The Break Room this week: Cooking oil collection has many benefits
This week’s edition of The Break Room welcomes Glabra Skipp, the city’s Environmental Compliance Inspector, who shares with host Paul Williamson the many benefits in proper disposal of cooking oil, whether in the home or business.
Each week the friendly and informative style of The Break Room offers the community an opportunity to know a little more about how their city works by getting to know those who do the work every day. The Break Room airs Wednesdays at 5:30pm and Saturdays at 8:00am, and each program is archived at www.breakroom.info as podcasts available for download anytime. To listen to this week’s program immediately, click here.

Saturday, December 1, busy day for traffic in downtown
Saturday, December 1 will be a busy day in downtown St. Augustine with two events that will necessitate the closing of some streets and detours of traffic: The St. Augustine Christmas Parade in the morning, and the British Nightwatch in the evening. For complete route information on each event, street closures and planned detours, click here.

How to participate in the St. Augustine Christmas Parade
As it has every year for over half a century, the St. Augustine Christmas Parade is a sure sign that the holiday season has arrived. Scheduled for Saturday, December 1 starting at 10:00am, businesses, community organizations and school groups may and secure their entry by calling 904.824.4997.

North Davis Shores sewer lines to be tested
The Public Works Department will begin testing sanitary sewer lines in the North Davis Shores area the week of December 3. The tests will utilize smoke to identify areas of leaks or unwanted water intrusions from storm or ground water. Residents and businesses in the area to be tested will be notified with door-hangers explaining the process and offering sources of additional information. For details on the testing process read Sanitary sewer inspections underway in North Davis Shores area on the city’s web site.

City Commission to hold Organizational Meeting December 3
The St. Augustine City Commission will hold its organizational meeting on Monday, December 3 at 7:30pm in The Alcazar Room, City Hall, 75 King Street. The meeting is open to the public.
The meeting will include the oath of office ceremony for Mayor Joe Boles and Commissioner-elect Roxanne Horvath. The oath will be administered by Judge Wendy W. Berger, Fifth District Court of Appeal.
Commissioner Leanna Freeman, who currently also serves as vice mayor, will take the oath on December 10 having a scheduling conflict that necessitates her being out of the city on December 3.
Mayor Boles and Commissioner Freeman were re-elected to their offices. Commissioner Horvath was newly elected to fill the seat of departing Commissioner Errol Jones. The meeting will also include recognitions for Commissioner Jones who is completing a decade of service as a Commissioner, including two years as Vice Mayor in 2008-2010.
The City’s Charter specifies that “at 7:30 p.m. on the first Monday in December following each regular municipal election, the city commission shall meet at the usual place for holding the meetings of the legislative body of the city, at which time the newly elected commissioners shall assume the duties of office.”
The newly seated Commission’s first regular meeting will be on Monday, December 10 at 5:00pm.

Understanding the impacts of coastal change
UF & GTMNERR hosting three year project
Researchers at the University of Florida (UF) from multiple disciplines, including urban and regional planning, engineering, and landscape architecture, are working with staff at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTMNERR) to understand the potential impacts of coastal change and sea level rise in the Matanzas Basin. The goal of the project is to collect, generate, and share information about the potential impacts of coastal change and strategies for adaptation with community leaders and the public to facilitate more resilient communities and natural systems.
Two workshops on the project will be held for St. Augustine residents on Thursday, December 6. The first will be at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm (999 Anastasia Blvd.) starting at 9:00am, and the other at Flagler College (74 King St.) starting at 5:30pm. Those wishing to attend should RSVP to Emily Montgomery by calling 904.823.2291 or by email at emily.montgomery@dep.state.fl.us.
For more information about the project, visit www.PlanningMatanzas.org.

Commission sets two workshops in December
December’s busy holiday season will result in the Commission having only one regular meeting, scheduled for December 10, but the Commission has also scheduled two workshops that month.
The first workshop, set to start at 4:00pm on December 10, concerns the future of the carpet golf facility located near the City Marina. The second workshop on Thursday, December 13 at 9:00am, will be a discussion of modifications to the city zoning code, starting with the use of Planned Unit Developments (PUD).
All of the meetings will be held in The Alcazar Room in City Hall, 75 King St. When available, agendas for the meetings will be posted on the city’s web site here.

Opportunities to serve
The City Commission is accepting applications to fill vacancies on:
— the Code Enforcement, Adjustments & Appeals Board, and
— the Board of Trustees St. Augustine Police Officers’ Retirement System.
Interested individuals who reside within the city limits of the City of St. Augustine are invited to submit applications for this volunteer board. Applications are requested by Friday, November 30 with appointments tentatively scheduled for the City Commission meeting of Monday, December 10. For information concerning qualifications and applications please contact the City Clerk’s office at 825-1007. The application form is available on the city’s web site by clicking here.

Meeting schedule and agendas
General Employees Retirement Board. Wednesday, November 28. For more information, click here.
Police Department Retirement Board. November 28. For more information, click here.
City Commission organizational meeting. Monday, December 3. When available, the agenda will be here.
Planning and Zoning Board. Tuesday, December 4. Agenda is here.
City Commission regular meeting. Monday, December 10. When available, the agenda will be here.

All agenda, minutes and GTV info
Agendas and minutes for all city meetings can be found at www.staugustinegovernment.com with a schedule of upcoming meetings listed under City Calendar. City Commission meetings are broadcast live via GTV (Comcast Channel 3 in St. Augustine) each second and fourth Monday at 5:00pm. Commission meetings are also recorded and rebroadcast as are Planning and Zoning Board and Historic Architectural Review Board meetings. For a current schedule of all programming on GTV, click here.

Source: City of St. Augustine