Marsh Oaks Neighborhood Association

May 5, 2001 minutes

Aug 03, 2001

MARSH OAKS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION (MONA) minutes for May
5, 2001 meeting.

The next monthly meeting of MONA will take place on
Saturday, June 2, 2001, at 1PM in the Oceanside Christian
Church, 130 Main St. All residents and business owners of
Marsh Oaks are invited to attend. Atlantic Beach Public
Safety Director David Thompson will be our guest.
Afterwards, there will be a final discussion and vote on
MONA's proposals for dealing with access problems created
by the Mayport Flyover (see Item II in minutes below).

I Single-member districts
Dorothy Kerber and Sally Clemens addressed MONA regarding a
proposed ballot initiative to create single-member
districts for the AB city commission, which currently is
elected entirely at large.

The goal of proponents of this measure is to get the
question on the ballot for the upcoming election, which in
Atlantic Beach is held the first Tuesday in September. The
plan is to create four districts, each of equal size in
terms of population, with representatives elected by the
voters in his or her district.

For further information on the initiative, call Dorothy
Kerber or Sally Clemens.


II RS&H Mayport Rd. traffic access study
A preliminary version of the RS&H report was forwarded to
MONA by AB City Manager Jim Hanson. He will forward to us
the final, complete report when he receives it from RS&H.

The consensus of MONA members at this meeting is that the
RS&H report does not address our major concerns, especially
in regards to the crossing of Mayport Rd. by pedestrians,
bicyclists, and disabled persons. MONA's position is that
Mayport Rd. has become more unsafe, not less, because of
the Mayport Flyover.

We believe the following improvements need to be undertaken
by the City of Atlantic Beach to make crossing Mayport Rd.
less hazardous for pedestrians, bicyclists and the
handicapped as well as to deal with the increased traffic
that streets north of West Ninth St. already are
experiencing.

First, MONA recommends the construction of a pedestrian
walkway over Mayport Rd. This walkway, similar to the one
built for the use of Bishop Kenny students on Atlantic
Blvd., ought to be handicapped accessible.

Second, MONA recommends that Plaza Rd., from Mayport Rd. to
Orchid St., be lit with streetlights and a sidewalk built.

Third, MONA recommends that a sidewalk be constructed on
Orchid Street, from West Third St. to Levy Rd. We also
receommend that streetlighting be improved along this same
route.

Fourth, MONA recommends that streetlighting be improved on
all of the east-west streets (streets that link Mayport Rd.
and Orchid St.)from West Ninth St. to Levy Rd. in order to
deal with the increased traffic on those streets.

III Truck survey
The initial truck survey by MONA members, which is a count
of tractor-trailers spotted on residential streets in Marsh
Oaks, ranged from 2 trucks during April (Hoffmann) to three
trucks in April (Heard) to one report of large trucks
spotted daily on Main St. (Shaughnessy). None of these
counts reflected the daily appearances of beer trucks in
the neighborhood.

Members of MONA and Marsh Oaks residents are encouraged to
continue the survey in the upcoming months, noting in
writing the date, the time of day and the ownership of the
trucks. This will assist us in our efforts to make the
residential streets of Marsh Oaks safer for our children,
our pets, and ourselves.

IV School bus safety
There was a report made at the meeting by two MONA members
regarding the dangers created regularly by some car drivers
as they pass school buses that are stopped at the bus stop
located at Levy and Main streets. (This is one of the
issues MONA wants to discuss with Chief Thompson at the
June 2 meeting.)

V Law enforcement
Among the other ideas discussed in preparation for the
meeting with Chief Thompson were: obtaining a bicycle
patrol in Marsh Oaks, even if the patrol is parttime; more
security for Marsh Oaks parks (Tideviews and Pine Island);
and, traffic problems that occur during peak times when
drivers heading to and from Mayport NS block the
intersections at Levy, Plaza and other east-west streets
within Marsh Oaks that feed onto Mayport Rd.

VI MONA members commended the city for its efforts in
removing the unsightly and unsafe trash heap that
previously blighted West Second St. near Main St.

