March 24, 2024
 
Hi Everyone,
 
I hope you all are doing well. There’s not a whole lot to report in this newsletter, overall it’s been pretty quiet. Your turnout at our commission meetings has been amazing, thank you all for supporting your community. Participation is essential to the health and well-being of our city and it’s having an impact.

City Property

591 Cherokee Boulevard – This property was obtained by the county (apparently because of non-payment of taxes) and turned over to the city at the end of 2017. During the May 8, 2022, Oak Hill City Commission meeting, the commission agreed by consensus to keep the property, continue to pay the HOA fees, and pay off a back log of HOA fees that have accrued. Click here to view the minutes from that meeting. The Lighthouse Cove Homeowner’s Association claims that the city owes $9720.56 in fees and intends to put a lien on the property because of the outstanding fees, so the city is seeking to sell the property for $28,000. The property does not appear to have access by a paved road, or utilities such as water and sewer.

AME Church Property, 222 Cummings Street – The city closed on the purchase of this historic church property on March 15, 2024 and paid $65,270.50. The property abuts the northeast corner of the Nancy Cummings park. This stately old church, while in disrepair, is iconic and is of historical significance to Oak Hill. Hopefully, the city will do its best to preserve as much of the structure as possible and gather information about its history and contribution to our community.

Volusia Forever Property – The city was scheduled to close on this property on March 21, 2024. Ownership of this property is made possible through a partnership between the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), The County of Volusia and the City of Oak Hill. This represents a wonderful opportunity for our city to expand its public park system. The property is along the western shoreline of Mosquito lagoon just south of East Halifax Avenue, and the possibilities for it seem endless.

City Trash Pick-up

It looks like the city has been collecting less for trash pick-up than they’ve been spending. According to our city accountant, they seem to have an $86,000 shortfall for 2023. The expense for the year was $302,000 while the “assessment revenue” was $216,000. At Monday’s meeting the commission will discuss our options to correct this shortcoming. I don’t think corrective action will have an impact until fiscal year 2025. I hope the loss for 2024 won’t be the same as 2023. If it is, that would mean that in those two fiscal years, the city paid $172,000 more than they collected for trash pick-up service.

Ditch Cleaning

The county is continuing to clean out our storm water ditches, and they look great! With just a couple more months until hurricane season, I hope the city is focused on assessing the condition of the culverts that pass under our roadways. Many of these culverts are either filled with sand, blocked by debris, or collapsed and represent barrier to the proper function of our city’s storm water control system. We have money in the form of federal ARPA grant funding for infrastructure, but I am unaware of any planning underway to identify and correct any shortcoming within the system.

My main areas of concern are the intersection of East Halifax and North Gaines Street, the Culvert that runs under Lagoon Avenue just north of the Lagoon Mist Subdivision, the culvert that runs under Wood Avenue south of Nancy Cummings Park, and the curve where Canal Avenue intersects with River Road. These examples represent just a few of the bottle necks that serve to restrict the flow of water through our now clean ditches. As I’ve said before, a drainage system can only work when the entire system is functioning. It only takes one or two blockages to cause backups which can result in flooding.

Reminder of Upcoming Events

New Smyrna Beach Heritage Festival
The New Smyrna Beach Heritage Festival will be held on April 6, 2024. It looks like they will be holding the event on Sam’s Avenue and the surrounding parks. The Oak Hill Saints and Sinner’s Cemetery Group is spearheaded by Spence Youman and Dru Ann Welch.
 
Oak Hill Community Garden
On April 6, 2024, the community garden will host an Earth Day Celebration. This event will be held at the community garden which is located at the intersection of Flamingo Road and West Halifax. The event will feature expert advice on different gardening techniques, and a seed and plant giveaway.
 
—————————————–
 
Our City Commissioner’s meeting is Monday, March 25, 2024 at city hall. The time is 6:00 PM. Click here for the agenda pack.
 
Please come and let your voice be heard. Your presence and participation are how we hold our commission to account.
 
As always, it’s my pleasure to serve you, I appreciate your support. Please let me know what I can do to help. I’m here to represent you…

Thanks again,

Joe Catigano
Oak Hill City Commissioner
Seat 3