06-05-95 v TREE CONSERVATION BOARD
Minutes of June 5 , 1995
The Board held its regular meeting on Monday, June 5 , in the
Commission Chambers. Present were:
Hope Van Nortwick, Chairman Jim Pelkey
Rick Beaver
Staff: George Worley, Designee Carl Walker, Coordinator
The meeting was called to order at 7 : 30 PM by Hope Van Nort-
wick, Chairman, in the City Commission Chambers, after it was
determined that a quorum was present.
The first item of business was Board review and consideration
for an Ordinance violation at Lot # 24 , Sevilla Gardens ( see
attached letter of May 16 to Mr. M. A. Belto from George
Worley) . Mr. and Mrs. Belto, owners of the property, were
present and Mr. Belto outlined the circumstances which led to
the removal of the trees without first making application.
He stated that the lot was purchased by them in June of 1994
and although there were no immediate plans for construction,
he anticipated that within a year, building plans would be
submitted.
The Beltos, residents of Ponte Vedra Beach, were not aware
that a tree removal permit was required in out City. Mr.
Belto advised that a total of five ( 5 ) pine trees had been
removed by he and Mrs. Belto and of those, only two ( 2 ) were
6" DBH or more and would be protected under the ordinance.
The sizes were confirmed by Board members who had visited the
property and were estimated to be 6" and 8" DBH respectively.
After discussion among the Board members, a motion was made
by Rick Beaver to defer any action on the incident until such
time as the building plans/tree removal application had been
presented for that lot. Hope Van Nortwick seconded and the
motion carried unanimously. It was explained to the Beltos
that the two trees removed would be taken into consideration
when the application for removal of additional trees was pre-
esented. It was also pointed out that if the lot was sold by
the present owners, the trees removed without a permit would
still be taken into account when construction was to take
place and a tree removal application was filed.
Under old business , the progress , to date , of the appointed
Committee to review the Tree ordinance was discussed. Hope
Van Nortwick advised that the Committee consisted of five ( 5 )
members , chaired by John Meserve , and that regular meetings
were held each Thursday morning at 7 : 00 AM .
John Meserve spoke on the progress made thus far by the Com-
mittee and on specifics of the ordinance which were being
addressed by them. In addition to questions presented by
the Board , comments were made by visitors Curtis Sanders and
Dorothy Kerber.
George advised that the City Attorney, Alan Jensen, had been
in touch with Safa Mansouri of Tiffany by the Sea regarding
their failure to comply with the contractual terms for tree
replacement on that property. Mr. Jensen will be back in
contact with George or Hope as to further handling .
Rick Beaver again brought up the re-occurring problem with
failure to comply with ordinance requirements for barrica-
ding of trees to be saved on construction sites . This issue
has been discussed at the past several Board meetings . Rick
stated that he was unable to locate any location where bar-
ricades are in place. During Board discussion, it was agreed
that the situation remains unresolved as enforcement of this
type of violation is not explicit as to staff responsibility.
Hope advised that she would write a letter to the City out-
lining the situation, requesting that a solution be deter-
mined .
George Worley advised that the dune cross-over at 16th Street
was presently under construction.
Rick Beaver moved to accept the minutes of the last meeting ,
as written. Hope Van Nortwick seconded and the motion passed
unanimously.
There was no further business and the meeting was adjourned
at 8 : 45 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Pelkey /
Secretary
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. CITY OF
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800 SEMINOLE ROAD
4/), __ _ - ATLANTIC BEACH,FLORIDA 32233-5445
TELEPHONE(904)247-5800
• 4 FAX(904)247-5805
May 16, 1995
Mr. M. A. Belto
700 Ironwood Drive, Apt. 714
Ponte Vedra Beach,FL 32082
Dear Mr. Belto, •
I am the staff representative for the Tree Conservation Board in Atlantic Beach. I
am writing in response to the situation which developed on your lot 24, Sevilla Gardens,
Unit II, with the removal of a number of trees without the required permits. I am sure that
you are now aware that permits are required to remove trees that are 6 inches or more in
diameter. The normal process to obtain such permits is to apply to the Tree Conservation
Board which will review your application and either grant permission or deny it.
In cases were violations of the permit requirements occur,the Tree Board can refer
the matter to the Code Enforcement Board which can levy fines, or it can meet with the
property owner and determine a number of replacement trees to be replanted on the lot to
restore at least a portion of the trees which were removed. In an effort to allow you to
meet with and discuss the situation in a less formal atmosphere,I have placed you on the
agenda of the next regularly scheduled Tree Conservation Board meeting. That meeting
will take place at City Hall on June 5, 1995 at 7:30 P.M. It is very important that you
attend this meeting. If you cannot attend on that night,please contact me immediately to
schedule another time.
If you have any questions or comments regarding this issue,please do not hesitate
to contact me by telephone at 247-5826, or by mail at City Hall. Thank you for your
cooperation in resolving this matter.
Sincerely,
7$
George WorYey,II
Community Development Director,
Tree Conservation Board Designee
cc: Tree Conservation Board Members
City Attorney