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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Watershore And Beach Advisory Committee - 02/05/2009 moi- WATERSHORE AND BEACH ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETINGRE.. Regular Called Meeting,Thursday, February 05, 2009, 5:30 p.m. v Staff Conference Room, City Hall 1201 Leopard Street, Corpus Christi, TX AUG 7 2009 Members Present Member Absent Staff Present Kyle Garrison, Chair Jim Needham Michele Thomas CITYSECR' TARPS OFFICE Jake Herring Kimberly Lemley Tara Mireles JoAnn Gilbertson Neil McQueen Robert Thomas Derek Herzog, Guy Davis Gulf Beach Lifeguard Joanna Mott Supervisor I. CALL TO ORDER Chair, Mr. Kyle Garrison called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. II. ROLL CALL The recording secretary called roll and announced that a quorum was present. III.ADOPTION OF MINUTES • Regular called meeting January 15, 2009 Mr. McQueen made a motion to adopt the minutes and was seconded by Mr. Guy Davis. The minutes were adopted without opposition. IV. HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC—Member of the public Mr. Rudy Garza, Director of Intergovernmental Relations with the City of Corpus Christi, presented an issue to the committee regarding the Hotel Occupancy Tax. The tax was created for the area during the time when the Island was annexed to the City of Corpus Christi. The tax is assessed to go toward tourism out on the Island. Currently, the money is used to clean and maintain public beaches. The Parks and Recreation Department has proposed that any additional assets be covered by the tax. This would mean expanding the code to not only include beach maintenance but to include adjacent public parking areas and environmental restoration and storm damage reduction projects associated with those beaches. Mr. Garza stated he will be visiting with the interests out on the Island to make sure they are in agreement with the proposal. The proposal, which only affects Corpus Christi, ensures that the parking lots and other amenities are properly maintained in addition to the beach. V. BUSINESS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION New Business Packery Channel TIF and Packery Channel Restrooms (South Jetty) Mr. Rudy Garza gave an overview of the TIF funds. The monies that are out there total about 6 million dollars. It is required that 1.5 million of those monies be held in a reserve account, leaving a little over 4 million dollars. The 4 million was to be set aside for dredging needs in the channel; however, because there has not been any sand buildup, they have not had the need to dredge. The money can also be used for amenities, and the City is planning to begin construction on the Southside Jetty Restrooms with the intent on the project being completed at the end of July. Mrs. Thomas, Staff Liaison, presented the committee with the layout for the Packery Channel Restrooms, which will be located on the Windward Parking Lot. There will be 3 male stalls and 3 female, and there will be ADA access. Mr. Garza believes this addition will assist in stabilizing the ground to prevent caving during severe weather. The improvements to the Northside Jetty, which includes the parking lot and other amenities, are included in Phase II and will begin construction in October. Questions were asked and answered. Mr. Garza informed the committee that the monies in the TIF are only to be used on the Packery Channel Project. The monies from the Hotel Occupancy Tax(HOT fund) are to be used for maintenance of the beaches. Mrs. Thomas stated that with the additional amenities comes additional maintenance needs. This would require extra man power,which is part of the reason the project has not been completed. Without the extra personnel, the amenities would not able to be maintained efficiently. Should the committee have any additional comments they are to contact Mrs. Thomas. She will submit the SCANNED iI - information to Mr. Garza. Mr. Garza will email Mrs. Thomas the language used for the Hotel Occupancy Tax to be distributed to the committee members. Mrs. Thomas asked the committee if they had any questions regarding the Packery Channel restrooms. Concerns were expressed about the integrity of the structure during severe weather. Suggestions were made to move the facilities back a few feet from the seawall. Mrs. Thomas will try and gather information regarding the reliability of the structure for the next meeting. Beach Parking Permit Signage Ever since the Beach Parking Permit program began, the City has received complaints that the signage pertaining to the permits is too difficult to read due to the excess verbiage. Mrs. Thomas presented the committee with 3 options for the signs. The committee agreed that the sign should be simple and easy to read. The sign would have to be a color other than white, since white signage is not as resistant to the elements out on the beach. Vinyl signs tend to deteriorate faster than painted signs out on the beach, therefore it was suggested that the signs be painted. The committee agreed on a sign and requested some minor edits. Beach Parking Permit Signage At previous meetings, questions were raised regarding whether or not Emerald Beach was part of the City's bay beaches. After doing some research, Mrs. Thomas discovered that Emerald Beach is in fact part of the Parks and Recreation Department. It is leased by the City who then leases it to the Holiday Inn. Concerning North Beach (Corpus Christi Beach) and McGee Beach, the City has a lease with the General Land Office and is responsible for the maintenance of the beaches. Structures on the Beach Regarding the public comment made at the last meeting concerning the damaged structures on the beach, Mrs. Thomas has asked the City's Developmental Services and Engineering Departments to look into the properties. They were given a list that Mr. Needham previously provided. From the looks of it, it appears to be something that came from Nueces County. The City will get with the County, and Mrs. Thomas hopes to provide an update at the March meeting. 