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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-21-93 MINUTES OF THE CITY OF OCOEE BOARD OF CITY COMMISSION '-' REGULAR MEETING HELD December 21, 1993 '-' '-' CALL TO ORDER Mayor Vandergrift called the regular meeting of the Ocoee Board of City Commissioners to order at 7:30 p.m. in the commission chambers. The opening prayer was led by Pastor Lester G. Weldon, Church of God of Prophecy. Mrs. Hilda Elins led in the pledge of allegiance. The roll was called and a quorum declared present. PRESENT: Mayor Vandergrift, Commissioners Combs, Foster, Gleason, and Johnson. lilso present were City Manager Shapiro, City Attorney Rosenthal, Administrative Services Director Beamer, Police Chief Boyd, Finance Manager Poston, City Engineer/Utilities Director Shira, Planning Director Wagner, City Clerk Grafton, and Clerk/Stenographer Lewis. P u fl L1". C \'\1 GR. K. 'S. D tI-. "- C. 7:;", ~: ~ '.1' - ' ABSENT: None PRESENTATIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS Central Florida Association of Women in Police Award Police Chief Boyd announced that, although she had not been chosen to receive the Central Florida Association of Women in Police Award, Officer Duwana Mullins was one of the six chosen for consideration and the high quality of her work was acknowledged. Chief Boyd presented a certificate expressing his appreciation for Officer Mullins' dedication to her duties and commended her for her growth as an officer and for her contributions to the Police Department. Mayor Vandergrift also expressed his congratulations. Winter Garden Elks Lodge Award for Outstanding Police Officer of the Year Julian L. Revels, on behalf of the Winter Garden Elks Lodge #2165, presented a plaque naming Agent Randy Conyers Outstanding Officer of the Year for his involvement in and dedication to the Orange County and Ocoee Schools D.A.R.E. Programs as well as his relationship with the Police Department, his church, and his community. Mayor Vandergrift recognized Agent Conyer's wife, Tamara, and said the D.A.R.E. Program was a wonderful program. Request for Funds - Ocoee Elementary KIDS WHO CARE Louis Sabat, 306 Center Street, as the President of the Ocoee Elementary PTA, (speaking for Ocoee Elementary School Principal Gledich) requested $500 from the Commissioners' Fund for the KIDS WHO CARE Service Club in order to promote future projects. Commissioner Gleason. seconded by Commissioner Johnson. moved to donate $500 from the Mayor/Commissioners Fund to the KIDS WHO CARE Prol!ram at Ocoee Elementarv School. On roll call Commissioner Combs voted "aYe." Commissioner Foster "nav." Commissioner Gleason "aYe." Commissioner Johnson "aYe." and Mavor Vanden!rift "aye." Motion carried 4-1. Commissioner Foster repeated his views on spending public funds in this manner, stating that the Orange County School System is currently the largest monetary budgeted operation in Orange County and a program of this type that is deserving of support should be supported by OCPS rather than by the City. Ocoee City Commission Regular Meeting '-" December 21, 1993 Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for Fiscal Year 1992 Mickey Miller, City of Orlando Finance Director, presented a shadowbox certificate to Mayor Vandergrift and said it is the designation of the recognition of the high standards that the City has met in financial reporting. Mr. Miller presented a second award to Finance Manager Ivan Poston in recognition of his effort that was necessary to accomplish and maintain this high standard. Mayor Vandergrift expressed his appreciation to Mr. Poston and the staff in the Finance Department for their continued efforts to maintain the standards for the sixth consecutive year. CONSENT AGENDA The consent agenda consisted of items A, B, C, and D. Commissioner Foster corrected item A, page 1, paragraph 2 under Presentations and Proclamations regarding the request made by Keirsten Andrews for the West Orange High School Cheerleaders, and said it was Commissioner Johnson who seconded the motion for the contribution. Mavor Vanderl!rift. seconded by Commissioner Johnson. moved to approve the consent al!enda with the correction to item A as noted. Motion carried 5-0. A. ~ B. C. D. Acceptance and Approval of Minutes of Rel:lllar Commission Meetin\! of December 7. 