TO KIND OF OPEN UP THE GOLF COURSE TO GET SUNLIGHT IN AND GET SOME OF THIS GRASS GROWING WHERE IT HASN'T IN A NUMBER OF YEARS. WE ALSO REMOVED 22 TREE STUMPS. A LOT OF THOSE TREES HAVE BEEN DOWN FOR A WHILE, AND WE'RE JUST GOING TO KEEP GOING AT THAT, KNOCKING THAT OUT EACH WINTER, TRYING TO GET OUT THERE AND GET SOME OF THOSE OUT. DO YOU GUYS DO THAT YOURSELVES, OR DO YOU HAVE A TREE COMPANY? THE CITY, WE COORDINATE WITHIN THE CITY. WE DON'T HAVE A STUMP GRINDER, BUT THEY'LL COME OVER AND WE'LL KIND OF COLLABORATE AND GET THEM TO COME OVER FOR A WEEK. WE HAD THEM FOR ABOUT A WEEK.
TREE MAINTENANCE HAS ALSO BEEN A PRIORITY. WE DID A ROOT PRUNING ON ALL THE NORTH AND WEST COURSES AND A FEW HOLES AS THE DAY WOULD ALLOW. BECAUSE WE RENTED THE UNIT FOR ONE DAY. AND THAT BASICALLY GOES DOWN ABOUT MAYBE FOUR TO SIX INCHES. WE DID IT ON THE TREE LINE OF THE ROUGHS. AND HOPEFULLY THAT CUTS SOME OF THAT BACK. SO IT'S NOT TAKING ALL THOSE NUTRIENTS THAT THE BERMUDA WOULD. SO WE'RE HOPING TO SEE SOME, SOME GROWTH THERE. AS I GO INTO ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP ON THE NEXT PAGE, WE'RE AT 173 MEMBERS. I THINK LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME WE WERE AROUND 140 SOME, GOT TO ABOUT 165. WE DID INCREASE OUR RATES JUST SLIGHTLY, SO WITH THAT SAID, I MEAN, DOLLAR FIGURE WISE, WE'RE AT ABOUT 97 PERCENT OF OUR TOTAL. BUDGETED DOLLARS FOR ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS, WHICH IS FABULOUS. AND WE'RE STILL HAVING PEOPLE JOIN. SO WE DID HAVE ABOUT 20 OR 30 JOIN LAST YEAR DURING THE SUMMER, SO WE'LL SEE WHERE THAT GOES.
BAR RENOVATIONS. YES, PLEASE COME TO THE PARTY WE'RE GOING TO HAVE MARCH 19TH, 5 TO 7.
ACTUALLY, ALL DAY. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE BASKETBALL ON. IT'S THE FIRST DAY OF THE NCAA TOURNAMENT, SO IT'S 12 HOURS OF THAT.
WE'LL HAVE IT ON FROM 12 TO 07, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE DJ FROM.
FROM FIVE TO SEVEN. WHAT WE'VE DONE, SOME OF THESE UPDATES THAT I LISTED HERE, ONE AREA IS WHERE I PUT IN, I SAID. LOOKING AHEAD, WE PLAN TO EXPAND. WELL, WE HAVE GOT THE CABINETS, THE EXTRA CABINETS IN. I THINK THEY WENT IN TODAY, AND WE'VE ALSO CREATED THAT COZY LITTLE AREA. WE'VE GOT A RUG IN FRONT OF THE FIREPLACE AND FOUR CHAIRS AND A COFFEE TABLE, SO WE'RE TRYING TO, WE'RE JUST GOING TO KEEP PECKING AT IT TO TRY TO GET THAT PLACE TO LOOK A LITTLE MORE COZY.
AND BE THERE FOR PEOPLE TO HANG OUT AND HAVE A FEW MORE BEERS THAN MAYBE THEY DID IN THE PAST, MAYBE DECIDE TO HAVE A MEAL, AND DEFINITELY HIT OUR GOLFERS WHEN THEY GET OFF THE GOLF COURSE. THE NEXT PAGE WAS MARKETING. SENT MY NEWSLETTER OUT ON MARCH 1ST.
