07/16/2014 ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES
CITY OF CLEARWATER
July 16, 2014
Present: Chair D. Michael Flanery, Vice Chair Lynn F. Sumerson, Board Member R. Peter
Stasis, Board Member Linda S. Varonich
Absent: Board Member Michael Engelmann
Also Present: Laura Mahony—Assistant City Attorney II, Ed Chesney - Environmental Manager,
Patricia O. Sullivan - Board Reporter
The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. at the Municipal Services Building.
To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily
discussed in that order.
2 —Approval of Minutes
2.1. Approve the minutes of the April 16, 2014 Environmental Advisory Board meeting as
submitted in written summation.
Member Sumerson moved to approve Item 2.1. The motion was duly seconded and carried
unanimously.
3 —Citizen To Be Heard re Items Not on the Agenda:
Lisa Lanza said Moccasin Lake Nature Park solar panels should remain in place until they were
replaced. She said the new CMA (Clearwater Marine Aquarium) will have an environmental
impact and recommended board review of the project.
Jasmina Forcan said six months ago, Code Enforcement said light from Bay Care's parking lot
that intruded into her home was a violation. Now, she reported that staff said Bay Care had
complied by shielding the light fixtures closest to residences; she said the lights were still
intrusive. She said the Clearwater lighting Code was obsolete and needed to regulate LEDs and
other intrusive light. She recommended the City review International Dark Sky Association
documents for guidance and update Clearwater's lighting Code. She also suggested board
members read "The End of Night," by Paul Bogard, and presented a "dark sky" light fixture
available locally.
4—Moccasin Lake Park— Use of Pesticides
Administrative Support Manager Felicia Leonard said the Moccasin Lake Park Master Plan
update and Mission was to highlight the park's natural ecosystems and discontinue its focus on
energy. Based on the Master Plan, major renovations will incorporate energy conservation.
Nothing would be removed immediately.
Ms. Forcan expressed concern that staff used Roundup near tortoises' burrows at Moccasin
Lake Park and recommended other herbicides.
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Ms. Leonard said staff was directed to limit power tool use at Moccasin Lake Park to reduce
noise that disturbed the birds of prey. The department used diluted Roundup for high pedestrian
areas; park sidewalks must meet ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessibility
requirements. The chemical was used a distance from the gopher tortoise's grazing area.
Roundup will not be used near tortoises; they mostly live at the northern end of the park.
Gopher Tortoises are regulated by the State.
Ms. Leonard said Parks & Recreation Department staff was establishing an environmental
stewardship division to review best practices for environmental parks and develop a tortoise
management system for the Moccasin Lake, Lake Chautauqua, and Soule Road parks.
Volunteers were needed to help inventory wildlife corridors; the Turtle Club was asked to help
inventory tortoise habitats.
Support was expressed for the Parks & Recreation Department establishing an environmental
policy exclusively for its nature parks.
In response to a question, Ms. Leonard said at small sites, staff was performing test studies of
using beetles to control potato vines as was done in the City of Largo. She will provide
Environmental Manager Ed Chesney with information re test site locations and protocols.
5—Group Discussion
Discussion ensued re bright and intrusive light that to some was seen as a Citywide problem. It
was stated the EAB (Environmental Advisory Board) had recommended expanding the
GreenPrint document to include Dark Sky concepts. Concern was expressed the City Council
had taken no action re board recommendations to update the Code re intrusive lighting. It was
questioned if Clearwater Christian College's sport field lighting was sufficiently shielded.
Member Varonich moved to request that staff provide the board with Dark Sky initiative
information related to amending the Code and ameliorating resident and environmental
concerns. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
Member Varonich moved to request that the Dark Sky mission be incorporated into Greenprint
and that the City adopt Dark Sky lighting. The motion was duly seconded and carried
unanimously.
It was noted Ms. Forcan's "Dark Sky" light fixture was made in China and used fluorescent and
incandescent light bulbs.
Items not on the Agenda
Recent and upcoming events were reviewed.
Concerns were expressed that public utilities were falling short of requirements to generate
more renewable energy and the Governor recently approved construction of a nuclear power
plant. Support was expressed for innovative uses of solar energy.
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In response to questions, Mr. Chesney said the Urban Land Institute was tasked with reviewing
the Development Code for downtown and reporting on why some areas were not seeing any
redevelopment. He will forward board members the link to the institute's last presentation to
Council as well as a City trail system map.
In response to a question, Mr. Chesney discussed the Stevenson Creek project; dredging was
completed. The processing site required restoration and approximately 26,000 mangroves had
been ordered for planting in October. The City was negotiating final costs with USACE (US
Army Corps of Engineers). Re dredge material, FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation)
took some good sand and the muck was transported to a sludge farm in Hillsborough County.
It was questioned why dredge material was not used to create a spoil island for threatened
species in the harbor. Mr. Chesney said the volume of material removed was insufficient to
create a spoil island and it would be difficult to permit the relocation of freshwater dredge
material to a salt water environment.
Member Varonich moved to recommend the City schedule a celebration of the estuary
restoration of Stevenson Creek. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
Mr. Chesney reviewed a proposal to add a trail on the banks of Stevenson Creek in the East
Gateway area as an environmental asset. There were concerns the trail would end at Court
Street at a spot unsuitable for pedestrian crossings.
Member Sumerson moved to support the East Gateway vision to construct a trail along
Stevenson Creek. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
The City's Public Works Department was complimented re its groundwater pilot program to
replenish the aquifer. It was noted these efforts curtail salt water intrusion into the aquifer.
6 - Agenda Topics for October 15, 2014 meeting
"As- Builts" for Stevenson Creek dredging project.
Greenlight Pinellas update.
7 — Adjourn
The meeting adjourned at 5:35 p.m.
Environmental Advisory 2014 -07 -16
Chair
Environmental Advisory Board
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