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08-09-2018 VC WS-M_Updated and DetailedUPDATED AND DETAILED MINUTES OF THE WORKSHOP SESSION VILLAGE COUNCIL OF NORTH PALM BEACH, FLORIDA AUGUST 9, 2018 Present: RnT.T. CAT.T. David B. Norris, Mayor Mark Mullinix, Vice Mayor Susan Bickel, President Pro Tem Darryl C. Aubrey, Sc.D., Councilmember Deborah Searcy, Councilmember Andrew D. Lukasik, Village Manager Melissa Teal, Village Clerk Mayor Norris called the meeting to order at 8:42 p.m. All members of Council were present. All members of staff were present. LAKESIDE PARK Mr. Lukasik reviewed the grant agreement regarding Lakeside Park and highlighted the history of the issue. He explained the directed patrol initiated by the Police Department with increased sensitivity to inappropriate behaviors since the recently published media regarding ongoing issues at the park. He shared options for Council to contemplate, including continuation of short-term directed patrols for high visibility in the park and better public outreach to encourage incident reports directly. Councilmember Searcy asked if 911 was the appropriate number to call with incident reports and confirmed that it would not waste police time and resources. Chief Jenkins stated 911 was the appropriate number, and the service was there for that purpose. Mr. Lukasik agreed that the hesitancy to call 911 was a myth that needed to be dispelled. Mr. Lukasik stated that he had heard some issues related to on -street parking in the neighborhood surrounding Lakeside Park and noted it might be worth looking at short-term restrictions during peak traffic times. Mr. Lukasik explained that it was an option to return the grant and not pursue other funds with the goal of keeping the park restricted to Village residents only. He stated that he had experienced similar issues in other locations, and it was very challenging to manage keeping a park restricted to local residents. Additionally, he noted that staff was developing a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for projects, and it would be difficult to do the necessary investments in the park if grant funds were returned. Mr. Lukasik stated staff had investigated a parking pass system for the park and found that it would be expensive and onerous to develop and administer. Mr. Lukasik addressed concerns regarding smoking in the park and stated that restrictions were preempted by State law. He noted the Village Attorney had investigated extensively to look for options. Ron Molyneux, 648 Lakeside Drive, stated his residence was one (1) of 11 houses contingent to Lakeside Park. He asserted that paragraph two (2) of the deed dictated that any major changes to the park should be voted on by the people that live on the park and have 75 percent approval. He stated when the deed was given to the Village, it was clearly delineated that it be kept as a community park, and somewhere along the line that was lost. Mr. Molyneux stated that because the park had been made public, each week it is in the Palm Beach Post. He noted issues with cars in the park driving unsafely and stated he had been calling the Village Police phone number but would start calling 911. He asserted that he was strong on not having cars in the park. Minutes of Village Council Workshop Session held August 9, 2018 Page 2 of 3 Adam Farkas, 725 Buoy Road, stated that the Village residents fund the park. He disagreed with the statements regarding the difficulty in enforcing rules in the park, asserting littering, drinking illegally, dogs off leash, and numbers beyond capacity were easy to enforce. He stated if the Police Department started ticketing people, they would not return. Mr. Farkas added that if it were put to a vote in the community whether to return the grant funds, he thought there would be no question. Ryan Nagel, 136 South Cruiser Road, commented that he took his son to the park daily and the issues made it not fun anymore. He spoke in support of paying the grant back and said he had spoken to others who agreed. He noted that there was already a parking sticker program in place for the boat ramps, and it was not a hassle to residents. Barbara Case, 719 Lakeside, stated that when she and her two (2) small children first moved to the area they used the park quite a bit, but no longer did because of crowding and other issues. She noted that she had called the Police Department before and gotten a great response, but it was a continued concern. Dan Higgins, 106 Atlantic Road, stated that people park on his property every day to fish. He noted there were signs for a time that said no parking beyond the fence, but the hurricane took them down. He added that the signs did not stop people parking. Continuing, Mr. Higgins stated the sunrise to sunset restrictions were violated on a regular basis and added that the big part of the park was the view, and it was being impacted by sea oats. Councilmember Aubrey asked for clarification as to the restrictions on the park prior to 2006. Mr. Hodgkins responded that the park had been open to the public, but not used in the way that it currently was. Councilmember Searcy stated she had spoken with people more intimate with the grant program than she was and been told that if they returned the funds, they would not be eligible to receive future grants. Vice Mayor Mullinix asserted that he had complained about Lakeside Park since he was elected in 2015, and commended Chief Jenkins for putting in resources above and beyond what should have been necessary. He stated that the park was overused, resulting in people parking all over the neighborhood, leaving trash, and causing damage. He asserted that the residents wanted to see the park returned to the passive park that it was before. Vice Mayor Mullinix stated that the Village may not receive grant funds for that park in the future, but he thought that the Council owed it to the residents to give back the money and make it private. President Pro Tem Bickel asked if police officers patrolling the park had the ability to write up who it was being used by as they went through. Chief Jenkins responded that gathering data on usage was not possible but asserted that they do collect and retain information when writing tickets or making arrests. He added that even closing and opening the gates when the park was full would be labor intensive for police officers due to the monitoring required. In response to a question from staff, Chief Jenkins stated he agreed with parking restrictions. Mayor Norris asserted that giving the grant funds back did not solve the problem, as the real issue was enforcement. Discussion ensued regarding the impacts of making the park private. Steve Bauch, 731 Cruiser Road South, stated the idea of calling the police is great, but it requires that people who live in the area and want to use the park act. He asserted that he appreciated the Police Department and thought asking them to patrol the park for the majority of the weekend was crazy. He questioned worrying about the grant funds when the Village had a $21 million budget and asserted that residents would agree to increase the millage rate in order to protect the park. Minutes of Village Council Workshop Session held August 9, 2018 Page 3 of 3 Jacqueline Farkas, 725 Buoy Road, agreed that enforcement would always be an issue, but asserted that if it were restricted to residents, it would improve with time. She stated if the Village did not take the park back, it would be an issue forever. Councilmember Aubrey asked if there were equivalent issues at other parks. Chief Jenkins responded that because it was all over social media and was one of the most beautiful parks in North Palm Beach County, at the end of the day Lakeside Park was unique in its issues. He stated that he did not believe increased patrols were enough and asserted that officers could not make inquiries as to whether people were residents. Discussion ensued regarding public access requirements. Mayor Norris stated he was hearing a need to manage capacity and asked for staff recommendations. Discussion ensued regarding enforcement of parking on side streets and managing the impact on residents. Chief Jenkins asserted that the first step was to work on enforcing parking to the parking lot and limitations regarding the number of people permitted in the park and the hours. Council and staff discussed limiting street parking to certain hours. Councilmember Searcy suggested paid parking in the park similar to the envelope system utilized in State Parks and asked if it would help to manage the problem. Chief Jenkins stated he was optimistic that restricting parking for a radius of three (3) blocks would keep the average person from visiting. Councilmember Searcy asked if it was possible to significantly increase the fees for littering in the park to $300, or some prohibitive figure. President Pro Tem Bickel added that large signs listing the rules should be considered. Chief Jenkins agreed with the idea of signage. Council came to consensus to start with enforcement of parking restrictions, increase fines for littering and erect larger signage at Lakeside Park. Mr. Lukasik explained that an Ordinance would be required and would be placed on an upcoming agenda. ADJOURNMENT With no further business to come before the Council, the meeting adjourned at 9:10 p.m. Com, leed by Jessica Green, MMC, Village Clerk