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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWINTER - Vol 1 #2Vol. I No. 2 Official City of Sebastian Quarterly Newsletter Winter 2000 WHITE HOUSE ~llLLENNIUM COUNCIL The City of ~ebastian is proud to announce that The White ~. . Millennium Council aw~ the C~ty of Sebastian the national designation of a . . Millennium ~uni~ ~ an official Mille~. ,ium Community, the Ctty will have the ~nity tO ~te~and register ~.deas, successes, and encourage collaborattve prOjects th~ ;ear~ out the national theme "Honors_ the P.a. st -- Imagine t~ Future." Du~ the upco. ming mont,~.., t,h~ City of ~bast~an will identify pa~ pro~eete .b,y ustng the established~logo and motto that supports the Millennium Council's goals. FALCON CABLE SOON TO BE RENAMED A MESSAGE FROM CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS: of Digital Cable, the customer will have the option of adding dozens of new channels including multiple "screens" of their favorite premium channels. Construction will begin in March and is expected to be completed well before the end of the year. Locally, the company will continue operating under the Falcon Cable banner until April when the name will change to Charter Communications. Cable Television customers in Sebastian can look forward tQzome big changes thanks to the recent sale of the cable system to Charter Communications, the nations 4th largest cable operator. Charter Communications plans to begin a complete overhaul of the old cable system to a state-of-the-art fiber optic network. This will mean greater reliability (fewer outages) and better picture quality. With the introduction For additional information, please feel free to contact: Erin Levins, Marketing Director Charter Communications 1681 Kennedy Causeway -- 2nd Floor, North Bay Village, FL 33141 (305) 861-8069 ex. 3500 · (305) 861-9047 elevins@chartercom.com Riverfront Property Acquisition Complete! Commissioners, and State Senator Patsy Kurth. The Sebastian City Council has since authorized staff to proceed with necessary arrangements to improve the property to accommodate additional recreational opportunities in the community. Such logistics include conceptual site plan development and additional grant procurement from outside jurisdictions to help fund enhancements. In December 1999, the City of Sebastian successfully acquired over 2 acres of riverfront property, now slated for redevelopment purposes. Financing was possible as a result of grants from both Indian River County and the State of Florida, as well as budget savings from the City of Sebastian. On Monday, December 13th, a ground-breaking ceremony transpired, in which attending guest dignitaries included members of the Indian River Board of County Road Work Update Phase A of the road resurfacing program is continuing on schedule with about half of the 24 miles completed. This phase of work will be completed in April 2000. Road reconstruction is scheduled to begin the 2nd week of February that includes Englar Drive and Schumann Drive among a few others. The design of Schumann Drive reconstruction is 90% complete, with construction scheduled to begin by the end of February, continuing through March. ~ ~ing the f~ New Alarm Control Ordinance By Police Chief Randy White The deadline for new alarm permits is fast approaching. April 3, 2000 marks the end of the 120 day "grace period" for Sebastian's new alarm control ordinance. By this date, all users of both commercial and residential burglar or robbery or panic almuns, whether monitored or not, must have obtained new annual alarm permits and have them properly posted. The new annual alarm permits will be issued by the police department at no cost to the registered holders of currently valid alarm permits. If an alarm user has no alarm permit or has never purchased a permit for their current address or business, then the new annual permit will cost $10 for a business or residence. Permits for apartment and condo complexes with complex-wide alarm systems can cost more. Failure to have a valid new annual alarm permit can result in a first-time fine of $50. The new annual alarm permits will be available beginning March 1st at the Sebastian Police Department, 1201 Main Street, weekdays between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM. Current holders of valid permits should bring either their permit receipts or the number of their alarm permit and valid identification so that theft ownership can be verified. A new information sheet will need to be completed, so have the names and phone numbers of your contact persons and key holders with you. Also starting on April 3rd, police officers responding to false alarms will begin issuing Alarm Response Notices. These notices will document an alarm that has been false for the first, second, third or more times, within any 12 month period. A third false alarm in a 12 month period can result in a fine of $50 to the alarm user. A 4th false alarm in 12 months carries a $100 fine and 5 or more false alarms, within any 12 month period, carry fines of $250 each. Alarm users are urged to have their systems inspected by a licensed alarm service company, especially if their systems are over 3 years old and have never had the back-up battery replaced. Dead batteries cause many false alarms, especially those occurring during electrical storms or outages. The police department's Alarm Administrator, Officer Paul Graves, will work with residents who are having false alarms, in an effort to eliminate such problems. Our desire is to reduce false alarms and not having to fine people for too many such alarms. Officer Graves may be contacted at 589-7212 for any questions on the new alm'm control program. Sebastian Municipal Airport Master Planning In October 1999, the City of Sebastian became successful