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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3-11-26 ESC Adopted MinutesMINUTES ffir r r, Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) Meeting Wednesday, March 11, 2026 - 6:00 PM City Hall, Commission Chamber 800 Seminole Road, Atlantic Beach, FL 32233 Present: Bruce Andrews, ESC Member 6 Amy Palmer, ESC Member 2 Todd Miner, ESC Member 3 Sarah Boren, ESC Member 4 Daniele Giovannucci, ESC Member 7 Amy Franqui, ESC Member 9 Absent: Anastasia Houston, ESC Member 1 Christina Kelcourse, ESC Member 8 Also Present: Amanda Askew, Neighborhoods Department Dir. (NDD) 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chair Palmer asked if there were any additions to the agenda. Sarah Boren indicated no additions but requested time at the end for timely questions and comments. Chair Palmer confirmed that members' closing remarks were already included on the agenda to accommodate such discussion. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Approve minutes of the February 11, 2026 regular Environmental Stewardship Committee meeting. B. Approve minutes of the February 25, 2026 regular Environmental Stewardship Committee meeting. MOTION: To APPROVE the February 11, 2026 and the February 25, 2026 regular Environmental Stewardship Committee meeting minutes. Motion: Amy Franqui Second: Daniele Giovannucci Motion passed 6 to 0. 4. COURTESY OF THE FLOOR (5 MINS.) Chair Palmer informed the committee that Steve Swann and Hunter Matthews would not be able to attend the meeting as originally planned for the March Pilot Project presentation. However, Chair Palmer noted that Steve had provided an update via email that was sent to committee members that afternoon by Amanda. Chair Palmer recommended reviewing the information Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) March ll, 2026 prior to the next meeting and indicated she would work to get Steve on the agenda for the March 25th meeting. She mentioned that Steve had identified a grant opportunity that had presented itself and was continuing to work on the pilot project. Chair Palmer acknowledged that there was one member of the public present in the chamber. 5. CONSENT AGENDA Chair Palmer acknowledged that the consent agenda items had been reorganized from her original draft and proceeded with the meeting. 6. CHAIR REMARKS Chair Palmer provided extensive updates on various committee activities and initiatives. She emphasized the importance of submitting agenda items by the Tuesday prior to meetings, with her deadline being Wednesday, so members would receive agenda packets on Thursday with several days to review materials. Chair Palmer acknowledged that many excellent systems developed by former Chair Sarah Boren had fallen by the wayside during the transition, and she hoped to pick these up or find support to maintain them, specifically mentioning the 90 -day calendar as an example. She announced her intention to provide written informational reports at least once a month for items that don't require discussion but need to be conveyed consistently. Chair Palmer praised Amy Franqui's follow-up email regarding native plantings and upcoming events, noting it was an excellent format for sharing information without taking up valuable meeting time. Regarding specific projects, Chair Palmer reported that the Brazilian pepper tree removal date was tentatively planned for the week of April 11, possibly that Saturday, pending staff availability confirmation from Amanda Askew. The developer builder workshop remained to be determined, though Commissioner Grant had brought it up again. For the Marsh Oaks Community Garden, Chair Palmer reported there was a donor pledging $65,000, and staff had applied for a competitive AARP grant for $15,000. The garden would be installed after the parking lot was finished, probably by July, with plans to reserve 2-3 plots as teaching gardens for composting, starting seedlings, and workshops. The next batch of staff road plantings would be primarily located on the ditch bank at Aquatic Gardens near Beaches Aquatic Center. Chair Palmer indicated she still planned to intersect with the youth council before the school year ended. Regarding promotional needs, Chair Palmer instructed that all correspondence should copy Adriana Walsh at awalsh@coab.us, and for calendar items, Adriana Walsh would be the appropriate contact as Kevin's assistant who would politely remind him to help get items on the calendar. Sarah Boren suggested also copying Veronica Ouelette for recreation newsletter inclusion, spelling her email as vouellette@coab.us. Chair Palmer informed the committee about Beaches Go Green's monthly networking events at Ink Brewing in Jacksonville Beach, featuring panel discussions on different topics. She had met Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) March 11, 2026 with Ann Marie, who had scheduled events through spring and invited the ESC to participate in a fall panel. Chair Palmer noted that Beaches Go Green was discussing a more formal partnership with Atlantic Beach, though the agreement hadn't been finalized. Finally, Chair Palmer announced that the volunteer appreciation dinner would be held May 7 at 6 PM for all committee members, including the ESC. 7. COMMISSION AND/OR STAFF REPORTS Director Askew provided staff updates as needed throughout the meeting in conjunction with Chair Palmer's remarks. 