##VIDEO ID:uJg3Wm4pdOw## please rise for invocation by Pastor Sheila Turner of a touch of his H Ministries and followed by the Pledge of Allegiance may we bow our heads and hearts to the Lord we thank you Father for allowing us to come together one more time and we thank you for the safety that you provided for us through the hurricane two weeks ago a week ago and we ask Lord that you give us the wisdom to make this uh congregation here ready to make decisions for our city in Jesus name we pray amen amen I pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible liy and justice will the clerk call the rooll councilman fley councilman grubs here councilman Bastion here vice mayor sner here mayor Bernett here we have an effective quorum to do business tonight and so we shall starting with recognition and proclamations for domestic violence and awareness Proclamation adet you want to bring your people up here while I uh read the proclamation into the record whereas domes domestic violence remains a pervasive issue across fuchia County the United States and the world with implications for personal and Community Health and whereas domestic violence does not discriminate and and uh prevalent in every Community regardless of age race disability gender identity or socioeconomic status and whereas in vucha County approximately 20 people are physically abused by an intimate partner every m and the need for the safe house continues to be rated as a survivor's most urgent need and whereas the crime of domestic violence violates members of our communities privacy security and Humanity in the form of physical emotional sexual psychological and economic abuse and whereas research shows that by creating communities where people are connected supportive and care for one another that can reduce incidents of Dom domestic violence and of course whereas every day in Port Orange individuals and organizations play a part in supporting people impacted by domestic violence providing for services including therapeutic legal educational housing advocacy and medical services so therefore I Donald oet mayor of the city of Port Orange Proclaim October 2024 is domestic violence Awareness Month in the city of Port Orange and I urge all our residents to become aware of this epidemic and become involved involed in efforts to prevent and respond to domestic violence and recognize the impact of domestic violence in our community and my signature in the Seal of the city it is so declared on this day and in this place adette I'm going to bring this down to you all if yall take the microphone and while I'm walking down there and just tell us a little the community a little bit about what your role is to help support people who go through this good evening my name is Odetta order wrer I am the victim Advocate coordinator with the city of Port Orange Police Department I began my mission at the city of Port Orange Police Department approximately three and a half years ago which was coming up on four years in January my role as an advocate is to find resources for people who have been in a domestic situation whether it's sexual assault battery um it could be finding housing um also linking them to resources in the community for housing or for funding to help transfer them from one city to maybe another city or another state for relocation my volunteers that I do have behind me I have Miss Vicki schroer and Moxy companions for courage um she just joined my team back in January but she comes in and she helps to provide therapy with among the staff now our goal is to get her into the valuan county court system as she is in the court system for Simo County also I also have um excuse me Helen aoria Helen aoria has a background in banking and now I did not speak about fraud at all but we do help individuals fraud with her expertise with a little bit of fraud for banking experience 30 plus years she is able to guide the individuals as to what they should do did they contact social security for example to let them know that their identification was stolen did they contact the banks so this is some of the things that we do with the city of Port Orange um office I do have another volunteer she also comes into the office she works with me one day a week but she also goes on call for me so so our calls in the evening or in the middle of the night can be anywhere from a domestic call uh maybe a family member has um taking their own life and they don't know what to do we will go out to the home sit down with them and let them know the different funeral home services that are in the area there's also cleanup services for example that can help with the um remnants of the body that's left in the home so that is just top of the iceberg of what we do in our community I'm just going to say that is one of the hardest working individuals you'll ever find anywhere and that's absolutely what you need in this role because one thing that we cannot ever forget is when we see things like this it is exceptional it doesn't happen often but we cannot deny our own eyes when we see that just can't simply say no that can't be happening we need to be aware of it and this is what a community does we're here for each other and when it does happen I know that you will be here for them and while this might be the last time as mayor I get to recognize and bring awareness to this the problem does not go away and we all need to continue to be here for each other so with that I I'm going to present the proclamation and give my thanks thank you y all come on in here this is I got to follow rule one hang out with the Beautiful People daddy you're the best okay um item five public comments on consent agenda items would anyone here care to comment on anything that's on the consent agenda I see no one therefore agenda approval got a