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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-02-2023 NRB MinutesNATURAL RESOURCES BOARD MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING MAY 2, 2023 I. Chairman Stadelman called the Natural Resources Board meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. II. Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all. III. Roll Call Present: Dr. Mosblech Ms. Ware — Late Arrival Dr. Carrier Ms. Billman Ms. Callaghan Ms. Haggerty (a) Mr. Stadelman Not Present Mr. Bradley (a) — Excused Mr. Carrano — Excused Also Present: Ms. Felicia Gordian, Environmental Technician Ms. Barbara Brooke -Reese, MIS Manager Ms. Janet Graham, Technical Writer IV. ADDroval of Minutes — April 4, 2023 All members stating they had had a chance to review the Minutes from April 4, 2023, Mr. Stadelman called for a motion. A motion approving the Minutes of April 4, 2023, as presented was made by Dr. Carrier, seconded by Ms. Callaghan, and approved unanimously via voice vote. V. Announcements A. Earth Day Poster Contest Awards Mr. Stadelman stated one Board member is not yet here, and he suggested that the Board move on to Item VI until Ms. Ware is present. NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD PAGE 2 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING MAY 2., 2023 VI. Aoenda Modifications -- None VII. Public Input — None VIII. Unfinished Business A. Earth Day Debrief Ms. Gordian thanked all the Board members for their hard work in putting on this event. She stated that she heard many positive comments about the event, and she reviewed in depth the various things that went on and how successful they were and how some things might be improved upon going forward. She reviewed the amount that was spent on the event, which was $1,137.79. There were approximately 73 vendors. There was a lengthy discussion among all the Board members and Ms. Gordian describing the activities they helped with and how the volunteers were directed. At this point, Ms. Ware having arrived, Mr. Stadelman called for addressing Item V, the Earth Day Poster Contest Awards. Ms. Ware presented each winner with his/her award (SEE ATTACHED LIST) and thanked everyone for their participation. She also thanked the school and the teachers for their help and emphasized that the artwork is posted on the City's NRB website. At this time, Mr. Stadelman went back to Item VIII, Unfinished Business. There was lengthy discussion among the Board members and Ms. Gordian as to all the happenings during this year's Earth Day and suggestions for changes/additions for next year. IX. New Business A. Sustainable Sebastian Project Prioritization Ms. Gordian called everyone's attention to the attachments to the Agenda and explained how those documents were developed. She described goals that she and Ms. Frazier listed in order to make City Hall itself and City operations generally more sustainable. One of the goals is to improve native landscaping throughout the parks, improving tree protection and landscaping ordinances. Another goal was to focus on green infrastructure and LID, which ties into the native landscaping idea. NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD PAGE 3 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING MAY 2, 2023 Ms. Callaghan began open dialog and reviewed that these attachments are based on all the initiatives that this Board came up with. She asked if Ms. Gordian and Ms. Frazier are open to stating what this Board wants focus on to make the plan for 2024. Ms. Gordian she opines that there be a compromise between what staff wants and what the Board wants. She wants to have a meeting of the minds in addressing this item. Ms. Callaghan described that she has heard from City Council members questions about when is the Litter Quitter program going to go forward. She feels that, since KIRB is not responding, this Board should come up with a new plan and not wait on KIRB since this is something that Sebastian wants to do, and she feels that this is an item that we should move forward with. She appreciates the work and ideas that City staff has put into the plan, and this Board has been waiting and, due to staff changes, etc. for the Sustainable Sebastian program, the Board has been wanting to take action and wants to be involved. She suggested that additional time be set aside in order to get moving forward on the Sustainable Sebastian initiative. Ms. Gordian stated she senses that this Board has been waiting for permission to go forward, and she wants to be able to take them to that place where things are being done by building on what the prior City staff and this Board have set up. Ms. Callaghan asked if this plan takes us through 2024. She added that on the first slide it shows that is the idea and we are done, but we are not done. She understands that COVID came along, and that put a stop to almost everything. She added that her frustration is with the delay and wanting to do more. It is not directed towards any individual. Mr. Stadelman stated Ms. Callaghan's sense of urgency is well appreciated. Ms. Callaghan stated she marked some items up on the plan and wanted to talk through that and not necessarily staffs list. Ms. Billman said she would like some clarification as to the five-year plan. Some of the topics are very broad based and are not specific to what we as a Board are going to be doing to accomplish these goals. One of the reasons why she wanted to be on this Board is because there are things that she feels passionate about, and she does not know how they fit into the five-year plan, or if other Board members have things that they would like to direct their energy into getting things done and how those things related to the five- year plan. She does not think it is clear regarding the things that she wants to do for the community and how they feed into the five-year plan. Ms. Gordian stated that is something she has looked into in order to understand the whole process. She had no knowledge about the plan before she started working with the staff. NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD PAGE 4 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING MAY 2, 