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Home My WebLink About07-30-1999 City of Sebastian, Florida 1225 Main Street [] Sebastian, Florida 32958 Telephone (561) 589-5330 [] Fax {561) 589-5570 City Council Information Letter July 30, 1999 Presentation to Florida Communities Trust Board Preservation 2000(P2000} Grant Pro_qram Earlier this week, we were informed that presentations to be made by 1999 P2000 grant applicants are schedule to take plaCe September 23~ and 24*h in Tallahassee, Florida (Sebastian's proposal to the State of Florida for $300,000 to help finance acquisition of the Good Guys, Inc. property). The City of Sebastian will be provided with specific instructions on or about September 1't. At that time, I will make travel arrangements, prefarably for myself, Director of Growth Management Tracy Hass and one to two City Councilmembers. Please let me know of any interest on your part to attend. It will be a great adventurel Indian River Lagoon Pro;Iram Please find the attached letter delivered to George Koraly and Gordon Maltby of Sebastian from Martin Smithson, Director of the Indian River Lagoon Program, which provides an update pertaining to a proposed dredging operation of the St. Sebastian River. I am pleased to report that $300,000 was appropriated to begin Phase I of an anticipated three to five year project to remove muck deposits in the river. The agencies governing board adopted its tentative budget, which is scheduled for final approval in September. Implementation of this project represents a nice accomplishment for this community, in that a number of residents have expressed a strong desire to have this effort come to fruition. Myself, along with City Engineer Martha Campbell City Council Information Letter July 30, 1999 Page 2 and Public Works Director Terry Hill will work closely with the Indian River Lagoon Program and the St. John's Water Management District to ensure sound project coordination and administration. Presentation to Indian River County Commission Yesterday afternoon, County Commissioner Fran Adams informed me that arrangements are being made to have City of Sebastian officials make a presentation to the Indian River County Commission during their meeting scheduled for Tuesday, August t7th. This is in effort to solicit the $200,000 appropriation as previously discussed to assemble a total financial package to acquire the Good Guys, Inc. property. I wish to follow the same strategy as proposed for the P2000 presentation to take place in September. As such, please let me know of any interest to attend, and proudly represent our fine community. Voting] Delegate, Florida Leag;ue of Cities Inc. Please find the attached correspondence from Florida League of Cities, Inc., requesting the City of Sebastian's interest in sending a voting delegate to attend the 73~ Annual Conference, August t9 - 21 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Any one of you, as well as myself can attend to serve as a voting delegate. However at this time, I do not think that it would be wise for me to attend any conferences, being that I am extremely busy here in Sebastian (and rightfully so). As such, please let me know if any of you are interested in attending, so that I can have Jean Tarbell make arrangements for you. Job Well Done On behalf of this administration, I would lil~ to.~xpress my apprec,at,on for taking the leadersh,l~'~ you d,d during the last two weeks, in providing direction to resolve the issue of exempt employee compensation. I have heard nothing but positive comments during the last two days and therefore must feel very proud of you all. Making City Council Information Letter July 30, t999 Page 3 Making such a decision is never an easy task. However, utilizing every available resource to help rationalize reasons why any particular action makes sense, is definitely a tremendous help. The unanimous vote to accept recommendations for salary reclassifications represents a move in the right direction for this community and therefore, a bright future ahead. You will soon realize a boost in morale, something this organization has needed for quite sometime now. As such, I hope that you all make this weekend a great one. It is well deservedl Attachments 1. Letter from Indian River Lagoon Program 2. Correspondence from Florida League of Cities, Inc. My Documents/Info Letter4 July 19, 1999 INDIAN RIVER LAGOON PROGRAM 1900 South Harbor City Blvd., Suite [07 · Melbourne. FL 32901-4749 Toll Free Phone: 800-226-3747 Phone: {407) 984-4950 or SUNCOM 3504950 FAX: (407] 984-4937 or SUNCOM 350-4937 Intemet: http://sj r.state.fl.us INDIAN RIVER LAGOOI Mr. George Koraly Mr. Gordon Maltby 9868 Riverview Drive Sebastian, FL 32976 Dear George, I have waited to respond to your last letter so I could provide you with some new information. Rep. Charles Sembler's efforts in the last legislative session resulted in the appropriation of $300,000 for a St. Sebastian River muck removal project. These dollars have been placed in the Indian River Lagoon Program's FY99-00 proposed budget to begin the first phase of what we believe will be a three to five year project to remove muck deposits in the St. Sebastian River. Last week (7/13) our governing