Fire Station 4 to be ‘Fully’ Staffed due to Upcoming Hood Rd Closure

The June 2nd City Council Meeting, with four council members present (Ms. Marino absent), began with recognition of Sherri Pla as PGA Southeast Chapter Youth Golf Development Professional of the year. Next was to be the 2015 Audit Report – but the presenter was delayed and so City Manager Ferris was asked to give his report.

Of impact to City residents: Hood Road at the Turnpike will be closed very soon for a period of 60-120 days, in order to replace the bridge. Fire Station 5 (aka 65) is a backup to Fire Station 4 (aka 64) (which has been the subject of public comment for several months) and access to Mirasol would be impacted by the closure. The City will temporarily staff Station 4 to full capacity for 120 days, using over-time. City Manager Ferris said that data collected during the closure, plus the outside study commissioned to review Fire/Rescue current and future needs, will be timely and sufficient to determine staffing proposals for the 2016/2017 Budget cycle.

During Items for Council Action/Discussion towards the end of the meeting, the council voted 3:1 against supporting the Infrastructure Sales Tax. Vice Mayor Jablin reiterated his position from the first vote held a couple of months ago, that the sales tax increase was regressive. Council Member Premuroso also re-stated that the County should be able to handle this through their existing budget or via bonds and that the School Board solutions should be separate. Mayor Tinsley stated that since the County, if millage is held flat, would be gaining $48 million in extra revenue, there should not be a sales tax increase. Council Member Levy voted for supporting the sales tax, since the Cultural Council/Economic development component had been removed from the proposal. All agreed that despite their nay vote the referendum would be on the ballot in November. Also discussed was the probable incorporation vote of Westlake  (formerly Callery Judge Groves) by its four residents purportedly to over-ride density limits currently imposed by the County. While it wasn’t clear that anything could be done, the Council voted 4:0 to oppose the incorporation and to have the Mayor write a letter taking that position.

Also of resident interest, City Attorney Lohman reported on the status of the Election Run-off (see judge ruling details here) and recommended that the City join in David Levy’s appeal, along with the Supervisor of Elections. His rationale was that the City was involved already due to the City Clerk being named in the suit, as well as already being obligated to pay the SOE’s legal fees. Council Member Levy recused himself, and the remaining members voted 3:0 to join the suit.

Public Comment included:

• Mami Kisner, thanked the Council, City Manager and Police Chief for their accessibility, and responsiveness to Corey Jones’ family and community.
• A resident concerned about illegal drug sales occurring in a neighborhood in the area NE of Northlake/Military Trail. Both the City Manager and Chief Stepp seemed very surprised by the information and referred the resident to Asst. Chief Shannon at the back of the room.
• Abbey Baker, Matt Baker, Craig Goldenfarb and Ron Kaplan of Mirasol all spoke on Station 4 staffing, and response time issues.
• Kathy Beamer, of Shady Lakes, requested that improvements be made to 117th Ct first, then redo the traffic study, prior to modifying Shady Lakes Drive. She stated that the residents’ trust had been breached by no providing a wall, a berm or any real noise abatement in the most recent proposal.
• Tom Cairnes and Steve Mathison, both of the PGA Corridor Association spoke, with Mr. Mathison specifically appreciating their inclusion in the current review of the Impact Fee process.

The Consent Agenda, Ordinance 5, 2016 and the other 3 Resolutions on the Agenda passed 4:0.

Next City Council Mtg on June 2 at 7pm

The next City Council Meeting will be this Thursday, June 2nd, at 7pm in City Hall.

Presentations include 2015 Audit Report – no details provided

Consent Agenda includes:

• Resolution 38, 2016 – Conceptually approving a ten percent (10%) local match to Project Falcon for the State’s Qualified Target Industry Tax Program – BDB requested of Palm Beach County and PBG for $80K each; for an ‘un-named’ company already in the City to retain 450 local jobs and create 200 new jobs.
• Resolution 40, 2016 – extending an interlocal agreement between the Village of North Palm Beach, the Town of Lake Park, Palm Beach County, and the City of Palm Beach Gardens originally entered into in 1997 and expiring in Sept. 2016, for another 5 years. “The purpose of the Task Force was to evaluate and recommend plans for the improvement, enhancement, and renovation of the Northlake Boulevard Corridor“.

