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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-01-2018 NRB MinutesCITY OF SEBASTIAN NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING MAY 1, 2018 1. Ms. Mosblech called the Natural Resources Board Meeting to order ay 6:00 p.m. 2. Pledge of Alleqiance was recited by all 3. Roll Call: Present: Ms. Mosblech Ms. Glaser Mr. Van Hoffman Mr. Stadelman Mr. O'Neill Absent: Mr. Gordian -- Unexcused Also Present: Kimberly Jones, Environmental Technician Dorri Bosworth, Manager, Community Development Department Janet Graham, Technical Writer 4. Approval of Minutes: -- April 3, 2018 Meeting Minutes A motion to approve the April 3, 2018 Minutes as presented was made by Mr. O'Neill, seconded by Mr. Van Hoffman, and passed unanimously by voice vote. 5. Announcements: A. Open Positions on the Natural Resources Board Ms. Mosblech addressed the subject of open positions on the Board. Ms. Jones stated there are two alternate positions open and one regular position. 6. Guest Speaker A. Ms. Mosblech introduced Ms. Stephanie Fonvielle, Recycling Education NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD Meeting Minutes of May 1, 2018 PAGE 2 and Marketing Coordinator for the Indian River County Solid Waste Disposal District. Ms. Fonvielle gave an in-depth description of her position and what it entails. She presented a Power Point presentation regarding commercial recycling. SEE ATTACHED. In addition to what is covered in the Power Point presentation, she wanted to focus on the perception of the importance of recycling in the community. She addressed the question of why businesses have to pay for recycling, but residential homeowners do not. She stated this is a bit of a misconception, as residential homeowners pay for their recycling in the Solid Waste Assessment Fee. She explained that commercial businesses pay a Solid Waste Assessment Fee, but recycling is not included in that fee, and they have the choice of paying for recycling pickup or not. She explained how businesses can save money by recycling, because recycling is cheaper than total disposal of garbage, and she is available to help businesses with their garbage/recycling questions. Ms. Jones stated there is currently a grant available to cover half of a business's enclosure costs for dumpsters in the CRA district of Sebastian. Ms. Fonvielle stated there may be other grants available through the Florida Legislature. Mr. O'Neill asked about the recycle bins and whether the businesses have to pay for the bins themselves, and Ms. Fonvielle stated they are included in the pickup costs. Mr. Van Hoffman asked what the Board can do to promote these ideas, and Ms. Fonvielle stated reaching out to the businesses in Sebastian and getting the word out is key. Ms. Mosblech questioned the life of the landfill, and Ms. Fonvielle stated she would get that information. 7. Public Input: Graham Cox, 1213 George Street, Sebastian addressed the subject of the Landscape Ordinance. He stated the Pelican Island Audubon Society organized a conference in January, the result of which is to encourage communities in Indian River County to consider changes to their ordinances to encourage the public to use more native species and less turf in their landscaping. His group includes experts who are willing to help with this. Russell Herrmann, 586 Redwood Court, Sebastian, is the Vice President of the Friends of Saint Sebastian River and is representing board member Jane Schnee this evening. He described the benefits of using appropriate native vegetation such as water conservation, preservation of habitat in urban areas, reducing maintenance costs of landscaping, and protecting property values. His group is requesting the Board to NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD PAGE 3 Meeting Minutes of May 1, 2018 promote an environmentally friendly landscape, and this group is willing to assist in this endeavor. 8. New Business: A. Board approval to make the Native Landscaping Ordinance a primary focus of meetings moving forward. A motion to make the Native Landscaping Ordinance a primary focus of meetings moving forward was made by Mr. Van Hoffman, seconded by Mr. Stadelman, and passed unanimously by voice vote. Ms. Mosblech indicated the current landscaping ordinances and a handbook on native vegetation were attached to the agenda packet for this meeting. Ms. Jones offered some guidance to the Board with their participation in the process. Ms. Dorri Bosworth, Manager of the Community Development Department, described that the NRB will study the model ordinances and make recommendations to the Planning and Zoning Commission, who will then present these recommendations, along with their own recommendations, to City Council. She recommends that the Board try to make the ordinance friendly to both homeowners and commercial businesses. She also recommends that the Board study the enforcement issue of the ordinance. Mr. Van Hoffman questioned how the Board can streamline the process, since the Board is regulated by the Sunshine Law. Ms. Bosworth suggested each member of the Board send his or her ideas to Ms. Jones so that she can compile the recommendations and include them in the agenda packet for the next meeting. Mr. O'Neill asked if additional meetings could be held in order to address the subject. Ms. Bosworth stated that in the resolution that created the NRB it states they will meet once a month, but the Board can request special meetings if they feel they are necessary. Ms. Jones offered some suggestions as to how the Board go about studying the information and presenting their individual ideas to her so she can present them at the next Board meeting. Ms. Mosblech asked for public input. Richard Baker, President of the Pelican Island Audubon Society, stated the Audubon Society wrote the tree ordinance and the landscape ordinance for Indian River County, and some of their members have