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07/17/1996ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY BOARD CITY OF CLEARWATER July 17, 1996 Present: Jill Melkonian Chair Whitney Gray Vice Chair Mike Foley Board Member Allan Stowell Board Member Alan Smith Board Member Leslie Dougall-Sides Assistant City Attorney Tom Miller Assistant Director Engineering/Environmental Gwen Legters Board Reporter Absent: Anne Garris Board Member Lisa Lanza Board Member The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. in City Hall. To provide continuity, the items are listed in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. Minutes Approval - June 19, 1996 Chair Melkonian pointed out a syntax error in the last sentence of the last full paragraph on page two. It was corrected as follows: “Staff responded to questions In response to questions regarding the proposed number of apartment units, and code requirements regarding wetlands, …” Member Foley moved to approve the minutes as corrected. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. Confirm Agenda - Establish Consent and Regular Agenda Items Correspondence Mr. Miller distributed copies and discussed: 1) June 26 memo from the City Clerk asking advisory board liaisons to attend a July 9 meeting to discuss board reporter services; standardization of minutes; and a procedure for follow-up on board recommendations to the City Commission; 2) June 26 letter from board member Whitney Gray regarding conduct of EAB meetings; 3) June 28 memo from Scott Shuford containing rationale for staff initiated changes to the Conservation Element of the Comprehensive Plan; and 4) July 5 Letter of Appreciation to SWFWMD Resource Project Director Bruce Wirth, for his June 19 presentation to the EAB. The correspondence from Ms. Gray and Mr. Shuford was discussed in detail later in the agenda. Old Business a. Clearwater Comprehensive Plan - Scott Shuford and Lou Hilton Discussion ensued regarding Mr. Shuford’s June 28 memo enumerating the rationale for the proposed changes, a compilation of the proposed changes and a final draft of the Conservation Element goals, objectives and policies. Detailed discussion ensued regarding: #5) deletion of the word “natural” in reference to drainage systems; #6) protection of the bluff during the bridge and other substantial construction slated to occur in the vicinity; #8) and #9) regarding proposals for wetland modifications and City Commission review of same; #10) and #11) regarding protection of regulated beaches, dunes, and associated vegetation; #13) whether special public hearings are needed in the neighborhoods to review historic preservation overlay districts proposed to protect historic resources; and #14) the City’s commitment to improve the appearance of gateways and entryways into the City. A question was raised whether the undeveloped properties list the board complied could be made a part of the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Shuford will investigate. He will process the language amendments proposed today for discussion at a future meeting. Mr. Hilton distributed copies of the Evaluation and Appraisal Report he has prepared over the past year. He will return to discuss it with the board as the need arises. b. Assessment of Sediment Quality in Lower Stevenson Creek -- Daniel Mayer, City Research Environmentalist Mr. Miller introduced Mr. Mayer and reviewed his background, training and credentials, stating he brought a tremendous wealth of talent and knowledge to the City. Mr. Mayer explained the project was initiated as a result of a public hearing with North Greenwood area residents who questioned whether discharge from the Marshall Street wastewater treatment plant was exacerbating sedimentation or odor problems in the lower portion of Stevenson Creek. Aerial photographs dating from the 1920’s illustrated a comprehensive history of development of the creek over the years, demonstrating how deep dredging and massive filling created narrow restrictions and changed the character of the creek. Originally a wide, shallow estuary, the system has lost 40 to 45 percent of its total area and cannot handle what is being put into it. Mr. Mayer described the results of the sediment analysis, including related results of his studies regarding introduction of sediments, trace metals and other pollutants. While the studies show the Marshall street plant is not contributing large quantities of pollutants, concern was expressed that historic accumulation of certain pesticide residues was found in slack water areas that cannot flush themselves. Questions were raised regarding the source of the odor emanating from the downstream areas. While air quality was not directed as part of the study, Mr. Mayer offered the opinion that sewage discharge was not responsible for the odor. He indicated, because of historic creek alterations, the system no longer flushes the byproducts of naturally occurring and non-point source generated organic materials. Discussion ensued regarding the in house and outside laboratory work performed on this project. The board thanked Mr. Mayer for an excellent presentation. c. Annual EAB Report to the City Commission The proposed report was approved as submitted by Chair Melkonian. Board members praised the report and thanked Ms. Melkonian for her efforts. New Business a. Letter from Whitney Gray In a June 26 letter to Mr. Miller, Vice Chair Whitney Gray expressed concerns regarding the length of EAB meetings. She praised Mr. Miller and Environmental staff for being thorough, prompt, efficient, and generous with information. She expressed concern the meetings have been running long because the board has not observed its self-imposed time limits. She proposed a number of procedure changes to improve the efficiency of the meetings. Discussion ensued regarding proposed amendments to limit the number of agenda items, control discussion time, and make speakers aware of presentation time limits. Member Gray moved to amend Environmental Advisory Board Rules of Procedure, adding Section II.B.7, limiting the agenda to five items per meeting. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. Member Gray moved to amend Environmental Advisory Board Rules of Procedure Section IV.B.4, leaving presentation time at ten minutes and increasing time for questions to ten minutes. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. It was indicated discussion time can still be extended, if needed, upon majority vote of the board. Ms. Gray thanked board members for their positive outlook, and abundant enthusiasm. Establish Agenda for August meeting Discussions regarding jet ski impacts, Brownfields meeting update, and Park Place tree and habitat banking update to be scheduled for a future meeting. Readoption of the Conservation Element will be scheduled as soon as Central Permitting staff incorporates the amendments. Board members expressed interest in the Town Lake presentation being prepared at the direction of the City Commission. Some members strongly desired to view the presentation before it goes to the City Commission. While he was happy to keep the board apprised of advances, Mr. Miller explained the Town Lake presentation is not typical of the type of staff initiated proposal that comes to the board for recommendation prior to going to the City Commission. He said staff has been directed to gather information about a Town Lake concept and prepare a comprehensive report to the City Commission. He indicated the Commission may refer the issue to the EAB for recommendations at an appropriate time in the future. A preview of the presentation will likely take up an entire meeting. If the board wishes a separate viewing of the presentation, he suggested either scheduling a special meeting, or postponing the board’s regular meeting from August 21, to August 28, 1996, to allow time for development of a presentation. Consensus of the board was to postpone the next regular meeting one week, subject to availability of the chambers, and devote the entire meeting to the Town Lake Presentation. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 6:05 p.m.