That's okay. She's got a little time. >> We're doing CRA first. Being 5:32, I'll now call to order the regular meeting of the Community Redevelopment Agency, CRA, this 20th day of October, 2025 in the
government center of the great town of Lake Placid. Kirk, would you please call the order? Call the role. >> Mayor Halbrook >> here. >> Council member Hayes >> here. >> Council member Worley >> here. >> Council member Charles
>> here. Council member Everheart >> here. >> Board member Hartzell. >> Board member Leblanc >> here. >> Okay. Now, this is this is a CR meeting. So, I would ask all comments be that are going
to be made be pertaining to the CRA at this time. We'll have the town council meeting following, but at this time, we'll have public comment that's not on the agenda. Okay. Seeing none, >> you doing prayer and pledge.
>> No, that'll be at the council meeting. >> Okay. >> All right. We'll go to number three, the consent agenda. A approval of agenda. I make a motion to approve the agenda um in consent agenda number three.
>> Second. >> We got a motion to second. Any further comments from the podium? Seeing none, we'll take it to the audience. None there. Go ahead and pull the council, please. >> Council member Hayes. >> Yes. >> Council member Worley.
>> Yes. Council member Charles, >> yes. >> Council member Eberhart, >> yes. >> Board member Leblanc, >> yes. >> Let the record show that Mr. Frank Hartzel is present. >> Okay. Under B, approval of the minutes,
August 18th, 2025. >> Make a motion to approve the minutes of August 18th, 2025. Uh, consent agenda number 3B. Second. >> We have a motion, a second. Any comments from the podium?
>> Hearing none, we'll take it to the audience. >> All right, seeing none, we'll bring it back. Pull the council. >> Council member Hayes, >> yes. >> Council member Worley, >> yes. >> Council member Charles, >> yes. >> Council member Eberart, >> yes. >> Board member Dunk, >> yes.
>> Okay. Number four, presentations. >> I forgot Mr. Hart. >> I was going to say >> Mr. >> Sorry about that. >> That should go along with the $50 fine for him being late.
All right. Nope. I don't see any presentations. So, we'll move on to five. Action agenda. >> No. There's no nothing on the action agenda. >> Nothing on the action agenda. Okay. Number six, we'll go the CRA board members and uh we'll let the town
administrator talk first. >> We wanted to provide some updates. Harry is not here and I call him our CRA guru, but he's on vacation taking a muchneeded break. We did find out from Jennifer Cotto Salisbury. Um, Eva and I met with her
and we went over the CRA plan and we discussed the downtown um, storm water master plan and streetscaping plan and she did um, confirm that we can put that into the CRA budget for us to be able to use. We would have to shift some of the projects. So, we leave you with that
information so that before our next meeting you can look at the projects that we currently have to see if this is an item that you would like to put over on the CRA budget. We also have update for 151 Dow Hall on the screen up above
and I believe in front of you. Harry was able to get two quotes for the addition for Dow Hall. We have those included in here. He is still trying to get a third quote. These will um we will email these out to you. I do not believe there's
these aren't in the packet. Correct? No. So, we will email them out and if anyone needs hard copies, we'll be happy to print those for you. We are trying to save a tree. So, if we can send it to you for you to view that way, we would rather do it that way because we are still waiting for um one more quote.
The interior rehab of the project is pretty much complete. The bathroom has already been completed. Um it's been done for quite some time now. The emergency exit lights are all in functioning order and the fire extinguishers have been placed at the exit doors. The fire suppression system
has finally been installed above the stove. So, we're currently waiting for Summit to contact us to have the fire marshall come out to test the suppression system. At that time, we will be able to have him inspect all of the other items that are recommended for us to be able to open up the building to
get it um rentalable for us to hopefully we're hoping to be able to have that done in November. We still have to install the address numbers on the front of the building and install two small ramps to help with the wheelchairs entering the building.
Harry is planning to give the inside a fresh coat of paint for the interior walls. And he put a note here that in his opinion after those few items have been completed and the mar fire marshall is happy. He said he will be ready to rent it out. That was his note in his
comments. The patio project for 151 Dow Hall. He obtained the estimates and drawings for the proposed covered patio. Um they are attached here. He's currently working on getting two other estimates from other contractors since the project will be over the $10,000
threshold. The planning on Inner Lake, all the planning projects have been completed and they are thriving. >> And then the proposals, >> is he going out for bid or he's just contacting people to get quotes? He contacted people for quotes. However, we
will go out to bid now because of the dollar amount that is that we are seeing coming back on some of these. It's over the $10,000 threshold. >> So, we So, it's 25,000 was one 50,000. I mean, we can open it up without a covered patio,
>> right? >> Yes, ma'am. We won't wait on that. Councilwoman Charles, I agree. >> Can I ask you a quick question? GNN. It looked like there were two proposals. Did they break scope into two different projects or something? >> I'm not sure who the first person was
either. >> Contractor >> right there. Stop at that either. Did you see the proposal total? >> Oh, there these are all GNN. >> So, they gave three different proposals for three different scopes of work. >> We have two documents here. Um, Mr.
Leblanc. So this is the first document and I don't know Eva if we can look at this second one that Harriet >> this is all I got there's three of them here I not bring the other one >> right there proposal too >> okay so the second one is installing
Hardy board siding on the entire building which I really think is probably a good idea because that building really doesn't look up to the standards of I think what we want our historic downtown area to look like because it's exposed block painted Um, so I think it is something that we ought
to be considering to dress it up. Okay. So, the third one is to sand blast and restuckco the outside as smooth stuckco. So, that's the 17,000. I personally I mean we'll have to you know visit this whole thing but I think we ought to consider not only building the back
patio area but I think we ought to consider doing siding on the building just to I mean the building with the lows slope roof and everything else is not much to look at you know but I think we can improve it and I think but once we get multiple bids and compare all the
bids I think is a good idea and I think that should be compared also because we already have one bid so How much have we spent so far? We purchased it for 300,000. How much have we spent just to try to get it open?
>> That I don't have that information in front of me to be able to answer that. I don't know that anybody else would have that right now. I I think cuz it in my mind go ahead. Do you have an answer to that? >> Well, wouldn't wouldn't that be in the spreadsheet we got for the CRA? If I if
I pull that out this year, >> but there's more things that have been going on since that that's fine. I mean, it just gets to be at what point how much are we going to invest in this building? And I don't know that we went originally because there's things we want to do in the playground. We've talked about fencing. We've talked about
things. So, I think we really have to have an overall plan of what exactly do we want to do with this building? How much are going to be the estimated costs? And is that affordability or is that priority one for the town? I mean, because we could soon, as we talked
about the last meeting, get it open, utilize it, and boy, if we're going to start doing some things on the outside, doing some things on the patio, doing some things here, this thing is just going to continue to get pretty pricey.
And and what's the return on it? And I get it. Aesthetics is nice, but what's the return on it when there's a lot of other things in the town that we should be addressing? Well, I I think they did interior work to bring in handicap accessibility. So, to make a handicap accessible bathroom out of something that wasn't handicap accessible and make
the kitchen functional. And I think if from what I remember, we're talking plus or minus 10 grand they've spent on the inside. And then I think, you know, we spend this money on the outside and then the outside's done and then the rest we have to do is to work on the park for the most part, right?
I I don't think there's anything left to do unless you're going to tear the building down and build a new building, which we're not. Uh we're not doing. So, I think if we're not doing tearing it down and building a new building, which we're not, then we have to make that building, you know, nice enough, you know, to be a a park in our historic
downtown, right? And and then we got to move on to the park. To Councilwoman Charles's point though, we will need to be able to go back over the list and look at where we want to reallocate because it will go over with the the proposals for this project. It
will go over the amount we were already needing to scale back. And so, um, we'll need to look at that again. Could we just move forward with the inside portion and wait on the exterior so that
people could actually start using the building? Is that a possibility? So, we could go ahead and do that now. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Okay. So, we just Do we have all the inspections for the interior? >> We're waiting on that. We're currently waiting on that from the buyer commercial.
>> So, we could go ahead and finish the interior so it could be used and then we can just work on the exterior to get something that's I think we should wait until we get something that's you know what we should
have instead of something that is okay just like placid does. We don't do okay. We do we do really well. So, um I'm suggesting that we go ahead and move forward with the interior and then go
keep working on the exterior. Um do we need to make a motion for that or? >> No, ma'am. >> Okay. That would be my suggestion. Let's keep working on the exterior and getting the funding, getting the prices, and then go ahead and start using that
interior so we can start serving the public with what we already own. I support that. >> I I support that, too. It appears that um we're waiting on the the fire marshall
inspection for the hood and everything else that they inspect on the inside of the building. Then we put the numbers on the building and make the wheelchair ramps and then we're ready to be able to open it. And I agree, I think we can open it the way it is. And yes, it would
be nice to improve the outside and to put the patio and we can use that do that as um upgrades later, but I think we've held this property long enough. We need to open it to the public if we can get these approvals.
>> And as soon as we are we get that notice, we know when we can open it. We're going to work with the chamber so that we can have a ribbon cutting and do a ribbon cutting down there and invite the public to be a part of that. So, it'll be forthcoming. we have more information to come >> and um I don't throw tomatoes but we
need to set a fee structure for the rental of the building because I don't think it comes under anything that we have right now as if anything did but I think that's a kind of a bag of worms but we can't we can't rent it if we don't know
what we're going to rent it for. So, >> okay. >> So, do we need a motion or anything or are we just moving forward? >> Just an update and conversation. >> Okay. >> Discussion, dialogue. >> Can we back up to the feedback that Jennifer gave you on what we can use um
CRA money for? You had said the two studies, the storm the storm water. >> Yes, ma'am. So, Kimley Horn, we had we entertained them to be able to get a storm water master plan so that we could address streetscaping and storm water issues that we're having in the downtown
area. And when we looked at the CRA map, I do not have that with me. It is in my office, but we looked at the CRA map and the areas that we primarily have the issues are in the downtown historic CRA area. So, it it is covered in our CRA. >> Remind me how much the the master plan
estimate was. It was around 70,000. >> 70,000. So, is that something we need to make a motion and discuss here? Is that a a new item that you're >> recommending? It's a new item we're bringing forward for you to be able to have time to to dulge that a little bit
and be able to digress and see because I know we took a lot of the projects and we said we wanted to do this and that and move and we moved everything everywhere. It is up to date >> and also your CRA budget have been set. In order to change that, you'll have to bring it back to the CR board. Okay.
>> To make that decision to move money out of the change your line items for your projects. >> What what was the timing that they were going to start on that master plan? >> Do you know, Charlotte, was that still just up in the air? It's up in the air >> because I I just know with all of the,
you know, every time we have a nice flood right in front of the women's club, in front of the historical um museum there and other areas, it's just flooded. >> There's quite a few that have been reported across town. >> Yeah. Still in front of um Deborah's
office as well. I don't think I don't think that pavement improvement did what we thought it was going to do. Yeah, >> I agree. And when we're talking master plan, are we talking about South Florida Regional Planning Council doing a master plan for the historic downtown or are we
talking master planning drainage? >> Okay, so that's good question, Mr. Leblanc. There's two separate things. So Jennifer Cotto Salisbury and Central Florida Regional Planning are handling the downtown revitalization plan. We entertained Kimley Horn to find out about getting a downtown storm water and
streetscaping plan. So we are able to get that through Kimley Horn. They're their engineers that would be able to come and look at our downtown area, give us storm water improvements. They would go and deep dive on even the parking. Now through Jennifer Cotto Salisber's
with the CFRPC, they do address street parking and things of that nature as well. So, you'll see that component in both reports, but Kimley Horns is going to focus more on the um traffic and where the the puddling is for the water
and things of that nature. >> When are we going to see the master plan from South Florida Regional Planning Council? I know there's a meeting here in a week or two. Is that going to give us show us the plan they came up with or they're not ready yet? >> They're not ready yet. This is still part of that process. So, they'll do the
community workshop. they'll get additional feedback and then from that they'll start wrapping up. >> I like the idea of hiring an engineer to do this analysis for drainage downtown. It's definitely needed. I would just want to make sure that we are looking at the master plan in the historic downtown
she comes up with in regards to the drainage because he might find some green space that he wants to put drainage in and but she wants to put parking in. Thinks we should put parking. I think we need to, you know, um, really see hers and he needs to, uh,
keep hers into consideration if we like and want to adopt some of what she's coming up with as he comes up with how he's going to deal with drainage situation. So, but I do like the idea of hiring somebody. It's it's definitely time and I think we've got the funds that we can make that happen. Yeah,
>> it's definitely over overdue and it'll help us to be able to address the the issues that we have and start really correcting them. >> In the um August 28th um meeting, there were some things were shuffled around on
the plan and I unless I missed it, I haven't gotten the updated version. >> So, you need an updated. >> Yeah. Then when we get an updated one, we can look at that and figure out where to move some money around. make some changes.
>> And then Charlotte, is it one or two plans? So, it's a storm water and streetscaping together. Is it two separate plans? >> And they will be together. >> They'll be together. Yes, ma'am. >> Okay. >> And that's the 70,000. >> Yes, ma'am.
