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06-12-19 ESC MinutesMINUTES OF CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE MEETING JUNE 12, 2019 ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: Bruce Andrews, Chair Linda Chipperfield Bonnie Hanson Judith Leroux Amy Palmer Tony Pooley STAFF: Brian Broedell, City Planner Steve Swann, City Engineer Jennifer Johnston, Building Department OTHERS: Mayor Ellen Glasser 1. Call to order. The meeting was called to order at 6:02 p.m. in the Commission Chambers by B. Andrews. 2. Approval of the minutes. The minutes for the April 10, 2019 meeting were approved unanimously, the minutes for the May 8, 2019 meeting were not available for approval at this meeting. 3. Courtesy of the floor. There were no visitors for courtesy of the floor. 4. City of Atlantic Beach Sea Level Rise. Steve Swann, City Engineer, presented the Future Flood Risk Modeling and Vulnerability Assessment report prepared by City staff. B. Andrews asked why the City would be charged with assessing its own vulnerability, S. Swann said that during previous administrations, the State of Florida had not prioritized studies for individual cities. S. Swann showed maps for "sunny day flooding", also called nuisance flooding and he said the City can expect at least one nuisance flooding event per year. June 12, 2019 Environmental Stewardship Committee Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 4 B. Andrews asked why the beach area was not as impacted for the 100 -year sea -level rise projection, and S. Swann said that was due to the federal government's commitment to the Duval County beach restoration project. T. Pooley said the FIRMs may change more dramatically in the future and may decrease property values, and asked S. Swann if he had heard the maps may change. S. Swann said he has not heard of any upcoming changes, since the maps were just recently updated in 2018. S. Swann said the maps could help determine future locations of sanitary sewer lift stations and other City projects. He said adaptation planning could take 6 to 8 months. B. Broedell presented the projected vulnerability assessment modeling with maps showing the affected City parcels. B. Andrews asked if the projections were based on proximity or elevation of the parcels, and S. Swann said it was based on proximity. B. Andrews asked if the newer version of the assessment could be emailed to the Committee. B. Andrews asked if building codes would be affected, S. Swann said that policies may change, like'the minimum finished floor elevation ordinance and minimum height requirement ordinance to accommodate buildings in flood -prone areas. T. Pooley asked if incentives could be offered to those who may be affected. S. Swann said that education of the projections is needed, letting residents know that conditions may change in the next 25 years. T. Pooley asked if the resiliency plan would tie into the LEED for Cities plan, and S. Swann said that it could be included, like planning to install a pump near nuisance flood -prone areas to address future flooding. B. Andrews asked what is needed from the Committee, and S. Swann said the Committee could pass a resolution recognizing the need for a vulnerability assessment resiliency plan. S. Swann said garnering public input is required for the grant. T. Pooley presented a motion to recognize the need for the vulnerability assessment and to support staff in continuing the vulnerability plan. The motion was seconded by J. Leroux. T. Pooley asked if the loss of shoreline data is available or will it be needed, and S. Swann said he wasn't sure. The motion passed. L. Chipperfield said she has concerns as to what the responsibilities will be for the Committee. The Mayor said the Committee's support is needed for the grant, but the Committee would not be expected to make recommendations. The Mayor said all three Beaches will be hosting a sea -level rise workshop with presentations from Jones, Edmunds, and Associates and from Satellite Beach as to how they have addressed the issue. S. Swann said that using a statistical approach with the 100 year flood event has regulatory implications, and makes sense. 5. LEED Subcommittee report. B. Broedell said the Subcommittee is still waiting to hear back from the LEED for Cities program regarding certification. 6. Outreach Subcommittee report. A. Palmer said the Subcommittee had decided on meeting dates for the rest of the year and the meetings had been publicly noticed. The Subcommittee members are A. Palmer, J. Leroux, L. Chipperfield, T. Pooley, D. Scott, and S. Dark. The Subcommittee held a small meeting last week and discussed suggested recommendations to the website and tree infographic, and ways to make the ordinance information more accessible. J. Leroux said Public Utilities billing has worked to allow residents to discontinue paper billing to save trees. A. Palmer said J. Leroux has been working to set up the ESC Facebook page. June 12, 2019 Environmental Stewardship Committee Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 4 A. Palmer said the Subcommittee can help promote the Resiliency assessment