'We're Not the Enemy:' Fernandina City Hall Responds to Waterfront Board Frustrations

Deputy City Manager Glenn Akramoff, WAB Chair Jenny Schaffer and City Coordinator Katie Newton

By Mike Lednovich/Editor

FERNANDINA BEACH — A week after the Waterfront Advisory Board came under criticism from City Commissioner Genece Minshew over its lack of measurable accomplishments, city staff and board members used Monday's meeting to redefine the board's role and establish a more collaborative process for shaping waterfront projects before key decisions are made.

"So, we're trying to find our place in the world," WAB Chair Jenny Schaffer told city staff during a lengthy discussion on how the advisory board should interact with city departments and the City Commission.

The conversation followed Schaffer's presentation to the City Commission last week, when Minshew questioned the board's work plan, saying it lacked specific deliverables, timelines and measurable achievements.

Schaffer acknowledged the criticism, telling fellow board members she understood Minshew's concerns but noted many of the board's highest-priority projects — including the downtown traffic circulation study and the Harbor Master Plan — remain in development, making it difficult to establish firm benchmarks.

"I definitely always appreciate feedback," Schaffer said. "But a lot of these things, like the traffic study, hadn't even come in yet. We don't know when the other master plan's coming in."

Rather than dwell on the criticism, Deputy City Manager Glenn Akramoff urged board members and staff to rebuild trust and improve communication.

"One of the things that I want to offer is that, number one, we are not the enemy," Akramoff said. "As staff, we're not the enemy of the community. We're not the enemy to you. Number two is we know that you're not the enemy."

Akramoff said advisory boards play a critical role by researching issues more deeply than elected officials have time to do, connecting different segments of the community and making informed recommendations before policies are adopted.

"The commission can't get into the weeds like you can," he said. "You're all on here because you have a certain expertise and a certain passion."

Much of Monday's discussion centered on ensuring the Waterfront Advisory Board is involved earlier in waterfront projects instead of reviewing plans after major concepts have already been developed.

Board member Mike Sharpe pointed to the proposed redesign of Parking Lot C on the property formerly occupied by Atlantic Seafood at the city marina, where an initial concept presented during the Waterfront Park Phase II public workshop included a large veterans memorial but, in his view, failed to adequately address boat ramp operations, trailer circulation and pedestrian safety.

"I thought that we would have seen something on our agenda," Sharpe said. "That's something that this board is very passionate about."

The Parking Lot C redesign is part of the city's ongoing Waterfront Park Phase II planning process, which seeks to improve public access, circulation and amenities along the riverfront while incorporating community input gathered during public workshops.

Akramoff responded that the drawings shown to the public were only conceptual schematics and not final designs.

"We gave all of that input to the designers," he said. "It was a rendering of what could be, not what is going to be."

Sharpe countered that the board should have been consulted before those concepts were developed.

"It should have come to this place first before it ever got to the point where we're going, 'Here's what it is,'" Sharpe said.

Akramoff acknowledged the concern and apologized if the board felt excluded.

"If you feel like you were disrespected as a board because we did that, then I apologize because that is not what we were trying to do," he said. "We're going to bring schematics here for ideas, and then we'll tear them apart. That's your role — to give us input."

He committed to presenting future waterfront projects at approximately the 60 percent design stage so board members can provide meaningful recommendations before designs are finalized, with another review planned around the 90 percent stage.

To improve coordination, staff also committed to keeping the board informed whenever waterfront projects enter the city's permitting or development review process.

Downtown Coordinator Katie Newton said she will begin forwarding permit notifications, Technical Review Committee agendas and other project information affecting the waterfront so board members have more time to review proposals.

"My goal is to make sure that anytime something pops up on any of those agendas... I'm going to get that to you," Newton said. "You're going to get lots of emails from me."

Akramoff also recommended quarterly meetings between the board chair and the mayor to better align the advisory board's priorities with those of the City Commission and avoid future misunderstandings over the board's work plan.

Staff will now work with the board to rewrite that work plan, adding measurable objectives while maintaining the board's long-term focus on waterfront planning.

The renewed coordination comes as several major waterfront initiatives move ahead simultaneously.

The city is continuing work on the Harbor Master Plan, with consultants scheduled to meet separately with Waterfront Advisory Board members before completing a draft of the long-range plan for the downtown waterfront.

Board members also recently received the downtown traffic circulation study, which recommends changes to vehicle movement and pedestrian access near the waterfront that could significantly influence future redevelopment. The plan recommends converting Ash and Alachua both into one-way streets.

Meanwhile, demolition of Brett's Waterway Cafe is expected to begin after bids are opened for the city-funded marina reconstruction project. The work includes replacing the aging bulkhead and reconfiguring marina infrastructure. Akramoff told the board that the adjacent private redevelopment team has agreed to coordinate construction of its seawall with the city's project and is working with the city on connecting waterfront access, a partnership he estimated could save the city roughly $2 million in bulkhead construction costs.

By the end of Monday's discussion, both staff and board members agreed the focus should shift from defining responsibilities to building a process that gives the advisory board meaningful input before decisions are made.

"I want to work with you," Akramoff told the board. "You are the Waterfront Advisory Board. It's your job to help us deliver that, and I fully understand that."