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06/23/1999 (2);m r ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY BOARD 1 CITY OF. CLEARWATER June 23, 1999 Presen?u Whitney Gray Chair Alan Smith Vice-Chair David Rhame Board Member Allan Stowell Board Member Absent: Dennis Kellenberger Board Member Also Present: Tom Miller Asst. Director Engineering/PD&E Nina Clark Staff Assistant 11 Capt. Richard Howard Commercial Fisherman Capt. Gary Folden Commercial Fisherman Jack Alvord Historic Bayview Assn. Early Sorenson Historic Bayview Assn. Loren Westenberger Chairman, Environet Committee of Pinellas County Bill Morris Harbormaster Cyndi Hardin: Asst. Planning Director Gary Jones Sr. Planner I The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:05 p.m at the Municipal Services Building To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. ITEM #A - Apgrovai of Minutes - March 17, 1999 Member Stowell moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of April 21, 1999, as recorded and submitted in written summation to each member. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. ITEM #B - Commission Liaison Report Member Rhame said that he discussed the para-sailing issue, impacting seagrass beds, with Commissioner Clark. Commissioner Clark said that it should have been brought up at the Marine Board meeting which took place two weeks ago. Harbormaster Morris informed him that the Board did not discuss it at the last meeting, but the Board will meet the second week in July and it will be discussed at that time. ITEM #C - City Correspondence 11 Mr. Miller informed the members that Nanette Holland of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program contacted him looking for specific information on the policy and procedures of the Environmental Advisory Board to assist St. Petersburg establish a similar committee. Finding this very complimentary for the Board, he forwarded her all the necessary information and assured her that -? the Board will be glad to assist to support this endeavor. mea0699 1 06123/99 2) Regarding a letter sent to Mr. Baier about the widening of Keene Road, the community Is concerned about losing their trees that have been there for many years and line the road. This is a County project at nearly 100% design and ready to start construction. 3) Regarding the memo that was sent to Michael Roberto, City Manager on April 23'd the Board to request that the developer of the Former Bayview Mobile Home Park property submit a site plan showing all the trees in an effort to preserve as many trees as possible before approving the rezoning request. Also, covering some other issues that the Board requested some feedback on was the rezoning request and at this time staff has requested a traffic study from the developer in response to their application and the deadline is tomorrow, June 241". ITEM #I] - OIL Business a) On April 21"' , Mr. Alvord expressed concern for a church that was having some drainage problems. Mr. Miller stated that a staff engineer went out and looked at the area and there is no untreated discharge and no bypass that is going from the church into the bay. b) Chair Gray said that the objectives review has been postponed again. There is still no input from the board members as to why the Board exists and what the Board is doing to work with the City concerning One City. One Future. Some of the sources would be the Goals and Objectives, Policy and Procedure manual and the Annual Report. If you find that these items are not available, let Mr. Miller know and he will see that you get copies. Please have some thoughts for the next meeting. d) Regarding the video, Chair Gray read the outline that was written by Carrie Beem. Chair Gray asked that the members give the names of some people that could be interviewed who would be able to give past, present and future perspectives regarding the City of Clearwater. Chair Gray said that the video should be ready to go by the end of the year. ITEM #E - New Business 1) Mr. Stowell asked Asst. Planning Director, Ms. Hardin to give a brief outline of the County's property process of rezoning and land use and Ms. Hardin then went on to explain this process to the members. 2) Gary Jones, Senior Planner gave a brief overview of the comprehensive plan covering Coastal Zone Management Element summary, and a revised Comprehensive Plan covering new policies in case of a storm. Chair Gray questioned the wording on a few pages of the Conservation and Coastal Management- Comprehensive Plan. On page 2 "air quality" was removed. Mr. Jones advised that it will be left in. Also, on page 6 & 7, the words "to protect" has been eliminated. Mr. Jones explained that it was just a case of semantics, maintain was used in place of protect. Member Rhame moved that the Environmental Advisory Board has reviewed the Coastal Management Elements and Conservation Elements of the Clearwater Comprehensive Plan and mea0699 2 06/23/99 ^1 finds that the suggested EAR based revisions acceptable with the following minor qualifications: in Coastal Management on page two (2) revise the statement about historic structures in the coastal zones, on page one (1) update the marine grassbeds acreage laws, and Conservation, page two (2) summary, add air quality statement back in. