Please rise for invitation by Pastor Aaron Gary of Stru Greek Presbyterian Church. Hopefully I didn't pronounce it to you. Got it. I got it. Welcome. Thank you. Thank you. Let's open in prayer together.
Almighty God and heavenly father, as you have appointed the civil government for the good order of society, so grant these council members wisdom from above. Enable them to be able and trustworthy. Make them men and women who
love you so that in our city justice may run down like a river and righteousness like an everflowing stream. Enable them to defend the weak and the fatherless, to maintain the right of the afflicted, and to rescue the weak and
needy, and let them be assured tonight of the good work that they have put their hand to. Uphold them, Father, by your spirit. Our Lord and our God, you are God over all, rich in mercy to all that call upon you, wise, powerful,
holy, just, and good. And so bless them in their public duties. Make them in all their places faithful and serviceful to the interest of this community and sustain them and their families. Grant them great success
under your watchful care in all that they do so that the people of Port Orange who are made in your image might flourish and enjoy great peace from your gracious hand. Do this we pray for your glory and in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.
Thank you, pastor. For the pledge of allegiance. 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.
Court call the role. Councilman Foley here. Councilman Gford here. Councilman Green here. Vice Mayor Grubs. Mayor Scarner here. All right. Uh, special reports. Item
four, Causeway Docks project update. Good evening, Mayor and Council. Susan Law, Parks and Recreation Director. I have with me tonight our engineer of record, um, Shayless Patel from Dredging and Marine Consultants here in Port Orange. and he is gonna um kind of go through an update at your request to
kind of go over the project at the causeway and kind of the difficulties that uh the project has um so that we have a better understanding as we go forward and get ready for this project in August. Shayless, thank you Susan. Good evening uh
everyone here. Um I'm Shayish Patel with Dredging and Marine Consultants. Um I'm going to discuss this project, give you a quick overview so that you understand what has been um done and where we are going with this project. So um just give you a bit of where we are
with the project. Um in terms of location, obviously it is under the causeway Dunladen causeway bridge. Um there's a few things that we're doing essentially to enhance this this boat ramp that's been there for at least over 30 years. Right. So, some of the things
that we're doing is entirely reconstructing the boat ramp. We're also reconstructing the accessory dock, which is where you walk onto with the gang way into a floating dock system. Right. So, we're going from the aluminum and PVC
type floating device to a concrete floating dock. So, it's going to be robust. It's going to be also ADA compliant. So, we're going to replace all the three that are on the main ramp, including the other one that is on the ADA side. Um, and I'll talk a little bit about that, but just essentially letting
you know along with that, we're also uh repaving the 22 car parking spots that are next to it. Um, that'll be part of the project with a different funding mechanism, but we're combining the two projects together. Um, we're going to also in, you know, improve some of the,
um, aspects of the boat ramp itself with the grooves, with the slope, with the railings, with the ballards, and also the signage. Um we've re recently gone through uh quite a few boat ramps and we've learned that signage is very critical because of uh frivolous
lawsuits that happen. People slip and fall. Um if there isn't signage then they have you know an opportunity. So we're trying to make sure that we mitigate and bring all those aspects to our boat ramp system. Um during construction we will also be obviously
um abiding by all compliance for uh environmental protection, manity protection, erosion control, turbidity etc. So these are things we always do on all our boat ramp projects. So the proposed features as I said was essentially looking at the 20 parking
spots plus the 288 that's 22. We're going to pave everything that you see from here all the way on both sides of the boat ramp entryway. And then we're going to replace this entire boat ramp system. We are going to have a concrete
accessory dock. Right now, you've got a wood one that kind of goes up and then it goes down. So, when the tides are low, you're you're past the ADA compliance, right? And so, we're going to have three gang ways um next to it and then concrete floating docks. And I I'll show you some pictures so you
understand what this is all about. But along with that, the key features of improvement, right? So, one thing is we're going to have a a curve aspects uh to the boat ramp. So, what we've learned through the years is boats are getting bigger. Uh trailers
are sometimes uh made at home. Um so, they're low riding and so they hit the curb on the top end. So, we we've kind of tried to mitigate for all those features. The other aspect of this project um that you see uh let me see yeah is on this boat ramp on all three
sides we're going to have sheet piles um if you currently go to the boat ramp you see that there's nothing there right so you can see scour going under the boat ramp etc through hurricanes and stuff like that so we're going to literally lock in the boat ramp on all three sides right so there's there's no more scour
there's no more cracks on the boat ramps etc is that is that like in layman's terms is that like where the wash out that happens up underneath the concrete structure. Absolutely. Yeah. So, we we put sheet piles to kind of close off everything up to the boat ramp itself
and and one of the features we've we've done for many years now is is the groove system, right? So, that we have studied that uh it was started in California about 354 years ago. The way it is designed is so that all four tires on a vehicle for most part will remain on the
grooves to get the maximum traction. Um, and I'll show you what we currently have versus what we're proposing to do. And then signage, right? Um, we want to make sure if someone's using the boat ramp that they understand that they're at risk if they don't have a appropriate footwear because you can get slippage,
there's algae growth, etc. Sand sometimes builds up after hurricanes and stuff and people might slip and fall, right? We've gone through um protecting some of our municipalities with litigation on on when they claim um things have happened to people, they've
fallen and injuries 3 years later they want to sue the city, etc. So, we're going to avoid all that as best as we can. Um proposed lay down area, right? So, we don't want to close the boat ramp parking trailer spot because we know there's a there's a ramp system to the
north, right, that potentially boers can still use. So, what we're going to do is under the causeway as you enter the boat ramp area, what you see in red is the area that's going to be used for staging and lay down of sheet piles of concrete piles, etc. Whatever the contractor
needs. So, it's completely out of the way of the boers. They can still park their cars um in our area. And we're going to work with the contractor. would love to separate the entire project area, but we do know that the parking lot, the 22 parking spots are used by
the folks that use the pier. So, we will work a schedule out with the contractor so that while they're working on the boat ramp, focus on the boat ramp and then once we start the parking lot, we minimize the time away from, you know, cars there. There are additional parking spots to the north side for for
vehicles, right? Um so, they can use that. So, we'll try and minimize that. um lack of use, if you will. All right. So, staging area will will prevent anyone from complaining about, hey, we you're taking away our parking spots for the trailers or what have you, right?
So, this is kind of what um I was explaining is the groove system. Um it's pretty intense work, but it is worthwhile. Uh we've done several boat ramps now in the state of Florida. We use this. This is kind of almost our
patented design uh because we've studied it over the last various decades just to kind of see what it does and how they work every time. But you can see the groove system on the top left. You can see on the right hand side how it is made. And then you can see overall um
that concrete accessory dock that I'm talking about where even in hurricanes what happens is the wood inundates. Sometimes it lifts up, it rots. This way you have a more permanent and a robust structure. Okay. Um so again showing you on the left and
top uh photo of what we currently have. You can see the groove system. It's almost parallel to the to the shore or parallel to the boat ramp if you will and it's very minor. Ours are very distinct, right? And that allows for better traction uh not only vehicles but
people also. and it takes a bit longer, if you will, for those grooves to get filled up, easy to pressure wash, clean them up, and still have and maintain that traction. Um, we're going to have a flush uh curbing system between the asphalt and the and the boat ramp, so it
prevents that from um breaking up the concrete, the asphalt sections. We have a pretty good system right now at the causeway. It's it's fine, but we've seen a lot of dock structures where ramp structures rather where it starts um the asphalt starts splitting from the ramp. Right? So, we want to try and avoid all
that kind of happening. Give you again a view of what we have on the left hand side versus what you should anticipate on the right hand side. So, on the left hand side, you can see our floating dock system. You can see the accessory dock is wooden. It's rising. And then you have a
small short gangway. Our gang rays are going to be about 30 foot. It'll take the floating floats a little bit further. Allows you for more uh water depth so the boers don't have any issue. We've seen 40footers um use this 45footers use this boat ramp. So we
understand that aspect very well. But you can see the difference between um the left photo and the right photo which is what our boat ramps are now going to look like. Okay. Parking lot. Uh pretty straightforward. Um you can see on the left hand side we're going to have wheel
stops kind of make a better you know improved parking area for everyone. There's a pond up there. So we're looking at safety aspects etc. Um bottom right photo just to kind of give you a visual. This is not exactly how the side sheet piles are going to look. This was
a project in Lake County we did. It had a boat ramp but kind of give you a perspective of you'll have sheets at the end of your ramp on either side. Right. so that it prevents any scour. All right, let's talk a little bit about what the project will how it
will progress. Right? So, one of the major aspects of boat ramp is putting a coffer dam. So, you see on the top left photo, uh what the contractor will do is they'll drive these steel sheets and kind of lock in that boat ramp area and then they're going to dewater, take out
all the water and they'll keep those pumps running. Then they'll start the demolition process of the boat ramp. They'll install the pilings. They'll install all the concrete stuff. Um we check the compaction, make sure everything's good. We'll have a 8 in
thick slab. Um so it's not going anywhere for the next 50, 60, 70 years. Um but you can see how it is done. And then on the right side, the top right, you see how the boat ramp um ramp is actually put in. Right. So, they're
going to set all that up and then they'll do do a section at a time with the groove system. Um, so that's basically how it happens. And then at the end of the day when it's all taken out, the bottom right photo is what the boat ramps are going to look like. So, you can almost visualize what our boat
ramps they're going to look like. The photo at the bottom right. Um, this is currently what we have project wise. So, our project starts right about where the parking lot of the cars is. comes all the way around. We're going to reassalt all that a little bit under the bridge,
a little bit on this side, and then we'll go ahead and reconstruct entire one, two, three, and four float systems. Right. So, and at the end of the day, this is kind of what it should look like when it's all said and done. Okay. So, I think it'll it'll give
the Boers again the ability to use each and every side of the boat ramp. Um, one of the things you'll notice, um, a little technical, but I'll kind of explain when you see these piles, they're inside the floating system. That means the boats can park on any side without having to worry about whether
they're going to get damaged or scratched or anything like that. So, we use the inside pile guides to help protect both Boers and their boats from um, getting damaged. So, kind of let you know a little bit about some of the nearest boat ramps because I know this is our pretty much
only boat ramp in Port Orange and heavily used. So, what we did was just to kind of give you an idea of all the boat ramps that are that are nearby. Um, and so we've put this slide together to kind of show you that within a 15 mile radius, there's 11 um you know uh boat
ramps that are available to our users um while this boat ramp is being constructed. But um within I think 10 miles is about seven of them. So we do have nearby boat ramps that people can use while we're under construction. And I know the biggest question is you know
how long is it going to take? So let me explain a little bit about the schedule. Uh it's a one-year long project right because the critical part is first they have to um get the sheet piles in. That's the first thing that they have to do. uh the coffer dam along with that
there's almost a four to six month waiting period and now with the tariffs for the floating dock system we don't know what that's going to be so one of the strategies we've discussed with the city is once we get the contractor on board let them order
the supplies get all the supplies then possibly stop the construction so that we can reduce the time rather than close off the facility while we're waiting for materials to come in etc. Right? So it's just the nature of how things are at the
moment. Um so it takes quite a bit of time. So you can see the things they have to do from mobilization, installing temporary coffer dams, dewatering the boat ramp. All those things take a while and and again we give a bit of a cushion because
the biggest thing is I don't want to give you five, six months and then it goes to seven months and then everybody complains to you and say, "Well, what's going on with the project?" Right? So we're very comfortable that in 12 months we can get the project done. Can we get it done in in lesser time? Absolutely.
