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07-13-22 ESC Adopted MinutesMINUTES Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) Meeting,.. Wednesday, July 13, 2022 - 6:00 PM Commission Chamber Present: Amy Palmer, At -Large Member, ESC Linda Chipperfield, At -Large Member, ESC Mark Gabrynowicz, ESC Chair, District 1307 Member Daniele Giovannucci, Vice Chair, At -Large Member, ESC Romy Vann, At -Large Member, ESC Barbie Brooksher, District 1312 Member, ESC Bruce Andrews, District 1308 Member, ESC Anastasia Houston, At -Large Member, ESC Absent: Christopher McHan, At -Large Member, ESC Sarah Boren, District 1306 Member, ESC Patrick Nobles, At -Large Member, ESC Also Present: Amanda Askew, Director of Planning and Community Development 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Mark Gabrynowicz called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. Linda Chipperfield called the roll. Linda Chipperfield attended via Zoom. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Approve minutes of the June 8th regular Environmental Stewardship Committee meeting. MOTION: to approve of the June 8, 2022 meeting minutes. Motion: Daniele Giovannucci Second: Barbie Brooksher Amy Palmer For Mark Gabrynowicz For Daniele Giovannucci (Moved By) For Romy Vann For Barbie Brooksher (Seconded By) For Bruce Andrews For Anastasia Houston For Motion passed 7 to 0. Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) July 13, 2022 Page 1 of 6 3. COURTESY OF THE FLOOR (5 MINS.) A. Troy Stephens, Director of Public Utilities Troy Stephens spoke about citizen concerns regarding the smell of city water and the recently published water quality report. Committee members asked questions and discussion ensued. 4. CHAIR REPORTS A. EPA Mark Gabrynowicz gave an overview of the Supreme Court decision in West Virginia v. EPA. 5. OLD BUSINESS A. Plan -it Geo Amanda Askew said that finance is writing and RFP for the tree canopy assessment which will be competed before the end of the budget year. Romy Vann reviewed the information provided by the City of Jacksonville regarding Plan -it Geo. Members discussed creating a work group to review the information generated from the canopy analysis. Mark Gabrynowicz suggested giving this to the Tree Subcommittee. Amanda Askew proposed working with Romy Vann on any projects that are generated. Romy Vann agreed and said it could first go to the Tree Subcommittee for ideas then be handed over to her and Amanda Askew to work on. Members were in support. B. AB Chemical Management Plan Mark Gabrynowicz said he was overwhelmed by comments from committee members. He said is is going to continue drafting the plan and encouraged members to submit their comments to Amanda Askew. C. AB Verified Tree Service Provider • Amanda Askew reported that the online portion is live. Linda Chipperfield said she has sent minor edits to Kevin Hogancamp and the next step will be the outreach subcommittee reaching out to tree service companies to take the test. 6. REPORTS A. LEED subcommittee • Barbie Brooksher addressed the PowerPoint created by the ESC's intern about the Community Action Plan and said the purpose of the PowerPoint was to get the community involved. • Mark Gabrynowicz said he volunteered to work on a document connecting the Comprehensive Plan and Community Action Plan. He encouraged committee Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) July 13, 2022 Page 2 of 6 members to read the Comprehensive Plan. He stated the goal is to get the plan to Commission in October. B. Outreach subcommittee • Barbie Brooksher spoke about purchasing "ESC" branded tents and chair to have at events. She said they would have to decide where these will be stored and a budget of $2,000.00 would cover all the items. MOTION: to spend money to purchase "ESC" branded outdoor venue Motion: Mark Gabrynowicz Second. Anastasia Houston • Anastasia Houston emphasized that ESC needs a brand that encompasses all of the groups work. She reiterated Chris McHann's point of having a brand or logo that incorporates the "AB Loves Trees" logo and the other areas of work. • Amy Palmer stated there are funds that the committee has not spent for the current budget year. Amanda Askew confirmed there is money in the current budget year that must be spent by September. She said she has already submitted the budget for 2022-2023 but it has not been reviewed by commission. • Bruce Andrews suggested using the ESC Banner rather than paying for a branded tent. Daniele Giovannucci supported this idea. Amy Palmer For Mark Gabrynowicz (Moved By) For Daniele Giovannucci For