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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-02-2020 IPM Minutes w/ AttachmentINTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1225 MAIN STREET, SEBASTIAN, FL NOVEMBER 2, 2020 Call to Order — The meeting was called to order by Mr. Benton at 2:00 p.m. Pledge of Alleciance was recited by all. III. Roll call Present Dr. Cox Mr. Carrano Ms. Callaghan (Zoom) Ms. Lovell (Zoom) Not Present Mr. Stadelman Ms. Kelly-Begazo Also Present: Ken Griffin, Stormwater Manager Kim Haigler, Environmental Planner Brian Benton, Leisure Services Director Barbara Brooke -Reese, MIS Manager Janet Graham, Technical Writer IV. Announcements: Mr. Benton stated that he and Mr. Griffin will be the Co -Chairs for this Sub -Committee tA�_. 1-17JiIT.11ip IbT, Ms. Haigler stated that under Item D-ii, Mechanical Removal Project, she would like to move that agenda item up to appear under Item C, to be discussed as part of the BMPs, things that the City has been doing in 2020 so far. Mr. Benton asked if any Sub - Committee members had an issue with making that modification. Hearing none, Item D- ii was thus moved up and joined with Item C-i. VI. Public Input INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 2 MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 2, 2020 MEETING Mr. Benton called on anyone from the public who would like to speak. Dr. Robert Bedea, Roseland. He is very concerned that over the last couple of decades the City has "dropped the ball" regarding management of the City's stormwater system. He is also greatly concerned about any use, whether it be governmental or private residents, of any product that is other than non -toxic and biodegradable. Bob Stevens, 150 Concha Drive, Sebastian. Thanked the City for having this meeting. He is pleased that the City is actually going to move forward with this plan. He stated that there should not be any toxic chemicals used in the City's waterways. He reviewed how the water in his neighborhood does not flow property. He offered to volunteer to help with this matter. He has a culvert next to his house that does not work because it is not serviced regularly. There being no one else in Chambers and no one on Zoom, Mr. Benton moved on to the next Agenda item. VII. New Business A. Sub -Committee members to decide meeting schedule Mr. Benton stated that staffs suggestion is that this Sub -Committee meet every other week on Monday at 2:00 p.m. He inquired if any Sub -Committee members had an issue with that schedule. Hearing none, he called for a Motion. A motion to have this Sub - Committee's meetings held every other Monday at 2:00 p.m. was made by Ms. Callaghan, seconded by Mr. Carrano, and passed unanimously via voice vote. B. Scope of Stormwater IPM Plan Introduction to the City's stormwater assets Ms. Haigler made a PowerPoint presentation which identified and explained the stormwater system in the City (SEE ATTACHED). She highlighted the challenges which the City faces when managing the stormwater system. She then asked for questions/comments from the Sub -Committee members. Dr. Cox: • Stated he very rarely sees the pumps running when he goes to the Stonmwater Park. INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 3 MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 2, 2020 MEETING • Feels that the City is not claiming the credit it deserves for the Stormwater Park. Mr. Griffin stated he will explore Dr. Cox's second concern. As far as the first point, Dr. Cox is correct. The pumps will not be seen running because they have to be run in the very early hours of the morning. The rate structure that is set up with FPL is one that, if the pumps run anywhere near their peak periods of load, the penalty is tremendous. If attention is not paid to the demand schedule that is set by FPL, the City could see a bill of more than $2,000.00 a month. If it is paid attention to, the City could see a bill of less than $100.00 a month. His department works very hard to make sure the City's technician gets there very early and rigidly adheres to that schedule. • Considering the heavy rains that the City just had, he asked if it is likely that there will be far more water going to the ponds. He considers it a wasted resource when it is not used to its capacity. Mr. Griffin stated it is well used 12 months of the year. It is a tremendous resource and is a real water -quality benefit. He will look into what the City needs to do to make sure the City properly accounts for and claims credit for that water -quality benefit. There being no further questions/comments from the Sub -Committee members, Mr. Benton called for public input on this agenda item. Dr. Robert Bedea, Roseland. He stated that since he arrived in this area in late January 2019, he has been through the Stormwater Park and watched the property around the area. He has never seen the pumps running. He is aware of the FPL schedule. Bob Stevens, 150 Concha Drive, Sebastian He lives right across from the Park. He has seen someone there a few times around 10-11 o'clock in the morning. Mr. Griffin stated his department works very hard to keep the technician within the lower -cost schedule. He emphasized that the schedule does vary and is not the same schedule every month. Mr. Stevens stated the people want the water to be cleaned up, and the money is not an issue. Mr. Benton called for anyone else from the public who wished to speak on this item. Seeing no one in Chambers and hearing no one on Zoom, he moved