BELLEAIR BEACH – The Belleair Beach City Council will discuss the idea of a possible lighting ordinance, as suggested by a property owner, when it meets next month.
At the April 6 council meeting, a couple of people shared concerns about lights at night. Property owner Kim Molepske said she has offered to pay for shields for lights on a property across from her Harrison Avenue rental property. The lighting spills over at night causing problems for her tenants, she said. Molepske said the homeowners would not take her offer of the shields, and she doesn’t know how to rectify the problem without an ordinance.
Councilors discussed if it was an isolated problem and if putting a shield around the lights would take care of it. Another resident, Bill Ward, said he had same problems with lights staying on late at night and shining into his bedroom.
The council decided they would discuss lighting more at next month’s meeting.
Bridge contract awarded
The council awarded the bid for the Harrison Avenue bridge replacement project to Caladesi Construction for $189,658. The winning bid was one of seven received by the city to repair the bridge. The time frame for the project is 13 weeks with rain dates possibly extending the completion time, said engineer Rube Clarson. The winning bid was “the lowest responsible bid,” Clarson wrote in a letter to the city.
Councilmember Rob Baldwin said there would be a pre-construction kick-off meeting on Friday, April 10. The council also approved $4,500 in additional engineering services and a 10 percent project contingency fund, all of which including engineering costs previously approved came under the anticipated costs for the bridge project, Baldwin said.
Storm water regulations tabled
The council again tabled an ordinance on discharges into the city’s storm sewer system. The council discussed how the ordinance would be enforced and requirements for swimming pool discharges. They discussed what regulations required modifications to the existing ordinance. The city attorney will go back and look again at the state and federal requirements of what is needed in the ordinance.
Soliciting ordinance changed
The council passed on first reading changes to the city code on peddlers and solicitors. The changes, including not requiring a permit for political or religious messages, were made based on a Supreme Court ruling of Watchtower Bible and Tract Society v. Village of Stratton based on the First Amendment right of free speech, according to a memo from City Manager Nancy McCollum.
The ordinance also extends the time for solicitors from 5 p.m. until sunset, but prohibits peddlers and solicitors between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. The ordinance does say if the resident tells them to leave they cannot stay. City Attorney Paul Marino said charitable organizations would not need to get a permit.
New furniture for community center
The council approved spending $52,811.77 for new office furniture in the administrative offices, reception area, lobby, conference room and city council chambers. The quote covers 205 pieces of quality furniture and is the result of about 10 months of research including going to warehouses and sitting in chairs. The architects helped with color and fabric selection. The furniture vendor, Storr Office Environment, used layouts of each room to help determine furniture selections, said City Manager Nancy McCollum.
The community center project is going well and is expected to be completed early, probably by mid-August, Baldwin said.
Pick up after pets sign
The city has placed a sign reminding residents to pick up dog waste at an easement near the end of 16th Street. A resident expressed appreciation for the signage, McCollum said.
In March a resident shared concerns how a grassy easement from the cul-de-sac on adjacent 17th Street providing additional pedestrian access to a park area apparently had become a dumping ground when people walked their dogs through the area.
Audit report
The city’s comprehensive annual financial report showed no significant findings, according to Jeanine Bittinger of Davidson, Jamieson & Cristini. The city came in about $678,000 under budget for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2008. The city got a good report card, everything went very well, she said.
