MINUTES
Of the Meeting of the
Citrus Springs Advisory Council
1570 W. Citrus Springs Boulevard
Citrus Springs, FL 34434
August 4, 2004
The Citrus Springs MSBU Council met on Wednesday August 4, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. in Building A at the Citrus Springs Community Center.
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I. CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Bob Johnson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The Invocation was given by Pat Hipner, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
II. ROLL CALL
Recording Secretary, Sue Rexford called the Roll. All members were present with the exception of John Fitzpatrick who was excused for vacation.
Chairman Johnson welcomed the 43 Citrus Springs residents in attendance, and introduced the following members of County Staff who were also in
attendance: Mr. Kenneth L. Frink, P.E. Citrus County Director of Public Works, Mr. Ken Cheek, Citrus County Director of Engineering and Mr. Dan
Tvenstrup, Construction Coordinator, Department of Public Works and Liaison to the Council.
III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Chairman Johnson asked if there were any corrections or additions to the minutes of the July 7, 2004 meeting. There were none.
A motion was made to accept the Minutes of July 7, 2004 as presented
MOTION: Ann Julio SECOND: Glenn Mehl
Motion carried unanimously
IV. CORRESPONDENCE
Chairman Johnson said he has received a letter from Commissioner Josh Wooten stating that the Operating Agreement is being terminated for the
Community Center in 45 days. Chairman Johnson said he would reply to Commissioner Wooten that the Board thought it was terminated on July 1, 2004 when
the Commissioners took over the operation. He said he would respond to Commissioner Wooten accordingly with the Board's approval.
V. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Mr. Don Rogers, W. Country Club Blvd, presented pictures of his flooded garage due to drainage build up. Chairman Johnson said he
will pass this on to Mr. Cheek.
Mr. Ken Clements, W. Hemlock Drive said there was a drainage problem on Jonquil Drive. Chairman Johnson said he would also give this
information to Mr. Cheek.
Mrs. Barbara Freebes, W. Astor Place asked if anything had been done with the information presented at the last meeting regarding
the intersection of Dunklin and Citrus Springs Boulevard. Chairman Johnson replied that Board Member John Fitzpatrick was researching this problem
as there have been many complaints on this issue. He said he would make sure the County looks into it.
Mr. Richard Osborn, N. Sherman Drive said there are 3 roads off Sherman Drive that were never completed. He has met with Mr. Ken
Saunders, Jr. Assistant County Administrator who suggested he write a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Mr. Osborn said that he
has received a response informing him that the EPA would like to create a trail in that location. Mr. Osborn said he would meet with Mr. Saunders
again to discuss this. Chairman Johnson thanked Mr. Osborn for that information.
Mr. James Earl, N. Amboy Drive said he is concerned if more rain comes, his garage could be flooded. He presented a CD to the Board.
Chairman Johnson said if there was some time at the end of the meeting he would be glad to look at it. Mr. Cheek suggested Mr. Earl call the County
Road Maintenance Division @527-7610 or 489-2120. They will send a Supervisor out to look at it.
Mr. Glen Robertson, N. Limbo Circle said the power company is trimming Oak trees on Elkcam Boulevard. They're cutting up the limbs
and leaving small sections of trees along the Boulevard for residents to pick up and use rather than throwing them away. He suggested getting an
arborist that could assist in the way they trim the trees to help maintain their shape.
In response to a question from Mr. Dick Hamel at the last meeting, Chairman Johnson said he has spoken to Commissioner Phillips
regarding his request to change the name of Wesley Jones Park to Citrus Springs Children's Park and she is working on that and will get back to the
Board.
New resident, Rose Martin requested information on the County taking over the Community Center. Chairman Johnson explained that the
County always owned the building. It was built with Citrus Springs MSBU money. He explained that the County had to take over the operation of the
Community Center because of a law suit filed in Marion County in which the Fifth District Court of Appeals said that MSBU dollars could not be used
to fund or operate a community center.
