1. Elkcam Boulevard Extension
It was reported that Jamie Seaman, as guest speaker at the Walter Boardman
Foundation Board meeting, emphasized the need to preserve the north/south
Volusia Conservation Corridor. With growth along SR 415 and pressure from
Deltona for the extension, EC urges that safeguarding the Corridor be a
number 1 goal of the County. There are many routes from Deltona to 44 and
415, including Prevatt, Fort Smith and Howland, which are to be widened,
Doyle, and I-4. Extending Elkcam Blvd. is a convenience whose harm is too
great a sacrifice. If the Council wants to save the Corridor, it must prohibit
zoning changes and roads through its 90,000+ acres. It is essential to
keep the price from escalating. The landowners will profit fairly with
existing land use. Unnecessary upzoning is eating up Volusia County. The
continual loss of natural systems to development makes this acquisition
critical for water recharge, bird and wildlife habitat, surface and ground
water protection, open space and recreation - and forest preservation for
absorption of CO2, rain formation, temperature modulation, and air purification.
This is Volusia's one and only chance to preserve a large contiguous mass
of land, much of it wetlands, the heart of our County, that serves so many
vital functions, preserving our quality of life. Believing St. Johns or
DEP will deny permits for this road is foolhardy. The County wears many
faces to perform its duties. Now it is essential the Council unite its
separate factions behind killing the Elkcam extension.
2. County Council
The EC opposes the move to elect and salary the CC Chairman. The responsibility
of the Chairman is to keep order at Council meetings and see that all Council
members have the opportunity to offer pertinent comments on agenda items.
Once the meeting begins, it is not appropriate for the chairman to control
it. The power of the chairman lies in setting the agenda, an authority
apparently neglected or overlooked. Taking over this responsibility does
not require additional salary for, nor election of, the chairperson. The
chairman's job also is to ensure that staff reports how each agenda item
comports with the Conservation Element of the Comprehensive Plan.
3. Marine Turtle Permit
The EC petitioned F&WCC to grant the turtle monitoring permit for
the area south of Ponce Inlet to Beth Libert. Our position is that regulatory
and executorial responsibilities should not be joined. The answer from
F&W stated that it had received no formal request from the County for
the permit. This is good news indeed.
4. FIND
A letter will go to Army Corps of Engineers requesting a benthic survey
to determine the damage dumping spoil from dredging the Intracoastal channel
in N.S.B. will have on life on the ocean floor.
5. Wal-mart
Wal-mart's attempt to mislocate a superstore on forested wetlands on
32 acres on SR 44 in New Smyrna Beach met with approval from County DRC.
Sadly, there was nothing in staff comments on the land's wetlands, trees
or historic features. The discount retailer has yet to obtain an Army Corps
of Engineers' Wetlands Alteration Permit. Woefully, in 2001 the Corps approved
1379 permits to fill wetlands in Florida and denied none! But because Wal-mart,
in a previous application, misrepresented the amount of wetlands, the Corps
is requiring a full Environmental Assessment. One third of the land is
wetlands. Neither has Wal-mart received St. Johns wetlands permit nor Florida
Department of State's approval to fill and pave over the historic Turnbull
era canals discovered on site. Lastly, the CC has yet to hear Walmart's
plan to desecrate this ancient hydric hardwood hammock. County Forester,
Joe Waller indicated in his report that Walmart's plan to replace the trees
cut down is short by 32,377 square inches. If provided as 2 inch caliper
replacement trees, that's over 10,000 saplings. In return for losing the
extensive canopy on this site, the City would gain many young trees. In
lieu of replacement trees, the County will allow a tree replacement fee
of $20.45 a square inch, which comes to $662,106. Joe indicates that Wal-mart
has asked for relief from that total replacement requirement. The CC must
see that this does not happen!! Wal-mart chose an inappropriate location
for its superstore. Waiving the consequences of that choice encourages
other developers to pick forested sites. There is an opportunity here for
the City to obtain thousands of trees for its streets and parks, which
desperately need them. The County should require replacement for all trees
cut down. Those that cannot fit on this site can grace the citizens of
New Smyrna Beach with shade and beauty throughout their town. Whatever
rationale Wal-mart gives for seeking relief, it would be a slap in the
face to the citizens who so vehemently oppose this project. The developer
would literally get away with murder.