But we'll sit down with the contractor that we select and then we'll talk about the process with them to make sure that we can squeeze that time time frame. Okay. Um I I can talk more about it but again remember this is a boat ramp and a
asphalt uh parking situation. So that will take you know a bit of time as well uh to get both projects or aspects of the project done. Okay. So that's that's the that's essentially the presentation. I'm happy to address uh any questions you may
have. We'll start down on that end. Okay. So a couple things. So are you saying that the floating docks are So the floating docks are coming from where? They're coming from Bellingham out of Jacksonville. But what happens is generally Bellingham to ensure that you
are going to purchase the product because they're custom made, right? And so they want a assurance that if you place the order, there's a deposit because you lose that deposit if you don't get it right. Um, so one of the things we've done in the past with
several projects is the city allows the contractor 10% to put down the deposit as soon as they start, right? So the clock for the manufacturer starts and says, "Okay, in 4 months or so forth." And we know Bellingham quite well. So, so you you mentioned tariffs and that I
figured I thought I would gather it was coming from overseas. Well, no, but the supplies some of the steel and so forth, right? So, we it happened a couple years ago when when in COVID stainless steel products were DOT literally bought everything. So, if we plunk down the money on this and and we order these
ahead of time, does it shorten the actual construction time? Can we not start until we know what date the floating docks are coming in or you're saying it's just one year no matter what? No. So, that's exactly what I'm giving you is what I what I'm giving you
is a is a schedule that I would say if if we were we had no crunch time for the boat ramps and and we could build it, you know, this would be it. Um, what you just said is correct. What we'd like to do is get the contractor to purchase all the products,
get them all here, then actually stop the construction so your boat ramp still can be used, etc. But once they get everything and then they get the the start date for construction, that's when we close the boat ramp and then try and get them in. Now, we've we've done that successfully on other projects, 5
months. So, potentially though, the boat ramp would only be would be closed six months, even though it's going to take a year from now to do everything plus the work. Exactly. Okay. Um, in this one rendering I see where the you have the boat ramp, then the
breezeway. How how long is the actual concrete into the water? So, um, let's see. I think it's going to be sheet piling the whole way. The concrete's in the water. We'll have sheet piling the whole way. Yes. All the way. All the way. And And And how deep is it at the
How deep is it at the bottom of the concrete? Um, from what I can recall, it's at least uh 4 feet at mean low water, right? So, we'll get even more draft when it's when it's high tide cuz like down there now, you can back off the concrete and go to China. Yes. So,
if you if you don't know where you're going, you you'll fall off the end of and and we've talked about that. One of the things is the sheet piles at the end. Uh sometimes we just raise them a little bit. So, that gives the voters like, hey, that's a that's that's it. And we're going to put signage as well, right? So they'll know like, hey, this
is how far before you get to the end of the ramp, right? So none of that exists today. But we're going to have all that cuz I have some equipment in that hole, too. Yeah. All right. Well, once we find it, you'll find it on Amazon, but that's okay. Might need you to set up a lost and found in that area. There we go.
Thank you. Yeah, no worries. Is that it? That's all I got. Thanks, John. I kind of addressed uh the concern I had is uh was hoping to widen um when when you go down there to drop a boat, you
make a little lefthand turn and then you back in and if you go all the way to the south, you know, you're going in on an angle because the turn there, like when you pull the boat out straight, it narrows. On slide number, I want to say
it's probably 12. It kind of shows that, you know. So I asked, "Hey, is there any chance of widening that out a little and make a little more room there?" Because it gets kind of tight between the restroom and the it does the leaning tree in the observation area where we have a picnic table. So people can
criticize Lance's talent backing a boat into the ramp. Um but widening it out is not a do it can't do it because of storm water. Storm water. So outside of that, I I this is needed and uh it's obviously
I mean we can't keep doing what we've been doing because it doesn't work. Yeah. And so to address that I think so what we did was we that was brought up by pops and rack you know let's look at widening even there's a curb near the restroom can we push that a little bit so we can make that lane wider as
they're backing out right just exactly what you're saying also but you see there's a storm water structure there. So in order to do that we'd have to re redo the storm water um water quality etc. So we said well let's we have the funding fend let's get this thing built
in the future. I think maybe there's an opportunity to address that specifically but that's a good point but it was it was uh thought of and addressed and we just said right now let's go with the funding we've got to to build this thing. Yeah. Was there a discussion at
all in maybe parks and reckoning about resurfacing the whole parking lot because it's not the most I mean you lose a filling pulling out of there sometimes some of the holes that are around that parking lot. Right. Um Susan
V parks recreation director. So we do have another project coming behind that our engineer Juno's team is working on. it's going to go when they do the water line and some other things on the north side and that will all come together at that time. So, right now we're just focusing on this section through it
makes sense to have nothing. Before we go to to Reed, I just want to piggyback on his question so much. So, I love the point that that Councilman Gert raised about coming out of there and widening that area. Could Could it be done if we didn't pave it? In other words, we we remove the tree, plant another tree
somewhere else, move some of the signage back a little bit because I mean two or three feet would make a huge difference. You're talking about exactly where I was going. Yeah. So, just you don't have to answer that. I'm not trying to put you on the spot. No, that's but I I I think we would be amanable to that even if
because the reality of it is in this particular park whether you pave it or not, people are going to drive on it and park on it, right? And so, um, you know, it gets you it gets beat up anyhow. You can't really keep grass growing there. Anyhow, if if you used a 57 stone or so,
I don't know how how we could do that without impeding into the storm water thing and getting into a crazy, you know, expensive thing, but I I like the idea a lot. So, just Yeah. And agreed because we we did see all that and and I've been here 23 years and I've seen
the program. So, I I fully understand that. Yeah. if we could widen it, uh, that would be the better approach to to do. But at this point, yeah, like I said, with the funding and everything, let's get the boat ramp done and then come back. Yeah, agree. Just staying on the widening topic for
just a quick second. So, understanding that we're up a bit up against the wall a little bit with the tariff situation. So, to widen this, we'll be talking about another design and additional funds obviously. Uh but it's more so what my concern would be is how much further it would push back the
timeline like wouldn't that that would mean we'd have to go back to a design phase and this project would go back another year in time before we'd even like break ground. Yeah. Anytime you you deal with parking lots and pvious impervious then you not have get into
storm water management right and even if you take a foot away you know how much volume how much capacity how much you know water quality treatment etc. So that that's what we discussed with the agencies and it's like yeah you'd have to come back with a storm water m like stormwater plan and show us that you're
not impact and and then the structures as well again replacing those structures moving them adding them again cost right so that was the the logic behind it and I think it makes sense again it's it's the funding okay I don't really I don't have any
questions otherwise so couple of thoughts that I've got would be let's definitely don't start until we're ready to start, right? I mean, we the the worst thing that could possibly happen here is we go down there and cordon off that area and then there's a
four month of nothing happening. That would be catastrophic for all involved. So, I'm on board with that. I appreciate Councilman Green's comments. if there is anything we can do to move the project along quicker, more strategic in the
interest of of getting this open, getting the project done, right, but getting it back open. Certainly, I believe you've got a council that's willing to to do that. Um, not only, and I appreciate the information you've got on the other ramps. You know, th this
may be the most widely used park in the entire city of Port Orange. It's definitely the most used boat ramp facility in Valuchia County that I've ever seen. I mean, I know New Smrna's got their boat ramp down there and it looks like a lot, but I don't think it matches to this. The amount of
launchings and retrievalss that happen like this, you know, and it gets used 24 hours around the clock, 365 days. Somebody mentioned to me about they use the word season. This is Florida. There's no season. It's it's 365 days is the season. So, it's an important
facility to the greater area, but certainly to a lot of our residents. And so, I know I know that and our expectation would be passing that along to the contractors and anything and everything we can do to to get the job done, get it right, and get it back open as quickly as possible is something
we're looking for. And, you know, it is a 40 the one thing you have to remember is it is a 40y old project or or or asset that has to be redone. you it it's not going to last forever and things get damaged, they get worn. The amount of underwashing and
stuff that's occurring. I'm probably not using the right terminology down there. You can see it. It's real. I mean, it exists. And then storm after storm after storm has taken a toll on it. And so, it's a project that needs to get done so that we don't have to worry about it for another 40 years. Um the the pavement
area when so boats pull out uh off the ramp and they're onto the paved area. that see that that first 50 80 ft just seems to get obliterated because of the salt water that comes off the boats and the trailers. It settles right there and
then you've got the constant rubbing of the tires and all that kind of stuff. Anything that is being done to help that to some degree or is that always just going to be a battle in that area? cuz it cuz as you go around and the water's run off and you get farther down the
parking lot, it gets better better and better better and better better better, you know, and and go the effort's right, man, it feels like you're going to lose an axle or, you know, a filling. So sometimes it's so bad. Yeah, it it's it's a battle. I mean, I think um you know, having having perhaps to some
degree maybe concrete or something like that um may help out, but I think we've seen this with other boat ramps as well, especially here because you're, as you mentioned, you've got four lanes, they're all using one path, right? If it
if it was multiple, you you might have longevity in the in the asphalt and so forth. So it's just one of those things that we have a situation where everything's concentrated to one. What about pitcher slope of that particular what do you refer to that area Shayish
where you come off the ramp that first 100 ft. What do you refer to that area? I mean it it's it's a a back backing of the boat ramp or approach. Right. So any anything with the the slope or the grade of that to make water run off better so there's not constantly water puddled up
on that area on the busy days. Yeah. So hopefully with the regrading that'll that'll happen. Again, nothing has been done there for 40 years. And yeah, it's just wear and tear. And on the on the ramp it on the ramps themselves, any grade changes to that or will they stay
relatively the same grade that they are now? So, believe it or not, um I don't know if you have uh photo, but uh let me just see if I've got the before and after. Okay. So most
people might not realize, but if you go to the bow ramp up to the first piling, you have a a less steeper of a slope and then it it actually then pitches to the 13°, right? So we're going to go and make that 13°, but we're going to have a point of inflection. So we'll have a
curvature on the top. So you'll have steeper so you'll get into deeper water quicker than than um taking a bit of time. So there's actually two pitches on this boat ram, right? So we're going to make it one. And so we've worked that out. um in the design phase and we've done that with many of the boat ramps
because we see that as a as a problem because then Boers have to go further and further um and that's when the trouble happens like you said at the end of the you know boat ramp and so forth. Yeah. So, one of the one of the concerns I have is that I and I've seen this around the state where some of the ramps as you come off the flat part and you're
backing your trailer down if the ramp is too steep as you're backing the the driver of the vehicle loses sight of the boat and trailer and they can't tell them I'm still straight or whatever because now the boat's dropped off and the truck is still or the vehicle is still flat. And so, too steep of ramp
creates that kind of a concern and and I was just concerned about that. The other thing I really wanted to to have you touch base on and speak on is the design of this um I just say which ramp it is. The swoop ramp for example. Familiar with that one? Yes sir. So that ramp is