1993. Acceptance and Approval of Water Service Relocation Project. Approval and Authorization for Mayor and City Clerk to Execute Elevator Service Policv with Mowrey Elevator Service. Inc. for Five Years commencing one year following the City's acceptance of the new City Hall. Approval and Authorization to Transfer $3.130 from Wastewater Reserve for Contineency to Wastewater Professional Service/Other. and Authorization for LJ Nordarse & Associates to Perform the Work for the Dedicated Disposal Site Plan Groundwater Monitorin~ Plan as Outlined in their Proposal for a not- to-exceed Fee of $3.130. COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS/PUBLIC Pastor Lester Weldon, 159 Taylor Street, expressed his appreciation to the City and the Commission for providing funds and supporting WE CARE Crisis Center, and said that he was not there as a representative of WE CARE but wanted to thank the City for their consideration of continuing good projects and good works to various organizations. Commissioner Foster clarified his vote, saying that there had been some thirteen applicants a few weeks ago and he had picked four that he thought were deserving and worthy of public funds (one of which was the hotline). His negative vote was cast primarily against the nine others that happen to fall into that other category. ~ 2 Ocoee City Commission Regular Meeting '- December 21, 1993 Mr. Scott Wilhite, a general board member and manager in the Ocoee Little League System, said that he had been asked by the executive board to present a problem with the baseball field fencing backdrop, that the design is potentially very dangerous and could be the cause of a liability suit to the City and to Ocoee Little League, and that the board wanted the City to be aware of the problem. City Manager Shapiro expressed concern of culpable negligence and asked why it had not been brought to the attention of the staff for budgeting purposes and questioned which commissioners had been aware of the problem. Mr. Wilhite said the cost estimate was :t $6500. Commissioner Johnson pointed out that this had been brought to his attention after the budget was completed and he had informed the gentlemen it would be necessary to bring the issue before the commission. City Mana\!er Shapiro said that the staff would look into the problem. and if funds were available within the budget that it would be dealt with immediately. He said that if the funds were not available he would come back to the commission with a report and cost estimate, and added that he was angry that no one had brought the problem, with facts, to the staff so that it could be taken care of in a timely manner as soon as it was discovered. PUBLIC HEARINGS There were no public hearings scheduled. '-' OTHER BUSINESS AWARD TO ORLANDO PAVING FOR BUDGETED STREET RESURFACING IN THE AMOUNT OF $22,802.04. City Manager Shapiro pointed out that this item had been brought forward for further discussion as requested at the December 7 meeting, when Mayor Vandergrift had suggested that consideration be given to restoring the old brick streets rather than putting another layer of paving over them. He suggested using the paving that had been reserved for those streets on another road to be chosen by the majority. Mayor Vandergrift said that he would like to see the City adopt an attitude about saving the brick streets. Mavor Vanden!rift. seconded by Commissioner Gleason. moved to leave the portion of Taylor Street to the railroad track in the brick and use that portion of asphalt on Russell Court: to resurface the following: Oakland Avenue from Bluford to Taylor: Lakeshore Drive from Lafayette to Dead End: Delaware from Lakewood to Bluford: Lakewood from 7th A venue to Delaware: Seventh Street from Bluford to Lakewood: Kirby and Snowden Loop; and Geneva from Bluford to Til!er Minor Park with completion within fifty (50) days from the time of Notice to Proceed as noted by the December 2. 