6. Halifax Indian River Task Force- Criticism of Task Force
Chairman Carrie Stewart's work with Kathy Marsh on river issues compelled
Kathy, Sierra's representative on the Task Force, to resign. Kathy's vast
knowledge of the river system and her dedication to its restoration is
a major loss to the Task Force. Some on the County Council have also criticized
public statements made by the Chairman. It should be noted that Ms. Stewart
has always stated that her views are that of the Task Force and not the
COunty Council. Some councilmen think they should be making statements
for the Task Force. The Task force was set up, however, to be an action
group, not an advisory group. The CC should not tell it what and how to
think. The River and the citizens will benefit if the Council allows the
group to do its job, part of which is educating the public. The EC heartily
supports County efforts to include all Volusia County in the Indian River
Lagoon Estuary Program. The work of the Task Force will be greatly aided
and better coordinated with the Halifax and its tributaries being eligible
for federal and Water Management funds. On May 22 there will be a petition
to the Indian River Lagoon Advisory Board to include all Volusia County
in the EPA's National Estuary Program. The Halifax/Indian River Task Force
will be aptly named.
7. Toll Road
A toll road from East Volusia toward 415 and hooking up with 417 Greenway
will likely run right through the Conservation Corridor, destroy a lot
of habitat and open up even more to development. The toll road feasibility
study garnered only Councilman Jaynes' opposition vote, but others may
be questioning its advisability. A million dollar Turnpike District study
funded by taxpayers starts a momentum that makes stopping the road almost
impossible. Derek Catron wrote a major piece for the News-Journal on the
financial burden of toll roads. Osceola County was misled on projected
costs and tolls and put in debt for 50 years. It behooves the CC, if any
have not read it, to get a hold of this story.
8. Apartments in New Smyrna (Sandspur Housing Partners, Ltd.)
The decision of the New Smyrna Beach City Commission to permit this
208 unit apartment complex on 28 acres in a residential neighborhood on
10th St. between two schools ranks right up there with its other boondoggles
- like sale of city property on river marsh land to car dealer Dennis Higgenbothem
after a letter signed by a dozen citizens warned of the high probability
that Turnbull era artifacts were buried on the land- and like the Commission's
priority to annex and rezone 1200 acres 2.5 miles west of I-95 and 3 miles
from the city limits for a residential "village", Spruce Creek Ranch, service
to which will have to be subsidized by the rest of the citizens. Across
10th Street from the apartments and schools, FIND has cleared a vast area
of land for a dump site for dredge spoil. The Navigation District literally
scalped the site. For some reason it ignored the 30 foot buffer Edgewater
required along 10th Street. This land contains a stream that drains to
a canal between the apartment and the school, and thence to the river.
The trees that filtered and absorbed runoff entering the stream are but
a memory. Don't agencies that carry out or permit these projects realize
that people are saddened and angered by clearcutting, that it injures their
spirits to witness daily the destruction of the natural world? Another
beautiful forest will be displaced by the school and the apartments. When
will it end? when all the land has been used to serve our needs and pocketbooks.
9. Hammock Beach River Club
After the citizens of Flagler Beach rebuffed Ginn Company's annexation
request for its residential development - 3 golf courses and 412 single
family homes on 1250 acres- Ginn turned to Flagler County where the P&Z
approved it 4-3. Then the Board of County Commissioners met on March 18th
to consider conceptual approval of this development that requires the County
to change the future land use designation from agriculture to residential.
Noting that Ginn's contract for water with Palm Coast had expired, the
Commission pointed out to Ginn representatives that it has no contract
for water or sewer. And Palm Coast Holdings will not give Ginn land for
a well. Furthermore, Ginn's application did not include buffers along Bulow
Creek. The Board insisted it be in the application. But instead of denying
the application, the Board allowed withdrawal, permitting Ginn to return
within one year to try again. Nevertheless, Flagler County showed courage
and wisdom in the demands it made to the developer. This land is the missing
link in Flagler's own Greenway Corridor that includes Bulow State Park.
10. Landfills It has been reported to us that there are 4 new land fills
on the east side of SR 415 just south of 44. Construction debris may contain
asbestos and other toxins that can harm surface and ground water.
Date: Tuesday, April 23, 2002 11:43 AM Correction to the April 10th Environmental Council meeting issues:
3. Marine Turtle Permit The County sought and did get the sea turtle monitoring permit south of the Inlet, in the name of Ecological Associates, Inc, its contracted employee. The EC's reply from USF&W that it had received no formal request from the County for the permit was not quite true since Ecological Associates is its employee. Marye Marshall, who held the permit for many years before retiring, will work for Ecological Associates as a salaried employee to monitor this 10 miles of beach.