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BCC Minutes 04/17/2003 TH (District 1)Apfil17,2003 BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS TOWN HALL MEETING East Naples Community Park 7:00 PM April 17, 2003 LET IT BE REMEMBERED, that the Board of County Commissioners, in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 7:00 PM in The East Naples Community Park, East Naples, Florida, with the following members present: Board of County Commissioners: Chairman Tom Henning Frank Halas Donna Fiala Fred Coyle Jim Coletta Speakers & Staff: David Weigel Norman Feder Joe Schmitt John Dunnuck Jim Delony Leo E. Ochs Jr. Jim Mudd Grover Whidden Mike Antomacki Robert Wiley Don Scott Gregg Strakaluse Ed Kant Diane Flagg Page 1 Board of County Commissioners Town Hall Meeting April 17, 2003 East Naples Community Park 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Hosted by: Donna Fiala, Vice-Chair District 1, Commissioner Pledge of Allegiance Agenda a. FP & L Easements - Grover Whidden, External Affairs Manager Road Improvements - Norman Feder, Administrator Expedite Second Gordon River Bridge US41& CR 951 Intersection CR 951 Widening Davis Boulevard & CR 951 Intersection Rattlesnake Hammock Santa Barbara Extension & Rattlesnake Hammock Intersection c. Lely Stormwater Project and Stormwater Drainage Library - John Dunnuck, Administrator ~, Present & Proposed Schedule of Improvements to Eagle Lakes Community Park - John Dunnuck, Administrator Code Enforcement Issues - Joe Schmitt, Administrator ~, Vista Gardens :> Parker's Hammock Futu re Developments > Super Wal-Mart :> Sabal Bay Aprill7,2003 EAST NAPLES TOWN HALL MEETING The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. I. Welcome and Introductions -Mr. Henning called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM. -Donna Fiala introduced thc commissioners and the county staff. She thanked thc public for their attendance and welcomed them to the town hall meeting. Donna Fiala encouraged questions and speakers from the public and they were asked to fill out a speaker form at the beginning of thc meeting. (Speaker forms were not provided to the court reporter.) II. FP&L Easements - Grover Whidden, External Affairs Manager -Mr. Whidden expressed thanks to the Collier County staff and the Transportation Department for their corporation with this project. Mr. Whiddcn discussed thc Collier/Orange River transmission line with thc public. He explained that this project is to meet the electricity needs of SW Florida. He used a slide presentation, (not provided to court reporter), to present his information. A diagram showed the layout of thc power plants in Florida and their connection through transmission lines. The transmission lines are located adjacent to residential and commercial areas. They are built in right-of-ways and private easements. FP&L looks for co-location opportunities with other facilities, when placing transmission lines. Some photos displayed the type of lines that FP&L intends to use for the Collier County Line. He explained that the poles arc -90ft, single - self supporting poles and the "cleanest look" they have for choices in pole styles. Part of the transmission line will be located in Immokalee and it will move west through some rural areas. When the pole is placed in rural areas they do clear some trees from the easements, but they also allow grasses and shrubs to re-vegetate and these corridors tend to become good habitats for wildlife species. FP&L tries to establish landscape buffers around their substations in an attempt to shield them from the public view. Collier County's growth and increased energy uses are the reasons that the transmission line is needed in this area. The placement of the transmission lines is a very "deliberate" decision and many factors are considered; such as the human factor, the environment, and Page 2 Aprill7,2003 cost. After all factors were considered, FP&L came up with - 3,000 alternative routes, which were then ranked, and a short list of alternatives was chosen. A qualitative assessment was then done to the short list of routes. A map was shown to display the location of the transmission line route and a variety of alternative routes initially considered. When choosing the route of the transmission line, public input and concem was balanced with the need for a separate route that did not utilize the existing corridor. This route will be filed in an application to the state of Florida at the end of the month. The state will then start a year long process that will include additional public input, a public heating in SW Florida, and a heating officer will ultimately issue a recommendation to the citing board. This is expected to go before the governor and cabinet