to the next Agenda item. C. Past Pest Management Activities Best Management Practices (BMPs) and Mechanical Removal Project INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 4 MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 2, 2020 MEETING Ms. Haigler gave a PowerPoint presentation on this section, which covered an explanation of what the Stormwater Department is doing. (SEE ATTACHED) She described how the mechanical removal project was conducted. Mr. Griffin added that his department started spending a tremendous amount of effort to remove the vegetation that is mowed or cut from the canals, ditches, etc. He reviewed that in past years his department has mowed and then very occasionally removed the material. With the thought that all of that material that has been cut can wind up moving through the stormwater system, moving into the canal, moving into the river, and ultimately into the lagoon, it would be better if that vegetation could be removed soon after it is cut. It is a massive job, and he is focusing on adding that to the mechanical removal program. That protects the lagoon and protects the river. Mr. Benton called for questions/comments from the Sub -Committee members on what was just shown. Dr. Cox Repeated the question he had earlier as to whether the City is getting credit for all the material that is cut and removed from the ditches. Mr. Griffin stated that is part of the development of a stormwater master plan that the City is about to embark upon. City Council has selected a consultant to do that. That will be one of the elements that he wants to have in that plan, i.e. a reporting of and a plan for reporting of the City's success in terms of moving forward and making progress in removing nutrients from the system. Inquired as to where the material is removed and dumped. Mr. Griffin stated it goes to the county landfill. Ms. Haigler added that she does the NPDES reporting, and these projects are the kinds that are reported on the STAR report annually in January. Stormwater Park is on the City's NPDES MS-4 permit. Stated that it was very instructive when he worked on the Parks and Properties Integrated Pest Management Plan to have the Sub -Committee members be able to do a couple of site visits to see what was happening, what the problems were and what possible solutions there were. He suggested that this be done by this Sub -Committee also so that they can understand the magnitude of the problem. Mr. Benton stated that after this meeting staff will get together and will determine some locations, and staff will work with the Sub -Committee and set some dates. The staff will notice these dates publicly, and members of the public will be able to attend as well. INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 5 MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 2, 2020 MEETING Hearing nothing further from the Sub -Committee members, Mr. Benton called for public input regarding the Best Management Practices or the Mechanical Removal Project presentation that was just given. Dr. Robert Bedea, Roseland. He is very much in favor of the mechanical approach. He suggested that the City consider, rather than transferring this material, which is a valuable Sebastian resource, out of town to the landfill, why not turn it into compost. There are public and private lands, and this is a resource. Joe Scozzari, Sebastian. He likes the idea of mechanical removal of the debris. He thinks the City could make some money off of that as a nutrient. He also stated that much focus is on the large swales and the big canals, etc. He has five lots in a row that are all under water. He has complained several times. His rainwater tax went up $80.00 on each lot. He opined that there are no strict directives on how the property owners are to care for their swales and keep them clean. If someone from the City would come out and give him his elevations, he will be happy to make it so that the water gets to the large canals. He stated Hardee Park water body is completely clear. He thinks the problem is getting the water out from the residential lots to flow where it is supposed to flow. He has neighbors who have put sod over their swales, and so the water is damming up. Mr. Griffin stated he will look at Mr. Scozzari's particular street. He stated that it is important that everyone on the street not only maintains their swales but also maintains their culverts. Bob Stevens, Sebastian. Stated he was present when the team came to Hardee Park for the mechanical removal. He suggested the employees who perform mechanical removal could be managed better, as they spend a lot of time traveling back and forth to the area where the material is dumped. Mr. Benton asked that there not be any finger pointing to specific employees, etc. Mr. Griffin explained that the whole plan was laid out with the contractor and, unfortunately, the contractor did some things they were not supposed to do. Mary Wolff, Sebastian. She spoke regarding swale maintenance. She suggested that when new residents move into the City, they may not be aware that they are required to maintain their swales. She recommended they have an education process on this situation. She also opined that the age of many of the City's residents precludes them from specifically going out and clearing their swales or culverts. She made the suggestion that maybe the lawn maintenance companies could provide that as an additional service for a small fee. INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 6 MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 2, 2020 MEETING Jim Clifton, 817 Cain Street, Sebastian. He related that a few months ago someone from the City came and attempted to clean out a ditch that runs down the side of his property. He has obtained a copy of the drawing for that system which shows there is more than enough grade that that ditch should be dry when it is not raining. There is always water in it, which should not be if it were properly maintained. He does endorse the idea of removing the vegetation that is cut. It serves no purpose except to fill up the ditch faster than it would if it were removed. He is looking forward to progress being made on these ditches. He stated that twice in the past few months his street had water over the crown of the street. Eugene Wolff, Sebastian. He has lived along Collier Creek for 23 years opposite the Lake Hardee Park and is very familiar with that waterway. There has been a lot of transformation over time. He was on City Council during the replacement of the sea walls project, and he was intimately involved with engineering and the various aspects of that project. He saw the mechanical harvesting. He opined that the clearing was heavily taxed because of no spraying for almost nine months or so. By the time the mechanical harvesting pilot project took place, the canal was in very bad shape. He was impressed with how the machine worked. The machine itself was efficient, but he opined that the rest of the project was not. A barge or platform of some sort is needed to dump the collected material on so that there is not so much time invested in moving that material to the dump site. He stated that once the system is gotten under control, and the harvesting is done on a regular basis, it would be much cheaper and far more efficient. He suggested that one thing that is overlooked when spraying is done is that all that material dies and drops into the water creating dissolved oxygen problems, creating poor water quality which affects the wading birds and the fish. He has seen a rebound in the wildlife population in Collier Creek over time. He hopes that with this Sub -Committee, the City will implement an IPM system that will balance the spraying and mechanical removal in order to get the ecosystem back to where the residents would like to see it. Mr. Benton called for comments from the Sub -Committee on the Best Management Practices and the Mechanical Removal Projects. Hearing none, Mr. Benton moved to the next agenda item. Applied Aquatics Ms. Haigler stated that for years the City had a contract with Applied Aquatics, which is the company that was contracted to spray pesticides on the aquatic vegetation. This was a piggyback contract with FWS and the National Park Service, which meant that all the terms of their contract with FINS and the National Park Service applied to the City's contract. There were two years of treatment sheets. She has gone through all of those INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 7 MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 2, 2020 MEETING sheets and logged all the data. She stated that some of the most frequently treated sites, which are definitely areas that staff would focus on for IPM non -chemical projects, are areas such as Schumann Lake, Hardee Park, and the Twin Ditches area. Some of the most common plants that were treated were brush and grasses, which means emergent shoreline vegetation. Next were algae, duckweed, and hyacinths. For fiscal year 2018 the City paid $24,000.00 for that contract with Applied Aquatics. Throughout that year, the vegetation was controlled using 56.6 gallons of chemicals. Those were not just pesticides, but also adjuvants, which is an additive to the pesticide which will help it with dispersal to reduce drift, and surfactants to help it adhere to vegetation better. She stated those chemicals will be discussed in depth at a future meeting. In fiscal year 2019, all the chemicals in total were 85.7 gallons, and the cost of that contract was $26,000.00. Mr. Benton reminded the Sub -Committee members that staff is providing this information regarding past management activities, and Ms. Haigler can provide any further information that any member(s) want regarding quantities that were used, etc. Mr. Benton called for questions or comments from the Sub -Committee members. Dr. Cox Inquired whether that contract with Applied Aquatics is still in effect until the end of this year. Ms. Haigler stated the City no longer has a contract with Applied Aquatics. Recalled that at the City Council meeting addressing this situation, it was allowed that the City Manager not only test WOW, but also use his own discretion to test other products. He inquired whether this Sub -Committee will be discussing that at meetings in the future. Ms. Haigler stated it is under Item D on tonight's agenda. Hearing no further comments or questions from Sub -Committee members, including those on Zoom, Mr. Benton opened the meeting to public comment, cautioning that such comments should be limited to Applied Aquatics and the information that was just provided. Dr. Robert Bedea, Roseland. He is delighted to hear that Applied Aquatics will no longer be spraying in the canals. Eugene Wolff, Sebastian. He staled that he has held a pesticide license in the past. He noted that the same sprayer was used for the last several years. He had spoken to this sprayer once or twice. Mr. Wolff described how this sprayer was absolutely negligent in performing his