City Commission Workshop Meeting

I APPROVED 9/22/2022 MINUTES City Commission Retreat 4:00 PM - Tuesday, July 5, 2022 - City Hall CALL TO ORDER: 4:04 P.M. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF QUORUM ANO PROPER NOTICE PRESENT: Commissioner Nan Cobb, Commissioner Willie Hawkins, Vice Mayor Emily Lee, Commissioner Karen LeHeup-Smith and Mayor Michael Holland 1. WORKSHOP ITEM: TRAILS DISCUSSION 1.1 Tom Carrino, City Manager, requested to move Item #3 Trails Discussion to Item #1 due to the presence of Mike Stephens at the meeting. Mr. Carrino presented a map which summarized the Lake County trails master plan reflecting the various stages. He specifically cited the River to Hills Trail which runs in the North from the St. Johns River in Astor down to Clermont and the Orange County line, south of Lake Apopka. He stated that Eustis is the northern portion of the trail which will be approximately 75 miles. He then noted the North Lake Trail which is the northern portion of the River to Hills Trail and runs from Tavares through Eustis to Astor for 27.7 miles. He explained that trail is subdivided into three segments. One section conceptually runs from downtown Tavares to Ferran Park with section two running from Ferran Park up to County Road 42 and section three continuing on to the St. Johns River. He then cited what he referred to as the "Eustis Loop"; however, the official name is the Trout Lake Nature Center to Pine Meadows Conservation Area to Lake May Reserve Loop Trail. He indicated that is not an interconnecting trail; instead it connects Pine Meadows, Lake May and Trout Lake to the North Lake Trail. He then stated that Segment 1 conceptually runs from downtown Tavares to Ferran Park; however, the hard part is determining how that will be accomplished. Segment 2 will run from Ferran Park north to CR42 for approximately 8.2 miles. He stated they have entered into an interlocal agreement to figure out these two segments which will require a corridor study and they will need to explore grants to assist with funding. He reported that Eustis, Tavares, Lake County and Umatilla met to discuss the project, nail down the big picture options and fine tune the routes. Mr. Carrino stated staff will be asking for direction to allow them to move forward into feasibility and corridors. He explained that the railroad right-of-way is not an option due to active use of the line. He added that the freight line is using the tracks to store cars for themselves and other uses and they are collecting rent on the car storage; therefore, they are not likely to abandon the line and allow it to be used for the trail. He indicated that CSX owns the land and leases it to the freight line; which would necessitate purchasing the lease as well as the land. He stated that Tavares is proposing using David Walker and Mount Homer Road to get into Eustis. He added discussion was also held regarding utilizing Lake Shore Drive; however, the issue is lack of right-of-way and too many driveway cuts. He Eustis City Commission Retreat Page 1 of 13 July 5, 2022  continued stating that Highway 19 would present the same problem. He indicated that Umatilla will be utilizing Highway 19. He stated the City needs to determine if they want the trail to go through downtown Eustis; which would be desirable for economic development purposes. He added that an alternative would -be to reroute to the east and connect to the loop trail which would be closer to Trout Lake Nature Center and 44 but would have less economic impact for Eustis. He explained that either a consultant or county staff would work on the feasibility and corridor study. He stated staff needs to determine if the City wants to bring the trail downtown and if it is willing to put in the time, work and right-of-way acquisition to do that or would they rather use the path of least resistance and go east where there is more available right-of-way. Commissioner Hawkins indicated a preference to focus on the waterfront for the trails. He asked if a boardwalk could be done along the lake in order to utilize Lakeshore Drive with Commissioner Cobb also asking about utilizing the lakeside. Mayor Holland noted prior discussions regarding partnering with Advent Health on a project with Mr. Carrino indicating that has been brought up before. Mike Stephens indicated the question for the lakeside would be who owns the property and indicated it might be more expensive and there could be maintenance issues. He expressed support for working with Advent Health to utilize their property. Commissioner Cobb expressed concern regarding the timing particularly utilizing County staff rather than a private company for the feasibility study and cited $25,000 that was previously budgeted by the City for the feasibility study. Mr. Stephens agreed with the need to move forward faster and utilizing a private company should be quicker. He stated that Section 3 has already had a feasibility study completed and is ready to move into PD&E to move from Umatilla into the forest. He stated the PD&E is scheduled to be approved on July 12th. He stated the PD&E is unique in that it combines two studies - the Black Bear Trail along 40 and the North Lake River to Hills trail along SR 19. He indicated they are using old railroad corridor which runs from Umatilla to Astor. He stated they could combine Sections 1 and 2 for the feasibility study. He indicated the previously budgeted money by Tavares, Eustis and Umatilla would probably be sufficient for that. Mr. Stephens then provided an update on the status of area trails stating