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11/19/1997ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY BOARD CITY OF CLEARWATER November 19, 1997 Present: Jill Melkonian Chair Whitney Gray Vice Chair Alan Smith Board Member David Rhame Board Member Rich Baier Public Works Administration Director Leslie Dougall-Sides Assistant City Attorney Tom Miller, Assistant Director Engineering/Environmental Gwen Legters Board Reporter Absent: Anne Garris Board Member Chair Melkonian 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. Election of Officers Member Melkonian thanked board members and staff for their hard work during the past two years she has served as Chair. She added she has enjoyed serving the board and looks forward to continuing as a board member. She opened the floor for nominations for 1998 board officers. Member Rhame nominated Whitney Gray as Chair. Ms. Gray accepted the nomination. No other nominations were submitted. Upon the vote being taken, it carried unanimously. Whitney Gray was elected as Chair. Member Smith nominated Alan Smith as Vice Chair. Member Smith accepted the nomination. No other nominations were submitted. Upon the vote being taken, it carried unanimously. Member Smith was elected as Vice Chair. The gavel passed to Whitney Gray. Ms. Gray thanked board members for their votes, and thanked Member Melkonian for setting a good example as Chair. City Correspondence Mr. Miller highlighted the following: 1) Ordinance 6194-97 amending City code Section 2.160, reducing membership of the Environmental Advisory Board from seven to five members; 2) October 17 memo from the City Clerk advising board liaisons it is necessary to review and respond to the board reporters regarding accuracy of draft minutes; 3) October 20 letters from Mayor Garvey thanking Messrs. Foley and Stowell for their service to the EAB; 4) October 23 memo from City Engineer Baier setting proposed 1998 EAB meeting dates; 5) October 30 letter from Assistant City Attorney Dougall-Sides notifying consultant Charles Siemon the EAB wishes to be consulted regarding Land Development Code amendments, and asks for the Environmentally Sensitive Lands list to be included in the Land Development Code amendments; 6) October 30 memo from the City Clerk reminding board liaisons to arrange for minutes to be taken when special meetings are set for which no board reporter is available; and 7) November 19 informational memo from City special Projects Administrator Scott Shuford regarding the Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard Corridor Enhancement Project. Member Melkonian reminded staff the quorum requirement for the EAB was not amended when board membership was reduced. Chair Gray noted alternate board meetings will be televised, starting with the January 1998 meeting. In response to a question, Ms. Dougall-Sides stated she has not received a response from Mr. Siemon regarding the memo in #5 above, but she will raise these points when she meets with him regarding land use issues. The time line for the Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard Corridor Enhancement Project was not known. Minutes Approval - September 17 & October 15, 1997 Member Melkonian moved to approve the September 17 minutes as corrected by staff and submitted in writing to each member by the Board Reporter. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. In the October 15 minutes, Member Rhame corrected the third sentence of paragraph two, page one, as follows: “It was suggested to assign a board member to each one Commissioner to serve as liaison.” Member Melkonian requested the following amendment to the first sentence in the third paragraph on page two: “Concern was expressed that reducing board membership complicates election of board officers normally scheduled for the November meeting.” Member Melkonian moved to approve the October 15 minutes as amended. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. B. Confirm Agenda -- Establish Consent and Regular Agenda Items C. Citizens Agenda – This item was heard at the conclusion of Old Business Citizen David Fellows expressed strong concerns regarding environmental impacts of the proposed Bayshore Townhouses project on North McMullen Booth Road. He said topographical features on the applicant’s site plan conflict with a US Geological Survey map. He strongly objected to City approval, stating the development will create runoff problems and flooding. Ms. Dougall-Sides reminded board of their rules allowing citizens three minutes to present materials. She briefly related history of this controversial issue, stating the Planning and Zoning Board endorsed the rezoning request to the City Commission by a 4-1 vote. The issue was contested by several objectors and the matter may end up in litigation. She advised board members not to make any strong recommendation with regard to the presentation, as the topic was not noticed as a public hearing and others may have wished to speak to the issue. She noted only a conceptual plan has been submitted for consideration by the City. She listed a number of other approvals that will be needed if the City Commission approves the item on December 4, 1997, adding the City will have other opportunities to address the issue. Staff was requested to agenda a public hearing as an issue of EAB concern, giving the applicant and others the chance to attend and provide input. D. Regular Agenda 1. Old Business a. Montgomery Ward Site Remediation Status – Tom Miller Using a graphic display, Mr. Miller outlined and responded to questions regarding the extent of underground contamination and anticipated costs of remediation for the site. b. Public Works Administration Reorganization – Rich Baier Referring to display boards, Public Works Administration Director Baier provided an update of efforts to reorganize four City divisions into one large department. Environmental Management, Traffic Engineering, Engineering Services, and Water Pollution Control were combined to create the Public Works Administration. He discussed how data was collected to create a process to ensure projects are brought in on time and under budget. He explained how the former system had complicated department operations and created staffing conflicts within the engineering and environmental areas. Flow charts detailed staffing under the new system, with employees being grouped according to their function within the department. Today is an informational update; he will solicit board input later. Mr. Baier responded to questions, stating cross functioning flexibility between sections with regard to project development will be minimal as each engineer is trained in a certain field. Importance of the Environmental department is being enhanced rather than diluted because the new system gives Mr. Miller more authority to promote the City’s environmental concerns and track environmental issues. Environmental concerns will be brought to bear at the onset of project development, rather than consulting with Mr. Miller on an as-needed basis. Lengthy discussion ensued regarding rationale for the new system’s method of addressing staffing and operational issues with regard to private development, Land Development Code, water quality, permitting, supervision, and plans review. Mr. Baier responded to concerns regarding consolidation of the EAB with other boards. The issue was brought up as a means of streamlining the intensive development approval process. Using development of the Environmentally Sensitive Lands list as an example of research the EAB has accomplished, board members questioned how they could effectively function to benefit the environment while sitting on a site plan review board. Mr. Baier suggested the possibility the EAB’s suggestions had not been addressed in a timely manner because the board has had to act reactively, after the fact in many cases. A suggestion was made to keep the EAB intact, but create a liaison to keep in touch with a number of boards and agencies. c. EAB/City Commission Liaison Member Rhame stated he posed the question to City Commissioner Bob Clark, who was interested in working with an EAB representative to bring environmental issues to the City Commission. The City Commission, City Manager and City Attorney agreed. Board discussion ensued regarding how an EAB representative and a City Commissioner could interface and relate information to their respective agencies in the Sunshine. Ms. Dougall-Sides recommended having the legal department advise the board member on any meetings with commissioners. Board members were cautioned to direct their communication through Mr. Miller’s office. Member Melkonian moved to amend EAB policy to appoint a board member to act in the capacity of a liaison to the City Commission. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. Member Melkonian moved to appoint David Rhame to serve as EAB liaison to the City Commission. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. Staff was requested to include “Commission Liaison Report” as a regular item on future EAB agenda. Consensus was to start with verbal reports. d. Watershed Action Plan -- postponed to the next meeting 2. New Business -- None E. Establish Agenda for December 17, 1997 Consensus was to agenda the Watershed Action Plan; flooding/drainage issues; and final review of the National Estuary Program Interlocal Agreement. Discussion of the citizen’s item regarding proposed Bayshore Townhouses will be tentatively agendaed with the understanding the development must go through many phases before development can progress. Mr. Miller will investigate. Staff was requested to investigate status of the board’s recommendation for the City to quickly obtain the Bayview mobile home park land to preserve the large oak tree canopy. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 5:30 p.m.