8. OLD BUSINESS FY2027 Priorities Chair Palmer provided an update on the committee's priorities following their March 2 workshop and the March 9 commission meeting. She reported that Kevin had shared that staff supports four of the five priorities and plans to include them in the fiscal year 2027 budget: Chapter 23, the Marsh pilot project, the parks plan, and Florida Friendly Landscaping. Chair Palmer noted there was probably the most support for Chapter 23 and the Marsh pilot, with the mayor being very interested in getting these into the fiscal year 27 budget. The parks plan also had significant support, with Commissioner Ring mentioning that Donner Park was her priority last year. For beautification, Commissioner Kelly and the mayor expressed particular interest. The stormwater priority did not receive much support from the commission. Chair Palmer explained that commissioners seemed to view stormwater as everyone's responsibility that the commission was taking up, and they didn't feel the ESC needed to be specifically involved as a priority. Sarah Boren clarified that feedback from three commissioners all mentioned stormwater, and she felt it was very much on their minds. Daniele Giovannucci agreed that the commissioners were saying they didn't want stormwater delineated as a priority for the ESC specifically, feeling they didn't need the committee to get involved in it. Amy Franqui noted that commissioners seemed to be saying the commission had stormwater covered and the ESC should focus on something that would be more helpful than "looking over their shoulder on stormwater." Sarah Boren took it similarly, hearing Mayor Ford say that now they're going to hire professionals to do the plan, and while ESC could certainly opine and offer suggestions, they don't really have active activities to work on as a formal goal. Amy Franqui recorded in her notes that it was said stormwater should be a priority for commission, residents, and everyone, but shouldn't be a priority for ESC specifically, with ESC focusing on influencing and giving opinion. Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) March 11, 2026 Chair Palmer suggested that trees could tie into stormwater management, potentially finding ways for trees to count for more or provide different approaches for absorbing stormwater. Chapter 23 Updates The priority setting workshop was scheduled for April 6, and Chair Palmer noted she would be traveling that evening, asking if anyone could attend to monitor and listen. Amy Franqui volunteered to do her best to attend and/or listen to the livestream. Chair Palmer also mentioned a town hall scheduled for April 18 (a Saturday) at 10 AM, with the focus being Chapter 23. This was the same day as Art in the Park. Sarah Boren emphasized that if they wanted to provide extra education and nudging to commissioners to support the ESC, they needed to do it before that commission meeting, and the town hall represented a two-way communication opportunity for citizens to ask questions and express concerns about the canopy. Chair Palmer reported that she had followed up with the commission after March 2, sending them the PowerPoint presentation. She described the March 2 Chapter 23 workshop as being just commissioners and staff, though the ESC was allowed to make a few comments. There was interesting discussion among commissioners, with many ideas about making variances for tree preservation and developing protocols involving Chapter 24. The mayor went on record saying he was willing to vote for legislation that would protect the largest trees. Bruce Andrews brought up the Chapter 24 required tree plantings in new development, noting that while Chapter 23 requires mitigation by inches, Chapter 24 specifies requirements like one shade tree per 2,500 square feet. He observed that some new homes have more impressive front yard tree plantings than others and suggested codifying more impressive requirements, perhaps two 8 -inch shade trees. He volunteered to find the relevant Chapter 24 language and work with Amanda Askew to develop a motion for the next meeting. Bruce Andrews described how trees planted when he thought they would "be dead before that does anything" were actually starting to look quite nice, emphasizing the impact of front yard plantings. He compared the elaborate landscaping in Jupiter to what's done locally, noting that landscaping budgets seem to be an afterthought on expensive homes. Daniele Giovannucci supported this idea, noting the consistent theme about the impact of people and companies buying properties, developing them, and reselling them to eventual Atlantic Beach citizens, with Chapter 24 covering this in ways Chapter 23 cannot. Todd Miner suggested having their arborist research and determine best practices for combining trees with stormwater management features, offering to volunteer to be guided by the professional's oversight. Chair Palmer shared that the developer of Hickory Lane, whom she had previously spoken with about recommendations from the developer's perspective, was at the workshop and offered to make additional recommendations. He indicated there were four things that could be done to the code that would immediately save more trees and offered to put these in writing and meet again. Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) March 11, 2026 Bruce Andrews remembered another topic from Commissioner Ring about CDB and possible variances to mitigation. He thought he heard her express concern about some variances being granted, suggesting commissioners could influence this process either by ordinance or otherwise if they felt the CDB wasn't being appropriately restrictive. Amy Franqui noted that Commissioner Ring asked about understanding higher mitigation for new development and subdivision, questioning what the code allows and whether the variance process could enable flexibility while including public notice to give surrounding neighbors a chance to voice concerns. Daniele Giovannucci heard Commissioner Ring say that if they don't enforce the code and hold to it rather than giving variances, then they're not reaching their goals and need to enforce requirements rather than offer variances when requested. This led to discussion about staff recommendations to the CDB. Bruce Andrews noted that in some municipalities, planning departments make recommendations for approval or denial, but Amanda Askew clarified that their staff recommends taking action without taking a specific side, though she noted that nine times out of ten she would recommend denial since applicants are asking for deviations from code where there are very few instances she can grant deviations. The discussion touched on the complexity and nuances of tree -related variances, with Sarah Boren suggesting the committee had previously discussed having someone attend CDB meetings to make public comment and provide education about ESC's perspective, though Bruce Andrews noted this wasn't appealing as it would involve arguing with residents in front of the CDB. Amanda Askew noted that CDB agendas typically go out the Friday before Tuesday meetings, not providing much time for the committee to meet and formalize responses, though individual members could participate. Chair Palmer brought up the idea of creating pocket parks, referencing Commissioner Ring's suggestion about having an Atlantic Beach preservation fund to potentially purchase properties like the 250 -year-old tree location on West First Street to prevent tree loss. FY2026 Committee Member Leads Chair Palmer introduced the topic of committee member leads, explaining that they needed to discuss who would take ownership of different initiatives. She defined ownership as being the coordinator, communicator, and statistician, working with staff as the point person on various projects. This included both major initiatives and systems to keep the committee functioning, such as the systems Sarah Boren had put in place, having a committee photographer, and maintaining consistent processes. Chair Palmer indicated she would put this on the next agenda and asked members to think about items they'd like to have their name associated with, noting she had some ideas as well. Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) March 11, 2026 Upcoming Events Planning Chair Palmer mentioned that Anastasia had been working on centennial trees and they were almost at 50 trees, with Amanda Askew confirming they were at 51 and trees were being ordered that week for planting. Chair Palmer noted that Anastasia had been working on rebranding the program because of confusion between tree giveaways and front yard trees, and people thinking "adopt a tree" might involve expense. She displayed two logo options Anastasia had created: "Trees for All, Atlantic Beach Canopy" with a big oak tree, and another more specific to the centennial campaign: "City of AB, Trees for All, Rooted Together, 100 Trees for 100 Years." Amy Franqui provided positive feedback on the campaign activation ideas, particularly the online application which allowed her to text a link to interested people at the Beaches Go Green event. She supported tabling at farmer's market and community events but suggested once monthly rather than weekly for farmer's market commitment. She liked the door hangers concept for neighbors who might not receive electronic communications and the idea of an end -of -year tree party with the mayor and commission planting final trees. Chair Palmer proposed combining their two required events - the official Arbor Day event and the Mayor's Monarch pledge typically held around Earth Day at the market - with the March 28 centennial event featuring classic cars. This would allow them to participate in the centennial while meeting Tree City and Monarch pledge requirements. Amy Franqui noted she would be unavailable March 28 due to volunteering at the Master Gardener plant sale but supported promoting the April 2 speaker series at the event. Committee members discussed availability, with Chair Palmer, Sarah Boren (for one shift), and Daniele Giovannucci indicating they could participate in the 10 AM to 2 PM event, split into two shifts. Sarah Boren brought up that Minecraft competition submissions end March 20, emphasizing the need to activate local schools immediately since there was only a week remaining. The competition would culminate in a live finals event on April 17 where teams would have 30 minutes to make Marsh Oaks Community Center a resilient hub, with cash prizes for winners. Regarding the May film event, Sarah Boren noted they needed better projection equipment for clarity and were moving forward with "The Biggest Little Farm" as their plan B selection, pending confirmation from Beaches Go Green about rights to their originally planned film. Board Member Review Committee Chair Palmer announced that the Board Member Review Committee meeting would be March 26 (Thursday). She reported that according to City Clerk Donna, they needed a person from District 1307, as every district needs representation on the committee. She identified Matthew Mattila as a new applicant from District 1307 with a professional background relevant to the committee. Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) March 11, 2026 There was some confusion about district assignments, with Bruce Andrews believing he was in District 1307 but Amy Franqui confirming he was listed as District 1306. The committee clarified that Daniele Giovannucci was District 1306 and Todd Miner was District 1308. Chair Palmer indicated she planned to talk with the new candidate and would provide a visual representation of all members' districts and recruitment needs, given the significant number of people rolling off the committee. 9. NEW BUSINESS A. City Awards Chair Palmer addressed the status of the city awards program originally planned for May 7th in conjunction with the volunteer appreciation dinner. Sarah Boren explained that both ESC and ARCC had previously voted on award categories and developed nomination processes, but with only six weeks until May 7th, adequate preparation time was not available. MOTION: That ESC will not be doing awards on May7th due to lack of time, but would not hold back the volunteer appreciation event for city volunteers if the city wished to proceed. Motion: Sarah Boren Second. Todd Miner The committee discussed potential September timing for awards, which would provide adequate planning time and fall at the end of the budget year. Amanda suggested this timeline would definitely allow more preparation time. Chair Palmer indicated the topic should return to the agenda for the next meeting to develop formal plans, with input from Anastasia who had contributed significantly to previous award events. Sarah Boren preferred waiting for a formal motion with detailed planning before committing to specific dates or requirements. Bruce Andrews For Amy Palmer For Todd Miner (Seconded By) For Sarah Boren (Moved By) For Daniele Giovannucci For Amy Franqui For Motion passed 6 to 0. 10. MEMBERS CLOSING REMARKS Amy Franqui reported on recent volunteer events, noting that both Weed Wrangle and native planting at Howell Park were well-received by participants who requested more frequent similar events. She advocated for a "Friends of the Park" concept and volunteered to help develop such programming. Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) March 11, 2026 Amy Franqui shared feedback indicating yard signs placed in Howell Park effectively attracted participants who learned about events while walking in the park. She requested permission to place similar signs at beach accesses for the April 2nd speaker series on turtles and birds, though Amanda noted concerns about wind damage at beach locations. Amy Franqui provided details about the April 2nd Thursday evening event featuring Kevin Brown from sea turtle patrol and Elizabeth from Duval Audubon, following up on the lights out Atlantic Beach proclamation. Sarah Boren presented several topics for consideration: She proposed investigating whether trees could be replanted in the same location after diseased tree removal, suggesting this might provide psychological comfort to property owners while maintaining tree canopy. Amy Franqui supported this concept based on personal experience successfully replanting where previous trees had been. Sarah Boren requested establishment of a process for tracking motions passed by ESC, suggesting staff blind copy committee members when motions move forward to provide status updates. She emphasized the importance of timely progress on items like the state of canopy report and tree fund action spending plan. Chair Palmer agreed to clarify the motion tracking process with Kevin and Amanda to ensure clear communication loops. Sarah Boren announced upcoming opportunities including a March 24th NERT meeting where she would present the marsh pilot project to environmental scientists and coastal resilience experts. She also reported attending a Mayport Waterfront Partnership meeting featuring University of Georgia's living shoreline projects. Sarah Boren provided updates on Jacksonville's LEED for Cities certification progress, noting the city was tracking toward platinum level. She reported working with Kevin and Amanda on potential collaboration with Jacksonville's tree plotting software and transparency dashboard systems. Finally, Sarah Boren announced a vertical oyster gardening workshop hosted by Saint Johns Riverkeeper on Saturday, March 14th from 9 AM to noon at JU Marine Science Center. Chair Palmer mentioned an upcoming oyster festival at Riverview Park featuring vertical oyster garden displays and concrete reef structures. 11. RECAP OF DECISIONS, ACTION ITEMS AND NEXT STEPS The committee established several action items: Bruce Andrews would develop motions regarding Chapter 24 tree planting requirements and tree fund budget proposals for the March 17th deadline. Amy Franqui would provide promotional materials for the April 2nd speaker series. Chair Palmer would clarify motion tracking procedures with staff and work to schedule Steve Swann for the March 25th meeting. Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) March 11, 2026 12. Attest: The committee committed to participating in the March 28th Centennial event with volunteer shifts from 10 AM to 2 PM, combining Arbor Day and Mayor's Monarch Pledge requirements. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:12 p.m. Amy Palmer, ESC Chair Amanda Askew, Director Environmental Ste,*Nardship Committee (ESC) March 11, 2026