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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSummerCITY MANAGER'S BRIEF Stormwater, please help us by complying with the City's BY: JOE GRIFFIN, CITY MANAGER Land Development Code, "...it shall be the continuous ^ ^ asibiiity-e�aavewaeref a-4et-to-r�rai n taimsuehswaier. Happy Summer to All. This is the City's second edition of the Pelican News. I hope you find the contents of this publication useful. It is designed to keep you, the Sebastian resident, informed of important City information. I am sure, all of you realize we are into the Rainy/Hurricane Season. As of this writing, we are experiencing a rain deficit, BUT we all understand that weather conditions can change within days/hours. During the Summer especially, we must always be prepared for severe weather, be cautious of lighting, and, to protect our families, take precautions before a hurricane could hit our area. All of the following is fairly obvious, but it is always good to review, therefore, I want to give you a "few" tips on hurricane preparation: 1. Protect your property by installing Hurricane Shutters— or have plywood boards ready to cover windows. 2.Have an emergency supply kit with basic survival items—don't forget medicines, eyeglasses/contacts, flashlight/batteries, change of clothing, and personal hygiene items. 3.Do a home inventory—take pictures of valuable items 4.Check-insuraacecoverage--- upgradaif you -need te- 5.Have an evacuation plan for family and pets—fuel up your car(s) well in advance. Don't forget important papers: driver's license, deeds, insurance policies, checkbook, etc. BE SAFE Speaking of RAIN; it's the Stormwater season. The City is constantly trying to improve our Stormwater system. I hope residents know, with Council approval, I discontinued installation of "1/4 round" in the front swales until we can make sure the back and side ditches are relatively clear. Keeping the ditches clear will result in better Stormwater flow. The City has an outside contractor and City Stormwater maintenance staff working on this project. Recently, the City took delivery of a new Vacuum Truck that is used to clear obstacles in underground pipes, thereby helping to increase water flow. We hope this will aid our efforts once this machine is fully 'on board' after shakedown training. When it comes to resident responsibility concerning ditches and pines on the site to maintain the Droner flow of surface water." Compliance will help us help you in ensuring the City's Stormwater system works as it should. MANY THANKS TO ALL OF YOU; JOE GRIFFIN CITY MANAGER EA5V CVNER BY: SALLY A. MAIO, MMC CITY CLERK i ou now? -� The Hardee Oak sits alongside Main Street in the area of the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce and Main Street boat launching area. It was planted in 1891 by Robert Hardee when he was 19 years old. In 1925, when Main Street was paved and sidewalks installed, his mother Emma Hardee saved the tree from being cut down. The Hardee family lived just to the north of the Hardee Oak in a ten room house large enough to be -catfed--a-mansion; owned the Hathe— corner of what is now Indian River Drive and Main Street, and the Eagle Fish Company at bottom of Main Street. A plaque beneath the tree reads "HISTORIC HARDEE OAK - This Live Oak tree was planted by Robert Hardee, Jr. in 1891. His mother, Emma Hardee, fought to save it when Main Street was paved in 1925." In 2008 when the City realigned Main Street for the boat parking area, a group of concerned citizens rallied once again to save the Hardee Oak. It still stands today. Hardee Oak offspring are alleged to be growing in several yards in Sebastian from fallen acorns. �RQ6EST LINE (772) 581 - 0111 POLICE DEPARTMENT UPDATE Sebastian Police Chief Salutes Citizens and Department for Crime Reduction The Sebastian Police Department has experienced another decrease in crime rate, as reported by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement statistics released last month. With a 28% decrease in the past five years, another 4% reduction in 2014, Sebastian is one of the safest communities in Florida. I believe this is due to the exceptional relationship between the citizens of Sebastian and the efforts of officers, detectives and our civilian staff for the success in an overall reduction in crime during the past 5 years. My objective is for us to work harder to prevent crime and push the number below 2,000 in the next two years, but the police do not have sole ownership over crime activity. This is a community initiative. While overall crime statistics are trending down across the state and nation, violent crime is up by significant percentages. However, Sebastian's crime rate is decreasing compared to others, and the violent crime is also down. In 2009 the City's crime rate was about 3,000, considerably lower than the state Get the most of your GARBAGE, RECYCLING & YARD WASTE SERVICE from Waste Management As the City's service provider, we strive to make curbside collection as simple as possible for Sebastian residents. When using curbside service, please ensure you are following the guidelines below to allow us to service you in a timely and efficient manner. We appreciate you being a Waste Management customer! Curbside Garbage Collection: Waste Management recently started using a special "automated" truck for garbage collection. Automated collection is a truck equipped with a robotic arm that automatically lifts and empties the cart without the driver ever leaving the cab of the truck. For proper curbside collection, please follow the tips below. • Place all garbage inside the cart. Only items in the cart will be picked up. • Place cart directly at the curb with