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City of Atlantic Beach Tree Conservation Board
Regular Meeting Minutes
February 26, 2008
A regular meeting of the City of Atlantic Tree Conservation Board was convened at 7:05 pm on
Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at the City Hall North Conference Room, located at 800 Seminole Road
in Atlantic Beach. In attendance were Board Members Stephanie Catania, Maureen Shaughnessy,
Carole Varney and Staff Planner/TPO Administrator Erika Hall. Jim McCue and Brea Paul were absent
from the meeting. The position of Recording Secretary was vacant.
I. CALL TO ORDER
• Chair Maureen Shaughnessy called the meeting to order at 7:05 pm.
II. RECOGNITION OF VISITORS
• There were no visitors present in the audience.
III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
MOTION: Carole Varney moved to adopt the minutes of the
January 23, 2008 regular meeting, as written. Stephanie Catania
offered a second, and with no further discussion, the vote was
unanimous.
IV. OLD BUSINESS
• There was no old business up for consideration.
V. NEW BUSINESS
• There was no new business up for consideration.
VI. REPORTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
a. Unlicensed/Uninsured Tree Service Providers
Ms. Hall told the Board that on February 14th, the City received a
report of door-to-door solicitation for tree-related services by someone
presenting himself as "the" Tree Inspector for the City of Atlantic
Beach. Services offered included chemical treatments for pests &
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Minutes of the February 26, 2008 Regular Meeting of the Tree Conservation Board
infestations that were not even native to the trees in question, with
prices quoted around $1000.00. Ms. Hall said that this turned out to
be the same person who was reported around this time last year. The
solicitor, a resident of Atlantic Beach, has neither an Atlantic Beach
Business Tax Receipt (required to operate a business within the City),
nor a Florida Department of Agriculture license or certification to apply
the chemicals that were purportedly used last year, and possibly to be
used this year.
Luckily, this year, the citizen contacted staff before approving services.
Ms. Hall was able to report the incident to the Public Safety
Department, and an officer was able to apprehend the suspect in the
vicinity of the resident's home the next day. He has been charged
with DUI and driving with a suspended license, and other charges are
pending.
Ms. Hall said that she drafted a notice warning residents to be cautious
of such solicitations, and to always verify licensing and insurance
before hiring tree service providers. She said that she forwarded this
notice to the City Clerk's office for posting to the "News & Information"
section that appears on the front page of the City website, but it has
not yet appeared.
b. Johansen Park Tree Removals
Ms. Hall reported that on February 19th, Public Works forwarded
information regarding possible removal of trees in Johansen Park by a
resident of an adjacent private property. Originally, Ms. Hall was told
that the owner of 1730 Park Terrace East had removed numerous
trees from his own back yard, as well as several from the neighboring
park and at least one or two from the right-of-way. However, there
had not been a clear determination of property line and ownership of
the trees removed. At last report from Public Works, it appeared that,
with the exception of the right-of-way trees, all others were on private
property.
Ms. Hall said that it was her understanding that the private property
owner had been told to document the removed trees on a survey and
bring it to Ms. Hall to discuss whether or not a tree removal permit
would be needed. Further, Ms. Hall said that she would have to
monitor permits issued by the Building Department to ensure than
none valued over $10,000.00 were issued for the property within the
next six (6) months, lest mitigation be assessed for any protected
trees that were removed.
c. Stocks Street Development/Mitigation
Ms. Hall reported that Larry Newkirk Sr., new owner of the Stocks
Street townhouse project, formerly owned by R/E Investors, has
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Minutes of the February 26, 2008 Regular Meeting of the Tree Conservation Board
completed work on the stormwater system and is now in the process
of landscaping and installing mitigation trees. She said that Mr.
Newkirk was supplied with information regarding the mitigation
requirements from the original tree permits. However, because the
final dimensions of the drainage swale were much greater than
originally anticipated, it appears that the remaining land will not
adequately accommodate the required 47+ inches. Ms. Shaughnessy
agreed and described the swale as built to the members of the board,
explaining that the ditch occupied practically the entire back yard for
all of these units.
Ms. Hall said that she asked City Beautification Chief Alex Hawkins to
meet Mr. Newkirk and make an assessment as to how he could best
accomplish his required mitigation. After visiting the property and
talking to Mr. Newkirk, Mr. Hawkins reported back to Ms. Hall that he
recommended 2-4" Live Oaks, and 4-10" Sable Palms, due to the lack
of space to accommodate extensive root systems. Thus, due to the
numerous unforeseen, extenuating circumstances related to this
project, Ms. Hall approved Mr. Newkirk to go with Mr. Hawkins
recommendations, and she said that Mr. Newkirk hopes to have the
trees in place within the next few weeks.
VII. ADJOURNMENT
MOTION: Carole Varney moved to adjourn, Stephanie Catania
offered a second and the meeting was adjourned by Chair
Maureen Shaughnessy at 7:45 pm.
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SIGNED: Maureen Shaugh ,Chair Date
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ATTEST: Erika Ha I, Staff Planner/TPO Administrator
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