Fort Walton Beach Council minutes — 06-13-06 workshop minutes — reading text

225 MINUTES OF THE COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING OF THE CITY OF FORTWAL TON BEACH, FLORIDA JUNE 13, 2006 INTRODUCTION A Council Workshop Meeting of the City Council of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, was held on Tuesday, June 13, 2006, at 5: 30 p. m. with the following members present: Mayor Mike Anderson 1 Councilmen: Mike Holmes, Bill Patterson, Bob Campbell, ( Mayor Pro Tem), Jim Tucker, Dr. Wayne l Pullen, Jim Hartwell, and Mike Minich Also Present: Joyce Shanahan, City Manager; Helen Spencer, City Clerk; Finance Director Position vacant); Toni Craig, City Attorney; and Department Directors CALL TO ORDER The Mayor called the meeting to order. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Mayor led in the Pledge of Allegiance. FIRE PROTECTIONIWATER SYSTEM AT FAIRGROUNDS Discussion about Fire protection and water system at the Fairgrounds. Jackie Hart, City Fire Marshall, addressed the fire protection and water system at the fairgrounds. He went over water flow options and concluded the most effective solution involves installing one fire hydrant on the existing 10- inch water main coming from the Golf Club property and one fire hydrant on the existing 6- inch water main feeding the softball complex/fairgrounds, and to install a post- indicator valve. He said a fire alarm system has to be installed in the building but at this time since it is an existing building it will not be necessary to install a sprinkler system. John Hofstad, Utilities Director, noted there is a 2-4 week lead time to order the materials and the work will take two days. The City Manager noted the cost for the repairs/ improvements is within her authority to approve and it is on the agenda because Mr. Hartwell had some questions about the issue so it was brought forward so Council would be aware of the issues. She stated the City does need to make the repairs because there is no mechanism by which to suppress the fires at this point in time. Mr. Hartwell expressed he is not opposed to making the facilities safe for the public, but is adamantly opposed to spending taxpayers money to make a private building comply with State and Local Fire Codes, then read excerpts from his May 17, 2006 email that expressed his concerns and position on the fairgrounds property. He added that he knew the City has to take the necessary r steps to bring the property up to safety standards with the Fire Code, but also believed the Fairground Association should reimburse the City immediately. He noted the future land use of the property is not known. The City Manager mentioned staff is preparing an RFP for a consultant on the future use of the property and it should be ready shortly. Mr. Minich expressed his belief that the City should honor the contract entered into with the Fair Association and it is the City's responsibility to provide the necessary infrastructure. He acknowledged improvements to the building are the Fair Association' responsibility. s 226 Council Workshop 6- 13- 06 FIRE PROTECTIONIWATER SYSTEM AT FAIRGROUNDS cont. Mr. Patterson agreed it is the City's requirement to provide the infrastructure from the street to the building. Mr. Tucker noted the City Manager has the authority to approve the work and is currently preparing the RFP on future land use of the property. He mentioned he would support selling the property at 265,000 an acre if someone wished to purchase it. Mr. Holmes commented that the City has to provide the infrastructure and the City Manager has that authority. The City Manager noted the City is not providing any improvements to the building, just fire hydrant I improvements which will cost approximately $6, 000.00 for materials. Fire Marshall Jackie Hart mentioned the City is currently under a Class 3 ISO rating and if the ISO returns there will be a penalty if something is not done to improve the hydrants. Bull Rigdon, 9 Bay Drive, commented the fairgrounds is not a private organization, they are controlled by the Department of Agriculture, they are a 501 C organization, and they are there to serve the public. RIGHT-OF- WAY ISSUES Power point presentation on Right- of-Way issues. The CDS Director commented it is a complicated issue with a lot of various codes that address different issues of the right- of-way and staff recognizes at time they are conflicting and it is a difficult situation because of the development of the City prior to the regulations, so there are a lot of non- conforming uses. She gave a power point presentation that covered the basic issues of right- of-way ( ROW) which included the definition of a right- of-way; the right-of-way regulations; prohibited activities; additional requirements; the typical ROW types and widths; permitted ROW structures; typical violations found in the ROW; activities not permitted in the ROW; properties that have historically has parking in the ROW; and potential solutions. She commented where they can in the revisions to the Land go from here is to request