1993 Administrative Director Beamer's memorandum referencinl! the award to Orlando Pavin2: in the amount of $22.802.04. and lookinl! into uPl!radinl! the brick streets. On roll call Commissioner Combs voted "aye." Commissioner Foster "aye." Commissioner Gleason "aYe." Commissioner Johnson "aYe." and Mavor Vanderl!rift "aye." Motion carried 5-0. Mayor Vandergrift complimented and thanked the commission on taking a step forward in '-" 3 Ocoee City Commission Regular Meeting '-' December 21, 1993 restoring some of the downtown heritage and in taking a look at restoring some of the brick streets in a more simple manner without a lot of costs. WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT PHASE 2 EXPANSION APPROVAL OF CHANGE ORDER #1, KOBLAR CONSTRUCTORS AND ENGINEERS FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT PHASE 2 EXPANSION. City Engineer Shira pointed out that this was a Title Change Order #1 brought about by several changes in the construction that were made to keep the contract moving. The majority of the changes were small in dollar amount but there were two that were fairly significant: 1) Parshall Flume, a $23,000 addition, and 2) An upgrade Programmable Logic Controller which is part of the electronic controls for the plant. He said that the staff was well within the amount set aside in the bond fund, and that the end of February is the anticipated completion date. City Manager Shapiro said $850,000 remained in the fund and that the change order represented an increase of .81 of one percent of the contract, which is well within the amount anticipated for this project. Mavor Vander2:rift. seconded by Commissioner Combs. moved to authorize approval of Chanl!e Order #1. KOBLAR Constructors and Enl!ineers. for Wastewater Treatment Plant Phase 2 Expansion. On roll call Commissioner Combs voted "aye." Commissioner Foster "aYe." Commissioner Gleason "ave." Commissioner Johnson "aYe." and Mavor Vanderl!rift "aYe." Motion carried 5-0. '-" FIRE ENGINE #1 REPLACEMENT FIRE ENGINE #1 REPLACEMENT FROM KOVATCH MOBILE EQUIPMENT AND DELRAY FIRE EXTINGUISHER SERVICE, INc. Mayor Vandergrift announced that the new fire engine #3 replacement had just been on display in the parking lot. City Manager Shapiro expressed the City's pride in the arrival of the new engine from KME, and said it was one of the finest in central Florida. Mayor Vandergrift said this was set up in the five year program, adding or replacing equipment as it becomes antiquated, and in keeping with growth of the City, pointing out that fire trucks are very expensive but generally stay online a long time, approximately 20 years. Commissioner Gleason asked about the difference between the original purchase price and the replacement engine and asked if anything was being cut that was needed. City Manager Shapiro pointed out that the difference was due to less equipment, and that the good equipment is being taken from the truck that is being replaced. RESOLUTION NO. 93-17 LEASE-PuRCHASE AGREEMENT WITH RIvERSIDE LEASING COMPANY FOR FIRE ENGINE. City Attorney Rosenthal read the title only of Resolution No. 93-17 approving an equipment lease/purchase agreement with Riverside Leasing Company and designating it as a qualified tax- exempt obligation. ~ 4 Ocoee City Commission Regular Meeting '-" December 21, 1993 ~ ~ Commissioner Combs. seconded by Commissioner Johnson. moved 1) to accept confirminl! prices for Bid Number 93-006: 2) award the fire enl!ine #1 replacement to Kovatch Mobile EQuipment and Delray Fire Extinl!Uisher Service. Inc. in the amount of $240.497: 3) award the leasing al!reement to Riverside National Bank for four years at $16.446.62 Quarterly payments in advance with an effective annual interest rate of 4.794%: 4) adopt Resolution No. 93-17 which authorizes the purchase and 5) authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute all necessarv documents. On roll call Commissioner Combs voted "aYe." Commissioner Foster "aye." Commissioner Gleason "aYe." Commissioner Johnson "aYe." and Mavor Vanderl!rift "aYe." Motion carried 5-0. TRAILER PARK LIGHTING City Manager Shapiro reported that, in response to Commission direction during the December 7 meeting, Public Works Director Brenner had contacted Florida Power Corporation to do a study of the trailer park area. The resulting report revealed that not only were several additional lights required to meet the minimum lighting requirements, but also there was a recommendation that it would be much safer if the kilowatts (the lumen) were increased. The replacements and increase can be accomplished for approximately $4,000 by Florida Power Corporation. The report further disclosed that the City does not own the poles but the lights are actually leased. The City is charged per pole a certain amount of dollars (city/government (M) price) at so many lumens for a certain number of hours of darkness per year. Mr. Shapiro said there are funds in contingency should Commission decide to increase the