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Home My WebLink About04-25-2011 Work SessionSTA TE OF ALABAMA COUNTY OF BALDWIN )( )( The City Council met in a Work Session at 5:25 p .m., City Hall, Delchamps Room, 161 Nort h Section Street, 161 North Section Street, Fairhope , Alabama 36532, on Monday, 25 April 2011. Present were Counci l President Lonnie L. Mixon , Councilmembers: Debbie W. Quinn , Daniel Stankoski, Michael A. Ford , and Rick Kingrea , Mayor Timothy M. Kant, and City Clerk Lisa A. Hanks. City Attorney Marion E. Wynne was absent. Counc il President Mixon ca ll ed the meeting to order at 5 :27 p .m . The following topics were discussed : • Gary Gover, Fairhope Environmental Advisory Board, gave an update on the City's Parklands. He mentioned we have 27 parks in Fairhope. He briefl y went over the "Priority Health and Safety Recommendation s" and the "Priority Environmental Recommendations ." • Jonathan Smith , Planning and Building Director, stated that the STAG Grant wou ld help with lon g-term capital improvements and the Planning Department. We need an inventory of our stormwater infrastructure . This wou ld put us on the right track for projections . Christopher Baker with Hutchinson Moore and Rauch Engineeri ng briefly expla in ed the EPA Grant FY 2003 (ST AG Grant) background and the proposed project: A survey and eva lu ation of the City's stormwater infrastructure ; GIS based ; funding would acquire hardware and software improvements for the City and col lect data ; and lo cat ion , materials e levations , and analysis . • Sherry Sullivan , Director of Sen ior Se rvices, reported on the proposed "Field Fees" and reasons why the City needs these fees. There being no further business to come before the City Council, the meeting was duly adjourned at 5:50 p.m. Lonnie L. Mixon , Conci ~~/ Ci ty C ler Parks Report -Priority Health & Safety Recommendations City of Fairhope Fairhope Environmental Advisory Board April 2011 Fairhope has a variety of parks and potential park sites and multi-use paths. Twentyseven of these green spaces or park lands were visited in 2010 to develop descriptions of their characteristics and identify environmental issues. The board recommends action on the following items to address health and safety issues affecting City parks : 1. The various shelters throughout the parks that the public may seek during storms should be lightning protected for public safety. 2 . Parks need to be wheel-chair accessible. 3. The provision of dog waste bags should continue to be expanded in parklands as indicated by public use activity patterns. 4. At North Beach Park, effluent from the duck pond needs to be treated. 5. A fence should be constructed for the wetland pond to keep ducks and children out for public health and safety. 6. At the Rose Garden, the quality of stormwater runoff needs to be managed. 7. Severe uneven sidewalk joints are developing in the Greeno Road multi-use path and these need to be corrected for pedestrian safety. 8. Management of feral cat populations should be formalized. 9. Management of bird populations should be formalized. 10. The inherently dangerously slippery and unsafe storm-wrecked wooden boat launch in the North Beach Park should be demolished and removed. 11. The the steel in the rock basket wall built in the White Avenue Park after Hurricance Katrina has rusted away in places and the wall needs to be inspected for integrity. Parks Report -Priority Environmental Recommendations City of Fairhope Fairhope Environmental Advisory Board April 2011 Fairhope has a variety of parks and potential park sites and multi-use paths. Twentyseven of these green spaces or park lands were visited in 2010 to develop descriptions of their characteristics and identify environmental issues. The board recommends action on the following items to address environmental issues affecting City parks: A. There can be greater use of permeable or porous surfaces for sidewalks, paths, roadways and parking in city park lands. These applications can reduce stormwater runoff and have already served as demonstration projects to refine methods and foster similar applications elsewhere. Suggested alternatives include bricks, gravel, turf block, mulch, permeable asphalt and concrete, and wheel-tracks in place of fully paved drives. Reference: http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/su/bmp updates.htm -the North Carolina Stormwater BMP manual with information on permeable paving. Model Projects: 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center central parking area and Fairhope porous sidewalk projects. B. There is a need to establish sustainable bay fronts, creek beds, pond shores and stormwater channels. Projects can be done to demonstrate successful stormwater handling in a stable and healthy natural environment. Vegetated banks and rock filled gabion baskets are alternatives. Reference: http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/stormwater/ -NC State University stormwater site with many publications. Reference: http://www.georgiastormwater.com/ -Georgia's stormwater manual. Reference: "Mitigating Shore Erosion Along Sheltered Coasts" (http://books.nap.edu/cataJog .php ?record id =l l 764#toc) -a publication on softer shoreline management. 