virtually impossible for anybody who is going boating by themselves who launches and retrieves by themselves because the railing system where the actual point of launch is you have to crawl over top of it and it is incredibly dangerous. That's not happening with this design, right? Not
at all. So, yeah. Um, I'll say we designed the boat ramp there, but they have city ordinances and because and and the difference there is the elevation. If you look at the elevation where you are on ground versus where the water is, that's quite an elevation. We're we're not that at all. Okay. And and and I'm
not knocking their facility. I'm just saying like a lot I have definitely had people where that is a concern. And you can go down there on any day of the week and you see a lot of people launching by themselves. And I I don't know if it was just 40 year ago design that we realized that, but the it works. The slopes, the
grades, the where the docks are, and people can get back in kind of close and literally step off the dock onto the boat, pull the boat around to the outside, tie it up, get back, drive the truck out or whatever, you know. So, I want to make sure we're not losing that aspect. No. And and and good point. So, number one, the the 13% slope um is
allowable. Fish and wildlife, most of their boat ramps, that's maximum. We've seen as much as 20% slope, right? Um if you get to Ed Stone, um it is quite steep there. Um in Valuch County, St. John's River. So again, it it depends on
where the site is and what the location is. And what happens is on a lot of the projects, if we redesign them, we'll take the approach section further landward so that there's a less steep as they're coming, they can, you know, they can see what's behind them. So I agree with you. Um that's not a concern here
at all. So, and I think from the slope perspective, you're not going to have that issue either. Okay. Um, one other thing I would mention about signage that I think would be beneficial because it's been a problem down there is some kind of signage that indicates cleaning of fish is not permitted on the docks
because what happens is is people will clean fish on the actual docks which now you got fish blood and slime and all that stuff and it makes them incredibly slippery down there. So, um, that that definitely needs to be something if we can add that. Um, so we're going to take
a we'll give the public a chance to comment. One more question. Oh, go ahead. Or Susan, can you come up? So, what's the status of this project? Do we have a contractor selected? So, we do. It's actually going to come before you at your next council meeting toward and then part of the floating docks is
something you have specified. It's all in a spec and that's what we're buying regardless of of of it. And I'm just asking can can we expedite it? Can you buy the Can we get the the floating docks order now before execution of the contract or how I mean I don't know I'm
just asking I but we have a contractor already on correct we we've already selected they've gone through the bidding process that contract comes for award on the next meeting and then you know the the system here is pretty quick when it comes after that we'll get a purchase order done we will set a
pre-construction meeting right away so we can start talking through all these lead times we will get a realistic schedule um that we can then look at and then we can come together with our team uh with our PIO and then come with a uh public education on the boat ramps and
when we expect them to close so that the public knows and we'll have signage down there. Um, we're going to QR codes, so you'll be able to get updates if you're a voter. You get see the sign, you can scan the QR code, it'll take you to the project update. You'll know where we are in the project on the timeline. Um, so we'll we'll be able to do that. And if
we have to cut the lead time down up front, if it's if it's the floating dock, I want to cut that lead time because to to Councilman Green's point, you regardless of who we award the contract to, the docks themselves are still coming from the same place, right? And and they're already specified in the in the design. Correct. So I follow what
you're saying. I like that. So to do the direct purchase, we would probably have to do a change order to the contract once it was awarded to direct purchase. Roughly speaking, what's the estimated value of the floating docks? Just curious. Do you know? Don't have that with but I I'll
tell you I think so process would be you get you know the contract on board with the contracts, right? The bonding all that kind of stuff happens. one of the languages hopefully because sometimes there's like we we can't pay for stored material, we can't pay in advance for materials, right? So, if if that language isn't there in the in the city
of Port Orang's um contracts, then that's great. But if there is something that says we can't pay in advance, then that's that's where the challenge becomes is if there's an ability to pay the 10% whatever that amount is, Bellingham sends an invoice and says
this is my deposit. contractor gives it to the city and says, "Hey, pay this." Now, we get a clock running on the I'm just curious if if the city buys it direct, do we get tax? Nope. Free no tax? We do not pay tax. No. Okay. All right. Thank you.
Anything else? No. If you can stand by for just one second, we'll we'll see. I know one person, Eugene T. Mey, come on up. Did I I'm not sure if that's an H or name, my friend. Sorry. Bad handwriting. That's okay, my friend. Good evening, Mr. Mayor distinguish council members, city attorney. My name is Eugene Thaley
the third. I live at 989 Smoke Rise here in Port Orange. Uh, one of the things I wanted to bring to your attention, I know we've got some avid voters already on this council, but uh, I also use that boat ramp very frequently and I will tell you right now there's some safety hazards because we've only got one dock. U, we are getting ready to go into
Memorial Day weekend. I would offer you some amusement. go out there and look this weekend and see some of the hazards that are present as you have some of these larger vessels 36 40 foot coming in. Um it's not easy. So everyone's fighting for the single ramp we got. You have other people jumping off on the
short little piece of wood that exists. So it's it's sketchy and I'm I'm sure you guys know what I'm talking about. But it also creates a traffic jam too. So, uh, I guess my my question is what are we doing about that in the interim of getting things on contract, parts
acquired, ordered, procurement, shut down the site and go with the project? Because I think you're talking in earnest, I think you at least have 6 to 8 months of this risk exposure of which nothing's being done. It it's something to think about. And I will tell you, sitting in line, it it's it's now
becoming like swoop. I hate using swoop because it's a mess. Our ramp is now becoming like swoop because of these this issue and I do I do have a a sensitivity. The construction needs to happen. It needs to be upgraded. It's 40 years old. But I really think the city
needs to contemplate the risk exposure it has to not doing anything in the interim. Uh to me I think you guys really need to look at that for something to be done to the public. It's a public safety issue is really what I'm trying to raise to this this body's consideration today. Right. And I understand you can't rebuild a new one
before you build a new one. That's not logical. But I think you got to look at what is in the trade space that I can do um with with the limited funds I got. The second thing I want to mention is there's also contract incentives you can offer for these uh these large firms that are going to come out and do this
marine construction. You give them an incentive, they'll finish that a lot quicker than 5 months. I just saw Orion Construction build a large causeway. I worked down at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Bvard. They built a a mileong dual dual causeway in about 24 months because
they were offered incentives by FDOT for scheduling firm fixed price. They got it done uh I want to say close to 18 months ahead of schedule. It can't be done in marine construction. You got to structure your contract and procurement right. But again, the city is going to fuss if it's taken a year and some
change. So risk what you can do to incentivize to expedite schedule. I'd really like you guys to consider those things. That's all I got. Thank you. Appreciate you. Anybody else want to speak to this uh topic on the on the project forthcoming? No. Okay. We'll come we'll come back to council. I just
a couple Susan if you wanted to come back up. You're welcome to comment on that too. So just for because that question I appreciate Eugene that question. So one of the things staff did was look for temporary dockage that could be utilized. The problem is is when you have hurricanes like we've had the last few years, they get absorbed
out pretty quickly and we weren't able to find that. So the other alternative was shut the facility down completely. We didn't want to do that either. The other thing is is that to this project, there are a lot of constraints to the project that are not within our control because there are FEMA dollars here. Um, in the past, sometimes FEMA would allow
cities to enact, start doing things and getting things going, and then just get refunded back from FEMA. Not the case on this one. We had to wait, get the funds through FEMA first. Wayne, you can chime in if I'm wrong. um and then get all this stuff done with some constraints
that that we would trust me this council would love to have had this done and already run and and and done. But all your other points are are very very well taken and very well appreciated. Um Wayne, did you want to weigh in on any of that? You got it. I got close enough, right? Any anybody else on council? Any
other things? Anything you want to point out or bring up? Okay. One of the things I've asked the city manager is that as we are getting closer and closer and I think Shayla's touched on this is information is so important. Even if people don't like what they have to
hear, we still want to put it out there. And so what I've asked for is just to come up with some space down there. We have we have a sign department fortunately and we can create some signage that that somewhat says, "Hey, this is going to happen. This is why it needs to happen. Here's a QR code. You can scan it, get more information on the
project and stuff like that." because we the other thing is is we didn't want to close the entire facility because there's a north north side set of ramps um and yeah it creates backup and it takes longer and all those kind of stuff but the the alternative to completely close everything down uh was not good. I
will also mention that one of the things I asked the city manager to look at is if you are familiar with the north side launch area uh it's a little bit shallower on that side. So, we actually looked at I think maybe Shayla weighed in on this for several hundred feet, just a little bit of dredging to to make
it a little deeper there so some of the larger boats could launch and get out to that cut. It was astronomically expensive. I was not I was not thinking it would be like that, but it was pretty expensive and the timeline to do it just that's just not going to work out. So, but that that boat launch still could be
used. I see a lot of 22 or 25 center consoles when the tides are right, they launch over there pretty regularly. So, anything else you wanted to mention, Susan? Anything? No. All right. I just want to go back to I apologize. I just want to make sure that, you know, this
gentleman brought up a really good point. Have we exercised all of our options to go make some kind of safety repairs down there now with a local dock builder to at least open up some
opportunities to more access to you we have basically you can fit four boats down there, but right now you really can only do one. I mean, if someone's in a boat and someone's in the truck and backing them out and they know what they're doing, but for anyone else it's there's no way. You got to be at the one
spot and that's the the the Western uh launch. Is there anything we can do and for safety reasons like you brought up and let's use some local? We we've looked at it and we've closed off the one that he was explaining that the gentleman somebody would stand on the
edge that has a thing across it. It had signs. They ripped the signs off. We put the signs back on. They ripped the signs off. Um without floaters, we don't have the floaters. They're gone. Um so we can redo the the pier part probably, but I don't know that it's going to get them
where they are. And and it's also the pilings are not in the best shape either. So, I mean, I just don't know, Shay. I just don't know that that it would be safe even doing that. Well, it' have to go through a design and permitting.
Permitting and and all that we can get there. Let's get it going and let's get the project that we want to do as soon as possible. Blue barrels and plywood. No, blue barrels and plywood. Well, the the other thing is from a liability perspective, stuff's got to be
done right. Let me just clarify this one. um statement. So when we order the floaters, the new docks from Bellingham, we don't have to wait for them to come on site to start construction because that's one of the last things that they put into the water. So I wanted to make that clear that we will start in the
schedule again getting with our contractor, figure out what the lead time is in the schedule. So I just wanted to make sure that we weren't going to not start for six or eight months. Do we know what the lead time on them is or we know it's it's six six months, but again, we're hoping to sign a contract. They're not even allowed to
start work until the 1st of August. So that gives us two months right there and then we'll look at the schedule and we'll back into it and we'll be able to come back with a more realistic timeline. So Okay. Thank you guys. Appreciate you. Thank you. All right. Item five, public comments on consent
agenda items only. Any public comments on consent agenda items? See none. Anybody want to pull anything off any of the consent tonight? No. Good. All right. Can I get a motion to approve consent agenda item six? Move to approve consent agenda item 6
through9. Excellent. Second. Second. Um. We have a motion in a second. The clerk call the role. We got resolution on there. Councilman Foley. Yes. Councilman Gford. Yes. Councilman Green. Yes. Mayor Stilner. Yes.
