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The County Administrator's Message
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St. Johns County Update from County Administrator Michael Wanchick
May 22, 2009 | |
Board of County Commissioners
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Join the Discussion
- Town
Hall Meetings - We will be holding a series of Town Hall
Meetings throughout the County
June 9th through the 18th to have a
public dialogue with the community about the County's financial position and
the challenges we face.
St. Johns
County is being forced to
prioritize services and programs, and these meetings offer residents the
opportunity to understand the current financial situation and how it may impact
them. We will also be requesting public feedback during the meetings, which
will be compiled for the Board of County Commissioners prior to their budget
workshops. Visit the County website calendar for details.
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Administration
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Economic Stimulus - St. Johns County continues to pursue economic
stimulus funds as they become available through various grants and programs
from both state and federal agencies. Several County staff attended an Economic
Stimulus Summit in Orlando
last week, sponsored by the Florida League of Cities and Florida Association of
Counties, which provided updates associated with the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. You may read more about the
statewide efforts at www.FlaRecovery.com.
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Amphitheatre
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Ancient City Crawfish Boil - The inaugural Ancient City Crawfish
Boil May 8-9 was a successful event, making a significant economic impact on St. Johns County. Total attendance for the two
days was 11,689 with 83 percent of those coming from outside St. Johns County.
Local businesses in St. Augustine
benefited significantly, with 19 percent of attendees staying in a hotel, 49
percent visiting a restaurant or bar, 21 percent visiting a local shop, and 22
percent visiting a local attraction. While the event was successful, we were
aware of some concerns in the downtown area and feel that future events of this
nature will be more appropriate at the Fairgrounds.
- High Attendance Rates - Recent Amphitheatre events have also
been very successful, with 311 selling 88 percent of capacity, and both James
Taylor and Kings of Leon selling out for the May 1 and May 4 concerts.
Additionally, over 1,000 were in attendance for the Night Owl Cinema on Friday,
May 15.
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Building Services
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New Online Permitting - The Building Services Division, in
conjunction with the Management Information Systems Department (MIS), has
completed its new online permitting system, e-Building Services. This service
provides citizens, customers, and contractors with twenty-four hour access to
permits, inspections, and code information. Contractors are able to set up a
personalized account with access to their Depository Account balance,
inspections, and permits. In addition, mechanical, gas, irrigation, electric,
and plumbing subcontractors can apply for permits through e-Building Services,
provided they have set up an online permitting account. Questions regarding
e-Building Services may be directed to the Building Services Division at (904)
827-6800.
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Construction Services
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Courthouse Renovations - The Construction Services Department
held its first Pre-Bid Conference for Phase II of the St. Johns County
Courthouse Renovations this week, with approximately 30 contractors in
attendance. Phase II renovations will include: renovation of the old auditorium
into a new ceremonial/traffic courtroom, renovation of the State Attorney's
area into two new courtrooms, addition of a new finance area, jury
selection/lounge area, and connection of the courthouse to the old
administration building making the complex a single judicial center. In total,
the project will renovate approximately 100,000 square feet and add
approximately 20,000 new square feet. The project budget, estimated at $6.5 to
7 million, will begin this summer and take approximately 18 months to complete.
Unfortunately, the project will create a large and inconvenient construction
zone, and we apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause.
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Development Services
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Concurrency Management System - Staff continues to work on proposed changes to the Concurrency Management System (CMS) and is
prepared to present their initial findings on the County's CMS. The recommended
changes will be comprehensive, however they would be implemented
incrementally. A presentation will be given to the Chamber of Commerce in
May, and a County Commission workshop is tentatively being scheduled this
summer.
Expired Building Permits - The state of the economy has
provided a challenge on how to handle expired residential permits where construction
had already begun, and the Development Review Division is working daily to
respond in a positive manner to these unprecedented situations. To address this
challenge, a "completion permit" will be issued to this type of single family
residential permit in order to minimize time, cost, and redundancy of review as
long as certain conditions are met. Development Review welcomes suggestions and
encourages the public to contact Kathy Nielsen with any questions at (904)
209-0698 or [email protected].
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Environmental Division- Elkton Hastings Historic Farmstead
Survey - This
survey, a new history document commissioned by the County, was recently completed
by Bland and Associates, Inc. The survey was designed to address history in the
southerly part of St. Johns County and assess historic farmsteads in the Hastings and Elkton area
that were built prior to 1920, and ten farmhouses were identified as possible
National Register of Historic Places candidates. The study fills a gap in
the written history of St. Johns
County and will be made
available soon on the County's website.