1 r Expert: Scott Douglass, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Al 36608, phone: (251) 460-7437. Scott may be working with Daphne to address May Day Park. He did the Grand Hotel beach. Expert: Skip Ragsdale, erosion control specialist, Sunshine Products, Birmingham, AL. Possible Project: Stormwater ditches at the northwest comer of Founders Field can be repaired, perhaps using composite turf reinforcement, to arrest surface erosion. - Arresting surface erosion is key to repair. Possible Project: Pere test stormwater detention areas in gullies. Gully retention areas can be perc tested. 2 Possible Project: Establish a native plant buffer to control wind driven sand migration in Municipal Beach. Opportunities for native plant sand-fencing. Possible Project: Upstream end of municipal dock on Fly Creek where the bulkhead is collapsing and the bank can be re-established without a bulkhead and straightened so as to create larger, more useful slips. Failing bulkheads can be replaced with more effective waterway bank treatments. C. Bulkheads at Pier Street park, Nichols Avenue waterfront park, White Avenue waterfront park, South Beach Park, Municipal Beach and Fairhope Pier should be replaced with modem solutions to stop shore erosion and the near-shore scouring that removes submerged aquatic vegetation. Stabilized sand swimming beaches and stabilized vegetated banks are alternatives. Reference : "Mitigating Shore Erosion Along Sheltered Coasts" - http://books.nap.edu/cata log .php ?record id=l l 764#toc -a publication on softer shoreline 3 management. Expert: Scott Douglass, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering University of South Alabama, Mobile, Al 36608, phone: (251) 460-7437. Scott may be working with Daphne to address May Day Park. He did the Grand Hotel beach. Possible Project: Replace the failing bulkhead along South Beach Park so as to create a stable shoreline and swimming beach. This bulkhead can be converted to 500 feet of swimming beach. D. There is a need to clean stormwater before discharge into waterways. Good day- to-day homeowner and business practices are key. Rain gardens, infiltration swales, detention ponds, wetlands, natural sand and rock filters are alternatives. Also use periodic coastal and citywide litter cleanup campaigns. Reference: "Greener by the Yard," written by the Weeks Bay Watershed Project and several partners, is a guide to non-point source pollution prevention. Expert: Mike Shelton, Weeks Bay. Possible Project: Construct rain gardens at the south entrance to Volanta Park and at the Rose Garden. Turf covered swales can be converted to rain gardens. 4 E. Control of invasive plants and stabilization of bluff and gully walls demonstration project: Invasive plants such as kudzu, camphor, and Chinese privet and tallow are a problem throughout Fairhope and many areas are affected by unstable bluffs and walls. A demonstration project reclaiming an area of the bluff at Beach Park is recommended. The City can use it's boom-mounted mower/bush hog and personal brush cutters to clear a section of bluff 30-50 feet wide, then plant relatively large native oaks, hollies, or pines. A sustained, long-term maintenance regime of mowing and herbicide spraying would be used to prevent resurgent vines from overcoming the planted trees while vegetation such as restoration planting with native bamboo and other methods stabilize the bluff. Many bluff areas need more effective stabilization. Reference : http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/pub s/93 -30/index.html -a program in Washington state for homeowners living on sloping lots, and something to adapt to local conditions. Reference: http ://www.fao.org/docre p/x 06 22e/x06 22e0 s.htm -an Austrian publication on soil bioengineering and stabilizing slopes with vegetation, and something to adapt to local conditions. Partner: Tree Committee. F. Mowing in the parklands is leaving fresh cut turf at a height of an inch. To maintain the health of southern turf grass, the generally reommended cutting height is three inches, unless certain pests are being control by cutting the grass shorter temporarily. The City should control mowing for proper healthy turf height. In addition, cogongrass is showing up in the areas that the City routinely mows. Congongrass is a very serious threat, and is spread by normal mowing practices. The City needs to establish mowing practices which will not advance the spread of the cogongrass hazard. 5 EPA Grant FY 2003 Background • Funding made available through Senator Shelby • Funding divided equally between Foley, Daphne, and Fairhope • 55 / 45 match • Federal Share is $202,344 • City Match/ In-kind is $165,546 EPA Grant Proposed Project • Survey and evaluate the City's stormwater infrastructure • GIS based • Funding would acquire hardware and software improvements for the City and collect data • Location, materials, elevations, and analysis EPA Grant Proposed Project Product • Data on infrastructure currently not available • Capital Budgeting Plan • Prioritization based on cost, traffic patterns, population density, and public safety EPA Grant • Monthly reporting • Reimbursement Grant Process • Application with work plan, budget, scope, and maps submitted to EPA in Atlanta • Money is available all you have to do is ask • The Grant leverages City resources in order to make more informed repair/ maintenance decisions