motion for approval for the agenda for the evening so moved second have a motion the proper second uh all in favor signify by saying I I I the agenda for the even is approved need a motion to approve the balance of the conent items 7 through 13 so moved I will second that we have a motion proper second items 7 through 13 on consent call the role councilman grubs yes councilman Bastion yes vice mayor sner yes mayor berett yes Oro public participation do I have any comment cards I know I should have at least one that's the one barbaran hegan good evening mayor council city manager City attorney I'm Barbara Anne hegan from the port AR South Daytona Chamber of Commerce first I would like to uh thank your team last week we had government day and uh your great assistant manager Robin Fenwick was part of our panel she did a phenomenal job mayor you did an outstanding job talking about leadership as well as um my fellow classmate from the class of 2023 Michael Springer your Pio he uh led the panel and did a phenomenal job so a round of applause to all of you thank you so much uh tonight I'm thrilled to introduce to all of you the leadership class of 202 24 we just have a phenomenal class uh each year I'm inspired by the talent and the commitment and these dedicated leaders that give back to the community in so many ways and to the organizations they serve so following this meeting we kindly ask if you would allow us to do a group photo with all of you and a few of your wonderful department heads we will have over the next few weeks uh additional Economic Development day and we will have uh a day with public safety as well as a day with the fire department so we're thrilled to have all of that uh up ahead and then finally I have left with this city clerk our new guide that just has come out our 2025 Community guide that features all of the Cities we serve and of course uh the great city of PT orange so we thank you so much for your partnership and uh we look forward to our continued work together thank you thank you [Applause] that was it okay on the council comments Tracy what you got for us tonight well let's start with um a lot of great sorrow and and hardships going on through many states uh you know Leen took its toll on from here all the way to North Carolina and blowing out through the back side of there those that haven't watched there are many many ways for you to help there's many different organizations that are available here locally that are collecting uh all I can say is you know Facebook is a go-to for local donations there's plenty of sites out there the city does have some also um take a look and see what you can help U not saying go up there a lot of us might not be able to have the the The Willpower to see that devastation and go through that but monetarily or by donations of foods and things of that nature as far as non-p perishables is is greatly appreciated um leadership class you guys are great uh I was Co class 2020 I I will tell you there's a few of us right a wonderful time uh an experience uh at a weird time in place um my business was slow enough during that time frame that I could actually go and take that class and I came out a better person knowing a lot of information and I'm born and raised here and I learned a lot out of it so the more you guys can involve yourselves with it and the better the city turns out so thank you for doing what you're doing uh next is also remembering uh we have Port Orange family days that's coming up uh not this weekend but next uh the 12th and 13 we have uh fair food art house uh CH art events uh vendors from all over the county showing up so if you're looking for a great weekend with a family at virtually no cost unless you partake in other things uh it's a it's a fun-filled event uh walking the whole city center and having all the vendors sitting there to to show and debut what they have and then uh lastly is a vision that I put out about a year ago and it got reinforced this past uh 4 days I spent 110 miles mountain biking uh Vermont um with my wife and I uh through the cities and through the mountains um what this relates back to what I mean by vision is we as a city have a phenomenal Sports recreational program and we have some great things fcing to happen inside the city in the Parks and Recreation one of those things that I would love to be able to see and brought to parition is being able to tie all of our Parks together and the way to do that is through the power lines and making power line Trails I've talked about this before but we can tie from carassi Park through the city center through and down to Riverwalk Park having all the major arteries tied together with an 8ft walkway pathway for bikes and Walkers that we don't have to worry about pedestrians getting mowed over by cars cool concept but uh leaving from up there you know 110 miles I didn't uh complete all of it it was over 186 Mile Trail and we did 110 of it and it's uh just one other piece that we can do 110 yeah four days quitter I know I was tired but it allows us to to be able to look at the city a different way uh as automotives and congestions and things do build up on the cities on the roadways it is another way of getting people out of automotives and walking and biking and getting to work safely without having extra expenditures so just food for thought something for us to look at and revisit again later good stff by I'm relieved I thought he was going to say his vision was to build mountains I'm on board with Trails I'm good good Scott what you got I've got a few things tonight here so I'm going to have to ask for some time and patience um the the city of Port Orange and our Police Department family uh lost a true treasure uh that we have had the the honor and privilege to have in our presence for for so long uh one