Dunedin City Commission Regular Meeting - April 17, 2025
Dunedin City Commission Regular Meeting - April 17, 2025
The City Commission met on April 17, 2025, at 6:00 PM in City Hall. The meeting included a plaque dedication, citizen input regarding pickleball court impacts, and adoption of updated commission rules of procedure. The meeting adjourned at 6:45 PM.
Presentations
- Gus Cooper Plaque Dedication: Mayor Freaney noted no family was present and recounted Gus Cooper's extensive volunteer service, including creator/host of over 600 TV programs, service on numerous boards, and awards such as the Delightful Dunedin Award (1990), History Maker Award (1991), and Senior Hall of Fame (2000). The original plaque was preserved and re-dedicated at the new City Hall studio, originally placed on April 17, 2003.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Joann Holliday (952 Virginia Street, Bldg. K): Complained that lights from pickleball courts at Eagle Scout Park are intrusive and invasive, requiring her to keep blinds and curtains closed. The lights disturb her sleep when turning on/off. Noise and traffic are constant. She cannot afford an $8,000 door to block sound and urged the City to find a resolution.
- Ted Haines (952 Virginia Street, Bldg. K, Unit 206): Acknowledged the courts are attractive but attract regional players, causing parking overflow (41–46 cars at times), including handicapped spots. Residents have lost wildlife (ospreys, green parrots, doves, ibises) due to noise. Trees were removed without replacement for habitat. He requested court hours changed to dawn–dusk or 8:00 AM–8:00 PM, $10,000 per unit for soundproofing (affecting 45 units in their 55+ community), and $90,000 per unit compensation for property value loss.
- Jane Powell (970 Virginia Street, Unit M302, third floor): Stated noise mitigation like barriers will not help upper floors; noise echoes. She has called deputies for late-night play (10:00–10:30 PM) and early morning (6:30 AM). Pleaded for hours at least 8:00 AM–8:00 PM. Suggested a gate with signs and requested resident involvement in solutions.
- City Manager Bramley's Response: Staff is developing a comprehensive plan addressing lights, hours (likely shortened), enforcement, securing courts, landscaping (visual, not noise barrier), and restricting non-resident use. She committed to meeting with residents to review the plan and walk the property.
Discussion Items
- Resolution 25-11 – Adopting Rules of Procedure: City Clerk Schlichter and City Attorney Cowan presented revisions since the March 6 work session. Key changes included: adding "Whereas" clauses to designate a limited public forum; clarifying quasi-judicial hearing open/close; defining obscenity/profanity using legal definitions; establishing a warning process for disruptive speakers; and changing "telephone polling" to "polling." Commission discussion addressed meeting times (6:00–10:00 PM, extendable by majority vote), special meetings, 3-minute public input timer (Clerk starts after name/address), the Mayor's latitude to grant slight extensions if applied equally, and applause allowed during proclamations and presentations. Mayor Freaney noted the importance of preserving human moments while having rules for bad actors.
- May 8, 2025 Commission Meeting Agenda: Proposed agenda was reviewed. Item 3.d (Agreement to Donate Real Estate with Coca-Cola for 5.19 acres at 427 San Christopher Drive) was deleted per staff due to ongoing process with Coca-Cola, likely moving to June.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution 25-11 was adopted unanimously (5–0) via roll call with a friendly amendment to allow applause and cheering during proclamations and presentations (added to Public Comments B. Conduct 1.). All commissioners voted aye.
- May 8, 2025 Meeting Agenda was approved unanimously (5–0) with the deletion of the Coca-Cola donation item.
- Staff committed to a comprehensive pickleball court mitigation plan and will meet with residents to gather input before implementation.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, good evening. Welcome to the April 17th, 2025 City Commission meeting, calling the meeting to order, and I'm going to turn to Jen to do the invocation and pledge of allegiance. Okay. Let us begin this meeting by taking a brief moment of silence and reflection. Amen. Pledge allegiance to the United States over America. One nation. Under God. Indivisible Liberty Justice. Cool. Okay, our first item is presentation, Gus Cooper plaque dedication. And we don't have anybody in the family, but so I'm just gonna read a little bit about Gus. There was uh for those who may not know, there was a plaque for Gus Cooper on the door to the TV studio, the television studio in the old city hall. And uh I kind of got word that his daughter was concerned that you know it was thrown away and out the door, and uh it was preserved actually, and we just re put it back on our new uh studio um in the side area. Um so that plaque is back up, and it was actually originally dedicated on April 17th of 2003. So I'm just gonna read a little bit about Gus. First of all, um Gus, and I'll say this first of all, he was a 38-year U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. He before he moved to Dunedin in 1979, he was vice president for public relations and advertising for New York life insurance company. So he came here with a lot of experience as a new retiree. I um he um so I'll read through this. In Dunedin, Gus Cooper served on numerous volunteer advisory committees and was the creator and host for a weekly cable television program on local government and community events. When the City of Dunedin established its 24-7 government cable TV channel in 2003, the commission named its City Hall Production Facility as the Gus Cooper Studio in recognition for his participation in more than 600 TV programs over a 22-year period. Other community activities included Dunedin Country Club director from 1981 to 1985. Um he was actually president in 1983-84, member of the Board of Trustees of Mies Manor, a 500 unit retirement facility. Of course, now we know it is Mies Life. That was from 83 to 2001, member of the Rotary Club of Dunedin, director of the Dunedin Historical Society, and editor of its newsletter, community advisory boards for the Junior League of Clearwater Dunedin and Schiller International University, which of course was before Fenway, and was a two-term president of Dunedin Council of Organizations 8990. I would also say, and I judge this by historically some of the awards that people who really um have contributed greatly to our community. Uh they have gotten these top awards, and he got every one of them. In 1990, he received the delightful Dunedin Award from the Dunedin Chamber. In uh 1991, he received the Dunedin Historical Society History Maker Award. And in 2000, he became a senior Hall of Fame Award member, so he is on the wall at the Hill Center. So I personally knew Gus. Um Gus's claim to fame, I think really was he brought with him just a international perspective of communication. And I his passion was always to push the community forward uh towards the most transparent way for people to be able to be part of government to whether in reading newsletters or being able to watch things on television at the time through cable. Now of course we stream, but um he was uh a very much a front runner of that time to really push the the community forward in what I think has continued to be a very proactive community in allowing various methods of communication so that the citizens can be more involved. So um so tonight really is just to say that that plaque is back on the wall, it should be in our new city hall. I think one of the nicest things I love about Dunedin is that we don't forget where we came from. We don't forget the you know the pioneers that kind of led us to where we are, and Gus Cooper was definitely one of those pioneers, so just uh wanted to recognize him. So thank you, everyone. Very nice, thank you. Okay, we are going to go to citizen input. And I already know that we may have some people here wish to speak on a topic that's not in the agenda. Um anyone want to come forward in three minutes, give your name, address for the record, and three minutes. Is this on or uh you might have to push the buttons, Sue? Is it on? Uh I think it's on. Just want to make sure. Yeah, yeah. The light is on.
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