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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Watershore And Beach Advisory Committee - 06/25/2008 WATERSF '=AND BEACH ADVISORY COMMITTEDzETING `�34. 6'789707 R egular Called Meeting, Wednesday,June 25, 2008, 5:30 p.m. // Staff Conference Room, City Hall �,h 1201 Leopard Street, Corpus Christi,TX M k, EP 2008 N �f 7 e�A�'���P� .� Members Present Member Absent Staff Present \:co TYS Ch�^/� y cs, OFFICE 4:1 Kyle Kyle Garrison, Chair Linda Walsh Michele Thomas Jake Herring Tara Mireles Kimberly Lemley Joanna Mott Jim Needham ' Garrett Dorsey, Robert Thomas PRAC Liaison JoAnn Gilbertson Neil McQueen I. CALL TO ORDER Chair, 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 May 1, 2008 Mr. Jim Needham made a motion to adopt the minutes. Ms. JoAnn Gilbertson seconded. Motion passed unanimously. IV. HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC—Mr. Johnny French addressed the committee regarding City Council's decision to close beach access in front of the seawall. Mr. French articulated concerns that the City Council has not looked at the City's Codes close enough, and mentioned they are only using portions of the code to justify the closure. Mr. French stated if Council wishes to close the beach to vehicles they are required to take it to the voters. If they fail to do so, they have to apply each and every code to justify the closure rather than just a few of them. V. NEW BUSINESS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION Don't Lifter Program—Stephanie Voss Due to time limitations, the presentation for the Don't Litter Program was given early. The City's Clean City Programs Coordinator, Stephanie Voss informed the committee she will now be associated with the Clean City Advisory Committee, which will be promoting an anti-litter and recycling campaign. Ms. Voss has coordinated with several of Texas A&M's committees, including their recycling and littering committees. They will be involved in assisting with the cleanup of the City's beaches. Ms. Voss continued with a PowerPoint presentation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The slide show was compiled of several photos showing how polluted many of the country's natural habitats are. A big problem today is the use of plastic bags and the improper disposal of them. Many birds and other marine life are affected by the pollution. Since a staple food for these animals is jellyfish, they often mistake the plastic bags for food; thus causing them to ingest toxins sometimes resulting in death. Some cities have banned or are working on banning plastic bags, and many stores have encouraged the use of canvas bags as an eco-friendly alternative. Questions were asked and answered. The committee will be able to contact Ms. Voss should they have any additional questions or concerns. FY08-FY09 Budget—Sally Gavlik Director of the City's Parks and Recreation Department, Sally Gavlik presented the committee with the budget for Fiscal Year 2008—2009. Mrs. Thomas placed the new budget proposal in the committee's agenda packets which included the budget for the Lifeguards and First Response. Any increases shown were not in programming, rather, they were increases that are due to fuel charges, pay raises,etc. She went over several budgets including that of Beach Parking Permits and the newly established Packery Patrol Operations. Ms. Gavlik explained the revenues brought in through Beach Operations. In addition, Ms. Gavlik went over the reductions made in the budget for the Parks and Recreation Department. There are a total of twelve funds including the General Fund, in which the proposed decreases will be made. She continued with the Bond 2008 Propositions. Proposition Four which pertains to the Parks and Recreation Department includes several proposals including the Oso Bay Area Park Development, SCANNED Cole Park renovations al ,,,rnprovements, Broadmoor Senior Center'ILANansion, North Beach Entry Development, and several other projects. Additionally, Ms. Gavlik informed the committee that the Department will be working with the National Seashore and Tony Amos to start a Turtle Patrol, which involves patrolling area beaches for nesting sea turtles. The National Seashore will be patrolling the areas north of the jetties, while Tony Amos will patrol the areas south of them. Sargassum Symposium Staff Liaison, Michele Thomas received several comments from the committee members regarding the recent Sargassum Symposium. Committee members expressed their appreciation for the event. One concern mentioned was