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Town of Ocean Ridge |
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Town Commission Meeting of the Town of Ocean Ridge, Florida held on July 6, 1999 at 6:30 PM in the Town Hall Meeting Chambers. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Aaskov and roll call was answered by the following: Commissioner Bingham Commissioner Bridges Commissioner Kaleel Commissioner Stamos Mayor Aaskov Following the Pledge of Allegiance, an invocation was read by Comm Stamos. Additions, Deletions, Modifications and Approval of Agenda Comm Bingham requested to add a discussion of median strips as Item #6. Comm Stamos requested to add an update on the properties surrounding Town Hall and a discussion of the Town’s financial goals and expenditures as Items #7 and #8, respectively. Town Manager Dunham requested to add a general announcement as Item #9. Consent Agenda Comm Bingham moved to approve the consent agenda, seconded by Comm Kaleel. Comm Stamos stated that he would like to discuss Resolution No. 99-12 and remove it from the consent agenda. Comm Bingham amended her motion to allow Resolution No. 99-12 to be removed from the consent agenda, seconded by Comm Kaleel. Motion carried – yea 5.
Resolutions Town Clerk Hancsak read Resolution No. 99-12 by title only. Comm Stamos advised that he remained opposed to spending any money to study the park area as he does not believe the Town Commission has heard enough from the residents or looked into the possibility of using the area for drainage. He stated that he felt they might be spending money now on a plan that may have to be revised later. Comm Bridges stated that he agreed adding that the drainage plan for the whole town needs to be evaluated before money is spent on a park. Town Manager Dunham explained that the deadline for requesting FRDAP funds would be in October if the town wanted assistance in funding the park. Comm Bingham stated that she felt the National Wildlife Area may not even be a good place for a park because of the no-see-ums, but that if it is going to be a park, the town needed to look into grants as soon as possible. Comm Kaleel stated that the request comes from the Environmental Resources Advisory Board and that the town should spend $2,500 to see what can be done with the property which may include some water retention area. He advised that he did not want to miss the deadlines and stall the project for another year. Comm Bridges reiterated that he felt a drainage plan for the whole town needs to be a priority ahead of the park. Comm Stamos stated that he felt $2,500 was a lot of money and that the town can not plan a park if the town does not have a drainage plan in place. Comm Kaleel questioned which parts of town are being looked at for stormwater drainage to which Town Manager Dunham stated that it was almost the whole town with the emphasis on Hudson Ave. first. Comm Kaleel questioned if the engineer has been hired and the process started to which Town Manager Dunham explained that he has met with the Army Corps of Engineers and they have been identifying areas and determining costs. He advised that the cost sharing estimates should be ready at any time. Comm Kaleel commented that he wanted to know the town’s options for the land adding that a consultant should be able to tell them if it can be used for drainage. Comm Stamos stated that he felt drainage was most important and should be taken care of before the park is studied. Comm Stamos moved to postpone the expenditure of funds for the study of the park at Woolbright and A1A until the drainage needs for the south end of town are determined, seconded by Comm Bridges. Comm Kaleel questioned if drainage studies would be done within six months to which Town Manager Dunham replied that they would. Roll call was taken on Comm Stamos’ motion. Motion carried – yea 5. Announcements and Proclamations None Public Comment Vera Klein, 7 Sailfish Lane, advised that there are Norfolk Pines near her house that are 60’ tall and questioned if anything could be done to have them removed. Mayor Aaskov stated that they are not on any list of trees requiring removal. Interim Atty Spillias stated that the town can not require them to be removed if they are on private property. Town Manager Dunham stated that the staff will investigate whether they are on any state lists and discuss any alternatives with the Interim Town Atty. Regular Agenda Actions and Reports Town Manager Dunham explained that there is currently no formal agreement for backup fire suppression services and that Boynton Beach has brought a proposal to Ocean Ridge for $120,000 per year plus a per occurrence fee. He advised that the staff has also spoken to Palm Beach County regarding mutual aid. He stated that the Intergovernmental Coordination Committee has formed a fire sub-committee to investigate various levels of service. He explained that the Mayor of Manalapan is on the committee and should represent the coastal communities well. He stated that the staff has also had discussions with South Palm Beach and Manalapan regarding this issue and has tried to meet with Delray Beach with negative results. He added that there is currently an item in the proposed budget for $120,000 for backup fire suppression services although the staff is currently investigating other options. Comm Stamos advised that he was shocked at the proposal from Boynton Beach especially in light of the EMS contract the town has with them. He stated that he was not in favor of spending the money, but the town needs the protection. He