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CC05-17-2021Min LONGWOOD CITY COMMISSION Longwood City Commission Chambers 175 West Warren Avenue Longwood, Florida MINUTES May 17, 2021 6:00 P.M. Present: Mayor Brian D. Sackett Deputy Mayor Abby Shoemaker Commissioner Richard Drummond Commissioner Matt McMillan Commissioner Matt Morgan Dan Langley, City Attorney Clint Gioielli, Acting City Manager Michelle Longo, City Clerk David P. Dowda, Police Chief Mike Peters, Fire Chief Craig Dunn, Information Technology Director Judith Rosado, Financial Services Director Chris Kintner, Community Development Director Shad Smith, Public Works Director 1. CALL TO ORDER. Mayor Sackett called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. MOMENT OF SILENT MEDITATION 3. THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. Mayor Sackett led the Pledge of Allegiance. 4. COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS. Ms. Longo read the following announcements. A. Elevate Studios, in partnership with the City of Longwood, presents Stars on Stage on Saturday, May 22, 2021, from 7:00 p.m.to 9:00 p.m. at Reiter Park, 311 West Warren Avenue. There will be pop music, dance, and much more.This is a free event. B. Orlando Health South Seminole will sponsor the"Concert in the Park"event on Saturday, May 29, 2021,from 7:00 p.m.to 9:00 CC 05-17-2021/1 p.m. Music starts at 7:00 p.m. and food and beverages will be available for purchase.The band will be Acoustic Flair and this is a free event. C. The City of Longwood will host a Food Truck Battle with over 30 food trucks on Saturday,June 5, 2021, from 4:00 p.m.to 9:00 p.m. in the Historic District of Longwood located off of Church Avenue. 5. PROCLAMATIONS/ RECOGNITIONS A. Proclaiming the City of Longwood Special Election—August 24, 2021. Mayor Sackett read the Special Election Proclamation. B. Recognizing Richard Drummond for his dedicated service to the City as Mayor, September 2020 to May 2021, and as a City Commissioner from November 2017 to May 2021. Mayor Sackett recognized Commissioner Drummond for his service to the City as Mayor and as a City Commissioner and presented him with two plaques. Photographs were then taken. 111 C. District#2 Presentation of the Business Person of the Month for May 2021 to Ms.Yanlin Jiang, Owner of King's Wok III, located at 192 South U.S. Highway 17-92. Commissioner Drummond read a brief biography on Ms. Yanlin Jiang and then presented her with the Business Person of the Month Award for May 2021. Photographs were then taken. D. Proclaiming May 16 through May 22, 2021,as National Public Works Week in the City of Longwood. Deputy Mayor Shoemaker read the Proclamation and presented it to Shad Smith, Public Works Director. Photographs were then taken. E. Proclaiming May 16 through May 22, 2021, as Emergency Medical Services Week in the City of Longwood. Commissioner Drummond read the Proclamation and presented it to Fire Chief, Michael Peters and his staff. Photographs were then taken. CC 05-17-2021/2 6. BOARD APPOINTMENTS. None. 7. PUBLIC INPUT A. Public Participation. Jean Williamson, 1415 Arborhouse Court, Longwood. She said she had comments about Resolution 21-1562 Opening Prayer and Invocation at City Commission Meetings. She stated although it seems like a small decision it has a deep significance and was the cause of many lawsuits. Longwood Commissioners reviewed this issue before and decided the best approach was to have Silent Meditation before Commission Meetings allowing all in attendance to have a moment to affirm their beliefs. She asked what has changed that this issue was being addressed again. Much larger institutions,governments, and courts have realized the depth of this issue.This resolution needs serious review by unbiased persons to ensure whatever was voted on was clearly stated and within the law. She asked what was being requested. She noted both words, prayer and invocation, were frequently used at the May 3 meeting as if the words were interchangeable, but they have different meanings. Per the Merriam Webster Dictionary, prayer was a practice of communicating with one's God, while invocation is the act or process of petitioning for help or support. An invocation can be without prayer or religious basis. She asked if prayer or invocation that was being requested.There was much conversation and attorney input about the City not wanting to discriminate against any religion but certain requirements would be set such as requiring a building or being within the City limits. She asked, is that not starting to discriminate requirements already. Religion is the service or worship of God or the supernatural.The supernatural is the existence beyond the visible, observable universe.The definition of religion does not mention anything about needing a building nor an exact location and since the supernatural is beyond the visible, observable universe, it would be impossible to limit. She stated, we should remember the wisdom of the bible: "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's", Mark 12:17. She asked the Commissioners to delay any vote on the resolution until each has a clear understanding of what was being requested and what the implementation plan