20180808 Environmental Stewardship Committee LEED for Cities Tree Protection & Budget
August 8, 2018 Environmental Stewardship Committee Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 6
MINUTES OF
CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE MEETING
AUGUST 8, 2018
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:
Judith Leroux, Chair
Dawn Scott, Secretary
Linda Chipperfield
Sarah Boren
Sarah Dark
Steve Kallao
Chip Drysdale
STAFF:
Shane Corbin, Director of Planning and Community Development
Brian Broedell, Planner
Derek Reeves, Planner
Jennifer Johnston, Building Department
OTHERS:
Wendy Harvey
Anne Marie Moquin
1. Call to order.
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. in the Commission Chambers by J. Leroux.
2. Approval of minutes.
The minutes were approved unanimously.
3. Courtesy of the floor.
Wendy Harvey thanked the committee for responding to her email and she feels like she
understands the tree ordinance better. She said she understands that the tree on Park
Terrace may not be able to be saved and it should be harder to replace trees; wants to seek a
way to change ordinance to protect trees and look at them before they are removed
C. Drysdale thanked W. Hardy for addressing the committee and stated the tree ordinance
workshop is upcoming, if she would like to get involved.
4. Beaches Go Green presentation by Anne Marie Moquin.
Anne Marie Moquin stated she founded the Beaches Go Green organization to address ocean
pollution in the Beaches area. She said she was surprised that the Beaches Town Center was
not involved more with recycling. She stated the goal of Beaches Go Green is to bring
education through movie series and visiting local schools. Through Beaches Town Center
August 8, 2018 Environmental Stewardship Committee Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 6
Agency and Beaches Go Green, the goal is to make all events that come through Town Center
to become greener. She said that at a minimum, Beaches Go Green would offer event day
recycling. The organization would like to establish program for commercial recycling, and
pursue commercial composting as a long-term goal. She has spoken to Ann Arbor, Michigan,
who has a very robust recycling program, and they would be willing to help. Beaches Go
Green wants to recognize businesses, owners, and others who use green practices by posting
a logo in their business. Beaches Go Green would like to host a film series event, with a
documentary-type film and discussion panel afterward.
S. Boren said the film is powerful and the plan is to screen the film at Southern Grounds or
Adele Grage Center, and is partnered with USGBC for Green Movies that Matter, and the
Committee can partner with the organizations for the screening.
J. Leroux asked the Committee if they were interested in partnering with Beaches Go Green.
A.M. Moquin also discussed recycling, and that the only viable recycling products are paper,
cardboard, and metal. The City is currently paying to recycle waste by weight, and that waste
is not getting recycled. Of all plastic made, only 9% has been recycled, and most are single-
use plastics. Education will need to be done to change recycling habits to exclude plastic and
glass.
C. Drysdale stated that the relationship with Beaches Go Green can be established and
actionable items can be decided on at a later time.
S. Boren stated that film series is ready to roll out, and partnering with Beaches Go Green will
help the Committee reach visibility and awareness goals.
S. Dark asked where film screening location will be, A.M. Moquin stated that 200 1st Street has
been considered.
S. Boren stated that the series can be held in multiple locations.
C. Drysdale stated Atlantic Beach Elementary would be a potential venue.
A.M. Moquin stated that as a citizen, she did not realize there was an Environmental
Stewardship Committee and suggested the Committee partner with more organizations to give
people the opportunity to get involved.
J. Leroux said the Committee would like to work with Beaches Go Green and asked A.M.
Moquin to report back to the Committee.
5. Tree subcommittee report by C. Drysdale, call for members.
C. Drysdale stated the Subcommittee had not had many quorums and that needed to be
addressed and thanked staff and Committee members for their work. He stated that the
Subcommittee meetings were originally held on different days than the ESC meetings, and
asked if Subcommittee meetings could be held at 5 PM prior to ESC meetings.
S. Dark stated she will take a leave of absence in October but does not plan to leave the
Subcommittee.
C. Drysdale also said that the Subcommittee would like to look at the possibility of licensing
tree companies to work in the City, which will be addressed during new business discussion.
S. Dark stated that City staff is executing the ordinance as written, but the ordinance needs to
be strengthened.
C. Drysdale asked if he could make the motion to move Subcommittee meetings to 5 PM, and
asked S. Corbin if there was proper notice.
S. Dark stated that the Subcommittee was only to meet if there was business for the
Subcommittee.
