MINUTES
OF MEETING
SUNSHINE
WATER CONTROL DISTRICT
The regular meeting of the
Board of Supervisors of the Sunshine Water Control District was held on
Present and constituting a quorum
were:
Russell Parks President
Mary Macomber Vice President
Phillip J. Sobers Secretary
Also present were:
John Petty Manager
Bruce Cranmer Attorney
John McKune Engineer
Cedo DaSilva CH2M-Hill
Mona Slaughter
Janice Moen Larned
Several Residents
Mr.
Petty called the meeting to order and called the roll.
SECOND ORDER OF BUSINESS Approval of the Minutes of
the October 11, 2006 Meeting
Mr. Petty stated each Board member
received a copy of the
There not being any,
On MOTION by Ms. Macomber seconded by Mr.
Sobers with all in favor the minutes of the
FIFTH ORDER OF
BUSINESS Staff
Reports
C. Superintendent
– Discussion of Tree Program
Mr. Petty stated we have some
residents here who are interested in the tree program. At this time, I request we move this item up
the agenda. At the last meeting, we had
a great deal of public comment and discussion on the Phase 2 program for
removal of trees within the District’s ROW in preparation for the next
hurricane and addressing what happened during Hurricane Wilma. Most of the comments were constructive and as
a result, we came back with a proposed alternative, which was for the removal
of nuisance trees only from the top of bank.
Australian Pines and Holly Trees will be removed entirely within the ROW
but other nuisance trees will also be removed from the top of bank down.
We are currently working with the
City of
We do not expect to come back to the
Board for consideration of a contract or program until December at the
earliest.
Ms. Macomber stated we also spoke
about creating a policy because we had a great deal of rapport back and forth
with our homeowners. We will give them
notice when we are ready to consider such a policy so they can comment. We received letters in the mail about the
residents concerns about not receiving any door hangers or notice of this
meeting. The reason was because we are
not ready to present the policy. We are
still working on it. This matter will
not be discussed this evening. As soon
as we are ready, we will let you know.
In the meantime, we are not doing anything. We appreciate all of you coming out tonight
and know you are interested.
Mr. Petty stated I suggest we ask
for any public comments on additional items relating to the tree issue. Even though we are not taking action, they
may have something else to bring to our attention.
Mr. Sobers stated I received a copy
of a letter from Mr. Gary Runge.
Ms. Macomber stated we all received
the same letter.
Mr. John Rochester asked is it still
your intention to have an appeal process once notices are sent out to try to
save our trees?
Mr. Petty responded the current policy
we were discussing was a CSID policy, which gave the superintendent and me the
ability to make an exception to the rule.
This will require the resident to ask for an exception. If the tree did not pose a threat to flood control,
an exception could be granted if the tree can be planted away from the water’s
edge so the root ball can be properly placed.
In CSID, I gave exceptions as long as it was not for an Australian
Pine. I only exempted one Australian
Pine in CSID and this one was on a lake.
In this case, even if the water level went down, it was not going to
clog up anything. We gave exemptions to Bishofias
and Northfolk Pines, which are on the nuisance species list. I do not know why because they do not seem to
be evasive but they are considered to be a nuisance.
Mr.
Mr. Petty responded yes.
Mr. Rochester stated I have a 30
year old South American Azalea.
Mr. Dennis Poore stated I live in
Coral Springs Country Club. Can you set
up a Citizens Committee to work with you on the policy?
Ms. Macomber responded we have a
committee with all the residents who have been coming in to talk with us.
Mr. Poore asked who is creating the
policy?
Ms. Macomber responded there will be
a recommendation from staff. Based on
the interest, I do not want to deny the people who are here the opportunity to
participate. We had a good turnout at
the last meeting with good input.
Mr. Poore asked will you ask for
input at a public meeting?
Ms. Macomber responded absolutely.
Mr. Poore stated not after you
formed your policy.
Mr. Petty stated the first draft
will be based on resident input. We look
at this from a flood control issue in response to Hurricane Wilma. We decided resident input is extremely
valuable in this regard. If the
residents of
Ms. Macomber stated thank you for
your comments.