and process would be. Judi Coad, 1695 Grange Circle, Longwood. She said she was going to speak briefly on the Lewis House, which had been a topic she has heard about outside of this building. She said it was described at the Parks and Recreation Board Meeting that the only viable parts left to the Lewis House are the rafter areas. She shared her suggestion and said there was a Historic Cemetery that has no pavilion. She suggested using the pieces and parts of the first historic home to build a pavilion in the middle of the CC 05-17-2021/3 Historic Cemetery. She thinks that meets a lot of criteria. It was not $150,000, there is not anything in the cemetery, and all pieces and parts leftover could be used or offered to the Historical Society. She also mentioned the Fire Station and said she hopes the Commission considers keeping the Fire Station closer to the City resident's homes and not closer to Interstate 4(1-4). She shared that her husband was still with them because they have a Fire Station nearby and if had been further away that might not be the case. It has not been a great last year but we enjoy our fire people. She congratulated those who were at the meeting. She asked to take into consideration keeping the Fire Station close to the City and use the Lewis House as a pavilion for the cemetery before there are no rafters left. 8. MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS' REPORT District#3. Commissioner McMillan said he has been a Commissioner for six months. When he first arrived, he was doing story time and will do another brief one of Aesop's Fables, The North Wind and the Sun. "The North Wind and the Sun had a quarrel about which of them was the stronger. While they were disputing with much heat and bluster, a Traveler passed along the road wrapped in a cloak. 'Let us agree,'said the Sun, 'that he is the stronger who can strip that Traveler of his cloak.' 'Very well,'growled the North Wind, and at once sent a cold, howling blast against the Traveler. With the first gust of wind, the ends of the cloak whipped about the Traveler's body. But he immediately wrapped it closely around him, and the harder the Wind blew, the tighter he held it to him. The North Wind tore angrily at the cloak, but all his efforts were in vain. Then the Sun began to shine.At first, his beams were gentle, and in the pleasant warmth after the bitter cold of the North Wind, the Traveler unfastened his cloak and let it hang loosely from his shoulders. The Sun's rays grew warmer and warmer. The man took off his cap and mopped his brow. At last, he became so heated that he pulled off his cloak, and, to escape the blazing sunshine, threw himself down in the welcome shade of a tree by the roadside." Commissioner McMillan said the moral of the story is, gentleness and kind persuasion win where force and bluster often fail.This story was very old and he was happy to see the lesson of that moral here in Longwood. He said he was sorry to see Commissioner Drummond go. He sees him as a stabilizing influence during very turbulent times. He was a CC 05-17-2021/4 very orderly and steady leader through his first meetings and through some very difficult times for them in 2020. He believes each of them has been able to speak their minds and ask questions during a very intense time when many of them were feeling restricted. He thanked Commissioner Drummond for his leadership and wished him the best of luck. Commissioner McMillan reported attending the Car Show this month and The Sharing Center's 35th Birthday at Reiter Park on Saturday. He said the weather was beautiful on both days. He mentioned having car trouble on Sunday so he was unable to get to the School of Rock performances on time but he stopped by for one song. Commissioner McMillan reported on "The true, the good, and the beautiful". For "The true", he mentioned the general principle of how vaccines work. Per his personal experience, he understands an antigen was introduced into the immune system by the vaccine, which results in the creation of antibodies.Those antibodies are frontline, first responders that stop and eliminate viruses when they enter your system. They infect before they affect enough cells to propagate the spread further to other people. In February, he reported attending a blood drive and received his first antibody test results indicating he had no antibodies.Throughout the entire year of 2020, he had not been exposed. In April and May, he then obtained both Pfizer shots. He was able to donate blood last week and had the antibodies present. He explained that was why was he not wearing a mask and said we are flipping into an offense against the virus.The more people that get vaccinated, the closer we get to herd immunity. Commissioner McMillan noted that masks were optional at the local Winn-Dixie, Costco, and Millers Ale House. He hopes this gives confidence to other people who are interested in getting vaccinated and encouraged any who are considering it to do so. He said he had no negative side effects or encounters since going into facilities without wearing a mask. As a society we spend billions to produce these vaccines and the experts are arguing exactly what it takes to achieve herd immunity