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. ITEM #F-Citizens Agenda Captain Gary Folden informed the Board that there is a growing commercial interest in the Bay and it is beginning to look like Disney World. Not just the para-sailing in the harbor, but there has also been an occupational license approved for a jet ski operation out of the back of the Radisson Hotel on Sand Key. There is an extensive seagrass area along the entire length of the seawall and there is very vital grassbed areas just south of the Hotel in the center of the Bay. In order for people to use the jet-skis, the people will have to come down some steps that have been placed off their seawall either legally or illegally. People have to go into the grassbeds to get on the jet-skis and go out and disturb the marine life that we are clinging on to in Clearwater Harbor. In the past years, he has seen a tremendous increase in boat traffic both recreational and business. There is so much running through there, the basic marine life cannot live in there anymore. On very windy and rough days in the Gulf of Mexico, the para-sail operation uses the run of the harbor and there are as many as 4 or 5 para-sail operations running through the Bay. Former Harbormaster, Bill Held had said that the only way to prohibit this is from a safety or environmental aspect. Certainly they are running off most of the marine life with the jet-skis and from a safety standpoint, when there is someone on 500 foot of cable behind your boat, this restricts maneuvering and that can cause a safety problem with boats running into each other. After a lengthy discussion, Harbormaster Morris advised that there is nothing that can be done about the jet-skis at the Radisson as there is no provision to deny the occupational license. As far as the seagrass, there is a program supported by Hillsborough Community College, a professor of Botanist at USF and a person that designed the machine along with Pinellas County, in Fort DeSoto to mark seagrass beds visually and educate boaters, but it is impossible to enforce because there are no fines and no legislation that makes it illegal. The only community that has legislation is Key West. Mr. Loren Westenberger, Certified Arborist, distributed a paper showing the value of trees. He advised the Board that he is very interested in the canopy of trees located on the Connelly property. Recently an environmental consultant, hired by the City, reported that the highest asset in the City was the canopy of trees. The rezoning of the Connelly property, allowing an eight story office building, is not going to protect the tree canopy. Mr. Westenberger asked that the Board not allow this property to be rezoned. Chair Gray advised that the Board has continually requested that the Connelly property be turned into a park. Mr. Westenberger asked if there is an opening on the Environmental Advisory Board in the future, he would be interested in being a member. Chair Whitney advised that he call the City Clerk's Office and let them know he is interested. Chair Gray reminded the members to be sure to bring their objectives to the next meeting. Mr. Miller advised that Leslie Dougall-Sides has an issue she would like to present at the next meeting. Mr. Stowell stated that the former City Manager thought that the EAB was important and that the meetings should be televised. It was removed by the new City Manager because of other boards mea0699 3 06/23/99 0 wanting to share the television time. Those three or four boards have been done away with " .' because of the,new.Community Development Board. Therefore, more space has been created, but they'are'still 'not televising this Board; that's a form of restriction. This Board would accomplish much more if it were televised so that the public could know what this Board does. The City Commission should be addressed again about having this Board televised because the public is not aware of what is being done. Chair Gray asked Mr. Stowell to bring this.up again at the next meeting. The meeting adjourned at 6:15 pm. Chair Environments visory srd Attest: Staff Assistant II'. , is mea0699 .4 06123199•1. IN i? in ???.?/Z?i%1?.1'?w....*.%?.. I r..A ... ?.' .-, .+. /M- ..u• ., .... •e ?.? i?....... ..?1.3, t .; ? ? , , .I."1 s f, ? ' ih 4... •e?