the handle away from the street. • Keep a 3 -foot distance from mailboxes or other objects • Do not park cars in front of or close to your cart • Do not overload the cart. The lid should be closed to avoid spillage • Contact Waste Management at (772) 569-1776 to schedule a bulk item collection. and national average of about 3,500 during those years. During the past five years the crime rate for Sebastian has progressively dropped to a new low of 2,219 for 2014. The national crime rate is just over 3,000; the State of Florida crime rate average is just over 3,400. The report is available at: http://www.fdle.state. fl.us/Content/FSAC/UCR/2014/CoMuOff2Ol4annual.aspx. Indian River County is listed on page 33. The City of Sebastian has the largest population in Indian River County at approximately 23,000. Despite its growing size, the City maintains a strong sense of community and small-town feel. This is exceptional when you consider that Sebastian one of the top 100 most populated cities in Florida, according to the 2010 census. There are 410 municipalities in the State of Florida. We are actually higher on the list as our population has grown even more since then. I credit the strong bond between the community and the Department for our continued success. The relationship is evident in the manner in which our employees, from the dispatchers, front office personnel to road officers and detectives, are received by the public. These guys have a tough job to do, particularly in today's environment, but our citizens make it a pleasure to come to work each day. Yard Waste Collection: For the safety of our employees, please ensure you follow these tips when placing yard waste curbside. • Use a 40 gallon or less container for pine needles, leaves, small twigs and tree trimmings. • Place branches/limbs in a uniformed pile tied together. Recycling 101: Ever wonder, "Why recycle?" Sure, it's good for the environment, but there's more to it than that. When you Recycle Often and Recycle Right, great things happen. Think about it. Every day we encounter hundreds of recyclable items. By recycling properly, we can save tons of raw materials, which in turn saves time, energy and expense. We need your help to keep recycling clean and green. Certain items can slow down the recycling process, or even ruin the load. Waste Management has three simple guidelines you can follow: • Do NOT bag recyclables • No plastic bags • No garbage or food waste in recycle bin • Include only plastic & glass bottles, aluminum & metals cans and paper products. • Learn more at www.recycleoftenrecycleright.com COMING SOON! BRAND NEW WAY TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE SEBASTIAN BUILDING DEPARTMENT The Sebastian Building Department is pleased to announce that a brand new way to do business with the Building Department and the City will be coming soon! In the upcoming weeks we will be rolling out our new computer software program from Clear Village Inc. which will enhance the way we do business with contractors, businesses and the citizens of Sebastian. The new program will provide an on-line permit and inspection request feature that will be easy to use and provide direct access to your permit. The on-line permit applications will initially be limited to smaller projects and eventually larger projects and plan submittals will be accepted electronically. Electronic permit applications will be easily tracked through the plan review process providing direct communication with the plans examiner. The inspection process will be enhanced too, with on-line inspection requests capabilities, visual monitoring of inspector progress LIIIUUgIIL)LIt me y, real Time inspections results with instar notification to contractors. One of the best features is that Indian River County Building Department also uses Clear Village Inc. for their on-line permit and inspection requests, so contractors who work in Sebastian and also work in the jurisdiction of Indian River County will find it easy to communicate with either department. The Clear Village Inc. program will also include a Business Tax Receipt and a Citizen Request Portal. Beginning July 1st Business Tax Receipts will be able to be renewed on-line instead of through the mail or in person. With only a few exceptions, new businesses wi II be able to apply and pay for a Business Tax Receipt electronically. Also, a Citizen Request Portal will be available allowing citizens to report issues concerningthem ortheir neighborhood on-line. Issues involving such things as storm water drainage, streets, traffic signs, street lighting, public parks, public buildings, environmental issues etc. can be reported on-line for investigation and repair. Citizens will have the option to upload pictures of the issues concerning them and they will be able monitor the progress of their request and get instant notification once the issue has been resolved. For any questions about the new system please contact the Building Official, Wayne Eseltine at 772-388-8235 or --veseltine@cityofsebastian.org. — BARBER STREET Skate Park Renovations Completed Misiano Construction & Remodeling from New Smyrna Beach, FL. recently completed the Skate Park Renovations. All of the old features were removed. The Park has all new concrete features including the entire skating floor. The new features include a quarter pipe, pyramid with stairs and hand rail, high flat rail, low flat rail, jersey barrier, boxes, mini ramp and ledge manual pad hip combo. Total cost for the project was $93,935.00. The projected reopening date is 6/20/15. STORMWATER UPDATE BY: FRANK WATANABE, CITY ENGINEER/DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS LEFT To RIGHT: Stormwater Crew: P. Chapline, G. Traylor, M. Milon, E. Pruneau, B. Brinkley, R. Robinson, T. Fonvielle, and Sales Rep. On October 8, 2014, the City Council approved stopping City quarter round installation for FY 2015, and to begin implementation of a Citywide Ditch Cleaning program. This program will clean the side and rear drainage ditches in residential areas which are critical to ensure stormwater flow to avoid any flooding during the raining season. As part of this program for FY 15, the City hired a professional contractor to assist Public Works in cleaning the drainage ditches in the northern section of the City. The Contactor has completed cleaning Zone 3, which is west of Roseland Road, and is currently working in Zone 2, between Roseland and Fleming. At the same time, City Public Works crews have been working in the southern section of the City on ditch cleaning projects. During a recent storm in June, which dropped over 6 inches of rainfall, our ditches were open, stormwater was moving, and there was very little flooding of streets compared to our neighboring cities. The ditch cleaning program will continue through the next few months to ensure all ditches are open and any debris hauled away from residential lateral and rear ditches. In addition, the City just received a new 2015 VacTruck which will help our stormwater crews clean any plugged pipes or vacuum any drainage/baffle boxes. CITY OF SEBASTIAN TECH BYTES BY ROB MESSERSMITH, MIS NETWORK MANAGER REPLACEMENT/UPGRADE OF CITY SERVERS The City's MIS division of the City Manager's office recently purchased three new servers to replace three of the City's mission -critical servers that are used for storage and security on the network. When older servers are taken out of service one of three things will happen to them: 1) A server will be repurposed for lower priority tasks. 2) A server will be used in configuration testing where server demands are not as high. 3) A server will be sent to auction for sale to the public. When servers are permanently taken out of service and are sent out to auction the hard drives will be removed as an added layer of security for the City's network infrastructure. This helps keep sensitive security related information from falling into the wrong hands. The hard drives will be properly destroyed and the remnants will be recycled. SEBASTIAN GOLF CLUB NEWS 100 Brush Foot — Sebastian, Fl. 32958 - (772) 589-6801 BY: GREG GARDNER, PGAPRo, DIRECTOR OF GOLF Update Regarding Capital Projects IRRIGATION — An irrigation upgrade, which entails a full-scale replacement of original irrigation system downstream of the pump station, is currently in the planning process. Bids are currently being accepted from qualified golf course irrigation contractors and designers. Once bids are tabulated, City Staff will make their recommendation to City Council in September and work will begin on October 2nd. Much of the irrigation upgrade will not impact golfers, as the direct bore process of installing irrigation lines will be used. In the direct bore process, there is virtually no disruption to golf course turf. Once the project has started, there will be occasions when one golf hole at a time will have to be closed. While this is an inconvenience for golfers, the benefits of a new irrigation system will greatly benefit the golf course, with enhanced turf quality being one of the major benefits. On days that one golf hole is closed, golf course staff will offer a construction discount to the patrons. The finished product will be planned for January of 2016. GREENS & TEES — Once the irrigation upgrade is completed, City and Golf Course staff will begin plans on a green and tee re -grassing project. This project will entail stripping the top layer of turf off of greens and tees and replanting turf. Estimated start time for this project will be summer of 2017. Upcoming Tournaments and Events For a complete list, go to sebastiangolfcourse.org Or call the golf shop at 772-589-6801 for additional information July 11 Indian River Airboat Association Golf Tournament August 1 2nd Annual Jim Melia Reading Foundation Golf Tournament September 5 Sebastian River High School Boys & Girls Golf Team Fundraiser October 17 Italian -American Club of Sebastian Golf Tournament October 24 Sebastian Tiki Bar Golf Tournament benefitting Breast Cancer Research October 31 St. Sebastian Church Golf Tournament November 21 & 22 2015 Sebastian Amateur Golf Tip from the Pro Many golfers spend time at the driving range perfecting their long game. No matter how long and straight your drives, you will have trouble winning a game if you have not developed your putting skills. Focus on keeping your body motionless when putting, moving only your hands and arms. Golf legend Arnold Palmer recommends feeling "inward" as you putt. He says, "I like to feel that my elbows and my knees are pinched in toward an imaginary axis that runs through the middle of my body. This feeling keeps my weight centered and my body quiet throughout the stroke." For information regarding any league, special event, rates and specials, annual membership information, etc., please call the golf shop at 772-589-6801 or go to our website sebastiangolfcourse.org LEFT TO R/GHr: City Attorney Robert A. Ginsburg; Councilmember Andrea Coy, Councilmember Bob McPartlan: Vice Mayor Jerome Adams; Mayor Richard Gillmor; City Manager Joe Griffin; City Clerk Sally A. Maio; and Councilmember Jim Hill. The City of Sebastian unveils the New City of Sebastian Council Chambers seal, and extends thanks to Curt Oxford, Curt Oxford Graphic Arts & Design, Inc., Sebastian, FL., for his creativity and excellence. POSTAL PATRON Sebastian, Florida 32958 PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID VERO BEACH, FL PERMIT NO. 218