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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09302004 SpecialHOME OF PELICAN ISLAND SEBASTIAN CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2004 - 5:00 P.M. CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS · 1225 MAIN STREET, SEBASTIAN, FLORIDA Mayor McCollum called the Special Meeting at 5:00 p.m. ROLLCALL City Council Present: Mayor Nathan McCollum Councilmember Ray Coniglio Councilmember Lisanne Monier City Council Absent: Vice-Mayor Joe Barczyk (excused) Councilmember Mike Heptinstall (excused) Staff Present: City Manager, Terrence Moore City Attorney, Rich Stringer City Clerk, Sally Maio Deputy City Clerk, Jeanette Williams Public Works Director, Terry Hill City Manaqer Report on Hurricane Jeanne Response and Recovery Process The City Manager distributed and read into the record the "City Council Information Letter- Special Thursday Evening Edition - September 30, 2004" dated September 30, 2004, relative to Hurricane Jeanne response and recovery (see attached). In response to questions from Council he said that Indian River Drive will be open to pedestrian traffic only in safe areas for the time being, that unsafe homes are being inspected and dealt with on an individual basis, that he would check on notice for unprotected pools; that rugs and furniture must be hauled away by the property owner and that Code Enforcement is advising people of this; that the focus of City staff for the next six months will be recovery with the exception of large projects already approved; and that most calls from residents are for tarps and FPL questions. Special City Council Meeting September 30, 2004 Page Two Mr. Coniglio requested a roundtable discussion in the future to discuss how all parties involved can do this better. It was noted that FPL will come before Council on October 13th. Mr. Coniglio recommended that the City watch its spending as City residents will be required to do in the future because of this disaster; suggested that use of personnel at railroad crossings be looked into. In response to Ms. Monier's concerns about US 1 and CR512 traffic, Mayor McCollum reported that one lane of US 1 was open over the north portion of the bridge and that the distribution center on CR 512 was now being manned by the Division of Forestry. Mayor McCollum requested that the City Manager be flexible in its dealings with residents but not with building codes. Emerqency Ordinance No. O-04-19 - Waiver from Travel Trailer Restriction in Residential Districts The City Attorney read the title of Ordinance No. O-04-19 as follows: AN EMERGENCY ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SEBASTIAN, FLORIDA, SUSPENDING ENFORCEMENT OF CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS IN ORDER TO PROVIDE RELIEF FROM HURRICANES FRANCES AND JEANNE; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICTS, SEVERABILITY AND EFFECTIVE DA TE. On the suggestion of Mayor McCollum, a new paragraph D was added to allow some parking in swales if necessary. The City Attorney added a new Section 4 as follows: "City Council may supplement provisions of this ordinance by resolution." Rachel Scott, FPL, asked for a waiver of inspection for post repairs, and the City Manager noted that this is currently being conducted, however, Mayor McCollum requested it be added to the ordinance. On MOTION by Mr. Coniglio, and SECOND by Ms. Monier, Ordinance No. 0-04- 19 was adopted with the amendments stated on a roll call vote of 3-0. City Council Matters Ms. Monier and Mr. Coniglio commended Mayor McCollum and staff for the fine job they were doing. Special City Council Meeting September 30, 2004 Page Three Mayor McCollum announced the 10 am and 4 pm press conferences will be continued every day at IRC EOC, except for the next day at 10 am due to the First Lady, Laura Bush, visiting Indian River County, that the barrier island was open to everyone and that people would be astounded when they saw it. Karen Bobbish questioned whether Orange Heights electric would be turned on and the City Manager said certain addresses would not be reconnected if there was extensive damage. Mayor McCollum announced that thers will be a football game at SRHS on Saturday against Titusville and invited the public to come out. Beth Mitchell, Executive Director for the Chamber of Commerce, reported that the Chamber still intends to hold its first fall concert in Riverview Park on October 14th and may extend the time due to other musicians who want to participate to bring the public together. City Attorney Matters The City Attorney advised that non-conforming structures that were damaged will have to come back in accordance with existing codes which in the long run will be better for the community. 