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Crystal River City Hall pictured along U.S. 19 in Crystal River.
The Crystal Square shopping plaza in Crystal River has had many vacant store fronts in recent years. The city of Crystal River is currently working with the owner of the property to find a solution to the mostly vacant plaza that some see as blight.
Crystal River’s centennial logo.
Crystal River City Hall pictured along U.S. 19 in Crystal River.
Crystal River City Council had a lot on its plate during its latest meeting, with budget updates, the unveiling of the city’s centennial logo, proposed rules for Hunter Springs Park, water meters and more.
Here’s a recap of what happened the evening of Monday, June 13:
City Manager Ken Frink shared a few developments with the creation of Crystal River’s budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year.
On June 1, Frink said, the Citrus County Property Appraiser’s Office estimated the city’s taxable value for 2022 at $581,700,000, up over 8 percent from last year and expected to bring in around $200,000 of additional city revenue.
Council will approve a tentative millage for Crystal River on July 11, putting city taxpayers on notice about their upcoming property tax rate council will finalize and adopt in September.
Frink told council he’s committed to leaving the city’s current 6.59 millage rate unchanged after council increased it last year from 4.8 mills.
“We’re still going to live within our means so we will figure out how to make this work,” he said, “and we’ll have more to come in July.”
Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast is requesting an 18.27 percent increase (roughly $187,941) for his agency to keep providing the city with law-enforcement services, Frink said, noting the sheriff’s office is trying to provide competitive salaries and deal with inflationary costs.
“The sheriff is dealing with the same thing I think the whole world’s dealing with, and I know all the governments around here are dealing with,” Frink said, “and the ability to keep good people.”
Crystal River paid the sheriff’s office $1,028,691 in 2021 for contractual protection, which was a $35,108 increase from 2020’s agreement.
Frink suggested council members wait and see what county commissioners do with the $8.48 million increase the sheriff is proposing for his own budget.
There’s also $32,000 budgeted for a part-time city code-enforcement officer, Frink said, and there’s enough funds in the city’s capital improvement plan for city staff to present council with a tentative strategy to resurface roads identified by a recent study.
City Attorney Robert Batsel Jr. told council on Monday the vacant and blighted Crystal Square shopping plaza is under contract to be purchased.
Batsel said he, Frink and city staff plan to meet with the proposed buyer on Wednesday to discuss the future of the 8.37-acre plaza at 579 SE U.S. 19, and talk about releasing the city’s accruing lien on the property in exchange for assurances of a positive redevelopment plan.
The Crystal Square shopping plaza in Crystal River has had many vacant store fronts in recent years. The city of Crystal River is currently working with the owner of the property to find a solution to the mostly vacant plaza that some see as blight.
City officials have been trying to convince Crystal Square ownership to either demolish or sell to someone who would level and redevelop land.
In exchange, the city would not only waive the property’s growing code enforcement penalty, but also release its other set of unpaid utility charges.
A proposed series of new and clarified rules for Hunter Springs Park got the support of city council, which won’t vote to enact these measures until a July 11 public hearing.
Frink said the regulations will help curb the issues of overcrowding and bad behavior at the city’s popular waterfront park at the end of Northeast First Avenue. City staff is also working on how to charge a park admission, Frink said. Currently, the city charges for parking at its park.
Michael Corcoran, the city’s parks supervisor, outlined the rules for council members, highlighting the prohibition of obstructive and hazardous pop-up canopies, beach umbrellas larger than four feet in diameter, personal grills, commercial activity, and oversized vehicles.
Here’s a summary of rules Crystal River city staff is proposing to enact for Hunter Springs Park:
Nobody is allowed to put up either a canopy, tent or shade structure at the park unless they’re permitted by the city to do so. Beach umbrellas four feet or less in diameter, along with infant shade structures, are permitted. Neither a permitted shade structure or umbrella can obstruct an official’s view of the park or adjoining waters, and must be removed at the request of authorities.
Fishing isn’t allowed anywhere in the park or its shoreline.
People aren’t allowed to either jump or dive from the boardwalk, or climb on it.
Smoking isn’t allowed except in the designated area on the opposite side of Northeast First Avenue.
Feeding, removing or molesting wildlife isn’t allowed.