expertise and knowledge regarding this matter. NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD PAGE 4 Meeting Minutes of May 1, 2018 Ms. Mosblech suggested having a member of the Board act as a point person to act as liaison between the organizations who have the expertise in this regard and the Board. Mr. Van Hoffman volunteered. Ms. Bosworth recommended that point person send the information to Ms. Jones so she could compile it for discussion at the next meeting. Ms. Mosblech cited the Native Landscape Ordinance handbook, which is also attached to the agenda packet, as being a guide. Ms. Mosblech asked for voice approval of Mr. Van Hoffman being the point person. All members of the Board approved. Janice Broda, 12396 Highway A1A, Vero Beach, is Secretary of the Eugenia Chapter, Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS), former County extension agent, and served as the multi -county extension agent for the Indian River Lagoon program, in which capacity she worked on the current landscape ordinance. She volunteered to provide information about their Chapter meetings and where the Board can see mature native landscaping. She stated she would be happy to give a presentation on native plants. B. Board approval to make the Sustainable Business Initiative (reduction in plastic waste) a primary focus of meetings moving forward. A motion to make the Sustainable Business Initiative (reduction in plastic waste) a primary focus of meetings moving forward was made by Mr. Stadelman and seconded by Mr. O'Neill and passed unanimously by voice vote. Ms. Mosblech reviewed that she had suggested at a prior meeting coming up with a program to encourage businesses to focus on ways to become more sustainable by using recyclable items. She queried whether addressing both the landscaping ordinance and the sustainable business initiative can both be studied in time for the next Board meeting. Ms. Jones suggested the native landscaping ordinance be addressed at the next meeting, and she would then provide material regarding the sustainable business initiative. Ms. Mosblech suggested bringing in experts on the sustainable business initiative to make presentations to the Board. She described the Brevard Zoo has having a program to encourage businesses, and she stated Sebastian could develop a similar program. She volunteered to organize communication with community members to gather information and submit it to Ms. Jones for discussion at the next Board meeting. 9. Old Business: NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD PAGE 5 Meeting Minutes of May 1, 2018 A. Earth Day/Arbor Day Celebration 2018 i. Ms. Jones congratulated Ms. Glaser and the Board for a successful Earth Day Celebration. She thanked the many volunteers for their help. She stressed the importance of the entire NRB participating, and suggested that each Board member take responsibility for a certain task in the future so that all the responsibility isn't put on one Board member. All members agreed. Ms. Glaser stated she still has the bicycle. Daria Gibbs, 11 years old, from Sebastian was the winner, and she has tried to contact the winner several times, and if she has no response, there may have to be a second name drawn. Ms. Glaser stated the budget for the Celebration was just under $800.00. Ms. Jones suggested asking some environmental groups to sponsor some of the activities in the future and to provide the supplies in order to reduce the costs. Ms. Glaser stated the PA system did not work well, and it may have to be looked at at some point. She identified proclamations from the Mayor and Mr. Dobbs and provided them to Ms. Jones. Mr. Stadelman thanked Ms. Glaser for all her hard work. B. Role of Natural Resources Board I. Guest Speaker Schedule — Encourage Board Members and residents to seek guest speakers who provide input towards our primary initiatives. Ms. Mosblech suggested speakers such as Ms. Broda, someone from the Pelican Island Audubon Society and the Native Plants Society as speakers for the next meeting. Ms. Mosblech stated she would contact the Chamber of Commerce to see if they could provide some input on the sustainable business initiative. Mr. O'Neill suggested a representative from Surfrider Foundation. 10. Member Matters: A. There will be no meeting on Tuesday, June 5"', due to a CRA public workshop, so the next regular Board meeting will be Tuesday, July 3'd Ms. Mosblech had a question regarding the Harbor Lights property next to the dock on Main Street. She had seen suggestions of putting in a parking lot or paving over some of that property. Ms. Jones stated that is not currently a goal of the City for the property. Mr. O'Neill asked if the City encourages property to be donated to the City in a land NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD PAGE 6 Meeting Minutes of May 1, 2018 trust. Ms. Jones stated there is quite a process involved, and the County manages several tracts of land within the City. Mr. Stadelman questioned with all the activities at Riverview Park, does that put a lot of stress on the trees there. His second concern is whether the Park can be made more accessible to persons with disabilities. Ms. Jones stated a complete tree inventory was recently done. Landscape management of the Park will be implemented for sustainability. Staff is studying how compaction can be reduced. Ms. Jones stated Parks and Recreation is working on a grant for widening of the sidewalks to make the Park more handicapped accessible. 11. Items for Next Aoenda: A. Native Landscaping Ordinance Compare/Contrast — material included in this month's agenda packet for Board Member Review. B. Sustainable Business Initiative 12. Ad'ourn: There being no further business, a motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Mr. Stadelman, seconded by Mr. O'Neill, and passed unanimously by voice vote. Meeting was adjourned at 7:18 p.m.. By: Date: 10�wlg Chairperson I\ icole Mosblech A