Weekly comments from Dale Martin

Dale Martin
City Manager
Fernandina Beach
March 30, 12:01 a.m.

With the recent hesitation of the Army Corps of Engineers to issue the necessary permit to rebuild the Marina, a significant amount of effort has been spent in response to the Corps’ concerns. All federal legislators- Congressman John Rutherford, Senator Bill Nelson, and Senator Marco Rubio- have all devoted staff resources to support the City’s efforts. Direct conversations with those staff has regularly occurred every week this month (the next such discussion is scheduled for Thursday afternoon, March 29, with Senator Rubio’s staff). The City Commissioners have been actively engaged, as well, lending their political influence to resolve the issue. I expect that with this extensive involvement of so many officials, the issue will be concluded soon and the rebuilding effort can finally commence.

While that issue has drawn time and resources, the business and other projects in the City move forward at a different pace. A meeting of several key agencies took place on Wednesday, March 28, to discuss the ongoing interest and conceptual planning to open the Alachua Street railroad crossing. The agencies represented at the meeting included the Florida Department of Transportation (six attending), Genesee & Wyoming Railroad (three), a signal contractor (two), an engineering firm recommended by both the State and the Railroad (two), and the City. In addition to my participation, Commissioner Philip Chapman and Main Street Interim Executive Director Arlene Filkoff were part of the tour and discussions.

The safety-vest, hard-hatted “army” marched from Ash Street north to Alachua Street and back, and then did it again over the course of several hours. Concepts and constraints were discussed, measurements were taken, and locations were marked at each of the intersections along Front Street- Ash, Centre, and Alachua. All of us sought to reach some level of understanding regarding the impact of the railroad on Front Street- what are the requirements and regulations for crossing signals, what is the role of pedestrian crossings, how will vehicular traffic and circulation be affected, will the Front Street parking lots be impacted, can additional sidewalks be added to discourage or even restrict pedestrian activity on the railroad?

Throughout our tour, the agency officials shook their heads at some of the pedestrian behaviors. One person, who was part of a tour bus group, ran awkwardly along the railroad bed, talking on a phone. Another person manhandled a baby carriage across the tracks in the middle of a block. A dog-walker crossed the uneven ground at Alachua Street to get to Front Street.
Now observed first-handed, Railroad and State officials, those officials strongly believe that the safety issues must be addressed. It is a dangerous assumption to argue that mishaps have been infrequent and the slow speeds of the moving trains offer a false sense of security. My office at City Hall overlooks the crossing at Ash Street. I witness often the last minute, no, last second dashes across the tracks by pedestrians and around the gates by vehicles to beat those slowly moving, yet nearly impossible to stop hundreds of tons of unforgiving metal mass. While dining downtown, I’ve seen people dart between rail cars of a train that has paused so briefly for switching for the purpose of placing coins on the track to be smashed. Common sense (as well as the law, by the way) dictates that pedestrians should cross at safely marked and signaled crossings. Ours are woefully substandard, and require attention irrespective of what transpires at Alachua Street.

The crossing and the improvements will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Road and stormwater improvements need to be made along front Street, whether part of a crossing at Alachua or part of the redevelopment of the waterfront. Front Street is a broken and failing road. We talk about investing in waterfront and marina improvements, but the road to get to that area is crumbling. Is the waterfront, encompassing the parking lots, the parks, the marina, the road, Alachua Street, the City-owned failing structure at 101 N. Front Street the jewel that many contend? If so, let’s make an investment in that asset; if not, let’s move on. This area has befuddled the community for decades. I believe that with the cooperation exhibited by the various agencies on Wednesday, the opportunity for area improvements has not been greater, and will likely never be replicated.

Smaller projects included in the current budget move forward. The City will rebuild two beach walkovers. A pavement management study will examine every road within the City and provide the framework for an objective long-term financial plan to maintain and improve the roads. Grant funding for a small park located off of Simmons Road is being pursued.

Improvements are being made to the water, wastewater, and stormwater systems. Art is being installed at the Egans Creek Park. The beaches are being renourished.

These projects are manageable because of strong and capable staff that tirelessly serve our community. Most of their efforts do not attract attention: the Directors and their staffs simply do their jobs and make Fernandina Beach a wonderful place. Pretty soon, we’ll start preparing for next year’s budget and another list of projects. I look forward to hearing from you about projects that interest you.