Waterways Advisory Committee

City of Marco Island Florida 51 Bald Eagle Drive Marco Island, Florida cityofmarcoisland.com Meeting Minutes - Final Thursday, December 17, 2020 9:00 AM Community Room Waterways Advisory Committee Chair: Rick Woodworth Vice-Chair: David Crain Committee Members: Robert Roth, Steve Sokol, Philip Thompson, William Trotter, Martin Winter City Staff: Jason Tomassetti, P.E., Diana Aviles Waterways Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes - Final December 17, 2020 (1) CALL TO ORDER Chair Woodworth called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. (2) ROLL CALL Present: 7- Vice-Chair Crain, Member Roth, Member Sokol, Member Thompson, Member Trotter, Member Winter and Chair Woodworth (3) PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Led by Chair Woodworth. (4) APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA MOTION by Member Thompson, seconded by Vice-Chair Crain, that the Agenda be Approved. MOTION CARRIED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE: Yes: 7- Vice-Chair Crain, Member Roth, Member Sokol, Member Thompson, Member Trotter, Member Winter and Chair Woodworth (5) APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES ID 20-1267 November 19, 2020 Waterways Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes MOTION by Member Winter, seconded by Member Thompson, that the Minutes from November 19, 2020 be Approved. MOTION CARRIED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE: Yes: 7- Vice-Chair Crain, Member Roth, Member Sokol, Member Thompson, Member Trotter, Member Winter and Chair Woodworth (6) STAFF COMMUNICATIONS a. Monthly Water Quality Testing (AEL) The test results for the month of November were viewed by the Committee, the results came back showing much improvement over the past 6 months, but still above state standards. Storm Water Engineer, Jason Tomassetti, believes that Dr. Harper of Environmental Research and Design's (ERD) results will shine a light on the trend and patterns. Mr. Tomassetti noted that pollution caused by contracting jobs has caused a big impact on waterways but contractor behavior has improved during the past year. Member Trotter asked Mr. Tomassetti if he knew if there was a change in the procedure when conducting the monthly water quality and if there has been a change in parameters in reclaimed water? 1) Mr. Tomassetti stated there was a change in the Method Detection Limit (MDL). It was rounded up by two percent. 2) Off hand, Mr. Tomassetti did not know. However Vice-Chair Crain stated that the number has dropped down since 2019. b. MS4 Permit Update The MS4 permit runs on a 5-year cycle. As of March, the City completed its first year. Member Winter asked Mr. Tomassetti for an explanation of what MS4 stands for. He replied that the MS4 stands for City of Marco Island Florida Page 1 Waterways Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes - Final December 17, 2020 Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System. This system is separate from the sanitary system. The MS4 permit allows the City to discharge stormwater into state water. After much discussion between Mr. Tomassetti and Member Trotter, Mr.Tomassetti stated that at this point, the plan is to dig the swales deeper to retain stormwater in swales as long as possible without causing flooding. The purpose of this is to eliminate as much runoff/pollution into the waterways. c. Street Sweeping/Vacuuming Currently, the City has a contractor that sweeps along Collier Boulevard and its intersections once a month. The only concern is that there is no way to measure how much material is being swept or vacuumed. Mr. Tomassetti is looking for someone to vacuum the whole Island. Public Works Director Timothy Pinter will bring a presentation to the City Council next month to go over the cost. This will address whether it would be more convenient to either hire a contractor or buy the machine instead. Member Trotter raised concerns regarding the re-filtration baskets. It was reported that they are cleaned along the inlet once a year. Discussion then returned to the topic of swales. Vice-Chair expressed his opinion that gravel swales should be eliminated. There was some confusion regarding gravel swales, whether they're grandfathered in or not. Chair Woodworth asked Mr. Tomassetti if he could look into that matter. MOTION by Chair Woodworth, seconded by Member Trotter, that the City expand its street vacuuming program in area covered and number of times completed monthly, be Approved. MOTION CARRIED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE: Yes: 7- Vice-Chair Crain, Member Roth, Member Sokol, Member Thompson, Member Trotter, Member Winter and Chair Woodworth d. Questions/Comments Member Trotter asked Mr. Tomassetti If there was a numbering system for canals in case someone needed to report an issue. Mr. Tomassetti stated no, however, he would look into that matter. Vice-Chair Crain asked Mr. Tomassetti regarding status of the