Community Redevelopment Agency (2024-06-10)

ROBERTA M. CORREA MAYOR - COMMISSIONER TAMMIE McCASKILL COMMISSIONER JUSTIN R. CAMPBELL COMMISSIONER WILL JONES COMMISSIONER RUFUS J. BOROM COMMISSIONER TROY BELL, ICMA-CM MPA, MS-Finance CITY MANAGER TERRY TURNER BOCC REPRESENTATIVE TERESA JACKSON COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE JANE WEST, ESQ. CITY ATTORNEY SUNNI KRANTZ CITY CLERK MINUTES CITY OF PALATKA June 10, 2024 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 5:02 PM. a. Invocation Invocation led by Chaplain Mulberry b. Pledge of Allegiance The pledge of allegiance was led by Commissioner Borom. c. Roll Call Present: Commissioner Justin Campbell Commissioner Rufus Borom Commissioner Will Jones Representative Teresa Jackson County Commissioner Terry Turner (present via telecommunications technology) Mayor Roberta Correa Absent: Commissioner Tammie McCaskill (excused) Also Present: Troy Bell, City Manager; Jonathan Griffith, Assistant City Manager; Jane West, City Attorney; Sunni Krantz, City Clerk; Marcia Carty, Finance Director; Eddie Cutwright, Community Affairs Director; Peter Willott, Public Information Officer; Matt Newcomb, Assistant Police Chief; Marcia Ganoe, Projects Manager; Rick Paul, Small Business Development Center; Cheryl Roach; Tarsha Givens, Annie Svetlik; Colin Bingham; Lorenzo Aghemo, Planning Director and Alonzo Mulberry, City Chaplain (via telecommunications technology) 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. Minutes April 8, 2024 Motion to approve by Commissioner Borom. Seconded by Commissioner Campbell. The Motion passed unanimously. 3. PUBLIC COMMENTS Speakers are limited to three minutes. No action taken on items. The floor was opened to public comments. Rick Paul, Small Business Development Center spoke regarding the CRA Networking event recently held. He indicated it allowed the CRA Commissioners and Staff the opportunity to encourage businesses to start up or come into the community. He spoke regarding an upcoming SBDC Workshop on July 23.

Hearing no further requests to comment, the floor was closed to public comment. 4. REGULAR BUSINESS a. FDOT Reid Street Resurfacing Landscape Median Discussion Mr. Bell presented the FDOT Reid Street Resurfacing Landscape Median item. Mr. Griffith advised Reid Street has been an area identified in the redevelopment plan. FDOT put us on notice that Reid Street is coming up for resurfacing. Staff has asked how we do something a little more to beautify the street. FDOT indicated the City can do this when the road is resurfaced. He presented the design for decorative lighting and medians from the base of the Memorial Bridge to the Railroad tracks on Reid Street (from the agenda packet). There are right-of-way constraints, as FDOT is unwilling to move curb lines or infrastructure. However, they can move travel lanes and the center of those lanes, which would allow us to have landscape medians. We are limited to where we can place them due to the length of the blocks. In the event a land swap is done to acquire the land beside City Hall, we can look at landscaping the gateway into Reid St. We are not proposing to include medians at 4th and 6th streets. Mr. Griffith presented the depictions from the agenda packet of the intersections showing where the proposed medians would be located. .Discussion continued regarding landscaping for the medians. FDOT will only lay sod. The City would have to work with the FDOT landscape architect for funding for landscaping (trees, shrubbery, etc.). Mr. Griffith advised FDOT will only allow us to put only small trees (not Oak trees) that would not disturb the asphalt. The City would fund the construction of the median. Agency discussion commenced regarding the project. Commissioner Jones spoke regarding rush hour traffic and spoke regarding the intersection at 8th Street being difficult to cross. He spoke regarding Bethel AME church having difficulty getting out of their parking lot. He objected to blocking that intersection. Mayor Correa indicated traffic-calming would aid pedestrians, as not many people cross Reid Street at 8th or 10th Streets. Commissioner Campbell indicated the issue exists at the 8th and 10th Street intersections because the lights are not synced simultaneously. Commissioners Turner and Borom indicated concern of putting higher pressure on the side streets. Mr. Griffith advised FDOT requires a certain amount of stacking room. Mr. Griffith advised the only area you could add this without losing cross-traffic area would be on 1st Street. Stacking for 1st Street would be 3, for the 2nd Street would maintain the existing configuration of 8 stacking. Mr. Griffith advised Staff's recommendation would be to approve areas 1 and 2 at a minimum. He spoke regarding the budget transfer needed for the design cost. He advised if the desire is to construct 2 medians at the foot of the bridge, we would fund the construction in next year. If the CRA approves the lighting improvement, DOT would work with FPL. Discussion continued regarding zones 1 and 2. Mr. Griffith advised where the crosshatch is now as you go up the bridge out of town, would have the median in area 1. In area 2 where the turn arrows are now is where the median would be. Commissioner Jones and Borom suggested doing one median and then adding more later. Mr. Griffith responded we only have 1 opportunity to add any medians, so that FDOT can incorporate this in their construction project. Mr. Griffith advised FDOT had desired an answer before today. The floor was opened to public comment: Cheryl Roach 312 Dodge St., Palatka, FL 32177 - spoke in favor of the traffic-calming this project would provide. She understood the comments regarding 8th and 10th Streets.