but we can each do our part and remember Aesop's fable that what we do against this virus, we need to do in truth and gentleness towards our neighbors. Commissioner McMillan reported on "The good"as the civic virtue of wisdom at the National Day of Prayer event that Mother Michelle hosted and Nancy Acevedo organized at Christ Church Episcopal on behalf of Sheriff Lemma's team.There was an interfaith prayer service with Christians, Catholics, Muslims,Jews, Protestants, and Hindus, each CC 05-17-2021/5 offering blessing and prayers for peace.There was much wisdom shared that morning and he learned a lot. Commissioner McMillan reported on "The beautiful" and said he attended the Seminole County Chamber after hours at the Sharing Center.They had business networking,food, and beverage.Their thrift shop was open and he picked up a bag of books. He believes there was beauty in language and literature. He noticed there was a library at Reiter Park. He took the books he bought at the Sharing Center and put a couple in the park's library. He shared quotes from the Great Gatsby, "Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope... Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead". He said he hopes everyone continues to recognize Military Appreciation Month through Memorial Day weekend. District#4. Commissioner Morgan said he was concerned that the biggest takeaway after the virus was gone will be social distancing, masks, and vaccines when it should be about getting in better health and taking care of ourselves and one another. He said we should be doing what we can to help those who are not in the best health by giving them exposure to fitness and dieting. With the help of the Parks and Recreation Board, he came up with an idea to get people out and active while addressing the litany of mental and health concerns that have come from the virus. He hopes to call the event "Strongwood Olympic Games" and hold it at Reiter Park. He said he wants everybody to participate regardless of age or disability.The event will have potato sack races, three-legged races, water balloon toss contests, and egg-on-the- spoon races. He said these are old-school activities that everybody knows how to do and that everybody can participate in. Commissioner Morgan said the most important element of this event was having vendors such as meal prep service companies, mental health physicians, physical trainers, dieticians, and primary care physicians, come to speak, and offer discounts to get people started. He said he was very excited about this and it was in the beginning stages. He hopes to create a Board or small Committee of people from different backgrounds within the community to drum up different ideas. He said he spoke to Mr. Capizzi, Leisure Services Director, and there are a slew of vendors from the health fair we have every year. He said he would like to partner with them as well for this project.The magnet to drawing people in was the family competitions and races. He thanked the members of the Parks and Recreation Board for their feedback. Commissioner Morgan suggested awarding a Certificate of Recognition to Zechariah Cartledge who has a nonprofit called Running 4 Heroes. He is a CC 05-17-2021/6 12-year-old boy from Winter Springs and anytime there is a fallen officer who has passed away in the line of duty,Zechariah runs a mile with a flag in their honor. He has been asked to come to different parts of the country and it has picked up national attention. News stations are now covering him. He noted Zechariah has run a total of 127 miles in 2021, 401 miles in 2020, 376 miles in 2019, and overall 904 miles since he started doing this at the age of 9. It was the consensus of the Commission to award Zechariah Cartledge with a Certificate of Recognition. Commissioner Morgan reported attending the National Day of Prayer at Christ Church. He congratulated and thanked Ms. Nancy Acevedo from the Seminole Sheriff's Office for the work she does behind the scenes and for taking photos of every event. He said she has done a great deal of good work in the community. He also reported being a guest speaker alongside Sheriff Lemma at the Sanford Chamber's Power Hour, a monthly networking mixer. It was held at Teen Challenge, a faith-based opioid recovery center, on Friday, May 7. He shared his testimony on overcoming his opioid addiction 14%2 years ago. He was able to speak to other young men who were also addicts. He commended Representative Scott Plakon who worked hard on passing a Bill that was incredibly important and may have saved him from addiction. He explained what the Bill entails and said this was an example of someone in the Legislature that put something into play and has affected our community in a positive manner. Commissioner Morgan reported attending the Boys and Girls Club's Be Great Gala. He said it was the biggest event of the year for the Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida specific to Seminole County. It was a huge fundraiser they do every year specific to the three Boys and Girls Clubs in Altamonte Springs, Sanford, and Oviedo. He said he was honored to serve on their Board and would like to have a Boys and Girls Club in Longwood. He also