02-13-19 ESC Meeting MinutesMINUTES OF
CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE MEETING
FEBRUARY 13, 2019
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:
Bruce Andrews, Chair
Sarah Boren, Secretary
Linda Chipperfield
Sarah Dark
Judith Leroux
Amy Palmer
Tony Pooley
STAFF:
Shane Corbin, Director of Planning and Community Development
Jennifer Johnston, Building Department
1. Call to order.
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. in the Commission Chambers by B. Andrews.
2. Approval of the minutes.
The motion to approve the minutes from the January 9, 2019 meeting was brought by J. Leroux and
seconded by S. Dark. The motion passed with no opposition.
3. Courtesy of the floor.
No visitors were present for courtesy of the floor.
4. Review of park master plan.
S. Corbin discussed the park master plan survey and workshop meetings. He said public comments
were collected into a spreadsheet to identify trends, including bathrooms, fountains, public art, bat
boxes, and more options that are still being collected. B. Andrews asked about the National Parks
representative working with the Florida Association of Landscape Architects
L. Chipperfield asked about setting priorities after collecting feedback, S. Corbin said staff can make
recommendations but ultimately, recommendations would come from the ESC. S. Boren asked if
staff was expecting certain items to be recommended, and S. Corbin said the request for bathrooms
was surprising. S. Corbin said the survey will be active for one more month. A. Palmer asked where
the funding would come from for the priorities, S. Corbin said most likely from the general fund, and
the Commission would decide where to spend money. S. Corbin said the City has an engineer on
staff that can help with budgeting. S. Boren asked if staff had considered the overlay plan of the park
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master plan, resiliency plan, and stormwater plan, and S. Corbin said it has been discussed. T.
Pooley asked if FEMA tools had been used for mapping, and S. Corbin said Jones, Edmunds, and
Associates had been tasked with the stormwater plan, along with the new City engineer. S. Boren
said she had been contacted about Howell Park, but it could be discussed under new business. A.
Palmer said she had heard that Howell Park might be used for the overall stormwater master plan, S.
Corbin said it has come up during the impervious surface ratio discussion. He said that it didn't seem
like there was much traction for that option.
5. ESC tree planting plan status.
S. Corbin discussed the tree planting plan and presented the changes made to the plan, including
location and species of trees. He said that before the underground utilities can be located, the
proposed tree planting areas must be flagged, and a purchase order will be submitted for flags. B.
Andrews asked if it would be possible to order different colors to represent the different species to be
planted. S. Dark asked if Johansen Park was the priority, and B. Andrews said yes. S. Dark
discussed alternate species that could be planted in Johansen Park. B. Andrews said he had
concerns about the circle of trees planned, since Johansen Park is very natural. S. Dark said that the
circle effect may go unnoticed, and clumps of trees appear more natural. J. Leroux stated she liked
the circle. A. Palmer said the City has a dearth of hardwoods, and asked if different species would be
considered. B. Andrews said the species selected were already in the area, and S. Dark said that the
trees selected will help with erosion control, as Johansen Park is a low lying area. B. Andrews asked
the Committee if they had issues with changing the plan as necessary, and J. Leroux said she had no
problem with changes made. T. Pooley asked if the City would consider reclaiming any historical
wetlands, and S. Corbin said it could be discussed. T. Pooley discussed coastal live oaks found in
wetland areas. S. Corbin said City staff had asked if the location of the Donner Park planting would
affect the adjacent tennis courts with debris. S. Dark said that the species selected, Washingtonian
palms, grow at twice the rate of sabal palms and drop less debris. S. Dark asked about maintenance
of sabal palms, and stated the Washingtonian palms at Donner Park should be farther apart. S.
Corbin said the areas in Donner Park are the only areas west of Mayport Road identified for planting.
S. Dark discussed other areas for planting in Donner Park. A. Palmer said it would be nice to
consider locations for spectators to get out of the sun and into shade during the summer. S. Boren
discussed diversity of trees to allow for birds, color, and pollination. B. Andrews said that could be
considered. T. Pooley asked if tree selection would be included in the LEED for Cities certification,
and S. Boren said not at this time, but could be included in the future roadmap. S. Dark asked if
walkability and shade would be included for LEED for Cities, and S. Boren said it could be included in
the future roadmap for recertification.
