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10/23/1989 - Town Meeting TOWN MEETING October 23, 1989 The meeting was called to order at 7:31 p.m. at the Memorial Civic Center with the following members present: Rita Garvey Mayor/Commissioner Don Winner Vice-Mayor/Commissioner Lee Regulski Commissioner William Nunamaker Commissioner Richard Fitzgerald Commissioner Also present: Cynthia E. Goudeau City Clerk Ann Garris on behalf of the Clearwater Beach Association thanked the Commission for the many activities that have taken place on Clearwater Beach such as the establishment of the Clearwater Ferry, french drains, the 60's concert, continued police activity, etc. She stated that serious planning is taking place for Clearwater Beach and the City is working with the community. Herbert Leonhardt thanked the police for their efforts on the island stating that Clearwater Beach is returning to the family-oriented tourist community we wish it to be. He expressed concern regarding the number of alcoholic beverage establishments on the beach and complained regarding noise. He stated something needs to be done regarding restaurants coming in and then illegally using their restaurant license and becoming a nightclub. He requested that the City Code be amended to address these problems and to provide the Police Department and Planning with guidelines. Commissioner Winner responded that staff has been directed to come back with guidelines with regard to revocation of licenses based on the number and type of Code violations at a particular establishment. Gordon McDougall expressed concern that Chief Klein is looking for another job. He expressed concern that the Chief is leaving, not necessarily for personal reasons but perhaps because of some problems with the City. He stated the Chief has brought the City a long way and we now have a great Police Department. He requested that something be done to get Chief Klein to stay. Paul Schultz agreed with Gordon McDougall's comments. He also indicated that should the Chief leave he did not understand why we needed to go outside the Police Department to hire a replacement. Otto Gans stated he also agreed with Gordon McDougall. He also spoke concerning serving on the Development Code Adjustment Board and expressed concern that the City does not have enough staff to enforce the codes. He appealed to the City Commission to do something to help with enforcement. David Little asked if anything could be done with regarding reaching a better solution than the traffic blockades in dealing with the cruising problem. he stated the City needs to find a way to control the kids causing these problems. Ann Garris read a letter from City Manager Ron Rabun regarding the Chief indicating that he is very marketable, has been sought after for some time and has guided Clearwater to one of the outstanding police departments in the nation. She requested that the Commission do whatever they can do to persuade him to stay. Bill Voght questioned why more is not being done to place a service station on the Beach. Commissioner Winner reviewed the history of the bids for the station and stated we are still looking at this problem. Otto Gans indicated that the location of the current beach service station is in a "lousy" location and stated that in order for someone to make it there, they may have to be subsidized. David Little stated he agreed with Mr. Gans and requested the area of the current service station be considered for parking. John LeBlanc stated he has been coming to Clearwater from Nova Scotia since 1964 and it is his observation that the Friday and Saturday night "honky tonk" atmosphere is eroding the tourism on Clearwater Beach. He stated the long-term, three to four month, residents are beginning to disappear and that the short-term tourists do not bring in the same types of dollars as the long-term residents. He has overheard people say they can not go places Friday and Saturday night because of the traffic. He stated something needs to be done in order to maintain Clearwater Beach's tourist industry. John Sharp, Island Estates Civic Association, thanked Chief Klein for his work in the crimewatch program and also invited everyone to the opening of the Flagship restaurant some time in November. Commissioner Winner responded to Mr. LeBlanc's comments saying that a lot of time has been spent attempting to control the noise on Clearwater Beach. He stated the City is now attempting to enforce City, County, and State codes regarding noise and is looking at a stairstep fine situation. The meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.