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10/28/1993 - Town Meeting TOWN MEETING October 28, 1993 The City Commission of the City of Clearwater met at the Martin Luther King Center with the following members present: Rita Garvey Mayor/Commissioner Richard Fitzgerald Vice-Mayor/Commissioner Fred A. Thomas Commissioner Sue Berfield Commissioner Arthur X. Deegan Commissioner Also present were: Cynthia E. Goudeau City Clerk The meeting was called to order at 7:32 p.m. Issay Gulley, representing Clearwater Neighborhood Housing Services (CNHS), requested a crosswalk on Greenwood Avenue for children. She stated they have no crossing guard. Mayor Garvey pointed out this has been brought up before; however, a specific location has not been identified. Ms. Gulley indicated she will work with the School Board to identify a location. Johnathan Wade stated the last they had heard regarding naming Plaza Park was that it was going back to Parks and Recreation. He expressed concern the community came forward and followed the procedure that was in place at the time. They wanted to go forward with the name change. He stated he attended the new homeowners' association meeting, which is opposed to the new name, and there were no African-Americans there and he was asked to leave. He stated he has gone around the community and a lot of people there do not know about this issue. He stated this is not a black-white issue and they do not want to take no for an answer. Mr. Wade spoke regarding the sports programs in the area. He stated the Long Center is getting over $300,000 and the Greenwood Panthers have had their equipment stolen and now have a $12,000 shortfall. He stated they also want to add other programs in the area. He wants to do a tutoring program prior to their practices. He requested support for these programs. He thanked the City Commission, for the CDBG funds that were recommended for the safe houses, etc., in the area. Mayor Garvey questioned if there was something that could pull all the organizations in the community together. Mr. Wade indicated that is a big problem, as each group is autonomous and has to be funded separately. He stated they do have some collaboration, but he was not aware if they could all pull together. Ms. Gulley indicated, after a recent meeting, it was more evident than ever that there was not unity among the area groups. She started drafting a letter to the organizations in the community requesting that a task force be formed. She stated the letter will go out next week. Mr. Wade indicated there needs to be grass-roots organizations and it is tough to bring the merchants to the table when they don't think there is anything there for them. Commissioner Thomas questioned if they were aware of Community Consensus. It was indicated they were. Commissioner Thomas stated this is the single most important meeting and it is critical to have the community's input. He stated he would like some direction from this community. Mayme Hodges requested the programs at the Martin Luther King Center be expanded. She stated there was good leadership in the building. Mayor Garvey pointed out the facility is already heavily programmed. Muhammad Abdur-Rahim requested the Martin Luther King Center be put back under community control and the community could then program it. He stated it was established for social programs, not parks and recreation. He spoke regarding the park naming issue, stating, personally, he feels there should not be a compromise when the North Greenwood Association went through the procedures in place. He stated the Homeowners' Association has been set up for property owners and there are others whose opinions should be taken into consideration. He stated Greenwood has taken on a negative name over the years and requested the name of the street be changed to Martin Luther King. He stated the paper says South Greenwood has gotten drugs under control, but not North Greenwood. He said this is not true. Mayor Garvey stated if the owners on Greenwood Avenue want the name to be changed, they need to present a petition. Commissioner Deegan questioned how to avoid another situation like the park naming incident. Mr. Abdur-Rahim suggested it be placed on a referendum. Commissioner Thomas questioned how wide a radius should be included in the referendum. Mr. Abdur-Rahim indicated the North Greenwood area should be the boundary. Commissioner Thomas pointed out that Plaza Park is a neighborhood park. Mr. Abdur-Rahim indicated he did not know when Drew Street was ever considered part of the boundaries for Plaza Park. He stated it has not had a name. Lois Lowery questioned the Community Consensus program and how the community could get their concerns to the City Commission. She questioned why Citizens to be Heard has been changed. Commissioner Deegan pointed out that citizens to be heard usually have isolated issues. He stated, for the advertised public hearings, many people have paid application fees and are there for those issues. He stated the public hearings are of wider interest and it seemed to be better to have the items of wider interest first. Mayor Garvey pointed out some were also abusing the opportunity for Citizens to be Heard. She stated it was a delicate balance. Joe Williams questioned when the area became Plaza Park. Mayor Garvey stated it had been that way since 1925. She stated the Parks and Recreation Department had established criteria for naming parks. She stated the action has not been rescinded. It is being looked at again. Don Fisher questioned if there was not a survey regarding the naming of Plaza Park. It was indicated there was. Tracy Davis stated, at one meeting, it was said there would be a survey. Mayor Garvey stated she personally felt Plaza Park was part of the entire North Greenwood area. Lois Martin stated there was a need to set priorities. She stated there was a need to do something about Stevenson's Creek and it is fortunate there have been no hurricanes. She also stated there needs to be a change in the taxes on recyclables. Commissioner Deegan pointed out it was a State law to have a one-cent tax on packaging. Ms. Martin questioned what they were doing with the money. Mayor Garvey stated, from Clearwater, it reduced the cost of disposal. Ms. Martin questioned if there were any profit from recycling. The Mayor stated it decreases the expense of solid waste, but makes no profit. Commissioner Thomas pointed out the one-cent tax is paid at the manufacturing, distribution and retail levels. He stated this is passed on to the consumer and the revenues go to the State. Ms. Martin questioned if Penny for Pinellas took care of some of the expenses. Mayor Garvey pointed out Penny for Pinellas