So, when's the next CRA meeting? >> Good question. We need to know that from you all. We We know that we were looking at the schedule. We were looking at calendars trying to check because we're going to go into November and December. We don't know that you want to wait all the way until January. So, if you don't,
then we need to know, do you want it in November? Do you want it in December? >> Yeah. I would like to keep moving because well, things are fresh. Are you if once you have all the prices for the community building at the park, are you
going to need to bring it back to us to make a final okay on going forward with one of those? >> We know that we're going based off of these amounts, we'll have to go ahead and go out for um out for bid for that. So, we'll prepare it and put it together. I don't know that we'll have
any we won't have a response by November. >> So, that may be December and then it's Christmas. So >> yeah, >> I think though that um we would like to meet back here in the CRA with reference
to the storm water streetscaping and the master plan as soon as those things may be ready, but there's no use of having a meeting if these reports aren't ready. Um, I I think that we can delay until probably January with reference to the
bids because by the time you go through the bidding process, it'll be that long before the the bids, you know, the request for bids go out and then the bids come back in. So maybe we kind of need to separate those two projects or
>> do do we have to tell you where to where to move the money to pay the 70,000 before it goes ahead >> before we can do the studies? >> Mhm. Yes, ma'am. >> So that's why I was saying, you know, at least get the 70,000 reallocated from
wherever so they can go ahead with the studies. >> Yeah. And how long is that project going to take for that engineer to do his analysis and everything >> that I can't answer >> because I mean on one hand I want to see the master plan you know that we might
adopt for our historic downtown as as he's doing his engineering analysis. I want him to know what what it is that we would like to see as a master plan for the downtown. Um, but he's got so much work to do and it's going to take so much time. As long as he knows it's coming and knows that he's going to have
to reference it in regards to the engineering study he's doing, I think we could hire him before we see that and just make sure that there is some, you know, um, discussion once the master plan comes. And I think the master plan was supposed to be done by the end of this year, right? So, it's probably
really close to being done, I'm thinking. Am I right? >> I think that's right. is is but we still have we still have at least one and maybe two uh public forums to go through yet correct for them. So they don't have
>> they don't have all their data yet. >> So >> but but these are two different items. One is the master plan that we need a meeting as soon as possible so we can authorize you know a budget transfer. The other is the bidding on Dell Hall. I
mean that'll just cycle in during whichever meeting. I mean, we've got close to 638,000 in CRA money to spend. >> And over the last year, we've done the the the flowers and the beautifification. And it seems like
we've kind of hit like a slow spot. And maybe it's with, you know, getting project managers in place or what, but, you know, we've got a lot of money out there that we can do things for the whole CRA district. Um, we originally went from quarterly meetings to monthly
meetings and that was the plan. Let's do monthly meetings so we can work it along. We've added a second meeting of the month now to be the CRA and part of the council. So my interest is to to get back providing staff is able to do that
but to get back monthly and keep working through helping you with what are the projects that we need to work on. I mean, we got a lot of money, but we might not have the staff and the people to work on, and each of these takes time. So, >> yeah, I agree. >> I think it should be monthly. >> I I agree. I think we should do monthly
until we get these people hired and get them working on on their engineering. Um, I don't think there's a reason to wait because we have funding. I mean, we have to allocate it. Um, but we have funding and that's such a problem that's so significant and been in this town for decades. You know, I don't I don't
really see a reason why we we ought to postpone it if we don't have to. I mean, I don't want to postpone it just because we want to meet every 3 months instead of every month. I think, you know, everybody's probably willing to meet, you know, next month to try and work through that process, right? So, I'm willing, you know, if you all are
willing, let's move these things forward. >> Yeah. My my my only challenge is um does the staff have time to get the reports that we all ask for before we try to make a decision because making decisions
is very difficult for all of us. And it seems that we need u an act of God to try to find the historical data before we do any kind of a decision on anything whether it's the sun comes up in the east or whatever. So, uh, I think it's
difficult for the staff when they're researching things from the beginning of time for town council and then they're researching things from the beginning of time from C, you know, the CRA and then say, "Oh, by the way, let's meet every month." And so, let's have two council
meetings and a CRA meeting every month. And staff's going, "Are you kidding me?" So, I think we have to take that into consideration. So, do I hear a motion to move forward? I think we need to keep moving forward on these projects. And I'm going to go
ahead and uh disclose that I am property manager of properties downtown that are having water issues. We have had water issues continually for the last hundred years basically since the buildings have been built. So I think we should keep
moving forward. So whatever motion is suggested to move forward, I think we should move forward with whatever we need to. I mean and I am disclosing that I do have an interest in property management downtown, but I see it
firsthand. I walk those streets. There's u buildings that are being uh flooded and we need to figure it out. I don't think it's it's not a hard nut to crack. It's just that, you know, we've done some small um some small renovations
like on hibiscus and south Maine where we just did some, you know, some low slope. We can still park on them. Um because of our soils, we can do that, but we do need the studies. So, I think we should move forward with whatever
studies we need to just move forward and let's just get it done. I mean, these businesses are suffering. And while we're into hopefully, you know, not the rainy season anymore, we're heading into the dry season. But while the dry season's here and before we have more
hurricanes, let's just solve the problem. It's just not a difficult I don't think it's difficult to make a motion to make next month. >> Sure. >> Okay. Charlotte, don't we have like a couple hundred thousand of unallocated
CRA funds? We we came up with all the projects, but we have some unallocated amount. We didn't we actually went over whenever we actually were going to have to cut back on it because we went over. So, in November, we will come back with a an updated budget. You'll receive that
ahead of time, we'll go ahead and get that into your inbox. And if you need us to print a hard copy, we'll have that ready for you. in November, we'll be prepared to bring back the um the plan for the storm water so that you can make a vote at that time and determine where you would like to move the funds. Um and
we'll move forward with that. And then if we have bids back by December, then we will have a December meeting. Otherwise, as Councilwoman Hayes said we could potentially do, then we would say, let's have that in January if we don't
have them in December. But I I want to agree with with Deborah with we have to the citizens have to come first and the first thing is the storm water because we and and the streetscaping for the for the people that live in the town and because they're having flooding issues.
So let's prioritize that as number one. And then um the master plan is kind of this ongoing thing that's spinning and twirling and will land at some point when all the public input things are are completed and then the Dell Hall building can be done in January.
>> Sound like a plan. >> Cool. >> And didn't we in the regular budget allocate this master plan for the storm? >> We talked about it. We did talk about it during the budget workshops, but this was one we didn't bring forward. Yes,
ma'am. >> But we did talk about it at great length. >> Businesses are flooding down down in in town. >> Um they're flooding. So if we even started today by next, you know, spring
when the waters come, hopefully we would have it done. So I just think we need to move forward. So, I'll make a motion that we have a meeting next month to um adjust the budget to account for the storm water study
with future meeting dates to be determined. >> Do do we have to wait till next month to approve the funding for the study? Can't we approve the funding for the study tonight? >> No, >> we don't know where what line item is coming from unless you want to do it.
>> Okay. Because the project, we have to put it on the project list. So, we'll have to adjust some of the projects that we've already allocated and and place dollar amounts there. >> No, I thought thought M. Charles said that we had $600,000 somewhere. So, >> we do in CRA,
>> right? Isn't this a CRA storm water project? >> It is, but we went through the project list and when we went through that project list, we allocated all of the money >> and all the 600,000. >> Yes, ma'am. So, we'll we'll move it now. >> Okay.
Where is the proposal from these guys? Um, I haven't seen it. Is it in the agenda package somewhere or you haven't shown it to us yet? >> For what? The storm water? >> No. Uh, Kimberly Horn. >> That's the It's That's the storm water through Kimy Horn and it went through the budget process. You're correct, Mr. Leblanc. I'll send that out to you. You
weren't you were not part of that, >> right? I'd like >> We'll send that out. >> So, we have a motion. >> Motion. I'll second the motion. And while I do represent at least one building that's being flooded, I don't think if Bert Harris would was here, he
would say for the whole town, I cannot vote on this issue. So, I'm going to go ahead and vote yes. Does this delay you a month of getting started? I mean it it's unfortunate that we don't have the CRA budget in front of us to say, "Okay, let's put this one and
take these two off and then you can get going versus wait a month to come back with what items are going to be put to the next year that I I mean I support what we're saying, but I'd like to kind of get get you going on that versus wait
a month so that we can just make a budget item transfer." And I did not mean to skip over the the discussion and the public comment. I just wanted everybody to understand where I stood on this issue.
Councilwoman Charles, we will have to go through that. It took us um I want to say almost two hours when we went through that. Don't hold me to it, but we will have to look at that probably at more in length. And then you'll have to decide if you want to do that in this setting or if
you want to have um a separate meeting to just keep in mind that the CRA meetings are scheduled at the same time as the town council meeting. So this meeting will happen before your town council meeting and so this meeting can run kind of long. Just something to keep in mind.
And so maybe just future p future packets is we'll include the list of items that we've approved so we can always have it right in front of us. >> We can have that. Absolutely. >> Okay. Any other comments
from the board? No. Nothing down here. Well, if there's nothing else become for the >> We have a motion in a second. >> Oh, we did. >> We did have a motion in a second. >> Okay. >> All right. I see other comments on the
motion >> from the podium. >> Take it to the audience. >> All right. Seeing none, bring her back. Pull the council. >> Council member Everheart. >> Yes. >> Council member Hayes. >> Yes. >> Council member Worley. >> Yes. >> Council member Charles. >> Yes. >> Council member Hartz, I mean. Board
member Hartzell. >> Yes. >> Board member Leblanc. >> Yes. Okay, cool. >> We are going to get a chance to >> We're going to get a chance to talk. >> That's what I ask question. >> That's what I asked and nobody said anything. >> Well, because we were in the middle of that. >> Yeah, I didn't know that. Yeah. Go
ahead. >> Okay. All right. Um, where we at with doing the flower pots on Inner Lake? Um, we walked Inner Lake, a few of us. We talked about where we put them. I mean, is that in the process of being quoted and um being processed? talking about
the new ones, the new pops on >> car's he's he's in the process right now of training a new staff member and then they will start working on that. >> Okay. All right. And then um before I can't say anything else because you leave the meeting, I just want to go over a few things. So I went to the the
community redevelopment association um conference last week uh where I took a CRA class and uh met a lot of people, went to a lot of classes, saw a lot of things. I mean, a lot of these CRAAS are doing amazing things in the state of Florida. Um, you know, way
way more significant than what we're doing, way bigger than what we are. Um, but one thing that I I noticed as they were talking and as I was meeting and talking to people, a lot of CRAAS are using consultants to get things accomplished. Um because I think one of our big problems is our staff, your
staff doesn't have enough time to process, you know, the $600,000 worth of ideas and and funding that we have to do um in a very timely fashion because you just don't have the staff, right? Um so they seem to be hiring consultants in in
many cases. Um of course, we're waiting now for the master plan to make decisions on exactly what we do going forward. And I just want to throw out there and I I've got business cards from various consultants for various things and I'd like to give that to you um you
know as um some reference material in case we want to look at that. There's also like we talk about wanting to do lights downtown that are down lights, not up lights. You know, I met uh lighting companies there that will come to us, meet us, walk the downtown with us, give us their recommendations, do
lighting um determinations and analysis of what type lights we need in order to get, you know, certain amount of lighting on the ground between poles and so on. Um they could even bring sample lights to us and stuff. So there's a lot of um I think um you know people in
companies that can work with us and help make your life easy and us get things accomplished in a more timely manner than what staff seems to have. Of course you know a lot of these CRAAS they have they actually have CRA staff. We have no CRA staff right now. The town is our CRA
staff but they already had a job before we started the CRA and and they're underst staff even their job it seems like. So, I think as a CRA board, we should be aware. In fact, let me pass this down and you guys could take a look at this. Um, pass that down and then
I've got this for you that I'd like to give you. And, um, so I think, um, we should, you know, um, consider hiring consultants when we need things done. I'll give you an example. Wayfinding signage. We could hire a consultant that will design the wayfinding signage,
which is maybe the result, a result of the master plan, but we could hire a company that will design the ma the wayfinding signage, go over it with us, show us what they have in mind, we like it. Then they'll put it out to bid. They'll get multiple quotes. Um, then they'll come to us to make a decision. Once we make a decision, they'll, you
know, deal with implementation review, make sure they put it all in the right place, in the right way, and so on. And so we could get things accomplished by hiring a consultant that takes it from one end to the other and and it doesn't get on the back of town staff that's already understaffed. So I think there's
things like that that we ought to consider, you know, doing and uh and utilizing to help us get our stuff accomplished, you know, in a timely fashion because, you know, we went from I don't knowund and something thousands to having you over 300,000. Now we're
going to have 600,000. We have money piling up in the bank and and the reality is we have ideas of what we want to do with it. We just can't spend it as fast as it's coming in and it's really not coming in that fast because it's really not that much money. But um you know and we have projects that we can
do. That's my thoughts. So >> I think we found a lot of the same not necessarily the same companies but the same concept when we went to the League of Cities and and there are a number of electrical companies that are much closer than some of those that are on
there. I mean those are some California companies and Texas and things like that. These are local companies that like Duke for instance that are happy to come and and do uh do estimates for us. I think the whole the whole thing it it it's not a hold up, but I think we have
to be careful that we take one step at a time and the correct steps in order because otherwise we're going to end up going back and and messing up. Um, but I think the most important thing is we need the Central Florida planning master plan first and then we can prioritize
where we want to go and and I I know that we do have this money piling up and yes, we need to spend. You like to spend the money? I do, too. But we have to spend it um appropriately and I think in the proper order for the proper things because otherwise we are not making our
responsibility to the taxpayers. >> I agree completely >> and I think the public needs to understand um CRAAS are structured so like Sebring has a full-time person
that just works on the CRA. um our CR CRA falls on the the heads of all our staff here and um what's really wonderful when I started looking at the CRAAS is that they have their own granting ability if we had staff to
pursue that. Well, we don't because we don't have a designated staff to do that. So if you look at you hear that in the newspaper CRA and Sebring and they get probably 5 to700,000 a year because they established earlier
than us and they have enough money to have staff but there is granting abilities just through our CRA but we don't have staff to do that. So, I mean, we're just a growing group, okay? We're
trying to do the best we can with what we have. And so, everybody needs to understand that because I know there's a lot of like, well, Sebring's doing this. Like, well, they have a ton of money. And the way the CRA works, if you don't use the money, you lose it. So, they are doing a lot of things to use that money
so they don't have to give it back to the county. We actually get county money to do these projects. but there is granting ability if we had staff to do it and that's something else we can look at in the future. So, we're just a growing CRA and we're doing the best we
can. So, I just wanted the public to know that that um our staff is burdened with another task through the CRA. So, every time we ask them to do something, it's one more thing. But it could be charged to CRA, right?
Couldn't a project manager specifically for CRA, isn't that what they do up in Sebring? >> They're um they do that in Sebring, but their plan allows for it. So, every CRA plan is written differently, and our
plan didn't write for us to have that in there. However, we can apply for Florida Commerce Grant to help us once we have our master plan for the downtown area. we could apply for that grant and they will come in and help us to execute
rolling out the plan. >> So if they'll become the consultants, if once we get the master plan, we can >> apply for they should be the they would be the consultant. >> Yes, ma'am. I think after we see our master plan, we might want to consider
revisiting the u the CRA plan and maybe change the CR CRA plan to match what we all would like to see our CRA being capable of doing. Uh yeah and I say one more thing. One of the things that they were talking about which I found very interesting is they said you know the
CRA district is is created because of slum and blight and the intent is to improve the CRA district and a lot of these places are doing big things to do that. Um one of the things somebody said and it really stuck with me. He says if you're going to do a park in a CRA district he said don't do it to match
the quality of of some other you know common park that you have. He said you should be doing it at a higher level. He said, "You should be trying to bring up the CRA district in quality and um and trying to improve the entire CRA district wherever and however you can to
improve the property values in the district." And he's and and they're big on improving the value of the property in the CRA district because it improves uh the taxable value which improves the tax income which it's a self-fulfilling thing. But they said don't do it at just
some simple standard level when you're going to do something. Do it at a higher level. So you're bringing the value of everything up as a result. >> Um I think we need to understand the process it would take to change the CRA plan as well. Deborah, weren't you
involved when we first developed the CRA plan for Lake Placid? Do you are you familiar with what we would have to do to change that plan? It's it's a lot and right now we have a lot on our plate. I would say let's look at that next year.
>> But I think that we as a CRA board have made incredible strides, right? Incredible strides for a new CRA, which we are just a starting CRA. So I think you all should give a pat on the back. But next year after we get through the
grant processes we're going through. Yes, let's look at that because you can change it and you but it's it is a process and I think we have enough on our plate at this moment just trying to get through this part of it. But you are absolutely right. We can change it and
we can add a staff. I mean we're still growing. I don't know if we have enough money for that or maybe we could do but let's look at that next year. The first thing I think that's a great idea, but you all need to you are like pioneers in
CRA. >> Yeah, they be very happy with yourselves. >> It's very normal to change the plan for the CRA. You know, as they were saying, they they people change them all. CRAAS change their plan all the time. They even have consultants to help accomplish those goals. Right.
