Official Minutes of MARION COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DRAFT. April 29, 2013

Transcription

1 Official Minutes of MARION COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS The Marion County Board of County Commissioners met in a workshop session at 9:11 a.m. on Monday, at the Carney Island Park located at SE 115 th Avenue in Ocklawaha, Florida. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of our Country. Upon roll call the following members were present: Chairman Kathy Bryant, District 2; Vice-Chairman Carl Zalak, District 4; Commissioner David Moore, District 1; Commissioner Stan McClain, District 3; and Commissioner Earl Arnett, District 5. Also present was County Administrator Lee A. Niblock. Parks & Recreation Chairman Bryant welcomed those in attendance to today s workshop concerning the Carney Island Recreation and Conservation Area. She addressed the process for this morning s workshop, noting staff would begin with opening remarks, including a historical perspective, after which the floor would be open for public comment, prior to Board discussion and closing comments. Chairman Bryant requested those who would like to speak to sign up on the sheet being passed around. The Deputy Clerk received the following handouts from staff: a map entitled, Carney Island, Recreation & Conservation Area ; a chart regarding the Carney Island Recreation and Conservation Area; and a map of the Lake Weir Area and Little Lake Weir Area (double-sided). Also received was a copy of a newspaper article entitled, Preparing for parkland, Marion officials make plans for Carney Island. In response to question by William C. Davis, Chairman Bryant introduced each of the Commissioners serving on the Marion County Board of County Commissioners (BCC). She noted the Board set Policy for Marion County and was present today to discuss the Master Plan for Carney Island. Landscape Architect Jim Couillard, Marion County Parks & Recreation Department, stated today s workshop would focus on Carney Island, as a whole. He addressed the map of Carney Island Recreation & Conservation Area, which contained just over 600 acres, according to the Marion County Property Appraiser s website. Carney Island included 95 acres of planted pines, 122 acres were in upland mixed forests, 82.4 acres were under upland restoration, over 235 acres was classified as marsh or wetlands, 5 1/2 acres of maintenance areas and 36.8 acres of use area (as depicted on the map). Mr. Couillard advised that a couple of years ago the County harvested the planted pines and the money collected was used for a restoration project to restore it to what it was before Coca-Cola purchased the property. The orange grove area was owned and managed by Marion County, who partnered with the Marion County Sheriff s Office (MCSO) to manage the grove, and in return, the citrus was provided to the Marion County Jail. The main use areas included the Carney Island Boat Ramp Project with a 5 acre parking lot, the existing (old) restrooms, pavilions, playground, volleyball courts and trailheads (Trail between the Lakes, Fern Gully, Quail Loop and Fox Trot Loop). The Little Lake Weir use area was a scaled down version; however, there was no boat Book R, Page 753

2 launch area other than a hand launch boat area. Mr. Couillard noted today s conversation was brought up based on prior discussion relating to a restaurant proposal where it was agreed that it would be best to get public input. Operations Manager Greg Wiley, Marion County Parks & Recreation Department, gave a brief overview of the history of Carney Island. In early times the Timucuan Indians lived on the island; in the 1600 s the Spanish came and settled, and in the middle 1600 s the Indians died off due to European disease. The Spaniards established the orange groves in the 1600 s and the Seminole Indians came from up north and settled around Lemon Point. The Carney s purchased the property in the late 1800 s for citrus production until the 1890 s and again in late 1980 s, due to freeze. The property was then planted in silviculture (pine trees). Coca-Cola acquired the property when they purchased Minute Maid in the 1960 s and Marion County purchased the park in The property was purchased in 3 different parcels (main parcel, orange grove and the Merrill tract). The County owned the entire area shown on the map, except for the Hall grove, which contained approximately 85 to 90 acres. Mr. Wiley commented on the old existing pilings from when citrus was steam shipped to the packing house, which was now the Lake Weir Yacht Club. He addressed the shoreline, noting the northern end (entrance near Ranger s residence) was about 1,500 feet of bluff (roughly 15 to 20 feet high), down to the water. At the very northern end, the shoreline dove down and tapered off and then went into a marsh before reaching private residences. The upland area contained a couple of sinkholes and bordered private property. About 1,000 feet of upland went along Little Lake Weir and was very shallow, which provided a smooth transition from upland, into the sand, down to the swim beach. A berm separated the wetlands from the lake where the County would eventually install a trail. Chairman Bryant opened the floor to public comment, noting she would call those who had signed up on the sheet and those who did not sign up would have an opportunity after that time to address the Board. She cautioned speakers that they would only be permitted to address the Board one time. Former Governor Buddy MacKay stated he had 3 points to make, noting one of the great lines about Florida was, Florida was something that happened while we were planning something else. One of the things happening in Marion County was the merging with Silver Springs and all of the lands in regard to the Barge Canal (Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway) and was emerging as a premier ecotourism location. It was important to stay the course, where there would be tremendous commercial implications for ecotourism (camping, hiking, etc.). Marion County would have a phenomenal destination impact with Silver Springs as one of the premier locations and another being Lake Weir. The second point was that many people present today worked hard for Pennies for Parks. He noted the citizens voted to pay taxes for parks, but opined that the referendum would not have passed with commercial development. The third point was people in the private sector made a living doing things that the County was thinking about doing here now, with government support. Mr. MacKay stated the Board needed to be very careful, as a policy matter, not to put itself in the position where government was subsidizing those who were competing with taxpaying free enterprise. Jane Sands, Highway 25, Ocklawaha, Board member of Save Lake Weir, stated Page 754, Book R

