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09/18/2002ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY BOARD CITY OF CLEARWATER September 18, 2002 Present: Rev. Sandra Jamieson Chairperson Alan Smith Vice Chair Clorinda Gilreath Board Member David Rhame Board Member Allan Stowell Board Member Also Present Al Carrier Asst. Dir of Engineering/ESM Terry Finch Environmental Manager Steve Soltau Water Superintendent Andy Neff Public Utilities Director Leslie Dougall-Sides Assistant City Attorney Norma Skinner Staff Assistant II APPROVED To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. Unless otherwise noted, no action was taken regarding items. Administration The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. in the Commission Chambers of City Hall. ITEM #1 Approval of Minutes – July 17, 2002 RECOMMENDED ACTION: Approve minutes of July 17, 2002. Member Rhame moved to approve the minutes of July 17, 2002 as submitted. Member Smith duly seconded the motion. ACTION: Approved and carried unanimously. ITEM #2 Citizens to be Heard_______________ The Chair recognized Jack Alvord, president of the Historic Bayview Association. Mr. Alvord spoke on a couple of issues. He expressed concern regarding the noise pollution from the Clearwater/St. Petersburg Airport and the black soot produced by the jet fuel contaminating the area. The second issue discussed was the Historic Bayview Park on the corner of Gulf-to-Bay and McMullen Booth. This is an environmental park, owned by the state and he would appreciate the City’s help in transferring the park over so they can start environmental classes for children. The Chair recognized Lucile Casey, co-president of the Coalition of Clearwater Homeowners Association, and current president of Del Oro Homeowners Association. Ms. Casey stated some citizens are concerned about the noise from the Clearwater/St. Petersburg Airport expansion and the Clearwater Airpark. They requested that the Board move to adopt a resolution to be presented to the City Commission asking for a noise abatement policy. Action Items ITEM #3 _Arsenic in Fertilizer Terry Finch gave a brief update regarding arsenic in fertilizer and in pressure treated wood. She passed out copies of an article which states that the exposure to arsenic in pressure treated lumber is minimal and therefore safe for equipment in children’s playgrounds. There is still concern regarding the use of arsenic treated wood because it can leak onto surface soil and groundwater should the circumstances be beneficial for it to do that. The Parks and Recreation Department no longer uses arsenic in their fertilizer and herbicide. RECOMMENDED ACTION: None ACTION: No further discussion needed, this item can be dropped. ITEM #4 Recommendation to present EAB Awards Member Stowell made a motion to present Terry Finch with an award for her outstanding work on the Kapok wetland restoration project, Coopers Point, and all other projects that she has worked on. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Nominate Terry Finch to be presented with an EAB award. Clorinda Gilreath seconded the motion. ACTION: Approved and carried unanimously. Member Stowell moved to present an award to Alan Mayberry for his work in forestry and the design he created to save the oak trees. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Nominate Alan Mayberry to be presented with an EAB award. Member Smith seconded the motion. ACTION: Approved and carried unanimously. Reports ITEM #4__Commission Liaison Report________ The Chair said, that after attending the meeting at the Clearwater/St. Petersburg Airport several weeks ago, it became clear that the Airport is not going to address the issue of noise pollution. She asked the Board if they felt compelled to present a resolution to the City Commission to make them aware of the noise pollution impact from the Clearwater/ St. Petersburg Airport. The Chair recognized member Stowell to present the two motions. Motion number one stated the need for a Countywide noise abatement ordinance regarding the noise pollution from the Clearwater/St. Petersburg Airport and the Clearwater Airpark. No one second the motion and it died on the floor. The second motion concerned the damage to the Tampa Bay estuary ecosystem caused by the discharge of jet fuel residue on the bay. No one second the motion and it died on the floor. The Chair indicated that is a County project and a community-wide issue so the Board’s recommendation is that they continue working with the County. ITEM #5_ Stevenson Creek ____ The Chair recognized Elliot Shoberg to give an update on the status of the Stevenson Creek project. Mr. Shoberg reported that Staff and City Management are still working with the Army Corp of Engineers regarding estuary restoration. They may dispose of some of the estuary material at the Hillsborough sludge farm. The Palmetto Street Sediment Sump Project. The commission has approved the purchase of the Kings residence and also purchasing two other properties to the north to build a larger sediment sump, which will hold more volume than the existing one on the golf course. The City Commission has also approved the design and it is in the 30% completion phase. They expect to