2023 Ms. Billman asked if everything on the spreadsheet has been okayed by City Council. Ms. Gordian said not all the sub -sections. The six major goals are the goals that City Council is aware of, but they are not familiar with all the various details on the spreadsheet. Ms. Billman asked for specific items that this Board can "sink their teeth into." Ms. Gordian said she understands. She added that some things will change as time passes. Ms. Callaghan stated that what is shown as the six goals that went into the resolution are what the Board at the time thought were the goals that could be met. She acknowledged that some new members were added to the Board since 2019. Dr. Mosblech stated that, looking at the six goals to the left of this document, she thinks being broad as opposed to being specific is helpful in terms of being able to achieve goals. She opined that what staff is attempting to do would fit into one or more of those goals. Ms. Billman added that City staff as well as members of this Board could establish a list of goals that could be implemented on what everyone wants to accomplish. Mr. Stadelman interjected that this Board is representative of City Council and will make recommendations to Council on what is understood that City Council wants to see done. He added that a Board member could be the point person on each of the six goals so that things move along. Ms. Billman asked what the protocol is for presenting ideas to City Council. Mr. Stadelman described the process as, once a Board member has something he or she wants to present to City Council, that they present it as an agenda item for one of the NRB meetings. He said that she could go directly to Council, but it is easier to put it on the NRB agenda, and then the Board can move forward as a group in presenting the idea to City Council. There was general discussion regarding the six Sustainable Sebastian goals. Ms. Callaghan suggested updating the five-year plan on the NRB website. In regards to Litter Quitter, she stated this Board does not have materials that are specific to Sebastian and are specific to what is going to be offered. She suggested that prices are very different in 2023 from what they were when this plan was implemented, and with COVID the whole economy has changed. That needs to be updated. She opined that Goal No. 1 is a goal that this Board should work through. She would like to see that on a future agenda reworking this and how we are going to move forward with creating our own materials. We can do our own training NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD PAGE 5 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING MAY 2, 2023 if KIRB is not around. She went through KIRB's training, and it is not difficult to go through the training. She will be the point person for Goal No. 1. Ms. Ware suggested that all the Board members need a general refresh so that the newer members can get an idea of what pieces there are to this and whether they want to be involved in going out to businesses and organizations, which is basically what the Board has to do to get this to happen in the City. She suggested that that be the starting point for everyone at the next meeting or the meeting after that. Ms. Callaghan said that, if it is put on the agenda for the next meeting, she is willing to go through it and do the training. Mr. Stadelman said he would be willing to be the spokesperson for this item. Ms. Haggerty asked who decides what is and is not sustainable as far as what products they are using. She asked if that is part of the training. Ms. Callaghan said that the training will go through what materials we were handed which now need modifications to make it Sebastian specific. We need an update to be done to decide what are the materials today and what their costs are so that when you go to a restaurant you have that information. She said that list can be gone over to rework this whole thing and implement a plan for it. She is willing to kick it off next meeting if it is put on the agenda. Dr. Carrier stated he wonders if the Board is at the point that they cannot do this within the confines of a regular meeting. He suggested that the Board should be talking about a workshop. He senses that the Board is almost overwhelmed with the magnitude of this and how to parse this out. That is something that is better worked out in a session where the Board members can sit down and really work on this rather than try to banter back and forth about it. Dr. Mosblech said it may be worthwhile having a workshop where business owners would be invited — people who are open to this idea, people who are willing to have that conversation. She does not know if the collaboration with KIRB has been effective. She does not even know if they are a partner that is responsive. She thinks it is important for them to be here with their goals, and they set the parameters, such as bronze for not offering plastic straws, silver was that they have netting along the water, and they did not offer plastic bags to go, etc. She does not know ff the Sebastian groups involved such as the businesses that are in our City should define our priorities. She suggested that having the businesses aware and open to the possibilities of alternatives needs to happen. Ms. Callaghan stated she thinks the Board needs to meet first before bringing in the businesses. She is in favor of a workshop and suggested at the next meeting NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD PAGE 6 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING MAY 2, 2023 having the conversation. It will refresh all the various components of the program and what it is about as well as what we are missing or lacking. She knows that when we invite businesses in they will have immediate questions. So the Board needs to be prepared for those questions in advance of the workshop. There were several suggestions about workshops and how they would be held. Mr. Stadelman suggested that at the next meeting Ms. Callaghan do some training, and at that point we can decide how to move forward. Ms. Gordian stated she will look into how that should be handled as far as the meeting goes. She added that she has done