Cooking is only allowed on city grills, which may be used to cook on with just charcoal.
Open fires and frying of any kind are not permitted.
Toys and sports equipment that fire or discharge projectiles aren’t allowed.
Activities or sports that pose a hazard to people at the park aren’t allowed. This includes throwing sand, hardballs, softballs, footballs, frisbees, boomerangs and other objects.
Children 12 years old and younger must be supervised.
Commercial activity within the park isn’t allowed there’s city approval.
Oversized vehicles – like trucks, trailers, motorhomes or vehicles that occupy more than one parking space – are not permitted at the park. Vehicles parked inside the park after hours will be subject to towing at owner’s expense.
Anyone found inside the park after it’s closed shall be considered trespassers.
Corcoran also said the regulations would establish a designated smoking area to help reduce cigarette litter, and ensure guests pay for park damages.
Councilman Pat Fitzpatrick asked how the city would enforce these rules. If they’re codified, Corcoran replied, the regulations would give park rangers and Citrus County Sheriff’s Office deputies something to refer violators to when dealing with them.
Vice Mayor Ken Brown suggested city staff consider allowing infant shade structures large enough to fit an adult.
Brown also recommended increasing the city’s $25 penalty for illegal/unpaid parking in and around the park to around $50.
“If we’re going to have an enforcement on our parking,” he said, “we need to put some meat behind it and make it a deterrent.”
Establishing set times for the park to open and close, Brown added, would also help deputies schedule their park patrols instead of basing it off varying sunset times throughout the year.
Councilwoman Cindi Guy asked if there was a consideration to enact a “bathing-capacity” load to restrict more visitors entering the park if there’s no more room there.
Corcoran said city staff has been discussing that.
Council members on Monday approved of the centennial logo to symbolize Crystal River’s celebration in 2023 of the city’s 100th anniversary, when Florida legislators incorporated it as a municipality on July 3, 1923, 20 years after Crystal River was founded as a town.
Crystal River’s centennial logo.
Leslie Bollin, the city’s events and marketing director, unveiled the logo, which the Crystal River Centennial Celebration Committee developed, incorporating the city’s seal, events logo and Riverwalk logo.
“This is a project several months in the making,” Bollin said. “We wanted to design a logo that we could rebrand the city for that year, beginning in January 2023.”
Bollin said the committee suggested starting the city’s centennial celebrations 100 days before its 100th birthday on July 3, with a March 25 kick-off event put on by Crystal River Main Street.
Other centennial festivals, hosted by the city and local civic groups, will follow and culminate in a main festival on July 3.
Several local residents with the “no-build” group implored council members to oppose each of the four potential extension routes for Florida’s Turnpike to U.S. 19, including two junctions near Crystal River.
City council decided in May to arrange a meeting with representatives of the Northern Turnpike Extension Project before taking a stance on the roadway expansion.
Council voted 5-0 to approve a contract with the owner of Crystal River Village, CH Realty IX-Legacy MHC, to formalize the city’s arrangement to replace and read water meters at the mobile-home community off of Southeast Eighth Avenue, along with bill its residents directly.
While Crystal River Village privately maintains its utility system, the city provides the neighborhood with water passing through a master meter to the meters of individual tenants.
Crystal River has historically read the village’s roughly 250 residential meters, Frink said, and charged the individual tenants for water, sewer and garbage collection.
Frink said Crystal River is also about 70 percent done with its grant-funded endeavor to upgrade water meters citywide and in Crystal River Village, prompting the city to form an argument with the community to replace and read the new meters.
In exchange, Crystal River Village ownership will pay the city the costs associated with meter reading, billing and staff time at an estimate monthly cost of $750, Frink said.
Council was introduced to sheriff’s office Lt. Christopher Ball, a 17-year veteran of the sheriff’s office recently named as the agency’s West District Lieutenant, who is tasked with overseeing road and marine patrols for Crystal River.
Ball transferred from a similar position covering the city of Inverness.
“On behalf of the city, welcome,” Mayor Joe Meek said before recognizing the city’s “best relationship” it’s had with the sheriff’s office. “We’re grateful for your service.”
Contact Chronicle reporter Buster Thompson at 352-564-2916, bthompson@chronicleonline.com or visit tinyurl.com/yxn2ahso to see more of his stories.
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