of our former police volunteers uh Pat L Mountain passed away recently and um she contributed so much to our city over 20 years of volunteer service thousands when I say thousands of hours we probably will never know the true total amount of hours that she volunteered to our to our city but um we want to honor her tonight by taking just a moment to read her obituary into the permanent record here at the city of Port Orange Patricia a pat L Mountain age 88 of Auburn Massachusetts formerly of Cherry Valley passed away peacefully on Thursday SE setember the 26th 2024 at her son's home with her loving family by her side Pat is survived by her devoted Sons Paul Graham Jr and his wife Tina Alburn Brian Graham and his wife Meg of North Brookfield Peter Graham and his wife Denise of Hopkinton Matt Graham and his wife Stacy of Milford her daughter-in-law Peg Graham of Lester her step children James Patty Susan and Karen her cherished grandchildren Lindsay Aaron Blair Loretta Elizabeth Thomas eileene Daniel and Patrick her great grandchildren Jack Sam Tori and Jackson and her great great grandchildren Emerson and Kelsey her brother William Griffin along with many beloved nieces and nephews and her cat Bob huge family she we should all be so lucky she was predeceased by her husband Edward L Mountain Jr in 1994 and her beloved Sons Thomas Graham in 1979 and most recently Kevin Graham in 2023 and her siblings Robert Griffin gladus O'Brien Norma dren broad Shirly luck and Carolyn Duran Pat was born and wer daughter of the late Marian C rook and Charles R Griffin she was raised and educated in Cherry Valley where she graduated from liser high school with the class of 1953 Pat had an extensive career first working for the Norton company in Worster then worked for the firm former digital Equipment Corporation she later retired from the Handover Insurance Group as an administrative assistant while living in alurn she volunteered to serve on the board of directors for the Auburn District nursing association for eight years and two of those years were the abma president she was also involved with the start of the local cable television channel in Auburn with programming and committee members after retirement she moved to Port Orange Florida where she settled into a retirement nicely and kept busy by working with the Port Orange Police Department volunteer program she joined the VIPs and remained there for 20 years Rising through the ranks of the program to become major and overseeing the VIP program received many awards for her outstanding service her Florida retirement gave her so much happiness and opportunity to make many more lifelong friends who she cherished and kept in touch with she also loved pets sitting for family and friends to fulfill her Love of Animals she was known for her love of family friends and animals she had a great sense of humor and love telling stories and talking about the past she also took up card making and no matter the occasion she would always find a picture of you to add inside of the card this is some information here that I I doubt any of us really knew about Pat but this is great she very much enjoyed horse back riding oh wow and barrel racing in her younger years despite her decline in health she was able to take one last horseback ride recently which brought her so much joy Pat's family and friends will cherish all the many memories they have shared with her over the years forever Pat's family would like to share their appreciation for the staff at UMass Medical Center especially the seven ICU team and the staff at Brook Haven Hospice for their loving care of Pat and Lou flow hours Memorial donations may be made to your local animal shelter or Humane Society P was awesome um I I know we all got a chance to meet uh Pat and work with her and serve with her and um she is a shining example of a lot of volunteers that we have in our city and and that's one of the things that really really makes our city so great is people want to be involved and we have ways for them to get involved um the only regret I have is I wish I would have known about the horse thing I can't believe she never came to council to ask for the police department to get a volunteer horse team she kept that from us I don't understand so Pat was great she she she a lot of times had a little color streak in her hair usually pink or purple and and um feisty and and she was always great to talk with and see her out and about in the community she is truly going to be missed so she actually led the VIPs for a while as well she didn't just when she was not just a them she led them yeah and and very recently too and I think she broke in four police Chiefs right chief chief knows I mean we have volunteers when the when the new Chiefs that's it get sworn in that that's their first order of businesses to get broke in by our by our volunteers hey you're in Port Orange now that's right that's right um okay so there was a there was an event this Saturday that I just wanted to make mention of it's called the 321 Society walk it will be at Riverwalk at 10:00 Saturday morning morning and this is to show support for children and our community with Down Syndrome uh it's kind of an educational thing they call it a Buddy Walk the public is welcome uh you can just show up down there uh prior to 10:00 and walk some laps and interact with some really special people um I think our city will be represented I know I intend to be down there and participate in that so if anybody wants to do that I encourage you just to come on down you don't have to sign up or anything just show up down at Riverwalk um 10 10 o00 on Saturday morning just a note that I wanted to to make uh you know every time we see these natural disasters of unprecedented proportion around our country doesn't matter where where