City Manager Report – no details listed

Public Hearings:

• Ordinance 5, 2016 – Police Pension Amendment. This makes clarifications to existing language, policies and practices and is not anticipated to change the cost of the plan.
• Resolution 34, 2016 – Site plan approval for the development of a 124-unit apartment community within Parcel B of the Central Gardens Planned Community Development (PCD). This development would be adjacent to the 140-bed Assisted Living Facility approved by the Council on Feb 5, 2015.
• Resolution 36, 2016 – Site Plan approval “on behalf of the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola, for a Site Plan Amendment approval to demolish the existing Parish Center and Parish Office buildings, construct a new 21694-square-foot two- (2) story Parish Center building, expand the existing Pastoral Center by 396 square feet, and provide architectural and landscape modifications.”

Items for Council Action/Discussion:

• Infrastructure Surtax Discussion (ed. note: since the Council last discussed the topic and decided not to approve, the County Commission and School Board have approved a modification to the original proposal, removing monies for economic expansion or cultural council. So the tax revenue would be shared according to statute with 50% to School Board, 30% to County and 20% to municipalities. The County once again is seeking approvals from cities representing 50% plus 1 of the total municipal populations)

Check the agenda to see if any additional items have been added before the meeting here.

Progress on 117th Ct, Quiet Zones and Avenir Approval with Undercurrent of Distrust on Other Issues

The Council Meeting was kicked off by a 7 year old ‘Mayor for the Day’ who led the Council in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Presentations:

• All Aboard Florida Quiet Zones – City Engineer Todd Engle said that the City has 6 crossings, and the majority of the improvements will be to install more exit gates. The Council was pleased with the progress, especially after many years of seeking quiet zones for the FEC trains through the City.
• 117th Street Ct N Conveyance
  • City has been trying to acquire the right of way since 1994
  • After approval by the City, the documents will go to School Board for approval in June.
  • Have to coordinate design and construction with School Board and has to be completed within 18 months, with the objective to improve the traffic pattern for the two schools and provide a dedicated lane direct to City Park.
  • Estimated cost 2.2 million. Mayor Tinsley pointed out that there may be an opportunity to get Federal funds (after the design is completed) to offset some of the expenditure.
  • Construction begins as soon as deed is processed- potentially early June and all road work will done before school starts

Public Comment:

• Corey Jones Shooting – Michael Marsh of Vero Beach pleased with the responses by the City and pending implementation of body cams
• Shady Lakes Expansion – Three residents (Israel Balderas, Kathy Beamer and Barry Mendelewisc) spoke on various aspects of the proposal.  Given the progress on 117th Ct N – why not wait until that plays out before implementing the Shady Lakes Expansion which the residents don’t want.  Request for another meeting with residents on both the 117th Ct N plans and updated plans for Shady Lakes – especially since berms and noise abatement still seems insufficient.
• 10 Acre Congregate Living Facility (CLF) on Northlake Blvd – Matthew Kamula, resident and HOA President of Osprey Isles brought to the Council’s attention plans for a ‘sober home on steroids’ (by Council Member Levy).  This would be a 125 bed drug/alcohol detox and rehabilitation center.  While the property is not in the City Limits, it is right next to the City, and adjoining/nearby subdivisions were not informed nor their positions sought on its development, prior to County approvals.  In later Council discussion, the Council asked staff and City Manager Ferris to look into it and make sure the City’s position is known and presented.
• PGA Blvd Bicycle and Traffic Safety – Joe R Russo mentioned Sarah Peter’s article on problems on PGA Blvd, discussed recent accidents and recommended that PGA Blvd be reevaluated for bike and pedestrian traffic, asking the Council to bring the issues to FDOT’s attention.
• Fire Station 64 – several residents spoke, led off by Abbey and Matt Baker – about the continued delays in increasing staffing in station 64.  The perception was that the City just didn’t want to spend the money, was putting residents at risk, and was just using the out-sourced study to delay action.   City Manager Ferris, responding during the City Manager’s Report, said that there are so many issues with station 64 staffing. The city has never put anyone’s life in jeopardy. Based on level of calls budget decisions were  made. Call volume has not warranted adding staffing back in. The City increased staffing at station 65 and relies on 65 to augment 64.  The primary issue remains being geography – adding 2 to the staff won’t speed things up.  Perhaps the station and others are in the wrong place? Perhaps with Avenir and Alton and new ALFs, other changes need to be made. So the evaluation and study needs to be done.  It’s not all about money – it’s about justifying expenditures. It is his responsibility to justify what he’s doing to the Council.  He needs a plan and a strategy. There is no evidence of a lack of level of service problem – evidence of success. There is a city-wide response system for  both the fire/rescue and police dept.  Council Member Levy expressed concern about the growing level of perception of a problem by the residents.  Mayor Tinsley described accolades received by the fire/rescue and police departments.  Council Member Marino asked the residents for patience.
•  And at least three references were made to what was perceived as an arrogant and  inappropriate Letter to the Editor in the Palm Beach Post written by a Council Member criticizing the positions of a resident.  The residents also mentioned the Council and staff’s arrogant and condescending attitude towards residents who disagree with them.