Romy Vann For Barbie Brooksher For Bruce Andrews For Anastasia Houston (Seconded By) For Motion passed 7 to 0. • Barbie Brooksher reviewed the content calendar. She asked for feedback. Mark Gabrynowicz asked members to send comments to Amanda Askew. • Mark Gabrynowicz reviewed the progress of the monarch butterfly pledge and the work the subcommittee has done with Candace Barone who said the other beach cities have not taken the Monarch Pledge. MOTION: to recommend the Mayor encourage Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach to take the Monarch Pledge. Motion: Daniele Giovannucci Second. Bruce Andrews Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) July 13, 2022 Page 3 of 6 7. Amy Palmer For Mark Gabrynowicz For Daniele Giovannucci (Moved By) For Romy Vann For Barbie Brooksher For Bruce Andrews (Seconded By) For Anastasia Houston For Motion passed 7 to 0. • Romy Vann recommended making a social media post to inform people on the negative environmental impacts of fireworks. Members were in support of a post. C. Tree subcommittee • Bruce Andrews gave the Tree Subcommittee report. He spoke about the special magistrate case for tree removal at 342 19th Street and the shade meeting held by City Commission. He reported that the subcommittee discussed taking a position against entering a settlement. MOTION. to recommend to the City Commission to not approve settlement negotiation with 342 19th Street that allows a reduction in required mitigation for unapproved tree removal, to uphold the Special Magistrate's ruling, and to pursue litigation. Any settlement would set a bad president relative to the future use of arborist and landscape architect letters to bypass City Ordnance. Motion: Bruce Andrews Second. Daniele Giovannucci Amy Palmer For Mark Gabrynowicz For Daniele Giovannucci (Seconded By) For Romy Vann For Barbie Brooksher For Bruce Andrews (Moved By) For Anastasia Houston For Motion passed 7 to 0. • Bruce Andrews said the appeal from 2431 Fiddlers Lane is still ongoing. He also reported that the Selva Preserve walking path is complete. MAYOR AND OR STAFF REPORTS Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) July 13, 2022 Page 4 of 6 A. Smoking ban in parks/beaches • Amanda Askew reviewed the bill passed allowing municipalities to ban smoking in parks and on beaches. She stated the Mayor is asking ECS to make a recommendation on a potential ban on smoking in outdoor public places. • Mark Gabrynowicz expressed he would recommend banning smoking in all public places. Anastasia Houston expressed her concerns about enforcing, but said she is in support of the proposed recommendation as it states the City is opposed to smoking. • Barbie Brooksher asked where people would be allowed to smoke. Amanda clarified that the bill only pertains to public beaches and public parks and people could still smoke on city right-of-way. Discussion ensued. • Bruce Andrews and Barbie Brooksher were not in support of the proposed recommendation. Bruce Andrews suggested members take time to think about the subject before voting. B. Heritage tree nomination at Bull Park • Bruce Andrews reported Mayor Glasser nominated a tree in Bull Park as a heritage trees and name it the "Merry Tree" as a nod to Carson Merry -Baillie who founded the Atlantic Beach Experimental Theater. Mark Gabrynowicz said the tree will be designated closer to arbor day. C. Principal Planner and Environmental Coordinator Promotion for Brian Broedell • Amanda Askew reported that Brian Broedell's was promoted to Principal Planner and Environmental Coordinator and his new responsibilities include looking at sustainability and resiliency. 8. NEW BUSINESS A. Bruce Andrews- Atlantic Boulevard Beautifiaction Bruce Andrews encouraged members to look at the median maintenance along Atlantic Boulevard and provide feedback to the city. B. Amy Palmer- Palm Relocation and On-site Water Retention • Amy Palmer spoke about the research she had done regarding palm relocation. Mark Gabrynowicz suggested taking the topic to the tree subcommittee meeting. • Amy Palmer also spoke about how on-site water retention limits new tree planting for properties with new construction. Daniele Giovannucci asked that this topic be added to the agenda for discussion. Bruce Andrews suggested inviting staff to the discussion. 9. ADJOURNMENT There being no further discussion, Mark Gabrynowicz declared the meeting adjourned at 8:07 p.m. Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) .lull 13,2022 Page 5 of 6 Attest: Amanda Askew Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) July 13, 2022 Page 6 of 6