that the Wekiva Trail from Sorrento to Titusville should be completed by the next month. He commented on the economic benefits to those areas. He indicated the right-of- way is being purchased for the next section from Sorrento to the East Lake County Regional Park and Sorrento Elementary School. The PD&E and design is underway for the trail from Sorrento into Mount Dora and from Mount Dora to Tavares. He stated $15,000,000 has been budgeted to buy the entire right-of-way which is an old spur that has not been improved. He confirmed that is mostly federal funds and additional funds have been applied for the River to Hills Trail. Mr. Carrino indicated a portion of that funding can also be used for the feasibility/corridor study. If the grant is received, then a consultant would be utilized for the study. Eustis City Commission Retreat Page 2 of 13 July 5, 2022  Commissioner Hawkins asked how long it would take for the feasibility study with Mr. Stephens indicating it would require approximately one year to 18 months. It was noted that would include a number of stakeholder meetings. Mr. Stephens recommended bringing the trail through the downtown and discussion was held regarding the benefits to the downtown. Commissioner LeHeup-Smith asked about utilizing Eustis Street for a bike path with Mr. Carrino responding that staff had looked at that and indicated it is not as much of an option. He indicated they also considered North Shore Drive and noted City right-of-way that exists in the area. He added that you could put a bike path or a shared lane on Eustis but not an actual trail. Commissioner Cobb noted Eustis is the central piece of the trails map. Mr. Stephens commented on Clermont's "Meet Me in the Middle" concept to bring visitors into the downtown area. Discussion was held regarding possible pathways for the trail including Lakeshore and North Shore Drive. Vice Mayor Lee asked about grant funds available for this project. Mr. Carrino indicated state and federal funding may be available for the project. He explained the County has already applied for funding to assist with the feasibility study and PD&E and, possibly, construction. He indicated that they are still working to hire a grant writer. Mr. Stephens stated he is working with the Florida Greenways and Trails Council to get the Wekiva and River to Hills trails on their Priority Map for Sun Trail funding. He explained that comes from vehicle registrations and is $25 million per year that goes into the Sun Trail trails. He further explained that a project must be on their Priority Map to receive funding; however, currently both of the projects are on their Opportunities Map. He indicated they should know by the end of the year about the status of those projects. He stated they can apply for funding once they get on the Priority Map. He confirmed that getting the feasibility study done can help in getting on the Priority Map. Commissioner Hawkins asked, if once they get on the Priority Map, they take into consideration the status of their downtown and the expected economic impact. CONSENSUS: It was a consensus of the Commission to move forward with the trails, to run the trails through the downtown corridor and to hire an outside consultant for the feasibility/corridor study. 2. WORKSHOP ITEM: UPDATE ON CURRENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2.1 Mr. Carrino explained the existing strategic plan was developed in 2013 with a different Commission and leadership team . He stated it is a good plan and staff needs to update the Commission regarding what has been accomplished which will be done as part of the budget process. He stated his intent to discuss the existing plan and provide a big picture look at the various departments and begin mapping out the future with the possibility of creating a new strategic plan. He Eustis City Commission Retreat Page 3 of 13 July 5, 2022  indicated that the most important aspect is for the Commission to inform staff about what is important to them, what they want staff working on and how to move forward to get things accomplished together. He then reviewed the Vision, Mission and Overall Goals as identified in the existing strategic plan. As he reviewed various goals, he commented on what has been accomplished and what still needs to be done. He stated his impression that the discussion should be more about where they are going instead of about where they've been. He added that he would be providing some big picture department updates and laying out the big projects going forward. Commissioner Cobb asked about the $50,000 budgeted for the strategic plan with Mr. Carrino indicating he would be explaining that process. Mr. Carrino cited the new leadership members, mentioned the benefits and drawbacks, and noted the loss of institutional knowledge. Commissioner Hawkins commented on how well the new leadership team is working together. Mr. Carrino then provided highlights from each department as follows: 1) City Manager's Office - Creating a new strategic plan, building relationships with City partners; 2) Events and Tourism - Improving existing events; 3) City Clerk - Continue to improve tools and technology; and 4) Economic Development - New director Al Latimer, working on Waterman site, new partnership with LEAD, exploration of grants, hiring of grant writer, CRA review and identification of City's competitive advantages and target market Commissioner Hawkins asked about assisting current businesses with expansion. He cited Florida Foods with Mr. Carrino responding that is something that LEAD will be