Special City Council Workshop

City of Dunnellon MAS r Special City Council Workshop Date: January 3, 2024 Time: 3: 30 p. m. Place: City Hall, 20750 River Dr., Dunnellon, FL 34431 Call to Order and pledge of Allegiance Vice- Mayor Inskeep called the meeting to order at approximately 3: 36 p. m. and led the Council in the Pledge of Allegiance. Opening Prayer/ Moment of Silence Vice- Mayor Inskeep invited any citizen wishing to volunteer to open with prayer. No one stepped forward and a moment of silence was observed. Roll Call Vacant, Mayor, Seat 1 Tim Inskeep, Vice- Mayor, Seat 3 Chuck Dillon, Councilman, Seat 2 Rex Lehmann, Councilman, Seat 4 Walter Green, Councilman, Seat 5 Staff Present Mandy Odom, City Clerk Jan Smith, Finance Officer Chad Ward, Public Works Manager Chief Chris Scaglione, Police Department— arrived at 4: 10 p. m. Lt. Ron Bray, Police Department Julie Danowski, Records Clerk County Representatives Mounir Bouyounes, County Administrator Tracy Straub, Assistant County Administrator Doug Hinton, Deputy County Engineer Mary Jensen, Transportation Engineer Ken Odom, Growth Services Transportation Planner Amber Gartner, P. E., Kimley- Horn Proof Of Publication The agenda for this meeting was posted on the City' s website and City Hall bulletin board on Wednesday, December 27, 2023.

Special City Council Workshop January 3, 2024 Page 2 of 5 1) Council Comment Council comments were provided during agenda item # 2. 2) Discussion— East Pennsylvania Multi- Modal Project ( CR 484) Vice- Mayor Inskeep thanked all in attendance for taking the time to meet today and summarized the project' s timeline, which began in 2012. Mr. Bouyounes stated this project was not initiated nor requested by Marion County and they are not attached to any one scope or option. He advised it is only being done to serve the users of the trail and the citizens of Dunnellon. Ms. Straub elaborated and said the current plan in place is the alternate plan which the City selected. Mr. Odom provided details of the original design options which were available and stated Council made the decision to change to alternative " D". He explained what the change entailed for CR 484. Vice- Mayor Inskeep asked if there was a business plan created which forecasted the number of cyclists coming into the City. Mrs. Odom replied there was not to her knowledge. Councilman Dillon stated this has been the most vetted project he has ever been involved in. He said the primary reason for it was to create a recreation area allowing bicyclists to travel the length of the State. He said he doesn' t believe the driving reason was to bring business to the town. Mr. Odom provided details of studies which were conducted. Councilman Lehmann asked about the trail connections, because it appears Dunnellon' s part of the trail is a dead end. Mr. Odom replied this project is part of the trail system of Florida and it is not the intent to end it here. Mr. Bouyounes stated the TPO is in the process of developing their master plan and there may be changes which incorporate the trail system. Vice- Mayor Inskeep asked who maintains the landscaped islands once the project is complete. Ms. Straub replied, Marion County maintains the pavement and the curb line, and the City maintains the rest. There was further discussion regarding the landscaping and why they had been mindful about it. Vice- Mayor Inskeep asked what type of crosswalks will be installed. Ms. Gartner shared what the crosswalks would look like and how they would operate. Councilman Dillon asked if there is a cross walk specifically for the 47- unit apartment complex. Vice- Mayor Inskeep replied there is. There was further discussion regarding the crosswalks and the current difficulty pedestrians have crossing CR484.

Special City Council Workshop January 3, 2024 Page 3 of 5 Vice- Mayor Inskeep asked if traffic is detoured down The Granda which causes damage to the road, who is responsible for repairing it? Mr. Hinton stated there were no detours planned. Ms. Straub explained they don' t plan to detour but if someone does detour and causes damage, they will obtain details and go from there. Ms. Gartner advised the work will be performed at night and traffic will not need to be detoured. She said the width of the road will accommodate the construction utilizing flaggers. Mayor Green asked about the CR484 bridge and offered suggestions for pedestrian safety and future traffic growth. There was further discussion which included current problems with the bridge, pedestrians, and what it could look like after cyclists enter the mix. Mr. Odom provided details about the current width and new width of the lanes, which include turn lanes. He stated the design will improve the efficiency of traffic flow. He said Phase 1 is to modify CR484 and then the bridge. Councilman Dillon spoke about alternative parking and how much money the City has committed. He stated we have enough parking spaces and any issues with the current level of parking have been created by the businesses themselves. However, he suggested utilizing vacant lots to develop additional parking. Councilman Dillon asked if anyone had considered a turn lane for Blue Run Park when the plan was developed. He suggested setting aside CRA money for it. There was further discussion regarding a turn lane or relocating the Blue Run Park parking lot. Vice- Mayor Inskeep pointed out the City does not receive much tax revenue and it doesn' t have the funds to buy property for a parking lot. Councilman Dillon stated it is not the City' s responsibility to provide parking for businesses which would include tubers, but the beautification at the entrance to the City is important. Councilman Lehmann advised there are large subdivisions being constructed off SR200 which will increase visitors to Dunnellon and if we don' t provide a place to park, they will park in the neighborhoods. Vice- Mayor Inskeep brought up the water main issue on the north side of the street. He asserted this project will put the main under a travel lane, which will pose a greater risk of damage than a parking lane. Councilman Dillon advised it is FGUA' s responsibility to maintain their lines, not the City. Vice- Mayor Inskeep explained the cost to repair the water main will be passed on to the citizens through their water bill. Ms. Gartner stated the water pipes were designed to be under roads, but she doesn' t know if the main is going to be directly under the wheel path. John Worrell, FGUA, came forward and advised there will be more maintenance required and a greater possibility of damage to the water lines. He advised if the main does break, he would have no place to put repair trucks without detouring traffic. He explained FGUA borrowed

