'We're not the enemy:' Fernandina City Hall responds to Waterfront Board frustrations

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.

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.

"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."

"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."

"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."

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.

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.

"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."

"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.

"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."

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

"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."

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 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.

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.

"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."