helping to work on and determine what can be done to attract more job creation. Commissioner Cobb commented on a discussion a local business recently had with one of their suppliers about relocating to Eustis. She noted that unfortunately a number of suppliers are overseas. Mr. Carrino responded that if a local business has a supplier they would like to see relocated, the City and Economic Development could work with them to see how they can assist. Mr. Carrino continued reviewing the department highlights as follows: 1) Development Services - New Director Mike Lane who created a condensed version of the LDR's and comprehensive plan. He stated staff is committed to reviewing and streamlining the City's processes. He noted there has been an increase in development activity and indicated staff has had a huge workload. He added that Code Enforcement is still located in City Hall; however, they are no longer under Development Services. 2) Library - The Library will continually evaluate its participation and funding with the Lake County library system. He cited the expansion of the library's programming and events and noted the need to keep the library on the cutting edge of technology. 3) Finance - Continuing to implement technology and software for both City Finance and general operations. He also cited the upcoming utility rate study and implementing appropriate Eustis City Commission Retreat Page 4 of 13 July 5, 2022  financial policies and protocols. He indicated that it is the City Commission that balances the City budget and holds the line on the tax rates with the assistance of the Finance Department. 4) Human Resources - Continues to attract a diverse work force and remain consistent with labor laws and wage increases; keep benefits package competitive; and working on collective bargaining. 5) Parks and Recreation - Working on increasing programming at the pool; working on the master plan; overseeing $1.9 million in improvements to rental facilities and parks; and determining what to do with the community building long term. He emphasized that the master plan can facilitate all of those projects. Mr. Carrino then reviewed Public Works citing the Bates Avenue Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion. He stated that will prepare the City for the future growth. He then noted the Coolidge Area improvements which was prompted by utilities but could potentially include road improvements, cleaning up the area and promoting development in that area. He then stated they are working on reorganizing Public Works citing the Environmental Compliance reorganization. He added they need to continue to monitor the City's facilities and infrastructures and plan improvements according. He explained they will continue to monitor the roads to budget as efficiently as possible and they will continue to monitor the sewer plant and to plan for what is going to fail and to repair and replace before failure. He noted that the City has to do master plans for the utility system and to plan pre-emptively to prevent failures. Mr. Carrino discussed the Fire Department and cited the possibility of either establishing a third station or realigning the existing stations. He commented on the addition of six new positions with the possibility of adding more. He cited the purchase of the new tower truck with rescue funds, noted the need for other additional equipment and commented on the union negotiations. He emphasized the need to invest in the department's equipment in order to maintain the City's ISO and maintain a high level of service for the community. Mr. Carrino commented on the need for the Police Department to engage with the community and noted a number of community events held involving the department. He emphasized the need to have positive engagement with the community and not just negative. He added that the SRO (School Resource Officer) agreement will be coming forward to the Commission for consideration. He stated they now have a CRA Police Officer and are reorganizing Code Enforcement under the Police Department which will provide more resources for Code Enforcement. He commented on upgrades to the Police Department fleet and equipment. Mr. Carrino then discussed the need to identify a facilitator and establish a process for creation of a new strategic plan. He stated they need to determine how inclusive of the community do they want to be. Will it be more of an internal process using staff and a facilitator or one where they have a number of public input meetings. He recommended starting the process with the Commission in January due to the possibility of there being one or two new Commissioners. He indicated that funds are budgeted for the process in the new budget year and questioned whether or not it would make sense to start the process in October when there may be new Commissioners in January. He restated his recommendation to wait until January and explained they need to develop a vision, a mission and strategies. He emphasized that there will always be the Eustis City Commission Retreat Page 5 of 13 July 5, 2022  emergencies and unexpected things that the City has to react to; however, when looking at the big picture and where the City is going, everything should be tied back to the strategic plan. He noted that some cities have as part of every agenda item an explanation of how the item ties to the strategic plan . He added that all major initiatives should be tied back to the strategic plan. He asked for Commission input and if there are items they would like staff to be working on. Commissioner LeHeup-Smith