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10/18/2017 Environmental Advisory Board Meeting Minutes October 18, 2017 City of Clearwater City Hall 112 S. Osceola Avenue Clearwater, FL 33756 9 ' e Meeting Minutes Wednesday, October 18, 2017 4:00 PM Council Chambers Environmental Advisory Board Page 1 City of Clearwater Environmental Advisory Board Meeting Minutes October 18, 2017 Roll Call Present 4 - Vice Chair Jared Leone, Board Member Michael Engelmann, Board Member Mark Wright, and Board Member Ashley Wilson Pimley Also Present: Laura Mahony —Assistant City Attorney, Sarah Kessler— Environmental Specialist, Patricia O. Sullivan — Board Reporter 1. Call To Order The Vice-Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. at City Hall. 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 July 19, 2017 Environmental Advisory Board Meeting Member Pimley moved to approve minutes of the July 19, 2017 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 Glenna Wentworth said she was a new resident interested in the environment. She requested the City commit to 100% sustainable energy. She said meetings were scheduled in Pinellas County for homeowners interested in a solar coop. She offered to make a presentation on sustainable energy. Support was expressed for a presentation re 100% clean energy. 4. New Business Items 4.1 EAB Meeting Times - Rosemarie Call, City Clerk City Clerk Rosemarie Call said since 1991, the EAB (Environmental Advisory Board) has met at 4:00 p.m. and the community has an expectation that it meets at that time. At a recent Board discussion, all but one member concluded the meeting time should not change. While concern was expressed that working residents could not attend EAB meetings during the day, many residents are present when controversial items are on the agenda. The Board meets quarterly, special meetings can be scheduled. For future meetings, members will be able to review posted resident comments on agenda items. She recommended the Board delay its decision until the full board was seated. Page 2 City of Clearwater Environmental Advisory Board Meeting Minutes October 18, 2017 It was proposed the meeting time be changed to 5:00 p.m. Two residents supported changing the meeting time and one resident opposed it. Consensus was to discuss this issue at the January meeting. 4.2 Beach Tran Presentation - Tom Nocera, Beach Tran Tom Nocera, with Beach Tran, reviewed advantages of a guideway that could carry 1,800 passengers/hour and reduce traffic to the beach. He said one mile/week of guideway could be constructed between downtown and the beach without obstructing traffic. He estimated a 2.7-mile initial project, mostly over the trail, could be operational by March 15, 2019 and cost $40-million, significantly less expensive than light rail. He said the guideway could be expanded to Morton Plant Hospital, the Patel Nova University, Tampa International Airport, the football stadium, etc. He reviewed the solar powered operational system, stating a guideway with this technology, will be operational in 2018 in the United Emirates. Mr. Nocera said a guideway's footprint was small, stations could fit in hotel/condo lobbies and each stand alone station was estimated to cost $500,000. He said the 2- and 4-passenger gondolas could travel up to 50 mph and were designed to accommodate wheelchairs and bicycles, gondolas could be fitted to carry gurneys to Morton Plant Hospital for fast emergency access from the beach and cargo pallets of supplies to beach businesses at night. He said the on demand gondolas, reserved on smart phones, would travel directly to destinations without intermediate stops. Mr. Nocera said next steps included a detailed engineering study of the route, construction of a test track, an environmental impact study, structural engineer study of the bridge, FDOT(Florida Department of Transportation) approval for use of the medium, and City approval for use of City rights-of-way. In response to concerns re passenger parking, Mr. Nocera said a parking garage on City property across from the downtown Residence Inn could hold 500— 700 vehicles. He said the guideway would eliminate the need to construct additional parking on the beach, stations could feature rental bicycles.. He said the goal was to distribute parking. In response to a question, he said the project would break even at 1,500 round trips/day. He estimated the downtown to beach fare would be $4 each way. City Discussion ensued with support of the proposal recommended as the guideway seemed superior to previous proposals to abate beach traffic congestion. It was suggested guideway stations could be built where parking was plentiful at malls and closed retail properties. It was state that guideway travel between Hillsborough and Pinellas County destinations would be Page 3 City of Clearwater Environmental Advisory Board Meeting Minutes October 18, 2017 convenient. One resident spoke in support of the guideway proposal. 4.3 Council Presentation Discussion - EAB Members Environmental Specialist Sarah Kessler said the City Council required each board to provide an annual presentation on its accomplishments. Vice Chair Leone volunteered to make the presentation. It was recommended the report cover Board concerns re single use plastics and support of Beach Tran, signage encouraging sand dune preservation, recycling and improved trash cans on the beach, and solar initiatives. In reference to the City's commitment to the Greenprint Program, City review was recommended to verify it was adhering to the program. It was noted that CSX railroad tracks blocked direct access to Moccasin Lake Nature Park from the Ream Wilson Trail. 5. Old Business Item 5.1 Single Use Plastic Campaign Next Steps Discussion - EAB Members Assistant City Attorney Laura Mahony said litigation re Coral Gables ban on plastic bags was pending. The City would not pass a similar ordinance until the case was resolved. It was recommended the Board research resolutions re single use plastics adopted by other municipalities and move forward with a resolution. It was stated the resolution should mention an education campaign component and collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce re voluntary compliance. It was recommended the City ban single use plastics, Styrofoam, and plastic bags at City events held at City facilities. Ms. Kessler requested Board members forward their recommendations for resolution language to her prior to Thanksgiving. Attorney Mahony said she would fine tune the language and present it to the Board in January. One resident supported a single use plastic resolution. Sherry Heilman, of Bob Heilman's Beachcomber Restaurant, said she learned importance of forgoing single use plastics at a Clearwater Beach Chamber of Commerce presentation on the subject. She said her restaurant served fresh seafood and it was important that it was Ocean Friendly. She reviewed their efforts including biodegradable to-go and pickup containers and no Styrofoam or stir sticks. She said the slightly higher costs for biodegradable items were negligible. She said after staff explained why (biodegradable) straws were not served, customers often chose not to order Page 4 City of Clearwater Environmental Advisory Board one. Meeting Minutes October 18, 2017 It was suggested that restaurants encourage customers to bring personal containers by charging a small fee for to -go containers and donating the fee to an ocean friendly fund. 6. Director's Report 6.1 Agenda for January 17, 2017 Meeting Adopt Single Use Plastic Resolution Mooring field status Presentation - Ready for 100 EAB meeting time 7. Board Members to be Heard 8. Adjourn Member Engelmann was thanked for his service on the committee. The meeting adjourned at 5:25 p.m ironm Page 5 City of Clearwater ntal Advis lBoard