Mr. Sobers stated perhaps a draft of
the proposal can be made available on the website.
Mr. Greg Michael stated I live on
Mr. Petty responded we have not
determined the exact process because it will be part of the proposal. The way it works for CSID is once the notices
go on the door, anyone who has a concern about a tree removal, should contact
my office. My phone number is listed on
the door hanger.
Mr. Michael asked is there a fee?
Mr. Petty responded no.
Mr. Michael asked is the tagging of
trees going to be in the policy?
Mr. Petty responded there is a
procedure being considered by staff on how we will do this. In the past, we worked with the contractor in
supplying an Arborist to identify the trees.
This current proposal is considering other ways of identifying the
trees, whether by a tape, tag or notice.
Each tree we intend to remove will be identified so the homeowner will
have less shock value of the removal process and will be able to decide their
options in due diligence and not be rushed.
Mr. Michael stated I planted 305’
feet on the easement. It was too
tempting to not plant on it. However, I
did not plant anything to grow over 6’ tall.
I was just trying to have a buffer.
I took a photo of criminal activity taking place on my land when someone
drove a truck through there. Am I am
going to lose the buffer?
Mr. Petty responded not under the
current policy. I do not see any
nuisance trees planted. I only see palms.
Mr. Michael stated the canal has
beer bottles floating in there. You
thought I was being sarcastic when I called it a ditch.
Mr. Petty stated you took a good
picture of a bad canal. When you show
this photo to the field workers, they will tell you they spend 95% of their
time filling up their boats with trash and branches. I appreciate you bringing this to our
attention. Within our budget we have
funds for public service announcements to educate the residents on how they
should not abuse the canals in this manner and how we should all keep them as clean
as possible.
Mr. Michael stated when they cut
down the
Mr. Petty stated the area you are
speaking to and the box cut canals and the issue of proper vegetation and
cleaning it up is something we are working with the city on. We have a two year old program where we have
guys walking with machetes and saws clearing this dense undergrowth. A box cut canal is not amenable to planting
because there is no slope.
Mr. Michael stated I rescued a dog that
could not get out. It is all about my
property. I mean no disrespect.
Mr. Petty stated we would be happy
to take suggestions. So far neither we
nor the city has come up with a good answer.
We are just trying to do the best we can. If anyone can think of a suggestion such as
having a grant tree program so people have the ability to plant trees after we
clear it, we will be happy to think about it.
Ms. Macomber stated we made a
promise to listen to the residents. We
heard your comments. We are in this
together and look forward to your input when we have something for you to look
at. I want to personally thank you for
coming out here tonight and for your interest.
A resident asked what is the best
way to be informed as to when these meetings are going to take place? There always seems to be confusion on the
location.
Mr. Petty responded there is no substitute
for contacting my office.
Ms. Macomber stated we have a set
schedule for meetings.
Mr. Petty stated occasionally we
vary. We had to cancel a meeting due to
an emergency situation by a supervisor who could not attend and we lost the
quorum. Those things happen. Please feel free to call my office.
The resident asked when is the next
meeting?
Mr. Petty responded
Ms. Juanita Lowe stated I live on
Ms. Macomber stated you have a
beautiful Bottlebrush Tree.
Ms. Lowe stated I was pleased to
hear there will be some exceptions. Were
the individuals spraying the banks notified about the last time the spraying
was done? They did not come as far up my
bank as I thought they had but they sprayed my Bottlebrush Tree on one
side. It is still living. Where the vegetation died from the spray, the
bank is soft and slanting forward. I am
hoping they do not spray there anymore.
Mr. Petty stated this is a good
assumption and one we discussed at the last meeting. The berm is supposed to be approximately 6”
from the top of the water line when we are going after aquatic plants. It should not be any higher. A nice resident invited us over and showed us
what was going on and it led to this. We
witnessed some spraying greater than 6” above the water line. A very low ground cover had been planted on
the entire slope. We hope to include in
the policy for the ROW to be maintained by the resident down to the water’s
edge. However, this does not necessarily
mean sod. The ground cover is certainly
acceptable for erosion control of a bank.
