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6-18-25 ESC Adopted MinutesMINUTES Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) Meeting .w Wednesday, June 18, 2025 - 6:00 PM City Hall, Commission Chamber 800 Seminole Road, Atlantic Beach, FL 32233 Present: Amy Palmer, ESC Member Todd Miner, ESC Member Sarah Boren, ESC Chair Jeannie Gracy, ESC Member Bruce Andrews, ESC Member Daniele Giovannucci, ESC Member Christina Kelcourse, ESC Member Amy Franqui, ESC Member Absent: Anastasia Houston, ESC Member Also Present: Kevin Auster, Planner 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Chair Boren called the meeting to order at 6:09 p.m. 2. COURTESY OF THE FLOOR (5 MINS.) There was no courtesy of the floor. 3. OLD BUSINESS A. Status of Edible Tree Planting: Marsh Oaks, Jack Russell Chair Boren provided an update on the status of edible tree planting. She mentioned that there had been no response yet from Heather, who had previously done work in this area. Chair Boren offered to do a quick summary of the current status for Jeannie, who expressed interest in helping with the project. Sarah outlined three potential locations that had been considered: • Marsh Oaks Community Center (preferred location) • Atlantic Beach Elementary (outside location not possible due to pipes, inside location would require approval from principal and school board) • Tides View (possible according to city engineer) Sarah mentioned that the next step for the Marsh Oaks location was to conduct a soil sample. She had reached out to Larry Figgart about this but still needed to follow up after his vacation. Sarah also noted that Larry had sent an initial list of trees, which Heather had then localized. Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) June 18, 2025 Page 1 of 5 Dan added that the original preferred location was on the southeast side of Jack Russell Park along the pathway. This location was initially favored due to its high visibility and traffic. However, the city manager had concerns about fruit falling and creating hazards. Dan mentioned having a discussion with the city manager about reconsidering this area if they could show a layout plan demonstrating that the dwarf trees would not impede safe public progress. Bruce suggested communicating more about their plans, not just in minutes and meetings, but also through summary emails to keep the commission informed. Sarah agreed and emphasized the importance of planning ahead for infrastructure, such as water lines for irrigation. The committee discussed the need to coordinate with the ARC committee, which had proposed a community garden at the Marsh Oaks Community Center. Sarah suggested reaching out to Lisa Goodrich, the chair of ARC, to explore partnership opportunities. Jeannie inquired about the sprinklers that were planned for installation and whether they would take into account the future location of the trees. Sarah acknowledged this was an important point and stressed the need to plan ahead for infrastructure while redoing the driveway. The committee agreed on the importance of overcommunicating their plans and progress to avoid being "behind the 8 ball" in terms of planning and implementation. B. Tree Corridor Motion Chair Boren brought up that a formal vote on the tree corridor motion from the previous ESC meeting had not been taken. MOTION. ESC recommends that the north side of seventh Street between Beach Avenue and Ocean Boulevard be designated as a historic corridor per chapter 23 effective immediately. The iconic native sable ponds lining the sidewalk towards the seventh Street beach access create an irreplaceable sense of place for residents of Atlantic Beach. Motion: Todd Miner Second. Amy Franqui During the discussion, Amy Palmer asked for clarification on whether the motion had been shortened from the original submission. Sarah confirmed that she had shortened it to focus on the action item, as guided by Director Askew. Amy Palmer read out additional context from her original submission, which included historical information about the corridor and its intersection with another historic corridor. The committee discussed the benefits of including this additional information when presenting it to the commission. Bruce suggested that the motion itself should be concise, with the additional context provided separately. He emphasized that the core of the motion was to designate the north side of Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) June 18, 2025 Page 2 of 5 4. Seventh Street between Beach and Ocean as a historic corridor. Amy Palmer For Todd Miner (Moved By) For Sarah Boren For Jeannie Gracy For Bruce Andrews For Daniele Giovannucci Against Christina %[course For Amy Franqui (Seconded By) For Motion passed 7 to 1. NEW BUSINESS A. Structure of the planned bi-annual Tree Report. This builds on Amy Palmer's initial draft ideas. Dan mentioned that a document outlining the structure of the bi-annual tree report had been sent out a week ago. He apologized for not being able to resend it immediately due to not having everyone's email addresses automatically entered yet. Dan emphasized that the purpose of the report was to inform the community and policy- making, looking at longer-term trends rather than just short-term tree counts. The committee agreed to review the document once it was resent and to discuss it