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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Watershore And Beach Advisory Committee - 04/03/2008 WATER1-,) .J_,-)RE AND BEACH ADVISORY COMMIT1 1.VIEETING ���118192©�7 Regular Scheduled Meeting,Thursday,April 3, 2008, 5:30 p.m. A� % Staff Conference Room, City Hall A ram 1201 Leopard Street, Corpus Christi,TX /412 f jjps 3 _ cr Members Present Member Absent Staff Present _ ef ,,S�l !Sp;;�''-.) G) Kyle Garrison, Chair Linda Walsh Michele Thomas C� `" L, Jake Herring Neil McQueen Tara Mireles eco Kimberly Lemley K Chute I e Joanna Mott Jim Needham Robert Thomas JoAnn Gilbertson I. CALL TO ORDER Vice Chair, Jake Herring called the meeting to order at 5:32 p.m. II. ROLL CALL The recording secretary called roll and announced that a quorum was present. Chair, Kyle Garrison arrived at 5:34 p.m. Upon the Chair's arrival, Mr. Herring turned the meeting over to Mr. Garrison. III. ADOPTION OF MINUTES Special called meeting, March 12, 2008. Chair, Kyle Garrison made a motion to accept the minutes as submitted. Mr. Robert Thomas seconded. Motion passed. IV. PRESENTATION Tortuga Dunes: PowerPoint Due to time limitations, the PowerPoint presentation by Fred McCutchon concerning Tortuga Dunes development was given early. Mr. McCutchon, Chairman of the Beach Management Advisory Committee, explained what was required to develop an area on the beach, which consists of a Beachfront Construction Permit from the City, and a Dune Permit from the County. The slides presented showed the area of impacted dunes covering about 90,000 cubic yards, and the current plan to mitigate those dunes. Mr. McCutchon also focused on the development's intention to re-vegetate the area that was cleared for construction. It is promised that the area be completely re-vegetated by the completion of the project, in approximately 3 years. The construction site has only one ingress and egress, and is surrounded by a "filter fence", intended for pollution preservation and to prevent anything unwanted from coming onto the site. Mr. McCutchon noted the site has been unable to maintain moisture in the sand, in order to keep it packed down and prevent excessive blowing, despite their efforts. Part of the problem is the working site is much too large to control properly. The slides also showed an excess of sand buildup along the filter fence and areas where seed stock was spread to begin the re-vegetation process. The site is being monitored by a dune vegetation specialist, Paul Lazarine. Mr. Lazarine is retained by the engineer for the project, and is understood to be coordinating with Jennifer Smith Engle, a representative of Nueces County. Engineers will be surveying this week to ensure that the elevations are correct. Questions were asked and answered. Mr. McCutchon communicated to the committee that should additional concerns arise, he will be happy to provide the committee with the needed information. V. HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC — Member of the community, Johnny French expressed concerns regarding the City's provision of an adequate amount of parking space on the beach where Packery Channel was developed. Mr. French also addressed the committee on the lack of ADA access to the jetties and was disquieted over the City's requisite of a Beach Parking Permit. His concerns were noted by the committee. VI. NEW BUSINESS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION Designation of the City Secretary as the Public Information Coordinator Staff Liaison, Michele Thomas informed the committee of the need to appoint the City Secretary as Public Information Coordinator. That motion was made by Jim Needham and seconded by JoAnn Gilbertson. The motion passed unanimously. SCANNED Discuss Beach Rules A . ' • Staff Liaison, Mrs. Thomas expressed concerns regarding the City's beach rules on litter, pets, and fires on the beach. The committee was asked if they would like to amend any of the beach ordinances. Mrs. Thomas brought the issue of camping on the beach to the attention of the committee. The City has had a problem with overnight campers abandoning personal belongings thus causing unwanted litter. The lack of law enforcement raised some concerns and the committee requested Captain Houston be invited to the next meeting. It was noted that burning of pallets has also been a recurring problem, due to an excess of nails that remain on the beach. Suggestions were made that the City, the State, and the County collaborate in Order to setup uniform signage and regulations among their beaches. The topic of uniform signage will be discussed at the next meeting. Corpus Christi Beach Walk JoAnn Gilbertson presented the committee with the"Corpus Christi Beach Walk" development proposal. The plan promotes "52 weeks of business" in Corpus Christi. This involves the use of existing City parks and recreational facilities in order to boost the economy. The development consists of an area for canoeing/kayaking, an outdoor wedding chapel, a Surf park Pool (possibly located at the Memorial Coliseum), a Windsurf Park, a dog park, a lighted fishing pier, the re-use of the Water Taxi, and a seasonal live nativity scene to name a few. Ms. Gilbertson also suggested the display of educational signs regarding sargassum (seaweed) and other various forms of nature found along the Corpus Christi beaches. In addition, Ms. Gilbertson noted corporate tax incentives offered by several states in order to boost the economy. She went on to mention "specials" offered by other states that involve a 3-4% loan provided by the government to assist in maintaining City streets and sidewalks. Ms. Gilbertson along with Mr. Kyle Garrison and Ms. Kimberley Lemley will meet with the Director of Parks and Recreation, Ms. Sally Gavlik to discuss any projects already in the works. VII. OLD BUSINESS Review of Final Committee By Laws, Rules and Regulations, Absentee Policy Staff Liaison, Mrs. Thomas notified the committee that she has submitted the by laws, rules and regulations, and absentee policy changes, which were approved at the March meeting, to the Director of the Parks and Recreation department, Ms. Gavlik. Once reviewed, the documents will be forwarded to the Legal Department and the City Secretary for review. VIII. Committee Liaison/Staff Reports Staff Liaison, Mrs. Thomas provided the committee with a copy of the Gulf Beach's maintenance practices, which describes in detail the procedure for road maintenance and sand management, seaweed management, and trash management. There were questions asked about the progress of the Corps Permit that the City is in the process of obtaining for beach cleaning. Mrs. Thomas informed the committee that the permit, should it be approved, should be expected in the upcoming months. Additionally, Mrs. Thomas made the announcement that K Chute will no longer be serving asrecording secretary for the committee. The committee expressed their appreciation to Mrs. Chute. Mrs. Thomas introduced Tara Mireles who will be serving as the recording secretary. The committee welcomed Mrs. Mireles. IX. Committee Concerns, Request for Information,Agenda Items Chair, Mr. Garrison asked for concerns or requests for information. The committee requested follow up on the mitigation process for the Tortuga Dunes project. It was suggested that a member of the GLO speak at the next meeting in response to the concerns expressed by the committee regarding the Tortuga Dunes development. X. ADJOURNMENT As there was no further business, Mr. Herring made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Lemley seconded. Mr. Garrison adjourned the meeting at 7:00 pm. 0/1 Michele Thomas, Acting Superintendent Parks and Recreation Department