- Historic Cemeteries Workshop - The County is a partner in the T'omb
It May Concern Cemetery Workshop, a three-day event to be held June 11-13.
The workshop will focus on the historic cemeteries of St.
Augustine and St.
Johns County,
with tours of the cemeteries and presentations on various topics of cemetery
research and preservation. The new Historic Cemeteries of St. Johns
County poster will be unveiled on the opening night. For more
information contact Historic Resource Specialist Robin Moore at (904) 209-0623
or [email protected].
- TogetherGreen - On Saturday, May 9, participants from
St. Johns County, St. Johns Audubon, and the First
Tee planted over 600 trees and other plants on half an acre designated to
receive habitat restoration at the St. Johns Golf Club in Elkton. Last year
Land Resource Coordinator
Amy Meide received the TogetherGreen grant for $10,000 to implement this
project at the golf course. Selected "no-play" areas at the golf
course are being replanted with native plants to create a native habitat and to
save money on fertilizers, water, and gasoline.
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Fire Rescue-
"Party's
Over" Reenactment - St. Johns County Fire Rescue joined together the
week of May 18th with several county agencies to present the
"Party's Over" reenactment for several St. Johns County
High Schools in order to
prevent underage drinking and the tragedies that it can bring. This program,
which is presented nationwide during the prom and graduation season as a
deterrent to teenage drinking, is a visual drama that depicts an alcohol-related
accident that occurs at the conclusion of an open house party. Drama students
from local high schools depict the victims involved in the accident, while
local firefighters, law enforcement officers, and judges act in the role they
would normally serve during and following a DUI-related incident. The program
is highly emotional and designed to educate students on the dangers and
consequences of underage drinking. The program was presented on May 20th
to the
students
at Nease High
School and on May 21st at St. Augustine High School.
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Library- Library Website Wins
State Award - Six Library staff members recently attended
the Annual Conference of the Florida Library Association in Orlando. This year's conference theme
"Libraries - Connecting People, Information and Knowledge" was
especially pertinent in this time of decreasing budgets and increasing usage of
libraries and library resources. A highlight of the Conference was St. Johns County receiving the FLA Award for best public
library website. Library System Director Debra Rhodes Gibson accepted the
award on behalf of the Library and St.
Johns County.
Check it out at www.sjcpls.org.
- Recent Donations - The Library System is thankful for
two recent sizable donations. The Hastings Branch Library has ten new donated
computers for public internet access, a great addition for the public. Also,
the Main Library recently installed beautiful new cabinetry and staff
workstations in the work room, funded by the Friends of the Library of St.
Johns County.
- Staff Training - Several staff members attended a
State Library Leadership Symposium in Gainesville
titled "Leading in Shifting Environments." This one-day workshop offered
practical applications of leadership theories to guide libraries through the
changing economic tides.
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Office of Management and Budget- Requested FY 2010 Budget - The Requested FY 2010 County budget
should be complete by the week of June 8 after the County receives the
Constitutional Officers' requested budgets and the initial County taxable
property values from the County's Property Appraiser, both due by June 1
according to Florida Statutes. In Florida,
Constitutional Officers are the County
Sheriff, the Clerk of
Courts, the Supervisor of Elections, the Property Appraiser, and the Tax
Collector (although the latter two Constitutional Officers are fee-based according
to Florida Statutes). After the Requested budget is complete, the Office of
Management and Budget will work with County
Administration toward a
recommended FY 2010 County budget, which is due to the Board at their July 7
meeting. Florida Statutes also require the Recommended County
budget to be balanced, meaning that total budgeted expenditures plus reasonable
cash reserves must equal total budgeted revenues for each County fund.
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Public Works-
Sandbags - St. Johns County
offered free sandbags to residents to use against potential flooding
of their homes and businesses. The sandbags were available 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, May 20-22, at Sims Pit, located off Holmes Boulevard in
St. Augustine.
The County provided sand and bags, and residents were asked to bring their own
shovels. This program was first offered last year during Tropical Storm Fay,
and this second offering was also successful.
- Fleet Management Productivity - The Fleet Management Division
achieved 134 percent mechanic productivity for the month of April, which marks
the seventh consecutive month for 100 percent or greater productivity.
- LED Upgrades for Traffic Signal
Bulbs - The Traffic
Section earlier this year implemented a countywide program to replace existing
incandescent signal bulbs with energy efficient light emitting diodes (LED's).
Not only do LED's provide energy savings, but they also work longer without
failing. The typical LED will last from five to ten years, whereas the
incandescent bulb burns out in less than two years. This upgrade greatly
reduces maintenance schedules and also cuts the cost of replacing incandescent
bulbs. Savings already realized from LED's being placed in 57 of the
County's 100-plus signals is 40 percent, or $23,500.