40. Right. Moving on to D, state of the city address and video. We have a a video on the state of the city presentation we're going to do real quick and we'll have some comments on that. anything.
We lost our sound. Robin, we can have you talk through it. Yeah, you can just talk. Yeah, not good. We'll blame it on Shayish. Where'd he go? the last one to use it. Surprise. Surprise. We're going to say that things
are good. Who saw that coming? Do you really? Port Orange made great strides in 2024 in public safety, recreation, and its infrastructure to improve the quality of life for its residents. Join us as we look back on our achievements and ahead to what's next.
[Music] Parks and Recreation. Port Orange offers diverse recreational opportunities with one of the highest athletics participation rates in Valuchia County. With the voter approved $30 million parks bond, we are
expanding and upgraded parks to meet our community's needs. Projects include a walking path at White Place Park and revitalizing the historic depot park. On the west side, Karasi Park will gain multi-purpose fields and a scenic 5K trail, while a new recreation center
will provide space for community gatherings and sports. In 2024, we upgraded playgrounds, ball fields, and facilities, secured a $750,000 fine grant for South Cosway Park, and pursued additional grants for city center and Causeway Park
improvements. Our community events continue to thrive and connect people of all ages. Storm water improvements. The city's drainage system consists of county, city, and privately owned infrastructure, and we are all working collaboratively to maintain and improve
it. In 23, we launched a comprehensive storm water master plan to address floodprone areas. This plan will be completed in late spring and will identify prioritized projects to improve drainage. We're also conducting a vulnerability assessment and partnering with Valuchia County on wershed studies.
Additionally, we've helped residents secure over $13 million in FEMA funding to elevate or rebuild homes at risk of flooding. As part of our efforts to build a more resilient city, we're upgrading our storm water system. Designs are in progress for the Cambridge Pump Station upgrade and the
Meline Avenue Pepper Hill Road storm water pond and pump, which will provide relief to neighborhoods impacted by previous storms. Our public work teams have taken a methodical approach to maintaining, cleaning, and repairing over 4,000 drainage inlets, approximately 138 mi of pipe, and around
200 m of canals, ditches, and swailes that make up the city's expansive stormwater network. In 2024 alone, they addressed and resolved more than 300 resident requests submitted through the city's CClick Fix portal. Water and
sewer. We are upgrading our water infrastructure to ensure safe drinking water and effective wastewater management. In 2024, we secured a $15.1 million state grant for the upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant, expected over 3,300 water connections to ensure
they did not contain lead, and modernized the North Commonwealth area's water pipes, improving flow and reliability. We also added 30 fire hydrants to enhance safety. Sidewalks and roads. In 2024, council approved
additional funding to repair and construct over 12,000 ft of sidewalks and resurface more than 5 mi of roads. Police. Our police department was reacredited by KALA. We've partnered with local agencies to enhance school
zone safety and received grants for SWAT technology, internet crime prevention, and motorcycle safety. A new crime suppression unit launched in early 2025 to proactively protect our community. Fire rescue. Our fire department expanded its
technical rescue team and became the leading training center in Valuchia County. We hired a new emergency medical services chief and equipped our EMS fleet with Lucas devices for advanced CPR. Financial [Music]
responsibility. Residents benefit from one of the lowest millage rates in Valuchia County while still enjoying top tier services with family-friendly events and a safe community supported by dedicated first responders to clean, affordable drinking water. This is done through the city's ability to maintain a
strong budget, earning a clean audit through responsible fiscal management and maintaining a solid fund balance. Economic development. Port Orange's Riverwalk is transforming into a vibrant destination with tiki docks, a food truck court, and
outdoor activities along the Halifax River. Across the water, the city's down under area beneath the Dunlton Bridge is getting a new look. Art House will be painting new colorful murals along the Pillars and Dunes Brewing has added a restaurant and is hosting regular events
for residents and visitors. New businesses including Wood Springs Suites Hotel and the Halifax Oakwater Emergency Room opened in 2024, further contributing to the city's economic [Music] growth. This year, the city will
complete its stormwater master plan and vulnerability assessment, and this information will identify a prioritized list of strategic projects in floodprone areas. The designs for the Cambridge Pump Station and the Mataline Avenue, Pepper Hill Road, stormwater pond and pump will also be completed. These
projects will pave the way for flooding relief in the Sugar Forest area and the Cambridge Basin neighborhoods. The parks bond initiative will begin with essential upgrades at Willowrun Park, White Place Park, and the historic train depot that will provide new recreational opportunities while preserving our
city's rich heritage. We are expanding our sidewalk network to improve accessibility throughout Port Orange. as we target neighborhoods such as Laurelwood Mobile Estates, Barefoot Park, and the Town West area utilizing additional funding approved by council. Progress along the riverfront, including
Tiki Ducks and the Riverwalk food truck court, a stage for concerts and performances, Beach Brothers Coffee, and more, will create an entertainment hub our whole area can enjoy. Our commitment to public safety includes establishing a new crime suppression unit within the police department and enhancing
resources for the fire department's emergency medical services program. As 2024 ended, we also said goodbye to Mayor Don Bernett and council member Drew Bastion, who served the city for decades, helping shape the path we are on today. The council also welcomed two
new council members and Sha Gert and Lance Green, whose vision will help guide our city into the future. Port Orange. Unique by choice, not by chance. [Music]
2. I appreciate everybody on staff that was involved in in putting that together. It's um you know, one of the one of the things about municipal government and what we do is there's never a finish line. There's always the next thing to work on. And so sometimes you you kind
of forget what you did get done in the past. And so it's good to look back at some of those things. Uh, I'm going to give everybody a chance to comment and weigh in on on on this and where we've been and where we're going. Uh, just a couple of comments that I wanted to make. One of the things that was really
important to me um that we saw recently was our our finance audit. Um, as a city, you know, we we are we are the stewards of the purse, so to speak. And when we get these audits that show that we are in excellent financial shape and
that our finance department is doing things correctly uh and we get a clean audit report that that can't ever be understated how important that is for for the city of Port Orange. The other thing I wanted to comment on is that, you know, we we've had some and we've
talked about it here in in the public forum, but we've we've had staff members in different departments that have come up with ideas and passed those through the chain of command all the way to the city manager and then to us on how to save money and do things more efficiently and better. And uh you know,
that's something that I I I say kudos to our our our city employees. We we want to encourage that and and there's been a lot of that. and and so it's it's that's a really nice thing to to see. The other thing in 2024 um you know we were going through a
period of time where it was really challenging to fill a lot of positions in the city and all the departments actually and this was not just something unique to the city of Port Orange. This was something going on statewide and then for some of the departments all across the nation. One in particular was
trying to get back to good, healthy staffing levels in our police department. And we hired Chief, city manager hired Chief Marino, brought him on board. Um, and that's been a a focal point for several years. And in 2024
when the police chief was able to say, I don't have any more positions. They're all full. I don't know that I thought we were going to see that for a really, really long time just because it's a struggle to get people to want to be in law enforcement. and it anyhow and stay in that. And so, same thing with the
fire department. The the fire chief has done a great job and and stepping up recruiting, making recruiting a priority to keep positions filled, look for the best candidates, and and there's always going to be some turnover. There's always going to be retirements, somebody
got injured, somebody goes out on a disability, somebody realizes this type of job's just not for me. I we we get that. We know that. But but we're in a good position now. And so I want to say thank you to them. Not and I don't want to be remiss. Public Utilities, public works, all of our departments have gone
through that. And it has been a fight and a battle to fill positions and and we've come back in in the past year to really get back to a healthy workforce. And so I'm looking forward to a priority to maintain that so we can continue to provide the service uh that we need for
all of our residents. Of course, the video talks about the parks and recck bond initiative. Um, you know, that was a big thing for years, for years on this council. We've had residents periodically come in here and fill the chambers where there's no room for anybody to stand and there's standing
room only out there outside because, you know, we weren't able to have a certain uh event or or or um recreational activity or field space was was being jeopardized and all those different things. And so it was great to see that the residents of Port Orange said, "Yes,
we do want these expansions. We do want better facilities. We do want this type of thing." And so, um, you know, that's going to be a pro that the that project's going to take years, but it it's it's already started and we'll be going through those things and some of the lowhanging fruit will get done first
and some of the bigger larger sections of that will get done. So, that was pretty exciting to see that happen. And then, of course, you know, a major priority is has become the storm water. you know, four or five years ago where you hadn't had historic storms that did things nobody thought was ever going to
happen to that level. It changes your priorities. And there's been a tremendous amount of staff work uh and focus on how do we do that? I had a I had a resident email me um with a concern and and the resident basically
said, "I need you to assure me that we will never see that kind of flooding again." And as much as we all want to be able to say we got you, that'll never happen, we know that that's not something we can ever guarantee. But what we can do is become better. And and
we we we've spent a lot of money and a lot of effort on getting a storm water master plan that allows us to make sure as we spend the taxpayer money, as we spend money that we get from grants and and other opportunities that we know it's going to be an improvement. It's
not just a let's take a chance and see what we're going to get out of it. We're going to be doing that with a lot more confidence. And I personally think that is a huge win for the for the residents. So, they know as these projects and we just went through them recently, they are very very expensive and they're
going to take a long time, but they're going to be worthwhile and we're going to get that done. So, those were just some thoughts on that. You know, our city is is is in great shape, but the work's never going to going to be done. There's always going to be something. So, Reed, let's start with you. Any comments? Well, you know, I mean, u I I
said that at the beginning as a bit of a joke, but it's true. It would be hardressed to imagine we're going to make a video that say anything but positive things, but um when I watched the video back actually um it it shows that there is a lot of lot of positivity and uh I've always I felt that way since
I've been here. Um I've been very fortunate to grow up in Port Orange and to live here uh for almost my entire life. And so, uh, I've considered that to be a blessing to take part. Things like parks programs, things like being able to take a family and go down to the boat ramp. It's little stuff, uh, from
this seat. You don't spend a lot of time looking in the rearview mirror. It's always the next thing. Whether it's the next project that we have in mind that we've come up with on our own, or whether it's something one of our counterparts have brought forward, or whether it's something a resident has reached out with a problem. And there's probably no greater joy for me than
whenever we're able to provide good answers and solutions. And we can't do that from our seats without the help of staff. And I think watching that video, what what I see the most of all things is just how we have some really good people here who care. You know, we have
almost 500 employees here at the city, maybe over that now, but right about either way. And you know, in in talking to him, see them out there in the field every day, I have a great appreciation for the sacrifices they make and and the
effort that we're getting. And I think it's from the top down. I think Wayne has done a great job since he's been here and putting leaders in the right place who work with their staffs and and we see ideas rise to the top. Scott, you brought that up. It's it's really the