you are we we need to all try to learn from these things and you know I feel like in Florida if you've lived here a long time I was born and raised here so I've been here 55 years we almost become a little bit immune to the preparation aspect of it and and the ability to to to deal with it because we are just used to it I mean I can't imagine how many storms that I've lived through and been part of not only as a resident but in my professional career the one thing in this particular incident that is happening in shaping out of North Carolina that really has kind of hit home with me is I I encourage people you have to be able to sustain yourself in an emergency for 3 Days 5 days is better but three days and that sustainability needs to exist in nothing bigger than a backpack or a duffel bag because it may have to move with you and that is critically important that I think people miss and that preparation can't happen during the event it has to be part of your your your daily life we know in Florida when hurricane season gets here you know I mean and honestly we've seen storms and incidents that could happen any of the 12 months out of the year in in Florida and so I encourage everybody ask yourself do I have 3 days of emergency sustainability right now and will it fit in a back pack or a duffel bag and they they call those bugout bags in the military and and special forces and things like that but it's just your uhoh I'm not in a good place and I need to move from here to there really quick and that bag has to go with you it's got to have your sustainability food which are like protein bars and things like that water medications maybe a first aid kit whatever is important to you everybody we've all got our own needs but it needs to be mobile and you need to be able to make that happen really quick so um if if you don't have the ability to do that I encourage you to make sure that you do that each family member needs to have their own sustainability um and let's learn from that I appreciate Tracy making a note of that as we've all seen so many of the videos and and and news reports coming out of these areas it is utter Devastation it is and I and and and talking with our city manager and some of our community development folks and you know the the time that it will take to rebuild some of that infrastructure is it's unknown I mean a lot of those things will have to be re-engineered that alone will take years years so I think we're going to see massive massive impacts like they did in Katrina where a lot of people just had to finally move and leave and go to other areas and start over and I fear that that's probably what we're going to see out of this um so I would encourage those that can find very reliable organizations support them help them uh I know so many will and so many already have but um just keep your prayers with with all those folks that have been impacted by that storm and that's all I got tonight just want to say that the Salvation Army is one of those on my list M yep but I also serve on his board so Drew what you got I got nothing I'm not following that okay don't even try uh just also want to mention between now and the next time we meet is going to be family days our biggest Festival of the year 50 to 70,000 people will crash us over that 4-day weekend uh the Port Orange Community Trust uh uses it as a fundraiser they have donated over a million dollars to different causes based on their activities but uh so being able to come out and enjoy it is just a piece of the puzzle I always look forward to Art House doing the uh the the chalk art Street painting because they make me judge things and the worst thing you can do as mayor is happy have to judge things you know which is better which is worse because particularly when it comes to Art it all looks good to me but uh come on out Thursday through Sunday enjoy city center the carnival will be going on uh the business expo on the weekend October 10th through the 13th uh there'll be a lot going on and one thing that I would like everybody to do when you come out that weekend as Scott mentioned our Port Orange VIPs will be there to help direct traffic and keep things going they are a second and third and fourth set of eyes for our police department they keep an eye on things uh to make sure that everybody is safe when they're out here they do wonderful work thank them engage them thank them just for being just say thank you for being here they do not have to do this they do this out of the goodness of their heart because they are as Community Community Driven a group of people as there are so just take a second and thank them for being here when you're out here this this next weekend I am looking forward I always look forward to family days we got a wonderful campus and it's great to have so much of the community inside and out come out for that so with that we have item 15 Golf Board advisory Golf Board Advisory Board appointments we have an unfinished term uh for item 15 that we have two applicants for uh uh and before we hear nominations for those the two applicants Gary budau and Karen Jessa if I butcher your names it's partly because I don't know how to read them it's partly because I'm not wearing my glasses also I wanted if you either of you are here I would love for you to have a chance to come on up and introduce yourself and and tell us a little bit about you and I appreciate the fact that you're willing to volunteer okay I guess thank one of you for sending me the application and I think I filled it out right my name's Gary breau um I lived I moved down here in 2012 uh my work history is a retired IBM worked there for 28 years mostly it I left IBM and then I went and worked for the state of Georgia uh for the Department of Revenue and I built all the tax system so if you know