[01:05:01]
ANYBODY DIDN'T RECEIVE IT.BECAUSE I HAD A LOT OF KICKBACKS, 20 OR SO KICKBACKS. SAYING MY IMAGE WAS TOO BIG, AND IT DIDN'T WANT TO. LET IT GO THROUGH TO YOUR EMAIL, SO IF YOU DIDN'T RECEIVE IT, LET ME KNOW. I'VE ASKED. I GOT IT. YOU DID? WELL, THAT'S GOOD. DID YOU SEND IT AS A PDF? BUT SOME OF THE STUFF COMING BACK WAS SAYING IT WAS 38 MEGABYTES AND IT WAS TOO BIG, BUT MY PDF WAS ONLY 26.
BUT I DID TALK TO IT, AND THEY'LL KIND OF LOOK AT IT AND LET ME KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON THERE. SO HOPEFULLY I WON'T HAVE ANYBODY THAT, YOU KNOW, IF THEY CALL AND SAY THEY DIDN'T GET IT, I'M GOING TO FIND IT.
DIFFERENT WAY TO GET IT TO THEM. SO IF YOU'VE NOTICED ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE, WE'RE TRYING TO DO AT LEAST TWO UPDATES A WEEK, IF NOT MORE, DEPENDING ON WHAT WE HAVE GOING ON AT THE GOLF COURSE. SO YOU'LL SEE MORE FACEBOOK POSTS. THE PICTURES I HAVE THERE, JUST A COUPLE OF THE EVENTS.
LIKE I SAID, THE PRIDE EVENT AND OUR PRIME ROOM DIVER WERE REALLY WELL ATTENDED FOR LAST MONTH. AND THEN, GOING INTO MARCH, UPCOMING EVENTS. A COUPLE I WANTED TO MENTION, THE MARCH 8TH THROUGH THE 10TH, WHICH IS TODAY, WE HAD THE FERNANDINA BEACH COLLEGIATE TOURNAMENT WRAP UP THIS AFTERNOON ABOUT 3 O'CLOCK.
THEY HAD 10 TEAMS WITH 78 PLAYERS, AND THEY PLAYED A PRACTICE RUN SUNDAY, 36 HOLES CONTINUOUS ON MONDAY, YESTERDAY, AND PLAYED 18 TODAY. WE DID DO BOX LUNCHES FOR THEM THE FIRST TWO TOURNAMENT DAYS. SO OVERALL, IT WAS ABOUT A $16,000 DAY FOR THE GOLF COURSE. AND THEY ALREADY, THEY WERE PLEASED. I HAD THE NEWS LEADER COME OUT, SO HOPEFULLY THEY'LL HAVE SOMETHING, MAYBE IN THE NEWS LEADER WITH THE EVENT TODAY. AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO DOING THEM AGAIN NEXT YEAR.
THE COACHES FROM CINCINNATI IS MOUNT ST. JOSEPH'S. AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT DOING THEM AGAIN. A COUPLE OTHERS, OBVIOUSLY. THE BAR CELEBRATION PLAYS AGAIN ON THE 19TH. HAVE EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, COME. WE'RE LOOKING FOR A BIG NIGHT THAT NIGHT.
ON MARCH 20TH, WE HAVE THE PIZZA NIGHT. AND OUR NEXT TOURNAMENT SCHEDULED IS WE HAVE THE U.S. KIDS ON THE 21ST. THAT'S ACTUALLY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. IT IS A TWO-DAY EVENT. SOME OF THE KIDS PLAY IN BOTH, BUT TECHNICALLY THEY'RE SEPARATE, INDIVIDUAL TOURNAMENTS. AND THEY TYPICALLY HAVE ABOUT 70 TO 80 KIDS. SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. THEY PLAY A LITTLE LATER ON SATURDAY AND PLAY EARLY ON SUNDAY, SO THEY CAN KIND OF GET ON THE ROAD AFTERWARDS.