stated that he was in favor of trying to reach some agreement with the other coastal communities and added that the town should think of withdrawing from the EMS services with Boynton Beach. Comm Kaleel stated that a year ago plans for alternate EMS services and a joint EMS/Fire service plan with South Palm Beach and Manalapan were both rejected by the Town Commission. He stated that he would be willing to pay a per occurrence fee to Boynton Beach, but not the $120,000. Comm Stamos stated that three years ago, the county was trying to work out an agreement between Gulf Stream, Ocean Ridge, Manalapan and South Palm Beach for combination fire/EMS services, but Manalapan did not want to participate. Mayor Aaskov stated that the January 1, 1999 fire proved that there is a need for backup services as the surrounding homes were saved due to the additional help. She stated that she would be willing to pay something to Boynton Beach, but that she would want it to be a higher per incidence cost as opposed to $120,000 for the service plus the per incidence cost. Comm Bridges advised that other options still need to be investigated including talking to the county. He stated that perhaps the Commissioners and not the staff should participate in the negotiations between the town and the county. Comm Stamos questioned if the county was the backup for Boynton Beach to which Bill Gulbrandsen, Battalion Chief of Professional Training for Boynton Beach Fire Rescue, stated that they are involved in the county mutual aid. Comm Stamos stated that if Boynton Beach had to assist in a fire in Ocean Ridge, the county would backup Boynton Beach. Chief Gulbrandsen stated that the city had previously submitted a proposal to Ocean Ridge, Gulf Stream and Manalapan which included the location of three personnel in both the north and south end for the cost of $1.2 million. Chief Gulbrandsen stated that a contract between the county and Ocean Ridge would probably be equal to the entire budget of the town. He advised that when the EMS agreement was considered, the issue of fire suppression was also reviewed. He explained that the $120,000 was an insurance policy for the service. He advised that he believed the county mutual aid was only for fire rescue services and that public safety departments are not eligible. Comm Kaleel questioned why the town can not participate in the mutual aid with the county to which Chief Gulbrandsen explained that there are certain minimum requirements such as a specific number of people needed to respond within a certain period of time. Comm Kaleel stated that the issue of county mutual aid needs to be raised with the other small coastal communities. He stated that he would be willing to pay Boynton Beach for supplemental fire suppression services on a per occurrence basis and that he felt Boynton Beach would be willing to negotiate and come to an agreement as such. Town Manager Dunham explained that the town is still negotiating various supplemental fire suppression options, but that he wanted the Town Commission to be aware that $120,000 has been included in the proposed budget for this service. Resolutions None First Reading of Ordinances None Second Reading of Ordinances None Town Commission Comments
Comm Bingham stated that she did not feel the median strips should be used for parking for the residents. She added that she felt the plants placed in the median strips should be easily identifiable and easy to care for. Town Manager Dunham explained that the new plans for median strips include only xeriscape plants.
Comm Bingham suggested that the Town Commission re-address the issue of signs as she felt it was unfair for real estate signs to be so small when hotels can have huge signs. She added that she also did not like the adopt-a-highway signs on A1A. She stated that she did not feel the organizations were meeting the requirements for the adopt-a-highway and were therefore just getting free advertising. Town Manager Dunham explained that the adopt-a-highway program is a county program and that he believed they only need to clean the area once a quarter. He advised that he would speak to the county about the requirements and about removing the signs.
Comm Stamos requested an update on the negotiations. Comm Kaleel advised that he has been in discussion with Boynton Beach regarding the property and hoped to have a proposal to bring to the August meeting. He stated that he felt this proposal would go through and that if it was rejected, then the town could begin the eminent domain process. Comm Stamos stated that the expenditures need to be considered at all times and future plans need to be seriously considered, as the residents will complain if the taxes are increased. Mayor Aaskov stated that she felt the Town Commission has been very frugal adding that no one wants their taxes to increase. Comm Kaleel stated that he felt very comfortable with the town’s financial situation. He commented that he felt they were using funds carefully when certain needs arise. Town Manager Dunham stated that the Planning and Zoning Commission has approved the final recommendations of Urban Design Studios and the ordinance should be ready for first reading at the August Town Commission meeting. Town Manager Dunham explained that a traffic analysis would be necessary to control the openings of the Woolbright bridge. He advised that the analysis had to be done both in season and off-season and by the time the analysis will be done, the Ocean Ave. bridge will be completed. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:02 PM. |