it's called buyin. It's something we talk about in every industry in the world is getting people bought into the vision and the plan and what we're trying to accomplish. And I feel like there's a lot of buy in. There's people who actually care and we're seeing results. Are we perfect? No, and none of
us will pretend to be. But I do think overall we do the best we can. And I think that, you know, that video shows a lot of highlights of things that have been accomplished and a little bit of a vision of what we're trying to do. You know, we we can't do it all, but we're doing all we can, and I feel very
strongly about where the city's heading, and I'm very proud to be a small part of that. So, Councilman Gilbert. Yeah. No, I I appreciate the staff putting together that for the public to understand where we've been and where we're going. And it's really important that we have an open line of
communication to them. Some of the biggest complaints you get from people is like we just don't know. We there's not enough information out there. So, continually improving the way uh we communicate to people what we're doing, whether it be for uh parks with the with
the amount of money that they've approved us to to go after and and improve and keeping them uh up to speed on what's going on there. Uh having people participate in our meetings is so important when they come and they bring concerns to us because we're not going
to see all of them. I can tell you the first time I came into Port Orange, I came from the beachside. I went over a drawbridge at Dunlton and I came to Nova Road. There was nothing there. It was just pine trees and I was like, "Wow, what this community is there's nothing
out here." And I grew up in South Florida and it wasn't like that. and I watched it expand and and and now over the last 354 years uh we're about built out. We've got a few opportunities. We spoke uh at our last meeting about
annexation of 59 acres or so. And you know there's not much more we can do growthwise. So we got to take care of what we have. And and I you know I I kind of got eyes wide open right now. I see signs bent over. There's things we can always improve upon. and and the one
thing I can tell you is that when I bring that to the staff's attention, they're right on it all the time. And uh so that open flow of communication so important. Our safety is paramount. Uh it was I don't know how many years ago
that the citizens approved a a bond to expand our police station and build a fantastic facility knowing we were going to grow. And so they have faith in this council and this city. they'll go ahead and approve a $30 million parks bond and
a new police station. And we've got to make sure as a council that we provide our manager with the tools and the finances and sometimes that that's hard and we've got, you know, I've talked about this in the past. We're going into our budget season and and if we're going
to continue to have a fine city, it's not free. We talked about this boat ramp and what it's going to cost. The one nice thing that I love to hear is the ability for our staff and and I thank you guys for going out there and being prepared to get the grant money. That's
unbelievable the amount of money that our staff goes out and gets that's available and that's takes a lot of work and a lot of time and government doesn't move fast. So, I appreciate our staff and the culture you're building within
your team and don't be shy to us. Let us know what you need and let us work hard to get you what you need. And that's really what a team does. And and I I just very excited about the future of Port Orange. And um that's really I can go on and on, but I know this guy over
here wants to say something. And you know the grants the grants don't come looking for you. You got to go look for staff's doing a good job. I just going to say um again be being in this seat for the for six months now. I feel the pressure. Uh it's a pressure I
like. I I I like the pressure knowing that we're going out there to do everything we can do and do the best we can. Um this respect I have for the staff who runs the day-to-day operations of this city is is unbelievable. I mean,
I've learned so much and, you know, keeping in contact with Robin and Wayne and and and Matt and everything that goes on into the dayto-day is always usually a fire, but here we're trying to project where we're going to be 20 years from now as well and those projects and
and uh you know, we're we're literally six or seven months outside of a second really major hurricane. And you know, coming into this seat, all I can think about is I'm thinking about all the people I know have flooded and and I feel that pressure and I, you know, it's one of my main goals. I know that moving
forward, the video is is cute. It's all great, but in the reality, we've got a lot of work to do and and that's going to be our goal is to keep working to make sure we can do everything we can do that we're not flooding again and again. And you know, it's it's it's heartbreaking to see what we saw. And I
know uh like we said though, it's it's hard to get all the pieces in order and get all the money and everything, but at the same time, we're going to keep that push to to uh to keep that as a focus. But other than that, I mean, I'm excited for where we're going with the recck
department. I'm excited with where we are as a as a staff and and and as a as an organization. I think we're we're in the right direction and and things are looking good. And you know too, it's it it's hard sometime to look back farther than just a couple of years, but you
know, we talk about storm water and flooding a lot. The reality of it is is that the city has done a lot of projects since the storms of 04. And a lot of those projects worked. We saw areas that would have water issues with just four, five, six inches of rain that weren't
having those issues anymore. And it took major double-digit rainfall in very short amount of time to reveal new problems and and new challenges to work for towards and and and you're right there's a lot of work to do and and we'll we'll stay on task to keep working
on that and hopefully um you know knock on wood there's none up here I guess but um you know we're still we're still looking fairly good in Tallahassee. We won't know until July 1st uh because the governor has till then to approve or
not. Um so we hopefully after July 1st we'll know where we stand on some of the major funding we're looking for. So all right uh public participation non-aggenda. Mr. Powers, we'll start off with you tonight. We not ready.
All right. Sorry. No, you're fine, sir. Welcome. Tell us about the depot. Well, um, let me say this. Tonight, as we speak, um, Lucy, our blue caboose, is setting on the FBC for the first time in many
years. In fact, it's setting on the we believe the caboose track at Fort Pierce Yard, and we're waiting for it to come up. And I think it's been many years that they've had a caboose on that on that line there. Pretty cool. So, and but the main thing I wanted to do today
is I wanted to thank the council, Mr. Mayor, everyone um for purchasing that extra property. I mean, that really extends our ability to uh create an outofthe- box kind of site that really
um allows us to, you know, take our history and tie it to our future because we're hoping that this is a project for future generations. If it's not self- sustaining, it's not going to make it. And so that's what we're trying to create. And and we really want to thank
everybody. And you know, there's been times when we needed to get things done and there were things we couldn't do as a as a small group with the railroad society and the parks and recreation, the public works department stepped up and they helped us out when we couldn't
do things um that we needed to do. And a good example was last um Friday when we moved 90 ties and we now have enough railroad ties that were donated by CSX to lay the rail that we have there which was donated by the
FC. And so um we are getting some donations and we're going to have a really special site there. We're now because of our efforts to save this equipment, we're being contacted by other railroad um sites and museums that want to create their own railway
experience. So, I think it'll be a really positive thing for Port Orange in the coming years and we we're really excited about it and I want to thank our members who are here today and those who remember to wear their t-shirt, I appreciate that. And we're just looking
forward to the future and getting that caboose here. You know, her name is Lucy based on Chuggy in the Blue Caboose. And so we want to get Lucy back to her forever home. Thank you. Thanks. Good to see you. Thank you. Herb Stewartson, tell us about some upcoming
chamber events. Welcome CEO Barbara Heaggan. Um I don't know if in the interest of time we can have her come up as well. Sure. We always love to hear from Barbara. Just cuts into your time. It's okay. It's uh I'm Herb Stewartson. I'm a board member with the Port Order South Antonio Chamber. Always want to be here to
express our appreciation to the uh the council for all of their support. And a couple of our events that we have coming up is just uh the Chamber Golf League is in full swing. Uh every Wednesday at uh 4:45. Tomorrow's course is going to be at uh Spruce Creek and then we have our uh Thursday ribbon cutting event uh this
week at the new Splash Salon on Clyde Morris. And then on May 29th, we have our uh monthly coffee and connections at Copperline Coffee from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. And it's a great opportunity for our business members to network. And
the uh last event for the month of May is our annual chamber golf tournament at Cypress Head Golf Club. Uh and that's a shotin start at 8:30. So hopefully uh we've got some participants there for that. Should be a good event in Barber. Awesome. Yes. Thank you so much her. And we just want to thank the council. We
had a wonderful job there uh this past Saturday, 119 students. We had 50 people from the general public. We'd like to thank Councilman Green for attending. Not only did he attend, but he offered his support for the trades for next year, for getting more electricians and
plumbers there. Thank you, Councilman Green. That meant a lot to us. We want to thank Robin uh Fenwick for her support, Michael Springer for the marketing and promotion, um and the entire city. And of course you may still for your support. Thank you so very much. Thank you. Thank you so much.
Thank you guys. Great to see you guys. Robert Reinhagen. Welcome Robert. Thank you mayor council members. Robert Reinhagen 1425 Dexter Drive North Port Orange. At your last meeting, you approved on the first
reading the annexation of Vintage Acres. The developer of Vintage Acres has plans to change the future land use and zoning to Port Orange Rural Transition 0 to two units per acre. At 56.5 acres, the
current county agricultural zoning permits 19 residential units. But developer says that the planned unit development would establish the framework for up to 113
residential units. My concern is that the developer is trying to implant in your mind that the land owner has the right to build 113 units. I keep
hearing that growth is inevitable, that people will keep moving here. While we can increase our housing stock, we do not have the same ability to increase our water supply. And wetlands are essential to
recharging our aquifers so that we have enough water to support that increased population. To that end, I would like to see the land development code revised to
declare that wetlands and ponds are not buildable acreage. So when vintage acres is reszoned to 0 to two residential units per
acre, the maximum number of units permitted would be calculated based on the buildable acreage. So at 56.5 acres, if if 20 acres were wetland and ponds, then only 36.5 acres
would be buildable. And at two units per acre, the maximum established units would be 73, not 113. Thank you. Thanks, Robert. Thank you, Sophia. Uh, Marge
Marie, sorry. Welcome. Thank you. Good evening, council members. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. My name is Sophia Marie Norwood and I'm here on behalf of Tobacco Free Valuchia, a local partnership dedicated to reducing the impact of tobacco and
nicotine use in our community. Each year, tobacco use claims the lives of approximately 480,000 Americans. Right here in Valuchia County, one out of six middle and high school students report currently using tobacco or nicotine products. A deeply concerning statistic that underscores the importance in
prevention and education. To address this, we host quarterly tobaccof free evolution meetings where community members, health professionals, and advocates come together to discuss local strategies for tobacco and nicotine prevention. Our next meeting will be held in August, and we would be honored to have members of this council attend
to contribute to the conversation. We also invite local youth ages 12 to 17 to join our SWAT club, students working against tobacco. This statewide initiative empowers young people to speak out against the tobacco industry and take action in their schools and communities. To learn more, please visit
swataf florida.com. Additionally, we want to raise awareness about the free cessation resources available to Valuchia County residents. If you or someone you know is ready to quit tobacco or nicotine, support is just a phone call or click away. Visit tobaccofree florida.com or call
877-822-6669 for personalized help and tools. For more details about partnership or to get involved, visit tobaccof freevolution.com or email us directly at tobaccofreegmail.com. Together we can build a healthier tobaccof free future for Port Orange and beyond. Thank you again for your time and support. That's
awesome. What was that date again? I'm sorry. What was the date of your event? You said the date it's in August. Okay. Do you know the actual I'll tell you what. Can you go ahead and get our cards and send us that information via email? Where are those? I have mine right here.