reported the final numbers for the Leadership Seminole's, Seminole Showdown event, which raised money for the Advent Health Hope & Healing Center, were slightly under$83,000. He congratulated the classmates of Leadership Seminole Class 29 and 30 who helped participate in that. Commissioner Morgan thanked the Seminole County Chamber of Commerce's Issues on Government Committee for having him as a guest speaker to tell his story on addiction and how Seminole County was leading the way in fighting the war on opioids. He said part of his role in the Council was going out to Seminole County, to get funding and sponsorships to pay for things to help opioid addicts. He explained the 0- CC 05-17-2021/7 Pod and A-Pod in the jails and how they help opioid addicts during and before release in jail. He reported speaking at the King of Kings Lutheran Church and School in Maitland. He said there was a new Principal, Mr. Harmon Krause and he spoke about bullying, cyberbullying, some of the trials and tribulations they are going to face growing up, and how they can defend against that. He also reported attending The Christian Sharing Center's 35th Birthday event at Reiter Park. Commissioner Morgan asked Mr. Gioielli for a follow-up on the young girl from Lyman High School who was reported missing. Mr. Gioielli said he did not have any additional information. It was not reported in the City, it was reported in Casselberry. Any other information is law enforcement sensitive. Commissioner Morgan congratulated the students at Lyman High School who graduated today. He thanked and commended Commissioner Drummond for his service. District#5. Mayor Sackett mentioned Teen Challenge and said it used to be on the used car lot on State Road 434 where they used to do car washes. He said he has tutored many of the kids from the Boys and Girls Club over the years. He noted the opioid pill mills were chased out of Longwood about ten (10) or twelve (12)years ago. He said he will see what we can do for Zechariah for running 904 miles. He appreciated the meeting he had with Finance today to go over the Financial Report.They went over Contractual Services, overtime for all departments, the Reserve fund, and the $500 from the cell tower included in the Reserve fund. Mayor Sackett mentioned his mother and her health. He said she was in the hospital but was on the road to recovery and maybe going home next week. He reported attending the Impact Fee Study meeting coordinated by the School Board. It was an organizational meeting and they will be meeting again on June 8 to discuss parts of what the fee includes and where the numbers came from. He said the Mayors and Managers will meet on Wednesday in Oviedo and asked if the Commission had any concerns they need to bring up to give those to Mr. Gioielli and he will bring them forward. Mayor Sackett noted we may be the only ones hosting an event for the 4th of July. He said he remembers starting the Car Show with Bob Cortes. He said it is the 10th anniversary in November and suggested doing something to recognize them. CC 05-17-2021/8 It was the consensus of the Commission to recognize the Car Show's 10th anniversary. Mayor Sackett reported attending the Farmers Market and the School of Rock Showcase. He thinks the Orlando School of Rock would also like to use the Park for their showcase. He invited them to get in touch with Mr. Rinaldo. He mentioned Lyman High School's graduation was today. He then reported attending The Sharing Center's 35th Birthday and said he was now a volunteer for them. He said the pickleball courts are happening. They are putting money together to make six courts. He noted that his 8,675 day of teaching was coming up next Wednesday. He will be done teaching next Wednesday and was excited about new adventures. District#1. Deputy Mayor Shoemaker commended and thanked Commissioner Drummond and his family. She reminded everyone today by midnight to file their Federal Income Taxes or an extension. She suggested doing it yourself instead of contacting a tax preparer. District#2. Commissioner Drummond reported attending The Sharing Center event and he thanked Chief Dowda and former Mayor Ben Paris who took a long stint at the dunking booth. He said we are lucky to have The Sharing Center located in Longwood.They continue to expand their services and are doing a giant remodeling project for the homeless.Their organization is amazing. He said his goodbyes and commended all of the Commissioners for their service. He thanked Mr. Gioielli and said he has done a great job as Acting City Manager, Ms. Longo for working hard to support the Commission, answering all their questions, and coordinating all meetings and activities of the Commission, and Mr. Langley for his outstanding efforts and for answering all their questions. He said he will miss the City and thanked everybody for supporting him. 9. ANY ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA Ms. Longo noted a change on the May 3, 2021 minutes for Item 5D. She said Commissioner McMillan read the Proclamation for The Sharing Center's 35th Anniversary and the change was included in the minutes for approval. 10. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approve Minutes of the May 3, 2021, Regular Meeting. B. Approve the Monthly Expenditures for May 2021. C. Approve the Monthly Financial Report for April 2021. CC 05-17-2021/9 Commissioner Drummond moved to approve Items 10A and 10C as presented. Seconded by Commissioner Morgan and carried by a unanimous roll call vote. 11. PUBLIC HEARINGS. None. 12. REGULAR BUSINESS A. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 21-1551,approval of a Lease Termination Agreement between the City of Longwood and Longwood Plantation Home Owners Association regarding "Track K"of the Longwood Plantation Subdivision. Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 21-1551 by title only. Mr. Smith presented the Item. Commissioner Morgan moved to adopt Resolution No. 21- 1551 as presented Item 12A. Seconded by Deputy Mayor Shoemaker and carried by a unanimous roll call vote. B. Read by title only and consider for adoption Resolution No. 21- 1562,which amends the City Commission Rules of Procedures Concerning Ceremonial,Opening Invocations at City Commission Meetings and adopts a policy of non-exclusion for selection of volunteer invocation speakers and a diversity of viewpoints. Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 21-1562 by title only. Mr. Gioielli presented the Item and said staff took direction from the Commission at the last meeting and attempted to craft what the Commission wanted, which was a diverse invocation that would fall in line after the Call to Order at the official Commission meetings. Staff proposed that the invocation last 1%2 minutes and those who participate will be based on a database created by the Clerk of established religious organizations within City limits.The database would be created in November of each year and the selection would go in order of those who responded to the written request, except for December where the Mayor would have the ability to select who would present the invocation. During the transition, if approved,the Clerk would have the ability to select who would do the initial invocation until she has an opportunity to set up the database.The absence of an invocation speaker would automatically default to a moment of silent meditation.There was direction in the proposal that does not CC 05-17-2021/10 allow for any immigrating.The focus would be on statements of peace, wisdom to the Commission, and security for the Military and first responders. It was also addressed that if someone was not interested in participating in the invocation,they could be excused until it ended. He then answered questions. It was noted that everybody has had their input on this Item. Commissioner Morgan said one of the reasons this was removed was because of people being able to denigrate and degrade our particular religion. He asked if the Resolution helps prevent this from happening and from being sued. Mr. Langley said the Resolution and case law provides that we are not able to review the content of the invocation in advance.There will not be a way of screening someone to the extent that you get to read in advance what they intend to say.The Commission can provide guidelines for the invocation.The rules mitigate that possibility but do not exclude it.The Resolution was consistent with the case law on this topic and provides that the speaker was from an organization, entity, synagogue, or church that is 501 C 3 based in the City of Longwood.You can mitigate some of that concern. He said he was not aware of particular groups of that nature in Longwood.There was no way to completely cut that concern out. The rules are in place to express that the purpose was not to offend or attack someone else's religion or viewpoint. He said we do our best with these rules.These rules are generally consistent with the rules that the Commission had in the past. They have been somewhat modified by looking at other examples in Central Florida and taking the best from other policies. Hopefully, those who speak will be respectful of the invocation's purpose. Commissioner Drummond asked how the minute and a half(1%2) invocation came about when we allow three (3) minutes for public input. Mr. Gioielli said we knew it would be open for debate, needed to start somewhere, and gaged it on how much time was being used for a moment of silence. Commissioner Drummond confirmed if the speaker has to be from an organization within the City limits and asked if they can write a letter to the City asking to be included with the group that can give invocations if they are not registered. CC 05-17-2021/11 Mr. Langley said the policy provides that the City Clerk will use the best available information to create the database but if someone is not included, they may ask to be. If we get into a conflict situation,we can bring the issue to the Commission and the Commission can make that judgment call. If we later get into the situation that we get threatened with litigation, it will be the Commission's call to make, with his advice on what to do in that circumstance. Ultimately, if this gets uncomfortable for the City there are always other choices to make. It was noted that if someone did not sign up invocation for a particular meeting, it would default to Silent Meditation. Deputy