BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Keystone Heights Mayor Nina Rodenroth pushed back against what she said was misinformation about two of the city’s proposed projects, including one claim that the municipality’s new city hall would include a jail and that the building would be enclosed in barbed-wire fence.
The mayor spoke at the Women’s Club during the January Sheriff’s Net meeting.
Rodenroth introduced the municipality’s new clerk, Stephanie Silva, and passed out a flier highlighting city government leaders.
She then cautioned the audience about what they read on social media about the city’s plans.
“Please, (when) you see social media, you have to take it for what it is,” she said. “It can be so valuable. It can also be extremely destructive.”
Rodenroth said Keystone’s Smart Cities initiative is a proposed plan to catalog every streetlight, bench, garbage can, sidewalk, street, and other assets throughout the municipality.
She said that contrary to what she has read on social media, the project is not intended to conduct surveillance on Keystone Heights residents, nor does it involve the installation of license plate readers within the city.
“Right now, our guys have to go out and try to find (a broken streetlight) bulb,” she said. “If they hear about it, they go out, but we’re not sure where it’s at. So, think about how much time that takes during the daytime, mind you. Whereas (Smart Cities), if it has a tag on a light fixture, it sends a message to the satellite. The satellite grabs the data and sends it to a person that’s managing for us to give us a report.”
“That’s basically what it is,” Rodenroth continued. “It’s not tagging people. It’s not tagging your cars. We’re not following you down your driveway— all of the crazy things I’ve seen (on social media).”
The mayor added that the project is still under consideration by the council, and it has not yet been approved by the five-member panel.
Rodenroth also updated the group on a potential new city hall, introducing the topic by stating that Congressman Aaron Bean offered to assist with funding and asked the city to provide him with a concept of what the new structure might look like.
“He said: Show me an architectural plan, an idea, so I know how much money to go chase,” Rodenroth recalled. “So, we submitted an RFQ for the state that was due at the end of September to give us somebody who would bid on that. Nobody responded. And that’s where we are.”
The mayor said she was dismayed about what she had read about a potential city hall on social media.
“I’m reading that we’re getting ready to sign a (contract) for a hundred million dollars, and it’s going to have a jail in it,” she said, “and that it’s going to have barbed wire around it. I’m like, where did this come from? Holy cow. I mean, my God. We would not do anything unless the residents signed off on it and embraced it. We’re not going to make a decision like that. So, I hope that makes you a little calm and at ease.”
Rodenroth said the city is also considering renovating the current structure, which she said is in disrepair.
“There are some things that are bad, like leakage,” she said of the current city hall built in 1968. “We’ve got problems with lighting; it doesn’t maintain temperature very well; it’s a horrible meeting space, in my opinion.”
Readers may view live and archived videos of city council meetings on the city’s YouTube page.