the lack of adequate equipment to provide a demonstration. The committee shared in a discussion on the symposium. A conference will be held in September by the American Shore Beach Preservation Association in Galveston, Texas concerning the beaches on the coast. VI. OLD BUSINESS Gulf Beach Rules and Regulations Staff Liaison, Ms. Thomas contacted the Director of the County's Parks and Recreation Department, Blake Pettis to speak with him concerning the variations in the rules and regulations on the beaches. He too believes there is an issue and both would like to coordinate with the City of Port Aransas, as well. Ms. Thomas provided the committee with a copy of the rules the City of Corpus Christi, the City of Port Aransas, and the County have established. The group's goal primarily is to establish the rules and then supplement with an adequate code enforcement plan. The organizations share 3 common rules which involve no glass containers, no littering, and no fireworks. All three organizations also require Beach Parking Permits on their beaches. Ms. Thomas continued with several other topics for concern including but not limited to fires, animals, and camping.A meeting has been scheduled for July 11th for the 3 organizations to review the rules once more and begin filtering them out. Concerns were expressed regarding the rules on the bay beaches: McGee and Corpus Christi Beach. The bay beach rules will be addressed once the rules for the gulf beaches have been firmly established. The committee also raised the issue of launching motorized watercraft from the shore. Ms. Thomas will discuss this issue with the other parties. VII. Committee Liaison/Staff Reports Staff liaison, Mrs. Thomas informed the committee that after the last meeting, she met with Mrs. Gavlik the Director of Parks and Recreation, the Assistant City Manager Margie Rose, and several representatives from Neighborhood Services and Finance to discuss the situation regarding Vendor Permits. It was decided that Corpus Christi Beach, McGee Beach, and Gulf Beach Vendor Permits will now be issued by the City's Beach and Special Events Division. The Seawall's permits will still be coordinated by the Marina. Mrs. Thomas also addressed the Beach Parking Permit budget previously mentioned by Mrs. Gavlik. There was a large increase in revenue due to the division's recent aggressive advertising. In addition, with the increase in fuel costs, many patrons have chosen to stay close to home by visiting the beach; thus resulting in increased sales of Beach Parking Permits. The City is now able to be staffed till the end of November as opposed to September, in order to be available for the Winter Texans that frequent the beach. Last meeting the committee requested that they be presented with the Packery Channel TIF, expressing concerns that part of the agreement was not met. Unfortunately, The Director of Engineering Services, Angel Escobar was unable to attend the meeting. Mrs. Thomas will make an effort to have Mr. Escobar or a representative present at the next scheduled meeting. Mrs. Thomas continued with the City's upcoming events. On June 28th&29th the Express Beach Soccer Fest will be held at McGee Beach. National Clean Beaches week will begin June 30th through July 6th The City has teamed up with Omni Hotels and United Way to participate in a Beach Clean-up event. In addition, the City will be taking about 150 children from the Latchkey sites to participate in activities at Gulf Beach. Lastly, is the City's Annual 4th of July Big Bang Celebration. The committee members were given a copy of the flyer containing the details of the event. VIII. Committee Concerns, Request for Information,Agenda Items Chair, Mr. Garrison asked for concerns or requests for information. There was discussion regarding Mr. French's public comment and his concerns on the beach closure because public safety is an issue. Dr. Joanna Mott asked the committee for feedback regarding the Texas Beach Watch Program. Should they have any suggestions or recommendations for sign placement they should contact Mrs. Thomas. For station placement they are to contact Dr. Mott. In conclusion, Ms. Joann Gilbertson warned the committee about a recei',\�a«ack made by African Bees and cautioned them to be careful when working outside around these deadly insects. IX. ADJOURNMENT As there was no further business, Mr. Needham made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Neil McQueen seconded. Mr. Garrison adjourned the meeting at 7:05 pm. VV`• Michele Thomas, Acting Superintendent Parks and Recreation Department