A member of the audience questioned who would be paying to fix the drainage problems. Chairman Johnson replied the MSBU intends to
assist the County in funding the lowering and unplugging of some of the storm drains.
A number of residents voiced concerns on mowing. Chairman Johnson said he would address all concerns later in the meeting.
VI. FINANCIAL REPORT- Bob Johnson
Chairman Johnson gave the Financial Report, a copy of which is made part of these minutes. Mr. Jack Rourke questioned where the Community Center
Budget surplus was coming from. Chairman Johnson replied that the operating budget for the Center was for the entire fiscal year (October 03 thru
September 04). The County assumed control of the Center on July 1, 04. The budget surplus is the money that would have been used if the MSBU had
continued to fund the operation of the Center through the end of the fiscal year.
VII. REVIEW OF PAVING PROCEDURES Mr. Ken Cheek
Mr. Cheek explained the differences between Asphalt and Micro paving as follows:
Asphalt is used when the roadway is in poor or bad condition and unsuitable for micro paving.
Micro paving is best suited for the existing course surface roads that were never completed with a finished surface. In this process the voids are
filled and ride ability is improved.
The cost to treat one (1) mile of roadway twenty (20) ft. wide without turnouts, aprons or radii @ intersections is as follows:
Asphalt 1" thick $27,104.00
Asphalt 1.5" thick $40.656.00
Micro paving $17,483.00
Mr. Cheek said on an annual basis the County administers a road resurfacing program. There is $2 million allocated for resurfacing in this year's
budget. The dollar amount in the annual budget is dictated by the Board of County Commissioners.
This year the County is micro paving 28 miles of roads in Citrus Springs. This application is used basically in a case where the roadway doesn't have
a lot of structural problems. It smoothes the road out,making it a better surface. The other method used is asphalt which is an overlay. He said the
County will be doing 4 ¼ miles of asphalt in Citrus Springs.
He continued his presentation explaining how the County prioritizes the list of roads that need resurfacing. In general he receives a
lot of requests from the Road Maintenance Division based on the amount of time they spend patching roadways, repairing pot holes and edge work. If
they have a lot of problems with a particular road, they will ask to rate it. The most common way to begin on residential streets is from complaints
from residents. These are logged every year and a master list is compiled. Then a rating sheet (a sample copy is attached and made part of these
minutes.) is made and every road has a number assigned to it. Once all the roads on the list are rated, we know how many dollars we have, we know how
many miles of roads we've actually measured that need to be done, we start with the worst roads and go down the list until our money runs out. That
draws the line of how much we do on an annual basis. Mr. Cheek stated it would be helpful if the MSBU Board would assist the County by supplying a
list of Streets to be prioritized and allow the County to adopt that list into their program.
A discussion ensued as to how Streets have been selected in the past for resurfacing. Mr. Christofaro asked if the MSBU had funds available for Micro
paving this year. Chairman Johnson replied that at the last MSBU meeting the Board approved up to $125,000 for micro paving this year but, he
understood the County would not be able to do it as the contracts are already completed for this fiscal year. Mr. Cheek advised the Chairman to roll
over the funds in that account into next years budget .He replied to Chairman Johnson's question regarding the use of the $125,000 for Asphalt or
Micro paving by saying the funds could be used for either Asphalt or Micro paving. He said the asphalt contract is ongoing now so if you were going
with the asphalt overlay, he believed that the company will be laying asphalt until the end of the month. Chairman Johnson said at the last meeting a
resident asked if the MSBU was going to assist the County with the paving, how will that affect the County's plans for street paving in Citrus
Springs.