in securing a $240,000 grant from the State of Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Aviation Program, for purposes of financing the community's Airport Master Plan (AMP). This AMP will govern various logistics relative to overall operations at Sebastian Municipal Airport, including fnture grant funding opportunities, economic development initiatives, infrastructure improvement programming and human resources. As such, the process for selecting an airport management consulting firm has begun, with the City receiving five (5) proposals from very well qualified businesses. Interviews and ultimate selection is therefore anticipated for February 2000, with the final product to be completed later in the year. City Employees Participate In Disney Half-Marathon Engineering Department secretary, Sally Grunzweig and Gold Course Head Professional, Greg Gardner participated in and completed the Walt Disney World Half- Marathon in Orlando on January 9, 2000. Sally made a quick decision to participate in the event when she agreed to take the place of a sick family friend who had registered. Several years ago, Sally walked the full marathon (26.2 miles) for hunger in Boston. Greg is an avid runner who has trained for several years and participates in various runs. He plans to run the full marathon at Disney next year. The 13.1 mile half-marathon course began in Epcot and weaved its way through the Walt Disney World Complex into Magic Kingdom and back to the finish in Epcot. Their rewards were that glorious feeling that only accomplishing such a feat can give you and finishers' medals in the shape of Donald Duck. Sally is shown with her medal on the steps of City Hall. Their achievement has been an inspiration to fellow City employees who plan to join them next year. Congratulations on a job well done, Sally and Greg! Little League Opening Day February 12, 2000 Field Preparations Under'way Arbor Day Celebration On January 21, 2000, the City of Sebastian celebrated Arbor Day by planting twelve trees in Hardee Park. The trees, three Southern Magnolia, three Live Oak, three Dahoon Holly, and three Red Maple were planted around the exercise stations on the trail to provide shade and along the lake bank. Special thanks goes to the following businesses who donated a combined $800 to purchase the trees: Ameron Homes Paramount Plumbing Krogel Produce Gator Lumber Advanced Custom Carpentry Keith's Carpentry Clark Water Shady Springs Landscaping Henry Fischer and Sons East Coast Trenching T and T Electric Complete Electric Arnold's Air Conditioning Capital Cabinets Florida Floor Fashions Thanks to the Parks & Rec division of Public Works for planting the trees and a job well done. Have You Noticed? The medians on U.S. #1 are lookin~J great these days. Municipal Election -- March 14, 2000 A municipal election will be conducted on March 14, 2000. Two City Council seats will be idled this year. Qualifying for the election ended on January 28, 2000. We urge all voters to review the proposed referendum questions. Full text of the 18 amending ordinances can be reviewed in the Office of the City Clerk, 1225 Main Street, Sebastian, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The questions are as follows: Amending Section 1.02(7) concerning terms for airport leases. Shall the City of Sebastian amend the City Charter to lengthen the limit on terms for airport leases from 20 to 30 years? Deleting Section 1.05 concerning annexed property. Shall the City of Sebastian amend the City Charter to remove the special status given nonconforming uses annexed into the City? Amending Sections 2.03(1), 2.04(a), 2.06(c) and 4.12(a) concerning council terms. Shall the City of Sebastian amend the City Charter to change council terms from two to four years? Amending Section 2.05 concerning council salaries. Shall the City of Sebastian amend the City Charter to increase the salaries for the mayor by $50 a month, and the vice-mayor and other members of council by $50 and $150 respectively? Amending Sections 2.06(b) and 3.04(g) concerning executing documents. Shall the City of Sebastian amend the City Charter to clarify that the mayor signs legislative documents and city manager signs contracts and other business documents? Amending Section 2.08(c) concerning council vacancies. Shall the City of Sebastian amend the City Charter to require that council vacancies of greater than six months be filled by special election rather than appointment? Amending Section 2.09 concerning removal of council members. Shall the City of Sebastian amend the City Charter to provide procedures to be followed when removal of council members is under consideration? Amending Section 2.12(a) concerning special meetings. Shall the City of Sebastian amend the City Charter to give all councilmembers equal authority to call special meetings of council? Amending Section 2.16(a) concerning standing committees. Shall the City of Sebastian amend the City Charter to allow standing committees to be governed by ordinance as well as resolution? Amending Section 3.03(a) concerning removal of charter officers without cause. Shall the City of Sebastian amend the City Charter to provide for removal of charter officers without cause if such removal is allowed under the terms of the officer's employment contract? Amending Section 3.03(b) concerning removal of charter officers for cause. Shall the City of Sebastian amend the City Charter to set standards to be considered by council in a vote to charge a charter officer with cause for removal? Amending Section 3.04(e) concerning the City budget. Shall the City of Sebastian amend the City Charter to designate that the budget and millage rate be adopted by resolution? Amending Section 4.02(b) concerning election filing fees. Shall the City o£ Sebastian amend the City Charter to provide that election