HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 01-10-2008
FORT PIERCE HARBOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Meeting Held On
January 10, 2008
Convened at 3:03 p.m. Adjourned at 3:43 p.m.
This meeting of the Fort Pierce Harbor Advisory Committee (FPHAC) was held Thursday,
rd
January 10, 2008 at 3:03 p.m. in Conference Room #3 on the 3 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
Bill Thiess, Commissioner Craft’s Appointee
Gerald Kuklinski, Commissioner Grande’s Appointee
David Souza, St. Lucie Village
John Holt, Commissioner Smith’s Appointee
Pieter Stryker
Also Present:
Heather Young, SLC Assistant County Attorney
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES:
The minutes from the December 13, 2007 meeting were unanimously approved.
OLD BUSINESS:
th
Howard Conklin informed those who were not present at the December 13 meeting that
the RFQ had been discussed. Based on the two possible bidders, they were concerned about
the Bell property and the infrastructure. The committee recommended at that meeting the
possibility of putting in a boat ramp and inexpensive pavilions so the public could use the
area.
NEW BUSINESS:
Jerry Kuklinski nominated Howard Conklin as the new Chairman and Pieter Stryker
seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously carried. Mary Chapman stated, “I am
delighted that Howard has decided to do this and it’s been a real pleasure working with him
and all of you for that matter. It’s been frustrating the last couple of years. Commissioner
Coward was here a little bit ago and he said, ‘Looks like a really short agenda.’ What I
didn’t say, although I had to bite my tongue, was ‘Yeah I got tired of items being removed
that we fought to get on and you get here and the most important bit of business has simply
been removed’. If that had happened once that was one thing but it’s happened many
times. We can bring up under new business whatever we want.”
Fort Pierce Harbor Advisory Committee
January 10, 2008
Page 2
Howard Conklin nominated Mary Chapman as the new Vice Chairman the motion was
carried unanimously.
Howard Conklin asked if there is existing monitoring of the sea levels at the Port in terms of
average highs and lows. Mary Chapman said there are sensors at the Port; Jim David has
given Mary this information. Jim Eagan from Marine Resources would be doing a
presentation on this topic at Harbor Branch.
There was a brief discussion on global warming.
Commissioner Coward spoke about the Sustainability Committee. They have taken a
position to advocate that the County Commission become an official green county. Mary
Chapman stated the Smart Growth Committee is looking at 50 years from now.
Commissioner Coward informed the committee that the Board of County Commissioners at
staff’s recommendation rejected the RFQ for the dock. Howard Conklin spoke about the
possibility of developing a policy so that the dock could be rented upon inquiry rather than
a formal distribution. Howard Conklin stated, “I agree that the public purpose probably
should be given priority but in times when it’s sitting there unoccupied, in view of budget
crunches that are coming, I think the County should maximize it’s revenue potential where
possible. A lot of the boats that would be using it would be paying big dock per day rentals.
It’s a beautiful spot for a mega yacht that’s in transit for a day or two or three. It’s a high
dock that wouldn’t be conducive for smaller boats” Commissioner Coward was not
completely against the concept.
Mary Chapman stated the Fort Pierce City Marina would like to make a presentation to the
committee on the Fort Pierce City Marina design.
Pieter Stryker stated he and his neighbors test the lagoon every Sunday morning and the
water is coming up pretty positive lately, possibly due to the lack of lake discharge and local
rainfall.
There was a brief discussion on the windmill proposal.
Heather Young stated Chuck’s Seafood was still going back and forth with the City on the
site plan for the property. Chuck’s has been told that once they get the permit, if it goes that
way, then they can ask for a fine reduction. Heather Young has not heard of any new
developments with the Bell property.
ADJOURNMENT:
At 3:43 p.m. the meeting was adjourned. The next meeting will be held Thursday, February
14, 2008 at 3:00 pm in Conference Room 3, on the third floor of the Administration Building.
Respectfully submitted: Stephanie Bush