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12/16/1998ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY BOARD MEETING CITY OF CLEARWATER December 16, 1998 Present: Whitney Gray Chair Alan Smith Vice Chair - departed at 5:15 p.m. David Rhame Board Member Allan Stowell Board Member Also Present: Leslie Dougall-Sides Assistant City Attorney - Tom Miller Assistant Director Engineering/PD&E Patricia O. Sullivan Board Reporter Absent: Dennis Kellenberger Board Member The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:02 p.m. at City Hall. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. ITEM #A - Approval of Minutes Member Stowell moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of November 18, 1998, as recorded and submitted in written summation to each board member. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. ITEM #B - Commission Liaison Report Member Rhame indicated the City Commission had passed first reading of the new Community Development Code. He said earlier attempts to rewrite the document in-house had proved ineffective. ITEM #C - City Correspondence 1) Cooperative Funding Letter to SWFMWD Assistant Director Engineering/PD&E (Project Development and Environmental)Tom Miller referred to copies of 3 recent grant applications: 1) $1.1-million for an Intracoastal transmission upgrade to expand the City’s reclaimed water program; 2) $280,000 for upfront costs related to the town pond regional retention project; and 3) $220,000 to initiate an action plan on water management issues related to Stevenson’s Creek as a precursor to enhancing the water quality and water shed in the creek’s lower estuary. Pinellas County has expressed an interest in helping with this project. An Interlocal agreement with the City of Dunedin is under consideration. 2) Community Development Code Follow-up Action Memorandum Mr. Miller distributed a copy of the November 19, 1998, memorandum to the City Commission from the City Manager regarding EAB (Environmental Advisory Board) recommendations related to the new Community Development Code. 3) Community Development Code Executive Summary Mr. Miller distributed the latest Community Development Code. In response to a question, Assistant City Attorney Leslie Dougall-Sides reviewed language related to tree removal. The intent is to not omit current provisions related to the removal of dead trees. The new code contains a provision for a civil penalty based on the value of the subject tree, according to an arborist, plus attorney fees. 4) Community Development Code Addendum Mr. Miller said staff did not know of any opposition to incorporating EAB recommendations into the new Community Development Code. A great deal of fine tuning is expected between the first and second readings. Ms. Dougall-Sides indicated staff had worked with the Clearwater Aquarium on sea turtle lighting which has been included. 5) Commission Action/Wolfe Property Acquisition The City Commission has approved application for Community 2000 Preservation funds to purchase the Wolfe property. The City now awaits a FCT (Florida Communities Trust) decision. ITEM #D - Monthly Site Plan Assessment Review Summary Mr. Miller reviewed criteria related to project placement on the EAB project assessment sheet. The sheet was developed to meet the board’s expressed interest in projects proposed for property that: 1) is on sensitive lands; 2) requires City Commission action; 3) is larger than 2 acres in natural resource areas needing protection; 4) is recognized by staff as containing unresolved environmental problems; and 5) is on an OFW (Outstanding Florida Water) or aquatic preserve. The board did not want to review every project. Concern was expressed a gasoline station proposed for Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard in front of Park Place is on environmentally sensitive land. In response to a question, Mr. Miller said that project had rated a zero on the EAB’s assessment review summary. The project meets State requirements related to stormwater mitigation. The developer was required to hire a certified arborist who identified 1 or 2 significant trees on the property. The footprint was moved and some root aeration has been required. The project is moving forward. ITEM #E - Confirm Agenda 1) Consent Agenda - None. 2) Old Business a) Solid Waste Barrel Sticker & Ordinance Solid Waste Director Bob Brumback thanked the board for their interest in hazardous waste disposal. The Solid Waste Department tries to make good environmental behavior easy for citizens. He said hazardous waste disposal is not a severe problem. Staff addresses the issue via education, assistance, and utility stuffers. He distributed a packet of handouts staff distributes throughout the City. When citizens call with questions, staff tries to provide information regarding the easiest way to dispose of a problem substance. He said the suggested stickers may be difficult to affix to the ultraviolet resistant black barrels. The department was praised for its excellent service. Mr. Brumback requested residents call the department if they have any concerns. b) Reclaimed Water Master Plan Public Utilities Director Kevin Decotte reviewed the 20-year Reclaimed Water Master Plan. Currently the City uses 1-mgd (million gallons/day) of reclaimed water while 15.5 mgd is available. It is estimated availability will increase to 18 mgd within 20 years. The City needs to use as much reclaimed water as possible to meet EAB (Environmental Protection Agency) requirements to reduce discharge into Tampa Bay by 75%. The City wants to take advantage of available State funding to meet this need. He said a connection rate of 75% to 80% would cover a large portion of related infrastructure construction costs. Now that Island Estates has been hooked up, the project will expand to south Clearwater beach. Decisions on future expansion relate to neighborhood lawn irrigation usage, a neighborhood’s proximity to a treatment plant source, and available sources such as shallow wells. Construction is estimated to cost $71-million. Mr. Decotte said in January 1999, staff will recommend to the City Commission to lower the reclaimed water usage rate to $15 per month and the availability charge to $9 monthly. Reclaimed water is not metered. The City is establishing a Reclaimed Water Coordinator position.. The project will be funded by water and sewer revenues, project generated revenues, and grants. In response to a question, he said the high cost of infrastructure will make it difficult for the project to break even. After the infrastructure is complete, future revenues will be used to offset operation and reconstruction costs. In response to a question, he indicated other cities offer different rates and connection charges. He said there is no need to worry regarding the level of cleanliness of the water as it has