Loading...
01-09-19 ESC Meeting MinutesMINUTES OF CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE MEETING JANUARY 9, 2019 ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: Judith Leroux, Chair Bruce Andrews, Vice Chair Dawn Scott, Secretary Sarah Boren Linda Chipperfield Sarah Dark Chip Drysdale Bonnie Hanson Steve Kallao STAFF: Shane Corbin, Director of Planning and Community Development Jennifer Johnston, Building Department OTHERS: Tony Pooley Amy Palmer 1. Call to order. The meeting was called to order at 6:15 p.m. in the Commission Chambers by J. Leroux. 2. Approval of the minutes. D. Scott brought the motions to approve the minutes from the November 7 and November 14, 2018 meetings, which passed unanimously. D. Scott brought the motion to approve the minutes from the December 12, 2018 meeting. J. Leroux asked that item 4 regarding the planting plan be changed from "no feedback" to "no negative feedback." The motion to approve the minutes from the December 12, 2018 meeting passed with no opposition. 3. Courtesy of the floor. Steve Foraker addressed the Committee. He stated that from the Tree Subcommittee, he sees a problem in that the Subcommittee was not meant to be compromising in dispu#--abetween City staff and the tree ordinance. He stated the Subcommittee could compromise the tree canopy away and asked why does Lucas Tree Service not know when permit is needed. He said a stiff fine is needed and the Subcommittee needs to look at best practices to change the ordinance. He said he would like to hear how the revisions of the tree ordinance are coming, and that tree companies should not be allowed to do business in the City if they don't know the code. January 9, 2019 Environmental Stewardship Committee Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 3 Cindy Anderson, City Commissioner, addressed the Committee. She thanked the Committee for their hard work and was looking forward to the revisions to the tree code. She said that the City Commission was working on plans and priorities for coming year and the tree canopy is a priority. She said she wanted to address the issue that a homeowner could not plant trees in the right of way in front of her house. She stated she hopes that planting in the right of way is allowed in the code, and also hopes someone will explore with the homeowner about planting mitigation trees on adjacent properties. She said she hopes homeowners are given as much area as possible for mitigation planting, especially on smaller lots. Tony Pooley said he is committed to sustainability in the area and is happy to be here and looking forward to working with everybody. Amy Palmer said she is looking forward to the opportunity to work with the Committee, and has been watching meetings and reading minutes. She said she has lived in Atlantic Beach since 1995, and cares deeply about community. S. Dark addressed C. Anderson's comment about planting mitigation trees in the right of way. S. Corbin said it is not policy that homeowners can plant in the right of way. B. Hanson discussed utility issues in right of way. B. Andrews and C. Drysdale discussed planting in the right of way. 4. Report on LEED for Cities process. S. Boren discussed the progress on the Subcommittee's progress towards obtaining the LEED for Cities certification and presented the data collected towards the base point score. She stated that the Subcommittee can then make recommendations towards future goals. She said the last step is creating a roadmap for future certification. S. Corbin said the Subcommittee met with the City's department heads. She stated that the City of Atlantic Beach could be the first city in Florida to get certification. 5. Report on Arbor Day event, January 18, 2019. S. Corbin said he has been gathering bids and has received one quote for prices on tree plantings. He stated the goal is to plant one tree for Arbor Day, and the live oak in Johansen Park. J. Leroux asked the Committee if 10:30 AM would work, and S. Corbin agreed. 6. Review of PowerPoint year-end ESC report for Commission. S. Corbin presented the presentation prepared by staff describing the activities of the Environmental Stewardship Committee for the past year. He stated the Parks Master Plan will be kicking off on January 16th. S. Boren challenged the Committee to find five more people to take the Parks survey. L. Chipperfield recommended adding the time the Committee spent visioning and planning their priorities to the presentation. J. Leroux said she would forward the visioning document to S. Corbin. S. Boren asked if the resiliency grant could be included with the presentation, and S. Corbin stated it would be an item for this current year. J. Leroux asked the Committee if they approved the presentation, and there was no opposition. January 9, 2019 Environmental Stewardship Committee Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 3 7. Election of Officers for 2019. D. Scott described the responsibilities of secretary, and said she would like to give someone else a chance to serve as secretary. S. Dark said there would be vacancies on the Tree Subcommittee as well. S. Boren volunteered to be secretary, and the motion to appoint her as secretary passed with no opposition. B. Andrews described the Vice Chair responsibilities, and B. Hanson volunteered for the position. B. Andrews nominated her, C. Drysdale seconded, and B. Hanson was appointed with no opposition. S. Dark nominated B. Andrews as Chair, the motion was seconded by D. Scott. S. Boren asked J. Leroux how much time was spent preparing for meetings, and J. Leroux said that working with staff made the job easier, but it would be difficult to say how many hours per week were spent. The motion to approve B. Andrews passed with no opposition. S. Dark stated she would like to stay on the Tree Subcommittee, and a permanent space and alternate space would need to be filled. C. Drysdale stated he would do his best to continue serving on the Tree Subcommittee, but due to work concerns, he may need to be replaced in the future. S. Dark described the Tree Subcommittee duties, and stated there had been two appeals. C. Drysdale stated reaching out to citizens on social media and explaining the ordinance has helped. B. Andrews stated the Committee's role is to ensure the ordinance is being administered accurately, and to look at permit applications and play a watchdog role. 8. New business. L. Chipperfield stated that the previous year's goals should be revisited and new goals for this year should be re-established. B. Andrews asked if the Committee would be interested in holding a workshop, and would follow up with meeting suggestions. S. Boren stated it would be great to be aligned with the Commission's priorities, and she would send out the priorities to the Committee. 9. Adjournment. The motion to adjourn was brought by B. Andrews, and passed with no opposition. The meeting adjourned at 7:06 pm. (Minutes respectfully submitted by Jennifer Johnston on February 8, 2019.) Sarah Boren, Secretary ATTEST: ShanVCorbin, Director of Plahning and Community Development January 9, 2019 Environmental Stewardship Committee Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 3