Town ofMelbourne Beach  TOWN COMMISSION WORKSHOP  WEDNESDAY, March 3, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. MASNY ROOM, 507 OCEAN AVENUE  MINUTES  Commission Members: Mayor Wyatt Hoover Vice Mayor. Joyce D. Barton Commissioner Steve Walters Commissioner Sherrie Quarrie Commissioner Corey Runte StaffMembers: Town Manager Elizabeth Mascaro Town ClerkJennifer Torres    1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call  Mayor Hoover called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.  Town Clerk Torres conducted Roll Call:  Commissioners Present: Mayor Wyatt Hoover Vicel Mayor. Joyce D. Barton Commissioner Steve Walters Commissioner Sherrie Quarrie Commissioner Corey Runte  Staff Present:  Town Manager Elizabeth Mascaro Town Clerk. Jennifer Torres  3.  Pledge of Allegiance and Moment of Silence  Led by Mayor Hoover  4. Public Comments Alan Ross  Rotary Club ofMelbourne Beach  Mr. Ross thanked the Town and Commissioners for all the support they've given over the years. He added that the club members spend a lot of their own time to support the Rotary Club and said it was his understanding that the Town is going forward with Founders Day and considering taking away their oversight oft the beer tent. He asked the Commission to reconsider this decision and to support the club because the work they do benefits everyone in Town including Gemini Elementary School. Ina addition, Mr. Ross noted that the club is thinking of doing the Pineapple Man on Sunday, September 12. They are enlisting the support of a new race director and haveal high level ofconfidence it will be a successful event ifthe Commission  approves it.  Mayor Hoover said the discussion over replacing Rotary in the beer tent came about because membership was down. He said that ift they are prepared to do the same job Mr. Ross said they have meetings every Tuesday and do have a few members not participating due to COVID. Snowbird members are also effected. But excluding that they have 11 members and 3-4 who will be new. He went on to say that they can get thej job done and don't foresee any problems at all in terms of manning the beer tent. Commissioner Quarrie said that this is only a workshop and they can'tmake any decisions here soi ifthey want to pursue this it has to be in the right forum at the next  then we can keep things as they are.  RTCM.    Eddie Struttmann Park Board Chairman Rotary Club ofMelbourne. Beach  Mr. Struttmann questioned where the whole idea of removing the Rotary Club from thel beer tent was coming from and why a decision about Founders Day was made He went on to say that thel Rotary Clubl has done a lot for the' Town and he didn't Mayor Hoover explained they had a workshop with the Fire Department where they discussed their needs and concerns, etc. He said the Commission is open to meeting with the Rotary Club at ai future workshop ift they would like to do the same. Commissioner Quarrie said it was. her understanding there were concerns over  when thel Parks Board hasn'tl been meeting.  understand why the' Town would burn a 30-year relationship.  Pineapple Man.  Mr. Struttmann said she was misinformed.  Commissioner Quarrie expressed concern over previous events arranged by the Rotary and went on tos say that ifa an event is held in the' Town, the Commission has tol be sure: it's done in a safe manner. They need to make sure everyone at events in the community are safe and when they arei told it's not safe, it'st their duty, as a Mayor Hoover said that in terms oft thei issue Mr. Struttmann is here for - the focus Further discussion took place related to the Rotary Club and Founders Day. The Commission invited the clubi to attend the next RTCM and make a presentation along with a representative from the Melbourne Beach Volunteer Fire Department Inc., sO they can make a final determination as to which group would organize the  Commission, to correct that.  is on who is handling thel beer tent on Founders Day.  beer tent at the next Founders Day. Shaun Scenti 175 Beachwood Blud.  Ms. Scenti asked who was doing the shirts for Founders Day because shel has always done them ini the past with the proceeds going to the Parks Board and the Melbourne Mayor Hoover said he did not see any reason she could not continue to provide thet t-  Beach Rotary Club.  shirts.    5. New Business  A. Ocean Avenue Beautification - Discuss ideas for landscaping, lighting and pedestrian-triendly projects to enhance the beauty of Ocean Avenue.  Vice Mayor Barton handed out a PowerPoint presentation titled Beautification ofOcean She felt that once the Commission went over various elements and came to a mutual agreement about what they want to pursue, they can create a new PowerPoint to present In regard to establishing what the Town's style is she referred toi the Town Code which calls for Gothic Revival and/or Key West. Establishing exactly what the term Key West implies is important. Once they establish what style they want, the process can move She went on to say that the west side of Ocean Avenue does look great but they could make more ofa statement at the intersection. Her main area of concern is the east side ofOcean where the buildings look like a strip mall area. It's old and outdated. Discussion took place and Commissioners shared various thoughts and ideas that  Avenue and proceeded to go over the information enclosed.  to the business owners along Ocean Avenue.  forward.  included:  The fact that the Key West region is lush and tropical and not just comprised of native plants and there are many attractive non-native plants that could be used Taking the strip mall area businesses and making them look like individual shops  inc conjunction with the use of native plants.  