Mine's on the stand right out front. Yep. Thank you. Thank you, Sophia. Thank you. Thank you. Well done, Kathleen Tarno. I I'm always Is it Tarno or Tarnau? Tarno. Okay, the W is silent. All right. Welcome. Thank you. Thank
you, Tarno. I'm Kathleen Tarno, 791 Sugarcane Lane Forest. Sugar Forest. I've been here multiple times and I have my script, but a lot some of my questions were addressed in the slideshow, but if it's okay, I'm just going to go ahead with what I had
planned. That's okay. Um, I've addressed uh several times in the recent past concerning the flooding and sugar forest. Several questions I have. When is the work starting on Meline Avenue project? We were encouraged at prior meetings to email our representatives in Tallahassee to assist in expediting
approval of the project and funding, which I did. What is the status? Thank you. Is the city considering the purchase of the northeast corner of Meline and Nova Road? If that corner is commercially developed, fill and build, it will mean additional flooding for
Sugar Forest. That just terrifies me because we have the storage units already on the south corner. When will work start on the Meline Avenue ditch? I have extreme worries about the weir in my backyard that drains
Banberry. During the March 25th special meeting with the city engineer, which was very informative, uh uh the engineer indicated there would be targeted meetings at the community center wherein residents could address specific projects for their neighborhoods. I'm
wondering when that's going to be scheduled. Um the city council and the residents are faced with correcting problems that have continued to grow over the past 40 years. If we flood again, will FEMA make payouts to homeowners and continue to cover the
city of Port Orange residents? Homeowners will certainly be over the 5-year, 50% FEMA rule for repairs. The Elevate Florida website is not accepting applications for home elevation. My neighbor applied immediately and has had no response. The Campbell Crossing
development is progressing quickly and new homes are being completed in record time. Where is that neighborhood draining? I look forward to hearing from the council for my questions. And as I've said in the past, I I know you all
work hard and I know you all truly care and I know some of you have experienced the flooding, but it terrifies me to think if I flood again this year, I don't know what I'm going to do. I mean, and I don't and I don't think FEMA's going to give me money again, even though I've got flood
insurance. They're not going to keep forking out money. What's going to happen? Are they just going to say sorry? We cut out our walls, ripped out our floors, and just live in a hole of a house, which I did. I've done that twice. Um,
so I know y'all appreciate the what everyone's gone through. So, okay. I just look forward to having some answers and to that open meeting where we can address our project specifics for our neighborhoods. Thanks, Kathleen. Thanks. Thank you, Miss
Turner. Don Dragowski. Welcome. Good evening, Mr. Mayor, Council, City Manager, uh city attorney. I'm 31year resident of Port Orange. Uh same location, uh and I'm here just to speak
briefly about the flooding issue. Uh parameters of where I live would be the area say Central Park Boulevard south to the end of Spruce Creek Road where would be Neighbors General Store down to the end of Spruce Creek Road. Never flooded
except for the last four years twice. So I've been doing some research. I walked the canal system down there and the parameters would be Cove Court the street south to uh that would be uh Half
Moon Drive which is the entry into Golden Pond Estates and in particular the canal behind Golden Pond Estates where I live has not been cleared in over four years. I see the spider is up the road about 7/10 of a mile. I'm
hoping it's coming south. But a bigger concern I have is something called flood factor. I don't know if anybody here is aware of flood factor. It's the uh modeling for real estate
national associates of real realators and insurance in flood factor. All of a sudden, probably 30% of the homes that I'm aware of in my neighborhoods are now not in a minimal chance of flooding, but
we're considered five major chance of flooding in the next 30 years. That's going to impact a lot of people in Port Orange on this modeling program. FEMA maps are still last I saw were 2017 and they're supposed to be done
every five years but because of nonfunding by Congress or whatever FEMA maps have not been updated. when they are updated, I'm going to guess that they're going to adopt a lot what flood factor, which originally started as
something called risk factor, a modeling program like hurricane modeling. Mhm. And I mean it's a shock when you wake up one morning you go I'm going to look at my property map see what real estate showing the value and all of a sudden I
look go what's this flood click on it and I went from a one minimal to five literally overnight which means major flooding and I'm doing more research on that because there are ways to contact
the people who developed the software program to argue to your point. I went and saw Sligger a few years ago on this to find out what my benchmark elevation because I've started hearing about I was in engineering and architecture. So, this is going to be a
huge factor to a lot of people in Port Orange. I just wanted to make council and everybody aware of this and I'll be more prepared next meeting to share some more information on that. Sounds good. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Amanda.
Were there any others? All right. Council comments. Let's start with you, Councilman Green. Oh, wow. All right. So, a couple things I just want to go real quick. Um, I wanted to to just go go on the record um and
and just say a couple words about uh a golf course worker at Cypress Head by the name of Dennis Pigvents. Uh he passed away on April 21st. Mhm. Uh Dennis worked as either the assistant superintendent or the
superintendent in Cypress Head for just under 10 years and through through the hard times uh when when the management company was having some struggles, Dennis was Dennis was there and let me tell you something. I'd never seen a man work so hard at keeping that golf course
nice. Uh he lived in Port Orange uh the entire time that he worked there. Um I want to say um I I got I got an email from a resident regarding the airport road park and the cleanliness of the facility etc etc. So did a little
research in there went out there and we are experiencing a tremendous amount of vandalism from the kids coming out of that middle school. I don't but they're tearing up our our stuff bad. Um, and I
I want to let them know that we now have cameras, okay? And we're going to find out who's doing it and and we're going to we'll take the appropriate action, but people need to talk to their kids. We can't have kids going out there and destroying public property that cost
residents money. So, I just want to put that out there. Um, in in tonight's uh consent, we are talking about the sale of the Allen Green Center to Palmer College. Um, I would like for us to to take a good hard look at the money that
comes from that sale and can we turn that money into a lot more dollars with sharing or and and you know, whatever we call this uh, you know, pwning up our money to to go get other monies. Um, I
I'd like for us to take we're looking at potentially $4 million that we can get from this piece of property and I would like to make sure that we reinvest this in in either, you know, the the storm the storm basically what we said about the other property we're selling. Let's put it in the right spot. May it be
land, may it be pumps, may it be something that's going to benefit the storm water situation that we that we're in. and maybe it's with sharing money and getting state money and helping helping some projects along. I think this is a good opportunity for us to to try and get those dollars turned into
bigger dollars and and letting letting Wayneon do what he does. Um I still have a concern about after hours emergency line. I still don't feel as though Port Orange residents are getting the proper response from non-emergency calls. Okay.
I know they're going through the county. We've had this conversation, but I just don't feel as though the Port Orange residents are getting what we need from the after hours non-emergency line. And in a lot of cases, I'm hearing it's just not being responded to at all. And and
that concerns me. We don't want people calling 911 about a bear at the front yard, but who are they going to call about bear at the front yard, you know, or whatever it may be. But I just don't I I don't see how um this is good for us and and we don't want to keep calling
911. Uh and I did have I had a conversation with staff also about emergency utility number. Is it on the website now? Have we got it where we can find it? Um, I've had a couple people had a situation after hours and didn't
know how to get water turned on or off to their home and you can go in circles on our website to try and find a number to call somebody who can help you after hours. So, I'd like for us to look into that a little bit further. Um, the job
fair was a really good turnout. uh did a great job and and like I I promised uh next year I want to help out and try and get more more people to to come. I we we had a lot of a lot of vendors there, but I think we can I think we can enhance
this as we move forward. I think you guys did a great job on that. Um, the last uh comment I'm going to make, probably not going to be a popular comment, but tonight we approved the uh interlocal agreement for neighboring municipalities for fire and rescue and
emergency service for Duke closest unit. Okay. And this is uh being a good big brother I guess because everybody who is in this particular uh agreement uh is less than half the size of our city and
we go to uh a lot of cities and a lot of times um but with that I'm just going to make the comment that that does not include ambulance service and our ambulance service is still being uh I guess I would say dictated uh by the county and where our ambulance can and
cannot go and when it can and cannot go. And I see the county continues to to grow, but they don't grow their EMS service. And this is why Port Orange has its own ambulance and are looking to have to maybe get another one. But uh that's all I have tonight. And um but
again, I think overall we're doing doing a good job. It's a pretty good list. Yeah. Councilman Gilbert. Yep. So, I had a few emails over the last uh two weeks since a decision was made uh for uh the farm bills passed and will probably be
signed into law on July 1st. I guess um some of these comments were asking us to go ahead and remove the fluoride now. What I understand it is we just won't renew a purchase of more fluoride and on July 1st we'll stop having that added to our water. Is that correct? We have
something moving towards us in the next meeting or two. I understand that. Believe your city attorney can speak to that. Yeah. You'll have a resolution in front of you that will make you compliant with the new bill. Okay. Very good. Um I just been responding to him saying come July 1st it won't it'll no
longer be there. So I'm good. That's not on our agenda anymore. Um I don't think I really have anything else. I kind of mentioned some things in my comments about the state of the city. Um, I do want to mention I did go to an
event with uh the regional chamber up in Daytona that had the Department of Transportation secretary there for our area and he made some really interesting comments about we talk about funding for projects and roads. They do they're they
have 10,000 projects with half the staff now working with 6,000 people. approved for this state. They're doing a lot in this state. Uh and they're working on projects locally as well. So, US1 I95 corridors got a project going on that
they're working on. Um LPGA is kind of up in the air. It's kind of a challenge there, but the Pioneer Trail, which affects us, that has been approved. the the bids uh are coming in under budget and they'll be moving forward with
construction on that uh soon. So, that'll help hopefully relieve some of the congestion around the Dunlen I95 interchange when we open up that in the next couple years. And uh really that's all I've got.
Councilman Foley. Uh yeah. Uh just two quick things. Uh number one, let everybody know that I will not be in attendance for our next regular council meeting. Um, I'll be out of town. So, just want to make youall aware of that. Uh, and secondarily, uh, this Monday is Memorial Day weekend and just want to
remind everyone to be safe. Also, uh, you know, just keep in mind what that day is actually about. You know, we are very fortunate to live here. There've been a lot of people who have lost their lives for us to be able to enjoy the freedoms that we have. And so, just be mindful of that because it is Memorial
Day weekend. Um, I have a lot of military service in my family. I'm very grateful for and um I want to make sure that we just uh keep that in the back of our minds as we're celebrating and eating hamburgers and hot dogs this weekend.