Public Hearings

• Site plan approval for Alton Recreation and Fitness Facility – approved 5:0
• Avenir Ordinances and Resolution – approved 5:0 Summarized in this article in the Palm Beach Post.  The majority of those speaking had spoken in the past in support of the project.  There were also several comment cards placed in the public record.

City Attorney Report

• Max Lohman mentioned that there were multiple lawsuits underway but since he had already discussed status with the Council 1:1 there was no point in giving a report. (Editorial Comment – THIS IS NOT TRANSPARENT GOVERNMENT – while Mr. Lohman may not want to go into the details and positions – he owes it to the Residents of the City to be aware of lawsuits. The Council should have admonished his comment and request that he give a brief summary to the residents. WE PAY HIS FEES!)

Next City Council Meeting on Thursday, May 5th at 7PM

The next City Council Meeting will be this Thursday, May 5th, at 7pm in City Hall. 2nd Reading on the Avenir Ordinances last heard in January are on the agenda.

Presentations

• ALL ABOARD FLORIDA 100% PLAN REVIEW/QUIET ZONE – no details provided
• RIGHT OF WAY CONVEYANCE AGREEMENT FOR 117TH COURT NORTH – detail is provided in Resolution 33, 2016 on the Consent Agenda. Residents interested in the Shady Lakes Expansion will want to read here.

Consent Agenda includes:

• Resolution 28, 2016 which reconstitutes the Budget Oversight Committee for another two years
• Resolution 30, 2016 which allows the Azure development to provide a payment to Art in Public Places (AIPP) in lieu of building an artistic bus shelter in an alternate location, as there is no bus stop on the property
• Purchase Award for 2016 Asphalt Milling and Resurfacing – Piggyback Contract for 1 year, valued at $580K
• Purchase Award for Maintenance of Fire Alarm Systems – 5 year, publicly bid, non-renewable, valued at $78K
• Several Proclamations

City Manager Report – no details listed

Public Hearings:

• Resolution 31, 2016 – granting site plan approval for a 3.5 acre Community Recreation and Fitness Facility in the Alton Development
• Ordinance 3, 2016, Ordinance 4, 2016 and related Resolution 4, 2016 – Second Reading and Approval of the Avenir Ordinances first voted on in the January 6th, 2016 Council Meeting

Items for Council Action/Discussion – none listed

The agenda (with links to full detail) can be found here. Check the agenda to see if any additional items have been added before the meeting.

Go for Easy or Solve the Problem?