sometime in 2004 for the final approval. III. Road Improvements - Norm Feder, Transportation Administrator -Mr. Feder introduced the five transportation directors to the public. Mr. Feder and his staff discussed the items suggested by Donna Fiala: A) Expedite Second Gordon River Bridge -Mr. Feder stated that it is still in the long-range model. The model still has the prospects for a southern or northern additional crossing, but the community support has been for a southern crossing. Out of recent discussions, staff is considering a hybrid that would go across Enterprise Rd to the north side of the airport, go down the west side of the airport to North Rd and then utilize the south crossing. This is still being considered and continued discussions will occur. B) Santa Barbara Extension & Rattlesnake Hammock Intersection -Mr. Feder explained that they are getting ready to move forward with a 4 lanc- ing of Polly Ave, directly south of the alignment with Santa Barbara Blvd - connecting to Polly Ave & the intersection of Rattlesnake Hammock Rd. Staff is working with the Lely Resort Developer. Although there will not be a 6 lane-ing through Lely, there will now be the ability to do improvements to Rattlesnake Hammock and 951 for mitigation purposes. C) US41 & CR 951 Intersection - Don Scott, Transportation Planning -Don Scott stated that this is an FDOT project. The plan includes a triple left northbound on CR 951 going onto US41 north, 6 lane-ing to the south, and a PED Page 3 Apfil17,2003 study will be done to consider 6 lane-ing for a small stretch. This is currently under construction and is intended for completion at the end of this year or the beginning of 2004. Mr. Feder explained that this project was accelerated by the governor under fast-track and at the end of this year it will become a design built project by the state. D) CR 951 Widening - Gregg Strakaluse, Engineering Construction Management -Gregg Strakaluse stated that the county has allocated -$65 million over the next five years towards preserving the level of service on CR 951. 1) US 41 to Davis Blvd: this fiscal year there is a design project to hire a consultant and make this a 6 lane section. Staff is coordinating with Lely and Stock Developments for an exchange of right-of-way, storm water management options, and limited access in sidewalk and bike paths. They are striving to minimize impacts to various location of the corridor. They have construction programmed for fiscal year 2006; -37 million construction project over 3 years. 2) Davis Blvd. to Golden Gate Parkway: staff will be studying this in fiscal year 2004. One of the challenges of this project is the restrictions posed by the east-side canal. A design is budgeted for fiscal year 2005. 3) Golden Gate Blvd to Green Blvd: there is a design program for fiscal year 2004, fight-of-way pm'chase in fiscal year 2005 & 2006, and construction in fiscal year 2007. This will be a -$8.5 million construction project. 4) Golden Gate Blvd to Immokalee Rd: staff is approaching the 60% design stage and hopes to approach the full design stage in December 2003. Staff has significant permitting challenges with EPA, the Army Corps, and the SW Florida Water Management District. Construction is scheduled for fiscal year 2005. It is a -17 million construction project to be completed in -2 years. E) Rattlesnake Hammock - Gregg Strakaluse, Engineering Construction Management Page 4 April 17, 2003 -Gregg Strakaluse explained that the section from Polly Ave - CR 951 is an important link to the overall transportation network. Staff is in the process of designing this to be 4 lanes in a 6 lane footprint. Staffis approaching the 30% design level, needs to acquire some level of right-of-way or property, and it is scheduled for construction in fiscal year 2004. This is a -$6 million construction project, which is to be completed over 1 ½ -2 years. F) Davis Blvd/CR 951 Intersection - Ed Kant, Operations/Transportation Director -Ed Kant informed the public that there was a large drawing for them to view on the wall and there was a photo in the handout that also described what staff is intended to do at the intersection of Davis Blvd and CR 951. The county is working on this project with FDOT. FDOT is funding the lion-share, because state rd 84 is a state rd. FDOT will provide their re-surfacing money and some of their urban funds and the county will add to this; altogether improvements will cost -$1.3 million. 