OVERALL, GOLF, I THINK, IS DOING WELL WHEN THE WEATHER COOPERATES. AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE NEXT MONTH. WE STILL HAVE THREE OR FOUR BIG EVENTS TO COME UP. AND, YOU KNOW, THE BLITZ IS TOMORROW, RIGHT? OKAY. WE DID GO FROM SNOW FLURRY TO 100-DEGREE WEATHER IN LIKE A WEEK. YEAH. OH, I DON'T, YEAH. YEAH. HOT AND DRY. I THINK PLAYING IN THE BADGERS TOURNAMENT THIS 21ST.
THAT'S RIGHT, YOU DID. THERE WAS A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT CAME FROM MILLIER RIVER THAT PLAYED IN THAT TOURNAMENT AND HADN'T SEEN THAT GOLF COURSE IN TWO, THREE YEARS. AND WE'RE TOTALLY TAKEN BACK ON HOW GOOD IT WAS. AND THEY JUST SAID, I GUESS WE HAVE A SECOND PLACE TO PLAY NOW. IT'S GREAT. AND IT WAS. IT'S PROBABLY THE MOST I'VE EVER HEARD ANYBODY SPEAK OF IT.
BECAUSE I WORKED ON THE FOLLOWING MONDAY, AND THE ONLY THING I HEARD WAS JUST GREAT THINGS ABOUT THE GOLF COURSE. AND I JUST THINK WE'RE JUST IN AN UPWARD SPIRAL. I THINK IT'S GREAT, TOO. AND YOU PLAYED IT WHILE WE'RE DORMANT. WAIT UNTIL THIS GRASS STARTS GROWING, WHICH IT ALREADY HAS IN THE LAST THREE DAYS. AND WE HAVEN'T. REALLY DONE ANY FERTILIZING. WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS SEASON, SEE WHERE IT GOES, AND JUST KEEP GOING ON IT.
YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS PLAYING IN THE MIDDLE OF FEBRUARY, THE END OF FEBRUARY, IT WAS JUST GREAT. IT WAS A GREAT COURSE TO PLAY. WE'RE GLAD TO HAVE THE SUPPORT OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AT THAT TOURNAMENT EVERY YEAR.
AND MAYBE DO YOU GUYS, MAYBE YOU COULD DO SOMETHING LIKE A SIMPLE, JUST YOU WOULD ONLY HAVE TO DO IT LIKE ONE TIME, PUT TOGETHER LIKE A SURVEY MONKEY. JUST A LINK, AND THEN AFTER YOU DO A TOURNAMENT LIKE THAT, SEND IT TO THE ORGANIZERS AND ASK THEM TO SEND IT TO THE PEOPLE THAT YOU KNOW.
BECAUSE THEY WOULD HAVE THOSE EMAIL LISTS, YEAH, BECAUSE THEN THEY COULD JUST CLICK ON
[01:10:03]
A LINK AND YOU COULD ASK POINTED QUESTIONS ABOUT THINGS THAT YOU COULD DO BETTER. THAT'S AN INEXPENSIVE WAY TO GET SOME FEEDBACK FOR HOW PEOPLE ARE REALLY ARE FEELING, BECAUSE YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GUYS ARE DOING GOOD.YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO TELL US AND TELL, TELL THE PUBLIC THAT, HEY, THIS IS THE KIND OF FEEDBACK THAT WE'RE GETTING.
LIKE YOU SAID, IF PEOPLE ARE... YEAH. OH, YEAH, WE'D COME BACK AGAIN, SO... YES. JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, WITH THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE ON THE COST SIDE OF THINGS, DO WE... I ASSUME WE'RE FEELING THE PINCH AS, LIKE, PRICES OF THINGS ARE GOING UP. HOW DO YOU GUYS ADDRESS THAT? DO WE CHANGE PRICES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, OR IS IT... YOU KIND OF SET THEM? WE LOOK AT IT AND ADJUST. WE CAN'T CHANGE TOO MUCH. WE TRY TO STAY WITHIN THE FISCAL YEAR.
