Interoffice Memorandum FROM THE OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER TO: The Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Commission FROM: David L. Recor, ICMA-CM, City Manager RE: DATE: December 16, 2010 The information that follows is intended to keep the Commission abreast of the on-going activities, issues, programs and services within the City. City Manager s Office City Manager City Manager attended a meeting scheduled by the Urban Redevelopment Director regarding the cleanup of the King power plant site. City Manager met with the City Attorney, Administrative Services Director and Attorney D. Richeson to discuss responses from the bargaining units regarding the financial urgency, as a result of the City s health insurance renewal cost. City Manager met with the Urban Redevelopment Director regarding personnel matters. City Manager met with the Afro-American Ministers Council to discuss City-related issues. The City Manager, Finance Director, Administrative Services Director and Public Works Director participated in a conference call with the Insurance Consultant regarding health insurance options. City Manager met with Mayor Benton to discuss the City s health insurance. City Manager met with each department head to discuss issues, activities and follow-up status reports on December 8 and December 15. City Manager met with Mark Norton regarding an update on the port and land leases. City Manager met with the MIS Director, Interim Planning Director, Asst. Planning Director, Network Administrator and Network Specialist to discuss various IT matters. The City Manager and Urban Redevelopment Director met with a local bank representative regarding City property. City Manager attended a meeting with the City Attorney and Mayor Benton to discuss City issues. City Manager attended a preliminary meeting with the FPUA and FMPA regarding the special meeting of 12/13/10. City Manager met with representatives from St. Lucie County to discuss funding for the Humane Society and animal control issues.
December 20, 2010 City Commission Meeting Page 2 City Manager s Office contd. Communications & Marketing Manager Participated in monthly interview on WWCI Channel 10 Vero Beach Fort Pierce update- December holiday activities, Sunrise Theatre shows, support retail in downtown, etc. Presentation made to St. Lucie County Chamber Area Council/City and Main Street Fort Pierce representatives strengthen retail development in downtown. Met with Nick Mimms, J.T. McDermott and Doris Tillman on partnering to paint and refinish floors at Historic City Hall. Joint FPUA/City FMPA Workshop planning, set up for December 13 event. Provided Lincoln Park Main Street with Capital Projects PowerPoint for presentations. City Clerk s Office Gave assistance and answered questions to the walk-in public on various aspects of Business Tax Receipts, which included but was not limited to New Applications... 26 Renewals... 31 Gave assistance and answered questions to the walk-in contractors on various aspects of Contractor s Licensing, which included but was not limited to New Applications... 11 Renewals... 10 Gave assistance and answered questions from the public who have contacted office by telephone: 326 Gave assistance and answered questions received by the public via e-mail through the City s webpage. Assisted the public with preparing necessary paperwork for animal registration: 2 Provided Animal Control Officer with necessary animal registration paperwork and tags to be sold off-site. Assisted Animal Control by entering necessary data into computer system to generate a receipt for tags sold off-site: 8 Prepared necessary report and forwarded to Police Department on animal registrations processed in the City Clerk s Office for month of November. Processed check received from St. Lucie County Humane Society for impound fees due the City for the month of October 2010. Prepared necessary St. Lucie County Tax Collector s office paperwork for Fort Pierce Police Department to obtain registrations, decals and titles for the two 2.5 ton military type vehicles donated to the Department by Orange County.