1) North-bound on 951 turning west-bound onto 84: will be lengthened and have a dual left turn lane. 2) South-bound off the Interstate: the currently dedicated fight turn lane will be made into a dual turn lane; there will no longer be fight turn on red. 3) Davis Blvd: pavement will be added to the right-of-way. A median will be placed from the intersection to "Joy-rose Place". New signal heads will be hung, so the existing strain poles will be removed and mast-arms will replace them. -Staffbelieves the improvements will last for 7-10 years. G) Other: East/South Naples - Ed Kant, Operations/Transportation Director -Ed Kant stated that they are looking to add some dedicated right turn lanes at John Street and Martin Street, either later this year or early 2004. Also at the end of this year they will try to begin to re-align Warren St, actually moving the road north, take some curse offthe curve, put in a new culvert, and move the parking for the park to the south. The first phase of the FDOT computerized signal system is beginning to come on-line and may be done by summer and the second phase will begin at this time. Mr. Feder added that there is -$27 million for improvements from Santa Barbara to 951. Mr. Kant also explained that FDOT Page 5 Apfil17,2003 did not include highway lighting along the new stretch of 41 from Rattlesnake Hammock to Barefoot Williams or the new piece that is currently under constructed, (indicated earlier by Don Scott). The BCC has authorized staff to move forward with the highway lighting on 41 from Broward to Barefoot Williams. They hope to have these lights operating by Labor Day. From Barefoot Williams to east of 951 the design is being held until construction of the 951 section is complete and funding is found. -Questions from the public were answered. -A member of the public asked if the plastic poles at Avondale would be replaced. Mr. Kant stated that they will remove the "flick stakes" and add onto the curve in 1-2 months. -A member of the public asked if the red lights on Airport have been timed better, he noted better flow of traffic. Mr. Kant stated that the system is becoming fine- tuned. -A member of the public asked if the "Gateway to Naples", coming in from Airport Rd to US 41, could be lit with street lights. Mr. Kant stated that due to the existing right-of-way, FDOT standards, and funding they have run into problems. Staff is trying to push FDOT toward a solution and they brought this up with CRA and there has been some interest by the adjacent property owners to donate small easements so the light poles could be constructed. -A member of the public asked why Livingston Rd extension cost $300,000 when it isn't even to be constructed. Mr. Feder stated that this was discussed over 18 months and 20 meetings and the BCC wanted to make sure that a thorough study was done. The BCC agreed not to build anything in this area, but the study will be documented and available for the community. -A member of the public asked if the Livingston Rd extension would come up again in the future. Mr. Feder stated that he could not say that it wouldn't, but the thorough study would prove useful if it did. -Diane Flagg stated that the Landscape Master Plan will go before the board on April 22, 2003. The staff plan includes ordinance changes, identifying a funding source, providing for cost, and implementation by 2011. This plan coordinates Page 6 Apfil17,2003 IV. with the future road development. Staff has created a task team with community members and met with the MSTU's. Transit: Presently there are five transit routes with seven busses. One route was moved to go through the Golden Gate route and a new route will go through Immokalee to service vo-tech students. A new bus design shelter was created for the orange and green routes. A shelter was already selected for the purple route. Shelters will also be going up for the vo- tech and transfer areas. Traffic calming: The BCC adopted a traffic calming policy in 1995, this policy is being utilized for any traffic calming needs. The information for traffic calming or for the landscape masterplan is available at colliergov.net. There is a deadline is April 25, 2003 for pathway box funds and enhancement fund requests; the application forms are available on-line and staff is available for question. -Questions from the public were answered. -A member of the public asked if there would be transit transfers from the vo-tech to the beach. Diane Flagg stated that the route is still on US 41 and the students can travel from US 41 to the beach. She added that they are working with Parks and Rec and the State Parks to develop a beach access program. Future Developments - Joe Schmitt, Community Development & Environmental Services Administrator A) Super Wal-Mart -Joe Schmitt stated that it is the West Port Commerce Center; a 24 acre PUD. The PUD will allow for 225,000 square ft of general merchandise, 130,000 square ft industrial, 274,000 square foot commercial, and 7,000 square f~ restaurant space. The site plan was available for