COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS CITY OF TITUSVILLE January 23, 2016 Marilyn E. Crotty Institute of Government University of Central Florida
INTRODUCTION The City of Titusville held a Community Conversations workshop on January 23, 2016 to give residents and other stakeholders an opportunity to share their ideas about issues the city should address in the next year. A diverse group of approximately 25 people attended including longtime residents, newcomers to the community, home and business owners. The Mayor and entire City Council were also present along with several staff members. Ms. Marilyn Crotty, director of the Florida Institute of Government at the University of Central Florida facilitated the session. After a welcome by the Mayor, The City Manager described the strategic planning process the city has used for many years. The existing goals were shared as well as a review of the accomplishments of the past year related to each of the goals. Ms. Crotty divided the attendees into three small groups where they responded to questions she posed. After hearing reports from each of the groups, Ms. Crotty identified areas of consensus and led a general discussion related to additional questions posed by the city. This report is a summary of the discussions that were held during the workshop. 1
COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS WORKSHOP Each group was asked to respond to the following questions and to select the three most important issues they discussed which are marked with an asterisk. 1. In order to achieve its quality of life goal, what actions should the City of Titusville undertake in the next fiscal year (2016-17)? *Support what we already have and what s coming into the city *Under CRA funds were cut, so, now falling under city s budget (special events will need city support) *Where is the return on investment on some of city projects? i.e. Trails Indian River Lagoon issues needs improvement; need city to be an advocate towards gaining funds Continue efforts towards diversity and equality *Homeless plan *River money comes to Titusville *Youth/family services (substance abuse, Foster care) Signage/running paths inclusive Protect beaches/incentives Lighting/crime GROUP 3 *Civic center on waterfront *More vigorous in street paving * More humanitarian initiatives (homeless shelters, etc.) Code enforcement Stay open minded to change/growth Lighting improvements (make sure existing lights work) More entertainment options for all ages More cultural activities/facilities Expanding technology integration throughout city (Wi-Fi) Focus on youth involvement/engagement Teen/youth center 2
2. Please describe the type of economic development you think will be beneficial for the city to pursue *Downtown area What types of business do we want coming in? *Have to have better planning on parking areas for downtown *Continue improving on business process i.e., online completion Small businesses can t afford to be downtown Better signage of where some of our sweet spots are Is city addressing aging infrastructure? *Develop long-term identity and brand *Marketing *Youth employment Empty buildings Encourage higher-end development (residential) GROUP 3 *Create more definition between residential/industrial *Continue marketing efforts for economic development Outreach to growth in East Orlando *More customer focused/service oriented Continue to wave community impact fees Continue to improve permitting Some focus/targeting of redevelopment areas (i.e. Hopkins to Park, Garden to South) Create measures to incentivize redevelopment 3. In order to provide efficient and effective services, the City of Titusville should: *For elderly citizens Do other agencies follow-up after their 911 calls? *Is city adequately addressing water and sewer to support aging and growing city needs (infrastructure) *Make volunteer opportunities more visible to public continue marketing *Public and private Partnerships *Volunteerism *Metrics and reporting back to citizens *No duplications of services (emergency/ems) 3
GROUP 3 *Communicate status of requests, etc. Prioritize better, especially public safety issues City hotline for safety issues Easily available status updates for public maybe use technology (website) Include water department for updates *More community oriented programs, especially in Police and Fire (reinstate bicycle patrol/segway) *Continuous improvement form within (make staff comfortable about making/suggesting improvements) Heavy tinting on Titusville Police Department vehicles is unfriendly, makes them less approachable Is there a need for multi-vehicle/multi-department response to medical emergencies? 4. The Most Important Issue the City of Titusville should address in the next year is: *Don t over extend city vision complete plans already scheduled Continue relationship building with 1st responders, i.e. police department, fire department with attention to diversity and equality River purchased along river fronts complete parks *Safety and security Jobs and job training Water s edge Mentorships GROUP 3 *Civic center!! Multipurpose center PART II BONUS QUESTIONS After listening to the reports from each of the small discussion groups, the facilitator posed questions to the entire group and elicited the following responses: 1. With the anticipated increases in downtown activities, what are your thoughts on constructing a downtown parking garage in historic architecture near city hall? Retail level (include?) Incorporate design/architecture for long-term vision (100+ years) Impact on current business (ensure collaboration) General agreement with the idea 4
2. With the Marina Park BMX Bicycle Park and proposed Sand Point Splash Park, what are your thoughts on constructing a multi-use event facility within Sand Point Park? Location ideas: where is Titusville hub? Pavilion; waterfront; Titus Landing; Sand Point Plaza ( Mall) Collaborate with and incorporate a hotel Think BIG with civic center Financing Bonds? Feasibility study Incorporate/add waterfront (benchmark) 3. As we welcome the three major bicycle trails into our downtown area, what are your thoughts on how we can better position our city to capture trail-based tourism and overnight stays? Annual competition events (bike, runs, walks) Way-finding (signage) Complimentary online resource Safety with auto/bike routes (retro-fitting) Promotion/marketing Conclusion While discussions ranged widely, there were several areas that emerged from the small groups that had support from many of the attendees. Of special interest in talking about quality of life issues at least two of the groups focused on humanitarian or people-centered topics such as homelessness and services for youth and families. There was also concern expressed about the water quality in the Indian River Lagoon. Economic development discussions highlighted the continued need for branding and marketing Titusville along with attention to customer service and improved business processes. When responding to quality services provided by the city, there was agreement in two areas: volunteerism and reporting/communicating the status of programs and requests to citizens. There was no consensus on what the most important issue the city should address in the next fiscal year with one group recommending the city focus on completing plans/projects that are underway; another suggesting attention to public safety; and the third group recommending the city build a civic center. The attendees were generally enthusiastic about the issues presented in the bonus questions suggesting collaboration with the business community in planning for a parking structure; careful planning for a civic center; and multiple ideas for leveraging the new trails for the benefit of the city. 5
From the citizen input provided at this workshop, the City of Titusville appears to be on the right track as it plans for the future. There was a clear note of optimism voiced along with compliments and support for the elected officials and city staff. 6