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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06062006 EB OIY Of .... ... "- ... ~=,_....,-, '~_.~ ~ - _~~=I " ~~-=- HOME OF PELICAN ISlAND TEMPORARY ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, JUNE 6, 2006 - 6:00 P.M. CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1225 MAIN STREET, SEBASTIAN, FLORIDA 1. Vice Chair Krueger called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. 2. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 3. ROLL CALL Present: Pat Beckwith Linda DeSantis Jane Kresge Mary Ann Krueger Diane Powers Kristi Yanchis Excused Absence: Trish Adams Jim Slattery Also Present: AI Paternoster, Council Member Sat Neglia, Council Member Jeanette Williams, Recording Secretary 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. March 7, 2006 Meeting B. April 4, 2006 Meeting C. May 2, 2006 Meeting On a MOTION by Ms. Krueger and SECOND by Ms. Beckwith, all three meeting minutes were approved by a voice vote of 6-0. 5. PUBLIC INPUT Dale Simchick, Citizens Against Sebastian Harbor spoke on a proposed development to be called Sebastian Harbor while a dvd played for the members and public. The dvd contained pictures of wildlife. 1 Temporary Environmental Advisory Committee June 6, 2006 Page Two Ms. Simchick said the Planning and Zoning Commission is the watchdog of the permitting process and she requested the committee contact the Commission or Council to make sure all wildlife is accounted for and perhaps the project can be delayed or stopped. She said she hoped to be enough trouble that the developer will give up and the Indian River County Land Acquisition Fund will purchase and preserve the land. She said it was on the acquisition list. 6. OLD BUSINESS A. ROBERT JOHNSON RE: SEBASTIAN HARBOR Ms. Simchick spoke earlier for Mr. Johnson. 7. DISCUSSION/POSSIBLE ACTION A.. Letter RE: Sebastian Harbor Development Side II, Tape I Ms. Krueger said she would like the committee make a statement on this proposed development. She read a letter she typed to the Army Corps of Engineers into the record (attached). Ms. Yanchis said each governmental authority reviews the project separately and this project would be held up for quite a while due to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife engineer's heavy workload. She also explained the Army Corps of Engineers will not issue permits until the U.S. Fish & Wildlife comments are received. She said the engineer and Ms. Adams * Ms. Adams will actually walk the property looking for species' habitat and that at that no ted tha t point, options to minimize the destruction of habitat will be given to the she wi 11 no developer. be walking the property in Ms. Krueger advised everyone to call his or her Congressmen and her official Senators. She also stated the City can make strict ordinances on capaci ty with developing wetlands and perhaps legislation can be drawn to protect all the U. S . species. Ms. Yanchis advised that developers usually have to set aside Fi~h & Wil~- land for species and the City cannot prohibit all development, but give the hfe Servl.C developers options to choose from. Ms. Simchick said the Army Corps of ~niY Chuc~d Engineer contact person is Tammy Dabu and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife e. so wthou . reVl.ew e contact person IS Chuck Kelso. property. On a MOTION by Ms. Krueger and SECOND by Ms. DeSanctis the committee voted to send Ms. Krueger's letter to the Army Corps of Engineers from the committee with a copy to SJRWMD and U.S. Fish & Wildlife on a voice vote of 6-0. 2 Temporary Environmental Advisory Committee June 6, 2006 Page Three B. Status of Environmental Specialist Ms. Krueger asked the recording secretary for the status of the specialist and the secretary referred her to the city manager. Ms. Beckwith asked about the Fleming Street surveying and Ms. Simchick provided an explanation on the project. Ms. Simchick suggested having Dr. David Cox on retainer until the City can hire an environmental specialist. Ms. Krueger said a college graduate would be cheaper for the City. She said it would cost each citizen $2.00 a year for a full time specialist. C. Barber Street Plans Ms. Krueger asked members if they were aware of this project. She stated the lot to be acquired must be mitigated at 3 to 1 and with lots selling for $80,000 a piece, she questioned if the City had better projects to fund. Ms. DeSanctis asked why the road is to be straightened. Ms. Powers suggested traffic might go faster if the road was straightened. D. Airport Ms. Krueger said Mr. Slattery was to provide an update but he will not be in attendance until the fall. E. Scrub Jav Sian for Barber Street and Pelican Island Elementary Ms. Yanchis said she is off on Friday, June 9th and plans to stop by the City's sign shop to see how much a sign would cost. Discussion continued on the sand hill crane signs in Collier Creek subdivision. F. Pelican Brief - Sebastian Earth Dav April 22 - Ask City to Reserve Riverview Park Ms. Krueger read the article she prepared for the next Pelican Brief (attached). On a MOTION by Ms. DeSanctis and SECOND by Ms. Kresge the article will be submitted for the next Pelican Brief. The recording secretary reported Riverview Park was available on April 220d, 2007 and she would provide each member a copy of the park use application for consideration. Discussion followed on making Earth Day 3 Temporary Environmental Advisory Committee June 6, 2006 Page Four April 21st and if Friendship Park should be used instead of Riverview Park. Discussion followed on having the City sponsor the event and provide a manned exhibit from each City department, soil testing for homeowners, vendors, low-key musicians etc. Council Member Neglia cautioned the committee on using City employees on the weekend and advised the committee that the event would be their sole responsibility. Ms. Yanchis suggested tours of the County's 40 acres abutting Friendship Park. Side I, Tape II G. ReQuest resolution to reQuire owners of land to inform prospective buyers of the fact that they may have or do have scrub iays. aopher tortoises. or otherendanQered / threatened species on the property that they will have to be mitiaated before construction or clearina Ms. Krueger said she would like to see property owners forced to disclose wildlife. Ms. Yanchis said title companies ask sellers about special conditions, but it is typically the buyer's responsibility to research what they are purchasing. Ms. Beckwith asked if there is a requirement that the buyer finds out and Ms. Yanchis said city/county governments can help in that regard. Ms. Kresge said real estate agents may be required to disclose and Ms. Powers added their ultimate goal is a sale. ReQuest resolution to recommend the City ban the entombment of aopher tortoises H. Ms. Yanchis reiterated that this could only be regulated on larger scale projects and options must be given to developers. I. Report of Advisorv Board/Committee trainina session held May 19th Ms. DeSanctis said the class was very beneficial and the class instructor was very knowledgeable and perhaps Ms. Crotty could come to City Hall to give the class for all board and committee members. 