some research on Litter Quitter and Surfrider since they are listed in the resolution and suggested that the Board push them forward at the same time in order to make the businesses in the City more aware of these options. Mr. Stadelman reviewed that back when this program was just being implemented this Board had talked about doing their own Litter Quitter group, but COVID and some other incidents came along and interrupted a lot of plans. Ms. Gordian added that part of Subgoal No. 2 of the first overarching goal is promoting environmentally friendly projects at City Hall. That is an important item —shifting how we do things here. There was additional general discussion on how to approach breaking down the aspects of Goal No. I. Ms. Gordian added that, with the Treasure Coast Waterway Cleanup, we do partner with the Marine Industries Association, and they are having regular committee meetings once a month to discuss the cleanup that is scheduled for July 22nd. She suggested having members of this Board who are willing to do it again be there to help, and she will be there hosting it. The NRB's location will be at the Main Street Boat Ramp location. This falls under the umbrella of waste reduction and is part of our ongoing effort. She will update everyone on what is planned. Ms. Gordian also reviewed that Dr. Carrier had created a spreadsheet of all the costs, etc. of different sustainable options. She asked that an updated document be created. Ms. Haggerty made some suggestions as to looking into different distributors, and if she could see the spreadsheet that Dr. Carrier created, she would attempt to put some more information together. Dr. Carrier emphasized that the costs of today are substantially different from what were initially put forth. Mr. Stadelman announced that he had a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce, and they are ready, willing and able to work on the community outreach program. Ms. Gordian stated that she will send to Ms. Callaghan the information she can find on the Litter Quitter, and asked if Ms. Callaghan would make contact with KIRB and possibly get in touch with KBB to see if they have any input on how to guide us forward. Ms. NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD PAGE 7 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING MAY 2, 2023 Gordian asked Dr. Mosblech if she would reach out to Surfrider to see if there is a way that this Board can work with them and to bring them to a workshop to get our local involved. Dr. Mosblech said she would. Ms. Callaghan as well as Ms. Ware also suggested that Ms. Gordian get with Ms. Frazier on some of these items. Dr. Carrier also added that some of the items in Goal No. III are also listed under Community Development, which is Ms. Frazier's purview. There being no further discussion on Goal No. I, Mr. Stadelman moved on to discussion of Goal No. 11 on the spreadsheet. Discussion was held regarding Goal No. Il. Mr. Stadelman asked for opinions on whether during the next meeting, or the one after, the Board should put on the agenda discussion on landscaping ordinances as they are presently in effect. Ms. Ware suggested this Board needs to prioritize. She does not think the Board can do all of the six goals at once. She suggested going through the goals and deciding which one the Board wants to work on first and get it done, then work on the second and so on. Mr. Stadelman stated he would like a champion on this so that the program is kept in the forefront. He asked Dr. Mosblech if she would be willing to be the champion for Goal No. ll. She stated she would do that. Ms. Callaghan asked if the homeowners' welcome packets are still being provided. Ms. Gordian said she has not been using the homeowners' packets. She questioned the feasibility of that as there is not always someone such as the homeowner present to give a packet to. Mr. Stadelman reviewed how Kim Haigler did the inspections and provided homeowners' packets. Ms. Callaghan stated that Ms. Haigler presented these packets at the final inspection, and the homeowners commented on how useful the information in the packets was. Mr. Stadelman emphasized that the members of City Council have the Sustainable Sebastian program high on their agenda. Dr. Mosblech asked if it is possible at the next NRB meeting to have a definite answer on the process and the timeline for what the City is intending for the landscaping ordinance. Ms. Gordian said she would find that out. Dr. Mosblech suggested that at the next meeting we focus on how we can make some progress there and feel comfortable with it. Ms. Ware agreed. She also stated that the Board should not have to go through all six of the goals tonight. She suggested beginning to work on the first two goals, then the next two, and the next two, as there will be a great deal of time needed to work on each of the goals, and they cannot all be addressed in one meeting. NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD PAGE 8 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING MAY 2, 2023 Dr. Carrier had a point of clarification. He stated that the Board is talking about landscape ordinances. Yet, if we look at no. 9 under the third goal at the bottom of the page, that has everything to do with revision of the landscape ordinances. So there is some overlap here that we need to be aware of. Dr. Mosblech agreed. Mr. Stadelman reviewed Goals Nos. III, IV, V and VI just as a refresher. There were some questions regarding some of the subsections of each goal. He thanked Ms. Callaghan and Dr. Mosblech for agreeing to be point person on Goals I and II of the Sustainable Sebastian initiative. Mr. Stadelman announced that the Rotary Club would like to participate in in our community oyster garden. James Williams is the lagoon project coordinator. They already have grant money, and they have manpower and logistics and experience. Ms. Callaghan addressed Ms. Gordian in stating that she likes the way Ms. Gordian arranges the agendas and the items that are included. X. Adjournment There being no further business, a motion to adjourn was made by Ms. Callaghan, seconded by Ms. Ware, and approved unanimously via voice vote. By:_ Date: aao_) t A