service and he recommended either that it be done all at once now or wait until mid-year to budget it, rather than doing the job piecemeal in stages because that would increase the cost. Commissioner Gleason asked if the cost of $4,531.20 is above and beyond what is currently paid and whether it would be an annual expense increase. City Manager Shapiro confirmed that it would be, and he added that approximately $155,000 currently is paid for lighting. Mr. Shapiro pointed out that there are some county and state roads that are currently dark which will be reviewed again this year for lighting, as well as some traffic way issues that are to be redesigned for the same reason. There was general concern expressed for citizens' safety and the need for adequate lighting in all areas. Mr. Shapiro said that funds were available in contingency but added that they are quickly being diminished. Mayor Vandergrift pointed out that there were two different ways of looking at lighting of streets with white way and shadow type lighting and asked about the sharing of poles between utility companies. Mr. Shapiro noted that the pattern set by the City many years ago should be reviewed because of the difference in traffic conditions today and the system of lighting updating the lumen. He said that the poles are shared but the City has not changed its method of lighting, and he expressed concern over major growth in certain areas over the next two years with the traffic getting higher. 5 '-' Ocoee City Commission Regular Meeting December 21, 1993 '-' Commissioner Johnson asked about lighting in other areas such as Security Circle and Mobile Lane. Citizen Mohnacky suggested that newer lighting puts out more light with less kilowatts, and he recommended that some research should be done in this area. He also cautioned Commission about replacing lights on streets that are scheduled for widening later, as it would be wasteful to have to install the lights twice. Mr. Shapiro said that the City could not get just any light it wanted, that the problem was for charges of an M series (municipal or governmental series) there are only certain types of lighting provided. Commissioner Johnson recommended holding off until mid-year and include this in the budget. Commissioner Gleason asked if there are pockets or areas that should be addressed from a priority basis in making the request to hold off. City Manager Shapiro said that the staff had reviewed this from a budget standpoint and the biggest item is the traffic safety factor on Silver Star Road where it is absolutely dark, with the S-curves at Johio Shores Road where people are dying. He said that the County will not put lights on, nor will the State. Staff, upon estimating the cost for the City to do Silver Star Road, wished to advise Commission that the City had a serious lighting situation as the cost to the City would be astronomical. Other agencies have been made aware of the problem. However, they have certain priorities as well, and state legislators are reviewing the issue with the result that some state roads may be changed into county roads. Mayor Vandergrift commented that he had asked for phasing in order to take care of Pioneer Key II right away and look again at the budget later on in the year. He said that one of his concerns was the audit, and if there was a crunch one day in the future every other light could be shut off to save money, just as it was done during the energy crisis in 1973. Mavor Vander2:rift. seconded by Commissioner Johnson. moved to lil!ht Pioneer Key II within the next six to eil!ht weeks. Commissioner Gleason suggested putting it off and giving staff an opportunity to prioritize. Commissioner Combs said that it was his district and he agreed with Commissioner Gleason. Commissioner Foster said he would go along with Commission but he felt it was piecemeal and a bandaid and was not an effective solution to the problem. Commissioner Johnson wished to have staff review and prioritize. On roll call Commissioner Combs voted "nay. " Commissioner Foster "aye. " Commissioner Gleason "nay. II Commissioner Johnson "naY." and Mavor Vandere:rift "aYe." Motion failed 3-2. APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS Horizon West, Inc. requested the appointment of a Commissioner and a Technical Advisor to their Steering Committee. Commissioner Johnson. seconded by Commissioner Gleason. moved to appoint Commissioner