Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) - 22 Jan 2020 - Agenda - PdfCity of Atlantic Beach
Agenda
Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC)
Meeting
Wednesday, January 22, 2020 - 6:00 p.m.
Commission Chamber
City Hall, 800 Seminole Road
Page(s)
1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
3. COURTESY OF THE FLOOR (5 MINS.)
4. REPORTS
5. OLD BUSINESS
6. NEW BUSINESS
6.A. 2020 Priority Setting 3 - 4
Memo ESC 2020 priorities
7. ADJOURNMENT
Any person wishing to speak to the Environmental Stewardship Committee on any matter at this
meeting should submit a Comment Card located at the entrance to Commission Chamber prior to the
start of the meeting. Please Note: This meeting will be videotaped. To view the meeting video,
contact the City Clerk's Office at (904) 247-5810 or send a request by email to Lori Diaz at
Idiaz@coab.us.
In accordance with the American with Disabilities Act and Section 286.26 of the Florida Statutes,
persons with disabilities needing special accommodations to participate in this meeting should contact
City Clerk Donna Bartle at 247-5809 or at City Hall, 800 Seminole Road, Atlantic Beach, Florida not less
than three (3) days prior to the date of this meeting.
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Memorandum
To: Environmental Stewardship Committee
From: Amanda L Askew, AICP
Date: January 22, 2020
Re: Homework for the 2020 Priority Setting meeting
Agenda Item #6.A.
22 Jan 2020
City of Atlantic Beach
Community Development Dept.
800 Seminole Road
Atlantic Beach, Florida 32233
Telephone (904) 247-5826
www.coab.us
Below is the information that was sent out in an email last week in preparation for tonight's meeting
Dear ESC Committee Members,
I am looking forward to our meeting this week to determine priorities for our work in 2020. We will meet
in the Commission Chambers from 6:00 to 8:00 on Wednesday, January 22.
I've asked Linda Lanier to join us to facilitate our priority setting work as she did when the original ESC
was forming. You may know Linda as a member of our Community Development Board and she has
also facilitated priority setting workshops for the Commission over the last three years. She will use a
similar group process with your committee.
I know your time is valuable, so Linda says that we keep our workshop time to two hours if you are
willing to do some pre -meeting work. Please review the following five priorities that are cited in the
establishing ordinance for the Environmental Services Committee.
(1) Maritime forest:
a. Clarifying and strengthening the city's processes and all tree and landscape related city codes
and ordinances;
b. Monitoring the appropriate administration and enforcement of the city's ordinances;
c. Promoting transparency through online access to relevant information;
d. Developing and maintaining environmental education and outreach programs about the
maritime forest and relevant codes;
e. Promoting appropriate planting and care of trees on private property to owners, developers,
builders, and tree/landscape service contractors;
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Agenda Item #6.A.
22 Jan 2020
f. Developing and maintaining a long-term tree plan that includes an assessment of the tree
canopy, projecting future needs, and developing a calendar and budget for tree planting in parks,
public spaces and along streets and right-of-ways;
g. Promoting tree canopy advocacy including upholding the city's status as a bona fide "Tree City
USA";
h. Developing a process for systematic, review of the city's enforcement of the existing tree
codes, including the long-term health of trees planted for mitigation; and
i. Developing and maintaining a process for citizens to communicate possible violations to the
city.
(2) Parks and open spaces:
a. Developing and maintaining a long-range plan to protect, improve and beautify park spaces;
b. Improving access to and amenities for parks including disability accommodations, bike paths,
parking, signage and other user friendly features;
c. Expanding the city's inventory of parks and conservation land through acquisition or other
means; and
d. Maintaining a web -based, publicly accessible inventory of parks including their history,
archeological value, rules of use, deed restrictions and conservation easements.
(3) Beautification of public and private spaces:
a. Enhancing public spaces, including public rights-of-way, roadsides, city buildings, beach
accesses and other publicly held properties with art, carefully maintained landscape design and
plantings;
b. Incentivizing and advocating for beautification of private and commercial spaces;
c. Reducing the number and appearance of degraded or blighted properties; and
d. Developing a design theme/community branding for signage, bus shelters, lighting and other
elements of the built environment.
(4) Environmental stewardship:
a. Utilizing best practices, including a science based approach, when making any decision about
development and its impact on our environment;
b. Protecting the beach, dunes, marshlands and wetlands as critical defenses in hurricane, erosion
and flooding conditions;
c. Communicating the dynamics of tidal drainage and floodplain with the goal of preserving the
city's flood management system;
d. Reviewing the city's environmental codes and ensuring enforcement of rules including, but not
limited to, dumping, septic tanks and commercial pollution; and
e. Reviewing, updating and maintaining the Marsh Master Plan for adherence to current research
about sea level change and wetlands preservation.
For each priority, list one or more goals that you think the ESC should — and can — accomplish during
2020. Bring this list with. Remember that your focus should be strategic, achievable and focused on the
stated purpose of the ESC.
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