3 she was proud of the way the park had developed, to date. She commented on the difficulty of people getting their boats in and out, due to the low water. Ms. Sands noted the park was purchased to save environmentally sensitive lands, as well as its recreational value. She voiced her concern with commercializing the park. Art Twitchell, SE 129 th Court, Ocklawaha, member of the Ocala Sailing Club, noted he had been sailing on the lake for 38 years; starting out at Gator Joe s/ Johnsons Beach. He commented on the difficulty to launch and questioned if anything could be done to make the launch reach further out into the lake. Mr. Twitchell advised of a recent regatta and the difficulty launching some of the boats, resulting in approximately 2/3rds of the normal participants racing. He commented on the possibility of a parking lot extension, with fees and security, where boats could be left on trailers with masts up, should the County consider some type of expansion. It was noted that sailboats did not use motors and were therefore friendly to the lake. Geny Norriguard, North Ocala Way, Summerfield, voiced her opposition to the park being developed. She stated the County needed to work on reducing development, particularly in The Villages, and noted her concern with the loss of water. Ms. Norriguard advised that she was opposed to commercial development in the park. Robert Graff, SE Chinica Drive, Summerfield, noted his concern with the lack of water in the lake. He commented on commercial buildings and parking lots for vehicles that could not use the facilities due to the low water levels, which provided no advantage for spending money. Mr. Graff stated the park was never intended for commercial use. William C. Davis, SE Sunset Harbor Road, commented on the water/lake levels, noting Lake Weir was not the only body with low levels. He noted his hope was that the Board would find some authority that would investigate the lake properly to determine the problem. Mr. Davis commended Marion County for acquiring the property and opined that the park should be designed specifically for family recreation as commercialization was not the proper route. He noted his concern with alcohol use should a restaurant be located on the property and advised that he was skeptical whenever government became involved with any type of commercial endeavor. Jim Worthington, SE 145 th Place, Summerfield, stated he could see no reason for commercialization, since it would not help the economy. He noted his main concern was with the low water levels. Ryan Wincek, SE 132 nd Street Road, stated his main concern was with the boat ramps and low water levels. He commented on boats power loading and the need for enforcement of the rules already established. Mr. Wincek stated bringing the sand back would not help and the County would have to figure out other options. Rob Bradshaw, SE Ft. King Street, commented on the wonderful park and stated he could not use his boat on the lake anymore due to the low water levels. He suggested the County work on at least one boat ramp for larger boats, noting power loading was now necessary. Mr. Bradshaw voiced his concern with government performing studies and considering options rather than actually doing anything constructive, on many occasions. He commented on alcohol use on the lake and advised that he had never been checked for boating safety, noting it would be nice to see a presence of law enforcement. Jim Bailey, SE 16 th Avenue, landscape architect, advised that when he attended University 10 years ago, his thesis project was Carney Island Park and the Study of the park as a whole, how it fit into Marion County s ecosystem, the current recreation Book R, Page 755

