HomeMy Public PortalAboutApril 1994CURRENTS
The Official Newsletter of • of April 1994
STATE CHOPS DOWN TREE BILL
Both the Florida House and the Senate failed to take
action on the Town's proposed bill to permit the
replanting of Australian pines along AIA, effectively
killing the bill. A statewide ban on the planting of the
pines required the Town to seek special permission
from the legislature to replant them. Although the
Gulf Stream Historic Highway Committee expected a
tough fight, the failure of the legislature to act on the
bill still came as a disappointment.
Both of the bill's sponsors, Ron Klein in the House
and Mark Foley in the Senate, diligently tried to move
the bill forward. While there are a number of reasons
the bill failed, the primary one appeared to be concern
that its passage would open the door to replanting the
pines in other areas, where they may cause harm to the
environment. In addition, it is an election year, and a
number of larger issues including the budget and
health care took up most of the legislators' time. As a
result, few legislators outside of our area were willing
to take the time to learn more about our bill.
TOWN DECIDES ON ANNEXATIONS
At their meeting on March 11, the Town Commission
voted unanimously not to pursue the annexation of
any of the unincorporated properties northeast of the
current Town limits. After several months of study
and input from Town residents, the Commission
concluded that annexation of the properties would not
be in the best interest of the Town at this time. Chief
among the Commission's concerns was a belief that
most of the properties in the area were too dissimilar
in terms of building size and use to those already in
In light of the bill's failure, the Historic Highway
Committee now will consider what other options are
available. These include trying to get a bill passed
next year, selecting a new tree to plant along AlA, or
concentrating solely on trying to save the remaining
pines.
Members of the Committee include Chairman Jeanne
Breazeale, Vice Chairman Mary Windle, Secretary
Kim Tiernan, Linda Bryan and Cynthia Neeves. The
Committee would very much like the support and
involvement of additional people who have the time
and interest to dedicate to this important project. If
you would like to help, please come to the next
meeting on May 10, at 9 a.m., in the Town Hall or call
the Town Hall for more information.
The Town extends its thanks to the Committee, our
legislative sponsors and Mary Baruch of the Palm
Beach County Legislative Delegation Office for all of
their hard work.
Gulf Stream. Properties in the area included a motel, a
time share, a restaurant and high-rise condominiums.
At the same meeting, the Commission endorsed a
proposal to annex a vacant 7 -acre parcel owned by the
Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) situated just
north of Place An Soleil. When annexed, the site will
be preserved as permanent open space between Place
An Soleil and areas to the north. The site will be used
occasionally to store spoil generated by the periodic
maintenance dredging of the Intracoastal Waterway;
however, no permanent improvements are planned.
Efforts are underway to formally annex the site and
make the necessary comprehensive plan and zoning
changes. Given the complexity of slate planning laws,
final action on these matters is not expected until fall.
Questions about the project should be directed to Mr.
Harrington at the Town Hall.
HURRICANE SEASON BLOWING IN
Once again, hurricane season is just around the
corner. Help us help you in case disaster strikes: Be
sure the Police Department has an up-to-date record
on you and your properly.
By taking a few minutes now to complete the form
enclosed with this newsletter, lives and property could
be saved were a disaster to strike. It is crucial the
Police Department have this information for both
seasonal and year-round residents if our disaster
procedures are to operate effectively.
If you have any questions, please contact Chief Robert
Schultz between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at 278-8611.
TURN IT OFF! SAVE WATER - AND MONEY
Although we have had two lucky years with average
or above-average rainfall levels, water conservation is
still a major concern for the Town and state.
Ironically, the increase in rainfall has not lead to a
decrease in water use in the Town. In fact, water use
actually has increased.
A 1992 study shows that most of Gulf Stream's water
is used for irrigation. While irrigation is necessary,
broken or improperly set irrigation systems are not.
And these are a major source of wasted water. To
help save water - and help prevent high water bills -
please do the following:
• Check to see that your irrigation system's timer is
set in accordance with the following Town restrictions:
a. Properties with odd addresses may water on
Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Properties with even addresses may water on
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. No
watering is permitted on Fridays.
b. Watering is permitted only during non -
daylight hours.
HOME OFFICE REGULATIONS TO CHANGE
The Town Commission has directed that regulations
be drafted for home offices and home occupations. In
an age of personal computers, and fax machines, the
Commission viewed the current blanket prohibitions
on all home offices as unnecessary and noted they are
frequently violated.
Work on the ordinances has just begun. However,
occupations that do not involve outside employees, on-
site sales or service, or large inventories probably will
be permitted, while those that do involve these
activities will continue to be prohibited.
The Commission expects to take action on a final
ordinance within the next three months. Questions or
comments should be directed to the Commission
members or Mr. Harrington.
TASK FORCE ATTACKS ZONING CODE
Charged by the Town Commission to strengthen and
clarify existing Town codes, the Zoning Code Task
Force has mapped out a strategy to address current
and future development issues facing the community.
The three primary areas they will address include: a
survey of existing home styles and site characteristics
such as landscaping and driveways; development of a
design guidelines manual with words, pictures and
drawings; and changes to the Zoning Code.
Work on these tasks will progress throughout the
summer and fall with final action expected by the end
of the year. Residents are welcome to attend all Task
Force meetings but are strongly encouraged to attend
the presentations on June 9 and July 21 to give their
input while the work is still underway. Additional
presentations will be made in the fall as the work is
concluded.
Members of the Task Force include Chairman Chip
Wilson, Vice Chairman Fritz Devitt, Alan Armour,
C. The above restrictions include systems using
wells but do not include watering with a hose.
• Follow the basic watering schedule recommended
by lawn and gardening experts: three days per week at
no more than 20 to 30 minutes per zone. Excessive
watering not only damages grass and bushes, but it
also promotes the growth of water -tolerant weeds.
• Consider installing a rain switch, which will shut
off your irrigation system when it rains. The Town
recently installed switches on all of our systems, and
we expect to save a great deal of water and money.
Our savings will be reported in future newsletters.
• If a gardener or lawn service handles your
irrigation system, pass this information along to them.
Many lawn services are not aware of these restrictions
and may be costing you money.
This fall, the Town hopes to start a number of new
water conservation programs. In the interim, we can
all do our part by following the above guidelines.
For more information, please contact Mr. Harrington
at the Town Hall.
Joan Orthwein, and Sammy Winston. The public is
welcome and encouraged to attend all Task Force
meetings. Please contact the Town Hall for the
meeting dates or any of the Task Force members with
any comments or suggestions you may have.
LET'S MAKE SOME NOISE
Hey! Where is everybody? The Town Library, small
as it may be, has been awfully quiet lately. Tucked
inside the Town Hall, the Library is open on non -
holiday weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Recent donations to the Library include several
recently published hardback novels and a set of
Architectural Digest issues dating back to 1977. The
set is a gift from former Town resident Charles
Hallock. Donations such as these are always welcome,
provided we have space.
Not only would we love residents to make use of our
Library, we also need volunteers to help catalog our
new books. If you have library experience, we would
greatly appreciate any time you could give. For more
information, please call Rita at the Town Hall.