Englewood Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) Advisory Board Meeting #171 Monday, April 13, 2015, 1:00 p.m. 1394 Old Englewood Road, Englewood, FL Elaine Miller, Chair, Todd Tracy, Vice-Chairman, Alison Belan, Norman Caldwell, John Davison, Don Landis, John Mead, Samantha Smith 1:00 p.m. Pledge/Call to Order/Roll Call 1:05 p.m. Approval of Minutes March 9, 2015 1:10 p.m. Open to Public (Limited to agenda items only; three-minute time limit per speaker.) 1:30 p.m. New Business: MPO Long Range Plan Update Mike Maholtz, MPO Traffic Concerns Kwamena Sankah, P.E., Sarasota County Transportation Planning 2:00 p.m. Old Business: Blue Star Installation at Veteran Memorial Jan Beshoner Upcoming events Earth Day April 26 th 11 a.m. 4 p.m. - Buchan's Airport Park Fireworks Festival July 4 th 10 a.m. 10 p.m. Plaza Sub-Committee Updates Citizens Patrol Debbie Marks Museum Committee Mary Gregory Water Ferry Committee Russ Kyper 2:30 p.m. Open to Public (three-minute time limit per speaker) 2:45 p.m. Advisory Board Comments 3:00 p.m. Agenda Items for Next Meeting 3:15 p.m. Adjournment Next Regular Meeting: May 11, 1:00 p.m. Sarasota County prohibits discrimination in all services, programs or activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, marital status, familial status, religion, or genetic information. Persons with disabilities who require assistance or alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), or who wish to file a complaint, should contact: Sarasota County ADA/ Civil Rights Coordinator, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota, Florida 34236, Phone: 941-861-5000, TTY: 7-1-1 or 1-800-955-8771, Email: adacoordinator@scgov.net
I. Call to Order Englewood Redevelopment Area (CRA) Advisory Board Meeting Meeting Minutes of Monday, March 9, 2015, 1:00 p.m. Chair Elaine Miller called to order the regular meeting of the Englewood Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) Advisory Board at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, March 9, 2015, at Buchan Airport Community Park meeting room, 1394 Old Englewood Road, Englewood, FL 34223. II. Roll Call. Present: Norman Caldwell, John Davison, Don Landis, John Mead, Elaine Miller, Todd Tracy, Samantha Smith Absent: Alison Belsan III. Sarasota County Staff Present Debbie Marks, Manager Mickeal Paige, Administrative Specialist IV. Approval of Minutes from February 9, 2015 Meeting Chair Miller requested a motion to accept the approval of the February 9, 2015 meeting minutes. Motion: To accept the minutes of February 9, 2015 as presented, Action: Approve, Moved by John Mead, Seconded by John Davison. Motion passed unanimously. V. Open to Public Tom Neils, 32 Harbor Lane would like to see Harbor Lane closed to through traffic. Mr. Neils asked for clarification on the minimum requirements to have a crosswalk installed. In addition, Mr. Neils asked if the county thought about roundabouts at the intersection of Old Englewood Road and Dearborn Street. Ms. Miller stated that during preliminary design phase of the Veterans Memorial area residents opted out of having the road closed off and did not want to have a roundabout. At this time, Ms. Miller is not sure if having a roundabout is even possible in that area do to the construction of the Pavilion. Ms. Miller did suggest the possibility of having a t-turn option which may alleviate some issues. Debbie Marks asked Mr. Neils if he noticed any changes in traffic after the installation of parking signs at the Veterans Memorial. Mr. Neils said he had not noticed any changes. Ms. Marks stated another Harbor Lane resident had shared with the CRA office that traffic had eased; visitors were now using the parking lot and over the visits seemed to be peaceful. Minutes of March 9, 2015 Meeting Page 1
Ms. Miller and Ms. Marks thanked Mr. Neils for his concerns and asked that further discussion be deferred until the April 13 th Advisory Board meeting when the Sarasota County Traffic Engineer will be present. New Business Funding Request 34 th Annual Fine Arts Festival Valarie Wagner Debbie Marks presented a funding request for the 34 th Annual Fine Arts Festival on behalf of Valarie Wagner. This request is for up to $1000 to provide permits, flyers and portable restrooms. Motion: To approve the funding request up to $1000, Action: Approve, Moved by John Mead, Seconded by Todd Tracy. Motion passed unanimously. Dearborn Street Lights 776/Dearborn Debbie Marks informed the Advisory Board that an accident at the intersection of 776 and Dearborn Street had taken down 2 of the green decorative Dearborn lights. An image of the location was presented on the projector for all those attending to see location. Ms. Marks said the first light seems to be knocked down by vehicles on a yearly basis. Thankfully this accident was reported and the repairs will be covered by the drivers insurance. Ms. Paige commented that when turning left from 776 onto Dearborn Street this can be a tight turn when drivers miss the stop line and proceed up to crosswalk. Ms. Marks asked the Advisory Board on the input of capping the first light and only replacing the second light pole. After a general discussion, the Advisory Board would prefer to have both lights reinstalled. VI. Old Business Updates: Veterans Memorial Usage Guidelines Debbie Marks Debbie Marks stated she is working with the County Attorney s office to establish an Ordinance for the Veterans Memorial. Todd Tracy asked if there would be Public Hearings regarding the Ordinance. Ms. Marks stated yes there would be Public Hearings regarding the Ordinance and the CRA Office will inform the Committee of any future discussions or meetings on this matter. Upcoming Events Debbie Marks Debbie Marks presented the upcoming events for Englewood. National K-9 Veterans Day March 13 th has been canceled. Earth Day April 26 th 11 am to 4 pm - Buchan Airport Fireworks Festival July 4 th 10 am 10 pm Dearborn Street Minutes of March 9, 2015 Meeting Page 2