job. He further reviewed how the City created a mitigation area that completely encircled Hardee Park and how the Applied Aquatics employee completely INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 8 MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 2, 2020 MEETING destroyed that mitigation area with his spraying. Mr. Wolff suggested that, if the City returns to using a spraying service, to not piggyback on the contract that Ms. Haigler described. What is needed is someone who will work with the City to do the job properly. Bob Stevens, Sebastian. He agreed with what Mr. Wolff said regarding Applied Aquatics. Seeing no one else from the public in Council Chambers, as well as hearing no one on Zoom who wished to speak, Mr. Benton closed public input regarding this agenda item and called on Sub -Committee members for questions or comments on this item. Dr. Cox • Reinforced what Mr. Wolff had said. He further suggested that these sprayers could not identify from the boat exactly what plants were to be eliminated. When Dr. Cox asked the sprayer about his method of spraying, the employee stated that he would be out of a job if Dr. Cox made any noise about the way he sprayed. So Dr. Cox does not ever want to see Applied Aquatics performing this sort of work in Sebastian. Mr. Griffin stated that Applied Aquatics are no longer working on the east coast by their choice. Hearing no further comments or questions from the Sub -Committee members, including those on Zoom, Mr. Benton moved on to the next agenda item. D. Current Status Key pests Ms. Haigler made a PowerPoint presentation on this item. (SEE ATTACHED) She reviewed that this plan only addresses vegetation/plants and reviewed and described what species are included and where they are found along and in the waterways. Mr. Benton called for comments/questions from the Sub -Committee members on what was covered by Ms. Haigler's presentation. Mr. Carrano: • Inquired whether any of the plants that live on the shoreline are protected under the wetland regulations in Florida. Ms. Haigler said that is only along the lagoon. INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 9 MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 2, 2020 MEETING The sea grapes and the mangroves can be protected along the beaches or along the lagoon. Dr. Cox • Stated it would be useful if all the Sub -Committee members could have a copy of the book put out by the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Foundation, "Biology and Control of Aquatic Plants, The Best Management Practices Handbook." Dr. Cox stated that this book is being distributed by the people at IFAS. Ms. Haigler stated she thinks she has the PDF. Hearing nothing further from the Sub -Committee members, Mr. Benton opened the meeting to public Input on the presentation that was just made regarding key pests. Joe Scozzarl, Sebastian. Asked why it would be desirable to get rid of some pests that are native to Florida. Ms. Haigler stated that by definition a pest is anything that impedes on the intended use of the space. In looking at stonmwater, the main purpose is to preserve the storage and the transport of the stonmwater. If something creates a dense monoculture and begins impeding the flow and storage, then it is a pest. That does not mean it has to be eradicated, but it has to be controlled. It does not mean all the natives have to die, but they need to be maintained at a point that they are not impeding the flow and storage of the stormwater features. Mr. Scozzad suggested these nafive pests should remain, as they may filter some things out of the water. Dr. Robert Bedea, Roseland. He stated that plants are biofilters. We have a responsibility for stewardship as humans. Mechanical harvesting is wonderful, but we need to rethink what we call an invasive species and a problem. We do a knee-jerk reaction using poorly defined terms, and we identify an enemy when it is really a friend. Hearing no further comments or questions from the public in Chambers or from anyone on Zoom, Mr. Benton moved on to the next agenda item. iii. WOW use on aquatics Ms. Haigler reviewed that City Council at a prior Council meeting approved the purchase of WOW, which is a biopesticide, for use in the parks and also in stonmwater to spot spray around some of the City's weirs and dam features. Staff did test a small patch on hyacinths, and it worked well. Duckweed was also sprayed in a patch, and staff is not sure what happened, because there was heavy rain and the duckweed floated downstream. It worked really well on cattails also. It did not work well on pepper. The INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 10 MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 2, 2020 MEETING WOW was purchased to spot treat around the stormwater system, but none has been applied at this point, as there needs to be someone licensed to apply it. Mr. Griffin has just received that certification. Moving forward, it will be tested around some of the City's main weirs and dams and other features. Staff definitely plans to include it in this IPM Plan as well. Mr. Griffin stated that staff will be conducting the tests that were directed by the City Manager and discussed at the recent City Council meeting. It will be on the critical structures in the canal, and more information will be collected on the use of this peppermint oil natural herbicide. Mr. Benton called for comments/questions from the Sub -Committee members on what Ms. Haigler and Mr. Griffin just talked