close on the Kings property by the end of the month. The City is currently negotiating with the Sunset Point Baptist Church to purchase a large portion of land the church owns which used to be a wetland. The Spring Branch improvement project includes purchasing a large portion of that property and some of the school board property. Mr. Shoberg said that the Glen Oaks project is moving forward, the work order is going to the Commission Oct. 3rd. He showed a conceptual sketch, which was presented at a public meeting. The City is trying to include some type of park and recreation area to replace the golf course, which is being eliminated, and the number one request was a soccer field. ITEM #6 Community Development Comprehensive Plan Member Smith had nothing to report. ITEM #7 _Potable/Reclaimed Water The Chair recognized Mr. Neff to give a status report on potable water. Mr. Neff thanked the Board for their endorsement of the Aquifer Storage and Recovery feasibility study. The new reclaimed water storage plant at the Northeast Plant is essentially completed. The second phase of some pumping upgrade improvements to the Marshall St. Plant, which will be needed in the future to support the Harbor Oaks project, will be going before the Commission in October. The Northwood Greenwood project is almost complete. There is an interconnect required at Cleveland Street which was a modification and required a lot of work due to existing utilities. The change order has been issued and approved. The contract has been obtained so work should be starting in October. The Drew and Union Street project is currently going through some design changes and, as a result, it is a much more improved project. It is near completion and will be presented to the City Commission within the next few months. The Harbor Oaks Reclaimed water project is currently under design. It is expected to have 50% of the design in on the 20th . The Seville project is scheduled for Southwest Florida Water Management District funding for next year. Discussion Items ITEM #8_ Arsenic There is no further need to discuss this category. ITEMS #9 A_ Water Source Change Issues Chair recognized Steve Soltau to discuss water source issues. Mr. Soltau reported that Tampa Bay Water has begun to supplement our groundwater supplies with 15 million gallons per day of surface water form the Tampa bypass canal and they are building a reservoir that will be filled from the Alafia River. Within the next two weeks a total of 50 million gallons a day will be added and in December, when the seawater plant is turned on at the Big Bend area, another 25 million gallons a day will be added. These two new sources of water are going to have a lower alkalinity. Studies done by the City of Clearwater and Tampa Bay Water indicated that water with low levels of alkalinity have a tendency to release iron from unlined galvanized pipes. During the past five years, the City has replaced over 80% of galvanized pipes and unlined pipes two inches or larger with plastic pipes. There is a 5-year CIP replacement program to begin replacing the smaller service lines, which run from the main line to the meters. The City has also been adding a corrosion inhibitor to our water supply since 1988. This has been done as a protection to the consumer. Over the years copper pipes in the homes tend leak the copper into the drinking water. Additional phases have been funded for 5 years. ITEM # 9 B Connelly Property Leslie Dougall-Sides reported on the Connelly property. Closing is anticipated in late October, but there are still some issues that need to be worked out prior to closing and conveying the property to the City. ITEM # 10_ Brazilian Pepper Removal Terry Finch discussed the Brazilian Pepper and Exotic Plant Removal Program. She researched other communities to see what they are doing. Pinellas County and Dunedin have an ordinance that requires developers and new developments to remove exotics prior to getting a Certificate of Occupancy. Pinellas County removes exotic plants on city and county property. They have a program to do it, as time and labor allows. They do not remove from private property, only on right-of-way. City staff recommends implementing a program for the removal of exotic plants. She suggested developing an ordinance based on what the County and Dunedin have, but making it more proactive and to obtain support to fund a continuous program for the future. The City has started removing exotics on sensitive lands such as Coopers Point. Brazilian Peppers have been eradicated there, and they have a contractor checking monthly for regrowth, cutting and spraying. Terry Finch is going to recommend to staff funding availabilities in our operating budget to start a program for the removal of exotic plants ITEM # 12 Presentation of Awards Chair presented an EAB award to Jack Alvord on behalf of the Historic Bayview Association for their effort in preserving environmentally sensitive land. The Chair presented Member Stowell with an award in recognition of his eight years of service and dedication to the Board . ESTABLISH AGENDA: Public Service Announcements on C-View Board Policy Manual Update ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 5:50 p.m.