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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8-12-26 ESC Adopted Minutesr�1r MINUTES =r J'fi Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) Meeting Wednesday, August 12, 2026 - 6:00 PM y J ; City Hall, Commission Chamber 800 Seminole Road, Atlantic Beach, FL 32233 Present: Amy Palmer, ESC Member 2 Todd Miner, ESC Member 3 Sarah Boren, ESC Member 4 Matthew Mattila, ESC Member 5 Daniele Giovannucci, ESC Member 7 Christina Kelcourse, ESC Member 8 Amy Franqui, ESC Member 9 Payton Jamieson, Principal Planner (PP) Absent: Anastasia Houston, ESC Member 1 Bruce Andrews, ESC Member 6 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approval of Agenda Sarah Boren noted that agenda item 10.A. was intended as an informational FYI for ESC members and could be incorporated into the consent agenda rather than treated as a separate item. Chair Amy Palmer acknowledged the suggestion but elected to leave it as listed. Chair Amy Palmer also noted that the staff member responsible for preparing minutes was on vacation, and therefore no minutes were available for approval at this meeting; additional sets would be presented at the next meeting. 3. COURTESY OF THE FLOOR (5 MINS.) / SPECIAL GUESTS A. Scott Dye with JEA - JEA Fleet Electrification Program Chair Amy Palmer introduced Scott Dye and his colleague from Resource Innovations, noting that Christina Kelcourse had facilitated the connection. The presentation was allotted a total of 15 minutes, with Planner Jamieson serving as timekeeper. Scott Dye explained that Resource Innovations implements the JEA Fleet Electrification Program on behalf of JEA within JEA's service territory. He described the program as serving organizations with five or more fleet vehicles and outlined its two primary components. The first is a financial incentive of up to $15,000 from JEA to support infrastructure costs — specifically, work required between the transformer and the meter of a building, including transformer upgrades and trenching. The second, which he described as the greater value, is a no -cost advisory service in the form of a fleet conversion plan. This plan is developed over a three-month period and includes a site Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) August 12, 2026 visit, infrastructure recommendations, and a 10 -to -15 -year road map comparing the total cost of ownership of continuing with internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles versus transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs). Scott Dye's colleague elaborated that the analysis is centered on total cost of ownership and that the typical payback period ranges from four to eight years, depending on vehicle usage. He emphasized that savings come primarily from fuel and maintenance cost reductions. He confirmed that there are currently no federal incentives available and that the program focuses on level 2 charging, which also benefits battery longevity. He noted that a battery will degrade over time — typically by 10 to 12 percent over approximately 10 years under level 2 charging conditions — and that the warranty accounts for an expected degradation to between 60 and 80 percent of original capacity. In response to questions from Dan Giovannucci about the impact of the loss of federal incentives, the colleague confirmed that savings projections are adjusted accordingly — citing one example organization with 150 vehicles that was projected to save approximately $3 million over 10 years without federal incentives, down from a projected $4 million with them. Regarding the political landscape, Scott Dye indicated that the program operates entirely within JEA's territory and has not encountered significant state -level pushback. He added that the program leads with the business case rather than environmental messaging. Dan Giovannucci referenced a previous attempt by the City of Atlantic Beach to install an EV charger that remains unused, observing that the economics have likely improved since that time. Sarah Boren noted that the City had previously undergone a fleet assessment through the TPO and that a clean fuels master plan was developed, but that the business case had been difficult to make. She indicated that the City operates approximately 135 vehicles across 3.2 square miles and expressed interest in the program, particularly for non -emergency vehicles. She also highlighted the opportunity presented by the new Marsh Oaks Community Center, where parking infrastructure is currently being installed, as an ideal moment to lay EV charging infrastructure. Scott Dye's colleague confirmed that cities are eligible for the $15,000 incentive and that a site visit and infrastructure assessment would be part of the process. Following discussion, Sarah Boren moved to authorize a member to engage with appropriate city staff and explore whether a business case exists to move forward with the JEA Fleet Electrification Program. After an amendment, Christina Kelcourse agreed to take the lead on this effort. MOTION: Motion directing Christina Kelcourse to engage with appropriate city staff to assess whether a business case exists to pursue the JEA Fleet Electrification Program. Motion: Sarah Boren Second. Christina Kelcourse Motion passed 7 to 0. Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) August 12, 2026 B. Jenn Lagner - Candidate for District 1306 Chair Amy Palmer welcomed Jenn Lagner, a candidate for Seat 4 on the City Commission (District 1306), and noted that the ESC had invited all candidates not currently holding elected office to address the committee. Each candidate was allotted a total of 15 minutes, with a 5 minute Q&A. Candidate Jenn Lagner described more than 20 years of residence in Atlantic Beach and extensive community service, including participation in the original parking committee (PSR), two terms on the Community Development Board, service as secretary of the Charter Review Committee, and nine years as president of a condominium board. Professionally, she manages a facilities department in Ponte Vedra for a major golf company, holds an MBA and a Master of Human Resources Management from the University of North Florida, and maintains certifications as a certified facilities manager and a sustainability facility professional. She noted that she had helped achieve LEED Silver and Gold certification for two large buildings in Ponte Vedra. Candidate Lagner identified her key priorities as transparency and engagement, sound financial management, protection of parks and the natural environment, infrastructure investment, public safety, and responsiveness to residents. She expressed strong support for the ESC's work, stating that she believes in working with the city and finding solutions rather than clear -cutting trees, and noted that she had built her own home around existing trees. Dan Giovannucci raised the issue of the ESC's frustration with the lack of response and follow-through from the city commission on environmental recommendations, describing the situation as a "leadership vacuum" and noting that the commission's approach to environmental topics has been reactive rather than proactive. Candidate Lagner agreed, stating that what the ESC needs is a "champion" on the commission — someone willing to hold the city accountable, meet regularly with staff, and advance their work. She expressed her desire to be that champion, candidly acknowledging that she understands the discouragement of having work dismissed or ignored. Sarah Boren added that the City is due for recertification under the LEED for Cities framework and that she sees little action toward that goal. She described her concern as the lack of a holistic, long -view approach to sustainability and resilience, noting that the city tends to "piecemeal" its efforts rather than working cohesively across departments. She emphasized the importance of thinking 25 years ahead given Atlantic Beach's geographic vulnerabilities. Matt Mattila raised the example of the tree fund and urged that ESC -proposed expenditures be discussed and acted upon. Candidate Lagner affirmed the importance of continuing to advance the work of dedicated volunteers and thanked the committee for their service. 4. CHAIR REMARKS A. ESC Chairs' Informational Report 08.12.2026 Chair Amy Palmer provided several updates that had arisen since the agenda was submitted. Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) August 12, 2026 Regarding the marsh pilot project, Chair Amy Palmer reported that the city engineer had informed her of a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the St. Johns River Water Management District for $1.2 million to support the project. Sarah Boren clarified her understanding that the $1.2 million was to be split between Atlantic Beach and Nassau County, with approximately $200,000 disbursed per fiscal year over three to four fiscal years. Chair Amy Palmer acknowledged this clarification and noted that a separate grant application is also pending but has not yet been awarded. The city engineer is expected to provide a fuller update at the September ESC meeting. Regarding the biennial State of the Canopy report, Chair Amy Palmer relayed guidance from City Staff that the tree subcommittee should work as diligently as possible through the end of the year to take advantage of institutional knowledge held by members who are rolling off due to term limits. Chair Amy Palmer expressed agreement with this guidance and indicated that the tree subcommittee meeting would be a more appropriate venue for detailed discussion of the timeline. Sarah Boren noted that the tree subcommittee meeting falls after the August 19th budget workshop, creating a timing challenge for coordinating the tree fund budget proposal. Chair Amy Palmer also described her attendance at a City of Jacksonville meeting on its urban forestry management plan, where she learned of a canopy assessment tool used by COJ — the USDA's National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) — analyzed and mapped by a COJ GIS staff member. She noted that the beaches cities, including Atlantic Beach, were not included in the analysis, but that COJ staff expressed willingness to share the data and provide GIS support. Chair Amy Palmer indicated she had connected COJ staff with City of Atlantic Beach staff to pursue this. She shared several statistics from the COJ presentation, including an estimated annual benefit of $285.5 million to Jacksonville from its urban tree canopy, a canopy cover of 44 percent compared to a state average of 36 percent, and a stated preservation goal of "no net loss" for coastal communities. She also noted that COJ's tree inventory identified the crepe myrtle as the most prevalent tree, followed by Laurel Oak Dan Giovannucci expressed strong support for obtaining this data, noting that the ESC has long sought accurate and current canopy data. He suggested that the other beach municipalities — Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach — would likely welcome inclusion as well and offered to support any member who takes on the effort of pursuing a broader interlocal data -sharing arrangement. Planner Jamieson was directed to follow up with COJ to confirm the scope of data sharing Atlantic Beach is seeking, specifically the canopy data and accompanying analysis for Atlantic Beach. Sarah Boren emphasized the importance of long-term persistence in pursuing a shared data arrangement, potentially including other vendors such as Planet Geo. Dan Giovannucci offered to follow up with Commissioner Boll regarding the interlocal agreement angle. Chair Amy Palmer also shared an update on the new tree dashboard launched on the City's website, which was developed through the efforts of City staff member Ron (IT) and City Arborist Chris, with the concept originating from staff member Anastasia. Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) August 12, 2026 Planner Jamieson demonstrated the dashboard, explaining that it serves as a hub for the Trees for All program (including online applications and tree selection guidance), heritage tree designation applications, and centennial tree camp updates. The stated goal is to make the dashboard a one-stop shop for all tree -related information in Atlantic Beach, eventually incorporating tree permit transparency and educational content. B. ESC Member Sign-ups for 2026 Commission Meetings - July -December 2026 No discussion was recorded on this item. 5. COMMISSION AND/OR STAFF REPORTS A. Parks Master Plan Update & Public Meetings (September 2nd @ 2pm and 6pm) Planner Jamieson announced that public meetings for the Parks Master Plan update will be held on Wednesday, September 2nd at 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM, and encouraged ESC members to attend. She noted that ESC input on the plan would most likely be formally sought through a future ESC meeting. She explained that the Parks Master Plan and Connectivity Plan are used primarily for budgeting approximately five years out and that they inform grant applications. As an example of these plans in action, she cited the current sidewalk expansion project as a project that originated from the connectivity plan. Reference documents — including the final Parks Master Plan, a 2023 community survey for 2030 visioning, and the Connectivity Plan — were included in the packet for members' reference. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS A. Final vote on Tree Permit Report to Commission (the 3 slides plus back-up info corrected) Chair Amy Palmer acknowledged Sarah Boren's work in assembling the final presentation slide deck, noting that staff had reviewed and approved it. Sarah Boren raised a brief question about the tone of the presentation, noting that since the commission had recently passed Ordinance 128, arriving with a presentation that was critical in nature could be perceived negatively. However, she ultimately concluded that the data should stand on its own, as reporting on the permit process is the ESC's appropriate role. Chair Amy Palmer noted that the delivery by Bruce and Dan Giovannucci at the August 24th commission meeting would also contribute to the overall tone. Dan Giovannucci noted a formatting distortion on page 476 of the agenda PDF, and Chair Amy Palmer confirmed that the original PowerPoint file had been submitted separately for the presentation. Dan Giovannucci's supplemental memo regarding the tree mitigation table was briefly discussed. He explained that the memo included an updated version of the mitigation table — revised to be simpler and easier to read — incorporating language from work previously developed with city staff, and reflecting what was passed in the ordinance along with some proposed refinements. It was agreed that the tree subcommittee meeting would be the appropriate venue for further discussion of this item. Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) August 12, 2026 MOTION. To APPROVE the ESC Semiannual Review Presentation to Commission. Motion: Amy Franqui Second: Matthew Mattila Motion passed 7 to 0. B. Final vote on Tree Fund Budget Chair Amy Palmer addressed questions regarding the tree fund budget. She asked Planner Jamieson for additional updates. Planner Jamieson relayed that Amanda Askew recently circulated a preliminary draft spending plan to the City Manager. She read a subsequent email that stated the draft spending budget "closely resembles the ESC proposed budget". Planner Jamieson was unsure if this plan will be introduced at the August 19th budget workshop. Sarah Boren noted the timing challenge, as the tree subcommittee meeting falls after the workshop. Planner Jamieson confirmed that staff has been actively working on the budget proposal and that it will heavily focus on tree plantings and watering, with an effort also being made to include data/inventory funding. She indicated that the ESC should be pleased with the result. Chair Amy Palmer expressed some concern about not having been more directly informed that a staff -prepared budget would be put forward, as the ESC had understood its own budget proposal would be submitted to the commission. Sarah Boren noted that two commissioners — Commissioner Bowle and Commissioner Grant — had expressed interest at a prior commission meeting, with Commissioner Bull asking whether the tree fund balance was earning interest, and Commissioner Grant observing that the large fund balance reflects both the volume of tree losses and the lack of spending to date. Chair Amy Palmer indicated she hoped the ESC -proposed budget, or something closely aligned with it, would be introduced soon, and suggested that if it was not resolved before the next commission meeting, the next tree subcommittee should include a transparency update. Planner Jamieson reiterated her confidence that the ESC would be satisfied with what staff presents. 