about. Dr. Cox The CEO of the company that produces this product, Eco-Mite, has told Dr. Cox several times this product is only being tested for use on terrestrial environments and habitats. The company has never promoted its use in aquatic environments, but other people have. They do not know how effective it is. Dr. Cox cautioned the City to be careful to not spend a lot of money on something that will not work. Mr. Griffin stated there was a small amount of money spent on some additional amounts. There have been very successful tests in the parks system with that chemical, and the City Manager has discussed extensively the use of it in the waterways as well. Mr. Benton stated he also has spoken to the owner/president of Eco-Mite, and they are very interested to see the results of the City's use. Mr. Benton stated staff has done a small test area for this product; however, the City is not a testing agency, and the area that the test was done in is a very small area. Staff would like to get more information by doing a little larger area. Spot spraying is the plan and conducting the spraying in more controlled environments. Other communities have also been testing it in the same environment, and it will be interesting to see how the product works in the aquatic environment. On land, it tested great. It exceeded what was being shown from glyphosate in the City's testing area. It is a natural product. One of the main ingredients is peppermint oil, but it is all natural. Dr. Cox stated care needs to be taken, because it has not been tested with any results that can be looked at to know what effect it will have on all other species that are in the area. Mr. Carrano: INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 11 MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 2, 2020 MEETING The problem is that nothing shows the product's toxic impact to the environment. There are lots of natural materials that are poisonous. We have no idea what this product can do up the entire food chain. There is no way to test the impact to the environment, either upstream or downstream. Ms. Haigler stated that is the problem that is present with all biopesticides, because they are not EPA tested. So the City would not make a plan that only had biopesticides, because they do not require extensive research on how they affect specific communities and non - targeted pests. Mr. Benton reviewed that it was part of the discussion in the Parks Plan to include products that had been tested, and their effects are known. Mr. Carrano stated that, again, the testing is looking at the efficacy —how well it works in killing plants. Mr. Benton stated that the goal is to see the effects on the environment in that controlled area. Mr. Carrano stated that the City does not have the skills to see the impacts it has on an ecosystem. It would take tens of thousands of dollars to look at the ecosystem before spraying application and afterwards. Ms. Haigler stated that the goal of using it was never to broadcast spray and treat all of the vegetation. It was only for spot spraying for emergency protection. Mr. Griffin stated that regarding the intensive effort that the City contracted for in the Hardee Park area, he would like to get a little more perspective on that in terns of the effort and the price and the final outcome. Mr. Benton stated the Sub -Committee will address that when it gets to the mechanical portion of the plan. Today is just introducing all of these items. Then the Sub -Committee will go into the biological aspect, and each member will have a pest assigned to him/her. After that, mechanical, cultural, and chemical aspects will be addressed. Hearing nothing further from the Sub -Committee members, Mr. Benton opened the meeting to Public Comment on the presentation that was just made regarding WOW use on aquatics. Mary Wolff, Sebastian. Regarding the overgrowth condition that is present in the City's canals, she questioned whether it is known what nutrients are going into the canals, i.e., are they coming from people applying fertilizers onto their lawns. Is the goal to try to stop people from fertilizing in the high rainfall periods? There are people moving into this community continuously who are not aware of the special needs here. She also suggested that a robust monitoring program is needed based on the time of the year. She asked that, when the plan is implemented, it be complete. Mr. Benton commented that this is the very first meeting for this Plan. If the IPM Plan for the City's parks and properties is looked at, it will be seen that a lot of what Ms. Wolff INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 12 MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 2, 2020 MEETING mentioned will be developed through this Plan. It will take some time, but the Sub - Committee will take into account looking at what they have identified as key pests right now, whether they will continue being pests in the future, and how all that information is differentiated. As far as the public outreach portion, that is something that is being emphasized with the City's new IPM website that was started with Parks and Properties. The Natural Resources Board also has an objective with Sustainable Sebastian. So a lot more of this information will be available via the website, Facebook, and other media. Dr. Robert Bodes, Roseland. He suggested a new way of facing the problems that are existing today, and that is, if we do not get to the cause of the problem, how are we ever going to fix