8 MEMBER'S MA TIERS A. KrueQer - citizens concerned with iIIeQal roaminQ cats doinQ damaae to birds Ms. Krueger would like someone from the Animal Control Division to come to a future meeting and explain the process of capturing animals and fining the owners so the public is aware of what can happen. 4 f' Temporary Environmental Advisory Committee June 6, 2006 Page Five B. Kresae Ms. Kresge suggested the University of Florida IFAS provide soil testing at Earth Day. She suggested putting a regular column in the newspaper of what kinds of plants and trees grow well in the community. Ms. Beckwith said the Extension office does have a column but the extension agent must approve any article, and improvements to the column are underway. Ms. Yanchis referred to the letter recently sent out by the Building Department. Ms. Yanchis requested a copy of the letter and to whom it was sent. Ms. Krueger welcomed Ms. Powers. C. Yanchis D. Powers Ms. Powers introduced herself and stated she has been a resident since 1992 and looks forward to working on the committee. Ms. Yanchis expressed support to have an animal control officer come to a future meeting and asked about feral cats. Ms. Krueger pointed out that Animal Control is overburdened and will provide traps but property owners must maintain the trap and owners only receive a fine if an Animal Control officer catches the pet. Ms. Yanchis requested a report on the University of Florida IFAS Integrated Pest Management Class held at the old council chambers on April 28th. The recording secretary offered to try to obtain information. E. Beckwith Ms. Beckwith stated many of her questions had been answered. Ms. Krueger welcomed Ms. DeSanctis and advised the committee of her pet cat which roams and asks that she be called instead of animal control to retrieve her pet cat. Ms. Powers advised the committee of a national company that will scan micro chips embedded in pets. Ms. DeSanctis asked that the dvd shown tonight accompany the Vice- Chair's letter to the Army Corps of Engineers. 5 Temporary Environmental Advisory Committee June 6, 2006 Page Six On a MOTION by Ms. DeSanctis and SECOND by Ms. Powers, the committee voted to skip the July 4th meeting with a voice vote of 6-0. Ms. Kresge said she could not make the August 1 st meeting due to her participation in "National Night Out." Ms. Krueger said she might also miss the meeting. Discussion followed on changing the day but it was decided that the committee is advertised to meeting the first Tuesday so they should stay with the August 1st and see if there is a quorum. 9. SET NEXT AGENDA The vice chair requested the chair set the August meeting agenda. 10. Being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:22 p.m. Approved at the August 1,2006 meeting. * as amended on page 2. w~ 6 Article written by Mary Ann Krueger for next Pelican Brief: City of Sebastian Citizen's Environmental Advisory Committee News Endangered species protection; preserving the Indian River Lagoon, the St. Sebastian River; and working to keep our special place unspoiled is what the Environmental Committee is all about. Our list of priorities include: investigating measures to protect our waterfront resources; bringing an Environmental Specialist on board; promoting native vegetation use by the city and the public; networking with other committees, governmental agencies, Environmental groups the media and the citizens of Sebastian. We would like to reIlliIld the public that conservation begins in our own backyard. Least toxic pest control saves natural resources and prevents pollution of surface and groundwater resources. Buffers (unmowed areas) between water and land resources slow down polluted runoff. Join us the first Tuesday of the month at 6:00 pm at City Hall. Or view us on Channel 25 TV. There are openings on the Committee and concerned, aware citizens of Sebastian can pick up an application in the city clerk's office. Mary Ann Krueger, Vice Chair Sebastian Citizens' Environmental Advisory Committee 772-581-7472 I To: Department of the Army Regulatory Division Branch Cocoa Regulatory Office From: City of Sebastian Environmental Advisory Committee 1225 Main St. Sebastian FL 32958 Re: Permit Application No. SAJ-2005-5119 (IP-TSD) Dear Sirs: We are writing to ask you to put this permit on hold. Our City is very concerned about preserving and protecting our tax base, safety and the environment. We feel this project adversely affects : Tax base: The burdens placed on our community include: long wait for'ax revenues due to time of construction. The community will have to foot the bill for fire and police protection, drainage pr()blems and power with no returns on investment for a long period of time. Safety: Undeveloped areas such as this have little access to police protection, fire protection and waste management. And are needed for flood protection. Environment: The fact that endangered and threatened species have been sighted by numerous eye witness accounts has not been addressed by you. This property is prime wildlife habitat and vital to efforts to preserve and protect the Indian River Lagoon. (It is on the list for acquisition by our County Lands Acquisition Committee).More development means more environmental problems for our community .Long range planning must include planning for water movement away from populated areas. The 22 wetlands located within the 163 acre parcel are needed to protect our area from flooding. Thank you for considering our request to have this project put on hold until all environmental and human impacts are thoroughly explored cc: Florida Fish & Wildlife St. Johns River Water Management News Media