Mr. Cheek replied that once the County has a prioritized list of what streets will be paved in Citrus Springs, the County will proceed to pave those
streets until the money allocated for Citrus Springs runs out. If the MSBU wants to assist the County by providing additional funds for paving then
paving of streets would continue until those funds are depleted. He added that the County would need the prioritized MSBU list by early October. A
member of the audience asked Mr. Cheek how the residents would get a road on the list for paving. Chairman Johnson replied that Pat Hipner has been
appointed the point person to prepare a prioritized list of roads to be paved with MSBU funds. Mr. Cheek said that Citrus Springs gets the lion's
share of resurfacing in the County. Chairman Johnson said the worst roads will be done first and the process will be as fair and equitable as
possible. He asked Ms. Hipner to meet with Mr. Cheek and work together in formulating a prioritized listing. He thanked Mr. Cheek for his presentation
and for coming to the meeting.
VIII. REPORTS FROM POINT PERSONS
a. Directional Signs-and Prioritizing of Paving- Pat Hipner
Ms. Hipner didn't have anything new to report on the Directional Signs.
b. Design of new entrance & Mowing- Bob Johnson
In Mr. Fitzpatrick's absence Chairman Johnson asked Mr. Tvenstrup to speak to the audience about the mowing situation, as a lot of people had voiced
complaints earlier in the meeting. Mr. Tvenstrup told the group their comments on the mowing contract had not fallen on deaf ears. He said although he
couldn't go into detail on this matter, he assured the residents that all complaints have been logged and he said the situation is being addressed.
Chairman Johnson asked him if the funds that were budgeted this fiscal year for mowing, weeding and trimming the area on Citrus Springs Blvd from
Rails to Trail to Athenia (including the Main Entrance) had been used up. Mr. Tvenstrup said Mr. Gilmer owes four more cuttings and weeding in that
area. After much discussion Chairman Johnson asked Mr. Tvenstrup what could be done to get the work done on both sides of the entrance, now. Mr.
Tvenstrup replied that he would take care of it first thing in the morning. Chairman Johnson thanked Mr. Tvenstrup for his help on this situation.
Design of the new entrances
Chairman Johnson introduced Mr. & Mrs. Richard Devine, residents of Citrus Springs, and horticulturists that have graciously offered to help
design the new entrances that we have proposed. Mr. Devine has done some preliminary design work for the entrances and he has it on a disk to show us.
Chairman Johnson said he was very impressed with the design but obviously it will have to be coordinated with the landscape architect who is working
on the design of the main entrance. A copy of this design is attached and made part of these minutes. Mr. Devine explained that the design could be
adapted for the smaller entrances by taking off the side wings or with just the sign with the pillars on each side or the sign. It depends on where
the entrance is, whether it's a double or single lane. He said it's also set up to feature lighting. The material can be either stone or brick. The
coping on top would have to be cement. Chairman Johnson thanked Mr. Devine for his work and his support. He told the audience that was just a sample
of what Mr. Devine is capable of doing. He said the Board has employed C & D Engineering to work on the designs for the main entrance and hopes to
have them by the next meeting.
c. Street Lighting
Mr. Mehl said he has visited approximately 30 locations during daylight and night time hours. He is in the process of drafting letters for processing
requests for additional street lighting, to be sent to Mr. Dave Van Val ken Burgh, Service Coordinator of Progress Energy, and Mr. Larry White,
Engineering Services Technician of the Withlacoochee River Electric Corporation. He is requesting cost information on the installation of and
subsequent monthly charges involved with the proposed street lights. He said he is preparing sketches of each of these locations to be sent along with
the request letters to the respective utility company. There were no new street light outages reported since his last report. He reminded everyone to
please contact him if they see one that's out.
Fire Hydrants
Mr. Mehl said he is still actively involved in locating and identifying new possible locations with sufficient water supply to support a fire hydrant.
