INDIALANTIC
                RECORD        April 2006
      

  Orlando Park Amenities Increase

A new gazebo, upgraded walkways, and resurfaced basketball courts grace Orlando Park as part of grant funded improvements.  Additional improvements include new swings and play equipment, which have been selected by the Parks, Recreation & Beautification Committee and placed on order.

 Fifty thousand dollars in Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program (FRDAP) funds were obtained by the Town Council and presented to the Town by State Representative Mitch Needelman last August.  

Other park improvements realized in recent years include new play equipment, a walkway through the park, handicap parking spaces, a ramp to the older pavilion, and reconstruction of a portion of the pathway along the west side of the park.  Future changes envisioned for the park include extending the existing walkways for improved access to the various play equipment, additional play equipment, and a restroom facility.  Council agreed to revisit placing restroom facilities in the park at the April 18 meeting. These future items will be considered by Council when the FRDAP funding cycle re-opens for grant applications.
AUTO CART TRASH COLLECTION TO START

Harris Sanitation will implement the automated cart system to collect trash beginning in May, 2006.  Households will receive two 96-gallon carts in late March or early April.  Additional carts are available for $70 each.  This collection system utilizes an automated side-loading truck equipped with mechanical arms to grip, lift, and empty the container.

Harris Sanitation requests that the carts be placed at curbside, or at the edge of pavement, with the opening facing the street.  Carts should be placed on the side of the driveway opposite of the mailbox.  Loose items should be placed in a bag.  Once the bag has been tied it should then be placed in the cart.  Do not bag yard waste. 

Rear door service will continue to be available with implementation of the cart system.

Waste collection days will not change.  Questions regarding this service should be directed to Harris Sanitation at (321) 723-4455.

RECENT COUNCIL ACTION

 February 21, 2006 Meeting

  • accepted the audit for FY 04/05

  • approved a mutual aid agreement with the Sheriff’s Department, Melbourne Airport Authority, Brevard County School Board and the other municipalities for law enforcement assistance

  •  approved a lifeguard agreement with Brevard County for 2006

  •  adopted Ord. 06-05 amending Chap. 8 relating to garbage and trash collection

  • adopted Ord. 06-06 amending the Solid Waste Franchise Agreement Extension with Harris Sanitation

  • approved Res. 06-02 supporting efforts of the County Commissioner to levy a one percent discretionary infrastructure sales surtax for transportation needs for 5 years subject to voter approval

  • agreed to proceed toward design and seeking grants for the construction of restroom facilities in Orlando Park

March 21, 2006 Meeting

  •  approved a First Responder Agreement with Brevard County

  •  authorized the Brevard Mosquito Control District to operate an aircraft over the Town to spray for mosquitoes

  • approved Budget Adjustment #3 to allow for the purchase of a pickup truck from the Enterprise Fund

  •  approved a Transportation Impact Fee Trust Fund (TIFT) disbursement agreement with Brevard County in the amount of $38,353 for a sidewalk on the south side of the 100 block of 8th Avenue

  •  approved Amendment #1 to the Interlocal agreement for the creation of the Brevard Metropolitan Planning Organization addressing Cocoa Beach/Cape Canaveral representation & alternates

Turtle Awareness

Each summer, Florida beaches host the largest gathering of nesting sea turtles in the United States.  Emerging hatchlings leave their sand nests and scramble to the ocean – a journey too often disrupted by their attraction to artificial lighting.

To protect hatchlings, please remember that the Town code states that no artificial lighting may illuminate any area of the beach after 11:00 pm from May 1st through October 31st. It is also unlawful to remove sea turtles or their eggs from the beach or to disturb turtle nests.

  For more information regarding sea turtles or turtle walks, contact the Sea Turtle Preservation Society at 676-1701 or www.seaturtlespacecoast.org

NEW FACES IN TOWN

Scott’s on Fifth -  141 Fifth Avenue – Restaurant

Kezer Corp. – 105 S. Riverside Dr., Ste. 200 – Marketing & graphic design

Derr & Associates – 105 S. Riverside Dr., Ste. 201 – Real estate

Paradise Rugs, Flooring, Blinds, Inc. – 239 Fifth Avenue – Retail

Viana Construction, Inc. – 201 N. Riverside Dr. - Contractor

Clear Diamond Construction, Inc. – 442 Fourth Avenue – Contractor

Crown Head Corp. – 400 N. Miramar – Real estate

Working Windows, Inc. – 442 Fourth Avenue – Window installation

 

Atlantic Development of Cocoa, Inc. replaces the failing metal stormwater pipe under S. Riverside Drive at Orlando Boulevard. The Town has approximately 38,000 linear feet of 45 year old metal pipe in need of replacement.

 

Public Works personnel install a swale in front of 325 Miami Avenue.  Council adopted the shallow swale concept in 1991 when it accepted the Stormwater Drainage Report.  Property owners desiring to have a swale installed in the street right-of-way in front of their property can contact Public Works Director Ron Cassedy at 984-5224

POLICE BEAT

The Indialantic Police Department has recently received several complaints about fraud involving traveler’s checks and money orders.  In each of these complaints, the victim was contacted via email by an unknown person of another country offering them great sums of money for a small “advance fee” to cash the traveler’s checks or money orders for them.  Citizens need to be aware of a scam that is commonly referred to as “The Nigerian Scam”.

The Scam operates as follows: the target receives an unsolicited fax, email, or letter often concerning Nigeria or another African nation containing either a money laundering or other illegal proposal OR the target may receive a legal and legitimate business proposal by normal means. 

