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10/19/2016 Environmental Advisory Board Meeting Minutes October 19, 2016 City of Clearwater City Hall 112 S. Osceola Avenue Clearwater, FL 33756 r Meeting Minutes Wednesday, October 19, 2016 4:00 PM Council Chambers - City Hall Environmental Advisory Board Page 1 City of Clearwater Environmental Advisory Board Meeting Minutes October 19, 2016 Roll Call Present 4 - Acting Chair Michael Engelmann, Board Member Jared Leone, Board Member Mark Wright, and Board Member Ashley Wilson Pimley Absent 1 - Chair Leann DuPont Also Present: Laura Mahony—Assistant City Attorney, Ed Chesney — Environmental Manager, Patricia O. Sullivan — Board Reporter 1. Call To Order The Acting Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. at City Hall. 2. Approval of Minutes 2.1 Approve the minutes of the July 20, 2016 Environmental Advisory Board Meeting Member Wright moved to approve minutes of the July 20, 2016 Environmental Advisory Board meeting as submitted in written summation. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. 3. Citizens to be Heard Regarding Items Not on the Agenda: None. 4. New Business Items 4.1 Welcome New Member Ashley Pimley 4.2 Marine Advisory Board / Mandalay Mooring Field - Bill Morris - Marine & Aviation Director Marine &Aviation Director Bill Morris said before the Army Corps of Engineers and Pinellas County had reviewed and permitted it, FDEP (Florida Department of Environmental Protection) approved an application to establish a privately owned mooring field in Mandalay Channel for approximately 42 boats. The public comment period ended in September. The City submitted a letter in opposition citing numerous concerns and, with Pinellas County, requested FDEP and Army Corps public hearings. Assistant City Attorney Laura Mahony said the City did not have an approval process for mooring fields. Pinellas County will ask for the City's position. Mr. Morris said the application stated the City would provide pump out services for the moored boats 3 times a week. However, the City only provided those services on Wednesdays to the first 12 boats on the list and did not service anchored boats. The application also identified other nearby City-owned properties as upland support. In response to questions, Mr. Morris said the County had concerns and there was significant opposition by nearby residents. FDEP opined the Page 2 City of Clearwater Environmental Advisory Board Meeting Minutes October 19, 2016 east side of the channel provided sufficient space to navigate past the moorings. The City accepted responsibility for maintaining aids to navigation in Dunedin Pass Channel when the Coast Guard planned to remove them. The City had no record of dredging Mandalay Channel. Concerns were expressed that the mooring field did not require sewer services and monitoring raucous behavior there would burden the Police Department. Environmental Manager Ed Chesney said the Code did not define a mooring field. The application proposed using a motel's existing dock for upland support, the dock was not permitted for that use. A request had not been submitted to change the dock's use. Reducing the mooring field's size would not have an effect on City concerns or resident opposition. Three residents spoke in opposition to a mooring field in Mandalay Channel. Member Leone moved that the Environmental Advisory Board opposed the proposed installation of a mooring field in Mandalay Channel. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. 4.3 EAB Annual Presentation to City Council - November 17, 2016 Mr. Chesney said Chair DuPont would address the City Council on behalf of the board for its annual presentation. Board members were invited to attend and submit suggestions to Mr. Chesney. A draft of Chair comments will be distributed to the board prior to the meeting. Suggestions were made for the presentation to address "Single Use Plastics" plastic straws at the beach and plans for property the City purchased from Clearwater Christian College. 4.4 Marshall Street Plant - Discharges Mr. Chesney said the Marshall Street Plant had sufficient capacity to handle stormwater during inclement weather, however, a catastrophic failure recently occurred. The discharge of raw sewage diluted by stormwater totaled 30 million gallons. A temporary system of portable pumps and generators was in place while design engineers worked on reconstruction plans. He hoped repairs would be completed by next year. A recent leak at a lift station was not related to Marshall Street Plant problems; the Governor recently required that all spills be reported to the media. Staff was complimented for the quick fix. Three residents spoke. Residents expressed concerns that an increase in Page 3 City of Clearwater Environmental Advisory Board Meeting Minutes October 19, 2016 sewage from significant beach development would negatively impact the Marshall Street Plant, that stormwater affected sanitary sewer treatment, and many laterals were constructed of inferior materials and suggested the City consider rebates to encourage homeowners to replace laterals. Residents questioned if higher impact fees had