board adopted our tentative budget that is scheduled for final approval in September. Phase one will include the diagnosis of muck deposits in the river including physical and chemical characteristics, identification of sources and depositional distribution throughout the system. This project will determine the volume of muck to be removed, '..identify potential disposal sites for the removed muck and estimate costs, and complete the process for obtaining state and federal permits. Detailed cross sections will be necessary for the permits and bid specifications that are provided to prospective dredging firms. Your soundings, aerials and additional information will be very useful as we move through the engineering/characterization process. Hopefully you and possibly others from the Sebastian ama will be able to participate in the development of this project. We all agree that muck is a significant pollutant in the St. Sebastian River/'IRL system. Its removal and control are important resource restoration objectives in the central IRL. The control of sources is being handled through District/local government cooperative stormwater and erosion control projects. The [RL Program's budget for next year includes $400,000 for stormwater retrofits in Veto Lakes Estates and Roseland basins, which drain to the St. Sebastian River. In addition the District will continue funding assistance for the city of Sebastian's project to complete the construction of a seven-acre treatment basin. The District has also budgeted $165,000 for engineering and geotechnical work for an 800-acre regional treatment reservoir within the Sebastian River Water Control District. Within the Fetlsmere Farms Water Control District, the District is negotiating the acquisition of over 3,000 acres of land as a future site of another regional .EPA In Cooperation with South Florida Water Mana§ement District and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency treatment facility. This site will provide water quality treatment of drainage into the Fellsmere canal that ultimately flows to the St. Sebastian River. As you can see a significant effort is being undertaken in the watershed. George, I hope you are as pleased as I am that the muck removal project is being initiated this fall. I know you had specific questions regarding several issues, property ownership for example (the state does own the C-54 canal property and berm) and sediment soumes. I am certain that all these issues will be addressed and thoroughly answered through an exhaustive project development phase. A successful dredging phase will be dependant upon the establishment of a local, state and federal partnership. The support of the county commissions, DEP, FIND and the COE is essential to the implementation of this project. Your continued help in fostering such a partnership will be greatly appreciated. Please do not hesitate to contact us in the IRL project office with comments or questions. We will keep you posted of any upcoming project meetings. Sincerely, · Martin S. Smithson, Director 'Indian River Lagoon Program CC: Rep. David Weldon Mr. David Stmhs, FDEP Mr. David Roach, FIND Col. Joe Miller, USACOE Mr. Henry Dean, SJRWMD Friends of St. Sebastian River Pelican Island Audubon Indian River Co. Commission Brevard Co. Commission Memorandum TO: FROM: DATE: RE: FLOmnA L AGUF. ov CrriF. S, INC. City Managers/City Clerks Selected Cities Michael Sittig, Executive Director Florida League of Cities July 13, 1999 VOTING DELEGATE INFORMATION Our records indicate that we have not yet received the name of your city's voting delegate for the Florida League of Cities' 73ra Annual Conference. It is important that each city designate one person to be the voting delegate. Policy development, election of League leadership and adoption on resolutions are undertaken during the business meeting. One official fi-om each city will make decisions that determine the direction of the League. if your city is attending the annual conference on August 19-21 at the Wyndham Palace Hotel, please complete the form that you previously received and remm to Gail Dennard at the League office by July 30 (fax 850-222~3806). If you are unable to return it by that date, please have your city's voting delegate bring the form to the conference. 301 South Bronough Street · Post Office Box 1757, Tallahassee. FL 32302-1757 Telephone (850) 222-9684 , Suncom 278-5331 , Fax (850) 222-3806 , Internet: http://fcn.state.fl.us/flc/ 73rd Annual Conference Florida League of Cities, Inc. August 19-21, 1999 Lake Buena Vista, Florida It is important that each member city sending delegates to the Annual Conference of the Florida League of Cities, designate one of their officials to cast their votes at the Annual Business Session. League By-Laws requires that each city select one person to serve as the city's voting delegate. Please fill out this form and return it to the League office so that your voting delegate may be properly identified. Designation of Voting Delegate Name of Voting Delegate: Title: City of: AUTHORIZED BY: Name Title Return this form to: Gail Dennard Florida League of Cities, Inc. Post Office Box 1757 Tallahassee, FL 32302-1757 Or Fax to Gail Dennard at (850) 222-3806