Mayor Shoemaker said this was left kind of wide open. We cannot discriminate. She believes we are wording it correctly because she trusts Mr. Langley who has drafted it. She said there was no guarantee on who was going to get up and speak. She said there may be a couple of bad apples and asked if we want to ruin that for the good apples. She noted that some may think the content of someone's invocation was bad while others may think the opposite. She said it was only a minute and a half(1%Z) and she does not think you can do that much damage in that amount of time. She wants to make sure we are covered on the legal side of it. She asked if we can be assured of this as it was written and if there was any wiggle room for someone to take legal action. Mr. Langley said the Commission can establish the framework for the opening invocation within the bounds of the existing case law. This policy was very consistent with the case law of opening invocations. It was also very consistent with what a lot of governments have in place. He thinks it was better written than some of those policies because we have looked at others and taken some of the better languages from each of them. He said the area of first amendment law was not clear cut in every case and can be messy. He noted there was a database that was being established so you will have a heads up on who is up. The Commission will have an idea of whether this was going to work or not. The Commission can change the rules if it does not work out. Deputy Mayor Shoemaker clarified the Commission will not choose who speaks, only the Mayor will choose in December. I CC 05-17-2021/12 Mr. Langley replied that was correct.There is a database that the City Clerk will schedule fairly. Even the selection of the Mayor in December comes from the database. Commissioner McMillan said he was pleased with what he sees here and what was drafted by staff. It was viewpoint neutral. It was not an opportunity for people to speak. He said he pushed for something like this to bring people in here. It was traditional to have an invocation. He sees it as a distinct form of public participation. If someone wanted to come and say something, it does not have to be during the invocation, they can have a full three minutes during public input.This was ceremonial. As he has talked with different group leaders within the City of Longwood he said they are excited about it. It has been a very difficult year and that was why he thinks we should reconsider this.These leaders have stepped up and served our community during the lockdown.To have them come to our meetings and get to know us would be good for us as a community. He believes we have to trust the people with their liberty. He said if someone says something that offends or embarrasses him, he would still value their opportunity to speak for ninety (90) seconds. He said he supports this and thanked the staff for drafting it. Commissioner McMillan moved to adopt Resolution No. 21-1562 as presented Item 12B. Seconded by Commissioner Morgan and carried by a four-to-one (4-1) roll call vote with Commissioner Drummond voting nay. C. City Commission approval of a contract with Wannemacher Jensen Architects, Inc.for Architectural and Engineering Services for Longwood Fire Station#15 and approve a purchase order in the amount of$84,300 for the first two tasks. Mr. Kintner presented the Item and said this was the next step towards moving forward with the Commission's direction to seek the relocation of Fire Station #15.These are the first two tasks. The first task was the analysis of space for the Fire Station and Police Station in case we do an accommodation facility. It was an option we are leaving available in the contract.The second task was selecting sites for the consultant to evaluate.They are going to create a matrix to evaluate each of the different sites, their feasibility, cost-benefit analysis, and construction. He then answered questions. CC 05-17-2021/13 Discussion ensued on sites for the Fire Station,the tasks, the timeline once approved, and the logistics of location. Commissioner Drummond moved to approve the contract with Wannemacher Jensen Architects, and authorize a purchase order in the amount of$84,300 for the first two tasks pending the approval of a budget amendment. Seconded by Commissioner Morgan and carried by a four- to-one (4-1) roll call vote with Mayor Sackett voting nay. D. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 21-1563,amending the fiscal year 2020/2021 budget appropriations in the General Fund in the amount of$84,300. Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 21-1563 by title only. Commissioner Drummond moved to adopt Resolution No. 21-1563 as presented Item 12D. Deputy Mayor Shoemaker and carried by a four-to-one (4-1) roll call vote with Mayor Sackett voting nay. E. Read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 21-1564,authorizing the execution of a Joint Participation Agreement between the State of Florida Department of Transportation and the City of Longwood to facilitate the City's installation of landscaping and irrigation within the U.S. Highway 17-92 right-of-way from Dog Track Road to Raven Avenue. Mr. Langley read Resolution No. 21-1564 by title only. Mr. Smith presented the Item and said Community Development and Public Works worked together for a grant application to the Department of Transportation (DOT)for landscaping projects because U.S Highway 17-92 as a corridor is severely lacking in landscaping. It covers plants, soil, and other ancillary items. He said we are paying for the warranty, irrigation, and we paid for the design. He then answered questions. Discussion ensued on the jurisdiction, cost of the project, what the City was paying, and maintenance costs afterward. Mr. Gioielli noted we are going to bid on our mowing contract with Helping Hands and are hoping to not see a huge increase. CC 05-17-2021/14 Commissioner Morgan moved to adopt Resolution No. 21- 1564 as presented Item 12E. Seconded by Deputy Mayor Shoemaker and carried by a unanimous roll call vote. 13. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT Mr. Gioielli reported on COVID-19 updates as of last Friday and said there were 510 active COVID cases in Seminole County. Compared to the last meeting there were 1,300 active cases and at the previous meeting, there were 1,901 active cases. Currently, there are twenty-three (23) active cases in the City of Longwood compared to our last meeting when there were seventy-one (71) active cases and the previous meeting ninety-five (95) active cases. Current hospitalizations are at sixty-five (65) patients in Seminole County compared to the last meeting there were eighty-one (81) patients. He said we are seeing the same trend in our positive testing rating. Seminole County Public Schools have started a vaccination event at the local high schools because the age for vaccinations is sixteen (16) and up.There will be a debate on considering ending mask mandates and reducing the distance for social distancing for the 2021-2022 school year. Some online education programs will be ending as well. Mr. Gioielli reported the Ronald Reagan Boulevard and State Road 434 111 Roadway Public Hearing is tomorrow at the Community Building at 5:45 p.m. He also reported the City's current water meter program is starting to have some equipment failure, software issues, and lack of support from the manufacturer. In preparation for bringing additional information forward, staff has started to work on a Request for Proposal (RFP) to upgrade the entire system. He said they are also looking into the possibility of a presentation for a State Revolving (SRF) loan to give the Commission options. He stated they know this was a utility that would be allowed under the American Rescue Plan funding. Staff was working desperately at preventing more problems with our water meter tracking and water meter program. Mr. Gioielli reported the pump track work approved by the Commission was in progress and will be completed soon with an anticipated re- opening date of May 27.This will alleviate the need of having periodic closures and have the worn areas better protected with asphalt making it look more appealing. Regarding the Lewis House, we are waiting on a contractor, coordinated by the Historic Society, to take a look at the building. He said staff has also asked a grant writer they use to research the possibility of any grant opportunities that would support funding of the Lewis House project. Mr. Gioielli noted staff has received initial guidance from the Department of Treasury on the American Rescue Plan. We anticipate having some CC 05-17-2021/15 direction based on the summary and hope to ask the Commission to consider a Workshop to see what options and input they had for staff. He noted that quarterly street sweeping was going to be May 18 for the west side of town and May 19 for the east side of town. He mentioned staff was prepared to move forward with an event for the July 4 celebration. He suggested July 3, recognizing Winter Springs and Sanford both have their events on July 4 with no known events in Seminole County on Saturday,July 3. The expense would be approximately$15,000 and Leisure Services currently has$8,400 meaning there would have to be a transfer from the Reserve of$6,600 to cover the event. Mayor Sackett moved to approve the transfer from the Reserve Fund of$6,600 to cover a July 4 celebration event on Saturday, July 3, 2021. Seconded by Commissioner Drummond and carried by a unanimous roll call vote. Mr. Langley noted a budget amendment will be needed at a future meeting. Mr. Gioielli reminded the Commission he will be out of town on Wednesday through Sunday. He noted Chief Dowda and the Directors would be here should there be any problems. 14. CITY ATTORNEY'S REPORT. Mr. Langley wished Commissioner Drummond the best of luck to him and his family. He said it has been a pleasure to work with him and thanked him for his service as it takes a lot for someone to volunteer as an elected official. 15. CITY CLERK'S REPORT. Ms. Longo wished Commissioner Drummond the best of luck with his move. She said it has been a pleasure to work with him and said he will be very missed. 16. ADJOURN. Mayor Sackett adjourned the meeting at 7:55 p.m. Minutes approved by City Commission: 06-07-2021 ,e((// - Bfia , e.'- G� Abby sh 4 ,, xc ee ATTE T: Michel a Lo , , City Clerk CC 05-17-2021/16