flyers/brochures. The brochures will be sent out sometime next month to new homeowners, residents, and local businesses. This informational brochure will also be available at the Farmers Market and posted to the City of Marco Island webpage. (7) PUBLIC COMMENT Mr. Jack Williams, Marco Island resident's came forward to say that he was disappointed. That the Committee did not discuss the discharge waste from roofs being drained directly into the waterways. He strongly believes it is an easy fix. The Committee agreed that this is an issue for Code Enforcement. (8) PRESENTATIONS None. (9) OLD BUSINESS a. At Risk/Derelict Vessel – Member Trotter Member Trotter asked Mr. Tomassetti if there was a follow up from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) on how to report an At-Risk/ Derelict Vessel and if so, how does City of Marco Island Florida Page 2 Waterways Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes - Final December 17, 2020 one go about reporting it. Mr. Tomassetti was not aware of any update, but will reach out to the Chief of Police to determine what the protocol is. Mr. Tomassetti indicated that it is his understanding that FWC is in charge, and that the City assists in any way possible. Member Trotter believes that there should be a clear reporting procedure since appears seems to be another boat in Smokehouse Bay that could be an "At-Risk/Derelict" boat. He was under the impression that reports should be directed Marco Island Police first. Chair Woodworth referenced an email from Officer-Specialist Kyle Plussa, that all "derelict vessel cases here in Collier County have been turned over to Collier County Coastal Zone as of 11/10/20," except for the derelict vessel that has a New Hampshire registration in Factory Bay. The Members requested that Mr. Tomassetti follow up on the boat that is on Factory Bay. ID 20-1230 At Risk/Derelict Vessel b. Collier Blvd Irrigation – Chair Woodworth Member Winter raised the following questions: 1) When does the irrigational system turn on? 2) How long does it water? 3) Is there anything that can be done to not have the irrigational system water on the day after it rains? Mr. Tomassetti assured the Committee that the sprinklers are being adjusted. c. Navigational Markers – Member Winter From the previous meeting, Member Winter requested an update on who is specifically responsible for the navigational markers within City limits. Mr. Tomassetti indicated that there are 52 markers that belong to the City. Member Winter would like to see the maintenance work list of the markers. He believes that there are several key markers that are missing, so it vital that the Committee has a list of all the navigational markers that belong to the City so they can be handled properly. d. Committee Budget Discussion Member Winter asked Mr. Tomassetti about the budget. The budget for the Waterways Committee is $10,000.00. From there it is broken up into three "buckets" : 1) $6,000.00 for educational materials. 2) $2,000.00 for signage for fertilizer and grass clippings. 3) $2,000.00 for water quality information. Member Trotter asked Mr. Tomassetti who should the public call in the event that something happens to a navigational marker? Mr. Tomassetti answered that the concerned individual can contact Public Works. (10) NEW BUSINESS a. Marco Island Yacht Club – Member Winter Member Winter expressed concern with the yacht club proposal coming to the planning board without involvement by the Waterways Advisory Committee. Mr. Tomassetti recommended that the Waterways Committee approach the planning board and voice its concern. Mr. Tomassetti said that Member Winter could also reach out to Community Affairs Director Dan Smith. City of Marco Island Florida Page 3 Waterways Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes - Final December 17, 2020 b. Tigertail Beach & Beach Skimmer Nesting - Chair Woodworth Chair Woodworth referenced the recent article in the Coastal Breeze. The article addressed the issues at Tigertail Lagoon and how they were affecting the Black Skimmers. The big question most are asking is where did this bacteria come from? ID 20-1231 Black Skimmer Nesting (11) COMMITTEE COMMUNICATIONS Vice-Chair Crain raised two concerns: 1) the County’s role and responsibility relative to the degradation of the Tigertail Lagoon and beach area (note: directed to Committee Member Roth), and; 2) his concern with the water surge from strong southern winds and storms affecting homeowner yards and seawalls who live south of San Marco Road. Recognizing the City’s impending Tide Leveling Project Plan for San Marco Road, Vice-Chair Crain suggested a broader, more comprehensive approach to address water flow management and stagnation in dead-end canals and other areas on the Island. (12) ADJOURNMENT There being no further business before the Committee, the meeting adjourned at 10:52 A.M. PREPARED BY: ________________________________ Diana Aviles, Recording Specialist City of Marco Island Florida Page 4