December 20, 2010 City Commission Meeting Page 3 City Clerk s Office contd. On-going updating of contractor s records for current liability insurance, worker s compensation insurance, and state license information. Reviewed for correctness and completion application and associated paperwork submitted by contactors to go before Board of Examiners of Contractors on December 7, 2010. Prepared the necessary paperwork submitted by contractors as agenda items to be placed in the agenda packets for the Board of Examiners of Contracts members for meeting to be held on December 14, 2010. Assisted the public by doing research and providing copies of various public records: 5 Assisting public by processing and routing the necessary paperwork to the various departments for approval of seasonal sales permits for the sale of Christmas trees. Notify the Police Department and Code Enforcement Department of the approval of seasonal sales permit. Preparation of legal advertisements, letters, resolutions, & ordinances for various departments for upcoming City Commission agenda items. Preparation of several proclamations for the December 6, 2010 City Commission meeting. Attending, recording and transcribing minutes of the December 6, 2010 City Commission meeting. Revenue Recovery working with Code Enforcement on new businesses that have not applied for a Business Tax Receipt. Daily balancing process of cash receipts and submittal to Finance Department for bank deposit. On-going implementation of computerization of annexation records. On-going implementation of scanning City Commission agenda packets onto DVD s. On-going implementation of scanning City Commission meeting minutes, ordinances, resolutions, and the Fort Pierce Redevelopment meeting minutes into the Optiview system. Assisting MIS Department in correcting and adding unit numbers to existing address data base. Preparation and delivering to St. Lucie County Courthouse recording division various paperwork to be recorded. Assisting Code Enforcement Department by providing certified copies of code liens to be filed by the Code Enforcement Department with the St. Lucie County Clerk of Court. Assisting Finance Department by signing and affixing the City seal to necessary paperwork associated with release of liens. Worked with Finance Department on establishing the procedure for payment to St. Lucie Tax Collector for auto registration, title and tags for City vehicles now that St. Lucie Tax Collector no longer accepts Visa procurement cards.
December 20, 2010 City Commission Meeting Page 4 City Clerk s Office contd. Assisting Planning Department with paperwork for upcoming annexations of various properties. Researching and providing Planning Department with copy of interlocal agreement regarding Research Park. City Clerk met with the City Attorney to discuss the ordinance and memo of understanding regarding the changes to the City of Fort Pierce Charter and Code of Ordinances pertaining to election procedures. Deputy City Clerk and Building Official met to discuss adding new classification for Contractor s Competency Cards to include contractors involved with cisterns. Attended meeting with representatives from Planning Department and Building Department to discuss issues occurring with tent permits. Administrative Services Department Procurement Director attended four union meetings; Executive Assistant attended two evaluation meetings w/building Department (RFP #6025); Purchasing Manager attended FPUA Board Meeting. Completed specifications for two bids and one request for proposal and prepared three addendums for solicitations (2-NSP Housing Rehabilitation and RFP for Building Department). Prepared notifications to invite all general/residential contractors that responded to RFP No. 6025 to training with the State regarding the Wind Mitigation Project. Opened two bids. Prepared agenda items for FPUA Board Meeting and Director Approval for recommendations of award for four solicitations (Bid/RFP). Human Resources Advertised job openings for a Grant Writer in the Urban Redevelopment Department. Submitted applications/resumes for the Mechanical Building Inspector to Marc Meyers. We received fifty-three applications for the Mechanical Building Inspector in the Building Department. Researched and verified Employment Information. HR Recruitment Activity: 1. Processed monthly Credit Card Statement Report. 2. Distributed time sheets, accruals and payroll information to each department. 3. Inputted data in Payroll system for new employee and annual evaluation. 4. Received and processed November Annual and Probation Evaluation.