Anything else? That's it. All right. So, this is the first time that the city council has been back together since we had a very tragic incident that occurred in our city uh a couple weeks ago. that is
um a reminder of of of how fast really bad things can happen anywhere anywhere in the United States. This it's not something unique to any one city. Doesn't matter whether you're a city of 5,000 people or 500,000 people. Bad things can happen really
really fast. But I I wanted to not so much talk about what occurred, but I wanted to praise and thank those who responded to that scene. Um the response, I even talked briefly with the
sheriff of Lucia County to thank him for his agency uh that was involved and how they supported and responded, but the response was amazing. It was impressive to to realize that many law enforcement
personnel and EMS personnel could be on a scene of that magnitude that fast, well prepared, well equipped, well trained, and respond in the way they did. That should make us all sleep a
little bit better at night. And and and and we can always improve. That's not what my statement is about. But on that day and that incident, that response was magnificent and and I'm grateful for that. I'm thankful to all of the law
enforcement, the ENS personnel, um having been on scenes that none of us want to see and none of us want to witness. It takes a little piece of you every time you go to something like that. So that does occur and and uh but in any regards I just wanted to say
thank you to all of those that were involved in that and uh the response that that that that they showed for that for sure. Um just a a couple of comments on the flooding discussion. We we talk about it every meeting just about um uh this I'll have the city manager comment
on it here in just a moment but we're getting ready to add an element to the website where we're going to put a lot of information. We are very well aware that for some people they kind of have really engaged in looking at a lot of these things and wanting to know what the city's doing in the last few months.
Others have been engaged for 6 months, 12 months or what have you. Uh and they've missed some of the presentations, some of the meetings, some of the documentation on what we're doing. So, the city manager is going to talk about an element uh that's going to be available to residents that we hope will provide uh that information um and
we'll be able to add to it and we'll be able to update those things as to what we're doing. Um current currently and I think Kathleen touched on this um you know we are she she wants answers and so do we um and we want to move the ball forward as fast as possible. That costs
money. We know that. Uh we are currently waiting to see what state funding may be available to us. Uh we won't know that until July the 1st. Uh once July 1st comes, we understand that funding that is available hopefully out of Tallahassee that'll allow us to move
certain projects faster. We allocate other dollars to other projects and move those along as well. Um because all of it costs money and all of it costs time and we have to have that money. Same thing with transform 386 that is in process. Uh Wayne, if I don't mean to put you on the spot, but in a moment on
your comments, if you can touch base on where that timeline sits on us understanding uh the transform 386 process and when we may uh understand and realize some funding out of that uh pathway that would be important. Uh we talk about FEMA, it was brought up again
tonight. FEMA's what happens in FEMA is a mystery, right? FEMA is very much controlled in the political winds. Um so whatever FEMA did yesterday and whatever they do tomorrow can be completely different and we don't know that. Uh we have seen FEMA impact how we govern and
how we do things post storm. Um and we've seen it change for decades. I know I've seen it for 30 years in the city of Port Orange. Um how things were done with FEMA and what they did or didn't do. It just changes politically and and it it's ever changing and it looks with the political winds. Currently, it's
going to change again. So, there's talk of of eliminating FEMA completely and just moving all that down to state level control. So, we'll, you know, we'll have to wait and see. Uh, but we are constrained by some of the FEMA uh u red tape, if you want to call it that. Um,
so, but we but we will continue working on all the flooding stuff, be as open and transparent as we can. I I can assure everybody that we want to move as quickly as possible. We want to spend the dollars wisely. We have to acquire
the dollars. In some in some cases, we have to acquire property. Councilman Green brought up a good point. you know, when when funding or funds become available through something like he was speaking about tonight, that puts us in a better position, not necessarily to take an entire amount and say, "Okay, go
spend this on project X," but to use that money to say, "Okay, maybe we can get three or four projects off the ground faster because now we can divide up that fund and and and and magnify our matching dollars." Um, it seems to be a lot about being shovel ready and having
matching dollars in order to get projects off the ground. So, we'll continue to be doing that and having that discussion. People who want to know, I encourage you to reach out to our staff. Our staff is a wealth of knowledge. They are here every day and they are deep in the weeds on all of
this stuff. Um, and and some of that has been presented, but the staff is the best resource to go to if you want to get into details about a specific ditch or swale or pond or or or or storm water asset or any of that kind of stuff. the
staff is is is very very knowledgeable on that kind of stuff. So, Mr. City Attorney, what do you have for us this evening? Nothing for tonight. Thank you, sir. All right, Mr. City Manager, you ought to have some comments tonight. Go right ahead. And I'll answer what I can remember and then you can ask me the
ones that I forgotten from the from the large list, but to start with on the on the website. So, we we did upgrade. We put together a whole focused storm water section. And so instead of having to go under public works or under engineering and different departments, there's a a page dedicated to storm water that has
everything in there and linked in that. It also has links to the county as a bigger organization. They have some pretty good stuff on their website. There's a whole lot more about how storm water works if you're if that's the area you want. Uh one of the things that we we try to do, we put a test out and let everybody have a chance to look at it.
Uh with websites, you're going to always find something that you can do better. Uh, in fact, what Councilman Green's comments tonight, we really thought we had the the water after hours call thing there and he mentioned it was hard to find and we were like, really? And then we started looking and he was right. It was like three clicks down to get it.
And so we we fixed that now. And so if you search for that, it pops up. But that that's we appreciate the fact that people are actually looking at it and suggesting ways to make it better. So when it goes out there, we think it's a lot better than what we have, but I'm sure somebody's going to look at it and we don't have everything right. We will
fix it and keep making it better. It will continue to evolve as people use it and tell us what they can't find and what they would like to see on there that we don't have. But it includes the master plan, the master plan's projects, information on the grants. It has the open ditch system and who's responsible
for maintaining them. We've got information on our monthly maintenance schedule as we're going forward. Uh so there's a lot of information in there to look at. So, as it's out there and people look at it, you just remember, call us and tell us as as the mayor said, and we will keep making it better
and if there's parts of it that you think we ought to put somewhere else or do that, we appreciate the feedback. We we know that's how you make things like that better. So, so that's there and it's ready to go live next week. So, we should have that up by Monday, you think? So, you look for that next week
going forward. Uh the status of the project. So, one of the things that we are applying for money for is through the county's transform 386 program, which is Ian money. Uh, second round of that that is going in here in about a week that we will be submitting that. We
are asking for funds for and I've got the list here. Um, so the Sugar Forest, Pepper Hill project, Sleepy Hollow, and Portona are the three big ones. And you add um powers also. So, pro properties around
the post office in that area. So all three of those are being requested at the time the schedule they've currently given us. We should know whether we're getting money for those projects uh by the late summer. I would say August is is probably a good time to know where they're going to have that money. So most of those are construction. So the
Pepel project is currently under design to be done a little bit earlier in this time. It's not quite a year out maybe 10 months or 11 months to have that project design. Uh so that project those funds would go to construction. And that is also the project where we have uh pending funding from the state
legislature as well. And the um resilient Florida funding that we will get once we get through the the other plan, that money should be available to apply for in the late fall as well. So you start seeing a lot of potential money coming in next year to start paying for construction of these
projects as we go forward. Those were really the the critical ones coming out of it is is doing something in the Sugar Forest Pepper Hill area and doing something in Sleepy Hollow, the Parttona, there was a couple of land purchases down there that there's a different flooding factor down there that we were going to be able to
actually hold some money in that area. uh the P Avenue area where we have that's one of the critical areas where we have issues with the flooding of Dunlotton and the FPL facility which there's what 30 40,000 people that are attached to the power coming from that substation. So it's really important to
keep that thing as dry as we can as we move forward. Um I don't know if I've missed any of the other key questions that I think I touched on the the state funding what we're waiting on there obviously till till the governor's done with his stuff and you cover transform 386. any anything else that we wanted to
weigh in on? No, I just think I just pull up our website and on the very first page everything that we've talked about in our workshops there, the video uh the PowerPoint from Kimberly Horn. I mean, that's fantastic. That's exactly what we talk about with transparency. It's there. If you want to know what's
going on, just go to our website and it's there. and the link to the Busha County and and the state, I'm sorry, with uh you know where people can go right through our website and then link to the state's uh website where you can
get assistance. So, I think I'm very impressed with that. So, thank you very much. I think one of the other things Councilman Green brought up too as well is the the Allen Green property uh is was a deal set up in the past, but it basically is going to sell for approximately $4.1 million. And we were we got a budget workshop coming up to
talk about capital projects, construction related stuff. Typically, you use one-time funding sources for one-time projects. You wouldn't want to put it into ongoing operating cost and you'd run out of money. Um, but we were going to bring that back to you with a list of the construction projects and have that conversation exactly as he
said. Here's the list of things. Where do you want that money to go? Which one of these projects do we prioritize it? So, we'll bring that in front of you with some recommendations in June. That'll be that'll be some interesting discussion for sure on on the our intention is is to get out in the
community on some of these flood storm water projects and have some some more meetings with those that are most closely impacted by some of those projects. I know my understanding was, you know, I know we're working to go do that. The the number one question is going to be when, right? When can you
get it done? And until we understand some of these funding, that that that's a question we're not really able to answer. But what what is your timeline to to start getting staffed in some of those areas and doing that? So the storm water master plan the exact date but basically June 15 we're going to call it
a done project plan is done done from a standpoint of the original scope right we it'll never really be done because we we've added the council authorized us to add a little extra money so that if you want us to model something else or something new comes up because it's a model we add to the model we keep we can
test new stuff if you say what happens if you do that. So there will there will be ongoing ad additions. Following that, we're looking at the week of the 20s of June to have the first meeting and we're going to try to do it'll be two in one night. So the idea is to do both the Pepper Hill and the Sleepy Hollow. So we
have all the people together. You're welcome to to sit through both of them, but it would be like the first hour would be Sleepy Hollow. If you don't want to stay, you can go or and then Pepper Hill. I'm not sure what order they're going to be in, but they'll be on the same night. We'll get the all that information out. So, we wanted to
get those two done first and that would happen um it's the week of the 20s of June when we're going to do that. Okay, good. Thanks. Anything else? I'm missing. Okay, good. All right. Board appointments, interviews, and reports. Item 13, citizen advisory board
for the TPO. Welcome, Mr. Ball. Good to see you. Good to see you. Bobby Ball with the CAC for the TPO. Uh we had our monthly meeting uh today and there were no action items but uh we had several presentations and and uh discussion items. Um one was
about the long range transportation plan which is uh making its way and getting closer to being done. There is going to be a uh a workshop that's virtual on June 2nd from 2 to 3:30. If you're interested in just um jumping on and listening to it, the details are on the
website and um just see the latest on the cost feasible plans. So that's sort of what they can actually afford to do and what they're planning on doing. And then we also listened or had a presentation on our TIP, which is a five-year program, uh sort of a work program for the DOT. And uh what's kind of cool for um for the city is, uh I
think staff does a really good job of of how they put together the applications and filling them out and completing all the check boxes because at the end of the day, I'm on the subcommittee that ranks them. So I'm able to rank them higher and advocate for them higher with the and negotiate with the rest of the group to to get them higher on the on
the board. And at the end of the day, three out of the six tip projects um we're all in Port Orange and that's uh you know to see TPO wide. So we got half the project which is pretty good. So yeah, nice. That's all we got. Good. Any questions for Mr. Ball? Thank you. Good
to see you. Thanks. Item 14, Valuchia Growth Management Commission member appointment. Uh, this is a position that Debbie Connors currently sits on and uh, she would like to be uh, reappointed to this. So, if we
have a motion to I move to renominate Debbie Connors to the Valia Growth Management Commission. I'll second that. We have a motion in a second. Uh, any discussion from council on this? No. Wayne, the the one thing I would like to do here is is is periodically if we
could get Miss Connor's schedule to come in uh it doesn't have to be every month, but you know, every couple of months, maybe once a quarter or something, and just come in and and brief counsel and and let's talk about what uh you know, what's going on. She give us kind of an update or something. She may be more like a yearly because now that we're
slowed growth and we don't see much, we don't really have a lot of EGMC stuff ourselves. She may be able to talk to you about the region, but but Port Orange itself isn't creating a lot of agenda items there. Maybe maybe by yearly, but if you want to hear what what's going on regionally, we can have her talk to you about that as well. Yeah. And like I said, it does she
doesn't have to come every month or anything like that, but you know, if we're going to appoint one of our folks to be on a board, we want to we we we should hear what's going on and what they're doing. So, and we can evaluate how frequently, but maybe we could get her on a on a maybe a June agenda or something to stop by come talk to you all the time. We like Debbie, so we want
to see her. Absolutely. So, uh, any public comments to item 14? Seeing none, back to council. All in fa, any other comments? No. Good. All in favor of reappointing, uh, Miss Debbie Connors to the VGMC position, say I. I.