Submitted by Michael Hoffmann, MONA Steering Committee,
5/22/01.


MARSH OAKS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION (MONA) minutes for May
5, 2001 meeting.

The next monthly meeting of MONA will take place on
Saturday, June 2, 2001, at 1PM in the Oceanside Christian
Church, 130 Main St. All residents and business owners of
Marsh Oaks are invited to attend. Atlantic Beach Public
Safety Director David Thompson will be our guest.
Afterwards, there will be a final discussion and vote on
MONA's proposals for dealing with access problems created
by the Mayport Flyover (see Item II in minutes below).

I Single-member districts
Dorothy Kerber and Sally Clemens addressed MONA regarding a
proposed ballot initiative to create single-member
districts for the AB city commission, which currently is
elected entirely at large.

The goal of proponents of this measure is to get the
question on the ballot for the upcoming election, which in
Atlantic Beach is held the first Tuesday in September. The
plan is to create four districts, each of equal size in
terms of population, with representatives elected by the
voters in his or her district.

For further information on the initiative, call Dorothy
Kerber or Sally Clemens.


II RS&H Mayport Rd. traffic access study
A preliminary version of the RS&H report was forwarded to
MONA by AB City Manager Jim Hanson. He will forward to us
the final, complete report when he receives it from RS&H.

The consensus of MONA members at this meeting is that the
RS&H report does not address our major concerns, especially
in regards to the crossing of Mayport Rd. by pedestrians,
bicyclists, and disabled persons. MONA's position is that
Mayport Rd. has become more unsafe, not less, because of
the Mayport Flyover.

We believe the following improvements need to be undertaken
by the City of Atlantic Beach to make crossing Mayport Rd.
less hazardous for pedestrians, bicyclists and the
handicapped as well as to deal with the increased traffic
that streets north of West Ninth St. already are
experiencing.

First, MONA recommends the construction of a pedestrian
walkway over Mayport Rd. This walkway, similar to the one
built for the use of Bishop Kenny students on Atlantic
Blvd., ought to be handicapped accessible.

Second, MONA recommends that Plaza Rd., from Mayport Rd. to
Orchid St., be lit with streetlights and a sidewalk built.

Third, MONA recommends that a sidewalk be constructed on
Orchid Street, from West Third St. to Levy Rd. We also
receommend that streetlighting be improved along this same
route.

Fourth, MONA recommends that streetlighting be improved on
all of the east-west streets (streets that link Mayport Rd.
and Orchid St.)from West Ninth St. to Levy Rd. in order to
deal with the increased traffic on those streets.

III Truck survey
The initial truck survey by MONA members, which is a count
of tractor-trailers spotted on residential streets in Marsh
Oaks, ranged from 2 trucks during April (Hoffmann) to three
trucks in April (Heard) to one report of large trucks
spotted daily on Main St. (Shaughnessy). None of these
counts reflected the daily appearances of beer trucks in
the neighborhood.

Members of MONA and Marsh Oaks residents are encouraged to
continue the survey in the upcoming months, noting in
writing the date, the time of day and the ownership of the
trucks. This will assist us in our efforts to make the
residential streets of Marsh Oaks safer for our children,
our pets, and ourselves.

IV School bus safety
There was a report made at the meeting by two MONA members
regarding the dangers created regularly by some car drivers
as they pass school buses that are stopped at the bus stop
located at Levy and Main streets. (This is one of the
issues MONA wants to discuss with Chief Thompson at the
June 2 meeting.)

V Law enforcement
Among the other ideas discussed in preparation for the
meeting with Chief Thompson were: obtaining a bicycle
patrol in Marsh Oaks, even if the patrol is parttime; more
security for Marsh Oaks parks (Tideviews and Pine Island);
and, traffic problems that occur during peak times when
drivers heading to and from Mayport NS block the
intersections at Levy, Plaza and other east-west streets
within Marsh Oaks that feed onto Mayport Rd.

VI MONA members commended the city for its efforts in
removing the unsightly and unsafe trash heap that
previously blighted West Second St. near Main St.

Submitted by Michael Hoffmann, MONA Steering Committee,
5/22/01.