7. City Clerk Matters The City Clerk reported that the Elected Officials Oversight meeting in Vero Beach for October 8 was postponed to October 29 and asked who might be able to attend; said a relative of a City resident in San Jose intends to hold a benefit for the City and asked what was needed. Tarps and trees were mentioned. She then discussed Eady Voting locations in light of the use of the Council Chambers by Army Corps of Engineers, and the need to give the Supervisor of Elections an answer as to whether a location in the City Hall complex can be provided. Being no further business, Mayor McCollum adjourned the Special Meeting at 5:52 p.m. A~Regular City Council meeting. I~a~ha~'~. McCollum, Mayor ~ A. Ma~, CMC, Ci~ Clerk 1225 Main Street [~ Sebastian, Florida 32958 Telephone (772) 589-5330 [] Fax (772) 589-5570 City Council Information Letter Special Thursday Evening Edition September 30, 2004 Public Property Dama.qe Resultin,q from Hurricane Jeanne As some of you are aware, the City of Sebastian began assessments of public property damage resulting from Hurricane Jeanne early Sunday morning. I am pleased to once again report that no major structural problems have been declared imminent for various municipal facilities. However, every municipal building has sustained minimal to moderate damage. Notable adverse impacts included lose of roof shingles and fascia board, additional ceiling leakage, uprooted trees/vegetation and fallen decorative street pole lamps. In addition, as referenced an attached electronic mail message as compiled and delivered by City Engineer David Fisher, infrastructure, including portions of the sidewalk and roadway that supports Indian River Drive has been further damaged. As such, the thoroughfare will have to be closed for the next several weeks due to unsafe conditions, as well as to enable effective repair and improvement activities accordingly. Also, aforementioned experiences at the Sebastian Municipal Golf Course will result in the City of Sebastian having to close the facility until later next week, with plans to reopen Friday October 8th to mark the . beginning of the 2004/2005 season. As of earlier this week, Once Source, inc. has been working diligently to engage cleanup and maintenance activities at the golf course, in a serious effort to meet this timeframe. Previously discussed recommendations relative to contracts and expenditures for additional repair activities will be offered publicly during regular City Council meetings in October. As far as new facilities currently under construction, neither the new city hall building nor the police station has sustained problems. Other than a lose of City Council Inform~on Letter September 30, 2004 Page 2 a few tile roof shingles and minimal rain water entry, structural integrity remains sound, so much so that project managers from Suffolk Construction were able to resume substantive construction activities earlier this week. Any revisions to relocation and dedication dates will be offered via next week's information letter report. Private Property DamaRe - Permit and Fee Administration Processes Via the leadership and initiative of Chief Building Official Wayne Eseltine, Sebastian Building Department crews and field inspectors began damage assessments earlier this week to various structures citywide. As you may realize, destruction is more evident, notably to buildings that had sustained damage during the Hurricane Francis event earlier this month. The attached notices are therefore being positioned in front of affected properties: an unsafe posting that notes that a structure has been seriously damaged and is unsafe, including instructions to not enter; and a limit entry notice that declares that a property has been damaged and its safety is questionable. Properties that have sustained minimal to moderate damage may received the notice instructing property owners that a building permit is required for repair of damages caused by either Hurricane Frances and/or Hurricane Jeanne. In addition, activities have once again resumed relative to permit issuance activities in the field, alleviating the necessity for many from having to visit Sebastian City Hall for this purpose. As far as the previously discussed permit fee waiver program, a timeframe extension is being made from Friday October 8th until Monday, November 1st. This arrangement is sensible in that Hurricane Jeanne impacts were realized three weeks after Frances and thus, the three-week extension to the program. To further respond to the present emergency, the Building Department will only engage repair permit issuance and the aforementioned inspection process both this and next week. New construction permit issuance will therefore resume Monday, October 11th Financial Transactions Involvin.q Federal EmerRenc¥ Mana,qement ARency and Florida Lea.que of Cities Insurance Assessment Process Both my office and the Department of Finance began meeting with representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) City Council Inforrn~on Letter September 30, 2004 Page 3 and the Florida League of Cities in an effort to initiate claims and assessments regarding emergency response activities and repair cost estimates in the City of Sebastian. All departments providing essential response services to the community, as well as contractors being commissioned by the City of Sebastian to assist with respective clean up efforts since the passing of the storm Sunday are therefore working diligently to compile preliminary estimates necessary to engage FEMA's financial assistance process. FEMA Public Assistance Coordinator Mr. Martin Shoffner and his staff have been assigned to work with the City of Sebastian for this purpose. As a State of Emergency declaration is being formally made due to Hurricane Jeanne, authorization to proceed with reimbursement activities has also been granted. If FEIVlA and the State of Florida is able to deliver funds to our community in a timely fashion (within the next few months or so), the City of Sebastian will likely be able to engage respective financial transactions without the need to secure additional loans, lines of credit, etc. Respective recommendations (via revenue and expenditure line items adjustments) will be forwarded to City Council during the course of the next several months - via quarterly budget amendment recommendations and other public reporting mechanisms. Assistance from AshBritt Environmental Services, Inc. In an effort to respond to additional debris removal activities resulting from Hurricane Jeanne, please be advised that AshBritt Environmental Services has augmented its presence via the arrival of additional crews and equipment to our community earlier this week. This arrangement, in conjunction with internal resources from the Department of Public Works and the Stormwater Utility Division, will enable a multiple crew presence in each of the seventeen geographical units of Sebastian, by responding to both yard and construction debris. Again, this process will obviously take a considerable amount of time to conclude, perhaps as long as several weeks or more. Respective staging areas at Sebastian Municipal Airport have been expanded to accommodate storage of additional material resulting from the second storm. Residents who have an interests in disposing damaged personal property such as furniture and carpeting may feel free to visit either the Indian River County Landfill and adhere to specific instructions that they may wish to offer. Individuals can also contact private trash haulers such as Waste Management to make special arrangements. Staff at the Indian River County Landfill can be contacted by calling 770-5112. The local area telephone number for Waste Management is 569-1776. City Council Inforn~lion Letter September 30, 2004 Page 4 Florida Power and Li.qht Sta.qinR Area at Sebastian Municipal Airport Please be advised that officials from Florida, Power and Light were able to make arrangements with the City of Sebastian last weekend to once again engage a staging area at Sebastian Municipal Airport (SMA) for purposes of administering crews and equipment involved in the electricity restoration effort. This arrangement not only will assist our community, but also the entire Indian River County vicinity, as FPL officials have determined that SMA should serve as a sound strategic area to service the entire area. City administration is therefore extremely hopefully that this presence will make a tremendous difference to our community in terms of service restoration response time. As shared with you on an individual basis, arrangements have been made for City Councilmembers and appropriate staff to visit the respective staging area at the conclusion of this evening's meeting. Enclosure(s): Electronic Mail Message from City Engineer David Fisher- Indian River Drive Electronic Mail Message from City Engineer David Fisher - Closure of Indian River Drive Electronic Mail Message from Police Officer John Grimmich - Information for immediate Release Various Posting Notices from Building Department- Permit Requirements and Safety of Structures My Documents/InfoLetter231 Terrence Moore From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: David Fisher Tuesday, September 28, 2004 4:48 PM Terrence Moore; Terry Hill; Jim Davis Brian Grzesiak; Jerry Converse; Ken Jones Indian River Drive As discussed, this is to note and confirm the current proposed plan for dealing with the traffic aspect of the hurricane damage situation on Indian River Drive: · Clean up major debris (by Public Works assisted by Stormwater crews and Ashbdtt). Close off the entire length of Indian River Drive with new large barricades. Plan being drafted for review by Sign Shop in conjunction with Public Works and Police Department. Newly pruchased