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. Goals for 2009 It was decided at the last meeting that the committee would discuss their goals for 2009. The committee would like to have more of a voice when it comes to matters relating to the beaches. Another goal presented was the Gulf Beach rules. Mr. Garrison would like to see a few of the committee members present the rules at Council, and would like to have a more open dialogue With the City Council. Ms. JoAnn Gilbertson requested Corpus Christi Beach improvements be set as a committee goal for 2009, stating that the condition of the facilities on the beach is appalling. Dr. Mott noted that committee's main focus seems to be the Gulf Beaches, and would like to see a balance between the bay beach and the Island beach discussions. Mrs. Thomas stated the reason the committee has focused more on the Island is due to the fact that those beaches produce revenue and require a lot of maintenance,whereas the bay beaches do not. The only maintenance involved with the bay beaches at the moment is trash collection. Mr. Garrison asked if the committee would like to form a sub-committee to address the aforementioned topics. The committee did not feel this was necessary, but would still like to see more topics addressing the bay beaches. The Goals for 2009 topic will be added to the next agenda. VI. Staff Liaison Report Spring Break Mr. Derek Herzog, Gulf Beach Lifeguard Supervisor, gave an overview of the City's preparation plans for Spring Break. The City recently held their first annual Spring Break meeting which included representatives from several entities including: CCPD, CCFD, Mustang Island State Park, Nueces County, Traffic Engineering, Code Enforcement, Street Services, Beach Operations, and Gulf Beach Lifeguards. This year, Spring Break will run from March 13 through March 22. With Galveston Island still recovering from the damage caused by Hurricane Ike along with South Padre Island, the City of Corpus Christi is expecting more visitors than usual. There will be safety lanes with emergency traffic lanes in the middle from Newport Pass to Zahn Road. This will be one-way traffic on both sides of the emergency lane. The lifeguards will cover the City's • i beach and the County beach, as well. There will be 7 units on duty, Fire will have 1 unit, and Police will have 12-15 units out on the beach. Beach maintenance will be out every morning clearing the roads, making sure the beach is drivable. Traffic engineering will have stoplights on Hwy 361 to allow for a better flow of traffic. Packery Channel Boat Patrol will run from 9am to 6 pm everyday. A new plan for the City is to have dumpsters out on the beach for visitors who attempt to bring large items such as pallets or furniture. Usually, these bulky items are brought onto the beach and left behind. Code Enforcement and the Police Department will be issuing citations for trash that is left behind, including furniture. Mrs. Thomas hopes to see a large increase in Beach Parking Permit Sales. In addition, there will only be stationary vendors allowed on the beach. Mobile vendors are prohibited due to the fact that they impede traffic. Concerning the bay beaches, at McGee Beach the Omni is hoping to have a Kick-Off for their new lease,which includes the old Wienerschnitzel building. This will include different activities throughout the week.At Corpus Christi Beach, the park crew will be putting out more trash receptacles before Spring Break. In Addition, the Radisson will be hosting a few Spring Break events. The City is prepared for a busy Spring Break season. Texas Parks and Wildlife Signage Mrs. Thomas presented the new Texas Parks and Wildlife Signage displaying a fish consumption advisory. They have requested that signage be placed at the Marina and at the Packery Channel Boat Ramp. The warning is for King Mackerel containing high levels of mercury. Although the warning is not stated on the sign, a number is listed for patrons to call and find out what the advisory is for. Phases of Emergency Operation (Gulf Beach) Mrs. Thomas informed the committee that it was asked to develop a presentation on the Phases of Emergency Operation, which were developed by a sub-committee and approved by the WBAC, to present to the City Council. The presentation is scheduled for February 24 and will be delivered by Sally Gavlik, Director of Parks and Recreation. The sub-committee that compiled the phases consisted of Mr. Garrison, Mrs. Thomas, Mr. Herzog, Nueces County, the City's Legal Department, the Fire Department, the Police Department, and Cliff Schlabach of the Surfrider's Foundation. Mrs. Thomas has requested that those involved with the sub-committee attend the Council Meeting, and has asked that the WBAC members attend as well. VII. Committee Concerns, Request for Information,Agenda Items Identify Items to be placed on next agenda Dr. Mott asked if the City has any specific plans for hurricanes after all the damage has been done. Mrs. Thomas stated that there is a phase intended for the clean-up and restoration of the Access Roads, but there is not one specifically intended for a direct hit. Mr. McQueen would like the committee to receive some information regarding the Beach Maintenance Permit recently acquired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This will be placed on the next agenda. The following items will be placed on the next agenda: Committee goals for 2009, Structures on the Beach, Beach Maintenance Permit, and Updates on Water Quality (Recurring). VIII. ADJOURNMENT As there was no further business, Mr. Jake Herring made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Gilbertson seconded. Mr. Garrison adjourned the meeting at 6:57 pm. Michele Thomas, Superintendent Parks and Recreation Department