August 8, 2018 Environmental Stewardship Committee Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 6
J. Leroux said the ordinance states that the Subcommittee must establish a regular meeting
schedule.
C. Drysdale stated he has no issues meeting at 5 PM, but was concerned about citizens
coming for meetings that would be cancelled and also did not want to interrupt ESC meetings.
S. Boren asked if the suggestion box idea email had been employed to allay C. Drysdale’s
fears about meeting notices.
B. Andrews stated he thought the Subcommittee was only to address the tree removal process
and other issues outside that scope would be for the ESC.
J. Leroux asked S. Dark to create verbiage to let public know what is the scope of the
Subcommittee.
S. Dark stated 5 PM would be difficult to make, and asked if 5:30 PM would be doable, and C.
Drysdale agreed.
C. Drysdale made a motion to make the Subcommittee meeting time 5:30 PM.
J. Leroux stated the ESC could revisit the meeting time if it does not work for the
Subcommittee.
6. Arbor Day Event January 18, 2019 – call for volunteers for even subcommittee and
preliminary event discussion.
J. Leroux stated that City Commission made proclamation that the City’s Arbor Day
Celebration will coincide with Florida’s Arbor Day Celebration each year. She asked the
Committee for volunteers for the Subcommittee.
D. Scott, B. Andrews, S. Dark, S. Corbin, and J. Leroux volunteered. S. Boren stated she
could help as time permits.
S. Corbin stated the Tree Mitigation fund has almost $78,000.
J. Leroux stated she spoke with Scott Williams in Public Works regarding more plantings,
particularly in Johansen Park, which suffered a lot of damage during the recent hurricanes. S.
Williams was happy to hear that the ESC could help replenish the tree canopy in Johansen
Park.
B. Andrews stated that bigger oak trees have trouble adapting to the area compared to smaller
trees, and discussed getting the most value for dollar, and suggested the 15 gallon tree size.
S. Dark stated that 15 gallon trees are manageable for volunteers to plant.
J. Leroux asked if the planting event in Johansen Park should be the Arbor Day Event for
2019.
D. Scott stated she likes the idea of a festival celebration, S. Dark asked if the event would be
a planting and celebration.
S. Corbin discussed large tree planting plan and creating an arboretum in Johansen Park.
B. Andrews suggested letting the Subcommittee meet and bring ideas back to the ESC.
S. Dark suggested having a tree giveaway for Arbor Day.
B. Andrews suggested asking the City Commission to recommend a tree giveaway.
S. Boren suggested nominating yards for National Wildlife Federation certification and also
recommended involving more schools via speakers, plantings, and tree giveaways.
S. Corbin recommended using Tree Mitigation funds for plantings, and that staff had
suggestions for areas to plant.
D. Scott stated that mitigation funds cannot be used for plantings on private property unless
there is an educational component, and suggested using the giveaway as education.
The next Arbor Day Subcommittee meeting was set for Wednesday, August 15th at 6 PM, and
S. Corbin will notice the meeting and find meeting space.
August 8, 2018 Environmental Stewardship Committee Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 6
7. Environmental Stewardship Committee 2017-2018 Work Plan review and discussion
(to include workshop and seminar suggestions).
S. Corbin stated that all Planning staff works on tree removal permits, and D. Reeves has the
most experience administering the ordinance. He stated that staff has identified issues for the
ESC to review.
J. Leroux stated that City Commission has asked the ESC to review the ordinance due to
previous issues with permit applications.
S. Dark asked if the staff presentation addressed strengthening the ordinance or identified
issues, and asked exactly what City Commission has asked the ESC to review.
S. Corbin stated that City Commission asked the ESC to address tree ordinance issues so that
waiver applicants do not appear in front of City Commission in the future.
S. Dark stated she wants to identify ways to strengthen the ordinance.
J. Leroux stated she and City staff discussed protective barriers during construction, and they
are not required unless a tree removal permit is required, and this is a loophole in the
ordinance.
B. Andrews stated that issue is mostly an enforcement issue.
S. Boren stated that for LEED certification, tree protection is required for building construction
permits.
J. Leroux asked if the Building Department would have to be involved for inspections, and S.
Corbin said that the manpower involved needs to be thought through to solve that issue.
B. Andrews stated that he thought the Building Department was responsible to inspect
protective barriers like silt fences, stormwater discharge barriers, and protective tree barriers.
He asked if there was any more guidance from City Commission for the ESC to consider
during the tree ordinance review.