December 20, 2010 City Commission Meeting Page 5 Finance Department Met with City Manager on TRIM notification Met with representative from State Attorney s Office Met with City Manager for weekly meeting Met with City Manager and Kathy Gordon of Siver via phone conference call Met with Union to discuss health insurance Preparing Financials for month end closing Preparing Financials for audit MIS Department Assisted Midrange Support staff with upgrading the operating system to V6R1 on the AS400. Upgraded the SunGard Naviline application module. Working with AT&T and State of Florida on the fiber optic installation preparation for Public Works/Solid Waste. Lotus Notes IQsuite e-mail spam, archive, and AS400 utilization updates and maintenance. Processing the firewall upgrades for all sites to enhance network security. Staff transferred all Planning data to NAS device and completed maintenance for each PC. Met with the City Manager and Planning Senior staff about the Planning Department s IT related needs and concerns. Completed telephone system and security system documentation to include City Hall closure for furlough days. Updating MIS documentation and procedural policies. Updating Blackberry cell phones for various departments/divisions. Awaiting credit card machine for River Walk Center. Working ARCGIS application installation and scheduling installation of replacement computer equipment for Engineering and Planning Departments. Tightening computer controls while updating employees PCs with current applications including anti-virus software to help mitigate attacks (ongoing). Waiting on quotes for City Attorney, Code, and Planning doors. Working with SunGard HTE on the installation of Building Permits Click2Gov application (ongoing). Received fifty new work orders and completed thirty three. City Hall closed for furlough day.
December 20, 2010 City Commission Meeting Page 6 Planning Department Meetings 1. Land Development Code meeting with Duncan & Associates-Richard Grice & Jim Duncan - 70 hours of staff time 2. Internal Review: Land Development Code Rewrite review for consultants 3. GIS Training: 8 hours - Class successfully completed 4. 2nd Floor department head meeting with City Manager 5. Strategy meeting held with MIS, Planning directors and City Manager 6. Meeting with M. Meyers and C. Steele to determine how to streamline process for Tents of General Assembly: Planning will assist Building in a Text Amendment to transfer all responsibility for tents to Chapter 5, Building 7. Planner of the Day: All planners shared equally the responsibilities of counter calls, main office line calls, administrative duties, occupational license reviews (16 hours per planner) 8. Meeting with TPO and Kimley Horn with City Engineer-CMS strategy 9. Meeting with Commissioner Becht: Trails at 10 Mile Creek Historic Preservation 1. 7 Interviews with Planning Specialist candidates 2. Planning Board agenda packages reviewed, approved, and distributed 3. Building Permits reviewed Development Review 1. Staff reports for Planning Board-Conditional Use 920 Seaway Drive, Text amendments-docks as permitted uses, Medical Offices in C-5, Hucks Waiver of Distance, Waiver of Distance-South Beach Liquor, and Conditional Use for 408 Farmers Market Rd. 2. Building Permits 3. Occupational Licenses 4. Address Assignments 5. Analysis on Land use and zoning-trinity Lutheran Church 6. Abandonment-25th Street ROW-William Said 7. File recovery and organization-s Drive-rebuild computer that failed Urban Forestry 1. ACOE lease documentation work for the south Jetty 2. Heathcote Botanical Park Board of Directors November meeting 3. Landscaping inspections: NSF home 3098 McNeil Road 4. Worked with property owner on Code parking and landscape issue 1901 Orange Ave 5. Tree Inspection for work completed on the A1A Project 6. Waiver of Distance work Skate Town 7. Field Inspections for building permits and tax license applications-parking and landscaping compliance 8. Tree removal permits administration assistance to the public 9. Assist Code Enforcement with landscaping and tree violations 10. Gordy Road non-permitted vegetation removal from vacant land documentation 11. City Tree Board work. Comprehensive Planning 1. Review and develop responses provided by consultant Kimley Horn-ORC Report 2. Review applicable Florida statutes for the Land Development Code update 3. Research Green standards for per HB697 to be used for LDR update
December 20, 2010 City Commission Meeting Page 7 Building Department Projects of Interest 1. Cortez Town Homes: Permits issued for next two buildings. 2. Select Auto: Demo permit issued. 3. Days Inn: Cause of fire still undetermined. Investigation ongoing. 4. Madison Vines: Shell complete. Developments 1. 119 N 11th Street. (Bio-Hazard): A tenant filled the apartment with human excrement that he stored in various containers. The waste began to seep through the floor and walls and contaminate the unit directly below. The building was declared unsafe and all tenants were evacuated. The distraught owners immediately had the apartment professionally cleaned and have expressed their intention to correct all issues with the building. The owners met with Building Department staff who directed them to: a. Secure a design professional to specify all corrective measures b. Hire a contractor to perform the work. The owners expressed their appreciation for the meeting and immediately began seeking a design professional. 2. Wind Mitigation Grant Program: The State Dept. of Emergency Management conducted a training seminar with Building Department staff and all contractors who applied for involvement with the Wind Mitigation Grant Program. The contractor s selection process is presently underway and subsequently the Building Dept. will begin accepting applications from the public.