The variations of Advance Fee Fraud/Nigerian Scam are very creative and virtually endless and can include a “bequest” left to the target in a will; “spoof banks” where there is supposedly large amounts of money in the target’s name already on deposit, and the target only needs to pay the taxes to have the money released; “paying” for a purchase with a check (a counterfeit money order or traveler’s check) larger than the amount required and asking for change to be advanced; fake lottery tickets being held in the target’s name; chat room and romance scams; and ordering items and commodities off trading or auction sites on the web and then cheating the seller. 

Do not consider the above as an all-inclusive list.  Most of the scam letters and emails originate from or are traceable back to Nigeria. However, some originate from other nations, mostly also West African nations such as Ghana, Togo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast (Cote D’Ivoire) etc. 

At some point, the victim is asked to pay an advance fee of some sort up front, be it an “Advance Fee”, “Transfer Tax”, “Performance Bond”, or to extend credit or grant COD privileges and send back change on an overage traveler’s check or money order. If the victim pays the fee, the scammers often state there are many “complications” which require still more advance payments until the victim either quits, runs out of money, or both. There are four rules to follow if you believe a scammer has contacted you: 

NEVER pay anything up front for ANY reason; NEVER extend credit for ANY reason; NEVER expect any help from the Nigerian Government if you become a victim of one of these scams;  and NEVER expect restitution if you fall victim to this scam, as these cases are virtually impossible to bring to trial.

For more information on these scams, please contact Detective Michael Connor at  723-7788 or visit the following website:

 http://www.secretservice.gov/alert419.shtml

BREVARD COUNTY LIFEGUARDS will be manning Indialantic’s two beach towers from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm as follows:

Spring Break - March 25 – April 2

Summer coverage - May 24 - Aug. 6

Weekends – March 25 – Sept. 4

Colored flags will be posted on each tower and on the flag pole at Fifth and Wavecrest to let swimmers know the ocean conditions as follows:

Green – calm water; no hazards known

Yellow – light surf; swimmers should use caution; ocean may be too rough for swimming

Red – rough waters; can also mean there are sharks close to shore or strong rip currents.

Blue – marine pest warning; pests can include sea lice, jellyfish or sharks

Double red – dangerous conditions; do not enter the water

INDIALANTIC FIRE RESCUE

 Indialantic firefighters are a talented crew who perform numerous maintenance tasks within the fire department, which saves the taxpayers considerable dollars. Recently, repairs were made to our primary engine when a drive belt broke. The parts were purchased and the repairs made with minimal cost outlay. Currently, personnel are painting all the exterior doors including the bay doors. One of the exterior doors was in need of replacement and the on duty crew replaced it expertly. A large cabinet was built to store safety gear and hurricane supplies at a considerable savings.

In the near future we will re-screen the back patio and re-tile the training room. We hope to paint the station floors with an epoxy type covering that should last ten years or more. 

These are just a few of the daily ongoing tasks that your firefighters do above and beyond their normal responsibilities of responding to calls, training, inspections, public relations and various maintenance issues required to maintain hydrants and hose, etc.

Jon Macdonald, Fire Chief

Reminder – The new irrigation rule set by the St. Johns River Water Management District started March 1, 2006.  Irrigate only two (2) times a week before 10:00 am and after 4:00 pm.

 

ü   The annual Easter Egg Hunt will be held April 8th in Orlando Park beginning at 9:00 am

ü Town Hall will be closed Monday, May 29, 2006 for Memorial Day

Invasive Species Spotlight:  Australian Pine – The Australian pine was introduced to Florida in the late 1800’s as a  windbreak and shade tree.  It is one of the best loved invasive species.  However, the pine shades out Florida natives and its needles bury undergrowth and make the soil acidic, harming native plants.  According to Florida DEP, in South Florida alone Australian pine has displaced over 373,000 acres of native vegetation.  When present along the shoreline the pines provide no protection against erosion due to their shallow root system and encourage erosion by removing deep-rooted native plants. Their shallow root system also make them very vulnerable to falling over in windstorms.

Excerpt from the Spring 2006 “The Marker”

Brian Bobb & High Tide performed a mix of original and popular music Sunday, March 19, 2006 in Orlando Park.  The “Concert in the Park” was sponsored by the Parks, Recreation and Beautification Committee.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

APRIL

            18              8:00 AM    Heritage Committee

            18              7:00 PM    Town Council

            19            10:00 AM    Pension Boards

            20              5:30 PM    Board of Adjustment

            24              9:00 AM    Parks/Recreation

25              5:30 PM    Zoning and Planning 

MAY

16              8:00 AM    Heritage Committee

16              7:00 PM    Town Council

22              9:00 AM    Parks/Recreation

23              5:30 PM    Zoning and Planning

The Volunteer Fire Department meets every Wednesday at 7:00 PM at the Fire Department, 216 Fourth Ave.

 

Recycle Phone Books and Hazardous Waste

New telephone directories should be delivered to your doors within the next few weeks.  Please remember that old telephone books will not be accepted in your regular curbside recycling bin.

Recycle old phone books in the outdoor dumpster with the bright yellow sticker located in the parking lot just west of the Fire Department.  The container will be in place during April and May.

The Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Roundup will be held Saturday, April 22nd in Barefoot Bay. Items accepted include motor oil, brake fluid, pesticides, batteries, and paints and up to 5 home electronic items including TV’s, computers and copiers.  For more information, call 635-7954.

 

The Indialantic Record is published every other month by the Town of Indialantic, 216 Fifth Avenue, Indialantic, FL  32903 at an outside cost of $.22 per resident.  Daniel S. Trott, Mayor; Vince Benevente, Deputy Mayor; Councilmembers  Dave Berkman, Bruce Bogert and Mike McCabe; Christopher W. Chinault, Town Manager; Laura Eaton, Town Clerk – www.indialantic.com - (321) 723-2242