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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Watershore And Beach Advisory Committee - 03/12/2009 p REC WATERSHORE AND BEACH ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETIN ESD Regular Called Meeting,Thursday, March 12, 2009, 5:30 p.m. AUG 17 2009 Staff Conference Room, City Hall 1201 Leopard Street, Corpus Christi, TX CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE Members Present Member Absent Staff Present Kyle Garrison, Chair Jake Herring Michele Thomas JoAnn Gilbertson Guy Davis Tara Mireles Neil McQueen Robert Thomas Joanna Mott Derek Herzog, Jim Needham Gulf Beach Lifeguard Kimberly Lemley Supervisor I. CALL TO ORDER • Chair, Mr. Kyle Garrison called the meeting to order at 5:31 p.m. II. ROLL CALL The recording secretary called roll and announced that a quorum was present. III.ADOPTION OF MINUTES • Regular called meeting February 5, 2009 Mr. McQueen made a motion to adopt the minutes and was seconded by Mr. Rob Thomas. The minutes were adopted without opposition. IV. HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC—None. V. BUSINESS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION New Business USACE Beach Maintenance Permit Summary Mr. Derek Herzog provided the committee with a brief overview of the recently acquired Beach Maintenance Permit from the United States Army Corps of Engineers. He stated the purpose of the permit is for the City to have different means to dispose of the Sargassum seaweed. It allows the equipment operators to trench, bury the seaweed, and redistribute the sand. The permit requires the City to provide a Turtle Patrol,where individuals patrol the areas the equipment is working to prevent any turtles and/or their nests from injury. The patrol will run from March 15 through September 30th from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. City employees were also trained on how to identify the Piping Plover, an endangered bird species found on Corpus Christi beaches, and how to avoid disrupting their natural habitat. The permit also allows for the City to create construct their temporary safety lanes used for one week in March and one event during the summer. Concerns were expressed regarding the front stacking of seaweed and whether sand will be able to be redistributed. If there is significant rainfall and the soft sand becomes hard packed, the City will be able to redistribute the sand where it is needed. Beach Safety: Boats launching from the beach and swim/surf zones The General Land Office is still reviewing the proposal that was passed by Council regarding the bollard placement on the south side of Packery Channel. It was stated in the proposal that there would be a designated area for boat launching from the shore. The committee's main concern is the launching of jet skis. It was suggested that buoy lines be placed to designate a swim zone to prevent jet skis from compromising the safety of swimmers and surfers. The City is looking into different methods to keep boaters and jet skiers from interfering with the swim/surf zone. Old Business 2009 Goals for Committee Chair, Mr. Garrison noted that a newly appointed City Council will be installed and would like to approach them regarding the function of the committee. He would like Council to let the WBAC committee be in a position to help guide them policy wise. He suggested they put some of the SCANNED committee's accomplishments in the Council packets to give them better insight on what has been accomplished. Mr. Garrison hopes to demonstrate that the committee is qualified in making decisions concerning the city's beaches and bays. The committee agreed with Mr. Garrison and felt this was a step in the right direction. Updates on Water Quality Dr. Mott announced that the City's Bay Bacteria Task Force is scheduled to meet sometime during the last week of March. The General Land Office will be launching the new signage on April 8th in South Padre Island.A large number of media is expected, providing ample press coverage. A photographer was recently sent out and captured video of the students taking samples and processing data, which will be used for advertising. Dr. Mott will keep the committee informed regarding the status of the launch. Updates on Water Quality At the last meeting, the committee agreed that Updates on Water Quality would be a recurring agenda item. Dr. Mott did not have any updates to report. Structures on the Beach Mrs. Thomas reported that after speaking with the County regarding damaged structures on the beach following Hurricane Ike, she was instructed to speak with the Engineering and Development Services Departments; which are currently working on the issues. Several walkways sustained damage and will have to be replaced. Should residents have damage they would like to see addressed, they are to contact the Development Services Department directly. . CC Beach: Beachwalk(clarification) It was brought to Mrs. Thomas' attention that there was confusion over the naming of the Corpus Christi Beachwalk. In previous years, part of the promenade was referred to as"The Beachwalk"; however, it did not extend to the Coliseum, as proposed in Ms. Gilbertson's plan. The proposal will be taken to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee on March 23`d. Whether it is approved or not, the plan with then go to Council on or around April 14th Staff Liaison Report CAST Mr. Herzog gave an overview of the recent CAST event held on February 21st. The event, which allows disabled children to fish from the jetty on Packery Channel, was a huge success. There were a total of 31 kids, 88 volunteers, and 111 family members. There were 22 different sponsors who donated over ten thousand dollars in services, which helped to provide a bigger and better event than the previous year. With such success, the City looks forward to planning the next CAST event in 2010. Emergency Phases for Gulf Beach The presentation was given for the emergency phases for Gulf Beach and was approved by the City Council. The City is currently in the process of purchasing the warning signs and will have it installed by May. Update: Beach Rules and Bollards Mrs. Thomas stated that the General Land Office has requested more information regarding the placement of the bollards. The deadline is Mid-April. They would like to know how many miles are on the beach and have requested photos of the beach at its maximum occupancy. Regarding the beach rules, they will be going to the Parks and Recreation board in April and from there will be presented to Council. Mrs. Thomas will keep the committee updated. VI. Committee Concerns, Request for Information,Agenda Items Identify Items to be placed on next agenda Mr. Jim Needham would like to get a debriefing of the Spring Break week. A report on Spring Break will be given at the next scheduled meeting. Mrs. Thomas announced to the committee that the City's Beach and Special Events Division had recently purchased ad space on the LAMAR electronic billboard to advertise beach safety, turtle protection, and trash prevention. Mr. McQueen recently attended the Blue Vision Summit in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the summit was to establish a formal unified ocean agency. He shared some of the information he received with the committee. The committee was provided the web address if they would like more information. VII. ADJOURNMENT As there was no further business, Mr. Needham made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Thomas seconded. Mr. Garrison adjourned the meeting at 6:57 pm. Michele Thomas, Superintendent Parks and Recreation Department