Commissioner Turner asked if this is a beautification project, not a traffic-calming project. Mr. Griffith responded there is an element of traffic-calming. This is because when you take a suicide lane and a 11 or 12-foot travel lane and add vertical elements (landscaping) travelers naturally slow down. Mr. Griffith advised citizen input was provided at the time of the CRA plan. Also, we are going through comprehensive planning citizen input sessions with the Regional Planning Council on how the public would like the city to look. Also, there is a public workshop on July 10th regarding FDOT's entire project which is resurfacing State Road 15 and US 17, which extends past the railroad tracks. Annie Svetlik 511 N 3rd St., Palatka, FL 32177 - spoke in support of anything that would calm Reid Street and spoke of the traffic speeding danger. She asked if something such as speed bumps could be added on the bridge for traffic calming. Rick Paul - spoke in support of traffic calming. Hearing no further requests to comment, the floor was closed to public comment. Asst. Chief Newcomb advised where we have suicide turn lanes (such as by Tractor Supply is) and where Planet Fitness is on St. Johns, we have traffic crashes. He advised we have alot of complaints regarding the bridge. Mr. Bell advised he has heard input from citizens of the need for traffic calming on Reid Street. Motion by Commissioner Jones to approve the first median at First Street to see if there is any effect and add clear markings to prepare for the turn lane. Second by Commissioner Borom. Motion failed 3 to 3. Regarding costs, Mr. Griffith asked regarding for the lighting request to replace the aging lighting we have, the cost is $34,000 for the entire corridor. The cost of the design of all the medians would be another $33,000- $34,000. FDOT did not provide a breakdown of costs per median Motion to approve the lighting by Commissioner Borom. Seconded by Commissioner Campbell. Motion Passed unanimously. Motion by Rep Jackson to approve area 1 the foot of the bridge (to create the median at the foot of the bridge in area 1), omit any medians elsewhere, and to clarify the markings in area 2 in the turn lane on 2nd Street). Second by Commissioner Borom. Motion passed 4 - 2 with Commissioner Campbell and Mayor Correa dissenting. Mayor Correa advised FDOT will have to come back to us with an exact cost amount for the area. b. ADOPT RESOLUTION authorizing execution of an Interlocal Agreement between the Community Redevelopment Agency and the City of Palatka for services the City shall provide the CRA Mr. Bell advised the CRA is the fiduciary of the Tax Increment Fund. City Administration, Public Works and Code Enforcement provide services to the CRA. The proposed agreement defines how it operates and what costs are associated with it. Commissioner Jones asked regarding Section 3.5 Mr. Bell advised the City would have to clarify the additional level of service provided by the Code Enforcement Department specific to the CRA area. As an example, Ms. West advised recently the Code Enforcement Department tackled walking the TIF districts on the weekends, separate from their day-to-day operations. Motion to approve by Commissioner Campbell. Seconded by Commissioner Borom. The Motion passed unanimously. c. RECOMMENDATION OF AWARD Building Improvement Grant March 2024 Cycle

Mr. Bell advised the Building Improvement Grant program is to address the issues of blight and to bring the city from blight to bright. Staff's recommendation is to not approve the 2 applications before the Agency. The applications were reviewed by the Tax Increment Fund Advisory Committee. It appears the Committee did not follow the spirit of the CRA to improve blighted areas. Agency discussion commenced. Commissioner Turner spoke regarding the precedence of approving applications against staff's recommendations. Mayor Correa spoke regarding respecting the Committee as well as Staff. Commissioner Borom advised if it is not something either the committee or staff recommended, it should not come before any board. Mayor Correa advised there is a new grant cycle open until September. Motion to deny the applications by Commissioner Campbell. Seconded by Commissioner Borom. The Motion Passed unanimously. 5. ADJOURN Motion to adjourn by Commissioner Borom at 6:13 PM