City of Deerfield Beach MARINE ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES March 17, 2016 CITY COMMISSION CHAMBERS 150 NE 2 nd Avenue The meeting was called to order on the above date by Chair Hendrickson at 6:00 p.m. The following Board Members were in attendance: Voting Ms. Cisneros Mr. Nass Ms. Ramon Mr. Wechterman Chair Hendrickson Unexcused Absence Mr. McGeary Mr. Sinovcic Also in attendance: Jeff Siniawsky, Assistant City Attorney, Patrick Bardes, Board Liaison, Heather Montemayor, Assistant to the City Clerk, and members of the public. MOTION was made by Mr. Wechterman and seconded by Mr. Nass to approve the December 17, 2015 minutes as submitted The vote passed unanimously. It was the consensus of the Board to approve the February 18, 2016 meeting minutes as submitted. There was no vote. Chair Hendrickson approved the agenda as distributed. There was no objection. PUBLIC COMMENTS Chair Hendrickson opened the meeting for public input. Jim Mathie, 1307 SE 14 th Avenue, Deerfield Beach, said the underwater camera is now working; however, the armacher and base need to be replaced. He explained that there will be live footage of the underwater camera in the bait house, on the City s website and sunny.org. Further, Mr. Mathie said the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has completed the public comments section regarding their 68 recommended actions; whereby, just under 2,000 comments have been submitted. The ban of spearfishing on scuba received over 500 comments, whereby, 75-80% were not in favor of banning spearfishing on scuba. Mr. Mathie stated that there are challenges between State and Federal agencies; therefore, the process is still ongoing. 1
Continuing, Mr. Mathie explained that a fishing pier tournament is in the works. He further commented on the Hillsboro Canal joint dredging project being from Pennell s Marine east. The canal west to Military PUBLIC COMMENTS - CONTINUED Trail has not been dredged; however, the canal going west is also a part of Boca Raton and hopefully another joint dredging project will be done. Mr. Mathie explained that Hillsboro River from Military Trail west is part of the South Florida Water Management District Bank Stabilization, which has been cleaned up. In response to Mr. Nass question, Mr. Mathie replied that the Rapa Nui Reef is safe to dive on. Further, he stated that the County provided 250,000 pounds of boulders to the north of the reef and they will be providing another pile of rocks to the north of the boulders. Mr. Mathie said some of the statutes have come out underneath the barge and are appearing on top of the barge. Lastly, he said no mooring buoys will be installed above the reef. In response to Mr. Wechterman s question, Mr. Mathie replied that the addition of statues is up to Margaret Blume, benefactor, and the depth of the barge is 65 feet to the bottom. Continuing, Mr. Mathie said the City of Pompano Beach will be sinking a 300 foot freighter. Thereafter, Patrick Bardes, Board Liaison, displayed a map of the potential locations for the eight (8) mooring buoys the City is receiving from the County. In response to Mr. Wechterman s question, Mr. Bardes replied that the buoys may be 150-300 feet apart from one another and will be in 70 feet of water. Thereafter, discussion pursued regarding the location of the mooring buoys. NEW BUSINESS - UPDATE ON PRIORITY LIST RESPONSIBILITIES Patrick Bardes, Board Liaison, displayed the priority list responsibilities and explained the reason behind the list to the new Board members. Thereafter, he explained each item on the list and the Board member assigned to the item provided a background for each. Guidelines and Best Management Practices to Reduce Pollution in Saltwater Canals - Mr. Bardes explained that Staff is in the process of putting together a proposal for a stormwater utility fee. In response to Ms. Cisneros question, Mr. Bardes replied that the City s Sanitation Division has a pontoon boat that goes down each canal every Friday to pick up garbage. He stated that this should not be removed from the priority list as it is an ongoing issue. In response to Mr. Nass question, Mr. Bardes replied that he will keep the Board informed of the outcomes from the strategic meetings. Kayak Dock Installation - Mr. Bardes stated that three (3) proposals are being reviewed by the Parks and Recreation Department; however, there is no funding in this year s budget. Jeff Siniawsky, Assistant City Attorney, temporarily left the dais. 2
Mr. Wechterman suggested getting the Wounded Warrior Veterans involved with the floating dock. NEW BUSINESS - UPDATE ON PRIORITY LIST RESPONSIBILITIES - CONTINUED Waterfront Property Owner s Manual - Chair Hendrickson explained that the waterfront property owner s manual is still in the works, as corrections need to be made. In response to Ms. Cisneros question, Chair Hendrickson replied that a welcome packet will be going out to real estate agents, homeowner s associations, environmental lawyers, code enforcement, etc. Mr. Siniawsky returned at 6:24 p.m. Visitor s Center - Mr. Nass said that a pier supervisor has been hired; therefore, the Visitor s Center should be up and running soon. Thereafter, Mr. Nass explained the location of the Visitor s Center. Installation of Navigable Waterway Signage - Mr. Bardes stated that he has not had a chance to research the costs associated with this item; however, it will be researched before Staff s next budget request. In response to Chair Hendrickson s question, Mr. Bardes replied that he will reach out to the City of Pompano Beach who has a similar program to see how they overcame various issues, i.e. private property, the maintenance of the bulk heads, etc. Proposing and Permitting Artificial Reefs Sites - Mr. Bardes said he contacted the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) in West Palm Beach who reviewed the City s plans and stated that they are amenable to the plans. Further, Mr. Bardes stated that the City has received a $30,000 grant for an artificial reef. The grant was submitted through the Coastal Program Initiative, which ran out of funds after rating all of their projects; however, they sent our project to the Florida Sea Grant, which is a University of Florida program, and the City met all of their qualifications. Moreover, Mr. Bardes stated that where the City had proposed the project at this point may have to be revised; therefore, the City might have to start over with the FDEP. He explained that the application and the information provided to the FDEP was accurate and acceptable to their office; however, a new location must be recommended. Pier Wristbands - Ms. Cisneros stated that Staff is working on a turn style system; however, she said Staff has been doing a great job keeping the beaches clean. Mr. Nass explained that there was discussion regarding moving the entrance gate. Safe Boating Week - Mr. Bardes said he will find out when safe boating week is and report back to the Board. Standards for Canal Maintenance and Dredging - Mr. Bardes said he received a proposal for services and Staff is moving forward with the bathymetric survey of the canals. Further, once the survey is done, Staff will then prioritize what canals require dredging. The dredging will be done at the center line of the canal and maintain a depth of -5 feet. Mr. Bardes said if a 3
stormwater fee is implemented, those funds can be used to dredge around the outfalls, which will improve the water quality. In response to Chair Hendrickson s question, Mr. Bardes replied that the survey has been approved by the Commission; however, the dredging will be on an as needed basis. NEW BUSINESS - UPDATE ON PRIORITY LIST RESPONSIBILITIES - CONTINUED In response to Ms. Cisneros question, Mr. Bardes replied that the stormwater fee cannot be used to dredge for navigation, but can be used for maintaining all of the outfalls. NEW BUSINESS - HILLSBORO CANAL MAINTENANCE DREDGING UPDATE BY MR. BARDES Patrick Bardes, Board Liaison, stated that the City is working with the City of Boca Raton and the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND); whereby, the City of Deerfield Beach received a grant through FIND. The project was awarded to Arbor, Tree and Land, Inc. and on March 8 th, the contract documents will be finalized and the contract will be fully executed by the end of April. Further, Mr. Bardes stated that the project must begin on or before June 1 st. The project will consist of 18,000 cubic yards of sand, which is 900 trucks of sand that will be removed from the Hillsboro Canal. Thereafter, Mr. Bardes displayed a map of the joint dredging project. PUBLIC COMMENTS - CONTINUED In response to Mr. Nass question, Mr. Mathie replied that a meeting is set up for discussion regarding the pier fishing tournament. Further, Mr. Mathie explained that the Parks and Recreation Department will bring the information back to the Board. NEW BUSINESS - JOHN ENGLANDER RISING SEA LEVEL PRESENTATION SUMMARY BY MS. CISNEROS Ms. Cisneros briefly summarized the rising level presentation. She said Mr. Englander advised people to prepare for 3 feet of sea level rise and 10 feet of sea level rise in the next 10-15 years; whereby, the sea level rises a millimeter per year. Thereafter, discussion pursued regarding rising sea level. In response to Ms. Ramon s question, Chair Hendrickson said the presenter was not hired by the City, as it was not a City sponsored event. NEW BUSINESS - SUNSHINE LAW DISCUSSION BY MR. SINIAWSKY Jeff Siniawsky, Assistant City Attorney, reiterated the Sunshine Laws for the new board members, to include voting conflicts, open government law, etc. Thereafter, discussion pursued regarding the importance of members following the Sunshine Laws. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS 4
Mr. Nass stated that the City is in the process of remodeling the North Beach Pavilion, which will be completed in 2018. Further, Mr. Nass inquired about the trailer located on the north side of the beach. Lastly, he stated that Lake Okeechobee saw heavy rains that filled the lakes to 16 ½ feet, whereas the normal depths are 12 ½ -15 ½ feet; which generated concern with the dam breaking. Mr. Nass explained that they have been pumping the water out of Lake Okeechobee and pumping BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS - CONTINUED it west through the Caloosahatchee River into the Gulfstream and then pumping it east through the St. Lucie River. He also said the water empties through our own canals. Mr. Nass said the lake level is now down to about 15.31 feet. In response to Mr. Wechterman s question, Chair Hendrickson replied that the reservoir project has already been completed, as it has already moved down south. Further, she said the system will clean itself as it goes through part of the Everglades. She explained that the hydrology will start to be restored from the Everglades. Ms. Cisneros thanked Patrick Bardes, Board Liaison, for applying for the $30,000 grant the City received. Ms. Ramon said she will look into the priority list and provide feedback to Mr. Bardes. In response to Ms. Ramon s question, Mr. Bardes replied that if she would like an item, project or concern added to the priority list or the agenda to contact him. Thereafter, Chair Hendrickson explained the process of developing the Board s priority list. In response to Mr. Wechterman s question, Mr. Bardes replied that budgets are discussed during the City s budget workshop sessions; wherein, the priority list was provided to the City Commission at last year s budget workshop sessions. Chair Hendrickson welcomed Ms. Ramon to the Board. She stated that there is still one (1) more vacancy in District 2 and urged the members of the Board to get the public involved. Lastly, Chair Hendrickson asked the members of the Board to provide their agenda items to Mr. Bardes. ADJOURNMENT The next meeting of the Board was announced as Thursday, April 21, 2016 at 6 p.m. The meeting was adjourned at 7:16 p.m. 5