Special City Council Workshop January 3, 2024 Page 4 of 5 money to buy the water system from Dunnellon, which put them in debt, and they don' t have the funds for a project of this size. There was discussion regarding funding for the water main upgrade to address the problem. Mr. Bouyounes stated FGUA has been a good partner, but he hears the same story from every utility. He said they are often asked to move their lines and they do it because they are occupying a right of way which was meant to be a road. Councilman Dillon asked what the engineers suggest regarding protection of the water line. They discussed options including funding and cost sharing. Vice- Mayor Inskeep asked Mr. Worrell to provide an estimate to move the water main. Mr. Worrell replied he would work on finding out what type of pipe is there, how deep it is, and where exactly it' s located. Vice- Mayor Inskeep asked Mrs. Smith to review the funding. Vice- Mayor Inskeep stated four cross walks seems like too much and said he believes it would cause a traffic back up. He expressed his concern regarding putting one in front of Swampys. Councilman Dillon agreed two would be fine. Ms. Gartner stated there isn' t any legal reason to have four crosswalks. Vice- Mayor Inskeep spoke about the timeline of The Granada road project versus the timeline for the multi- modal project and how they may conflict with each other. He advised them of the deadline to use the ARPA funding and Mr. Hinton shared the timeline to complete the multi- modal project. Vice- Mayor Inskeep expressed his concern about the businesses losing cash flow during the construction period and the possibility of the businesses failing because of it. Chief Scaglione stated if The Granada and East Pennsylvania projects are worked on at the same time, there is a safety issue because emergency services would have difficulty getting through with the two main arteries under construction. He asked about the width of the travel lanes, curbs, and center median. Ms. Gartner replied with the size and width of the lanes and medians. Chief Scaglione advised if there is no way for cars to move over, the emergency vehicle will push a car out of the road. Ms. Gartner replied there isn' t going to be a problem because the islands are short. Vice- Mayor Inskeep asked how soon Marion County would like an answer from Dunnellon. Ms. Gartner said the County would have to talk to FDOT regarding the grant timeline and when they plan to go out to bid. Ms. Straub advised they have 100% plans in house and should go out to bid in 3- 4 months. Mr. Bouyounes stated they are open to whatever Dunnellon would like to do. He said he believes they have provided answers to all the questions and advised the plan chosen by Council is a high- level plan. He said there is going to be pain while there is construction, but

Special City Council Workshop January 3, 2024 Page 5 of 5 when it is complete we are going to be pleased with the entrance into Dunnellon. He recommended Council go forward with Option " D" and they will move forward with working on a solution for the water main. 3) Public Comments Art Jones, 12163 Palmetto Way, stated he is glad they are talking about the utility lines and who will pay for it. He commented that CRA funds are to help eliminate blight and shouldn' t be used for utilities. He spoke about a 12- foot bike path alongside an 11- foot road for cars and said it will create a bottle neck. Juliane Mendonca, 11894 E. Blue Cove Dr., stated there has been very little done in the last ten years, and it is alarming to hear they are at 90% with the plan. She said the City is two million in debt, which is a big change from when the plan was created. She spoke against eliminating parking and asserted CRA funds are for eliminating blight, not for supplementing projects. Kathy Dunn, 11386 SW Hendrix Dr., suggested tabling the project. She stated beautifying the entrance in to the City is not a priority and the CRA plan is woefully out of date. Paula Koger, 11983 Palmetto Way, stated she counted an excessive number of cars crossing the bridge in an hours' time and there will be issues if the cars are slowed down. David Paul, 12088 Wekiwa Circle, stated he doesn' t understand what is driving this project and said he doesn' t understand how taking parking spaces away will amplify businesses. David Koger, 11983 Palmetto Way, shared his concern about CRA funds going to the project and safety on CR484. He offered suggestions in place of the medians. He said he would like to be able to comment on the contractors control plan. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at approximately 6: 12 p. m. Penned Signature of Walter L. Green, Mayor At Penned Signature of Amanda Odom, CMC, City Clerk