anybody back there that doesn't like paying their taxes we probably built them but any event um I want to I I want to participate you know in in the golf Advisory Board I live in Cypress Head M um I'm participating in the MGA over there currently so I do volunteer on the uh MGA registration team I do the tournaments with them uh I do the setup with them I also uh volunteer on the homeowners association as a uh architecture uh uh member M on the team so when folks submit modifications for their homes uh we go ahead and we review those and make sure they match up with the with their homes but I'm excited about golf I took up golf about four or five years ago since I've been retired I used to play golf way back when but it was more of a corporate thing where we ate and kind of drank so I never been established as a golf player before and I am now and um I play about five times a week so I really think one of the things I could bring is is I know everybody at the golf course I know the the guys that bring the carts out I know the lady who who gets the ice I know the the Jeff staff who's there any's here tonight but the Jeff Dayton staff I know the maintenance staff I know everybody so you know I think it' be a good position for me to be in and maybe bring some feedback to the organization and see what's happening I will say that the golf course is absolutely beautiful I've lived in five other states and it's probably one of the nicest courses I've seen public coures so um we need to continue that just like we we've done with the architecture committee you kind of you you want to keep a Baseline and you want to maintain that so I don't know if that's answering any questions I can see the light go on so well that's okay we will that's I'm going to give Council a chance to ask you some questions right now Council let the grilling begin Drew what have you got hey he's here he showed up and he just told us what he's about that's you know that's part of of the battle right there Scott you how long have you been a p resident since 2012 201 me and my two kids moved down here um I rented in water's edge I got two kids that went to Spruce Creek um they're graduates and they went to UCF and the other one now to Halifax and he's going to he works uh he's going to be a physical therapist very cool all I have no questions and I know in the application it says can you come to meetings I said yes and it said do you have the time and I said yes so thank you I'm you might have to cut back on golfing five times a week it might require you to you know maybe cut back a four when there's a meeting four times a week yeah I get up early okay and is okay thank you thank you is Karen here is she here she could not make it okay she did have a very extensive resume that she sent to us as well for our consideration uh at this point in time C I'd be willing to entertain nominations I I'll make a motion that we uh appoint Gary to the golf Advisory Board I second that give it to Tracy I have one nomination for Gary breau I hope I said your last name okay uh are there any other nominations any other nominations last chance any other nominations I've asked the required three times so nominations are now closed with that we have one nomination for one opening uh so there is no need uh to go through the roll call so I'll just simply ask uh all in favor signify by saying hi I I I okay there any opposed no naysayers you've been hired wait till you see our paying benefits well that's okay which you rich is going to hold you accountable got it there you go may just a quick comment I wanted to make both applicants incredible resume and um you know I hope uh I don't know if I've ever met Karen or not but I I hope we can I hope she will stay interested and and find a way to serve either that committee or somewhere else because you know folks with these backgrounds like Karen and Gary uh really provide an incredibly valuable service on these advisory boards for us so really appreciate you guys having the interest to want to step up and serve the community Rich can tell you that uh uh and you're current chair right yes sir as all our boards are volunteer boards and people give time to make things better and the golf course is as good shape as I've seen it but more than that it's been recently ranked in the top 25 in the State of Florida that's an extremely difficult thing to do especially for a public course and it's also been the the three three greatest years of profit profitability we've ever put together been the last three years uh and it takes it certainly takes a village it takes a lot of people working in the same direction with multiple viewpoints and multiple points of view uh coming together to work towards that and that's what you just signed up for sir appreciate you uh stepping forward thank you regular agenda discussion on legislative priorities for 2025 item 16 do Wayne who do we have presenting on this Robin finwick assistant manager never heard of her right Robin unleash the this is what she started doing right when we put her in the role the very first thing she did for Council is present legislative priorities so she's veteran at this house one week in the role yeah all right good evening mayor and Council Robin benwick assistant city manager can you all hear me okay uh we are going to um talk about our legislative priorities which are projects that we take up to to the state for begging them for some funding so I'll provide an overview of our legislative process and the the projects that we've identified for that consideration all right so as part of the legislative process staff has again worked with Pitman Law Group to determine the legisl the legislator's top priorities and of course we we will ensure that all the appropriate forms are filed on time with uh Sean pitman's