December 20, 2010 City Commission Meeting Page 8 Code Enforcement Hearings Special Magistrate Blandino hearing on December 1, 2010 1. 24 violation cases a) 5 complied prior to hearing b) 3 pulled by staff c) 16 found in violation 2. 3 Massey Hearings (fine reduction requests) Casework 1. Responded to 49 complaints 2. Initiated 49 new cases a) 21 lot clearings b) 28 general 3. Conducted 243 follow-up inspections 4. Closed 69 cases 5. Continued investigation of businesses without current Business Tax Receipts in conjunction with the City Clerk s office. Income & Expenses 1. All lien & fine case folders are being manually reviewed and updated to address past due accounts (on-going). 2. Processed 24 lien / title searches. Miscellaneous 1. Attended weekly update meeting with City Manager. 2. Worked with Building Department on two cases in conjunction with the Attorney General s office addressing unlicensed adult living facilities. 3. Updating Naviline System to close inactive / old case files (on-going). 4. Updating Naviline System to correct errors that occurred when cases transferred from the old system to the new system (on-going).
December 20, 2010 City Commission Meeting Page 9 Engineering Department A1A Phase I FDOT has issued approval to commence construction of Phase I excluding the roundabout which is now known as Phase IV. FPUA Electric and Water/Wastewater review comments have been generated and forwarded to the applicable department. Utility relocation construction to commence January 2011 with road work estimated to start February 2011. Moore s Creek Site Inspection and list developed of landscaping materials to be replaced by the one year warranty. Littoral planting to be completed in month of November. Met with aquatic weed control contractors to develop monthly maintenance plan for controlling invasive water plants. Reimbursement request being prepared for FEMA. 13 th Street (Orange Ave to south of Ave D) FPUA continuing with wood pole replacements. H & J has completed sub-grade mixing operations to Moore s Creek and started lay-out in preparation for curb and driveway turnout installations commencing the week of December 13 th. Oleander Ave. / Sunrise Blvd. Sidewalk and Bike Paths Design/Build contract will be awarded January 2011. Construction commencement scheduled for June 2011. 29 th Street (Orange Ave to Ave Q) FDOT will administer a design/build contract which will include milling and resurfacing, sidewalk construction and possibly curb and gutter installation. FDOT will be letting this design/build project under the same contract as the Oleander/Sunrise project. Development Reviews Intake of two (2) Building Permits, Site Plans, and Certificate of Occupancy requests. 10 th Street and Pinecrest Subdivision The selection committee ranked the top four (4) firms scheduled for approval by SLC Commission on December 14, 2010. Once approval of the short list is granted the consultants will be required to provide a presentation to the committee. The City will receive $1,983,716.00 in CDBG Tropical Storm Fay funding. In accordance with the Agreement all construction shall be completed by May 2012. The proposed work will include drainage upgrades to Pinecrest along with total reconstruction of 10 th Street from Citrus to Moore s Creek. Frances Avenue Storm Drainage Replacement Staff has completed the design of the storm drainage retrofit project extending from Thumb Point to Fernandina. The project design has been forwarded to the utility companies for their information. Advertisement for construction bids expected in February 2011. Atlantic Avenue Storm Drainage Replacement Staff is in the process of obtaining field information to be utilized in the preparation of design plans for the retrofit of the existing decrepit storm drainage system along Atlantic Avenue from 5 th Street to 7 th Street. Avenue F and 6 th Street Drainage Improvements Staff is currently designing a storm drainage treatment/conveyance system to service stormwater run-off that collects along the west side of 6 th Street at Avenue F. This area currently has a substandard system that will be upgraded to an exfiltration system with a positive connection. Stormwater Division Currently making changes received from St. Lucie County to stormwater fee data base. Changes entail property splits and annexed parcels. Traffic Control Continued monitoring and coordination of the City s traffic control system. We are working with FDOT to establish our 2011-2014 work program JPA for the computerized traffic control system. Jetty Park Reconstruction Meeting held with FDOT to review requirements for LAP (Local Agency Participation) agreement. FDOT requires additional information regarding the acquisition of property for the Jetty Park expansion. All acquisition has to meet federal guidelines. Next meeting scheduled for January with FDOT.
