Q: Are there plans to expand the dock at the Mandarin Park boat launch to help with overcrowding?
A:  According to Brian Burket with the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation, the city received a grant to extend the existing boater access dock at Mandarin Park by an additional 80 linear feet, which would double the stacking capacity on the dock and improve efficiency of launching and loading boats at this ramp during busy times. A construction contract has been issued and the dock is currently being manufactured and expected to be installed within the next month or so. Part of this project is to construct a separate floating dock for launching kayaks, which has already been installed on the opposite side of the pier (east side) to provide safe separation between motorized and non-motorized vessels. This should also help alleviate some congestion and conflict at the boat ramp.

Q: What can you tell us about the land clearing taking place off of Claire Lane west of San Jose Boulevard?
A: Readers may recall that this area was at one point proposed for apartments, which didn’t take place. The property is zoned RPI and what’s going in there now are five buildings with a total of 24 units of office condos. The property is already properly zoned for this. There is a significant buffer between the project and Clairboro Road behind it.

Q: Do you have an update on your attempts to help alleviate traffic backup on San Jose Boulevard south leading to the Buckman Bridge?
A: I have heard back from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) that they will pull out one curb in front of the Target/Publix entrance and one curb at Hartley to create an additional access lane to the Buckman. I’ve been pushing for this for some time and FDOT has now agreed to address it. The exact timeline is still to be determined, but this should help with through traffic going south.

Q: Do you have any background on Mayor Curry’s recent announcement that curbside recycling will resume on April 4?
A: This is good news for residents. Basically what happened is that two companies that provide for the city’s waste and recycling pickup are going into the contract review process. They are hopeful that this can help them attract and retain employees, especially those with commercial driver’s licenses.

Q: Do you have anything else to share with District 6?
A: It’s still in early stages, but I’m recommending that the city eliminate the Enterprise Fee (solid waste fee paid by residents) and roll it back into ad valorem tax where it belongs. We are exploring to see if this can be done without an increase to ad valorem. Solid waste pickup is a basic service that we provide to the community and it shouldn’t be an additional fee.

Q: What is the best way for our readers to contact you?
A: Community members can email me at MBoylan@coj.net or call (904) 255-5206.

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