Our guys sprayed 2 to 3’ thinking there was something other than sod. I asked our aquatic applicators not to go
after those plants because we are considering a policy whereby, “As long as the
resident is maintaining that area, it may be acceptable”. In the past this meant sod.
Ms. Lowe asked did they know about
your rules?
Mr. Petty responded this is a new
consideration.
Ms. Lowe stated where they sprayed
was not ground cover. It was grass. We keep it mowed to the water’s edge and
fertilize when necessary. The only thing
stopping erosion is vegetation. This is
what worries me. Do you have someone
studying the erosion problem?
Mr. Petty responded we have over 30
years experience in the business of handling the drainage and erosion issues
and are familiar with erosion control of the banks. We handle this issue all the time. The trees are new. They were cautioned against overspraying and
we are looking at new spray techniques so they are closer to the bank and the
spray is more downward.
Ms. Lowe stated I appreciate it.
Ms. Macomber stated thank you for
coming out.
THIRD ORDER OF BUSINESS Consideration of Permit
Requests
A. Munson
Design and Consulting for Fordan Trace Townhomes for Surface Water Management
System Construction of Discharge Pipe to Canal V
Mr. Petty stated we have a
recommendation from the engineer for approval.
On MOTION by Ms. Macomber seconded by Mr.
Sobers with all in favor the permit request from Munson Design and Consulting
for Fordan Trace Townhomes for surface water management system construction of
discharge pipe to Canal V was approved, subject to the stipulations provided by
the engineer.
B. Paul
Brewer and Associates for
Mr. Petty stated we have a
recommendation from the engineer for approval.
On MOTION by Ms. Macomber seconded by Mr.
Sobers with all in favor the permit request from Paul Brewer and Associates for
Coral Springs Research and Development PLC; Addition IV for drainage outfall
connection to existing canal was approved, subject to the stipulations provided
by the engineer.
C. Paul
Brewer and Associates for
Mr. Petty stated we have a
recommendation from the engineer for approval.
On MOTION by Ms. Macomber seconded by Mr.
Sobers with all in favor the permit request from Paul Brewer and Associates for
D. Rhon
Ernest-Jones for Duke Limited Partnership – Sawgrass Bend Commerce Center for
Onsite Drainage System to Include the Installation of a Drainage Outfall to
SWCD Canal RR
Mr. Petty stated we have a
recommendation from the engineer for approval.
On MOTION by Ms. Macomber seconded by Mr.
Sobers with all in favor the permit request from Rhon Ernest-Jones for Duke
Limited Partnership –
FOURTH ORDER OF
BUSINESS Consideration
of Resolution 2007-3 Amending the Debt Service Budget for Fiscal Year 2005
Mr. Petty stated an attachment to
this resolution was provided to the Board prior to the meeting. Under Revenue we have the loan proceeds used
to remove the debris after the hurricane in the amount of $965,000. I am proud to report we received reimbursement
from NRCS. Our engineer, Mr. McKune from
CH2M-Hill reported we received $2,815,953.
Ms. Macomber stated
congratulations! Way to go!
Mr. Petty stated attorney fees
increased slightly because mid-year we adjusted his pay after the last 20 years
of service to us. The engineering fees
are reflective of the work performed on the removal of trees in Phase 2, which
are not covered under NRCS and the survey work performed. Special Consulting Services is our Lobbyist,
which did well for us. We have printing
and binding because of the extra meetings.
We exceeded our normal budget.
The same with Legal Advertising, Other Current Charges and other Miscellaneous
and Office Supplies. Under Debt Service,
we have principle and interest. This was
the problem with the calculations in our program under last year’s budget. Even though this item was in the budget, it
was not in the calculation. We request
you to consider this as a budget amendment.
The next page is a change in Workers
Compensation, which occurs from time to time.
There is a deduction in Field Operation Services. We had someone from Severn Trent who had
field operation experience who came out from time to time to help Mr.