I. Any oppose? Like sign 40. Item 15, fire pension board appointment. Uh, this is a council appointment. We have one interested applicant, Michael Russ. Is Michael here? Yeah. Come on up. Ren, Mr. Mayor. Rousen. Oh my gosh.
Close. I was going to go Rousen. Close. Hey, welcome. Tell us about yourself. Thank you so much, Mr. Mayor and council members for uh this consideration. So, I've been the the reason I want to join this board or or really any board is for a lot of the reasons that have been talked about this evening. Right. I'm
I'm a resident of this community for 14 years. My kids go to school in this community. I was just at the wreck earlier at basketball practice for 6U. Um, you know, I love this community. I've had the privilege of serving in the Port South Daytona Rotary for the last six years. I'm currently on the board
there, serve as vice president. Uh, and really it's it's a heart for service and how I can give back to this community in any way. and looking at the advisory board options that are there. Looking at my background specifically in the financial services industry, I find that
this um this opportunity may be an opportunity for me to deploy that skill set specifically, Mr. Mayor, to what you were talking about having sound finances in the city and making sure that we're being good stewards of the city's finances. So, uh with that, I mean, I
can answer any questions to the council. We'll see if there are any. This is your board, right? I just say, yeah, I I appreciate your background. I was checking out your resume. Um, yeah, it's it's it's a board that's uh was fortunate. We had a a great member who
served for a long time who was actually an Edward Edward Jones employee and adviser there. So, um, since his departure, it would be a a good addition, I think, to have someone else who has a similar background add to the board. Um, you know, we've that plan
when I first joined it had had gone through a couple of rough patches and uh the members and I have really worked hard to try to, you know, push our the people uh who work for us on that board
and kind of turn that around and we've seen some progress. Uh we actually had a meeting last night uh that really showed that there's been a lot of good decisions made lately. So, um, I appreciate your willingness to serve and, um, you know, I appreciate your background. Seems like it would be a
good fit. So, thank you, I just want to go back to the basketball coach. Are you the coach? No, no, no, no, no. Not a coach. And Mike, I appreciate your opportunity to step up to serve. Do you know what the pay on what the pay
scale is on this job? Nope. Exactly. Want to double it for him? Thank you, Mike. You're welcome. Thank you, sir. So, yeah, I just want to say thank I just want to echo thank you very much for your willingness to serve. The these pension boards are are incredibly important to a lot of people. Um, but
they also um are are part of a long-term investment of a lot of taxpayer dollars that need to be they got to have the oversight and they got to have the folks like yourself that will stay on these boards for for long periods of time. So I I hope that you find it rewarding and
that you you will be around for a long time. Council Ree was talking about, you know, the the gentleman who see your filling was on it for a long long time. And what I have seen from serving on the the boards through Mike through the last 30 years is that if we can get folks to serve on these boards and stick around
for a good eight or 12 years, they really grasp that the the the history of all of the decisions that have been made and and they bring a lot of good insight and and that's important because these pension boards, there's nothing happening fast. It it is a long haul. You got to go through the ups and the
downs and and and be there. But the oversight and the willingness to have folks like yourself serve is critically important and having some of your background will be a great asset to that. So, thank you very much very much for willingness to step up and serve. So, thank you. All right, we have a motion in a second to appoint Mr.
Rousen. Any public comments on this? No, we don't. There hasn't been a motion. Nope. Well, how about one? I'll go ahead and make a motion to approve Mike Russen Rousen. Bruce, sorry about that, but to the fire
pension board. I'll second that. All right, we have a motion and a second. Any public comment? Back to councel. All in favor of appointing Michael Rousen to the fire pension board. Signify by saying I. I. Those
opposed like sign 40. Congratulations. You've been hired. Thank you. For free. Come back next year. We'll double the the pay. Moving on to to public hearing item 16, second reading of ordinance number 2025-05. Take it away, Mr. City Manager.
Oh, city attorney. An ordinance of the city of Port Orange, Ocean County, Florida, amending chapter 58, article 4, sections 58,74,75,77, and 78 to remove requirements for photographic and videographic documentation of the work area prior to construction. Dispense with permitting requirements for certain
routine maintenance tasks. removing various certifications of the engineering plan and the requirement to provide as built upon completion providing for codification, repeal of conflicting ordinances, severability, and an effective date. Move to approve ordinance number 2025-05.
Second. I have a motion and a second. Any comments from council? No. Second reading. Second reading. None. Any comments from the public on item 16? Seeing none, back to councel. Call the role. Councilman Foley, yes. Councilman
Gilbert, yes. Councilman Green, yes. Mayor Stner, yes. 50. Item 17, capital Finance Items. 17A. Second reading of ordinance number 2025-15. That's an ordinance of the city of Pors Blush County, Florida,
authorizing the issuance of not to exceed 38 million in capital improvement refunding revenue bond series 2025 to fund all or a portion of the city's outstanding storm water utility revenue bond series 2005 and capital improvement refunding revenue bond series 2014 to
finance or reimburse capital improvements providing for the payment of such bonds from legally available non-avalorm revenues deposited pursuant to a covenant to budget and appropriate providing for repeal of inconsistent provisions providing for severability and an effective date. Move to approve
ordinance number 2025-15. I'll second. We have a motion and a second. Any discussion from council? No. Are we are we opening all the resolutions at the same time as well? We need to do them individually, don't we?
Let's do them individually. Yeah, we'll do them individually. Yep. Toby, did you have anything you wanted to weigh in on on this? No. Good. Any any comments from the public on item 17A? Seeing none, back to council. Call the role. Councilman Foley, yes.
Councilman Gert, yes. Councilman Green, yes. Mayor Stner, yes. 40. On to item 17B, resolution number 25-28. Did you have anything you need to read on that one, M? No, sir. No. Good evening, Mayor Council. Mark Simpson,
finance director. Before you this evening, you have resolution 25-28 authorizing the issuance of not to exceed the $38 million city of Port Orange Capital improvement revenue bonds series 2025. We have our uh financial
representatives here to answer any questions you might have. This is what gives us the authorization to go ahead and issue the bond. So, I would ask for it to be passed. Sounds good. Council, any any questions for finance director? This seems pretty
self-explanatory. Yeah. Anyone else need to speak to it from the staff or Toby? No. Good on that. All right. Any comments from the public on item 17B? Back to council. Do we need a roll call vote on this, please? All right.
Roll call vote, please. Sir, was there a motion? Oh, I made a motion. I second. Second. That was the last one. This is a resolution. This is a resolution. I'll make a motion to approve resolution number 2528.
Second. Have a motion and a second. Any other discussion from council? No. Anybody from the public? Back to council. Call the role. Councilman Foley. Yes. Councilman Gford. Yes. Councilman Green. Yes. Mayor Stilton. Yes. 40. Don't go
far. Item 17C, resolution number 25-29. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, Council. Once again, Mark Simpson, finance director. This resolution gets into all the mechanics of how we go about issuing debt. And once again, I've got our three representatives, but this spells out the
underwriting process, how we go out and sell these bonds. Um, so I would ask for approval if there are no questions. All right, let's go ahead and get a motion and a second on the floor then. Move to approve resolution number 25-29. I'll second it. We have a motion and a
second. Any comments from councel? No. Again, seems pretty ministerial. I have not. Gentlemen, no. No. Any comments from the public on 17C? Back to council. Call the role. Councilman Foley. Yes. Councilman Gford. Yes. Councilman Green. Yes. Mayor
Stiller. Yes. 40. Thank you. Hold on. Thank you. Council committee reports. This is going to be the Councilman Gert hour or minute. First step shelter. I feel like taking an hour. There you go. Uh, First Stepep
Shelter had a meeting. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend being out of town for a wedding, but uh I did get the minutes from that meeting. And uh good news is they have uh received um some funding from uh United Way and they were
one of five out of 25 that received the max amount of funding they offer. Uh they are also getting ready to um celebrate their 1,000th resident that they've placed. So they're anticipating that happening in mid July and we'll
probably be doing a celebration on that. So that's that's fantastic to to be able to over the last 5 years house up to 1,000 people. Um, so, uh, they're having, uh, had a little funding shortfall from FEMA due to
their, uh, emergency food and shelter program being permanently frozen. So, they're working on replacing that with some additional funding from some other donors and she's made some grant applications for that. So, uh, things are going good out there. So, excellent.
How about the It was a success story. Great. How about Port Southona Chamber of Commerce? Yeah, the Port South Daytona Chamber of Commerce gave a great report earlier. Thank you, Barbara an and uh our buddy Herb. We appreciate that. Um just a they had a new member
reception today. So, they're building their uh their members. They do fantastic things throughout the community uh by supporting small business which is vital to our community and uh offering all kinds of uh opportunities for uh people that are
coming out of incarceration. I certainly do appreciate all your efforts working with uh our uh system out there and trying to help people that have been incarcerated and coming out and helping them find jobs and and working with
businesses that are willing to to take them on. So that's very very important. I appreciate your efforts for that. It's not going unnoticed. Um they have their their annual one of their larger fundraisers. there's opportunities for people to play golf in our tournament
which is May 31st at our wonderful Cypress Head and uh that's setting up to be a really fun day. So just pray that we have good weather and uh just keep up the good work. So they're doing good leadership 2025 and YCL early June.
Yes. Yes. And I think we're going to be doing something in this room here with your young leaders. All right. And I just want to say again, uh, Barbara, and and for I know you put in a lot of work and effort into that job fair program, and, uh, it's only the second time. Um,
I know like Councilman Green pointed out, it will it'll just continue to get better and better. But the fact that you had over a hundred come in there, e even if even if they're just showing up and getting an opportunity to talk to business owners and community leaders and stuff like that, that is that's
something that's hard to to weigh out the value, but I know as a parent how valuable that was for my kids. And so I really do appreciate that and and all the work and effort. I wish I could have stopped by this year, but but thank you again to all that that were involved in that and another successful event. On to
the next thing, right? So, anybody else got anything to come before us tonight? No. All right. Well, thank you guys very much. Have a good night.