December 20, 2010 City Commission Meeting Page 10 Public Works Department City Hall Parking Garage A structural inspection will be performed by 12/13/10 to investigate the structural deficiencies on the 3 rd and 4 th levels of the parking garage. At the completion of this assessment remediation strategies will be determined. Affected parking spaces are presently blocked to protect the public. Keep Fort Pierce Beautiful Provided materials and equipment for volunteers provided litter removal services on South Beach. Memorial Bench Program PWD Staff will be installing four (4) memorial benches along the Inlet Linear Park area that are being sponsored by the South Beach Property Owners Association. Energy Efficiency & Conservation 1. Continued the replacement of 24.5 SEER HVAC units with programmable thermostats in various locations throughout the City. 2. EECT continues to gather information and research energy conservation methods in efforts to generate goals and objectives for the City of Fort Pierce. 3. EECT performed an energy audit of the Police Department Main Station. The next scheduled inspection will be of the Sunrise Theatre following the operational overview presentation scheduled for 12/14/10. Virginia Avenue Canal Maintenance PWD Staff successfully coordinated with NSLRWCD Staff to complete the much needed maintenance of the Virginia Avenue Canal west of S. 35 th St. Manatee Observation & Education Center PWD Staff began the replacement of fencing material along Moore s Creek with a more rigid and durable material. This task will be complete by 12/14/10. H.D. King Power Plant Site PWD crews have removed several tons of vegetation to enhance to previously deplorable appearance of the former H.D. King Power Plant. The chain link fence will remain until the soil remediation work is completed by FPUA contractors.
December 20, 2010 City Commission Meeting Page 11 Police Department Murder Investigations Update Detectives are continuing to follow leads in our latest murder investigations. Chief Baldwin has met with the families of the three female victims from the incident on N. 23rd Street. The police department has also tripled the standard reward offering to $3,000 for information in these cases. Additionally, Chief Baldwin and police staff members have attended two follow-up meetings with the community, which have resulted in a strategic plan to increase community mentoring, church involvement, and other activities. Chief Baldwin has committed the police department s resources to assist community members in these efforts. Murder Conviction Donald Isaiah was convicted of First Degree Murder and Robbery with a Firearm and sentenced to two life sentences for the murder of Mr. Parag Patel in 2009. Isaiah was the first defendant tried in this case. PAL Toy Run PAL will hold its annual motorcycle toy run on December 12. The motorcycles leave from Victory Motorcycles (3535 S. US #1) at 11:00AM, and the motorcycles should begin arriving at the PAL Center around 12PM. This year s event is expected to be the largest ever, with nearly 1,000 participants registered. Diversity Training The police department is holding an 8 hour Policing a Diverse Society training session for all of our employees. This training will be held December 13-17, at the IRSC Public Safety Training Complex from 8AM- 5PM each day. Accreditation Assessment Assessors from the Commission on Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation will be in town December 14-16, to conduct a comprehensive audit and inspection of our operations. This is done every three years to recertify our accreditation. Assessors will be working at the police station and in the community as part of this process. Community March By The community group that met following our latest homicides has organized a community March By that will be held December 18, from 3PM 5PM. The march will start at Pioneer Park (29th Street and Avenue Q) head east to 23rd Street, south to Avenue G, west to 29th Street, and then back to Pioneer Park. Shop with a Cop We will hold our annual Shop with a Cop program on December 21, 10:00AM, at Wal-Mart. This program provides underprivileged children from our community with Wal-Mart Gift Cards. The children receive the gift cards and then spend the next few hours shopping with a police officer for Christmas gifts for themselves and their families. The children are selected by officers during the year based on need and Wal-Mart provides the funding. Santa Cop On December 22, at 5:30PM, the police department will hold its annual Santa Cop event, which provides gifts and a full holiday meal to 100 families from our community. Participants meet at the police department and our Santa Cop hands out the gifts and food. This program is funded by the Dowdy Foundation, PAL Toy Run, and contributions from the community and officers. Police Department Holiday Luncheon We will hold our annual Holiday Luncheon on December 21, 2010, 12:00PM, at the main police station.