Residents in the Shady Lakes and surrounding subdivisions have raised concerns about plans for the Shady Lakes Drive Extension for a long time. They have submitted petitions, come to Council meetings and spoken in an organized fashion, and proposed alternatives. Last night’s special City Council Meeting began with a presentation of conceptual proposals for the road in Phase 1 and Phase 2 along with attractive landscaping proposals, followed by Public Comment. Of the roughly 30 folks who spoke, 23 spoke against or had major questions about the implementation. Citizen questions were followed by responses by the staff/consultants. And finally, the Council took a vote on Vice Mayor Jablin’s proposal to proceed with Phase 1 construction and authorize the City Manager to pursue the Phase 2 components addressing aspects of the PGA/Shady Lakes Drive intersection, voting 3:1 with Council Member Premuroso opposed and David Levy absent.

Premuroso, during Council discussion, had suggested that his preference was to focus on solving the 117th Court issues prior to doing anything with Shady Lakes, and then determining what should be done with that later. Most residents in Shady Lakes would probably have agreed with that.   See Sarah Peter’s article  on the meeting in the Palm Beach Post here.

One should ask – what problem is being solved? And does the approved portion of the project solve it? Editorializing, if the problem was Central Blvd/117th Ct traffic issues and Safety, then does the Shady Lakes Extension solve that issue? Or was it just the easiest thing to approve because the road is entirely owned by Palm Beach Gardens, and the City has budgeted for it already and everyone involved (staff/consultants) are eager to make progress? Whereas getting FDOT/County/School Board issues resolved in fixing traffic management will be a much longer process and difficult. Time will tell….

See the Shady Lakes plans on the City of Palm Beach Gardens website.

Special City Council Meeting on Shady Lakes Expansion on Wed. 4/20

There will a Special City Council Meeting on Wednesday, April 20th on the Shady Lakes Expansion.  Plans will be on display from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Presentation will be at 7:00 p.m. followed by questions from the public.

New Mayor Marcie Tinsley Leads Smooth Transition

NOTE: There will be a Special City Council Meeting on Shady Lakes Extension on Wed. 4/20 at 7PM.  Plans will be on display at 6pm

The April City Council meeting commenced with the Results of the Election, heartfelt goodbyes to Joe Russo (who was awarded a beautiful crystal gavel, as well as some ‘big shoes’ to fill by in-coming Council member Maria Marino). There was no mention at any time in the meeting, by City Attorney Max Lohman, that there are 2 lawsuits pending hearings related to Group 4’s result and Council member Levy’s eligibility to be seated. David Levy, Group 4 and Maria Marino, Group 2, were administered the oath of office and sworn in.

Congratulations go to Mayor Tinsley, who is only the second female to hold the office of Mayor (Linda Monroe was mayor from 1985-1986) of Palm Beach Gardens. She was nominated by Bert Premuroso, seconded by Eric Jablin and elected unanimously. Mr. Jablin was elected Vice-Mayor.

The three Public Hearings: Compassionate Friends Memorial Garden, Reduction in Square Footage for United Technology’s Center for Intelligent Buildings Technology Complex, and Combining PGA Commons Parcel 2 and 3 PUD Amendment, all passed 5:0 with little discussion after the presentations.

The bulk of the meeting was spent on Presentations, Comments from the Public and Discussion of the Sales Tax Referendum.

Presentations:

• Dorothy Jacks, Chief Deputy Property Appraiser (and candidate for Property Appraiser) gave an update on the Gardens property valuations. Ms. Jacks praised the mix of residential versus commercial properties and careful growth in the City. Her tentative outlook in 2016 Market Valuation for the Gardens was 8-10% or more. Note that those with homesteaded properties would not see more than a 7/10 increase.
• Mark Bannon, Executive Director of the PBC Commission on Ethics, briefly summarized the role of the Ethics Commission and encouraged the City to make use of their staff when ethics questions arise. There is a database of 400+ advisory opinions and while those are online, the City should ask Ethics staff for assistance. New opinions can be sought as well.
• FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation) gave an update on the I-95 Central Blvd Project – describing and showing images of proposed on/off ramps and intersections in the area between the Military Trail and Donald Ross Rd intersections. The next public meeting on the subject will be in late Sept or early October 2016 and will include a noise study.
• The Northern Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce has had a 2-year branding initiative which will have it’s big Reveal on April 26th. The Chamber asked for a proclamation in support, by the City, as well as continued financial support, which City Manager Ferris said was already in budget.
• Sandra Wesson, of the Palm Beach County School System Choice Programs Manager, spoke a bit about the International Baccalaureate programs and requested a letter of support from the Council in order to assist in getting the next 3-year grant. Grove Park and H.L. Watkins Middle School have been participant schools.