J. Leroux stated the Mayor discussed the ordinance briefly, and asked the Committee how
they wanted to handle the ordinance review.
S. Dark suggested taking the presentation home to review and prepare questions for City staff.
B. Andrews asked if there were any issues posting the tree removal presentation slides on
Facebook, S. Corbin stated it could be posted on the City’s website.
S. Dark asked if K. Hogencamp could post the presentation to Facebook.
S. Boren asked if staff could present the highlights of the presentation before she reviews the
information on her own.
D. Reeves highlighted the history of the tree code, and the reason why the waiver process was
used. He discussed spacing requirements not being practical, removing the interior/exterior
requirements, and preservation credit issues.
B. Andrews stated he would like more information during the Subcommittee meeting regarding
the history of the tree code.
D. Reeves stated that preservation information could be clearer.
S. Boren asked if the City has tree canopy data, and what the tree canopy goal is, and the
death rate of the canopy.
D. Reeves referred to permitting data and stated that the City looked at aerial photos and
iCanopy, and the tree canopy went down slightly during “that time”, but the study did not look
at the City as a whole, and ignored hurricane impacts, tree disease, and man-made impacts.
S. Boren asked what the ideal tree canopy goal and coverage would be, and asked if the
ordinance is winning the larger game, and asked D. Reeves if he felt the canopy was ideal.
August 8, 2018 Environmental Stewardship Committee Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 6
D. Reeves said that comparing nationally for a coastal city, the canopy is slightly less, but that
no overall goal has been established. He said that there had been an inventory project
underway under the prior Community Development director to inventory public trees.
B. Andrews discussed access to Duval County’s GeoPlanet software to help track the tree
canopy.
S. Boren asked what a healthy tree canopy is, and this could be a metric that is used to
determine if the tree ordinance is effective.
S. Dark asked B. Broedell what questions he receives from applicants. He stated preservation
credits, replacement issues with oaks, legacy species, and clarity on using palm trees.
B. Broedell stated that 62 total permits were issued since May of 2017.
B. Andrews asked about double mitigation for the lot on Seminole Road, B. Broedell stated
that the City is waiting for the garage construction to be completed to perform an inspection,
and if mitigation is not met, the certificate of occupancy can be held for leverage.
8. Tree ordinance workshop – date selection and discussion.
J. Leroux discussed holding the workshop in October, and asked for input from the ESC.
C. Drysdale stated he had several questions regarding the ordinance.
S. Corbin told the ESC that they can contact City staff with questions, and staff can compile
overall comments to present to the Committee.
S. Dark asked if the meeting would be held separately, and had concerns regarding starting in
October to finish by the end of the year with holiday schedules.
B. Andrews stated he had more high-level comments that did not require staff input regarding
strengthening the tree ordinance, and would like to meet in September.
C. Drysdale made a motion to poll the Committee to determine two potential meeting dates in
September and one in October, and the motion carried with no opposition.
9. New Business.
C. Drysdale stated he would like to move forward with licensing tree removal companies to do
business in the City of Atlantic Beach, and volunteered to lead the effort to develop best
practices.
S. Dark asked if this would cover tree trimmers or tree removal companies, and C. Drysdale
stated it would be for both types of companies.
S. Boren said she had been working with the state on disaster recovery funds, and some
public and private money may be given to the City. She also said that LEED for Cities budget
is an issue.
B. Andrews discussed beautification of North Beach Plaza, and landscaping had been
removed. He discussed landscape enforcement and if City staff can enforce the requirement.
S. Corbin stated that another commercial plaza had been cited for landscape requirements,
and staff has previously audited commercial properties. He stated that approved plans are not
on file to compare, and enforcement code may or may not be in effect if the property was
grandfathered into current landscaping code.
S. Dark asked if landscape audits of commercial properties were still a priority, and S. Corbin
stated that Code Enforcement staff had looked into the issue, but without approved plans on
file, it would be difficult to enforce.
S. Dark asked about the alternate for the Tree Subcommittee, and J. Leroux said she would
ask other Committee members.
August 8, 2018 Environmental Stewardship Committee Meeting Minutes Page 6 of 6
10. Adjournment.
The motion to adjourn was brought by J. Leroux and passed with no opposition. The meeting
was adjourned 7:58 PM.
(Minutes respectfully submitted by Jennifer Johnston on September 6, 2018.)
__________________________________
Dawn Scott, Secretary
ATTEST:
____________________________________________________
Shane Corbin, Director of Planning and Community Development