>> Absolutely, you can do that. But I think as a town right now, we have enough on our plate to get through right now. But yes, and you can change the dynamics of it. You can change anything you want to in it. You just have to align it out,
agree on it, and then just ask what do you what is your money to be spent for? That's one of the main things we have right now. Are we going to spend it on this or that? And then um how is it structured? Do we um have money in there to have somebody administer it instead
of just town staff? We actually have a a consultant or someone to manage it to give us guidance and maybe do some of those granting abilities that the CRA could be doing. I saw a beautiful park up in Sebring that the CRA grant did. It
wasn't the city. It was the CRA did the granting ability, but we're I just I feel we're not there yet because we're just getting started and we have enough right now as a town on our plate. But next year, I would definitely say yeah, let's look at it.
>> We need the master plan first and then and then move forward. But we we just can't go forward without the master plan. >> Absolutely. But you guys, you're doing a great job. I'm I'm finished. >> Any other comments?
>> All right. There's no other business to come before the C board meeting ajourned. >> I'd like to keep any better. I don't know if they don't. Yeah. >> Yeah, that's what I was going to
present. >> He arrived. Okay. >> Okay. his neck again. >> You tell him. I said it's because he sticks it out too much. hasn't had enough of that.
[Music] Being 619, I'll now call to order uh the regular meeting of the Lake Placid Town Council this Monday, October 20th, 2025 and the government center of the great
town of Lake Placid. We were not able to acquire a clergyman tonight, but we are honored to have with us a man of many hats. One, a concerned citizen, number two, the chairman of our LPA, and number
three, the pastor of Grace Bible Fellowship. And Dustin, we'd be proud if you would lead us in the invocation and pledge. If everybody would please rise. Lord, we come to you with just extraordinary gratitude that you have assigned us to live in a place like this
and we want to steward it well and we know that we need your wisdom to do that. So lead us as we govern this community in a way that honors you and serves its citizens. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. >> Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you, Dustin. Okay, we'll go to number two, public
comments. Remember, try to limit it to three minutes. You want to >> call the role. >> Oh, I got to call the role first. Yes. Thank you. >> Clerk, would you please call the role? >> I will. >> Mayor Hull Brook >> here. >> Council member Hayes >> here. >> Council member Worley >> here. >> Council member Charles >> here.
>> Council Everheart >> here. >> Okay. All right. Number two, uh, make sure your phones are either off or on vibrate before we get started. Every We'd appreciate that. And uh we'll now go to public comments. Remember to limit three
minutes or less. Uh and I have a couple here. Number one is Ray Royce. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh members of the council, Ray Royce, 113 Waters Edge Lane here in the town of Lake Placid. My main purpose to come tonight is to say a thank you to town staff. I'm going to do
a couple things before that very quickly. I turned into your meeting for the last hour or so last week. I guess it was last week. Um, I appreciate you all appointing Charlotte to the EDC board and I wanted to share that the reason why we had asked and staff there
had to ask Charlotte to do it is because while the EDC board, the Collins County EDC board is no longer a sunshine committee, if you all had appointed a council member or the mayor to do it, then they would have been precluded from coming back on things that may come
before you all and talking to their fellow council members. members about it. So, it's advantageous that it's Charlotte because if there are things projects perhaps in the future, she can now come back and talk to all of you all about it. So, we're looking forward to
her being a part of that. Um, you also talked a little bit about the firehouse. Um, seemed to be some question whether it was going to happen. I've worried about this for years and years. I do believe it's going to happen. The county does have some title or survey issues.
they are going to clear up. There is approximately $4 million that has set aside for that project. They are obviously making a legislative request for for other funds, but I do believe that even with the money they've set aside, they may not be able to do the whole project, a training component of
it, but they will be able to get started on on putting it on that property. And I think that's important to all of us as residents like plastic that we want to have a proper structure with properly staffed because there is only generally one paid
firefighter that sits north of south of 98 and 66. So I think it's good that we get the southern half of the county or southern twothirds of the county gets uh good representation. I will also say that I would encourage you all I know
Kylins County is working on it with FDOT District 1. I hope you all continue to put some pressure on the district and talk with the county about the intersection in regards to the new Amazon intersection. I know some of you all met there, but FDOT I mean the
reason they didn't allow that to move forward now is because they have another project going on there. We all know that not a damn thing has happened there for months and months and months and so it it is asinine that we can't move forward with a project that a private entities and
pay not only would it benefit that project but it is the key to some other economic development projects that hopefully you all will continue to work on. Now to the thank you. I was coming up the road the other day. I noticed I believe one of your town staff cleaning up the bushes in the middle of uh the
meeting of 27. They look very sharp. And you all are very fortunate. Not only I had no idea who the young man is. Just wanted to say thank you to him. You all are very fortunate that you have the Charlottes and the Rachel's and the Evas and the others of the world. You have a very good staff. It dismays dismays me
at time that I see people in the public provide disinformation and kind of say, "Hey, let's burn this thing down." In essence, I hope you all appreciate uh the staff you have and go forward. Thank you very much for your time, >> Mr. Royce. Um, thank you for the
comments. Um, I was the one on the economic development that said, should it be the town administrator or the mayor? Because Sebring has their mayor and Avon Park has their mayor. So, are those two cities in Sunshine Law risk? >> Well, they are only you're you're
correct. and they are only there's only a sunshine risk if they go back and talk to their fellow elected officials on projects that may come before them >> outside of a meeting right
>> outside of a outside of the public meeting. I guess I was just trying to explain I think the good thing if I may take another 30 seconds from mayor the good thing is with Charlotte ultimately his staff is going to work on these projects that are going to come to this area and so I just think it's a good
idea I don't know whether or not long Mr. may know, you know, maybe Sabrin will do something differently in the future. Who knows what's going to happen in Avalon Park, but um I just wanted to say we appreciate your willingness to have Charlotte. Uh we meet quarterly at
7:30 in the morning. Those meetings generally take about an hour, hour and a half. So, it's not a huge imposition of time on her part. But thank you very much. >> Yeah. And I also have said as vice mayor, I'd be happy to attend to further represent the town. I actually love
going to the EDC meetings, but I do agree with Charlotte being um our liaison, she can talk to each of us about it. I can't I can't tell you what's going on because I'm not allowed to talk to you, unfortunately. Good old
Sunshine Law. But Charlotte can and I'm going to be there as well to represent the town. I said I'd do that and I will and I actually enjoy it. So, thank you. >> Okay, Beth Dagren. Yeah. >> Beth Denon for the record. Nine-year
Lake class resident. Thank you. One question I had Mr. Royce brought up was the intersection at the Amazon place. So, I heard part of the answers to that. I just want to clarify they're trying to get a traffic light there, right? Cuz I go through there twice a day to go there
park to work and also Lake Frances, they put those sticks out. I have gotten pictures and sent to the county and I sent to DOT. There's cars going through those sticks at Lake Francis. They I coming back today to come down for this
meeting. I had to go a side street behind Lowe's and there's some white stakes that are more of a concrete base. Y'all put those posts up so people don't crash and people are driving through those two intersections. Twitty road also. Now Twitty, I'm not sure if that's
your jurisdiction, but I know Lake Francis Drive is, isn't it? Or is that is that Highlands? >> Oh, no. >> It is county. But either way, we just I the safety of our residents and Amazon is your your focus. And I'm going to continue working on FDOT and and uh
Highlands County to get the other two intersections properly blocked so people can't drive through them. It's dangerous. I was going to say if your contact mayor is her contact information on there, her phone number. I was going to say that I'll follow up with you after so that I
can get some of those concerns and I have contact information I'll share with you. Thank you so much. Yes, ma'am. >> Appreciate it. >> Okay. Okay. Any other comments? >> Just should should we as a town send a letter to DOT? >> We did.
>> You Oh, okay. You did? >> Yes. >> Can we get a copy of it? We're We're also on a call every week. Bert Warner sits on a call every Tuesday. We did a resolution, didn't we? >> We didn't. We didn't. We We were going
to present when we have not presented one. >> Oh, I thought we did. >> We haven't I don't recall a resolution on that. >> We did not do a resolution on >> Okay. Yeah. I asked that question before and I was told that we had we had done one in the past. >> Yeah.
>> Not for that light. Not for that light. >> Okay. Yes. Yeah. Then yes, then it will be done. >> Yeah. It's important. >> Okay. I will now go to presentations. >> Approval of agenda, mayor. And then I
think Charlotte's got something to say about >> Oh, I'm sorry. Number three. >> We don't have minutes, but we do have approval of agenda. >> Remove from the agenda. >> I'll make a motion to approve the agenda. >> Second.
>> We need to take one item off of this agenda. The last one. >> I got it right there. >> 6B. >> 6B. Lake Placid Camp and Conference Center needs to be taken off of the agenda.
It will not be heard tonight. >> I'll revise that motion to make a motion to accept the agenda with eliminating 6B. Second. >> All right. Now we'll go to number four. A town of Lake Placid Celebrating
Florida League of Cities. >> We have to vote. >> Oh, we got to vote on it. I'm trying to get ahead of myself. Sorry. All right. We have a motion in a second. >> Any other comments from the podium? Any from the audience? >> All right. Bring it back. Pull the
council. >> Council member Charles. >> Yes. >> Council member Edart. >> Yes. >> Council member Hayes. Yes, Council Member Worley. >> Yes. >> And I apologize, but we got a couple people that one's leaving on vacation soon. Some meetings over and I think now
you have to be away. >> I'm leaving in the morning. I'm okay. >> Oh, you're leaving in the morning. Okay. >> I've already I've already been and returned and going back. >> Okay. All right. So, now we'll go to We're done with three.
>> Yes, you're at three. >> All right. So, now we'll go to presentations. Town of Lake Placid celebrating Florida League of Cities Government Week. This is resolution 2025-21. a resolution of town of Lake Placid
recognizing Florida City Week October 20th through the 26, 2025 and encouraging all citizens to support the celebrating celebration and corresponding activities. Do I need to read the whole thing?
Oh, you're gonna you're gonna go down. Okay. Funny story. We received a notice that our internet and our attachments have not been working. And it's funny, but it's not. But it
says Amazon on it from us, but it's really S so s. So, just so everyone's aware, that's the problem is we're having issues with the um internet. I'm gonna go down there. Okay. You want me to take that mirror and I'll read it to you?
>> Yeah. >> So, why Charlotte's going down there? It's a big thing for us as a town, as a city in the in Florida to participate in the Florida League of Cities. They're always campaigning for us. They're always watching our back um as a city,
as a town. So, it's important for us to celebrate this week. A resolution of the town of Lake Placid recognizing Florida City Week, October 20th through 26, and encouraging all citizens to support the celebration and corresponding activities. Whereas city
government is the government closest to the most citizens and the one the most direct daily impact upon its residents. And whereas municipal government provides services and programs that enhance the quality of life for residents, making their city their home.
And whereas the city government is administered for and by its citizens and it's dependent upon public commitment to and understanding of its many responsibilities. And whereas city government officials and employees share the responsibility
to pass along the understanding of public services and their benefits. And whereas Florida City Week offers an important opportunity for elected officials and city staff to spread the word to all citizens of Florida that they can shape and influence this branch
of government. And whereas the Florida League of Cities and its members and its member cities have joined together to teach citizens about municipal government through a variety of activities. Now therefore, be it resolved by the town of Lake Placid as
follows. Section one that the town of Lake Placid encourages all citizens, city government officials, and employees to participate in events that recognize and celebrate Florida City Week. The town of Lake Placid encourages educational partnerships between the
city government and schools as well as civic groups and other organizations. That the town of Lake Placid supports and encourages all Florida city governments to actively promote and sponsor Florida City Week. passed and adopted by the town of Lake Placid dated
this 20th day of October, 2025. And this evening, we are very proud to celebrate Florida City Government Week, which is a statewide initiative recognized across Florida by the Florida League of Cities. As Councilwoman Worley stated, it's to promote civic education,
community engagement, and appreciation for local government. This marks the first year that the town of Lake Placid has participated and we are very proud to join cities and towns across the state and highlighting the vital role of municipal government and the importance
of involving future generations in public service. Tonight we are very honored to recognize three exceptional students who embody the spirit of this week through their creativity, their lead leadership, and their community pride.
We have a essay contest winner that we would like to recognize. I'll read and then we'll we'll call her up. And I would really like for council if we could go ahead and say that council could stand along the front here to make easy for pictures and then to
also recognize councilwoman Charles because this is part of something that was birthed out of her wanting to get the youth involved. And then this was initiative that our clerk had been working on and had wanted to see come forward for many years. So it's it's a it's a true thing to be able to finally
see us having this recognition for the the staff and also for the students that are being recognized. So our first recognition this evening goes to Genesis Jackson, a student at Lake Placid Middle School who was selected as the winner of
the 2025 Florida City Government Week essay contest. In her essay, If I Served on Town Council, Genesis shared several thoughtful and inspiring ideas about how she would make a difference in her community. She spoke about improving
public safety through the use of highquality cameras and public spaces. And she showed deep compassion by suggesting ways to help people who are homeless find stability and hope. She also recommended improving communication between residents in the town by making
it easier to report damaged road signs or malfunctioning traffic lights, reflecting a true understanding of how local government works. Genesis also looked to the future, suggesting that high schools teach life skills such as budgeting, credit, and investing to help
prepare students for adulthood and learning more about government activities. She even envisioned a youth job readiness camp to teach responsibility and work ethic and a thoughtful idea for schools to provide umbrellas to kids who walk or ride the bus on rainy days. Genesis essay
reflects compassion, creativity, and civic awareness. All qualities that embody what city government week represents. So Genesis, if you're in the building, would you please stand up for us? On behalf of the mayor, the town
council, and staff, we congratulate Genesis on her outstanding achievement, and we proudly present her with a certificate and also a $100 cash award for her accomplishment. So, please come on up. [Applause]
Council Congratulations are part of our team. >> Yes, you are. I'm not looking for Thank you. [Applause] I want her to take a picture.