help and guidance in that that role um council's annual visits to Tallahassee and the relationships you all continue fostering all year with our Representatives also help with this this legislative process as you can see uh the regular session starts March 4th Wayne Juno Reed our city engineer and I will likely be visiting Tallahassee in the cold cold month of January yay uh to meet with key legislative staff and budget leaders on the technical items and then we'll work with with Sean and you guys to see to determine the dates for you guys to visit the elected officials uh probably mid-march or so we think um tonight's discussion though will will focus on the the actual appropriation requests which are those projects that we'll present to the state for possible funding as you can see in in recent years we've we've done pretty well um the the most recent funding we've received is a 3.5 million that first year that I presented um for two different projects that we have currently underway uh Wayne Juno and I also spoke with uh Sean recently to discuss what types of projects he expects to be of interest uh this in this year's legislative session the Senate president's top priority is is agriculture but we we've also seen some of these other types of projects that may Peak their interest as well um we typically focus on infrastructure and water projects but funds have been set aside for um for grants for those types of projects and the governor's encouraging local municipalities and governments to go for those those grant funding opportunities so we have done that and we'll continue to do that so as we begin uh looking at the actual projects that we'll be presenting this year um as every year we we look for a few few things that that that we'll take into consideration and one of those is um that it it needs to be what we call shovel ready construction ready um the state looks to see that we also have a a match available typically a 50% or better match but that doesn't always have to be City funds there are other grants that that can make up that funding as well um the projects that I'll discuss tonight are in RCP and ready for construction so as we move through those details if you have any technical questions I brought the expert with me so Juno's here all right so our first project is the Williamson Boulevard Wastewater lift station Improvement resiliency project quite a mouthful uh the city has approximately 120 lift stations playing a key role in the collection and transmission of over 4 million gallons of sanitary sewer for treatment per day 70 of those lift stations were either out of power without power or flooded during the 2022 hurricanes this project will upgrade the electrical components and other items at the the lift station uh this lift station collects and transmits approximately 3 million of that 7 million gallons per day and serves about 21% of the City's population the project includes upgrading to improve resiliency against flooding and power outages and improv system efficiencies we are asking for 3 .5 I'm sorry we're not asking for that we're asking for half of that that's the the um estimate for that project okay next is the city center Ballfield restoration project um in 20123 the city noted surface depressions within the recreation area one on the soccer field and then also a few months later one on the softball field um interestingly enough this these fields were actually constructed on the a closed landfill that operated between the 1950s and early' 70s uh we will remove the top three feet of soil from the 8 acre area install a reinforced geotechnical I'm sorry geotextile membrane layer then replace that 3 ft of soil and um rebuild the fields and parking lot this Project's 1.5 million and again we're asking for half of that from the state and the third and final project we are submitting for is is um the pon Inlet Master lift station and South Peninsula for Force main upgrades this project serves approximately 1500 residences and businesses in Pon Inlet which collects and transmits approximately 1 million gallons of sanitary sewer from uh for treatment per day to the Port Orange wastewater treatment plant electrical and controls upgrades will be done to improve resiliency and operational eff efficiency the upgrades will reduce the likelihood of system failure and protect water bodies from potential contaminants and this project is 2.8 million and again we're asking for half of that so our total ask this year is 3.72 five million so fingers crossed that's it we're available if you have any questions uh council do you have any problems with this list or is there anything that you feel doesn't belong no I think they're all much needed okay that question ask let me go to each and every one of you Dre comments on this list or is there anything you think didn't belong or anything else on your mind no it it's I'm I'm I'm good with these uh these ask okay definitely Scott Robin on the Pont Inlet project is the city of Pon Inlet asking for anything to supplement with that project or supporting it anyhow or we're going to ask them to support it um they're not asking for anything to my knowledge syst we have to pay for it right while we own and operate the system it is still in their best interest to help with that because th those State dollars help maintain a lower cost for them potential rate increases in the future if we had to eat the entire cost would have to be passed on to them so certainly a vested interest for them they don't typically pay for our system but what what we're trying to do with the state the benefit build those things we build those we build them into the the rates but into the rates so but we do well so what we found is that sewer has done really well for us up there so the drainage projects have have not been