been highly treated. Potable water must meet higher standards. Concern was expressed the proposed timeline does not make sense regarding areas 7 and 21. It was stated deep wells exist in this area along the bay. To reduce the use of deep wells, it was recommended the City offer incentives to the Bayside Arbors to accept reclaimed water and pipe it one-half mile from the East Plant via a 15-foot easement the City has along Tampa Bay for a sewer line. It was felt it did not make sense to separate projects for areas 7 and 21 by many years. Mr. Decotte said the City encourages citizen input and will review the recommendation. The next EAB packet will include notes from Mr. Decotte’s presentation of the project to the City Commission. Early Sorenson supported the recommendation, stating the subject area of Tampa Bay has high levels of pollution. c) EAB Annual Report The Chair distributed a draft of the EAB Annual Report for board review. It was recommended the report consider the unsightly, polluted ponds at the intersection of Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard and the Bayside Bridge, at a City gateway. Additional information was requested regarding the environment program at North Ward School and the City’s partnership with the program. Mr. Miller will request a school representative address the board at a future meeting. In response to a question, Mr. Miller did not think the City had not replaced money borrowed from the stormwater utility fund and used for maintenance. Member Rhame moved to approve the EAB Annual Report. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. 3) New Business a) Conley Property Discussion Mr. Miller distributed Parks & Recreation Director Art Kader’s December 16, 1998, memorandum regarding the status of the Conley property. The Parks & Recreation Department is not pursuing the purchase of the property. The purchase is unfunded. Mr. Miller said the City Manager does not believe the site is a destination but would pursue the property’s purchase if it is not overpriced. In response to the City’s $900,000 offer, the property owner indicated no interest in selling to the City. The property, currently zoned for a mobile home park, is under a purchase contract. The City has not received any requests to rezone the property. It was noted the County is not interested in purchasing the property although it will allow the City to use its abutting waterfront property in conjunction with a park. It was felt a park on the property would be a destination point and is the gateway to Clearwater. It was stated the Wolfe property is not a destination point. Concern was expressed the property would be developed with office buildings, resulting in an area domino effect that would destroy the area’s significant canopy of live oaks. It was recommended the City purchase the property and that the EAB visit the property on a field trip. As Clearwater is a tree city, it was felt the City should take care of its remaining trees. It was noted the City had purchased the Atrium property at a cost higher than $1-million/acre. It was stated neighborhood residents had supported that project. Concern was expressed the EAB not limit its focus to Bayview preservation as many areas of the City face important issues. Ms. Dougall-Sides recommended the board use caution when forwarding recommendations to the City Commission. The property owners could request a rehearing if it was felt the City inappropriately lobbied against rezoning in order to negotiate a more favorable purchase price. Jack Alvord said State and County money could be used for the purchase. He said the property is important for beautification efforts on Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard. He felt the location would be unsafe for vehicles to ingress/egress a commercial site. He suggested a park could be used as the beginning of a bicycle trail to Tampa and for environmental education. Consensus was to support the City’s purchase of the property. b) Town Pond Project Manager Dan Mayer reviewed the background of the Town Pond project. The project, defined in the City’s Comprehensive Plan, will expand the 4-acre Pierce Street pond, which currently provides insufficient flood storage, inadequate stormwater treatment, and discharges untreated water into Clearwater Harbor. Nine properties east of the pond are flooded annually. After considering many options, the City contracted with CDM (Camp, Dresser & McKee) for Phase I efforts, including surveys and data collection. The pond will feature major landscaping. Monitoring is important. The City will apply for Brownfields to cover some remediation costs. Mr. Mayer said the design on the pond begins immediately. The City is negotiating with affected property owners. The $10-million project will be funded with $8.5-million in stormwater fees and Penny for Pinellas funds. The City hopes to generate $1-million in costs from downtown private sector developers who will use the pond in place of addressing stormwater issues onsite. This benefit can be used as an incentive for economic development. The project will improve area aesthetics and more than double flood water storage. The project, in the vicinity of Prospect and Ewing avenues, and Park Street, will slope to avoid the need for fencing. State permitting is required for the pond to serve the proposed 200-acre redevelopment area. The project, supported by the local business district, will increase area land values. There are few similar programs in Florida. The City Commission will review information gathered in Phase I regarding contamination, etc., before progressing to Phase II. The City Commission has approved a contract to purchase the Dimmit property. In response to a question, Mr. Mayer indicated no water treatment currently is taking place. He predicted a high quality pond can be constructed and maintained based on new techniques and treatment technologies. Mr. Sorenson expressed support for the project. Mr. Mayer said the pond should solve most related problems. He did not anticipate major modifications to the plan will be necessary. ITEM #F - Citizens Agenda - None. ITEM #G - Establish January 20, 1999, Agenda A request had been made for a report on the North Ward School’s environmental program. It was recommended the board take a field trip to visit environmentally sensitive properties and an Advanced Water Treatment Plant. Mr. Miller said he could provide a location map for members to visit the sites individually, noting a group field trip would have to be advertised. Problems related to early dusk were noted. Consensus was for a January 20, 1999, field trip to start at 3:00 p.m. and replace the scheduled meeting. Mr. Miller will work with Member Stowell to plan the field trip. Related issues will be discussed in February. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 6:12 p.m.