Public Comment:

• Flax Ct – Gary Pitchford, speaking for the neighborhood, expressed their continued displeasure with the progress of the property.
• Andrea Ciampi had equestions on who was responsible for any I-95 related improvements to Central Blvd – answer was County
• Eileen Henderson requested biographical information on new Councilmember Marino
• Michael Marsh, speaking on Corey Jones, thanked the City for writing a letter to State Attorney Aronberg and described the actions by the Florida Legislature on body-cameras as ineffective
• Tom Murphy, President of the Palm Beach Gardens Police Foundation spoke on upcoming essay contests
• Rick Sartori, Executive VP of the Northern Palm Beach County Chamber, voiced the Chambers’ support of the Infrastructure Sales Tax Referendum proposal, especially commending the Cultural Council and Economic Developments components of the proposed tax.
• Matt Baker, along with 5 other residents of the Mirasol area, demanded that Fire Station 64 receive the same staffing as the City’s other 4 fire stations. Fire Rescue Chief Mike Southard has met with Mr. and Mrs. Baker over the last few months. James Ippolito, Division Chief of Emergency Medical Services gave a detailed power point presentation describing how ‘automatic aid’ works in balancing coverage in all areas of the city, with appropriate staff covering each area as vehicles are called to various emergencies. An external study was only begun a few days ago and could take 90-120 days to complete. The residents were requesting immediate increase in staffing to equivalent levels, but both the City Manager and the Chief said that such staffing would cost $234K in overtime for the remainder of the budget year, without any evidence that response time would be improved. Part of the problem with the Mirasol area is that there are gated communities within gated communities, that add to the response time. However response time averages in all 5 stations are all better than targets.

Sales Tax Referendum:

Councilmember Levy kicked off the discussion saying that while he was not for the sales tax in general, if it passed, there should be some way to reduce the millage or give back some of the increased costs back to the residents. Vice-Mayor Jablin described his opposition, as did the remaining council members. They voted 4:0 to not sign the inter-local agreement supporting the sales tax increase. Note that cities representing 50% + 1 of the population of the County must vote in favor of the sales tax referendum in order for it to get on the ballot.  See the Palm Beach Post’s coverage here.

Next City Council Mtg on Thursday, April 7th at 7pm

The next City Council Meeting will be this Thursday, April 7th, at 7pm in City Hall. This is a fairly long agenda with swearing in of the new Council, appointment of new Mayor/Vice-Mayor, several presentations, three public hearings, and a few items for discussion at the end of the meeting. The City Manager did not list details for the City Manager Report.

First on the Agenda is the results of the election. (It is interesting to note that nowhere in the background material is there any mention of any lawsuit or controversy regarding the results). Next will be the selection by the Council of the next Mayor and Vice Mayor. That done, the rest of the meeting will proceed under the auspices of the new Mayor.

Presentations (no detail provided):

a. DOROTHY JACKS – CHIEF DEPUTY PROPERTY APPRAISER.
b. INTRODUCTION FROM MARK BANNON, NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE PALM BEACH COUNTY COMMISSION ON ETHICS.
c. FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (FDOT) – I-95 AT PGA BOULEVARD/CENTRAL BOULEVARD PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT (PD&E) STUDY.
d. NORTHERN PALM BEACH COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BRANDING
e. SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PALM BEACH COUNTY – CHOICE PROGRAMS INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAMME.