>> She wants to be counsel. [Applause] We also have an intern recognition. Our next recognition goes to Miss Cordelia Beis. Come on up, Cordelia. She is a junior at Lake Placid High
School and a proud resident of Lake Placid. Cordelia is a creative and enthusiastic student involved in several school activities including chorus and art club. Outside of school, she enjoys playing video games, Dungeon and
Dragons, whittling, and creative writing, all of which showcase her imagination and her artistic spirit. Cordelia serves as an intern with the town of Lake Placid where she applies her Microsoft Office certification and skills to assist both utilities
department and my office. She works on mailers, reports, and special projects that require precision, creativity, and reliability, helping to enhance the town's communication and administrative efforts. Cordelia's professionalism,
creativity, and commitment have made her a valuable part of our team. On behalf of the mayor, the town council, and staff, we extend our sincere appreciation for your service, Cordelia, and we are pleased to present you with this award in recognition for your
contributions. Give it [Applause] again. This is to honor you as a member of our our team. Yeah, everybody. Yeah, there we go. >> We do. We have another intern that we would
like to recognize, Miss Sai Devo. She is our final recognition this evening. Come on up, ma'am. She is a senior at Lake Placid High School and a proud resident of our community. Sai has served as an intern
in the town clerk's office where she's been instrumental in assisting with our record digitization project. She's been scanning and cataloging historical town hall records for electronic conversion and she's improved public access. Her work has required precision,
organization, and dedication, all of which she has demonstrated with excellence. Saiia is a dedicated honor student, and in her spare time, she gives back to the community by volunteering with the star afterchool program in Highway Park. Her commitment to both education and
community service truly reflect the values that we celebrate during city government week. We are also proud to share that Sai will be recognized at Lake Placid's high school homecoming game and court this week where she
placed three in the top five for the homecoming court which I think is a big reflection of her character, her leadership, and community pride. So on behalf of the mayor who's standing right next to you and the council and the staff, we congratulate you Sai on your
professionalism, your compassion. [Applause] These three women, Genesis, Cordelia, and Sinai, all represent the best of Lake Placid's youth and the bright future that our community has. So, as we celebrate our first year participating
in Florida City Government Week, we are reminded that programs like this inspire young people to engage, to lead, and to see local government as a place where they can make a real difference. So, we thank you. [Applause] John
three. Thank you. Come on. [Applause] Thank you. >> Uh, next we'll go to B tower property code enforcement update.
Thank you, mayor. Afternoon, council members. Um, I was asked I was asked to come today to give an update on the tower plaza. At approximately 9:50 hours on 10:14 2025,
I went to inspect the property. I found 29 violations under minimum maintenance standards. Under minimum maintenance standards, no person shall maintain, occupy, or rent to another any building, dwelling, structure, accessory structure, or property which does not
comply with the requirements herein after set forth. Nor shall any vacant dwelling, building or structure be permitted to exist which does not comply with the following provisions. 4743 minimum maintenance standards. Exterior walls. Every exterior wall
shall be free of holes, breaks, loose, or rotting boards, timbers, masonry, or any other conditions which might admit rodents, insects, rain, or cause dampness in the walls or interior portion of the building. I'm not going to go over every single
violation, but you can see on your monitor what violations I found. If you have any questions, you can ask >> I guess that I could ask what so what you're going to do next. So, what's the procedure so that we
understand what's going on? >> Of course, last Friday, I met with Mr. Chuck Verk, gave him a 90-day courtesy to be able to bring his uh property into compliance. If after 90 days he does not come into compliance, he'll be given a notice of violation, he'll be given 30
days. After 30 days, if that notice of violation does not come into compliance, it'll be sent to the special magistrate. I can keep going through this, but the 29 violations are on your PowerPoint. I
can go through each one if you would like. If not, that's fine as well. >> We don't have a copy of this PowerPoint, though, do we? >> You should, ma'am. >> Okay, we can get a copy. I'm curious of the 29 violations. Are all are they all brand new or are these violations that
have been reported in the past that have never been fixed or just became violations again? Some of them are violations that are new that have not been reported because they're new damages. Some of them have never been reported before. No, ma'am.
>> But were some of them reported before and he just did not resolve them? >> Not that I'm aware of. No, ma'am. >> Okay. So, they're all new. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Okay. What was his reaction to the report? >> He said he'll work on it. Good.
>> Would y'all like me to go through the entire PowerPoint presentation? Are y'all good with the 29 violations and the notice of violation? >> How many more pages are there? >> About 19. It would take about five or 10 more minutes. If y'all would like to, y'all can go
through it. It's up to y'all. I know that y'all are time constrained. >> No, I don't think so. I He's on the clock, so >> Thank you. >> Yeah. Any other questions of the code enforcement officer? Okay. Thank you. Yes, sir.
>> All right. We'll now go to public hearings. Due to, I think, a previous meeting that they need to get to, uh, I've been asked to move B up. So, we'll go to the second reading of 2025-06. Kimberly Sap on behalf, excuse me, on
behalf of Donald Tina Clark and Clark Rental Properties. Um, this is the second reading of an ordinance to vacate the alleyways. >> Hold on just a minute. Yeah, I I can't bring that up. I >> was going to say it. >> Yeah, bring it back down so I can read it, please. >> I I'm trying to My bookmarks are not
working. So, which one are we on? B >> on the vacation. 5 A >> 5B >> 5 A 5B >> 5B >> 5B >> Yeah, my bookmarks are not working. >> They will decided not to work. So,
>> there it is. >> N >> Can I make a public service announcement real quick? When I said that it was Amazon, it's Amazon Web Services is currently affecting access to it says some of their applications, but it looks
like it's a lot of their applications. >> So, it's affecting our ability to do work. I just wanted to say that that's what it was called. >> I think it's like page 22 or 23. >> Yeah, it go ahead. >> I I have it up and I can uh read the
title if you all would like. The ordinance is uh number 2025-06. It's entitled an ordinance of the town of Lake Placet, Florida, vacating an unnamed rideway adjacent to Donald and Tina Clark and others prohibiting severability and providing for an
effective date. >> Thank you. Okay. >> I believe I don't think there's any issues with the proposed ordinance, at least from the petitioner, and I think staff is good. Um, so unless council had
any particular questions, >> nothing's changed from the first reading, is it? >> There's no drainage, >> right? >> Not. Yeah, >> that was something I think that Bert needed to work with you on that, but >> yeah, we had to get with >> Everything's the same, right? >> Correct. >> I'll go ahead and make a motion. I I'll
make the mo Oh, >> there is a change from first reading to second reading. And just to for clarification, Dana Redell, town planner, for the record, um in the first ordinance, the town attorney was requesting to reserve a drainage easement, which is what you were saying
needed to be addressed. Uh after further coordination with staff and the town attorney, it was determined that a 7 foot wide reservation for a drainage easement would not be useful to the town. So there's no longer a request or requirement. There's no language in the
ordinance to reserve any drainage easements to the town. >> Yeah, I think he was talking about swapping land or something like that. Okay. So, so the ordinance is the same as the first reading, but he had brought in those concerns,
>> but the first >> is this ordinance actually changed from the first reading? >> Correct. Because the first ordinance had language in there reserving and so that that language has been deleted. >> Okay. from the from this second reading. So it's it's
that just that part of it was deleted. There's two paragraphs I think that he had in there. Got it. I'll move to approve ordinance 2025-06 hearing number LPV is a victory.25.001 on second reading for discussion.
Second. Uh >> we got a motion and second. Any other comments from the podium? Seeing none, take it to the audience. >> Hearing none, bring it back. Pull the council. >> Clarification on who did the second. >> I think we were we were simultaneous.
>> Okay. So, I've got Who did the first Deborah? >> I'll take I'll second. >> Okay. >> Go ahead and pull. >> Thank you, Dana. >> Council member Worley. >> Yes. Yes. Council member Everheart. >> Yes. >> Council member Hayes.
>> Yes. >> Council member Charles. >> Yes. >> All right. We'll now go to 5A. Second reading. Ordinance 2025-16. Budget correction. >> Was that
Yeah, I've got it right here, too. Okay. an ordinance of the I think it should say town of Lake Placid. It's just got ordinance of Lake Placid. Anyway, Florida Town Council. Okay. Repealing town budget ordinance number
2025-11 and adopting the final town budget for fiscal year 2025-2026 attached as exhibit A and provided for an effective date. This is simply a correction to an inadvertent error. So I don't believe
there should be any needs to be any discussion. I'll make a motion to approve approve and adopt ordinance 2025-16 and second reading for the fiscal year 2025 to 2026 budget correcting the inadvertent error in the budget
attachment to ordinance 2025-11. Second. >> All right, we have a motion and a second. Any other comments from the podium? >> I do. For the record, I'll make the same comments I did during the budget workshop and also on the first reading
is um and I appreciate coming forward to rescend and to correct an error. But regarding I was opposed and continue to be opposed to an 18% advalorum increase uh for the Lake Placid residents which ends up being almost 46% of the roll
back rate. uh recognizing that that ad valorum brings 1,276 of uh town taxes and I know there's also a lot of comments that oh Avon parks is this much and that and they have different services and a different level
of people but the other thing that I don't think a lot of the people in the county realize is Lake Placid also has a 10% utility tax and also communication service taxes that brings an addition additional 923,000
of revenue and that's that's 2.2 million just on the Lake Placid uh residents. Uh the reason that I was opposed of the increase of that much is because more revenue has been coming in. In fact, Highlands County has recently adopted
their budget and it's on their website, the complete budget, and it says overall taxable value of property taxes in Highlands County has increased for the 12th consecutive year. The combined increase in property value for the 2526
year is 8.46%. So, not just are we going to get more revenue in the town from our property values increasing, but then we put another 18% on the town residents. And as far as the utility taxes that people
don't realize, that's a Duke Energy, that's your propane, that's a franchise. Somebody called me to tell me they have property in the town and outside of the town. and the difference is a $50 increase in their town Duke Energy bill
because of the franchise and the utility taxes. So, just information on taxes coming in, but this council has already approved 3 to one that 18% increase. Second, as I said before on the budget, there's a few areas that I don't
support. Um, one is where we continue and I understand it's in the budget. Charlotte told me it's 3040,000 for subsidizing events in the town for police and uh garbage type expenses
where those events are making money. So in a sense we're profiting you know that events um activity where they for the good they give out scholarships they do things and that's all good but I don't know that I don't believe that should be from the taxpayers of the town. I think
it should be in the pricing for each of those events. Additionally, I was disappointed to not see some money in our town budget for playground equipment improvements or replacement at Lake June Park. I've asked for that repeatedly in the
year and a half that I've been on council and to take it from reserves, but I was told no, those reserves are for emergency purposes. Um, therefore, we need it for cash flow. We need it for other things. You don't understand. And it took us years to build up these reserves and I was just
trying to get a h 100,000 or so for improved playground equipment at the park and there's nothing in this budget for Lake June Park for that. But but that's okay because later we can do a budget amendment. We can always come forward and do a budget amendment at some point in the future.
My last and I'll this is emotional for a lot of people is I don't believe that this budget should have a 1.6 6 million line item for building a new police department that the bids came in at 2.3 2.4 and $2.7 million that we know is going to be
a lot higher. I was told when I brought it up at the one council meeting that's okay. We're going to work with them and we think we can get it down to 1.6 to 1.9. We also now have gone and asked for a legislative grant for $800,000.
And the question at the last meeting was what happens if we don't get it? How can we sign a bid for 2.3 million if we don't have the funds? Interesting to note the comments were well we will take it from the general fund and the infrastructure which is completely opposite when I asked for playground
equipment during the years. People on up on this dis have said we need it for emergency we cannot deplete those funds. If we have a hurricane we have to use it etc. My comment for a $1.6 million budget
line item, it could be amended later once we get all the funding, once we understand the rationale, the need versus the want, the options. Are there other options that we could use? We've talked about this building was approved in 2018
to also include the police department. There's reasons that didn't happen. That's that's fine. Let's just be transparent and get them out to the public. Second is the cost it would be to renovate the current one. It's got to be a lot less to make it the standard that we need than 2.4 or more million
dollars. Or is there another option to buy another building? So I just want to go on record to continue to say I oppose the tax increase. I don't think it's good government and fiscal responsibility
conservative to increase the taxpayers when we have that much money. And now worse that much money in reserves and now worse saying but we can spend that money in reserves on a building that is still unknown by looking at options and
looking at what are our alternates did we consider before we would go forward and completely deplete tax reserves which is a big concern to me. So those are my comments. I know they'll go nowhere with this council but I want to make sure that it's in the record. you
know, the CFO is talking about of Florida. What do the taxpayers want? Looking out for the taxpayers. And and you all know when I got elected, I visited homes. I talked to people. And so I will continue
to stand up and speak for the taxpayers, for the business owners uh of the town of Lake Placid. I am proud to be in this position and represent them knowing that it's not a popular role,
but it's something that I signed up to do, I committed to them to do, and I plan on continuing to do. So, I will fight for the taxpayers. Um, or if it's something they don't want, I can at least go talk to them and explain why.
Because when I made a decision, it was an informed decision. Thank you. public comment. >> Don't we have to do the motion first? >> There's been a motion in a second. >> Yes. >> Oh, okay. All right. Any other comments
from the podium? All right. and I'll take it to the audience. Beth Denon, for the record, I'm just questioning my knowledge of the Highlands County already gives this town $100,000 from our pack. So, you're all asking for this extra $100,000 in
addition to what you get from Highlands County because our PAC gives you each municipality $100,000 each year. though I haven't been to one of their county meetings recently. I don't think they've taken that away from you, have they? >> So, so look, it's not our Pack Highlands County gives the town $125,000
as they do Sebring and as they do and that's for maintenance of the park pretty much upkeep, maintenance of the park, all of our parks. >> So, you're want >> That's different than our PAC. Our PAC, we haven't asked for money for playground. >> Oh, okay. Okay. Thank you.
And just for ARPAC just on that note is I had even asked for se because ARPAC you have to match. So I said well let's go after 150 thou and the most you can get from ARPAC is 75,000. You can get two RPAC grants a year now for 75,000.
And my request during the budget time was let's put 75,000 in for Lake June Park and then go after 150 with our pack. It didn't go through. Thank you. All right. My name is Sharon Hudson, 490 Brier
Glenn Road, Lake Placid. I've been a member of this community since 1959. You guys do nothing. And please, I am not very politically correct when I say what I say. I'm a country girl. I think
the town is not supporting the local people the way they should. You're asking for more money, more money, more money. You're putting the money not into the playgrounds that we need. You're not putting the money into the town structure that we need. You're not
letting new people come to town uh to invest in our community. You're making it very difficult for those of us that own a business in town to survive. You've got ordinance for signs that don't make sense. You have nothing that
brings the other people into town. a few things, but I think you need to rethink what you're spending the t the money on that these people are having to sacrifice to give to you the children's playground. We need to
take care of our children and I fully agree with you as to what you said. I believe in everything that you said and I am proud of what you do. But some of the town council seems to have their own agenda of what they want. It's not what
the community wants and you need to rethink what you're doing up here on this. You've been voted on and asked to do something then let's look out for the community as a whole. simple fit.
>> Um, we we don't want to debate I don't mean to cut you off that we this is a correction to the budget that was duly processed, but I have to add a comment about the parks in the CRA. We put as top priority
Spruce Park and Dollhal Park. You haven't seen it yet, but they are top priorities in the CRA work list. So, but we haven't forgotten the parks. >> Okay. But the time frame that we get to
do these things are you want to get a a a somebody to spend money for somebody to give you a a bid on something. Not a bid, but somebody else to come in and tell you what to do with your money when you already know what needs to be done.