December 20, 2010 City Commission Meeting Page 12 Urban Redevelopment Coordinated a meeting of all stakeholders to discuss the King Power Plant cleanup, time frame, cost factors and other related issues. Reviewed consultant tasks and billing, issued permission to proceed on cleanup activities. Drafted the 2009-10 CAPER report, presented it to the Communitywide Council and submitted it for Commission review and approval. Conducted the regular monthly Communitywide Council, which approved the annual non-profit grants, among other issues. Accepted resignation of grant writer, updated job description, advertised for new personnel. Analyzed City grants administration process. Processed Corps of Engineers license for City use of Jetty property. Drafted architect contract for 827 Atlantic rehab. Had series of meetings regarding delinquent grant recipients, applicants and related issues. Marina Oversee daily marina operations. Working with seasonal dockage and events (see weekly email "Marina Happenings" newsletter for updates). Working on security camera system for marina. Reviewing Army Corps of Engineers Permit for City Marina Rebuild. Golf Course Wall to wall fertilizing of the entire golf course has been completed. Greens have been sprayed to prevent fungus due to the cold weather. Maintenance of the sand bunkers is on-going. Merchandise sales have been put in place for the holiday season.
December 20, 2010 City Commission Meeting Page 13 River Walk Center Park Permits $650.00 Room Rental $2,904.23 Special Events $50.00 Programming $194.14 Total $3,798.37 Sunrise Theatre Over the past two weeks, the following performances and activities were presented in the Sunrise and Black Box theatres: On November 26, A Smooth Jazz Christmas with Dave Koz and Friends was presented at the Sunrise, once again kicking off their national tour. This was preceded by two days of rehearsals; on Sunday, November 28, the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company performed; on December 5, the Legends of Doo Wop featuring Tommy Mara performed at 7PM; on Friday, December 10, St. Lucie Ballet presented The Nutcracker at 7PM, this was preceded by a School Time Performance at 10:30am, which was attended by over 1,100 students from around the county. Performances in the Black Box Theatre included: The Fort Pierce Jazz and Blues Society presented their Jazz Jams on November 23, 30 and December 7; Groucho s Comedy Club had a good turnout on both November 27 and December 11, for two comedians each night; the Teamsters Union held their monthly meeting in the Black Box on December 1; Cuban born jazz artist Chuchito Valdez performed on Thursday, December 2. Upcoming performances this includes: The Annual Faith Baptist School Christmas Program on December 14, Garrison Keillor on Thursday, December 16. Memories of Elvis: Merry Christmas Baby 8PM Saturday, December 18 and the Russian Ballet Theatre s The Nutcracker on Sunday, December 26. A couple of new shows have been added to the 2010/11 Season: Willie Nelson will return to the Sunrise stage on Friday, February 18 at 8PM; and REO Speedwagon will make their Sunrise debut on Sunday, February 27.