BUT I WILL TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, JUST LOOKING AT DRAFT BEERS, SINCE WE HAVE OUR KEG RAIDER AND KIND OF LOOK THROUGH THE CITY, WHAT ARE PEOPLE CHARGING, HOW MUCH IS IT GOING TO COST US FOR THAT KEG. A COUPLE OTHER AREAS, JUST RECENTLY, LAST YEAR, WE KIND OF GOT ON A CORPORATE DEAL WITH OUR GOLF NOW BECAUSE WE COULD GET UNDERNEATH THEM WITH OUR U.S. FOODS CONTRACTS. WE'RE NOW IN A NATIONAL LEATHER.
LEVEL, AND THAT REDUCED ALL OUR FOOD COSTS ACROSS THE BOARD 19%. IT WAS KIND OF INTERESTING. THERE WERE STILL A NUMBER OF ITEMS THAT WE COULD GET LESS EXPENSIVE THAN GOING WITH THEM. I THINK IT WAS CHICKEN, A COUPLE THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT ONLY OVERALL, IT REALLY REDUCED THOSE COSTS. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THOSE. AND OBVIOUSLY, ANY KIND OF WASTE, WE'RE TRYING TO REDUCE THAT AS WELL. WE HAD PRIME RIB NIGHT. WHAT WE HAD LEFT OVER, WE... WE USE THAT FOR A SPECIAL THE NEXT DAY.
SO WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE THAT TO GO FROM THERE. AND WE'RE INTERESTED TO SEE WHERE IT GOES NOW THAT WE HAVE DRAFT PERIOD. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? WELL, THANK YOU.
GOOD JOB. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY, LET'S START. JOHN, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO ADD?
[8. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS]
NO COMMENT. OKAY. I'M ALL SET. NOPE. GOOD. NOPE. I WAS JUST GOING TO REQUEST FOR YOUR KNOWLEDGE. I'M GOING TO BE OUT OF TOWN ON THE JULY 14TH MEETING. SO I WAS JUST GOING TO REQUEST AN EXCUSED ABSENCE FOR THAT. AND THEN I'M GOING TO BE OUT. ON THE JUNE 9TH MEETING. SHEILA, WHAT WAS YOURS AGAIN? JULY 14TH IS WHEN I THINK THAT YOU GUYS WILL HAVE A MEETING. RIGHT.OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. OH, I DO HAVE ONE THING TO SAY. MY DAUGHTER STARTED THE PRIVATE SWIM LESSONS FOR THE CITY RESIDENTS, AND THAT'S, LIKE, HUGE FOR HER, BECAUSE THAT'S, YEAH. THAT'S GREAT. YEAH, SHE'S LOVING IT AND DOING GREAT. ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY? IT'S ON TUESDAYS AND SATURDAYS. SO ONES ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAYS ARE NOT CITY STAFF GIVING LESSONS.
THAT'S A CONTRACTOR. AND IS THE PROGRAM, I GUESS WE PROBABLY SHOULD BE STARTING, THE CITY WILL START PROMOTING THAT BECAUSE THE FREE LESSONS FOR SWIMMERS THIS SUMMER, RIGHT? YEP. YEAH, SO WE HAVE AN AMAZING AQUATICS COORDINATOR RIGHT NOW WHO HAS BEEN OFFERING SMALLER, BOOT CAMP TYPE CLASSES.
SHE HAD SOME GOING ON DURING SPRING BREAK. AND THEN WE'RE ALSO STARTING TO REV UP OUR OWN PRIVATE LESSONS. WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT IN THE PAST. AND WE HAVE A GREAT STAFF AND SOME GREAT NEW SENIOR GUARDS WHO ARE ABLE TO TAKE THAT ON. SO WE'RE LOOKING TO EXPAND. BUT IN THE SUMMERTIME, WE DO FREE LESSONS TO ALL CITY RESIDENTS TO LEARN TO SWIM. SO IT'S OUR LEVELS ONE AND TWO, WHICH ARE MANATEE AND SEA TURTLE, THOSE TWO LEVELS ARE GETTING KIDS AN INTRODUCTION INTO THE WATER. AND THEN WHEN YOU GRADUATE OUT OF SEA TURTLE, YOU CAN TAKE THEM AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT.