He has visited approximately 38 possible locations to date. He further stated he has met with Mr. Russell Knight (FGUA), to determine the water pipe
size and water pressure at these proposed locations. In the upcoming month he will be contacting Mr. Kristian Sloane, Citrus County District #2 Fire
Chief for Citrus Springs, for his review of the locations, as well as any possible suggestions for additional locations that he may feel would be
important for providing better fire protection to the residents of Citrus Springs. Chairman Johnson said the MSBU has $80,000 in this year's budget
for new fire hydrants. The present cost of installation is $3,300 per unit (on an existing water main), down from the $4,000 per unit that it cost
last year. As a result of the decrease in installation cost, the Board voted at the July 7th meeting to increase to 23 (up 3 from the original 20) the
number of units to be installed this year. Mr. Tvenstrup said he would check to see what paperwork would have to be issued for the 3 additional
hydrants. In addition, Mr. Tvenstrup asked Mr. Mehl to provide him with the 3 recommended locations.
d. Beautification of Boulevards
Ms. Julio said she would meet with Mr. & Mrs. Devine at the end of the meeting regarding the beautification of the medians and what types of
plantings could be put there. Discussion followed regarding the Beverly Hills MSBU and their median plantings. Chairman Johnson said this may or may
not be something of interest. Ms. Julio said she would investigate.
New Employee Job Description
Chairman Johnson said the money is in the budget for the new employee who will be taking care of the entrances and all the areas previously discussed.
The job description Ms. Julio received from Human Recourses Director, Randy Petitt will need to be customized or altered for this position. Mr.
Fitzpatrick would like to have some input to that, and maybe a workshop is needed to identify the duties to be required of this individual. He asked
Mr. Cheek if it is necessary to wait until the budget is approved for the County to advertise for this job and to prepare the Purchase Orders for the
required equipment. Mr. Cheek said there are some steps that could be taken ahead of time such as advertising for the person but, the individual could
not be hired until the budget is approved. The purchase orders may be prepared in advance but cannot be submitted for approval until October 1st.
Chairman Johnson stated that it was the desire of the Board to have the employee and equipment available as close to October 1st as possible.
e. Fountain
Chairman Johnson said the survey will be done this week and at the next meeting Mr. Paul Gibbs will present his design work for Board approval, then
the work will start on the renovation of the Main Entrance. There is no excuse for the deplorable condition that currently exists at the Main
Entrance. The Individual or Company that has the contract for mowing, weeding and trimming is not and has not preformed its responsibilities. In short
they are not doing the job.
IX. OLD BUSINESS
Chairman Johnson said at the last meeting a resident wanted information regarding Impact Fees and he has invited Mr. Gary Maidhof, Director of
Development Services, to the next meeting to discuss how Impact Fees are used and how they're allocated.
Mr. Jim Stepanek asked about the MSBU Website. Recording Secretary, Sue Rexford said the new MSBU website is http://msbu.citrussprings.org and the
minutes for the June meetings were up on it, she thanked Judy Groth at the Welcome Center for her help.
X. PUBLIC INPUT
Chairman Johnson opened the floor for suggestions on the method to prioritize street resurfacing. A member of the audience asked what Streets are
presently on the Road Departments list for resurfacing. Chairman Johnson replied he didn't know but, he thought the list could be obtained and posted
on the website and on the bulletin board at the Community Center.
Mr. Robert Dietz asked how the County decides between asphalt and micro paving. Chairman Johnson said the engineering department inspects the street
and makes the determination. He said Ms. Hipner has been given a large task to come up with a fair and equitable way to get this accomplished, and as
Mr. Cheek said there are 423 miles of streets here in Citrus Springs. Even with the MSBU working with the County, it is going to take some time to get
the roads up to an acceptable standard.
Chairman Johnson said the Board is encouraged by the turnout of residents to this meeting and therefore evening meetings will continue. The Next
Regular Meeting will be on Wednesday, September 1, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. in Building B. If there is a conflict in scheduling, please check The Visitor for
any changes.
XI. ADJOURNMENT
Chairman Johnson asked for a motion to adjourn
MOTION Glenn Mehl SECOND; Pat Hipner
Motion carries unanimously
Meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Sue Rexford