6. LEED for Cities update.
S. Boren updated the ESC on the status of the LEED for Cities roadmap submittal. S. Boren sent a
submittal draft to S. Corbin, who made edits, with the next step of submitting the draft to the City
Manager, then to the public for input. S. Corbin said he wanted the document to be suitable to be
presented to Commission. S. Boren said that what is submitted to the GBCI for submittal does not
commit the City to anything. She said the roadmap was based on Washington D.C.'s submittal, but
does not yet include the social justice category. She said she wants to prepare to submit, then come
back to review the roadmap and make updates. S. Boren explained the LEED for Cities program for
an audience member. S. Corbin explained how the LEED for Cities score was obtained, and how the
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roadmap will direct policy and decisions in the future to improve the score. An audience member
asked about the Howell Park arboretum, and B. Andrews said it was only an idea at this point. T.
Pooley asked how to guarantee the longevity of the LEED for Cities program, and to prevent it from
being slashed in the future. S. Boren said that ordinances could be adopted, but wanted the
Committee to think about how to protect the program.
7. Tree permit infographic.
L. Chipperfield presented the infographic she prepared to guide tree removal applicants if a permit is
required. She said it did raise the question regarding interior construction for the $10,000
construction limit. B. Andrews discussed the requirement and mitigation. L. Chipperfield said the
requirement can overcomplicate the application process. S. Boren said that interior construction work
can damage trees with trucks and equipment. S. Dark said she would like language to be included
on the document for a tree removal affidavit. A. Palmer asked if there is a notification on a job site to
specify no trees will be removed. B. Andrews said he would like to include legacy trees as an item on
the infographic. S. Dark said the species name should be specifically called out for the trees. T.
Pooley asked if legacy trees should be called protected trees. T. Pooley asked if real estate agents
and homeowners are given preemptive information when buying a home, and sharing information to
the community. S. Boren said that a welcome package could be given out letting homeowners know
about the tree ordinance. T. Pooley stated branding and communication to the public can get buy -in
from the community. J. Leroux said that public education was a priority but had not yet been
addressed, and realtors may be happy to disseminate information to new residents. S. Boren
discussed a public relations class at UNF that wrote their senior thesis campaign for a non-profit she
worked with to raise awareness for a tiny house community, and the possibility of using the next class
to write a campaign for their initiatives at no -cost.
8. New business.
S. Corbin discussed the February 20, 2019 City Commission workshop regarding rights-of-way. He
said that homeowners put rocks and reflectors in the right-of-way and the City's position is that they
should not be allowed to, but would allow trees to be planted in the right-of-way. The City Manager
said he wanted the Commission to discuss the issue at the workshop. B. Andrews said that there is
confusion between right-of-way and streetscape, and one could argue that a tree is part of the public
good, versus a rock doesn't benefit the community.
S. Dark stated there is one permanent and one alternate vacancy on the Tree Subcommittee, due to
Chip Drysdale withdrawing from the ESC. S. Dark and B. Andrews discussed the duties of the
Subcommittee. J. Leroux discussed the need for an additional member from Chip Drysdale's district.
The Committee discussed the sea oats planting project presented by the Mayor at the State of the
Beaches event.
J. Leroux said that Chip Drysdale served on the forming committee, and has been a stalwart member
of both the forming committee and the ESC, and thanked him for his service.
S. Boren said that Commissioner Norris will be discussing plastic at a presentation and asked if the
Committee would like to support her efforts.
9. Review of draft 2019 ESC work plan.
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S. Boren discussed the work plan she created from the Committee's discussions and agendas. She
said she also added the City Commission's visioning priorities. She said that there is a lot of
duplication and not all areas need to be adopted into the Committee's final work plan. S. Corbin said
the Committee members could send their suggestions to him and he would add it to the plan. L.
Chipperfield discussed the communication and public education aspect of the plan. J. Leroux
discussed how mitigation banks and the marsh master plan is not feasible in the City anymore. S.
Boren stated a marsh protection plan could be incorporated into the parks master plan item. B.
Andrews said that not every item listed can be achieved, but should be documented. S. Boren said
that the Committee could use the next meeting identifying which items to prioritize. The Committee
discussed sending priority items to S. Corbin to add to their plan. S. Corbin also said trees were being
removed in Howell Park for drainage purposes.
10. Adjournment.
The motion to adjourn was brought by B. Andrews, and passed with no opposition. The meeting
adjourned at 8:16 pm.
(Minutes respectfully submitted by Jennifer Johnston on April 5, 2019.)
Sarah Boren, Secretary
ATTEST:
Shane Corbin, Director of Planning and Community Development
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