Minutes
January 21, 2004
1.
CALL TO ORDER, INTRODUCTIONS, REVIEW OF AGENDA
The
meeting of the Lee County Smart Growth Advisory Committee was opened by
Co-Chairman Bill Hammond at 6:10 p.m., in the First Floor Meeting Room
of the Lee County Administration Building. The following Committee
Members were in attendance:
Mr. Jack Eikenberg
Mr. Don Eslick
Mr. Rob Fowler
Mr. Dennis Gilkey
Mr.
Brian Griffin
Mr. Bill Hammond
Mr. Bob Janes
Mr. Tim Kenny
Ms. Ellen Lindblad
Mr. Arnold Rosenthal
Mr. Don Stilwell
Ms. Jill Tyrer
The following Committee members were excused absent:
Ms. Jeannie Dozier
Mr. Steve Maxwell
The
following Committee members were absent:
Ms. Kate English
Mr. Lee Ford
Mr. Rudy Marion
Mr. Steve Smith
2.
ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS
A.
MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 19, 2003.
Accept and approve the Minutes as
amended by discussion of the members.
Mr. Brian Griffin moved to accept the
Minutes as written, seconded by Mr. Jack Eikenberg, called and carried.
In response to inquiry from Mr. Brian
Griffin, Ms. Jill Tyrer introduced herself to the committee. She noted
that she is a freelance writer and editor from Cape Coral. Ms. Tyrer
was appointed by Commissioner Janes.
3.
ACTION SECTION
A.
REVIEW AND DISCUSS PROGRESS ON THE ELEGANT FEW (distributed)
Mr. Wayne Daltry opened the discussion
by doing a “materials check” to confirm that all committee members did
indeed have the necessary paperwork. Mr. Daltry then introduced Mr.
Fred Johnson, Lee County Parks and Recreation Department, who gave the
following definitions:
Greenways A corridor of protected
openspace; managed for conservation, or recreation and can be found in
rural or urban areas. Greenways all lead to somewhere.
Blueways Linear corridors on
water
Trails
Linear corridors on land that provide public access for recreation or
alternative modes of transportation.
Eventually these corridors will be
connected with similar corridors throughout the State. Mr. Johnson
noted that a partnership has been formed between:
Lee County Parks
and Recreation
Lee County
Health Department
Lee County
Visitor and Convention Bureau
(Beaches of Fort
Myers and Sanibel)
The National
Park Service Rivers and Trails Program
The
Steering Committee, which has been meeting for almost a year, has
between 80 and 100 members and growing. Members include staff of the
County and Cities of Lee County and different interest groups. To
elicit public input into the program, a two day Charette will be held
this weekend (01-23 and 01-24) from 8:30 a.m. to 4: p.m. Friday and 8:30
a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday, at the Riverside Community Center. Mr.
Johnson distributed a public information sheet to the Committee. A
question and answer period followed.
Mr. Daltry distributed the “Smart Growth
Acronyms” sheet and thanked Ms. Mary Rawl for her assistance.
Referring to The Elegant Few Draft of
01-16-04, Mr. Daltry walked the Committee through the items. Mr. Daltry,
noting that Lehigh Acres is a priority area, displayed and explained,
several plats of the 95 square miles; 61,000 acres. Many on the
Committee participated in the indepth discussion that ensued. During
the discussion, legal opinions were rendered by Assistant County
Attorney Tim Jones. Mr. Mike Bower, South Florida Water Management
District, explained how the Water Management District is working with
the East County Water Control District. Toward the completion of the
discussion, Mr. Brian Griffith moved to invite Dr. James W. Browder,
(Superintendent, School District of Lee County) to address this
Committee, seconded by Mr. Arnold Rosenthal, called and carried. The
Committee addressed the questions raised through public comment.
Public Comment was offered during the
discussion:
Ms. Peggy Apgar-Schmidt, addressed
carrying capacity
Mr. Jack Slot, spoke to a reservoir in
Lehigh
Ms. Cathy Malone, spoke to water
recharge areas in Lehigh
Ms. Peggy Apgar-Schmidt, addressed
mining issues
During the above discussion the
Committee broke for a ten minute recess.
B.
REVIEW AND DISCUSS PROGRESS REGARDING BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS/COUNTY MANAGER GOALS, PERTINENT TO SMART GROWTH.
(distributed)
Mr. Daltry pointed out that the first
several pages relate to the work this Committee has been doing.
Objection One on this list is Smart Growth.
4.
OTHER BUSINESS
A.
REVIEW GETTING TO SMART GROWTH II
The EPA/ICMA sponsored report on
Smart Growth (I) was an initial handout to the Committee. As each
member brought his/her issues to needs and recommendations, the report
clearly affected discussion. Staff kept quiet “checklist” for
relationship, and the relationship was significant. Smart Growth II is
provided to the members for any discussion or follow-up that they would
wish to address. (The current list of Recommendations by the Committee
also has significant relationship to the policies contained therein.)
This is an informational item.
Mr.
Daltry advised that he will bring Smart Growth II back for evaluation,
probably in a couple months.
B.
PRELIMINARY OUTREACH STRATEGY:
1.
Develop a Speaking Engagement List
2.
Review Recommendations with each Community Planning Organization. (A
staff report will need to be developed for each community, describing
potential impact of recommendations.)
3. Meet
with each appropriate County advisory body and staff. (A Committee
chairman will be needed for these; staff will work with appropriate
committee staffer on meeting date and agenda. The primary purpose will
be to discuss potential impact of recommendations with each committee.)
4. Meet
with appropriate non-county public agency. ( A Committee chairman or a
County Policy Board member – or both – will be needed for these.)
A meeting in Lehigh was discussed; Mr.
Daltry advised that he was waiting for a complete Lehigh package before
setting up this meeting. A meeting can probably be planned for April or
May. Several times during the meeting it was pointed out that
representation from Lehigh is needed.
5.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Public Comment was given during the
discussion on Item 3.A.
6. SET
NEXT MEETING DATE AND ADJOURN.
The next meeting is scheduled
for February 18, 2004, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Lee County
Administration Building, 1st Floor Meeting Room.
Mr.
Robert Fowler moved to adjourn, seconded by Ms. Ellen Linblad, called
and carried. The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted
Shirley E. Rost