7. OLD BUSINESS A. Minecraft Extension Activities Christina Kelcourse reported that, as of the prior day, no video submissions had been received for the Minecraft contest, despite outreach having been sent to Atlantic Beach Elementary, Newport Middle School, Seaside, and Mayport Elementary. The contest deadline has been extended to September 10th. She confirmed that all links are functional and that the flyers have been updated with the new date. Several suggestions were offered to improve traction. Sarah Boren suggested sharing links to prior winning entries as examples. Christina Kelcourse proposed organizing a virtual or in-person walkthrough to help parents and students understand how to access the educational version of Minecraft, which differs slightly from the consumer version. Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) August 12, 2026 She also suggested posting the contest on the City's website and sending an updated reminder noting the extended deadline. Chair Amy Palmer noted that school had just begun and that parents may currently be overwhelmed, suggesting that participation could pick up over the coming weeks. B. Environmental Awards Chair Amy Palmer shared an update from staff member Anastasia, who had met with Lisa Goodrich from ARC regarding jointly presenting the environmental awards. Sarah Boren noted that she believes Lisa Goodrich may no longer be with ARC, though the meeting had apparently taken place. The discussion indicated that the awards event may be connected to the opening of the Marsh Oaks Community Center, with Anastasia suggesting that the final centennial tree planting could occur at Marsh Oaks as part of the ceremony, and that having the community center available would provide shelter in case of rain. Sarah Boren indicated that the nominations are ready to be deployed but that a deadline needs to be set and a distribution channel determined. She also raised the practical concern that holding an event at the community center, rather than a restaurant, will require bringing in food at additional cost, for which there is currently no budget. Chair Amy Palmer agreed to coordinate with Anastasia on next steps, including the possibility of a soft launch of nominations while event details remain to be finalized. It was suggested that October could be a potential target, though no date was formally set. Chair Amy Palmer committed to raising the budget question with staff. 8. NEW BUSINESS A. Beach Gazette/Beach Buzz Chair Amy Palmer introduced the idea of partnering with the new nonprofit beaches newspaper, The Beach Gazette, to publish an environmental column. She noted that a similar column had previously run in the former Beaches Leader, and that through a former ESC member, Dawn Scott, she had been contacted by the editor of the Beaches Gazette, who expressed strong interest in environmental content. Chair Amy Palmer stated she would be willing to lead this effort and noted that a family member with an award-winning journalism background would be willing to assist with writing. Sarah Boren raised concern about content being published under the ESC banner, noting that as the voice of the city, any ESC -attributed content would require formal approval, potentially slowing down publication. She suggested an alternative approach in which an individual member, such as Matt Mattila, could write independently — drawing on information from the ESC but under their own byline — reducing bureaucratic friction while still advancing environmental literacy. Dan Giovannucci expressed support for this approach, praising Matt Mattila's qualifications and suggesting that former members rolling off, including Amy Franqui and Sarah Boren, could assist or be interviewed as sources. Matt Mattila expressed some reluctance about the slowness of city response processes but affirmed support for having a community voice on environmental matters. Amy Franqui noted she had independently considered proposing a Master Gardener Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) August 12, 2026 volunteer contribution to local publications and expressed general support for the concept. Following discussion, Dan Giovannucci moved that the ESC endorse greater environmental transparency and community education via the Beaches Gazette, in whatever form the city sees appropriate. MOTION. To endorse pursuing greater transparency of the environmental agenda via the Beaches Gazette in whatever form the city deems appropriate. Motion: Daniele Giovannucci Second. Sarah Boren Motion passed 7 to 0. Chair Amy Palmer committed to following up with City Manager Amanda and City Manager Kevin to explore the concept further. B. FY2027 Programing proposal - Kim Lamb Chair Amy Palmer noted that an individual had reached out regarding potential programming ideas, including forest bathing, and that she had asked this person to submit a written summary of her background and proposal for inclusion in the next agenda. Chair Amy Palmer used this as an opportunity to flag the need to begin planning the 2027 programming calendar — including decisions about whether to repeat the film series, establish a quarterly speaker series, and schedule outreach events such as Trick or Trees — and indicated she hoped the committee could begin that planning discussion in the September–October timeframe. 9. 90 DAY CALENDAR A. Motion Tracker and Life Cycle of a Motion Matt Mattila provided a brief update, reporting that he had reached out to Director Askew regarding the motion tracker to understand how staff was currently capturing and processing ESC motions. He noted that staff has a simpler version of a tracker and that the next step would be to identify where bottlenecks are occurring in the life cycle of a motion. He indicated he had begun populating the ESC's tracker and would continue building on it. He suggested the item be placed on the next agenda for continued development. B. Trick or Trees (October) Todd Miner noted he had limited updates to report, having recently returned, but committed to connecting with Director Askew to determine the current status of planning and what remains to be done. Planner Jamieson confirmed that no date had yet been set for the event and that a date is needed before trees can be ordered. Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) August 12, 2026 Discussion turned to the event date. Dan Giovannucci recalled that a date of October 25th had previously been agreed upon, and Todd Miner did not dispute this recollection. Chair Amy Palmer confirmed she had not had that recorded and thanked the group. Sarah Boren offered a summary of lessons learned from prior events: offering multiple tree species has been well received; 7 -gallon containers show better than 3 -gallon and fit acceptably in vehicles; approximately 150 trees has been a workable quantity; the RSVP and pre -selection form system developed by Amy Franqui has made distribution significantly smoother; and a QR code with pre -registration should be replicated. She noted that with Arbor Day no longer being held separately, demand may be higher and the event is likely to sell out. She also shared that Director Askew had indicated a sourcing lead time of three to six weeks is needed, with six weeks or more preferred for harder -to -find species. Regarding species selection, Chair Amy Palmer noted that staff member Chris had been asked to look into coastal oaks as a potential option, and that the matter of species and quantity remains to be finalized by Todd Miner in coordination with Director Askew. C. October Speaker Series date change Amy Franqui reported that the speaker series, currently scheduled for October 2nd, conflicts with her travel plans, and that she had reached out to Director Askew to request a date change. She proposed either October 8th or October 15th at 6:00 PM as alternatives. Planner Jamieson noted she would follow up on room availability. D. ESC Candidate Ranking Motion Sarah Boren presented a motion recommending that the Board Member Review Committee (BMRC) consider and adopt two best practices for ESC candidate selection: a formal candidate scoring process and a proactive nomination process to be initiated before anticipated vacancies occur. She noted that she had informally spoken with two BMRC members who expressed genuine interest in the proposal. Discussion included a suggestion from Amy Franqui that criterion 1.D., referencing demographic perspectives including age, could be misinterpreted or raise discrimination concerns, even though the intent was to encourage diversity of perspective reflective of the community's population. Sarah Boren clarified the intent — referencing the LEED for Cities criterion on board diversity and Atlantic Beach's prior experience falling short on that measure — but acknowledged the concern. Todd Miner suggested that the Likert scale used in the scoring should include clear descriptions of what each numeric value means, rather than only defining the endpoints. He also agreed that criterion I.D. could be a trigger issue. Following discussion, it was agreed to pass the motion with amendments: criterion I.D. would be removed, and Likert scale descriptions would be added to clarify scoring for each criterion. Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) August 12, 2026 MOTION: That the ESC recommends the Board Member Review Committee consider and adopt the following two best practices for ESC candidates: a formal candidate scoring process and a proactive nomination process before anticipated seats become available. Motion: Sarah Boren Second. AmY Franqui Motion passed 7 to 0. MOTION. To pass the ESC Candidate Ranking recommendation with the discussed amendments - specifically, the removal of criterion I.D. and the addition of Likert scale descriptions for each scoring criterion. Motion: Todd Miner Second. Amy Palmer Motion passed 7 to 0. E. Discussion - Organizational Excellence Given the time, Chair Amy Palmer moved to defer item 9.E. to the next meeting as an unfinished business item, with adequate time built in for discussion. The committee concurred. 10. ESC MEMBER REPORTS, REQUEST AND/OR CLOSING REMARKS A. Review Submitted Lead Summaries & Discuss Next Steps Sarah Boren noted that the "Kiss the Ground" film screening is scheduled for August 27th at 6:00 PM. She also shared that the region remains in Tier 3 drought conditions despite recent rainfall. B. LEADs - Updates, Questions & Next Steps Sarah Boren raised an action item, proposing that ESC members assist City Arborist Chris Delk in researching local tree companies willing and equipped to relocate trees, as Chris has been having difficulty identifying qualifying vendors. She offered to prepare a list of questions for members to ask and suggested that members each take on three companies, with the goal of creating a directory. Chair Amy Palmer noted that the Leaf and Limb newsletter — published by a tree company based in Raleigh, North Carolina, that operates as a "no -kill" tree company — might be a useful resource or referral for tree relocation expertise. C. Member Closing Remarks No additional closing remarks were recorded. 11. RECAP OF DECISIONS, ACTION ITEMS AND NEXT STEPS No formal recap discussion was recorded beyond the items addressed throughout the meeting. Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) August 12, 2026 12. Attest: ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:12 p.m. Aman a Askew, Neighborhoods Director Amy Palmer, ESC Chair Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) August 12, 2026