expressed interest in beginning work on the strategic plan in January with the new Commission and cited the need for the Commission to step back and look at the big picture and not get too nitty gritty. She liked the idea of tying the large projects back to the strategic plan and emphasized the need to allow for a project to be completed before moving on to something else. Commissioner Cobb agreed with starting work on the plan in January. She indicated her desire to start the process of identifying a facilitator as that can take some time. She asked to have a plan that includes how the City gets where it wants to be and expressed support for public meetings that allows the public to see how they get there including strategically, monetarily and what is best for the community. Commissioner Hawkins expressed agreement with both Commissioner LeHeup- Smith and Commissioner Cobb. He asked for more details about how they are going to accomplish their goals and more specificity. Commissioner Cobb asked what the norm is for retaining a strategic plan. She questioned how long the current plan was expected to encompass noting that the current plan was developed in 2012. Mr. Carrino responded that best practice is to do annual tweaks with an overhaul every five years. He noted that the strategic plan has been updated every year as part of the budget process and that updates on the strategies are also updated. He noted that much of what is in the current plan has been accomplished. Commissioner Hawkins asked how much public input over last five years has affected the City's process with Mr. Carrino indicating that, while the City has received a lot of input at Commission meetings, not a lot of it has been directed at the strategic plan. Commissioner LeHeup-Smith stated that during public input meetings the majority of public concern has been regarding public safety and parks & recreation. She added that she did not think the City necessarily did well in promoting input on the plan; however, the economy fell out and impacted the City's plans. Mayor Holland commented on the impact of the previous recession on the City's plans due to the need to keep public safety and utilities going and keep the roads maintained so it winds up impacting parks and recreation and library services the most. He emphasized the need to maintain those services as well to keep the youth occupied and cited the vital services the library provides to residents. He stated the strategic plan is a road map and needs to be a living document reflecting what's happening in the community. He provided the example of the community building . He stated that five years ago when Lake Receptions was Eustis City Commission Retreat Page 6 of 13 July 5, 2022  going well, there was not a need to expand the City's community building; however, now the City needs a location to hold events. Commissioner Cobb emphasized the City's issue with roads due to the intersection of so many state and county roads in addition to the City's roads. She noted that while it is natural for a City to grow, it needs to grow smarter, and the maintenance of the roads needs to be considered. She indicated the road maintenance needs to be considered in the strategic plan and cited the possibility of looking for grants to assist with that. Vice Mayor Lee stated that the vision and mission statements seem to be empty words. She stated her desire for the plan to identify the City's goals and mission in a more succinct way and to tell who the City is, where it's going, how it's going to get there and why. After that, then they can seek outside the box to identify partners i.e. Lake Tech and Lake-Sumter. She emphasized the need to work as a team to create something new and dynamic and will benefit everyone. Commissioner Hawkins expressed the need for some urgency to the plan for growth of the City. He added that he would like to see more urgency getting things accomplished. Commissioner Cobb expressed concern that while working on the strategic plan the City is without an identity. She noted that agriculture is the number one employer in Lake County and advised that the City needs to remember that. She commented on the changes in agriculture over the years. She stated they need to find out who they want to be and recognize what made them great. Mayor Holland commented on Florida Foods and how they will be a great partner with the City. He further commented on the impact of pharmaceutical to the City and how people do not know what is impacting the City. He noted the lack of the City assisting the businesses in development. He expressed support for the new Economic Development Director in assisting the City in moving forward. Vice Mayor Lee stated the need to make it known who the City is. She commented on the barriers the City keeps running into and also expressed support for the new Economic Development Director and the opportunity to make some changes and actually doing something not just talking about it. Commissioner Hawkins stated that Eustis has the best lakefront in the area and there is no reason they should have empty restaurants. He commented on the need for landlords to get the right tenants and make sure their tenants are people that will be there for a while and have a proven track record. He expressed support for the City's leadership team. Recess: 5:32 p.m. Reconvene: 5:55 p.m. 3. WORKSHOP ITEM: ORGANIZATIONAL GRANTS PROCESS 3.1 Mr. Carrino indicated staff was asked to include a discussion on the City's organizational and event grant process. He explained the grants are for 501 c3 