with a Key West style.  White picket fencing is very common in Key West style.  What color palate should be used?  Town Manager Mascaro suggested the use of different colors, various awnings and trim toa achieve different looks for the each different business located in one long building. Mayor Hoover raised the previous idea ofallowing outdoor seating and adjusting the parking spaces in front to allow space for this. Town Manager Mascaro said the owner of the shopping center approached her tenants and they do not want to do itl because the parking is for everyone. She went on to say that several tenants didn't see how taking the whole front part of that parking lot away for seating for half the tenants would benefit On the west side of the shopping plaza where the market is located - they will offer  them.  outdoor seating on the side ofthe building.    Some discussion took place over decreasing the size of the parking lot and what code Town Manager Mascaro indicated they would need to have somebody come up with a drawing to see how many spaces they could get and take that to the business owners. Mayor Hoover said there would be an advantage to only having one entrance to the Commissioner Quarrie said, that according to FDOT, those exits and entrances are grandfathered in and ift they are changed, we have to have de-acceleration lanes. Therefore, she said, we need input from FDOT before we start offering to change that for Mayor Hoover said that his position related to FDOT is that there is explosive growth and construction and what will happen is that FDOT will fix it for us on their own without our input. He suggests we start talking to them now and have a say in how they decide to fix it - SO we are an active part oft that conversation. He said the Commission  changes might need to occur in order to do certain work.  shopping area in that it would help relieve traffic at the stoplight.  the owners.  may want to invite FDOT to the next workshop to discuss it. PWD Davis said it's very difficult to get a response from FDOT.  Commissioner Quarrie said she thinks they need to have sketch of the parking done Town Manager Mascaro agreed saying they need to provide business owners with a mockup of the parking lot that shows they wouldn'tlose parking spots. Some discussion ensued related to asking a landscape architect to create the design Some discussion ensued about the use ofnon-native or native plants with Vice Mayor Barton saying that she knows there are: some in the Town who are adamant about using natives, however, they don'talways have the most appealing look and she hopes they Mayor Hoover said he is not a native purist but in his opinion they should target the native-type plants for the majority but can certainly have accent plants in certain areas Mayor Hoover said the next step is definitely to talk to various agencies. He offered to reach out to SCTPO and the Florida Regional Planning Council. He also wanted tol look Both Town Manager Mascaro and Vice Mayor Barton offered to call FDOT.  first.  and whether or not to offer payment.  can mix ornamentals in with natives.  that are. lush.  into Economic Development Grants.    Town Manager Mascaro wanted to note that there is a color palette in the Town Code but we do need to define exactly what Key West style is in the code. She added that Mayor Hoover said they should reach out to agencies to see what they can do and then start looking for a local landscape artist who could help draft a sketch for us in exchange  perhaps ift they get a sketch done - the colors could be added to it.  for visibility.  B. Discussion related to setting meeting parameters for the History Preservation and Awareness Board and process for how and where the Town's historical  items are stored.  Vice Mayor Barton said she was approached by a member ofthe HPAB who expressed concern they hadn'tmet as a group all year. This member wants to see something happen with the Board and while she doesn't want to be in charge, she would like to see Some discussion ensued and Mayor Hoover suggested that each Town Department should schedule a time to meet with the Commission to discuss what's going on and any issues or problems that may be occurring, even ifit'sj just for morale. In addition, he suggested a similar schedule for the Town Boards to create an official way for the Boards to check in with the Commission. He suggested each Board join them for one workshop each year. He believes it would go a long way towards making the Town Manager Mascaro asked ifthe Commission remembered the fact that last year they voted to have the Parks Board report to the EAB because they needed oversight. She added that several Board members have historical memorabilia at their homes that Mayor Hoover said they can incorporate that into their conversation with the Boards and suggested they create a photo catalog of where each historical item is being stored.  some parameters set to help guide the Board.  resident volunteers feel better about what they are doing.  needs to collected and documented.  Mayor Hoover added an Action Item:  Draft a schedule to meet with each' Town Board and Department on an annual basis (on the same month for each group each year.) Bring to April RTCM for  approval.    