4 activities and potential opportunities. He advised that the County Parks and Recreation Department had done a tremendous job in developing the park for all ages and accessibility. Mr. Bailey stated additional opportunities for accessibility to the park, for all ages through different ecotourism events, were the direction the park should continue to follow. Bud Boyer, SE Sunset Harbor Road, advised of some historical corrections, noting the yacht club was never a packing house, as the packing house was located next door. Fruit from the groves (on the east side of the lake) was packed at that packing house and this fruit was packed here and taken to the Seaboard docks, which was near the area of Hope Beach. The Seaboard spur went to Weirsdale, almost meeting the Atlantic Coast Railroad. In the 1930 s a drain was dug on the north side of the lake, east of Gator Joe s and about where Walter Nelson s Boat Basin was located. When the lake got high, the drain was cleaned out and water drained out of the lake, which was not allowed to fluctuate naturally, as many of the houses along the lake could not use their septic tanks. In 1960, CR 42 East and West of Weirsdale was underwater and had to be raised. Marci Sandler, SE 142 nd Court, Ocklawaha, stated she was not allowed to walk her dogs around Carney Island and advised that she would like to see that changed. David Owen, East Highway 25, Ocklawaha, advised that he ran a bed and breakfast on the lake with boat rentals, noting 80 percent (%) of his business was from Orlando and Tampa Bay areas. He stated his guests were amazed at the park and commented on the need to protect the park. Chairman Bryant stated public comment was now closed. She commented on the misconception and addressed an earlier request for proposals (RFP) regarding a restaurant, noting after Board discussion it was determined that was not the route the County wanted to take. The Board did discuss, with regard to food, the possibility of a concessionaire on weekends to sell hamburgers, hotdogs, drinks, etc. for families who used the park and were unable to access businesses around the lake. The Board also discussed the possibility of recreational vehicle (RV) hook-ups, camping areas to allow families to utilize the park. The ideas were considered as ways to promote and enhance ecotourism in Marion County. Chairman Bryant stated the Board s purpose today was to come out and take a look at the park to see if there were any opportunities to further enhance the park, therefore enhancing the economic opportunities within the area. Commissioner McClain commented on the approved Master Plan for the park before he became a member of the Board, noting it included several different uses, with one of those being a restaurant area. He opined that it would be best to take a couple of months to revisit some of those uses and possibly meet with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC), as well as other interested groups to revamp the Master Plan within the next 60 to 90 days. Commissioner McClain noted he had discussed the ramp situation with staff on several occasions trying to figure out the best solution, long term to avoid wasting money, but accomplish the task within a short timeframe. He stated going back through some of those uses would be a good place to start to set the Master Plan on the path the County wanted to go over the next 20 to 30 years and how it could be tied together with Silver Springs, etc, when thinking of ecotourism. Commissioner McClain stated there were a lot of opportunities for the County to use a great deal of land in Marion County. Almost 600,000 acres was owned by some form of government and citizens, through taxes, had paid for that property. He stated his Page 756, Book R