the consultant to look at various solutions Development Code. Some discussion ensued on the responsibility of maintenance of a right-of- way, the landscaping in the right- of-ways not to block visibility, the street widths and set backs for the righto- f- ways that vary in neighborhoods, and the parking of commercial vehicles and private vehicles in the right-of-way. Chris Gibson, 249 Brooks Street, encouraged Council to ask staff to move forward with the problem. She referenced the construction projects on Brooks Street where the workers are not parking on the job construction site and encouraged Council to put a stop to it. The CDS Director acknowledged it is a continual problem and staff is working with Public Works to put up " no parking" signs on both sides of Brooks Street by the curve area, and the building division works with each of the contractors as the issues come up. The City Manager explained the "no parking" signs will be put up because they do obstruct traffic and it is dangerous, and by putting up the signs parking will not be permitted and they can be I ticketed.  227 Council Workshop 6- 13- 06 ARTS & DESIGN SOCIETY - WATER CISTERN Update by the Arts & Design Society regarding their efforts to improve the water cistern. James Thoreen, 33 Anastasia Drive, handed out excerpts of a power point presentation on transforming the cistern into a museum and studio. He stated they are requesting permission to proceed with the project before they ask for donations. . r The City Manager noted the process has to go through a formal site plan approval. She believed Mr. Thoreen is seeking a conceptual idea if Council thinks they are going in the right direction and they understand they still need to go forward with all the formalities of a site plan approval. The City Attorney cautioned Council that whenever the plan goes through the site plan process it is quasi-judicial and Council will either approve or disapprove any recommendation if it goes to the CRA, and cautioned Council they should not prejudge the issue. She was unsure how much of a conceptual idea Council can give, or how much of a consensus, because of the quasi-judicial issue. The City Manager noted Mr. Thoreen is just providing an update to Council. She mentioned there is a resolution on file where Council supports the idea of moving forward with the idea of developing the cistern into an art gallery. The City Attorney mentioned that ADSO has a lease that is renewable nine times for a 50 year lease agreement. GOLF COURSE Lee McDonald, 10 Rue De La Roi, stated the City made a verbal contract with the golfers years ago where they would play golf for one year at a particular price and stated the City has reneged on st that as of June 1 and there has been a exodus of golfers going to other courses because they can play and ride cheaper than they can walk at Fort Walton Beach. He requested that someone on Council make a recommendation that the contract previously made would be honored for the rest of the contracted period of time, for the golfers in the contract prior to the 1 st of June. CONSTRUCTION SITE DEBRIS Chris Gibson, 249 Brooks Street, expressed concem over the loose debris at the construction sites with the start of the hurricane season. The City Manager explained the building officials require the construction sites to secure all their materials when there is a pending storm, and they are required to put up fencing regardless of a pending storm so the materials do not wash into the bay, sound, or the storm drain. She said if Ms. Gibson is experiencing a problem with debris blowing into her yard, staff will look into that issue. BRIDGE CORRIDORS Rob Smith, 13 Bay Drive, wished to address the request made to Council by the Northwest Florida Transportation Corridor Authority (RTA) that the City tell them what the City wants regarding a new bridge through the City. The Mayor expressed his understanding that the RTA requested the City to address the Emerald Coast Bridge Authority' s two corridor choices and state their preference, not necessarily to come up with a third or fourth choice. Mr. Smith expressed his thoughts that the RTA is giving the City a chance to tell them what the City does want and that is what he would like the City to do. He asked the Council to move forward. He expressed support for the Brooks Bridge Corridor, with conditions. The Mayor suggested now the City has a letter and has to come up with a response to either agenda it for the next meeting or hold a special workshop just to address preparing a response to the Corridor Authority' s letter. 228 Council Workshop 6- 13- 06 BRIDGE CORRIDORS Mr. Smith presented the points on what he would support, and believed it is headed in the direction of what the public can support, to either a replacement for the Brooks Bridge, or a parallel bridge parallel to and adjacent to the existing bridge on the west side and a solution that does not take any homes and minimizes the impact on downtown businesses. The Mayor mentioned the City has been pro- active in working with workshops and simulations