events and non-profit organizations and must be open to and provide a benefit to Eustis residents. He indicated it must also generate economic activity and Eustis City Commission Retreat Page 7 of 13 July 5, 2022  improve the quality of life for Eustis residents. He reviewed the various ineligible uses. He presented the application documents and explained what staff looks for in reviewing the applications noting that some also request in-kind services. He indicated the applicants are also required to estimate the economic impact to the community and to detail what the funds will be used for. He reviewed what additional documentation is required for submittal and explained how those may vary from applicant to applicant. He explained a staff review committee reviews the applications, presented a copy of the criteria and explained how the applications are graded. He reviewed how the program is publicized and cited those staff members who typically comprise the committee. He then stated that the process is proposed to be changed as follows: 1) to include one Commissioner on the review committee; 2) to separate out $15,000 from the overall $30,000 to be awarded by the Commission; 3) to provide the grants on a reimbursement basis rather than being paid upfront; 4) to require a follow-up report to the City Commission; and 5) requiring recipients to provide volunteer hours to the community. He then noted information provided regarding organizations that previously received funding. Commissioner Hawkins proposed that the overall grants remain at $30,000 with an additional $15,000 to be awarded by the Commission. He also suggested that each Commissioner be allowed $3,000 to award with an individual grant cap of $500. He questioned how volunteer hours could be tracked and expressed concern regarding using a reimbursement process. He also indicated that the individual Commissioner awards still need to be agreed to by the rest of the Commission. Mr. Carrino responded he would not envision the $500 Commission awards to require volunteer hours or be on a reimbursement basis. He explained how the reimbursement process would work for the regular grants. He indicated that they could determine a process for tracking the volunteer hours. Commissioner Hawkins expressed concern regarding small organizations being able to expend the funds and then be reimbursed with Mr. Carrino indicating the organizations that applied last year were forewarned to be ready for that. Discussion was held regarding the volunteer hours and how it would be applied to the different organizations. Commissioner Cobb commented on the financial statement requirement for grants and possible longer range of financial lookback. She proposed the applicants be required to submit what they are going to use the fund before approval and then providing a performance report after. She expressed various concerns regarding organizations being approved that are close to folding, organizations receiving funds that have limited expenses so why do they need the grant and the same organizations receiving funding year after year. She indicated she was comfortable with leaving the amount at $30,000 and cited the limited amount of revenues over expenditures for the next budget year. She asked that the Commission be a larger part of the process in reviewing the financials. Mike Sheppard, Finance Director, explained that there are a few of the organizations that may have a hard time providing financial statements with the Commission responding then they don't get funded. If they are a 501 (c)3 they are Eustis City Commission Retreat Page 8 of 13 July 5, 2022  responsible for filing financials. It was emphasized that the Commission is responsible for ensuring citizen tax dollars are spent responsibly. Commissioner LeHeup-Smith and Vice Mayor Lee both expressed opposition to increasing the funding to $45,000. Vice Mayor Lee noted her previous experience with grants and emphasized the need for the organizations providing reports and on the need for improved accountability. She added that she was fine with going to reimbursement. The Commission asked where the funds have come from when an organization, such as Project Graduation, requests funding mid-year with Mr. Carrino responding that the funds are usually found within the Commission or City Manager budget. He noted those types of requests are generally only for $500 or $1,000. Vice Mayor Lee asked if staff could reserve some funds for last minute requests. The Commission asked how much was spent for last minute requests and table reservations with the Mayor noting that some of the table reservations are already budgeted in the Commission budget. Mr. Carrino explained he would have to go back and research to provide that information. Commissioner Cobb proposed restricting organizations to applying only every other year; therefore, the City can possibly provide larger donations. The Commission asked if the amount of the grant includes the in-kind services with Mr. Carrino indicating that expense is just absorbed by the individual department. It was asked whether or not the City tracks what exactly the City expends for those in-kind services with Mr. Carrino responding negatively. Craig Capri, Police Chief, recommended establishing a fund for tracking in-kind services. Discussion was held regarding how the program is publicized and the need to require submittal of receipts. It was stated that the in-kind services need to be incorporated as part of the grant as it is money the City is expending. They also noted the amount of pay for an