Let's not take forever to do what we need to do. >> Agree. And if we need to take some of that money from the CRA and hire an employee, we should take that money and do that. Okay. >> If the town is overloaded with what
they've got, and since I'm here, this building was bought and was told in the time that you bought it that this is where the police department would be and there was enough room. You've got offices in here that are huge. combine two people in those office and you'd
have money for a police department. Thank you. >> Okay, bring it back. Pull the council. >> Council member Everheart. >> Yes. >> Council member Worley. >> Yes. >> Council member Hayes. >> Yes. And I will just say for the record, I will never take swing sets over public
safety. And I think that I am protecting the town by choosing public safety over swing sets, but swing sets will happen. But I will approve this. Yes, >> Council Member Charles. >> No. And it's playgrounds, not swing
sets. Correct. The record playground. >> Okay. Now go to C. Ordinance number 2025-09, Grace Bible Church of Highlands County again. Ordinance number 2025-09,
an ordinance of town of Lake Placid amending the zoning classification of a property located at 580 East Interlake Boulevard bearing partial ID P3136307A [Music] 011040
from R-1A single family dwelling district to CDPD limited commercial district with a plan development to allow for a church and church uses and adding section 160-23
of the code of the town of Lake Placid entitled Grace Bible Church providing for severability providing for convict and providing for an effective date. >> Thank you Dana Redell town planner for the record.
Proof of publication is part of the file and this hearing has been duly noticed. I this is a quasi judicial hearing so I will be going down the line and asking if town council has had any exparte communication starting with councilwoman Everheart.
>> No. Thank you. Miss Wley, have you had any exparte? >> I have talked to Dustin um on a couple occasions. So yes. >> Okay. Thank you. Oh, I need to correct that. I did talk to Mr. Woods
month or two ago. >> Okay. Thank you, Mr. Hullbrooks. >> No. >> Thank you, Councilwoman Hayes. >> Uh, I also talked to Dustin, but it was several months ago just in general about the concept. >> Thank you, Miss Charles. >> Same. I talked to Mr. Woods.
>> Thank Thank you very much. Okay. So, as Dulie noted, the hearing tonight is for ordinance 2025-09, hearing number LPTC25005. The owner of this property is Grace Bible Church and the agent is Ministry Solutions
Group under the care of Terry Campbell. He's not here this evening, but Dustin Woods, as the pastor of this church, is available for any questions um as we move on through the hearing process. The address of this property is 580 East Inner Lake Boulevard at Lake Placid. Uh
at first reading because the maps hadn't been updated. Um we were showing the property line not extending as far west as it should have been. So please note these maps are up to date and accurate. The applicant is requesting a resoning
for the subject property from single family dwelling district R1A to limited commercial planned development district C2PD to allow for a church and church uses which will subsequently add
chapter 1 I'm sorry section 160-23 of the code of the town of Lake Placid entitled Grace Bible Church Plan Development Ordinance. As we've noted in the past, this property has an inconsistent future land use and zoning. And in order for there
to be a change of use on the property uh from the existing university or I'm sorry, just college, still equally as important, but um not just a college, but uh from a college to a church,
it requires consistency with zoning. The proposed zoning shown on this map would be C2PD. They're they provided a site plan at which point they've labeled what the buildings will be used for. Now, without getting too redundant, I do
just want to point out some changes that have occurred since first reading. And because we didn't have a local planning agency meeting in September, we read these hearings first reading, local planning agency, and now second reading.
So between first reading and the local planning agency meeting, the church came forward and said they did a detailed uh dive into the sign code and they wanted to make sure that they made any requests for deviation from signs that they might have. So they proposed additional
language which would allow them to have up to six temporary sandwich board signs. They requested this because what they're proposing is really like a church campus. And in accordance with our sign
code, these sandwich board signs cannot be placed on the sidewalk. They have to be placed on the property. Even if you have multiple buildings, our sign code only allows one sandwich board per property. And so they're asking to be
able to use sandwich board signs to direct people around the campus. If they're having a Bible study, they might post on their campus, you know, that a Bible studies this way with an arrow. In addition to the monument sign, so they have the South Florida State
College monument sign. they'll switch that sign face out for their church's um copy, which is their language. And every property is allowed to have
one groundmounted sign for each road frontage. This property is surrounded by the road on three different sides, so they can have up to three ground mounted signs. They're asking to have four
and including the existing sign. And the way that the site plan is reflected, they are close to the buildings and they're really meant to be for maps of the campus. So they're not meant to be read from off- premise. They're to again
direct people throughout the campus. Uh item C would be to allow two banner signs. As we've discussed in the past, the sign code is something that has come before council a lot and banners are prohibited
in the town of Lake Placid. So unless you have a new business and you post the banner for the first 30 days of the grand opening of the new business, um this church is requesting to be able to
have two banners on Inner Lake for 21 consecutive days each calendar year, not to exceed 24 square feet. So those are the deviations that are being requested.
I have copies of a copy of the sign site plan on the screen. The rectangles indicate the temporary banners. The trapezoids indicate locations for
potential sandwich board signs. The blue rectangles indicate the groundmounted signs, which would be campus maps. And the light blue rectangle indicates
the existing monument sign. This is an example of one of the ground melted signs that they currently use at their Sebring campus. And the renderings have not changed from first reading, but they're included as part of the presentation if there's any
questions. At the September 15, 2025 hearing, the town council voted unanimously to approve the hearing on first reading. And at the October 6, 2025 regular local
planning agency meeting, the LPA voted unanimously to recommend that town council approve and adopt hearing number LPTC25005RZ, ordinance number 2025-09 on second reading. Uh the local planning agency was made aware of the changes
regarding the sign code. So that include that that is included in their recommendation. Motion options are available on the screen. My staff recommendation is also available on the screen
and I'm available for any questions as well as uh the pastor and applicant, Mr. Woods. I'll turn it back over to the mayor. >> Yes. Since our last meeting, um, and I'm that's my territory there. I live there
and have property there. Um, there's a couple things. The banners. I think if we approve the banners for this project, we have over 400 people that pay business tax. we would have so many banners everywhere. They'd just be
rotating. So, and I think the way I think this has been mainly that if you and um unfortunately we don't have our police chief here who's gone through this for years, but I think what happens if you're going to have Bible school, which most of the churches have Bible
school in the summer, they have like they can have a grand opening sign, which is um 30 days. Um, I think there's other avenues for the banners. Otherwise, we're going to have every business people that pay business tax
are going to have a banner. I mean, I can have a banner out in front of my place. Um, I we can't do it. And it's not that I don't want to do it for them, and I love Bible school. I went to Bible school when I was young every every year, but I think that can be covered
under maybe some other ordinance. Um and then um council member Hayes had brought up the uh residential parking and I did recall during a hurricane when the one of the schools couldn't have um classes
there. Um, unfortunately it's called standing which is p people if you look at the middle school and the elementary school with people picking up their kids that was downtown Lake Placid. Okay. So you couldn't get to
your own property and you would think that people would be kind and generous and make room but they didn't. And then the extra people for the classrooms also blocked in total totally blocked in properties. So I'm suggesting as a
modification to say no parking or standing. Standing is a term that says you can't sit there and wait for someone. So no standing or parking in the residential areas. I think that's fair. Um the the the people that come
and they're they're kind and generous. I don't think anybody cares back there. I don't care on my residential property of Sunny Parks, but to block it's just because it happened before and unfortunately it did happen and council
member Hayes was totally correct with concerning the residential area. So I would say no parking or standing in the residential area for um for the automobiles. And then um banners would
fall under the other ordinances. And those are my only two things. Everything else I think is wonderful. I love them as neighbors. They're going to be right by me. So I think that clears up everything that we could possibly cover.
Um unless anybody has something else. >> I do on the banners. It's it's an annual camp, right? So, can you I mean and and I'm very interested in that. I saw youth camp. Um so, once a year you're going to have youth camp.
Can you talk a little about that? >> Yeah, that was just a preemptive request knowing that every summer we host what we call kids camp. Yeah. Uh we actually only do it three days long because we really just doubled down on that effort. in Sebring. At our Sebring location, we
typically have around 500 kids and a couple hundred volunteers scaled down for Lake Placid. Naturally, I imagine it's still served several hundred kids in the Lake Placid community during those few days. >> Um, so those banners would simply be put
out as you saw on that rendering uh the three weeks prior to just letting the community know that it was happening. It's a free event that they'd be able to sign their kids up for and drop them off during that window. So, I don't see that that all of a sudden 400 businesses are
going to want to do a banner because that's an event banner. You know, we we put one up in the vein park for the boat races, right? And that was never approved. It just all of a sudden this gigantic banner appeared. Um there's So, I personally don't see that. I I I can
understand you're trying to advertise. I don't know if 21 days is the right amount, if it's 14 or what it is, but I see that as an event banner for a special event. That's a good thing for the town and it's it's also supporting the youth in that. It's my comments
there. My first reaction on the signs was, whoa, what what's that going to do to our code? But as you broke it down, I didn't see those ones as signs versus maps. They were campus maps of who goes where. So, looked very nice. I didn't
have a problem with those. Um, so I personally don't have a problem with this, you know, with the, um, changes that include the signs. And I know we're working on a sign workshop and all of that, but we've been working on it for
almost a year. And that's one of the things I always get back from the businesses, too, is the whole sign thing sometimes doesn't allow the advertisement that you need. So, I don't have any problems with anything. I really like and appreciate what they're
doing. It's really going to, you know, dress that whole area up. So, um, I'll go ahead and make the motion that sta and staff is recommending to go ahead and I mean that's what the staff recommended motion is is, you know, whether it's a temporary deviation or
deviation we need to do, but I'll go ahead and make the motion that staff is recommending that we make to move to recommend approval and adoption of hearing number LPTC.25.005RZ, ordinance number 2025-09 on second reading.
Second. >> All right, we have a motion and a second. Any further comments from the podium? >> Hearing none, we'll take it to the audience. Seeing none, bring it back. Pull the council. >> Council member Charles, >> yes.
>> Council member Everheart, >> yes. >> Council member Hayes, >> yes. Council member Worley. >> No, only because it affects the people in the neighborhood. >> Thank you, council. >> Okay.
Next, ordinance number 2025-14, repeal of chapter 107 of the code of the town of Lake Placid. Ordinance of the town, Ordinance of Lake Placid Town Council, repealing chapter
107 entitled Peace and Good Order of the Town Code and providing for an effective date. So, I'm going to start off saying that I we've only had this since like Thursday afternoon, whatever. And so, um it's
really important for our codes. And I just see things in here that um like you can kill squirrels. You can't kill squirrels and birds, but you can kill birds of prey. I didn't understand that one. And there's other things in here
that I think that I would like until next meeting to be able to address. And um there's some things in there that I would like to put in there. Like I did a campaign to get rid of Brazilian pepper, which is an invasive plant. We did that in Lake Placid and we were very
successful except along the railroad. Anyway, I would like to make that a code. Like I know that sounds bizarre, but if you care about the environment and everybody got on board except the railroad and even the JC's cleaned up um
around the schools and stuff to get rid of Brazilian pepper because it's very invasive. And we have been doing a good job of getting rid of it. Trust me. I had a I had a Earth Day and we gave away um seedling oaks. One of those is down
by the water plant and growing big. Anyway, I'm just saying that we've we've really tried to get rid of this. So, I'm just saying I just think it why would we say you can you you can you can't kill squirrels and other birds, but you can
kill birds of prey. Some of this is just minutia, but I just think if I had had more time since Thursday afternoon to change our codes, I think we should look at them. And there's some other things downtown as
well. That's where I live. um that we need to look at um as far as code enforcement and things like that to make it part of our part of our um what we want to see our town look like because this is important. So I would just like
to table this until I have more time to look at it. You have more time to look at it. You can actually suggest a code if you want to for something you see going on, you know, in our area, in our town that you would
like to see changed. I just don't think since Thursday is long enough, and I know if Mr. Mr. Harris was here, he would say, "Oh, well, it's only first reading." But I just it's very important that we go through every one of these.
If you want to suggest another code, >> it's a second reading >> and this is just repealing code 107. This is all this is doing is it looks it looks kind of confusing cuz it's repealing completely 107, but then there
was a whole second section with all this red. And the reason the red was is because these are the state codes that are in place today. So that this one I see is very simple and and there's reasons we're doing it right because of that first amendments and things like that. So this is second reading that was
already approved at first reading and it's just 107. So to your point absolutely we have other codes that need to be addressed and I think Dana has a lot of them on her list of things to do but Charlotte correct me. This is just
repealing 107 something we need to do as the town. >> Correct. and and and the importance of it is because a lot of it is is violating state laws that have been made over the years. So, >> okay, there was just a lot more
information. I just didn't want to prove something that and I understand that because we almost got sued over that. So, I do think that's a good one, but I just didn't want to go ahead and combine that one with other code issues and I wasn't clear on it and I had no one to
ask. So if that all we're doing is repealing the code that got us into trouble to begin with, the first amendment, I am for that one. And and okay, I am in favor of cleaning up our code.
But um if we just delete all of 107, then if somebody wants to say, well, what what's the what's the rules on uh disturbance of the peace? It would be easier if you could keep that heading in there and say reference
state statute blah blah blah rather than obliterating everything because people won't know to look to the state code or what chapter to look to. So just include the state code by reference under each heading and um that would but
that >> that could apply to all of our MUN code. >> Well, so be it. Yeah. Well, what >> No, no. all of our MUN code because there's a lot of things in every section of the MUN code that we don't repeat what the Florida legislator laws is. >> Yeah. Well, first of all, not to be in
conflict with the state laws, but then secondly, if I need to know what to do about a certain thing, I won't know where to look in the state code where to find it. >> So, just put a little line in there, see statute, C statute, such and such.
>> Thank you. I agree. I don't I think that that's a lot more work that we need to do. Charlotte, what is your position on that? Yours and I guess >> and Mel, >> attorney Harris, but it's now, you know,
as backup. Um, when Dana and I reviewed this, we thought along the same lines as Councilwoman Ibrahart that there was probably a little bit more that we needed to look at instead of just pulling it out. But I think for
the sake of getting it done, that may have been why it was pulled out in its entirety. But um in the conversation and Dana, you can chime in at any point, but we took the lead with the town attorney on this one. >> I would second what Charlotte says.
There's and I might actually even turn to Captain Troutman over there. Like for instance, when I was working through code enforcement, um we I don't know, I'm sure everyone noticed there was an adult arcade that
came up on US27 and it kind of slipped through the cracks because they come to us and they say, "Hey, can I open an arcade in the C1 district?" And we're like, "Yeah, you can open an arcade, you know, in the C1 district." And later come to find out they called
it an adult arcade and it was gambling and it was what would be considered a disorderly house which is covered under section 107-2. Now the way that was handled was really not through code enforcement. We opened
a case, we knew it was there, but we passed it over to the PD who also passed it over to the state. So in that regard, I saw how at a local level it would have been much more difficult for us to enforce. Uh we could work hand inand and
our police department at that time, please correct me if I'm wrong, was working handinand with the state. Um but on a code enforcement level, that was very difficult for us to pursue and it wouldn't have gotten the same amount of
consequence or attention as the state coming down. Now, the moment like probably a week before the state was going to come and do a raid, they vanished. I don't know how they knew, but they were gone. Um, so just like
that type of example where, you know, it might be worth really taking a second look to see if any any of these codes could be sustainable at a local level or if they all really truly are preempted to the state. No, I I wasn't saying that we should do
the enforcing, but just for somebody that says, "I don't know if I can do this or not. I'll check the town code." Well, if there's nothing in the town code because the whole 107 is obliterated, I won't I'll say, "Well, they don't say I can't."