the problem. Rather than monitor a product that is meant for terrestrial uses and put it in an aquatic environment, maybe it is a good idea, but likely it will be a waste of time. When the outflow pipes that flow into the canal system are monitored, the chemicals that are going into the system will be monitored. When we know what the chemicals are, we can nip it in the bud. Bob Stevens, Sebastian. He stated there have been many products that have been tested that Applied Aquatics has used over the last 20 years. What has never been done is that they have never been tested together. He gave an example of how he was affected by being in the drift of what was being sprayed. He also mentioned that there is a permit required to use these chemicals, and he suggested that that has not been happening. He is glad to see that the matter is going to be addressed, as he feels it is very important. He addressed a prior City Council meeting where the matter was addressed. Mr. Benton suggested Mr. Stevens review the Minutes from that meeting. Joe Scozzari, Sebastian. Thanked the Sub -Committee and staff forwhat they are doing. Eugene Wolff, Sebastian. If access is needed to Collier Creek to do some tests, he offered a vacant property that he owns that will allow access to do those tests. Hearing no further comments or questions from the public in Chambers or anyone on Zoom, Mr. Benton moved on to the next agenda item. E. Biological Controls Each member assigned one pest to research for the next meeting. Ms. Haigler stated that at the next meeting the focus will be on non -chemical methods and biological controls. More in-depth discussion will be held. She will begin with INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 13 MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 2, 2020 MEETING assigning some of the primary pests to members to the Sub -Committee to do their own research on them. She listed the pests assigned to each member: Mr. Carrano -- hydrilla and hyacinth. Dr. Cox — shoreline grasses Ms. Lovell -- algae Mr. Stadelman -- giant Salvinia and spatterdock Ms. Haigler stated she has provided each member with a folder containing information on the different pests. At the next meeting, each member will give a short report on what they found in their research for biological controls on those pests. Hearing nothing further from the Sub -Committee members, Mr. Benton opened the meeting to Public Comment on the pests that were just assigned to each member for biological control of those pests. Seeing no one in Chambers and hearing from no one on Zoom, Mr. Benton moved to the next item on the agenda. PIIIWe] GFll17104 - 0GTi 7 IX. Sub -Committee Member Matters Dr. Cox asked that the Sub -Committee define the problem(s), look at all the alternatives, look at the pros and cons, look at what is best in terms of being better than doing nothing, and make sure the public is involved. X. Staff Matters Ms. Haigler said that in the folder with the summary of the pests is a workbook on invasive aquatic plants and their control. It is a really helpful introduction into what the Sub - Committee is going to be working on. She also has folders for the members who are not at this meeting. Mr. Griffin wanted to give some additional perspective on the removal of vegetation from the Hardee Park area via mechanical methods. The contractor did struggle. However, the City paid a fair price for the work that was done. The City was protected because it had a contract that was piggybacked on the St. John's Water Management District. The contractor understood what the job was, and the contractor's job was to formulate a plan to get that job done. The contractor was also educated in terms of what he could and could not do in terms of disposal, because Hardee Park does have some areas where some high -quality natural vegetation had been planted a number of years ago on the INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 14 MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 2, 2020 MEETING shoreline. Staff did not want those plantings to be destroyed. The contractor was required to come back because they had not completed the job. They had to spend another 50% more manhours doing the work to complete thejob as they were contracted to do. The end result is that the job did get done for a fair price of $27,000.00. It was a contract that had been advertised for bid by St. John's Water Management District. The only downside to the project besides the cost to the City was that because they did not follow through on the planning, this was not a profitable effort on the part of the contractor. He wanted everyone to have that perspective, as a number of residents have watched and observed and saw the before and after results. Mr. Benton stated that, as the Sub -Committee is beginning to go through this Plan, it will go step-by-step, similar to how it was done in the Parks and Properties Plan. He appreciates all the public input, and staff will look into the issues that are being presented. XI. Items for Next Aaenda — Next Meetina on Monday. November 16. at 2:00 o.m. Dr. Cox asked if there is a timeline for completion of this Plan. Mr. Benton stated it will be after the first of the year, as there will be the holidays to be considered. A. Biological Control Discussion B. Stormwater IPM Program Review and Discussion C. Table of Non -Chemical Control Methods XII. Adjournment There being no further business, Mr. Benton adjourned the meeting at 3:45 p.m. By: 4,,b C. -/ Date: (r5-Z0.Z/ A