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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 08-13-2008 FORT PIERCE HARBOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE Meeting Held On August 13, 2008 Convened at 3:00 p.m. Adjourned at 3:35 p.m. This meeting of the Fort Pierce Harbor Advisory Committee (FPHAC) was held Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. in Conference Room 3 on the third floor of the Administration Building, 2300 Virginia Avenue, Fort Pierce, Florida. ROLL CALL Roll call was taken. Members Present: Howard Conklin, Chairman Mary Chapman, Vice Chairman Gerald Kuklinski, Commissioner Grande’s Appointee John Holt, Commissioner Smith’s Appointee David Souza, St. Lucie Village Also Present: Douglas Anderson SLC Administrator Eva O’Donnell, Commissioner Craft’s Aide Katherine Mackenzie-Smith, Assistant County Attorney Jeanne Hearn Bob Bangert APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: The minutes from the June 11, 2008 meeting were unanimously approved. NEW BUSINESS: Guest Speaker – Douglas Anderson, St. Lucie County Administrator, Taylor Creek Restoration Dredging Project: St. Lucie County, Florida Inland Navigation District, South Florida Water Management District, St. Johns River Water Management District and Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic Development Council are all partners in the Taylor Creek Restoration Dredging Project. Phase 1 of the restoration was the Navigation Channel (reach 1). They dredged 94,770 cubic yards of muck. This phase has been completed. Phase 2 of the restoration is to dredge an estimated 100,000 cubic yards of muck upstream. The County is pursuing permits for Phase 2. They anticipate the dredging of Phase 2 to begin in April 2010. Fort Pierce Harbor Advisory Committee August 13, 2008 Page 2 Phase 3 of the restoration was the Shoreline Stabilization and Source Control, which was completed in 2008. John Holt does not think the Shoreline Stabilization turned out nice because they did away with miles of snook habitat. The airport owns the property where the permanent spoil site would be located. The County is seeking FAA approval to buy the property from them. The County has had the property appraised and in turn that money would go back to the airport. The potential spoil site is part of the Ridgehaven Property that the County acquired a few years ago. The property is located North of St. Lucie Boulevard, South of Indrio Road and about a block or two off of US Highway 1. It is approximately 20 acres in size. It has well- drained subsurface soil. There is easy access to Taylor Creek. They will pipe the materials up to the spoil site, and depending on what D.E.P. permits, the County will either pipe the water back or they will discharge the water. There are also minimal environmental impacts, the area used to be a subdivision. Mary Chapman asked who currently owns the property. Mr. Anderson said the airport owns the property. The plan is to take the money that the County paid the airport and use that towards the acquisition of that parcel. The County is buying property from the County to buy other property. David Souza asked if this spoil site would have to be lined. Mr. Anderson said it would be up to D.E.P. Mr. Souza stated that St. Lucie Village runs on Ridge water and the spoil site is being placed right at the top of the Ridge. He is concerned about intrusion in to their wells. Howard Conklin asked how high material could be before it reaches maximum capacity. Mr. Anderson was unsure and stated that as the material dries, if it can be used for other purposes, the County is going to haul it out and use it for other purposes. Bob Bangert asked if there were any plans to dredge further up where the pollution is coming from. Mr. Anderson said at this time no. Mr. Bangert also stated in Vero Beach there are signs that say “All Canals lead to the Lagoon” and suggested the County do this. Mr. Conklin asked if there has been any opposition to the Ridgehaven Spoil Site by members of the public. Mr. Anderson said no not at this point. Mr. Conklin stated he felt one of the best features is that a pipe can be ran there in the creek instead of trucking the material back and forth. Mr. Anderson left. Mr. Holt stated, “The water quality coming out of Taylor Creek is terrible and we’re only going to accelerate that. It’s fresh water when it goes out and it floats on top of the seawater coming in, therefore it doesn’t mix. We’re screwing the future, shall we say, by doing what we are doing now. It used to be that Taylor Creek had a bunch of habitat, fish Fort Pierce Harbor Advisory Committee August 13, 2008 Page 3 habitat, we bragged about fishing and yet we are destroying it. It doesn’t make sense to me.” Mr. Holt continued to discuss how things have changed over the years and what things will be like in the future. The committee received copies of Mr. Anderson’s powerpoint presentation. OLD BUSINESS: There was a brief discussion on the current construction going on at Chuck’s Seafood. The committee also discussed future meetings and guest speakers. Katherine Mackenzie-Smith stated Lloyd Bell was cited by Code Enforcement for his house on the river. ADJOURNMENT: At 3:35 p.m. the meeting was adjourned. The next meeting will be held Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 3:00 pm in Conference Room 3, on the third floor of the Administration Building. Respectfully submitted: Stephanie Bush