as well supported because of the other funds that are out there under resilient Florida sewer has what we found is that we do really well particularly when we can show multi-jurisdiction benefit so they supported the the lines underneath the river in addition to this one while we might have had some other sewer projects just in the city we didn't think they would do as well because this one gets Beachside inter Coastal Waterway there there's a whole basically what we were advised ask for what you think they will actually give you money for and and so there may be other projects that are more important to Port Orange as a whole but this one's more likely to be funded because of what it does being multi-jurisdictional beach side water side so what we're trying to do is not necessarily say these are the top three projects in Port Orange they're the top three We Believe are likely that the state will agree to help us do Scott yeah Wayne I appr actually appreciate you mentioning that because I was going to comment on that because people may Wonder like you know how do we pick these projects to go up there and there is a lot that happens in order for our team here at the city to identify what is likely to get support in Tallahassee we we we we can't go up there and demand anything so we have to go up there with projects based on what the different legislators throughout the State of Florida have the the appetite for or what's on their agenda list and stuff like that and there's this whole hierarchy of leadership in Tallahassee and it's a very interesting thing and having been part of that for 10 years now and and and the mayor even longer if you go up there making demands and asking for things that are not in their wheelhouse it is a quick no and it's a long ride back to Port Orange and so we have done really well and when I say we our city staff uh it has done really well over the last few years of identifying those uh those areas and having a strategy we don't get everything we ask for but we have we have done we have done well and so that's good because when we do well on some of these projects that then allows us to move money around in other places to try to Target these other higher priorities or other priorities so uh and just a comment on the city center the Ballfield restoration project I appreciate the way Robin phrased that she's she's being kind with that but um you know that is a that is a Marvel in it of itself because of what is actually it is built on top of that we have gotten this many years true right true and it's crazy like for those of you that don't know we have had periods of time where we get a little bit of rain and all of a sudden there is an object sticking out of the middle of the field it may be a tire it may be the hood of a car it may be a fence post cuz that's what's buried all under that from many many decades ago and so it it is it has created some challenges it has shut down some programs and there are some things that need to be attended to and corrected and and and be able to sustain this and move this facility as part of our Parks and Rec uh um assets for many many generations to go so people may look at that and go God I can't believe that this is important well we think that there's an appetite for it and it is important and uh and it's and it's not cheap so it it needs to be it needs to be done and I'm glad to see that as a priority for the Youth of our city and all those that use this and it is demanded I mean we have 5,000 people playing field sports in the city of Port Orange down a couple Fields right here that's twice as many as the closest number yes that's twice as many as the closest number so yeah it's it's in high demand I'm interested to see what they find when they remove three fet where they going to put it don't yeah watch the weekly I'm sure lot of lot of we may have to put out a live a live cam for that might a landfill and then they it was incinerator they burned trash there for a lot of years Scott what else you got that's all I got Tracy I think Scott touched on it a lot it's understanding that we do have a lobbyist for the city of Port Orange and they come back and they represent us of what is going to be funded this year at the state and paying for these individuals is how we get the best bang for the bus it's sounds like a strange way of saying it but it really is we go up there and we could be walking back with nothing or we can go up there with ammunition of knowing what has been told to us of what they're going to be funding this year and then we go as a city and prepare with all of our staff the right things and the fundings and building these projects that they're ready to go because they don't want to anything if it's not ready to go we have a skin in the game and that allows them to approve it and they come back so from staff the lobbyists you guys going up in January I'm sorry it's cold um it's it's what is needed by the city and it been lucky enough to be sitting up here a year and a half watching this on the second go around again and seeing y'all come back with big checks and to me that me that's Lessing we have to ask for our citizens to fund so those those type of things and building the infrastructure back at half payments thank you our millage rate is usually in the lower quartile of all the cities in the county and this is part of it we all pay taxes to the State of Florida I really don't want to pay taxes so people can improve other communities elsewhere and we get nothing back if I'm going to pay in we should be getting something out and this is part of that process to make sure that we all of us get out what we pay into it so this is this is all part of it thank you I have no problems with this list uh I I'm very happy that with the job that we've done over the years and