been considered to deal with impacts from climate change and complimented Kapok Park for its stormwater treatment and water quality improvement. Mr. Cheney said developers paid impact fees. The Marshall Street Plant's capacity could double its sanitary sewer treatment. The City had few flood complaints following projects at Glen Oaks Park, Kapok Park, and Stevenson Creek. The City's stormwater system was not a problem but stormwater leaking into the sewer system was. Old sewer pipes at many older homes allowed stormwater to leak into the sanitary system. Concerns were expressed that City efforts to line older sewer pipes in City rights-of-way did nothing to stop water intrusion from private property laterals that connected into City sewers. It was stated the public needed to be aware of the connection between stormwater and the sewer system and that citizens needed to be proactive re stormwater intrusion. 5. Old Business Item 5.1 Grease Ordinance Update Mr. Chesney said updates to the grease ordinance were still in draft form and had not been presented to the City Council. 5.2 Straws on Beach - Jared Leone Member Leone said millions of people were attracted to Clearwater Beach. He said plastic straws were an unnecessary waste item that negatively impacted marine life. He said the Chambers of Commerce in Treasure Island and Madeira Beach supported a voluntary ban on plastic straws. He said few would ask for straws if restaurants did not hand them out automatically. He said he had invited a speaker. Thomas Paterek, Chair of the Suncoast chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, reviewed the organization's national and local history and encouraged efforts to reduce plastics in the oceans and maintain Clearwater Beach's pristine environment. As the word "ban"scared people, he suggested implementing, in partnership with a non profit, an ocean friendly business program that made sense for businesses to implement. The program would have beach restaurants voluntarily ban the distribution of plastic straws and two other polluting items, such as Styrofoam. He said the first step would be education so that businesses understood the impact of plastic and Styrofoam on local beaches. He said Page 4 City of Clearwater Environmental Advisory Board Meeting Minutes October 19, 2016 food distributor Sysco was under pressure to supply alternative straws. He said paper was the most viable source and bamboo could be used, although both had higher costs. In response to a question, he recommended reaching out to local Chambers of Commerce as they could be impactful by communicating information on this subject to local businesses via newsletter and workshops. He understood that businesses did not want to add to their costs and said the Surfrider Foundation had numbers and statistics to share re lower costs. He said businesses would have to take responsibility for their staff handing out straws only when requested. Concern was expressed that outdoor beach restaurants did not provide trash containers for cellophane wrappers that easily blew away. It was suggested that biodegradable straws could be used. Mr. Chesney said he would work on an educational campaign for Sunshine Lines with Public Communications re plastic straws. The City had a relationship with the Clearwater Beach Chamber of Commerce. An initiative would be easy to implement after educational efforts. One resident supported efforts by the Surfrider Foundation, suggested they make similar presentations to local Chambers of Commerce, and recommended the City put on its recycling containers larger stickers that indicated plastic bags were not recyclable. One resident recommended the foundation could incorporate a program whereby Clearwater provided incentives for resident participation in clean up campaigns. Mr. Chesney said banning plastic straws and other "Single Use Plastic"at outdoor beach restaurants would be a good campaign for EAB (Environmental Advisory Board) participation. He wanted to provide the board with additional materials before they made a motion in support. Consensus of the board was to support efforts to voluntarily ban plastic straws at outdoor restaurants on Clearwater Beach. 6. Director's Report 6.1 Agenda Topics for January 18, 2017 EAB Meeting Recommendations were made for review of the Coastal Resilience Vulnerability and Adaptation Pilot Study, how sea level change impacted sanitary sewer treatment, how the City could apply for funding from the Volkswagen emission scandal settlement for projects such as beach gondola transportation, updates on the Coachman Park master plan, the Moccasin Lake Nature Park bridge, and Cooper Point projects, and plans to connect Moccasin Lake Nature Park with the Ream Wilson Trail. 6.2 2017 Schedule of EAB Meetings Page 5 City of Clearwater Environmental Advisory Board Meeting Minutes October 19, 2016 EAB meetings were scheduled for January 18, April 19, July 19, and October 18, 2017. 7. Board Members to be Heard 8. Adjourn Member Wright supported connecting Moccasin Lake Nature Park with the Ream Wilson Trail. The meeting adjourned at 5:35 p.m. Page 6 City of Clearwater Chair Environmental Advisory Board