Selchen. However, I have this
experience. The Hurricane Wilma expense
is self explanatory. The Reserve for
Future Debris and Canal Restoration are the funds available to us at this point
in time from NRCS and from loan proceeds not expended yet. These are available to us under the capital
projects list we discussed in your budget.
Ms. Macomber stated we asked you to
do this for us so we can see where we are.
Thank you very much.
Mr. Petty stated we are doing this
to make our budget good and clean by the end of the year under the time limit
constraints. Staff recommends approval.
Ms. Macomber asked do we do this by
Resolution 2007-3?
Mr. Petty responded yes.
On MOTION by Ms. Macomber seconded by Mr.
Sobers with all in favor Resolution 2007-3 Amending the General Fund Budget for
Fiscal Year 2005-2006 was adopted.
Ms. Macomber stated it is nice to
see all of this information.
FIFTH ORDER OF
BUSINESS Staff
Reports
A. Attorney
Mr. Cranmer stated we discussed at
an earlier meeting about a general District-wide permit for the cable
company. If you fax me contact
information tomorrow, I will prepare a document for adoption. Apparently, we do not mind them disturbing
our lands as they do not create much damage.
Ms. Macomber asked will this
document contain the language where they will put everything back into place?
Mr. Cranmer responded yes. It holds us harmless.
Mr. Petty stated the cable company
is already in our right-of-way as we caught them. It turns out only SWCD has this particular
issue. We were replacing a line and saw
them out there. When we asked them what
they were doing, they said “We are in our easement”. We told them they were not in the easement
but in our right-of-way. Since we are
looking for public service announcements to go out during prime time, we talked
with Advanced Cable, which is a family owned operation and they were
amenable. We said, “If you get a permit
from us, you can do this legally but we request you allow us to put our public
service broadcasts in a timely feature.”
This seems like a workable situation to us.
Ms. Macomber stated well done.
Mr. Petty stated we asked Mr.
Cranmer to look at drafting such an agreement.
Ms. Macomber stated go for it.
B. Engineer
There not being any, the next item
followed.
C. Superintendent
– Discussion of Tree Program
Mr. Petty stated we already
discussed the tree program. I request
the Board’s consideration of an engagement letter with Goldstein, Zugman,
Weinstein & Poole to perform the audit for fiscal year 2006. These are the same auditors you have had for
the past several years. We find them to
be very efficient and recommend you consider approval of the engagement letter.
On MOTION by Ms. Macomber seconded by Mr.
Sobers with all in favor the engagement letter with Goldstein, Zugman,
Weinstein & Poole to perform the audit for fiscal year 2006 was approved.
SIXTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Supervisor Requests and
Audience Comments
Mr. Sobers asked what is the
timeline for the proposals?
Mr. Petty responded I hope to
provide them to you a week before the meeting.
Staff will not ask you for a decision at the next meeting. However, if you find it to be in harmony with
the residents to the point where you wish to consider it, of course we can do
so. Our timetable is more in line with
getting it approved at the March meeting so we can have the construction
completed before the next hurricane season.
We have the luxury of time.
Mr. Sobers stated in other words, we
will review and work from there. Putting
door hangers on each door is time consuming.
Have we considered an alternative?
Mr. Petty responded yes. The City of
SEVENTH ORDER OF
BUSINESS Approval of
Financials and Warrants 8891-8916
On MOTION by Ms. Macomber seconded by Mr. Sobers
with all in favor the financials and warrants 8891-8916 dated
EIGHTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Adjournment
Ms. Macomber stated I wish everyone
a happy holiday. We would like to thank
Ms. Rugg for all the work she has done.
We appreciate what you have done and wish you the best of luck in your
new position. You will be missed!
There being no further business,
On MOTION by Ms. Macomber seconded by Mr.
Sobers with all in favor the meeting was adjourned.
Philip Sobers Russell
Parks
Secretary President
Notes
for 11/8 Meeting
Agenda
Item for Next Meeting
• Consideration of Tree Removal Policy (If
Ready)