uh certainly you nobody does anything big alone uh but I appreciate the fact that we put a lot of this on your shoulders thank you thank you anything else do it okay with that I am going to allow for the public you raising your hand Jim well good with what's that I just add what she was saying well with that I was going to say we will allow the public to comment on what our discussion was so somebody who's raising their hand in Jim get up here I can only give you a hard time for so long what you got I'm Jim Cameron Jim Cameron Consulting and uh I was saying earlier I mean I've been coming to y'all's meeting since April of 1983 but but but no I mean I I really want to commend you for I was a sophomore at Spruce Creek but U no just wanted to add I mean I I really want to commend you guys I mean for getting a jump start on this legislative list though already because I mean you're looking now what is it I believe March the 4th is when they're going to start the session but I also want to commend you though you got a good lobbyist in Shawn Pitman up there I mean I've known Shawn for years and years he knows where things are I mean and knows how to get the process done and knows how to work the process and all so you got a good guy in shondo up there so um so like I said I just wish you the best I'll probably be up there with you y'all sometime up there during the session though but and I think you're going to have a good chance I mean with uh Chase being up there up there in the house and all leading way and all but just want to commend you for that thank you than you would anyone here else care to comment all right that gets us to additional items City attorney report nothing excellent report city manager report nothing excellent report as well with that I want to thank the port orang South Daytona Chamber of Commerce for bringing her leadership class here tonight and I would be remiss if I let you off the hook and let you out of the room without coming up here all of you please stand up Sam where's barbar an there she is you guys come up and do me a favor I'm going to have each of you walk by the microphone here tell us your name and what business you're representing come on up all of you hi everyone I'm Jennifer Ruiz Santiago I own Leiva Holdings which is a gatoring and meal prep company she's very good at it good cook hello everybody my name is Lois centini and I own casino and poker parties and um my charity is anything to do with veterans awes excellent thank you and she's going to be doing the casino night coming up on the 25th the chamber good evening uh my name is James Tiffany I work for the city of Port Orange uh in the civil engineering department I'm a civil engineer heard excellent thank you um so good evening um it's a Brian Moore with um AppStar Financial thank you hi good evening I'm Marilyn I'm the community relations director at at Benton House of Port Orange we're an assisted living and Memory Care Community I'm Daniel soal I run a 501c3 the uh Community resiliency Education and Training initiative we provide uh OSHA and Emergency Management Services to small businesses excellent excellent good evening I'm Don Richards associate Vice President of Finance for Advent Health Daytona Beach good evening I'm the lieutenant Timothy Green the commanding officer for the Salvation Army for valua and uh Flagler County welcome and I've been serving on the board uh uh for the Salvation Army the last 20 years and anybody else who wants to come with me and join that board I'm looking to recruit people I've got a couple meeting people coming to the next meeting love to have you this would be a great group to recruit from hi I'm Denise Bray I work with the city of Port Orange in public works excellent hi I'm Brian Griffin and I represent the Griffin difference Real Estate Solutions and a proud volunteer to our Port Orange Community Trust for last year so we're excited for family day so thanks for having us out tonight good to see good evening Shannon andr I'm with the city of Daytona Beach Shores I work in the finance department I'm also a resident of Port Orange so thank you for tonight's meeting welcome Jim and one of those potential recruits I was talking about Tim hello my name is Petra PNA I work for city of board Orange in finance department awesome than aesome hello I'm Caitlyn Weiss I'm the utility building supervisor for the city of South Daytona excellent excellent hello I'm Kindra Williams I work for the city of South Daytona in the fire department as the administrative assistant welcome awesome hi I'm CHR Taylor I'm from Halifax Health I am the Port Orange emergency department nurse manager excellent last but not least I am Samuel Ruiz I am the sincere honor of serving as the Director of operations for your and everyone's Port orang South ton Chamber of [Applause] Commerce it was a slamming of the table at the end that got you over the top I tell you let me just say this I'm going to challenge each and every one of you all of you are here because you found a way to make a difference in your own shell and your own way in this community collectively coming out of leadership I'm going to challenge you to take kick it up a notch maybe it's doing a little bit more of what you do already maybe it's find finding a way to Branch out but at the end of the day the reason why we have a great Community here not just in Port Orange but right here in southeast Valia in the area is because of people like you who want to make a difference and I'm going to challenge you to hike up your game just a little bit more and I know that you're going to come out of this ready to do just that thank you for being here tonight with that oh man I don't know that we've gone long enough tonight but we have we'll be back again in two weeks everybody have a good night