Consent Agenda has several Resolutions, Purchase Awards and Proclamations including:

• Approving a Grant Agreement with the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Division of Water Restoration Assistance for the Palm Beach Gardens Stormwater System Reconstruction Project valued at $250K
• Allowing the City to create a pool of pre-qualified Community Development Block Grant contractors, with contract valued at $700K over five years, with option to renew for another five years. Openly bid.
• City Park Expansion Project – earthworks – Piggyback/access Contract valued at $697K
• Hiring consultant to City’s property and casualty insurance program and risk management services, valued at $180K over 5 years, competitively bid.
• Lease of multifunction copiers/printers – Piggyback/access contract with Ricoh, for $350K, for five years.

Public Hearings:

• Resolution 21, 2016 for City-initiated request to approve an Art In Public Places (AIPP)-funded project for the Compassionate Friends Memorial Garden at the City’s Burns Road Community Center property. The estimated budget for the memorial garden and public art is $159,348.20. The City’s current AIPP fund is $435,815.00. The memorial garden is designed to symbolize the lasting memory of loved ones who have passed away, specifically children.
• Resolution 24, 2016 – a request by Carrier Corporation to reduce the square footage of the Center for Intelligent Buildings Technology Complex Building and associated modifications
• Resolution 26, 2016 – PUD Amendment combining PGA Commons Parcels 2 and 3 into a single PUD, and other modifications.

Items for Council Action/Discussion includes:

• Discussion of the Infrastructure Sales Tax (the proposed referendum for November ballot)
• Internal and External Board Appointments

The agenda (with links to full detail) can be found here. Check the agenda to see if any additional items have been added before the meeting.

2016 Election Results by Precinct

The 2016 March elections in Palm Beach Gardens generated a lot of interest – a full 42% of registered voters participated in the Presidential Primary, with 37% voting in the city council race, compared to a more typical 10% in a municipal-only election.

When the votes were counted, incumbent David Levy got 386 votes more than Carl Woods and was declared the winner.. There are several wrinkles with this result though, as a third candidate, Kevin Easton (who withdrew from the race after the ballots were printed), received 1103 votes which meant that no candidate got a majority. The City and the Supervisor of Elections opted to throw out Kevin’s votes, but the charter clearly talks about the case when no candidate gets a “majority of votes cast” requiring a runoff election. Were the votes for Kevin “cast”? The challenger has brought suit against the city and the SOE so we will have to see how that plays out.

Group 3
Strong Levy	Weak Levy	Very Close	Weak Woods	Strong Woods
Click the precinct on the map for vote totals.

Tabular Results

Precinct	Registered	Cast	Turnout %	Easton	Levy	Woods	Levy %
1186	1373	580	42	34	263	224	54
1188	874	307	35	33	112	121	48
1190	2712	1155	43	101	366	462	44
1192	1378	534	39	52	204	190	52
1194	1936	979	51	42	528	272	66
1238	1581	756	48	37	414	230	64
1240	2389	1133	47	94	476	435	52
1242	2399	1190	50	66	580	411	59
1244	1450	688	47	35	289	294	50
1246	2374	969	41	76	259	534	33
1248	1443	649	45	34	229	322	42
1250	55	28	51	1	13	9	59
1252	2246	1268	56	27	861	300	74
1254	424	194	46	18	85	75	53
1260	1267	529	42	38	170	257	40
1262	1	1	100		1		100
1264	1	1	100				0
1266	404	96	24	8	35	43	45
1268	283	49	17	1	13	27	33
1270	10	2	20			1	0
1272	1814	678	37	49	227	328	41
1274	1555	603	39	37	200	318	39
1280	371	153	41	16	57	65	47
1284	2013	659	33	66	270	187	59
1288	37	15	41		6	8	43
1290	2025	820	40	68	300	332	47
1292	63	33	52	2	9	10	47
1296	622	187	30	13	65	74	47
1306	9	2	22				0
1310	4	0	0				0
1324	1201	370	31	36	125	151	45
1326	547	227	42	21	88	79	53
1340	10	8	80	2		4	0
1352	2016	734	36	66	277	309	47
1360	848	346	41	27	111	174	39
1372	143	26	18	2	9	10	47
All	37878	15970	42	1103	6642	6256	51

Farewell to Joe Russo and Progress on Some Major Issues

There was only one Public Hearing on the March 3rd Agenda, Signage Amendment for the Gardens Commerce Center – which passed 5:0. However much of the meeting was spent on several topics.

