Weekly comments from Dale Martin – Projects

Dale Martin
City Manager
Fernandina Beach
November 30, 2017 2:00 p.m.

Editor’s Note:  Since we neglected to post Dale Martin’s column during the Thanksgiving holidays, this week we bring you two of  Martin’s Weekly comments. One will post on Thursday and the other on Friday.

For much of the past year, the two significant projects that grabbed the most attention were the City’s Marina/waterfront and the City’s Airport terminal. I’ll offer a brief update on those projects before describing a few other efforts.

As has been widely reported at several meetings and by a variety of local news sources, repairs to the Marina following Hurricane Matthew were primarily a function of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) response (or lack/delay thereof). The preliminary damage to the Marina facilities was estimated at approximately $6 million. The City’s total General Fund cash reserves are approximately $5 million, meaning that, without formal FEMA support, the entire reserve would have been depleted with a chance that federal reimbursement would not be forthcoming.

Admittedly, some cities opted to gamble and utilize reserves prior to FEMA authorization. Some of those cities were in a near panic as Hurricane Irma subsequently threatened those communities with even greater destruction and minimal reserve funds were available. Fortunately, those cities did not suffer the damage expected (and, sadly, quite a few still await FEMA reimbursement).

The City did receive formal notification that the repair costs will be reimbursed at a rate of 75% from FEMA (and likely an additional 12.5% from the State). With that notification, the planning and funding for repairs commenced. Some repairs are the result of re-purposed grant funds from State agencies. The process to re-purpose those funds was somewhat slow and lengthy, but with the re-purposing, the City has moved forward to expend those funds (primarily for the restoration of fuel services).

Qualifications for repairs to the southern breakwater (attenuator) will be opened on Wednesday, November 22. Vendors are being sought for either design and bid or design/build for two specific projects and one potential project. The two confirmed projects are replacing the southern attenuator and realigning the southern basin docks. The (aggressive) goal is to have the southern attenuator project completed in time to host transient vessels for the 2018 Shrimp Festival. The southern basin realignment project will occur thereafter (a place to moor the permanent vessels is needed when the southern docks are temporarily removed as part of the realignment). The potential project, the northern expansion, is solely conditional upon a State grant award which is likely to be announced early next year.

The Airport terminal construction has begun. The construction and financing agreement with the incoming fixed base operator was approved at a recent City Commission meeting, which should secure the final aspect of construction. Unlike the Marina, the repairs for which will be funded with extensive General Fund support, the Airport terminal is funded with monies derived from Airport usage and rents- not City property taxes. Additional funding has been provided by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Florida Department of Transportation, the funds from which are derived from aviation fuel taxes and aviation ticket fees. The terminal is expected to be completed by the end of spring next year.

While those two projects are the most visible, other things do continue to happen at City Hall (much more than the daily routine). I wish to highlight two other projects that are currently in development.

First, as I previously stated, the City’s Bosque Bello cemetery has been neglected for a long time. This year’s budget includes a minimal investment for tree and other maintenance (including additional personnel), but it is a start. The most significant inclusion in the budget is funding for a columbarium. This project has been long-sought and advocated by a variety of committees and people. The columbarium is a key component of the Cemetery’s master plan.

I have met with several interested individuals to rejuvenate the Cemetery, most likely through a separate organization. This organization would function in many ways similar to the groups that managed the redevelopment of the downtown depot and the construction of the Egans Creek playground/kayak launch. The organization would be primarily volunteer-based, but with the official capacity to receive and expend donated funds (including funds provided by the City for the purpose of Cemetery improvements). This is a fledgling effort that I expect will become more publicly prominent with the beginning of 2018.

The other project is an effort to address the need for affordable housing in the City. Affordable housing is a “reactive” term: while many may argue as to what is “affordable,” the term is specifically defined in state statues. The Jacksonville, Florida Comprehensive Housing Market Analysis (published December 1, 2016) provides excellent data on this topic (for reference: page 19 of the report indicates that Nassau County has a median income of $54,116. FS 420.9071 states:

Affordable means that monthly rents or monthly mortgage payments including taxes and insurance do not exceed 30 percent of that amount which represents the percentage of the median annual gross income for the households as indicated in subsection (19), subsection (20), or subsection (28).

Using these figures to estimate Nassau County “affordable housing,” monthly housing expenses would be slightly above $1,300. To many, that figure is much too high, but that amount is the statutorily defined limit for “affordable housing.” I believe that the City has an opportunity to work with key partners to address available and affordable housing.

I believe that these two projects can contribute to the enhancement of our community and look forward to sharing the efforts of individuals and organizations to pursue these projects.