5 desire was to determine how to get to some of those places and allow ecotourism to flourish in Marion County. Commissioner McClain noted Marion County was poised to become a Mecca for ecotourism in Florida, as there were few places one would find first magnitude springs like Silver Springs. He stated there were ways to figure out how to interconnect all those properties and the uses on those lands, as well as how they would be used (i.e., daily, etc.). Commissioner McClain advised that he would continue working toward enhancing the community through ecotourism. He noted there was approximately $38,000,000,000 spent in Florida last year on ecotourism, of which Marion County received a very small portion, yet had a great deal of land and waterways that could be used for ecotourism. Commissioner McClain stated as the representative of this District that would be his desire. Chairman Bryant stated Commissioner McClain made some very good points and that was the direction the Board wanted to take. She stated no one could dismiss the beauty of the park and the jewel the County had within this park. Commissioner Zalak suggested the boat ramp be fixed. Mr. Couillard advised that Commissioner Zalak and Mr. Wiley went up in a helicopter this past week and presented an aerial photograph of the lake/boat ramp area, which showed the 3 power loading holds and part of the sandbar that was created; not just from power loading holds, but they did contribute. Also shown was the natural low areas around the lake edge and how they were lining up. He noted this was a large natural basin, which was why this area was selected for boat ramps, because of its depth. Mr. Couillard stated prop scarring could be seen on the bottom of Lake Weir. He noted Mr. Wiley was out this past weekend checking depths and stated the boat ramps could be extended, the power loading holds could be backfilled, polymers and all sorts of technology could be used to harden the bottom of the boat ramps, but the problem was with the natural topography of the lake bottom. One would be able to walk out to the floating docks as the water levels continued to decrease. Mr. Couillard stated this was a silica bottom lake (sand based) and if the holds were excavated and backfilled it would be a perpetual maintenance cost that would have to be performed routinely, which was not currently in the budget. He noted that most of the boat trailers today were built for power loading. Mr. Couillard advised that the aerial photograph was taken Thursday afternoon, April 25, Commissioner Zalak questioned options and costs. Mr. Wiley stated a number of options were considered and staff spoke with several contractors. He commented on the natural shoreline and noted the ramp itself was currently below the lake bottom. It would be very difficult to extend the ramp out as the angles would have to be changed which was not good for the vessels; therefore, some other mechanism would have to be considered. Estimates had been received anywhere from $48,000 to $68,000 per ramp for the 6 lanes with 3 separate ramps. Mr. Wiley stated other alternatives were being considered, but right now the County was looking at $48,000 to $68,000 for each of the 3 ramps. Chairman Bryant questioned his earlier statement that extending the ramp was not an option. Mr. Wiley stated it was not an option the way it was now, as they would have to come up higher off the ramp or try to dig deeper, but then there would be the bowl that would have to be backfilled, unless it could be dredged out to its natural bottom then the slope would always fill in the bowl. Mr. Wiley advised that staff received a price of $3,600 to backfill and recover the soil, where the sand was piled up, to get the angle back, which would be a temporary Book R, Page 757

6 fix. In response to Chairman Bryant, Mr. Wiley stated based on use, it could last anywhere from 1 weekend to 1 month. Chairman Bryant stated spending $3,600 to backfill for one weekend was not feasible. Mr. Wiley stated someone suggested the use of old aircraft landing mats then backfilling and expanding; however, a way to attach the mats to the ramps would have to be determined. Chairman Bryant stated it was obvious that the County needed to spend more time figuring out how to best address this problem. Mr. Couillard agreed, noting there were some quick and easy, short-term solutions, as well as longer term solutions that needed to be well thought out, to also include public participation. He commented on the importance of considering many solutions and bringing in experts to guide that correctly. Commissioner McClain questioned what the $3,600 would accomplish. Mr. Wiley stated it would bring the sand back into the power load hold and for the sand to be relocated. He advised that the price was for a 50 foot long stick, noting however far the machine could go out, it could extend 50 feet beyond that point. Mr. Wiley stated dredging would be much more expensive. He commented on the footprint of the permit with the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) regarding environmental regulations, which also had to be considered. Mr. Wiley stated permitting issues may also be involved. Commissioner Arnett noted his appreciation for those who appeared at today s workshop and provided input. He stated much of what the County could or could not do was based on financial constraints. Commissioner Arnett commented on prioritizing, particularly with boating, as that was what drew many people to the park. Chairman Bryant opined that it was best to allow Commissioner McClain time to meet with staff to quickly put together different scenarios and ways to possibly fix the boat ramp. She stated the Board was aware of the concerns, but noted this was not something that could be fixed overnight as two entities were involved; one being the SJRWMD. Time would be needed to figure out the most feasible fix for the boat ramp problem, both financially and long term. It would not be a wise use of resources and tax dollars to put a band-aid on the problem that would continually need to be fixed. The Board also needed to take a good long look at the Master Plan. In response to Commissioner Zalak, someone from the audience advised that the wakeboard event was scheduled for June 21, Commissioner Zalak stated a solution was needed prior to that date. Chairman Bryant stated staff had their direction. Commissioner McClain advised that some of the maps would be posted to the County s website ( and requested that the Board be ed with additional comments. He commented on the Board s willingness to make adjustments to the Master Plan. Chairman Bryant reiterated Commissioner McClain s statements, noting public input was extremely important and valuable as it helped to guide the way for the future and planning for Carney Island. She recommended, for those who did not have access, to contact the Commission Office at **REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK** Page 758, Book R

7 There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting thereupon adjourned at 10:15 a.m. Attest: David R. Ellspermann, Clerk Kathy Bryant, Chairman Book R, Page 759

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