First on the agenda was recognition of Barbara Nicklaus and the impact she has had on the Gardens, living here for the last 50 years. She was awarded a Key to the City and a plaque for her efforts on the Nicklaus Children’s Health Foundation. Council Member Joe Russo read the proclamation, as a long time friend of the family.

Sherry Brown, Assistant Budget Director for Palm Beach County, gave a very brief update on the status of the proposed sales tax increase with little detail and discussion. Purchasing Director Km! Ra and Special Projects Director Charlotte Prezensky gave an update on the status of the new Golf Club House and the awarding of the design/build contract. Public input will be sought on the City website as well as at a Residents’ Day at the golf course on March 17th from 9-10:30 and 4-7 (extended from the original 6pm by request of Council Member Premuroso). Council Member Tinsley asked how long buildout would take – and the target is 16 months to completion. Council Member Russo expressed concern that 40-60 banquets/years not interfere with the golfers.

The Council reserved much of the Items of Resident Interest to thanking Joe Russo for his 27 years of service to Palm Beach Gardens, as both Mayor and Council Member. Joe, in turn thanked everyone, highlighted what he viewed as the major City accomplishments over the period, and suggested that the City consider Districts and direct election of a mayor as it continues to grow. He ended with advising future councils to ‘be a leader and always listen!’

Comments from the Public included:

• Carol Courtney, of 40th Terrace spoke of the destruction of beautiful trees by the City, who did so without a survey, fines against Kevin Easton of $500/day, her arrest, and public record requests ignored, related to the Sunset Terrace/40th Terrace city water project.
• Warm thanks to Joe Russo and to his family from former County Commissioner Karen Marcus, Tequesta Mayor Abby Brennan, Mark Marciano (via a letter read by Joni Alias, Joni Alias and from Joe Russo’s son, Joseph R. Russo who described growing up in the City with his father always on the council and his father’s dedication and service to the City.
• Residents opposed to the Shady Lakes Extension included Ruth Peeples, Craig Allgood, Kathy Beamer, Barry Mandelewicz, and Vito DeFrancesco all reinforcing the point that they’re not being listened to.
• Flax Court neighbors Margaret Collins and Gary Pitchford questioned and discussed the results of the Special Magistrate Meeting, and inappropriate fining/treatment of the property owner and liens on the property.
• It was the 137th day without answers on the Corey Jones shooting and several friends and family members speaking included Michael Marsh, Terry and Sheila Banks, and Mami Kisner asking for justice. Mayor Jablin said that he would draft a letter to State Attorney Aronberg and urge him to come out with the findings related to the case and hoped the information would bring some measure of peace.
• Incoming Council Member Maria Marino thanked the Council for the progress on the Golf Club House.

City Manager Report:

Thanks to City Manager Ferris for placing subjects to be covered on the agenda. We hope that he continues to do so every month, making the agenda more valuable for affected or interested parties.

Flax Court Update – as a result of the Special Magistrate – the City will be abating the unfinished roof, securing the structure and addressing the exterior condition including debris removal. At the March 23rd Code Hearing, the owner will be assessed the abatement costs and fines. City Attorney Lohman addressed lien issues. See details from the Palm Beach Post article.

Shady Lakes Extension – Feedback from the residents will be incorporated into the project; once there is a plan to share, there will be a workshop in the April/May timeframe; Ferris cited a consultant report and traffic study justifying the need for the expansion as well as at 117th. He also showed ‘drone’ footage of the traffic patterns during school pickup – worth watching the video to see what the area residents are complaining about! Council Member Levy said priority of 117th Ct should be first and asked if doing that would alleviate the needs for Shady Lakes. Ferris said he would have to defer, without another study. Council Member Tinsley made major progress with the School Board on 117th Ct right-of-way. Council Member Russo said the entire plan should be worked out. The City Manager hopes to have many more answers prior the the workshop.

There were no items for council discussion or City Attorney reports.

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