off-duty officer who may be handling traffic. Mayor Holland announced that the Amazing Race for Charity may be ending as the parent organization just ran their last race. He commented on the possibility of adding this as part of another event citing the amount of people attracted to the City and how the participants get to see other parts of the City. Commissioner Cobb expressed support for leaving the amount at $30,000, no additional funds for the Commissioners to award and requiring before and after financials. Eustis City Commission Retreat Page 9 of 13 July 5, 2022  Commissioner Hawkins expressed support for the Commission approving whatever is awarded, changing to reimbursements, and requiring the financial report. He stated he is not sure about requiring the volunteer hours and stated he would like some funds money set aside for the Commission to award separate from the grant process. He cited requests from high school organizations and the need to support the high school. Mayor Holland stated his support for seeing to the needs of the high school and emphasized the importance of the future of kids and the schools. He indicated the School Resource Officer program will pay dividends to the City for years to come. Vice Mayor Lee agreed with reserving a portion to be used for mid-year requests. She stated the need for accountability, receiving financial reports before and after award and receipts after. Further discussion was held regarding implementing the changes and then seeing how many apply. Mr. Carrino summarized that they would keep the total amount at $30,000 and award $28,000 for the organizational grants which would leave $2,000 for the Commission to award. He stated those awards would have to come to the Commission for approval. Regarding the grant process, he stated they would implement the reimbursement and the follow-up report to the Commission. He indicated they would hold off on the volunteer hours and give that more thought. Further discussion was held regarding limiting applicants to apply only every other year as well as the number of organizations that know about the program. It was agreed to allow organizations to apply every year and let the committee decide. Discussion was held regarding the timing of the program with Mr. Carrino and Mr. Sheppard stating it is usually opened prior to the end of the fiscal year with awards to be provided after the new fiscal year begins. Discussion was held regarding how the program is publicized. The Commission reviewed the list of organizations and what has been approved in the past. 4. WORKSHOP ITEM: PARKS & RECREATION MASTER PLAN 4.1 Craig Dolan, Parks and Recreation Director, indicated he would be providing information on the Mount Dora and Port St. Lucie master plans as samples with Mr. Carrino indicating staff would provide the original documents electronically to the Commission. He confirmed the Commission would rather hear the information at the retreat rather than at the next budget workshop. Mr. Dolan provided a brief overview of the purpose of a master plan and what it would include. He explained it would be a year-long process and would include multiple community meetings and meetings with various stakeholders to create more buy in for the parks and recreation programs and events. He stated it would provide an outside perspective on the City's parks system and recreation facilities and programming. He further explained it would provide input on what to focus on, what and where the City should invest in, whether they need to be the municipality providing the event venue, and are the parks playgrounds adequate. After all of Eustis City Commission Retreat Page 10 of 13 July 5, 2022  the input and meetings, the consultant will put it all together to show what the City currently has and where it should be at and provide recommendations for improvements over a ten-year period. He stated it would be a living document that will be updated routinely as the City grows. Mr. Dolan then explained the consultant would hold a kick off meeting, provide data samples , facility cost and inventory data, park evaluations, review of athletic facilities, communications and a final document. He stated they would hold multiple interviews and conference calls, meetings with staff and Commissioners, inventory of existing system with analysis to show what the City is doing well and where they can improve, create surveys and send them out, review of impact fees, comprehensive plan and land development regulations, provide a presentation on the draft needs and priorities analysis and related costs, trails analysis including best place, best practices for maintenance, funding and revenue projections, implementation and action plan workshop, implementation strategy and presentation of master plan to Commission . Mr. Dolan then discussed a number of possible consultant companies with a brief analysis of those entities. He cited prices paid by other cities for their master plans. Mr. Carrino indicated that no final decision needs to be made at that time. He added they will provide copies to the Commission either electronically or by hard copy. He then discussed the CCNA process for obtaining professional services. He indicated it is similar to the RFQ process and explained they cannot discuss the pricing upfront but after selecting a professional. He stated they could include the amount budgeted for the project in the request and ask them to state what they can provide for that amount noting that might not be the best approach. He expressed support for conducting the master