>> How are we going to How are we going to address those areas and make it easier for the residents to be able to know where to look? >> Exactly. I Bob Swain for the record. I I am certainly new to this issue. Uh and I don't know that there's anything that would any urgency that would require you
taking action on this tonight. You have time to think about it. I would encourage you not to include every potential Florida state reference uh regarding there's about three linear feet of uh statutes that could be applied that you would might spend the rest of time trying to incorporate into
the town's ordinances uh to to include all of those references. uh certainly uh fine with taking time to further consider this. >> Well, how how I would envision it is you look at like 107-1 disturbance of the peace, illegal assembly,
one line item under that see Florida statute 877.03. >> There's Florida statutes on most everything >> you can imagine. um I don't know that you want to be the sort of central repository to direct people to all the
applicable laws. If you want to, it's your code, you absolutely can do that. >> And and that's why I disagreed because if you go to the package that's included with all the black and the red, it's all the red is saying for each of those
paragraphs, here's a Florida statute that applies. And so this is only one 107. I'm just thinking of all of our MUN code in all of the time to start pointing backwards. You know, if there's something that's critical, okay, fine.
But mine is more the administrative effort and then trying to keep it right because once that changes, then we got to make sure that our changes. So that's where I was at. It's the duplicative effort is if there is a state law, a
federal law, state law, and a county law, we shouldn't be duplicating it unless there's an important reason or then caution on trying to help everybody become a one-stop shopping on any code.
So, it's it's it's a challenge, right? You want to help the public, but at the same time, you've got to have the, you know, balance the staff administrative effort to do it. the attorneys and the staff to see
>> how they want to do it. >> What's the >> So, Mr. Swain, are you you're you're advising against us putting the state code in here? >> That is correct. I would not include cross references, state code, county
code, federal law. >> Right. Right. So, you're advising against that. I I would I would advise not to include all the state statutes that could potentially be applicable to everything that goes on in in the town. Now, if you if you want to table the consideration of this ordinance for this
evening, you certainly can do that. But but why would we table it for >> if then if someone wanted a council member wanted more time to consider uh the effect of the repeal
>> can someone remind me why we are repealing this statute? Why are we doing this? >> The the genesis is that it's essentially adequately covered by state law. So, we just picked this out and decided that this one is covered by state law, so we can take advantage of this and get rid
of this one. >> What brought this to attention? I'm not sure. >> I mean, did we just throw a dart? >> First amendment, right? >> I think it was the first amendment. >> I I understood it was a first amendment issue and he asked us to repeal one part of this. >> Okay.
>> So, I thought we would do that and then we should review everything else as well. But what I thought the point of this in the beginning and I didn't realize it was this is the second I didn't realize it was the same thing because this is more comprehensive than
just repealing that one part of the code that I thought we were just repealing the part that was um required asked of us to repeal by somebody that was felt injured by our our code. So, we were
going to repeal that one issue and then we were going to look at everything else. Instead, we just that's it. So, I thought, well, what I don't know how it turned into repealing one part of our code to doing all of this. So, I just
said, let's take a breather and let's repeal. Okay. So, let's repeal the part that we were asked to repeal, which everybody agreed should be repealed, and then go back and look at the rest of the the code. >> Which part is that? I guess that's my
question. Which is >> I don't even know anymore. >> What? >> It was a first amendment part of it. I He had asked I mean, we had his attorney had asked us specifically to repeal one section of this and that was it.
We were asked to repeal one part of this. >> What Mr. Harris said was when he went in and he looked at it at a deeper dive, he realized that because it was covered in the other areas that it was something that we didn't necessarily need. However, we have to put something in
because of the violation. This is the one that we received um for the civil rights violation. because of what's written in here it violates >> where where is the civil rights violation it's 107.1 what >> some some of the language that's in here
is rather general obstruction of streets um let's see you have to understand I I I don't remember getting all of this information the last first reading So maybe we did.
I don't remember it. And I'm trying to pour through all of this changes and I just thought I needed more time since Thursday afternoon to do that. I mean, I do understand what was required before
to repeal the one um violation of the uh First Amendment violation, and I'd like to do that, but I don't want to just I don't know. It was just, you know, you have to understand and I work too, so I don't have time to just and I looked at
this and I saw a lot of changes in here and I I mean I just would like more time to ask questions and to to look at it when we're changing a lot of our code. It looks like to me, but maybe maybe I'm wrong. I don't know.
if it were tabled to the next board me to the next uh town council meeting, Bert would have an opportunity to Lord willing be here and be feeling better explain to you why he thinks that the changes over and above what you thought you would see in this uh are
appropriate. You can have more time to uh better understand what all it's covered. Obviously, you can vote for it tonight if you want up or down. Uh but if you wanted to have a that additional time to better understand all all of the background for this, you you could table
it to the specific date of your next town council meeting. >> And whatever ordinance it was that we were asked to rescend, I would like to vote on that tonight, but the rest of everything else I would like to wait on because if we were in violation of a code for the First Amendment, I'd like
to change that tonight. But I don't see doing this this second reading I don't know and even I don't know >> so so again just to clarify >> Mr. attorney. >> Yes sir. >> What and Charlotte what I see is
>> okay we have a priority from the first amendment discussion and correspondence that we have outdated ordinance out there and it
needs to be deleted. And when Bert looked at it, he saw this whole section has all kinds of things in it that are one outdated or two already um have a law against them. So no need
to repeat it. I think what's happened this time to get it confused is the second package that has the language of the code and then a whole bunch of red because when I read it at first I'm like is this replacing it and it's no what
it's it was helpful for me is as I read each of the paragraphs then he or Charlotte gave and these are the state codes today where they apply. So there's no just like you can't hunt squirrels. Well, there's a whole fishing and wildlife and there's laws on when
you can and what you can and what you have to do. So that's what I saw is nothing and help me out Charlotte here. Nothing different from first reading except that whole second package which I think was helpful of these are all in
red. These are the laws today. So why would we want and in many cases what we had is wrong because it was in violation of state laws. So is that correct Charlotte and Mr. Swain? >> From what I think Bert was trying to do
>> that's my understanding. Again another option if you want to p if you want to make sure you're taking care of the first amendment concern this evening you can pass this ordinance repeal all of 107 and later decide if there are parts of it you'd like to add back in. You can do that then through your just sort of
ordinary ordinance adoption process. >> Right. And which would Deborah be on your original point. There's other codes that we need to have revised. We can work our way through those. But that's what I thought. This was an urgency and that's why it kind of got walked on pretty fast because of the correspondence we were getting and why
are we continuing to have our code be outdated on that first amendment um issue. >> Mr. Swain, could you give us a motion to repeal the one that we were in trouble over on the first amendment and then we
could just address all the rest of this later? I mean, could you just tell us the motion to repeal what we started with to repeal that one, which we were asked to do? >> I'm afraid I can't do it in a way that would make it clear exactly what action council is taking tonight. I think you
can uh adopt ordinance 2025-14 which would repeal chapter 107 in it in entirety and then look again to add things back as you may find appropriate to add back. I I I can't give you the sort of rifle shot if you will for what
takes care of only the civil rights issue but nothing over and above that uh this evening because I I can't verbalize it specifically. I can tell you if you take care of the whole problem, you can. >> No, I know there was a letter >> add back in later. >> Yeah, there was a letter that said that.
So, whatever we should do, let's just move forward. >> I'll go ahead and make the motion to approve and adopt on second reading ordinance 2025-14. >> Second. >> So, we have a motion to second. Okay. Any other comments from the podium?
>> Just want to make sure that our town attorney is supporting this adopt today and then separate. >> Okay. >> And the chief's not here, but was the chief in support of this? >> Yes, sir. >> Yes. Yes.
>> Okay. That's what I thought, but I just wanted to hear you say it. Okay. Thank you. Okay. All right. We'll take it. The audience, any comments? Pam Pinterest 12373 Lost Lake Drive. Um I when I read the packet I'm like what is this as a member of the public and
how it read to me and I read that it was a second um um reading. I don't remember the first one. It may have been on the agenda. I don't remember any discussion. I don't remember the red lines. I spent the whole time as does this replace this? Is this over here? What is this? I
go to the LPA committee meetings. This never was brought before the LPA. I'm not saying you'd want to spend five hours on going line by line. I'm just now hearing the reason was the first amendment is the reason for this. In my opinion, when I was reading it and I I
read it, but I didn't have time to okay, what was presented the first time? What is presented now? Is and and is a word slipped in here in a does a paragraph change here? Um so that was that was a big part of my in my concern. And then
there's so much in there. Some of them are just hundred-year-old laws that need to be taken care of. I there was a newspaper article on that. Everybody gets that you can't do this, you can't do that. But then you you read a little bit deeper into some of those things. Um
and it I was concerned with them. If you want to move forward, you can. But as a public member, it for me it wasn't clear clearcut. It's red line. We didn't have it in the packet. Okay, this is what originally it was. The red lines mean that means state
statute. So, we're not putting it in there. We're going to list here's the thing that would just how it's going to be moving forward. And I think if you're going to adopt something like that, you need clear, concise direction to the public so they understand what they're reviewing and what y'all be voting on.
Thank you. >> Okay. Well, if I don't understand and I'm part of the public, I guess um I whatever. >> All right, bring it back. Pull the council. >> Council member Charles,
>> yes. >> Council member Everheart, >> yes. >> Council member Hayes, >> no. >> Council member Warley, >> no. May. >> Yes. >> Okay. Then we go to E ordinance 2025-15,
repeal of the solicitation portion of chapter 117 of the town of Lake Placet and ordinance of the town of Lake Town Ordinance of the Lake Placa Town Council
amending town code section 117-1 regarding definitions repealing town code sections 117-3-5 regarding soliciting and providing for an effective date.
>> This applies for the same reason. >> So did is this first reading or second reading? >> Second reading. >> I didn't know This is likely the first amendment issue. >> Yes. >> It says what what you can and can't walk up somebody's house and talk about.
>> Correct. >> Yeah. And we have no problem with that. So, I'll make a motion that we uh adopt on second reading ordinance 2025-15 repeal the solicitation portions of
chapter 117 of the town lake class. I'll second it. This is the one we really needed to do. >> So, we got a motion in a second. Any other comments from the podium? >> So, is 117.3
about posted residences covered by state law? I believe there is a state law regarding uh peddling generally and solicitors generally. It's been 10 years or better since I've looked at it. City of Sebring had an
ordinance on solicitation and gotten a dust up with the newspaper about it and so we when we found out the state had a statute we said never mind we don't have an ordinance go fight with the state over this. >> Okay. So yeah, this is the one about if I have a if it's the part that was deleted is that if my residence is
posted, they cannot uh solicit. So that it's being deleted and that is being covered by state law >> and certainly private land owners are allowed to allow or disallow people to come on their property to for whatever purpose.
>> Okay. >> Yeah. I talked to I talked to the town manager in Sebring about this and I think you all covered something very similar to this that we just went through and that's the one I thought we were focusing on not everything else.
So, and and again, I mean, I'll go along with it, but I guess if I was a citizen and somebody was on my lawn and I wanted to look in the town code to say you can't do this, I'd be so nice just to be
able to say cease state law such and such because if it's not here, then people will assume, well, it's not in your code that I can't do that. >> Understand? But people never have a right to to go on somebody's property and stay there if they're asked to
leave. >> Yeah, >> I I agree. >> Outside law enforcement. >> Yeah. Yeah, I agree. That's the way it is. But >> as a homeowner, I'm tell Oh, I can't see where it says you can't do this. >> Go ahead,
>> Miss Everheart. She's saying it would be nice to have the backup of what the the state law says to back up our code. I get it. But we can do it tonight for expediency and then as you say add it back in if we need to reference
something else. It would reference the state. So for expediency let's do it tonight. >> Keep us out of trouble. >> Keep us out of trouble. >> We have a motion. We we did. Okay. >> Yeah.
>> All right. Any other comments? Taking the audience. Bring it back. Public council. >> Council member Worley. >> Yes. >> Council member Hayes. >> Yes. >> Council member Charles. >> Yes. >> Council member Everart. >> Yes.
>> All right. Now we go to six action agenda. A. Request for consideration to wave the parking requirement for a change in use at 295 East Enter Lake Placid, Florida.
>> Good evening. Dana Redell, town planner for the record. As noted in the packet, there's a new business interested in utilizing an existing building at 295 East Inner Lake Boulevard. the applicant wishes to change the existing building from the
department of revenue um code. That's just for some background. How we established what the existing use of a building is is determined by the property appraiser who assigns department of revenue code to the property. So they're the existing do
code is a store and they're requesting to convert it to a restaurant/cafe which would be the new DR do code and they're going to utilize approximately 520 ft of the existing building as guest service area. The change in use results in an
increased uh parking requirement which would require eight off- streetet parking spaces. This is something our downtown parking area um it's come up in conversation a couple times. This is something that will be covered
by the master plan and this is one of the challenges that businesses face when they're entering our downtown area. um business uh buildings that exist can remain and they can continue for the use that they were assigned. But when they
change their use, especially to something that's considered more intense like a restaurant instead of a store, which increases foot traffic and uh can serve more people at one time. So it increases the number of parking spaces required generally has to go through a
change of use process or just confirm that they have enough parking spaces on site. Um like you may have heard tabies will be going through a change of use coming up soon and it likely won't have to come before council for any parking
reduction because they're changing their use to something less intense. But they will bring certain things up to standard. So, the applicant is here tonight. I prepared a little bit more in the staff report of an explanation of why and how they can request this waiver and it has
to do with them being located in the historic parking district. Um, and he prepared a parking study which basically meant he went out and he counted the number of parking spaces that were available during his proposed business hours over a two-eek period. And I have
the proposed business hours included in the package. Um, but during that time, the average of all of those available parking spaces in a oneb block radius was an 85% availability rate. So, I'm available for
any questions, and I'll turn it back over to the mayor at this time. I have a question. Uh am am I to understand that uh this that you're opening of a a restaurant and going to do the cooking for the
restaurant in a food truck outside? That was the proposal from the fire marshall and that is something that we will have to review with the new food truck regulations. um I believe with some modifications to the site that he would be able to park a
food truck in the back of the property over a new concrete pad and use that as the kitchen and use the guest service uh the building as the guest service area. >> So basically what you're saying the kitchen would be in the food truck and
then they would bring the food into the building to that's where everybody would sit and and eat. Correct. So basically in the back would be the food truck producing the food, bringing it inside and serving people. Correct. So we've
just um we've just repealed the solicitation part. So we're kind of allowing food trucks now. And now this is this is like a food truck on steroids because the the food truck is in the back and the serving area is through the
restaurant and they can sit in the restaurant. So, it's not like other food trucks where they have to have a if they want to do that, they have a tent and a picnic table out there and now you have the alley. I trust you're going to tell them that they can't deliver food
directly from the food truck out into the alley because now you're going to obstruct traffic in the alley. You're nodding your head. What does that mean? You could restrict that the food truck can only be used to produce food for the
restaurant itself or the storefront. >> You could do that and not have a food truck out back where you're having people come there too. Is that their intent I think was and I don't know because I've not talked to them. So your I think their intent is they want to
just put a food truck out back so they can cook out back which is under the health rules and then bring the food inside. I don't know how that works with the health department. I guess they have to get permission to do that but you could restrict it that they can't have
people coming up to the food truck in the back if you wanted to for the parking. You would have >> they're here, right? Can we have them kind of maybe it be better to have them describe? Welcome. >> Thank you. So, yeah, there's going to be no food served directly from the food
truck. Think of it more as a mobile a mobile kitchen. >> It's going to be parked there. No one's going to go up to it. With barbecue, you pretty much cook all the food morning of and day before. >> So, everything's going to already be cooked, brought inside to serve.