barricades may arrive and be in place by the end of this week. · Perform patching and temporary remedial action for roadway (by Public Works assisted by Fischer & Sons). · Perform permanent improvements to roadway, sidewalk, street mights, signage, and landscaping. (Players yet to be determined.) We should have the draft plan done by tomorrow AM (Wednesday, 29 Sep) and ready for everyone's initial review as to how best to handle both vehicular and pedestrian traffic on Indian River Drive for the next 6 to 8 weeks (?) or so. Thanks for your collaboration and advice in any way as to how best to proceed with implementation and enforcement. -- Dave Fisher Terrence Moore From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: David Fisher Wednesday, September 29, 2004 12:23 PM Terrence Moore; Jim Davis; Terry Hill Brian Grzesiak; Linda Kinchen; Sally Grunzweig; John Grimmich; Jerry Conveme Closure of Indian River Drive Indian River Drive is being closed for an indefinite extended pedod (perhaps 2 to 3 months) for debris clean-up, erosion control, and roadway renovation (including sidewalks, street lights, and landscaping). During that period the road will be open only to authorized construction traffic and residents with a compelling need for access. Large barriers (to be filled with water) will be delivered on Thursday, 7 October, and be installed with all appropriate supporting informational and directional signage on Friday, 8 October. All of Indian River Drive will be essentially a construction zone until clean-up, repairs, and renovation is complete. Official notice is being provided for broadcast and print distribution through the local media and press. Coordination at this time is being handled by the Public Works Department (Terry Hill / Jerry Converse / Linda Kinchen at 589-5490), Brian Grzesiak of the Engineering Department Sign Shop (388-3339), and Officer John Grimmich (388-8528) of the Sebastian Police Department. Brian Grzesiak is providing an overall traffic signage / barrier plan for the review of all concerned. Please provide him with any further insight you may have in order to implement this in the most effective way. Thanks for your collaboration. -- Dave Fisher Terrence Moore From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Jim Davis Wednesday, September 29, 2004 1 :l 3 PM John Grimrnich Terrence Moore Information For Immediate Release Residents are encouraged to take debris to the front of their property near the roads edge for pick up. Please separate the debris into three categories as follows: Yard and vegetation debds Construction debds Furniture/appliances and carpet City trucks will be picking up construction debris as well as yard and vegetation debris as soon as possible. Waste Management customers may call Waste Management to make arrangements for furniture/appliances and carpet pick up. Other residents must make arrangements with private contractom for pick up of furniture/appliances and carpet. Residents are reminded to not dump debris of any kind on vacant lots. Violators will be fined. Fees for building permits to repair storm related damage will be waived until November 1,2004. Owners may apply for a permit even though they may not have selected a contractor for the repairs. Perm[ts are required for Re- roofing or substantial repairs to a roof, fence replacement, sheds, screen enclosures, electrical repairs or other substantial work to your home. Questions about permits will be answered if you call 388 8235. HOME OF PELICAN ISLAND 1225 MAIN STREET, SEBASTIAN, FLORIDA32958 TELEPHONE: (772) 589-5330 · FAX (772) 589-5570 **W ~ARNING** A BUDDING PERMIT IS REQUIRED FOR REPAIR OF DAMAGES CAUSED BY HURRICANE FRANCES AND HU~CANE JEANE. ADDRESS: DATE: RE-ROOF ELECTRICAL REPAIRS OTHER: INSPECTOR: THIS NOTICE SERVES AS A WARNING TO THE OWNER OF THE ABOVE ADDRESS THAT A BUILDING PERMIT IS REQUIRED FOR THE NOTED DAMAGES OBSERVED. THE BUILDING PERMIT FEES ARE BEING WAIVED FOR THE REPAIR OF DAMAGES CAUSED BY THE HURRICANES UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. THE OWNER OF THIS PROPERTY OR A LICENSED CONTRACTOR WITH A SIGNED CONTRACT NEEDS TO COME TO THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT LOCATED AT 1225 MAIN STREET IN SEBASTIAN TO OBTAIN THE PERMIT. PERMITS FOR RE-ROOF AND ELECTICAL WORK ARE OVER THE COUNTER PERMITS THAT REQUIRE NO PLANS. FENCE PERMITS REQUIRE A COPY OF A PROPERTY SURVEY, INDICATE THE LOCATION OF THE FENCE ON THE SURVEY. SCREEN ENCLOSURES, SHEDS OVER 400 SQUARE FEET AND OTHER STRUCTURAL REPAIRS MAY REQUIRE ENGINEERED DRAWINGS. CONTACT THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT ~ 772-589-5537 FOR MORE INFOR1VL4TION. PROTECT YOURSELF; HIRE ONLY LICENSED CONTRACTORS. CONTACT THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT FOR MORE INFORMATION. "An Equal Opportunity Employer" Celebrating Our 75th Anniversary