plan and acknowledged they need to consider the amount to be budgeted. He stated the CIP will be reviewed on July 14th and they could discuss it at that time. He recommended doing something so they have plans for the future. Commissioner Hawkins noted that a large portion of the master plan involves public participation and asked if they thought it would work. Mr. Dolan was optimistic that the consultant would be able to encourage more public participation through the multiple meetings with Mr. Carrino noting that public participation varies. He noted that there have been a number of CRA meetings that received good public participation. Discussion was held regarding how to bring the community together. Mayor Holland and Commissioner LeHeup-Smith explained a group of young people attended a public meeting at the community center and asked for the skate park. They commented on the excellent participation they received at that particular meeting . The Commission discussed whether or not staff could do the plan due to the high cost while acknowledging the limited number of staff available. They discussed combining the discussion about the trails as part of the process. Support was expressed for a lower budget amount than $80,000. Eustis City Commission Retreat Page 11 of 13 July 5, 2022  Mr. Dolan stated noted St. John's is a large county and they spent $76,000 seven years ago so he expects to spend not less than $60,000. He indicated it is not a large amount of money if you are expecting to spend millions of dollars in improvements over the next ten years. Commissioner Hawkins stated the master plan would take 1 to 1/2 years. He noted they have had a request to have an indoor location for kids to play basketball due to the heat and doing this would push it off again. He expressed support for, in the short term, constructing a cover for the outdoor basketball court. Mr. Carrino stated that the cover for the Carver Park basketball courts is included in the CIP for next fiscal year based on previous discussion with the Commission. He expressed support for discussing with the high school the possibility of utilizing the Curtright Center gym. At the same time, they are moving up the shade structure in the CIP for the Commission's consideration in the amount of $400,000 to be funded by the CRA. Commissioner Cobb asked if they have reached out to the school board with Mr. Carrino responding that the current discussions have been with Principal Clark. Vice Mayor Lee asked if the master plan could include all of the City departments, including housing, not just parks and recreation with Mr. Carrino responding that the $80,000 is specifically for parks and recreation. He indicated that previously the City hired Gladding Jackson to do a holistic Citywide review and it cost hundreds of thousands. It was noted that it included the streetscape, Ferran Park, 2008 downtown plan, 2009 CRA plan, an overhaul of the Land Development Regulations and Comprehensive Plan and the form-based code. Mayor Holland noted that it took over two years to complete but much of it is still in place. Commissioner Cobb asked when the last time a cost analysis was done on the City facilities including labor and indicated that could be done inhouse. Mr. Sheppard stated that has not been done but could be. Discussion was held regarding a need to conduct a bird's eye view of the entire City before doing a revitalization of the downtown with Mr. Carrino stating that the City will be asking the consultant on the Waterman redevelopment to do a larger look at the entire downtown. He indicated it would depend on the consultant selected to determine what might be obtained. Commissioner Hawkins expressed support for conducting the master plan but not at $80,000 with Mr. Dolan suggesting they ask the consultant selected to extend the process over two fiscal years and break the cost into two fiscal years. Commissioner Cobb asked to see the cost-analysis reports first with Mayor Holland asking to receive electronic copies of both the Mount Dora and Port St. Lucie master plans. Commissioner Hawkins asked to receive hard copies of the reports. Eustis City Commission Retreat Page 12 of 13 July 5, 2022  Commissioner LeHeup-Smith asked that an analysis of the planned trails and the expansion/renovation of the Community Building be included. She asked if the City has property on Trout Lake with Mr. Carrino indicating the City owns conservation land on Trout Lake which is not utilized by the City but they allow Trout Lake to utilize. Discussion was held regarding whether or not a passive park or trails could be developed there. Mr. Dolan confirmed he would send the Mount Dora summary to the Commission rather than the complete 300+ page report. Mayor Holland announced that Vice Mayor Lee's mother passed away and provided details regarding the funeral service. He noted that Dean Strickland, the former City cemetery sexton, passed away and indicated he would provide to staff the funeral services when received. Vice Mayor Lee thanked everyone for their support in the loss of her mother. 5. ADJOURNMENT: 7:17 P.M. *These minutes reflect the actions taken and portions of the discussion during the meeting. To review the entire discussion concerning any agenda item, go to www.eustis.org and click on the video for the meeting in question. A DVD of the entire meeting or CD of the entire audio recording of the meeting can be obtained from the office of the City Cieri< for a fee. ~ CHRISTINE HALLORAN City Clerk Mayor/Commissioner Eustis City Commission Retreat Page 13 of 13 July 5, 2022