and make the public aware, and also recommend residents purchase flood insurance. She said that education for tree trimmers is needed, and training was discussed at the meeting. She said that staff's guidance would be needed, but that participants would need insurance and local business tax receipts, and after the training was completed, a list would be made available to residents. A. Palmer asked the Committee for approval to move forward with developing a training program. B. Andrews said the desire had been there for quite some time, and J. Leroux said that the Subcommittee wanted support to move forward. B. Andrews said that bad actors will not benefit from a symposium. T. Pooley said that a list of certified or preferred tree trimmers could be maintained and made available for residents after attending training. B. Hanson said the item that came before the Tree Subcommittee was an instance where the resident trusted the tree company to apply for the permit, and unless the tree companies are held liable, the problem will continue. B. Andrews asked about the status of the postcard, B. Broedell said that quotes were obtained by staff and the postcard was re -formatted. The Mayor said the Commission approved the item with recommendations for sizing, and the state passed a law that said a dead tree could be removed with no penalty from the City with a letter from a certified arborist, and she wanted to be sure that language would be included on the postcard, but the item may not have been signed by the governor. B. Andrews said the ordinance now says that no permit is needed when a tree is dead and the owner would need to contact the City. The mayor said the new bill has language that says owners will not be required to contact the City, only to have a letter from a certified arborist. A. Palmer said there are several audiences that the Subcommittee would like to reach with education, and the tree trimmers have expressed an interest in education. J. Leroux said that there will be a hyperlink in the e -bill for residents to sign up for the newsletter. A. Palmer said the Subcommittee discussed practicalities and limitations of a tree removal hotline. She said the hotline would go to the main number and by the time the message was received, the tree would already be cut down and would not address after hours issues. She asked the Committee for recommendations. B. Hanson said she doesn't like the idea of a hotline, it feels like tattle -telling. A. Palmer said the only recourse now is to call the City. B. Andrews said that telling the City about after -the fact cutting would incur higher mitigation penalties, and the goal could be to get a complaint to the correct person vs. having to be transferred several times. T. Pooley said the purpose of the Subcommittee is outreach and to give residents a voice. L. Chipperfield said that internal staff may need to be trained to route tree removal calls properly. A. Palmer said that the word hotline has a certain expectation. B. Broedell said that if a call is received about tree removal, the call is transferred to him or Code Enforcement, and the process has worked well. A. Palmer said there are times when staff are away from their desks, and T. Pooley said it is just an instance of not having enough staff. B. Andrews said that there are few trees taken out without permits, or that trees may not be able to be saved even with a quick response from staff. A. Palmer said the Subcommittee discussed requesting a budget versus asking for money on a piecemeal basis. Mayor Glasser said the Committee could prepare a budget and vote on it and present it to Commission. June 12, 2019 Environmental Stewardship Committee Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 4 7. New business. B. Hanson said she thought the priority setting exercise would be discussed, and B. Andrews said that J. Leroux presented a summary and it had been beaten to death. L. Chipperfield asked about the status of the ordinance changes, B. Andrews said there was discussion regarding heritage trees. Mayor Glasser said she anticipated the Commission would be available to discuss the ordinance changes in July. The Committee discussed outreach and educational items. A. Palmer said that a great point of contact is when residents come to apply for utility service, and they could be educated on the tree removal ordinance at that time. B. Andrews discussed the City's RFP for branding. A. Palmer said there is a model program in COJ for tree planting using mitigation funds called Re -Leaf, and would like to discuss how the City could implement similar ideas. Mayor Glasser said that trees could be planted in the right of way, ensuring it did not interfere with sidewalks and infrastructure by checking with Public Works. 8. Adjournment. The motion to adjourn passed with no opposition. The meeting adjourned at 7:56 pm. (Minutes respectfully submitted by Jennifer Johnston on June 19, 2019.) Bruce Andrews, Committee Chair ATTEST: Shane)&e�rbin, Director of Planning and Community Development June 12, 2019 Environmental Stewardship Committee Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 4