2013-1121 Regular City Commission Meeting

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summary Minutes: Regular City Commission Meeting November 21, 2013 City of Sunmv Isles Beach, Florida City have some benefit in informing residents of upcoming events but it still presents a litter issue. Having electronic signs, especially at the entryway to the City, where Gateway Park is planned, represents a more evolved and more sophisticated approach to the City. Public Speakers: None Mayor Edelcup said he spoke to the City Manager and requested that he study this issue because he knows we need to upgrade our sign situation. He would like the City Manager to work with Dana but keeping in mind that we did pass a Code that prevents the rolling kind of sign but we can have a static sign. We also have an Ordinance against billboards and so it can't be too big either. As to the yard signs, his own feeling is that we are going to have to leave those in the various neighborhoods because we have tested all kinds of ways of getting word out to our people. One or two signs on either end of the City doesn't do it but the neighborhood yard signs for the 3 or 4 days that they are up do. He would recommend that the City Manager consider keeping those signs but certainly the idea of more sophisticated signage is worthy of us looking into, particularly at each of the parks. He has asked the City Manager to look into it and to also keep the CAC informed on the progress. Certainly we appreciate the time and effort the Committee took to bring it to our attention. Vice Mayor Aelion asked the City Manager about the frame of the yard signs because they get bent by the wind. Will the frames be sturdier so that those signs will remain straight? City Manager Russo said one reason is the wind but we will do the best that we can. Sometimes the manufacturers make them that way on purpose so they will spring back up again. Commissioner Scholl said the sturdier signs are a lot more expensive, but he agrees with Dana. The FPL building would be a good spot for an electronic sign because as you come into the City it is right there. City Manager Russo said that would violate our billboard Ordinance, and Mayor Edelcup agreed, also people would be distracted reading it in traffic. Dana Goldman said one of the things they talked about at the Committee meeting was that signs blow in the wind and get knocked down, aesthetically it doesn't look good. City Manager Russo suggested keeping the yard signs on the residential streets where they are most effective, and ban them from Collins Avenue and Sunny Isles Boulevard. Mayor Edelcup asked the City Manager to come up with a plan and report back to the Commission. 13. CITIZENS' FORUM: REQUESTS, PETITIONS & OTHER COMMUNICATIONS 13A. Noise at Skateboard Park: Ellis Beyda asked what the status is on the Skateboard Park. City Manager Russo said at this time we are not planning any changes to the Skateboard Park. From time to time we have limited the hours based on different circumstances and things that come up. We were studying replacing the shade cover that is there however the cost benefit of trying to put something up more substantial than the shade cover isn't there and we would have to change the entire structure. We have done a couple of things that have made some improvements: we filled all the metal railings with foam which has stopped the pinging sound coming out of the Park. We have also experimented with different surface treatments on the concrete area that is not designated for skateboarding. We had a couple of applications that were buffering type applications that would soften the sounds of the skateboards. We had some down, it peeled, we are still working on that and we still intend to_ put a better surface there that would quiet the skateboards. 13