Foster and Plannin2: Director Wamer to the Horizon West. Inc. Steerin2: Committee. Motion carried 5-0. STAFF REPORTS There were no staff reports at this time. COMMENTS FROM COMMISSIONERS '--' 6 Ocoee City Commission Regular Meeting "-' December 21, 1993 Commissioner Gleason: 1) Commended Rose Hatcher and the Ocoee Police Department for the organization and distribution of Toys For Tots. 2) Expressed special thanks to Jean Grafton and Bruce Nordquist for the community Christmas carol program at the gazebo December 14. Commissioner Combs: 1) Requested maximum load limit road signs for Clarke Road. 2) Agreed with Commissioner Gleason with praise for the Christmas carol program at the gazebo and added that the Ocoee Rent-A-Choir did sing for the occasion. 3) Commended the community for the lovely Christmas lights that are prettier than ever before. 4) Thanked Commissioner Gleason for the Christmas card, asked if he was requesting his vote in the next election, and said that he would miss getting his vote because of this card. 5) Said it was the heartwarming custom for the Kiwanis Club to distribute baskets to needy families in Ocoee and commended Fran Gosnell for her continued efforts in collecting and distributing food and toys for six families as well. He noted that Mrs. Gosnell was assisted by Janet Resnik and Jim Shira. '-' Commissioner Foster: 1) Reminded everyone that SYSCO is holding an annual Christmas dinner for those in need on Wednesday, December 22, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the Ocoee Middle School cafeteria. 2) Commended Albertsons for the donation of 20 hams that were distributed to 20 needy families in the City of Ocoee along with holiday baskets provided by the Lion's Club, with special thanks to Bill Tollett, the Ocoee Albertson's staff, Sam Woodson, Ricky Waldrop, and the Ocoee Lions Club. Commissioner Johnson: 1) Reported receiving a letter from a disgruntled citizen listing specific code violations on Lady Avenue, Marlene Drive and Lauren Beth and asked that the citizen contact him with his/her name so that he could respond in person. City Manager Shapiro read Code Enforcement Officer Braddy's response to the letter. and advised that it would be necessary to restaff the second person for that department due to the high volume of violations. 2) Said that the Story Road/Kissimmee A venue intersection needs at least a turn arrow because of the heavy traffic during the rush hours. City Manager Shapiro advised that the engineering and permitting have been done and a report will be made soon. 3) Discussed the extending of Clarke Road to Hackney-Prairie Road and said he would like to put a toll gate at the other end. ~ 7 Ocoee City Commission Regular Meeting ~ December 21, 1993 ~ '--' 4) Discussed the attitude of new citizens in the recently developed areas of Ocoee who object to the development of shopping centers near their homes and asked that Arvida and Centex be stopped from giving misleading information to prospective buyers. He said they should be required to disclose what is already in the planning stage as new comers were not in the area to be advised about the public hearings which were held in the beginning. 5) Said that the need for sidewalks on Silver Star Road should be addressed. Mayor Vanderwift: 1) Asked about the cap on funds from the agenda paving project and requested that if anything was left over something be done to smooth the intersection of Story Road and Maguire Road. Extended congratulations to the Fire Department on the new fire engine. Asked about turn signals at Silver Star Road. City Manager Shapiro responded that according to the state they are not warranted yet. Asked that the City look into keeping the old Ocoee Police Station building, pointing out that his interest was not only for Senior Citizens use but also for a Civic Center, Boys Scouts, etc. City Manager Shapiro pointed out that the old master plan was to create a campus entrance to City Hall. the current wiring is residential and that asbestos is also a possibility. Mavor Vanderl!rift moved to look into the possibility of usinl! that space at that location for orl!anizational use and keepinl! the buildinl!. Motion died for lack of a second. Wished everyone a Merry Christmas and invited everyone to his home for crumpets and tea on December 26. 2) 3) 4) 4) ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9: 10 p.m. APPROVED: City of Ocoee 8