further at the next meeting. B. Identify Data needs for online permit form such as species checklist The committee discussed potential improvements to the online tree permit application form. Sarah suggested including the following data points: • District number (populated based on address) • Indicator for maritime species • DBH (Diameter at Breast Height) or circumference • Specific tree species (not just general categories like "oak") • Action being taken (removing, preserving, relocating) • Yard location (front, side, back) • Reason for action (possibly as a dropdown menu) • Demographics Bruce emphasized the importance of standardizing tree names to ensure accurate data tabulation. He also suggested adding a field to indicate whether a tree is in the setback or buildable footprint of a property. Sarah proposed additional data points: • Latitude and longitude for each tree Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) June 18, 2025 Page 3 of 5 • Whether a risk assessment was performed • Whether the professional who performed the assessment was risk assessment trained • Photos of the trees The committee discussed the importance of capturing this data to inform decision- making and policy development. They also talked about the need to balance data collection with user-friendliness of the form. Planner Auster confirmed that they were working on automating the permitting process, which would include the tree permit application. The committee agreed to continue refining their data requirements to ensure they could be incorporated into the new system. C. Elder Trees program: Arborist Assessments and Tree Trust Fund as per motion below: MOTION: As part of ESC 2025-2026 Priority to incentivize protection of mature trees, including a full-fledged marketing plan up to $10,000 from the Proposed 2025 Tree Mitigation Fund, action and spending plan for mature tree protection and canopy health data and request the tree subcommittee spearhead the campaign implementation details, cost and budget, task force recruitment, marketing needs, partnership with UFIFS using a naturalist at grid designation, update Commission and ESC on progress quarterly and complete campaign by no later than Earth Day 2026. Motion: Anastasia Houston Dan suggested changing the wording regarding marketing plan. Sara said that Mark Hostetler with UFIFS has offered to help us create an iNaturalist project and everybody uses the iNaturalist app. This motion was withdrawn. NEW MOTION: To send the "Protect the elders mature tree program" concept to the tree subcommittee to explore further, come up with a plan and report back to the committee within 2 meetings or by the end of June. Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) May 14, 2025 The committee discussed various aspects of the program, including: • The Heritage Tree pilot grant program for maintenance • A tiered approach to tree classification, including "heritage trees in training" • Quarterly arborist assessment days funded by t11e tree trust • Commissioner Grant's proposal to give homeowners a discount for meeting with ESC to explore alternatives before removing trees Amy Franqui suggested expanding the heritage tree program by adding a new tier to encourage early engagement and tree stewardship. Her proposal included: • A "heritage tree in training" category for trees with DBH between 14-29.9 inches • Eligibility for native canopy trees from the city's approved list • A simple online nomination process • Recognition on the city website, yard signs, and other promotional materials Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) June 18, 2025 Page 4 of 5 • Potential tax credits or discounts for tree maintenance and care The committee discussed these ideas and agreed to further develop them for future consideration. D. Commissioner Grant proposal to have homeowners meet with ESC to optimize way forward for lots with planned tree removal. This item was briefly mentioned as part of the 'Elder Trees Program discussion but was not discussed in detail. E. Chapter 23 updates and review Due to time constraints, the committee was unable to conduct a thorough review of Chapter 23 updates. They agreed to use a Microsoft Form to collect individual suggestions and comments from committee members before the next meeting. This approach would allow members to submit their ideas while complying with Sunshine Law requirements. Chair Boren emphasized the importance of being prepared for the next meeting to make progress on Chapter 23 updates. The committee agreed to review the document and submit their comments through the form once it was set up. F. Review OF IFAS Training of tree pruners and consider training for tree planters This item was not discussed due to time constraints. 5. MEMBERS CLOSING REMARKS Dan apologized for the meeting running over time and emphasized the importance of being prepared for future meetings. He encouraged members to review the agenda materials and come ready to discuss and make decisions. Chair Boren mentioned that she had suggested putting Chapter 23 at the top of the agenda, acknowledging that it was an important topic that needed more time for discussion. 6. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m. Attest: Amanda Askew Sarah Boren, ESC Chair Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) June 18, 2025 Page 5 of 5