C. Discuss Placement ofTraffic Stop Signs  Town Manager Mascaro said there has been a lot of discussion about the traffic on Pine Street. Police Chief Griswold has speed trailers out there to count cars and look at the On Pine Street, 97-percent of the cars are driving under the speed limit but it's the volume of cars that is concerning particularly with the number of people who walk and Police Chief Griswold would like to put in a few more stop signs to hopefully force the cars off Pine and onto Oak. She suggested making Ocean and Pine a 4-way stop, then if itd doesn'twork out or we get too many complaints, we can remove them. Public Works Director Davis suggested the use of a fog line, which is a white line painted Hes said they could paint the lines three-feet from the curb on each side which would Mayor Hoover suggested the fog lines be painted right against the curb because allowing three feet on either side may give pedestrians and bicyclists a false sense of security if they choose to walk/bike within it. He would prefer they continue with their initial discussion with regard to the bike decals and said this discussion about Pine is not Mayor Hoover said that through our infrastructure we want people to know that people Public Works Director Davis discussed options related to creating fog lines and Further discussion ensued about the amount of children, bicycles and skateboarderson Pine. The Commission expressed concerns related to children's safety around speedbumps and the amount of space between the curb and the fog line. Mayor Hoover also suggested a "road diet" in which the road could be narrowed. In regard to the speed limit, he would like to change the speed limit on Pine to 20 mph and to be consistent, institute a 20 mph speed limit everywhere in Town with the Commissioner Walters reminded the Commission that a traffic study needs to be done Mayor Hoover said the traffics study on Pine is complete sO they can move forward with that change to 20 mph and then complete for traffic studies on Shannon, South Palm  speeds. On Riverside they counted 9,000 cars in a 7-day period.  ride bikes in the middle oft the street.  on the edges of the road on both sides. allow travel lanes of eight-feet.  relegated to Pine, it's on other streets too.  are walking and biking here and that this is a residential place.  moveable speed bumps.  exception of Oak and Riverside.  for each road where the speed limit is changed.  and Orange.    Public Works Director Davis and Town Manager Mascaro spoke about the work that will Vice Mayor Barton said she would like to see more community outreach related to safety Town Manager Mascaro said the police and fire departments do work a lot with the Commissioner Quarrie said she thinks it's more about educating the drivers behind the  be done on Orange. issues in the Town.  children from Gemini on safety issues.  wheel.  Commissioner Walters suggested a stop sign at Ocean and Pine.  Mayor Hoover asked how everyone felt about a four-way-stop at Ocean and Pine and Mayor Hoover asked if everyone was ok with doing the fog line on the edge of the road Public Works Director Davis talked about the possibility of adding sidewalks in the Some discussion about surveys and easements related to new construction occurred. Further discussion occurred about turning right on Ocean and reaching out to FDOT. Public Works Director Davis said he did a lot of research and found the marking the lines is an expensive process and he looked at various striping machines and found a company in Ocala that has numerous striping machines and he was able to get a battery powered machine with the ability to do double yellow lines for $2,700. Commission Walters said it needs to be maintained properly SO it works properly. Public Works Director Davis said it comes equipped with a good cleaning system. Mayor Hoover asked ift they need to vote on reducing the speed limit.  everyone agreed it was a good idea.  as opposed to three-feet in and everyone agreed they were.  future.  Commissioner Quarrie said they need to make the final decision and vote at the RTCM. Town Manager Mascaro said in the code it does say that it needs to come in front of the  Commission.  Mayor Hoover directed PWD Davis to paint the fog lines on Pine.  Commissioner Quarrie said she wanted to circle back to public comments related to Founders Day. She said that some oft the behavior she witnessed from people brought in towork for the Rotary at the beer tent was not good. They were not dedicated the way the Fire Department is and with COVID, she can'timagine them handling it well.    Town Manager Mascaro said that one oft thei issues is that there are: strong personalities like Eddie Struttmann involved that were, given free rein to run Founders Day and when she first became Town Manager she couldn'tfigure out why the Rotary ran' Town events. She assured the Commission that it's not that we are taking this away from them - however many of the charities receiving support are good charities - but may not be in the Town of] Melbourne Beach and she isi trying to keep things tighter and not havei these issues, sO she thought it may be a good time for the Fire Department to takei this on. Commissioner Quarrie wanted to note that she did not appreciate the way Mr. Struttmann spoke to her earlier and did not think anyone on the Commission should have to be treated that way without being addressed and admonished, Further discussion ensued and the Commission clarified they would hear both sides (from the MBVFD Inc. and the Melbourne Beach Rotary Club) at the next RTCM with a Commissioner Quarrie moved to adjourn; Vice Mayor Barton seconded;  specific focus on what COVID protocols each would have inj place.  Motion carried 5-0.  The workshop adjourned at 8:28 p.m.  ATTEST:  LylHows Wyatt Hoover, Mayor  Jennifer' Torres, Town Clerk Has