- Federal Point Road
Bridge - The replacement of the Federal Point
Road Bridge
over Cracker Swamp in southwest St. Johns County is
complete, and the new bridge has opened to traffic.
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Recreation and Parks-
Renovated Boat Ramps - St. Johns County has reopened the Frank Butler Park
West and Green Road Boat Ramps after both went through major renovations funded
through Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) Waterways Assistance Grants.
Improvements at Frank Butler included a
new wider boat ramp to accommodate the heavy use at the site, a dock with
floating dock to assist boaters in launching and recovering their vessels,
handicapped accessible sidewalks to all amenities, new restrooms, four new 20
by 20 picnic pavilions with benches and grills, improved stabilized parking
surface, native landscaping, a clam bake area, and new security lighting. At
Green Road,
the existing ramp and associated dock were replaced. Assistant Recreation and
Parks Director Wil Smith wrote the FIND grants, which combined totaled more
than $230,000.
- Temporary Bridge to Become Reef - The Recreation and Parks Department
in partnership with the St. Augustine Port Waterway and Beach District has
received the Army Corps of Engineers permit to deploy the Temporary Bridge of
Lions, once dismantled, into an artificial reef about eight miles off the coast
of St Augustine. Once deployed, the Bridge
of Lions Reef will be the largest
concrete structure reef in the State of Florida.
The permitted site is 80 acres and will provide residents and guests with an
accessible fishing area close to shore.
- St. Johns Golf Club - St. Johns
Golf Club is offering two great opportunities to get connected in the game of
golf. First, the Get Golf Ready in 5 Days
program will offer a series of five introductory lessons offered by PGA
professionals in a small-group environment from June 1 - June 5. The lessons
begin at 5:30 pm daily, and the entire program only costs $99. Secondly, PGA
professionals Wes Tucker and Tom Stecker will offer free 10-minute golf lessons
on Saturday, May 30, from 8:00 am until noon. To register for either event or
to learn more, call (904) 209-0350.
- Upcoming Events - Two great events are scheduled for Saturday,
May 30. First, the Just TRI IT! Kids Triathlon will be at the Willie Galimore
Center beginning at 8:30
am. Kids ages 6-12 will swim, bike, and run to test their skills and
endurance against other participants. Proceeds will benefit the Children's
Museum of St. Johns. More info is available
(904) 797-7243 or [email protected].
Secondly, a free Summer Safety Celebration will be on May 30 from 11:00 to 2:00
at the Solomon Calhoun Community Center
in West Augustine. Local agencies and organizations will provide activities and
information on safe ways to have fun this summer. The event will include
a free cookout and car seat inspections with reduced priced car seats available
for purchase.
- Swimming Pools - St.
Johns County has
partnered with the St. Augustine YMCA to provide aquatic services and swim
lessons at the Willie Galimore pool, beginning June 15, and at the recently
opened Solomon Calhoun pool. For more information call (904) 829-5250.
- Recreation Event Samples - The Table Tennis Club of St. Augustine meets every
Monday and Tuesday at 6:30 pm at the Willie
Galimore Center,
where players of all skill-levels are welcome to play. The program includes a
small fee, and participants should bring their own paddle and a ball.
Additionally, the National Beach Paddle Tennis Tournament is being held at Ron Parker
Park May 21 -25, with
teams from around the country participating in this annual event. The public is
welcome to come.
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Utilities-
Stimulus Funding for Utility Project
- A collaborative
project between the St. Johns County Utility Department (SJCUD) and the City of
St. Augustine Beach was recently awarded $9.92 million through the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The stimulus funding was announced on May
13th in Tallahassee
at a Department of Environmental Protection public hearing, and will fund the
installation of central sewer systems and the elimination of septic tanks in
seven beach neighborhoods. Although the City of St. Augustine Beach is the
project sponsor, through an interlocal agreement the SJCUD will handle the engineering,
construction, and construction administration. The completed projects' assets
will be owned and maintained by the SJCUD.
- Funding Near the Maximum - Because the City of St. Augustine
Beach is considered a small, disadvantaged community, based on its 2000 Census
population, 65 percent of the $9.92 million funding will not need to be repaid.
Even though this was the sixth ranked project in the state for Clean Water ARRA
funding, it received the second highest ARRA funding. Additionally, the principal
forgiveness of $5.9 million was the highest in the state. It should be noted
that the maximum funding available to any of the competing projects was $10
million in Fiscal Year 09.
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