>> And this is on on Inter Lake. >> Yes, ma'am. Um, I looked at the map. I'm familiar with that. Where are you with reference to Home Run Cafe? I >> think it's like two or three doors down. >> Is how much? >> Two or three doors down. >> Two or three doors down. Don't we have
um we have some sort of a regulation with reference to having a food truck that is within a certain area of another restaurant? Not at this time. The last time that the Central Florida Regional Planning Council came with their proposed changes, a decision was not
made and they have to go through first and second reading again and they have to amend the uh proposed changes to reflect the requests from council and that might have been one of the changes that was not captured in the last round of
revisions. So, the food truck that we sent to the alley behind at at Journal Plaza, the food truck that used to be out front, now they're now they have to be in the alley. I thought that was because or at least partly because they were too close to another business.
>> That was because they were parking in the town right away. >> They were in they were in that. But I thought that Yes, I know that was part of it, but I thought the fact that they were too close to another restaurant was also part of it. No, >> because then the the Morty Edis came up and said, "No, that's okay. We like
them." So, there had to be some issue for Morty Edis to come up and say that >> they were they were parked within a certain distance of an intersection. >> Yeah, I know that. I know. I don't think it was proximity. >> I get that. >> I don't think we have any codes on
restaurants located. They could be right next to each other. I don't >> um this is a very interesting concept though and and I see this in my travels to Oregon and and also California and so it's a mobile kitchen, right? But you go
so from the front of Inner Lake, you've got barbecue, right? What what is the name of it? >> Pork chops. Barbecue. >> Pork chops. Okay. But you go in and the customers really don't know where their food's coming from. They're going to order from a menu. Somebody's going to disappear out back and bring it. My
question is back to the permanent. Are you saying then behind the building there would be a slab that Okay. So that would fit in with what we're trying to do the change for the food truck there. And then second just curious is do you see it as being mobile? Is it going to leave and go to the grocery store and
get all your stuff and come back? So will it be it's pretty much you will be going and getting just like a kitchen, right? >> I'm just going to take my personal truck to go get food when I need it. >> Yeah. So I don't see the concern of traffic in the back alley. >> If I do leverage it as a food truck or
food trailer ever in the future, it would not be in the Town Lake Placid. >> So eventually technically you could take the wheels off of it permanently put it there. >> It's a detached kitchen. >> As a detached kitchen. Yeah. Maybe the word mobile kitchen with what he's describing isn't accurate. It's more a detached kitchen.
>> Danny, you you you you've got to have an objection to that somehow. >> Yeah. >> All right. There you go. Could you could you verbalize that for us? Sure. So, uh, we couldn't do a detached kitchen with the wheels taken off because it wouldn't meet the architectural design standards.
It would be a fully metal building. >> Okay. >> Unless he put a some kind of facade on it. >> So, you got to keep the wheels on. >> No problem. >> Keep those wheels on. >> Less work. >> And the wheels have to be in in good
operating working order. >> Yeah. They can't be fake or flat. >> Correct. Has the has have you got approval from fire? >> So, I spoke with fire. I met the marshall. He came out. And the reason why I have to do the mobile kitchen is because I am leasing the property. The current owners don't want me putting any
holes through the the new roof for vent hood. Um, so we wanted to go out the back wall, but fire code dictates they have to be 10 ft from openings or other buildings. So, their suggestion to me was the mobile kitchen. >> So, it was kind of their idea. Yes,
ma'am. >> Dana, have or or Charlotte, has anybody got any feedback from any of the neighboring businesses or any >> No, this isn't the type of hearing that requires notices to surrounding property owners. It's
in the code. It simply says to get permission from town council. It doesn't I don't know how Mr. Swain would categorize that, but I don't think that's a public hearing. This this is only regarding the parking requ waiver of the requirement have sufficient off streetet parking there because of the
historic nature of the area. >> Right. Thank you. It's not a zoning change. It's just asking for a variance on parking, but it does involve what they're going to do. So, and at some point in the future, it's our hope that
we can have a historic district which this would then be in conformance with that. And that was my comfort, right? Because that's what we want for this the downtown area to be a historic disc district and give us the claim to fame
and all of the additional benefits that that has. >> Yeah. I don't Are you planning on serving food out of your food truck to people that come up? No ma'am. >> So you wouldn't mind being restricted that you're only going to put food into the restaurant. >> Correct.
>> I think that would help a lot because that alleyway is used by delivery people and everything else and it's not very wide. >> No, I don't want any people going in the back. >> Right. So maybe we could do that with the restriction that you're not having
uh additional people coming to the back to use a food truck. But we would just be like you said, which is a great name for it. What did you call it? the exterior kitchen, >> mobile kitchen. >> My turn maybe. Um I know we're talking
about parking, but we're also talking about a change of views or something. Um I happen to know or a pretty pretty good idea that another restaurant tour on the same street very next to where you're going also has a food truck and may well
park it in back and he has a kitchen inside. Mhm. >> Now, can you visualize this that each restaurant that we have would like to have would love to have an outside kitchen as opposed to having a fire hood. That's a pain in the rear and it's
very expensive. So, let's move all you know, let's move our kitchen outside and my gosh, we can have a lot more place for people to eat. So I'm just afraid that we're start setting a dangerous precedent and and I know this is parking. So I don't want to I don't want
to say oh yes great you can have your parking but you can't have your food truck and you can't have your business. So you know I just want to be clear that I'm visualizing uh historic Lake Placid. Um, but I don't know whether we have a different history
in in in the head because what I'm not I I don't see how Historic Lake Placid has food trucks on the back of every restaurant front that we got. So, I'm just saying. And I'm I'm also afraid I know what you saw. I saw your parking thing. I was I was interested to see it,
but I'm just curious of how that's going to affect the other restaurants if they are open at night. There's a restaurant across the street >> that is open at night. There's uh there's a Purple Iris is open at night. The Mexican restaurant next to Lockarts is open at night. And so the these folks
have to have parking, too. And and yes, you got I get this, you know, but I'm just saying I think we're going down a a dangerous street there. I wouldn't want you I know this is just on parking tonight, but I think we're
thinking ahead. We would wouldn't want you to get approved for parking and then a month from now somebody says, "Oh, no, you can't because of whatever." >> Right. That's what I just said. Yeah. I just don't want to. >> But as far as parking, we need I don't know. This is always a mess. You can't
just because there are restaurants nearby that need parking, you can't preclude another, let's say it was another restaurant going in. You can't preclude another conventional restaurant for going in because there's somebody down the road that needs parking.
>> I think it's it's helpful. I'm telling you, like the lacrosse mom said, it was so nice to come into town and eat at a small restaurant instead of going taking her child to a fast food place. She just loved it. And I I just think the more we
have, the more people will come. It's kind of like you do um car dealerships or look at CVS and Walgreens are always like across because they they create that downtown atmosphere. I I think it's a good idea. Maybe there should be a
restriction because I'm telling you that alleyway cannot have people coming and getting food. It it just won't work. It's not big enough and it's really made to have deliveries and have, you know, that kind of access, not to a food truck. So, I think that we could move
forward. And Miss Charles, what did you call the al exterior kitchen? What did you call it? You had a term. It was perfect. I >> just kept saying a mobile kitchen is what it is. Okay. >> That's what And again, what I heard him say was it's the truck isn't going to
come in and out of the alley. It's coming in. There it is. People aren't going to the truck. People probably won't even know the truck's there unless they come through the alley. It's It's a barbecue coming in. The people order inside. Correct me if this is what I'm just repeating. You
know what you said. The people come in, they sit down, take the order, somebody disappears rather than go to the kitchen. >> Yep. And it's just counter service. There's >> they then bring and serve them um you know the food and and I agree. I just think a a variety of restaurants
is important and and it's attractive. >> I agree. I I often look for a place to go out to eat at night and I get tired of eating at the same places and I I I totally agree. However, I think we are opening a a a a can of worms here by
allowing a food truck um to operate as a what you call it a mobile kitchen or whatever. Uh that California term kind of threw me, but no, I just say California they have this >> exterior kitchen. Miss Dana, could you help us with that
word so we could make a motion? Like if we were to approve a variance in parking to allow these people to have whatever you want to call it, a mobile kitchen that doesn't go anywhere,
a uh an exterior kitchen separate from the building with no the only people coming there would be through the front door through the restaurant. Is there a way to wordsmith that? Because like I like I like Mr.
Everhard and I both have said, we we would love to have your business and that I think it's a great thing. And I would go there, but um I don't want to say say to you tonight, well, we'll give you a variance on the parking and then
oh, but by the way, we're not going to allow the food truck now. We're not allowing you to do business the way you propose to do business. So, we're talking about more than just parking, but I just feel like we're opening a can of worms if we allow uh people to have
uh food trucks operating as their kitchen because I could picture oh three or four or six restaurants in Lake Placid in the town that would probably jump on that bandwagon in a heartbeat. >> Well, now wait. We also have um at uh
preachers place, aren't they going to have a food truck? >> A standalone food truck on their property. >> Where is this? >> It already is three days. It is already 3 days. So So there you go. >> They have they have And especially if
he's willing not to serve out the back way. >> Yeah. I don't >> I just think we just need Yeah. Yeah. Down at the new down by the Christian school, he has a food truck. He has a required bathroom. So, he's allowed to do that on his property. So, if we if we
do this and then each case can be taken separately. Each variance is a variance. So, this will be our first one. Um, but I I like the idea. I wouldn't even mind people sitting outside with some
umbrellas in the back as long as there's not going to be people coming up from the back and just using it as a food truck. I like the term >> exterior. Yeah, exterior kitchen. >> A summer kitchen. But can I can I ask
and Dana or >> summer kitchen, >> Mr. Swain? Is this is parking? >> Correct. >> Is there during his endeavor to get this completed? Are there other checkpoints that he has to
do with people? he will >> or whoever I mean on on his concept of what he wants to do. >> He'll likely pull an interior renovation permit through the building department. Um he will go through the Highlands
County Engineering Department for uh traffic concurrency. He since he has to pour a concrete pad 10 ft away from the building, he will likely receive an exemption uh from the commercial review process because he's
adding less than 2,000 square ft of impervious. So there's a couple more steps that he would take. >> Yeah. I guess where I'm going is to try to all of a sudden tie a whole bunch of things into the parking >> and and how do you how do you make that
motion and do that with some of the concerns that I'm hearing some >> I think I can do it. >> I think I can do it and I think I'm ready to make a motion and see if you guys like it or not. But um I say that we approve the parking variance
with um the conditions that the exterior condition the exterior kitchen be located in the back of the building with no other than the people that are in the
front building used as a um restaurant. No other people will be coming and using the exterior kitchen except for the inside the building itself or maybe some um patio people outside. That's it. like
that port that um exterior kitchen would only provide services for the front portion of the property and in the back for maybe some patio some patio exterior. Eva's just shaking her head like I am
too. I mean I think it's I think your your point is the parking's okay. You want to put some conditions on who can access the truck in the back, right? So, non-emp employees maybe is a simple way to I I would be cautious on outdoor eery
and umbrellas and things like that on the back. I wouldn't put that. I mean, if some point in the future they want to do that, that's a get back to council and do that. But right now, he's not planning on doing that. >> Can I uh I think I've summarized Councilwoman Worley's motion.
Um, it would be a motion to approve LPTC25.007 to allow a parking waiver with the condition that the mobile kitchen cannot serve any patrons other than those located within the stick and mortar
building. >> That meet you. >> I'll make that motion. >> Second. >> Have a motion to second. Any other comments? >> So, um, then just just for clarity, Deborah,
you're you're not saying anything now about people being able to get this food and then and then take it outside in the back and eat it, right? Because if you can't serve from the food
truck, here I am. I want to eat outside. So, I'm going to come in to the counter and I'm going to order and I'm going to get my barbecue. And now I want to take it outside. Now, I got to take it out the front of the building, go around the building. Oh, wait a minute. Those buildings are contiguous. You can't go
around. I got to go down the block and go around and put sit in my on the picnic table that might be back there. I' I've already No, I got off the calories of the hamburger. >> I think that Dana excluded the rest of it that I said you could have out back. It has to be in the It has to be in the
front part. >> Yeah. The parking waiver is for 520 square ft of guest service area inside of the building. >> Inside the building. Nothing outside anywhere. Even around the back. Nothing outside. >> Correct. If someone gets takeout, I'm
sure they could go eat it wherever. But >> wherever. True. Okay. >> Yeah. And then in in the future, >> I don't see that as I don't see that as a problem anyway cuz every restaurant in town, you could get a takeout >> and take it outside and eat it wherever you wanted to, right?
>> Or they could take it over to the park. >> You know, personally, I think this is a a great idea. I think we should let him try it. And there's nothing that says the next one that comes up that we have to okay it. uh if he does this and it
doesn't work, we'll know it right away. Uh but I want us to be uh friendly to our our business owners and I think we ought to give everybody a chance to to to do what they would like as as long as
as long as they follow the uh follow the rules. And you know, he's going to be governed by the health department. He's going to be inspected. Everything's going to be up and up. So, uh, yeah. As far as the parking, I'm in favor of that. So,
any other comments? >> I don't know that. Do we have a second? >> Yeah. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> We had a motion, a second. Any other comments from the podium? Take it to the audience. Pull the council. >> Council member Worley.
>> Yes. >> Council member Charles. >> Yes. >> Council member Hayes. >> No. Council member. >> Yes. >> Thank you, council. >> Thank you. >> Good luck on the other steps. >> Yeah. Blessings.
>> Blessings. I hope it works for you and I hope I can eat down there. >> No. Be was taken off. Right. >> Okay. >> Okay. But this thing with parking, we have to make sure we're consistent with everybody because there have been in the
past I've gotten feedback well of inconsistencies. >> Yes, >> that's why I voted no because we're setting a precedent right now. And now everybody that comes along that wants to have a mobile kitchen in the back and
and they're in the same place and they've got the same parking study because they're they're two doors down. Uh now we have to approve that too. So that's that and we have to we have to uh uh go away with the parking requirements. So that's why I voted no for it.