Sub-Committee Updates o Citizens Patrol The Committee has not met in recent months. o Museum Committee Mary Gregory stated the Museum Committee is moving right along. The Committee has secured a storage room for items that have been donated to the Museum. Ms. Gregory is working on a proposal for Sarasota County Parks and Recreation to secure the Buchan Airport Community Park meeting room as a potential location for the Museum. Ms. Gregory said the Committee is looking at creating a Remember Englewood cookbook and history book where area residents can add pictures, statements and recipes. Ms. Gregory said this was a successful fundraiser activity in other Museums she helped create in Tennessee. Debbie Marks stated that if the Museum Committee s proposal is accepted by Sarasota Parks and Recreation Department the monthly Advisory Board meeting would be moved to another location; potentially to Lemon Bay Park. o Water Ferry Russ Kyper stated when the Water Ferry concept was first presented to CRA in January 2007 it was only an idea. Fast forward to today and the Water Ferry Committee consists of 26 volunteers, 9 of whom are board members. In August 2014, the Spirit of Englewood, Inc. was formed and became a Florida Corporation. The Committee is ratifying a mission statement, forming bylaws and working on the 501C3 application. Mary Gregory of the Museum Committee will be assisting in the 501C3 application. Jerry Blake has volunteered to develop and maintain as necessary a website for the Spirit of Englewood VII. Open to Public Jan Beshoner, Lemon Bay Garden Club presented two pictures of potential locations for the Blue Star Plaque at the Veterans Memorial. The Blue Star Plaque is double-sided, about seven feet tall and anchored into the ground about three feet. Ms. Miller stated that a structural Engineer will need to review the plans and identify the appropriate location for the plaque. Ms. Marks stated once an area has been selected, the Lemon Bay Garden Club will need to apply for a permit prior to installation. Doreen Rudin 62 Winston is extremely concerned and annoyed with the visitors at Cherokee Park. There is a lot of traffic with vehicles in and out of the park some staying, some just turning around. All the while children are playing in the park and she feels this is dangerous. In addition, she has witnessed visitors allowing their dogs to run free and leaving without picking up their mess. Ms. Rudin also saw a gentleman urinate in the park. Ms. Miller apologized to Ms. Rudin for what is happening at Cherokee Park. King Harrison 57 Cherokee agrees with everything Ms. Rudin has experienced with Cherokee Park. Mr. Harrison stated that what he is about to say is not a negative reflection on Debbie Marks or her staff. The CRA office has been very responsive to his concerns in the past and he thanks them for their due diligence. Approximately one year ago Mr. Harrison was told that Cherokee Park would be fenced off to vehicles. Mr. Harrison stated there is no fence to date and he sees anywhere from 2 to 8 cars parked Minutes of March 9, 2015 Meeting Page 3
on the property per day. Mr. Harrison installed a chain over his driveway to prevent people from entering his property but someone took the chain down. In addition, the palm fronds are just being piled up in the corner and around trees by the landscaper and not being removed. Ms. Marks stated she also noticed the palm fronds that were collecting and has notified the landscaper so that they can be removed. Ms. Marks said Cherokee Park is supposed to fall under the division of Parks and Recreation. At this time, Cherokee Park has not been adopted by Sarasota County Parks and Recreation. The nstallation of a fence would cost roughly $18,000. Ms. Marks will look into the Cherokee project funds which she believes may have roughly $16,000 left which could be used for a fence. In addition to securing funds to install the fence, Ms. Marks will investigate the possibility of having signs put up regarding parking, drinking, pets, etc. Mr. Mead stated that these residents have a right to be aggravated and thanked the Rudin s and Harrison s for bringing these matters to their attention. Board Comments a) Norm Caldwell expressed a courtesy to Cherokee Park residents. b) John Davison agrees with Mr. Neils and would like to see Harbor Lane as a dead-end street. c) Don Landis is concerned with the safety of 3000 4000 people crossing Dearborn during Farmers Market. By not having a crosswalk there, Mr. Landis feels the County is being negligent. At a minimum he would like to see signs posted asking drivers to slow down. a. Ms. Marks stated the County Traffic Engineer already addressed this concern and a crosswalk is not warranted. Mr. Landis stated the Engineer is not a lawyer and this needs to be addressed. Ms. Marks asked that this be deferred to the April 13 th meeting when County representatives are present to answer questions. d) John Mead thanked everyone for attending and apologized to those negatively affected by the activities at Cherokee Park. e) Elaine Miller thanked everyone for coming. f) Todd Tracy thanked everyone for attending and their input is greatly appreciated. VIII. Agenda items for April 13, 2015 Traffic Concerns IX. Adjournment It was asked that a motion be made to adjourn the meeting. Motion: Adjourned, Action: Approve, Moved by Todd Tracy, Seconded by John Mead. Adjourned the meeting at 2:00 p.m. Minutes of March 9, 2015 Meeting Page 4