filing fees shall be set by law instead of by council resolution? Amending Section 4.08(a) concerning elections canvassing board. Shall the City of Sebastian amend the City Charter to designate the city attorney as a member of the canvassing board? Amending Section 4.12(b) concerning election ties. Shall the City of Sebastian amend the City Charter to require a run-off election to decide ties for council elections instead of drawing lots? Amending Section 4.13 concerning candidate disqualification. Shall the City of Sebastian amend the City Charter to make a violation of state election code a basis for disqualification and providing procedures for such action? Amending Section 4.14 concerning interim government. Shall the City of Sebastian amend the City Charter to provide that remaining charter officers, rather than mayor and police chief, succeed city clerk as the official responsible for appointing interim government when no functioning council exists? Deleting Sections 6.02 and 6.03 concerning transition to current charter. Shall the City of Sebastian amend the City Charter to delete obsolete provisions governing the transition to the existing charger from a previous charter? Each question will be followed by: Yes for Approval No for Rejection TOTAL PRINT is pleased to have the opportunity to desiqn and print this edition of Sebastian's Pelican Brief. CANON LASER COLOR COPIES Bring in your favorite photo, drawing, picture or iust about anything in color and copy it in iust minutes, wh~e you wait! Ouality color copies at affordable prices]] In addition to all our printing g copying services, We Offer Signs of All Kinds... · Magnetic Signs . Site Signs . Vehicle lettering · Business Signs . Window Lettering . Boat Lettering P~t a ~.essag¢ or logo o, ~ bec, till wood or pI~tic do¢/d ~O~.~ ~'RJA~/A~. 1515 U,S. Highway 1 o Sebastian, FL 32958, (561} 589-9658 ° Fax {561) 589.5024 Local Artist Rosalee Hume In our last newsletter we told you about the Paul Kroegel statue located on the east shore of Riverview Park. The statue stands facing southeast toward Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, the nation's first refuge, for which Mr. Kroegel was founder and first warden. Credit for placement of the statue goes to several local groups, including the Sebastian Historical Society, the Pelican Island Audubon Society, the Pelican Island Preservation Society, the Indian River Historical Society, local contractor C.J. Bailey, and funding from the Indian River County Tourist Development Council and private donors. We applaud their efforts. After reading our previous article, a resident suggested that we do a piece on the local artist responsible for design of the statue. That honor belongs to Rosalee Hume, lifetime resident of the Sebastian River Area and lifelong artist and sculptress. Mrs. Hume and her husband, artist and woodcarver Jim, have been members of the Sebastian River Art Club for many years. Many attendees of local art shows are familiar with their work. Mrs. Hume crafted a small bronze sculpture of Paul Kroegel approximately two years ago to increase awareness of Kroegel's commitment to preserving Pelican Island. She knew Mr. Kroegel when she was a child and was impressed with his dedication. When she decided to sculpt him, she relied on her memories and a photograph in which he is standing with his pipe to his mouth much like the statue stands today. Her son-in-law, being of similar build, was the model for the sculpture. The statue standing in Riverview Park is three times the size of the original and is cast in bronze. The original sculpture was displayed during this past holiday season in the White House East Wing on a tree entitled "Save America's Treasures," along with other large ornaments that have been designated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to raise awareness of sites important in American history. Mrs. Hume was invited to a White House tour in December to honor the artists who crafted works on display, but graciously declined the offer. It is people like Rosalee Hume and Paul Kroegel that add to the richness of our world, and by their contribution, we all benefit. Thank you Rosalee Hume, for putting us in touch with our past. The 21st century has arrived with all the hoop-la and media hype befitting a new century. With all of our technological advances and modern conveniences, life in Sebastian has always been a virtual paradise. The early frontier settlers may have had a different view of paradise than you and I. The turn of the 20th century finds Sebastian as a small fishing village. The abundant schools of fish swimming in the crystal clear blue Historically Speaking river, was a mainstay of life for the residents. Crops and natural food were easily grown and foraged. Small dirt (sa~d) roads were use&for land travel, an improved road at the time was crushed shells. These roads were few as the automobile was in its infancy. Most travel was by boat. The residents would take their boat to the market, to school, or out to the islands for a family picnic. By today's standards this does not appear as a paradise, but to the new residents of Sebastian it was a great life. Next time you walk down Indian River Drive admiring the beautiful new improvements think back to those early settlers and try to picture life at the turn of the 20th century. Picture dug out canoes, rowboats, and the occasional steamer, schools of bait fish being chased by a porpoise, and flocks of birds feeding in the flats. Open your eyes and look again, aesthetically some things never change. Yo i ' cials C erge~ r T~nce,~R. Moore ey Rich St~r Kathy'S. 0 Halloran ~ :~ of ~ian,~t [ :Te~ R. Moore, City M~age~, ~:~203 ~. Write to City Hall.at~25.~lain Street Se~ ~ 32958 8eb~iu~het POSTAL PATRON PRSRT STD ECRWSS ~S. POSTAGE PAID VERO BEACH, FL PERMIT NO. 218