>> Okay. Uh we'll go town manager. >> You're good. >> No no not good. I am good but I have a date I need to look at and make sure I'm giving
you the right date. We wanted to know next Tuesday the 28th for a special meeting at 5:30. If everyone can check, it's the police department bids. It's going to be for the police
department bid special meeting >> and we are working on putting together a snapshot of the finances. We will have that attentively. Rachel is working on that. But if you
would like to meet to discuss that before the meeting on the 28th, we are asking for you to look at your um schedules for the 27th and the 28th to meet with Rachel and I for any financial discussions that you would like to have regarding the police department before
we have the bid meeting on the 28th. I know that's a tight turnaround. Charlotte, we didn't advertise that as the for the special meeting. It's not on special meetings are advertised specifically for one specific thing and we did >> right for the >> for the bid. I only put the bids on
there for the PD for the 28th >> for the special meeting on the October 28th. >> Right. >> The finances is only for the bids. >> Oh, yes. No, no, no, no, no. I'm saying individually council will meet with Rachel. >> I just want to make sure. >> Yes. No, no. I'm sorry. I was confused.
I'm like, "Wait a minute." Yes. So, if you want to meet with us individually before the special meeting on the 28th, let me put it that way. The special meeting would be on the 28th at 5:30 here. >> Okay. >> And then, um, to allow Rachel time to be
able to pull everything together, if you will check your schedules for Monday, anytime after 1, we can schedule. And then Tuesday, anytime after 10 a.m.
>> That That's the two days before the meeting. Is that Am I looking at >> the And on Tuesday, it will be the actual day of the meeting. The meeting will be >> with Rachel. So Rachel's off this week. Is that what we're saying? >> No. Rachel, >> she won't have the information available. >> She just got back, so she's going to
work on it. >> Okay. And again, you're saying the bid. What does that mean? What's is this a decision to accept the bid? Correct. and Bert because Bert had said he was going to bring something to this meeting, right? We delayed >> last week be on the
>> he was working on a contract the contract and um so he's working on the contract and then we've been looking at value engineering. >> Okay. >> And so that's all what's being tied up and trying to get finished so that it'll be ready. Okay. >> They did not have that ready for this
meeting, >> which is the reason why I wasn't forthcoming. >> So that's eight days, right? >> Yes. And very And just so everybody knows, we're literally bouncing from one in the office, one out. One in, one out. One in and one out. And that is our
reality right now. We are dancing that tune. >> Okay. So this is a SMCO bid or is it all of the bids? What? This will be the Simco. >> The Simco. >> Yes, ma'am. So, um, my understanding is if you decide that we don't want this one, you want to go to the next one,
you'll make all of those decisions when we're there, but it'll be on the bid. So, but Simco will be there with their bid and also with the value engineering where we've brought it down. But, >> but do we have to give the others the opportunity
to change their bids? >> No. Okay. >> It's value engineer. I mean, Bob, you can talk to this if you'd like, but so the bid came in at 2.2. Our budget is 1.6. And so, um, we were talking with them
about value engineering and a contract. So, they're in the process of getting the contract ready for us >> with your, uh, presumptive low bidder sent, right? >> Correct. >> Sure. >> Yeah, that's correct. >> So, Mr. Mr. Shin, I have a question on
that. So, so we can we can negotiate with one of the biders, but we don't have to go back to the others to give them a chance to >> So, you you have options. You can reject all bids and go back and adjust your
scope with whatever value engineering things you think ought to be >> reconsidered by a larger group. You can work with >> in the microphone. Maybe turn the mic. Yeah, >> it's hard. >> You can uh reject all bids and say it's over budget and go back out to bid with
a revised scope of work. Uh you can negotiate with the low place. You you couldn't negotiate with them to go really up, but but negotiating for them to take less money is something that uh you could do. Um so you you've got flexibility there. You you can't skip
over number one and say we like number two better. Um, so you do have to start with one. >> Even if number two was close in price, you still have to go with the >> you can't let everybody else, you know, try harder now that the numbers are known >> and no, >> you could reject all and put it back
out. But >> Sure. And and I guess I've always been curious about the contractors that came to the meeting. They picked up a packet. They were told the budget's 1.6 6 and they never gave any bid at all because they
couldn't even get to 1.6. And if we're going to negotiate on the 2.3 person to come down to 2 million, >> I just I it's just the overall make sure the fairness with all of the contractors, not just those who bid, but
those who were told this is our budget and maybe they could have done it for >> certain that is certainly possible that that some did not even bother putting in a a bid knowing that and and you're you aren't simply haggling with them over the price. You're ask you're changing the scope of the value engineering.
you're figuring out things you can >> do without or things that they might recommend that would be equivalent >> um in quality and performance. >> So that's that's a different animal than simply asking them to get even skinnier. >> So this is just on price, not on any
scope. >> If you're value engineering, you're changing that. I mean my understanding of value engineering is you're changing the scope. You're saying instead of uh 14 foot ceilings, we're going to, you know, 12 foot ceilings if that makes if that saves supplies or is easier to put.
>> So, so bid specifications you're changing in order to get the price lower. >> Typically, you hear from the contractor where they say it was designed this way, but from a contractor's perspective, if you make these changes, we can save you a lot of money. Okay? Yeah, if you you
can use PVC in this area rather than copper things like things like that, >> right? >> So then we can if we can getting back to my question rebid with the reduced scope and tell the people who had walked away we're
rebidding on this reduced scope. >> You can you typically value engineer with a contractor. I don't think this contractor would want to >> help you all find areas you could save and then get to rebid against themselves. >> I think they would like if they were
going through this. Typically, when you value engineer, the contractor gets some of the savings. It gets to keep some of the money that would be the overall savings that encourages them, you know, to to try hard instead of just saying we'll build it like we designed it because we don't want any liability for
design li, you know, liability that it was improvidently designed. And and let me clarify when I say we're working on value engineering, Mason with cool and cobb is the one who is handling this project for the town. So it has been in conversation with him where we
have looked at other items that we were going through this process to begin with with meeting to go over the design and the engineering portion for the police department. We knew and chief is not here and I know Stuart has stepped into this but when we went through this process we went with the intent of
knowing that the town of Lake Placid is going to grow and so there are areas that we already knew that we could potentially scale back on it. It was built with this is what we would like but we knew that we may have to do this number. So Mason has been working with
Bert Warner because we already knew when Kevin was here that there were issues and concerns with the way that the water was going to run underneath the road underneath 27. So those are some of the conversations that are happening right now between Bert Warner and Mason or his
team at Cool and Cobb. And then once we get the contract, we will have to then try to value engineer with the um if we award them with SIMO. >> I I really think we're past we're past
the point where we can go back out to bid again. Um every time we delay, and I keep bringing this up every time. Every time we delay, the opportunity goes up another $200 or $300,000. If we reject all bids at this point, we
can't because we have already we've already looked at the low bidder and and why we don't have a contract, but we have in in in essence accepted that low bid. Well, >> I think it's looking at the fairness of it. As Colleen said, if somebody uh if a
potential bidder walked away because they thought that there was no way they could do it for the 1.6 six and they walked away and didn't even submit a bid. And now it comes back that maybe they would have bid if they hadn't known these things.
>> But I I think in their business they know that. I think in their business they know that that's a that that is a possibility that could happen. Um, I also don't think that in this particular situation, we're going to uh have a value engineering
um uh situation that's going to say, "Okay, instead of a 4,300 ft building, now we're going to have a 3,300 foot building." That's not that's not what's going to happen. I I that's not where we're at with it. Um I think it's it's
just that we're looking at some things. Maybe we can remove the, you know, the water, whatever she's talking about there. That would not have anything to do with the building. That would have to do with utilities. But we we already have told these Simco people that they
are the low bid. And and they were here for that whole meeting last time and then we did nothing. Um, which we're quite good at. So, um, here we have the the Simco bid and and now you you want to start over again. You're you're going
to try to keep this going and going and going until you're not going to get a police station. Then you win. No, you lose because the town loses. You can look at me and chastise me all you want. It was I was asking the questions about the value engineering
what the process and it was Mr. Swain who said what you could do. >> I understand. >> So you can you can continue to >> to comment towards me personally however you want. I'm going to continue to ask the questions and these are on the
legalities of how the bid went out of the contractors and then asking the question about the fairness with the other suppliers and even I just said the second one was 30,000 apart. So, if if our bid documentation is sound, how we
went out with the we've got the funding, we've got the u the option that we can negotiate with somebody on the price. If all of that is sound in the legal language, that's what we have attorneys for. Now, I was just asking what the process was. >> Well, I think
>> so. Charlotte, is it the cool and cobb will be doing the presentation of ideas that they think that the scope could be reduced? We've been going through a list with him. So Mason has like a list of different things and as Mr. Swain said like even with the flooring like if we
went with techno flooring we would downsize that then where it's not something that's techno it's a lesser product a lesser quality product I should say. So some of those things we've looked at >> and are and those are things that weren't in the bid as specifications that we required.
>> Correct. >> Okay. All right. So, >> yeah. So, the meeting set for Tuesday the 28th at 5:30. Okay. and just reach out to me so that I can get everybody scheduled if you'd like to
come >> and and let's if we get if we meet with you ahead of time and we discuss some issues and we come to a conclusion or an understanding of those issues, then we don't have to come on the 28th and
repeat those issues for public comment that we we've already got it, we understand it, and we move forward. Do we have to is there any reason that we would come? Because if we're going to come and and talk to you and I I'm happy to do that, but if we're going to come and talk to you and then we're going to come on the 28th at 5:30 and we're going
to bring up these same issues again so you can tell me the same thing again, then why am I coming in the first place? for for the public so that the public can hear the questions to >> agree that we are really
um pursuing the public's interests of proper management of um call it taxpayer dollars and the decision we made. So and we can't individually we can't have that discussion. And it was just coming to you asking your questions and then yes we have the prerogative if I want to ask
the same question publicly so the public can hear the answer >> and and the public is who elected us >> and I'm also not meeting with Cool and Cobb right I'm meeting with you guys. Yeah. >> And the public is who elected us. So I should think that they would have the confidence in us that we discussed this
and we know what we're talking about and we're going to have the best interest of the public in mind. But if I may have some questions, but and I may talk to Charlotte about it, but then if you if you feel that I have to come back here and tell the public, hey, this is what I
learned and this is, you know, this is the question and these are the still questions I still have even though they've been answered for me. Um, you know, then I'm I'm sorry. I'm not going to I'm not going to come ahead of time. I'll just bring it all here. >> Okay.
>> All right. All right, we'll go to council member Joy. You got anything? >> Um, I think I mentioned about using maybe the doll hall building for after school things. And when I heard um, uh,
Genesis say about value or life life skills, that's also been one of my things that kids need to know. And again, if we can get anybody to volunteer from the community to help us And councilwoman um Hayes also said some
who was our guest speaker at Kowanas. >> Where was she from? >> We're at We're at Rotary, not Kowanas. It's Rotary. >> Rotary. I'm sorry. I got Kas. >> Danielle Dom. >> Was it Danielle? >> Yes. >> She is with >> Big Brothers Big Sisters. >> Big Brother.
>> Big Brothers Big Sisters. >> Yes. And that was one that Councilwoman Charles spoke about, too. So, it's all coming together. It'll all come together. >> Okay, that's it. >> Deborah. >> Yeah. I just, you know, last meeting
that we didn't have air conditioning and Harry's not not here tonight, but I just wanted to thank him for going out of his way to go get fans and I didn't have to go home and change clothes. So, I just wanted to say a shout out to Harry. Wherever you are, thank you very much
for doing that for us. That was really nice. And um yeah, there's a lot of exciting things happening. And next month, um lacrosse is coming back. I don't know, still don't know the dates for sure, but that's going to they're going to actually stay overnight. It's going to be very exciting. And they want
to bring their big tournaments here. So, yay. Anyway, >> bless you all. No, >> I went to the ARPAC meeting the other day and I just want to say I know he's not here, but that Harry did a great job
and so did Carolyn Morrison did a great job as well and she talked very positively about pickle ball courts and I was glad to see um Carolyn Morrison talking uh what you know in in a positive way about our about our pickle ball court project and that we could
have a second project going at the same time and I was pleased to see that. So maybe we can get pickle ball courts going and what am I supposed to say? Playgrounds playgrounds going at the same time. >> Okay.
>> Um just a couple things. First, congratulations on the Facebook launch for the town. That's great. Uh >> push it, push it, >> push it, push it, push it, push it. Yeah. Um, and then also, Council Member Worly is being modest and didn't say,
but this weekend was the hundred-year anniversary of uh the college, which is the original high school. And so, um, it was really cool. So, I attended and I actually found out that
Council Member Worly was a queen way back when and I could see her picture in her yearbook and her full crowning and that. So, congratulations on that. But that was very nice. And then Charlotte, I did spend some time with some and I've
got their business cards. A couple administrators. One talking about potential college intern and the the curriculums that they have in our high school, you know, co-ops. I mean, we call the word co-op and intern interchangeably, but um
that could be a great opportunity. They've got a lot of business students. They have a lot of different things. So, I do have information on that. Maybe you and I can work with them. Then the other thing I talked about to council member Eberhart's um question was they have a
mentoring program going on that they've started with the high school kids to sign up and be mentored in that. And so I mentioned to her, this is something that when we knock, you know, knocked on doors, some things we wanted to do for the youth and we actually found retired
school teachers who said, I'll help with mentoring. And I've since approached a couple other people and so I think we could team up with I I've got their information. I'm going to set up some time with them to see, okay, how can we make this overall work? I was very pleased to see
um if you go to Zillow, and that's always bothered me. If you go to Zillow and you look at Lake Placid school systems of a scale of 10, we are always been rated three or four for elementary, middle, and high school. I pulled it up in front of her and same thing, middle
and elementary are rated four of 10. High school is rated like seven or eight. Somehow high school just jumped right up to the top. But I've always been a firm believer that okay, if we can give some attention, you know, trying to figure out what's causing
these low scores and and I think maybe some tutoring, it could be helpful. So, um I just wanted to share that. And then the last um I appreciate um just on the uh the smoke run is maybe going forward when we have road closures, not just
communicate, but where was the road that was closed, right? because we had the high school run the week before and people didn't know, you know, we kind of got impacted with that with Miracle League, but then this time it's also if we can just the communication is good, but maybe the road where they're going
to actually be closed for the public, it would be helpful. That was kind of the feedback. Somebody kept trying trying to get downtown and they couldn't no matter what route they and and it was there weren't like detour signs either on okay go here and then once they got way past the high school the Marquetto what do I
do and how do I get back so just a comment I was going to say I have a girl for that her name is Cordelia she's going to help me with that >> okay yeah >> we probably had have to have a permit for the signs or Dana would take them
Um, >> they would, but they didn't. Those signs were all over as they should be. >> I thought they were in violation. I bet you >> No, it came to you. You You said it came to council. >> A certain amount of the sign council knows you can't put
>> I want to thank I don't have anything, but I just want to thank Mr. Swain for coming down. We always appreciate you. >> Always good to be here. >> You're always welcome. And >> thank you, Mayor. >> We we enjoy having you. >> All right. Anything else come before
town council? >> People will be out the rest of this week. FYI, >> yeah, as of midnight, right? >> Yeah, we're driving out midnight. Yeah. >> You need her. You You got three hours
and 19 minutes. >> Yeah. meeting journ.