is for capital improvements. She stated the City is careful in trying to manage its money. Don Fisher stated he is active with the Greens and opposed channelization of Stevenson's creek. Tal Rutledge complained the City pushed dirt through the sewer lines and that is causing some of the siltation in Stevenson's Creek. Mr. Abdur-Rahim, who works for the Public Works Department, indicated this was not true. Mr. Rutledge expressed concerns regarding the backflow prevention devices and stated no one can give him a satisfactory answer as to why people are forced to put these on. He stated meters should have check valves. Mr. Rutledge also complained the Community Relations Department has been given a back seat and should be given status and credibility. He expressed concerns the City Manager is trying to do away with it. He stated he was opposed to the City Manager form of government. The Mayor stated the City Commission and the City Manager have been in strong support of the Community Relations Department. Commissioner Deegan pointed out it is now a department, rather than a division and it has been given the status it should have. Mr. Rutledge felt the office should be in City Hall. The Mayor stated it would be, when the consolidation City Hall is constructed. Cherry Harris complained regarding Stevenson's Creek, saying that all the sewers come into the creek and there was sewage in the creek last month. She also indicated there were leaks in three new homes on Harbor Drive. She stated things have gotten worse since Phase 1 of the Stevenson's Creek project. She felt money should be put aside to dredge the creek. She also requested an agreement be reached regarding the name of the park. Tracy Davis indicated the park issue is a need for the community. He stated the memorial plaque will do a lot for the community. Commissioner Berfield expressed concern regarding calling attention to the fact a child was killed in the area. Mr. Davis indicated it would be an education for those coming into the community. He felt strongly about naming the park after the young boy who was killed. Joe Williams stated he hoped the City Commission will leave the Scientologists alone, as it would then have more money for other things. Tracy Davis spoke regarding the Parks and Recreation Department not cooperating with the Greenwood Association's street festival. He felt a Parks and Recreation program overshadowed the festival. Lois Cormier requested undercover police officers at Woodlawn Gardens and Norton Apartments. She stated Norton Apartments is a disaster waiting to happen. She spoke regarding a housing program, stating Mr. Mann of Community Service Foundation has said there would be training for the residents. She stated, first, they needed to get good contractors to build the houses. She expressed concern regarding emergencies pulling police out of the Greenwood area. She also reported there were some women afraid to come to meetings. She was very upset regarding the Community Relations Department being taken out of the City Hall Annex and placed in the Gas Division building. She felt it was a demotion for the Community Relations. Mayor Garvey stated she had heard good things about the new facility. Yacub Bilal, regarding the Plaza Park issue, stated his sister-in-law was asked to leave the homeowners' association meeting. He said she was told she does not have a voice because she is a renter. He questioned how the budget was looking, and if businesses leaving Clearwater has been looked into. He questioned plans regarding Scientology and whether they are tax exempt or their records are to be exposed. Mayor Garvey stated they were all concerned about the business environment. She stated the issues with the Scientology were difficult. She stated the charitable solicitation ordinance provides, if there are ten complaints, it would require the books be opened. She stated all churches have opposed the ordinance. She stated there is nothing the City can do regarding the IRS ruling that Scientology is tax exempt. She stated she is disturbed regarding what she is reading in the papers. Norma Parks questioned if the Pinellas area was going to get money for a boot camp and if there was any information what is going to happen. The Mayor stated she was only aware of what was in the paper this morning. Commissioner Fitzgerald stated the City does not have jails. He stated the County operates them and has gotten permission to put in a boot camp in a portion of the jail facility. He stated this is a mechanism to address youth involved in crime. It has worked successfully in other places. He stated the youth go there for several weeks of military type training and then to a community-based situation. Muhammad Abdur-Rahim commended the Commission for being firm enough to deal with adult establishments. He stated Clearwater is becoming a testing ground and citizens need to know more about it. Commissioner Thomas agreed they were dealing with tough legal issues. Commissioner Deegan stated some people felt the ordinance had not gone far enough. He stated, however, they wanted to put the ordinance in such a way they would not be thrown out in court. Dorothy Pettis commended the Commission, especially Commissioner Thomas for taking time out to come to the Greenwood Panthers Complex. She stated the lights and fences are now up. She complained, when it rains, all the water washes down and floods their field. She thanked the Commission for the block grant funds. She stated they did have equipment stolen. Commissioner Thomas stated all five Commissioners worked together to get the work done. Lois Martin questioned the crackdown on property owners in the area. Mayor Garvey stated a new ordinance has been enacted that allows faster reaction to code violations. Commissioner Thomas stated one of the most aggravating to deal with is abandoned and boarded up buildings. Commissioner Deegan stated he wished to make a plug for the City's program where there is $25,000 to help businesses in North Greenwood spruce up their properties. He stated the owners need to apply. Issay Gulley stated, in a meeting Tuesday with a group of bankers, it was agreed to have a loan pool for those businesses that did not have the match. Cherry Harris complained that every time there is a clean-up campaign in the neighborhood, it looks beautiful for one day. By Monday, there is trash all over the place again. She requested fines for throwing garbage in the street. Officer Griffin indicated this is a big problem. He stated officers have to see littering before they can issue tickets. Mr. Abdur-Rahim suggested posting a sign that there will be a $500 fine for littering. The meeting was adjourned at 9:13 p.m.