YOU'LL BE ABLE TO FALL INTO A POOL, TURN AROUND AND SWIM OUT, SO THAT'S OUR GOAL. YEAH, GREAT PROGRAM. THANK YOU.
THE LAST THING THAT I'M GOING TO BRING UP IS ON SATURDAY, WE HAD OPENING DAY AT BABE RUTH, WE HAD OVER A HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN, 01,140 PEOPLE OUT THERE. OH MY GOSH. WE WERE CROWDED UP UNTIL 5 O'CLOCK. WHICH DAY ARE THE GAMES ON? IT STARTED AT 9 AND IT WENT UNTIL 5.
IT'S JUST ON THE SATURDAY? THAT WAS JUST OPENING DAY.
NOW WE PLAY TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS AND SATURDAYS. SO WITH AB GAMES ON FRIDAYS.
LET ME JUST SAY THIS TO REITERATE TO THE DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION, THAT MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT
[01:15:03]
PUT THOSE FIELDS IN SUCH GREAT, PLAYABLE CONDITIONS. AND WAS JUST AN ASSET FOR US THE LAST THREE WEEKS IN GETTING IT READY AND PREPARED. BUT GUESS WHAT? THAT STARTED NINE WEEKS AGO, WHEN WE CLOSED DOWN THE FALL SESSION AND WENT RIGHT INTO... PREPARING FOR THE SPRING SESSION? AND I'M GOING TO MAKE A MOVE THAT WE CLOSE THE FIELDS EVEN MORE BECAUSE THESE FIELDS NEED REST AND IT'S DEFINITELY SHOWING ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD. SCOTT AND I WALKED THE FIELD THE OTHER DAY AND THERE'S DEFINITELY A LOT OF WORK THAT HAS TO BE ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD. THE PEOPLE THAT PLAY ON THAT FOOTBALL FIELD, WHETHER IT BE FLAG, LACROSSE, SOME PEOPLE PLAY SOCCER ON IT. IT NEEDS A REST, AND IT NEEDS ABOUT SIX OR SEVEN MONTHS OF REST TO GET IT BACK INTO SHAPE. BUT, YOU KNOW, WITH SAYING ALL THAT, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT EVERYBODY REALIZES THAT THESE GUYS, YOU KNOW, YOU SAY THEY'RE OFF. CUTTING, NOT CUTTING GRASS IN THE FALL, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE DOING OTHER THINGS.THEY'RE JUST NOT CUTTING IT EVERY WEEK. YEAH, OR IN THE WINTER. LIKE, THEY HAVE TO DO IN THE SUMMER. I MEAN, WE LIVE IN FLORIDA. WE HAVE ABOUT EIGHT WEEKS OF WINTER, AND THAT'S IT, YOU KNOW. AND GUESS WHEN THAT IS? IT COULD HAPPEN IN THE MIDDLE OF JANUARY AND GO TO THE END OF FEBRUARY, AND THEN OUR WINTER'S OVER AND WE START BACK INTO SPRING. SO, IN ESSENCE, THESE PEOPLE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO GET THINGS READY, OR WE'RE NOT GIVING THEM ENOUGH TIME FOR THEM TO THOSE FIELDS TO REST. AND WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE.
BUT I LOOK FORWARD TO THE PROJECTS OF MLK THAT WILL GO INTO EFFECT VERY SOON. IT WILL GIVE SOME MORE. IT'LL PUT ANOTHER BURDEN ON THE MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO KEEP UP THOSE FIELDS NOW.
SO THANK YOU AND HAPPY EASTER, EVERYONE.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.