the public to see. The Benderson Group has already paid -2.5 million to the county in impact fees and the county will collect another -1.5 in road impact fees in the future. This is in an activity center #9. The building will have "porch" lighting, sloped roofs, canopies, and will be soft pastel colors. Very strict standards were forced for the overlay. For buffering there will be a 10ft wall 1 lft from the property line and it will be constructed on a 3 ft burm. The developer will be required to install irrigation on both sides of the wall to support the landscaping. Staff is still working through Page 7 Aprill7,2003 some issues with them and except the Benderson Group to have to come in for another site development plan review. Mr. Schmitt guessed that this store will not be completed for at least two years. -Mr. Henning was concerned about the PUD calling for a 6ft minimum wall and hoped that the community and the group could work through this before it comes up for approval. -Questions from the public were answered. B) Sabal Bay -This is now called the Collier Development Corporation site. This PUD was approved in 1986 and it is a 1900 acre development. The approved PUD was for 7,906 square ft of floor space, 2200 single family units, 3 units per acre, 1,763 multi-family units, 45 golf holes, and 900 assisted facility living units. A second phase, 68 acre multi-unit facility, is being considered now. Mr. Feder added that the developer can not start the second phase until the extension of Rattlesnake Hammock is complete. -Mr. Schmitt added that the Hamilton Harbor piece has been separated from the Collier Development and the City of Naples is responsible for reviewing this project. -Questions from the public were answered. V. Lely Stormwater Project and Stormwater Drainage - Robert Wiley, Stormwater Management -Mr. Wiley explained that this project has been underway for 14 years and although not all the permits have been attained, they are getting close. The SW Florida Water Management District has signed off on the Engineering review. The Environmental review is down to one more question. They have to bring a referendum of understanding before the BCC. There is an initial phase of construction and four subsequent phases of construction. They believe this will take five dry seasons to complete construction. They are awaiting an official response from the Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA. Mr. Wiley then used a map and reviewed the initial phase of construction, with the public. -Questions from the public were answered. Public concerns were voiced and addressed by the staff as well. Page 8 April 17, 2003 VI. Library (Present and Proposed) - John Dunnuck, Public Service Administrator -John Dunnuck stated that the library system has just completed their "love my library program". Commissioner Fiala was the chairwoman of this program. Thc program raised -$16,000 to purchase additional books. They have added two programs to the libraries. One program is called the "anywhere, anytime library", which provides state- wide library book searches available through internet access. The second program is an e-newsletter that provides updates and calendars for upcoming events. In 2007 a regional library will be built in East Naples. The design plan will be discussed with the public. VII. Schedule of Improvements to Eagle Lakes Community Park - John Dunnuck, Public Service Administrator -John Dunnuck stated that they have spent -$18 million for the park projects in the East Naples area over the last 10 years. Mr. Dunnuck discussed phase 2 of the Eagle Lakes Park. The water feature is a zero depth water feature, similar to a flat fountain for people to play in. They will also be adding tennis courts and additional pavilions. An interpretive center will be added to the park, where one can be assisted through walks and discussions on bird sightings. They have received a grant for thc East Naples Community Park to build an addition. The addition will be a senior facility which will allow additional meeting space for the public as well. -Questions from the public were answered. -A member of thc public requested that staff look into the lighting at Eagle Lakes Park, because they were not being turned off at night and were causing major light pollution to his development. Mr. Dunnuck stated that they would look into this situation. -A member of the public asked about dog parks. Mr. Dunnuck informed him that one will be built in the Manatee Park. VIII. Code Enforcement Issues - Joe Schmitt, Community Development & Public Services Administrator -Due to time constraints Mr. Schrnitt and Janet, his operations director, did not present information, but he answered questions and addressed the concerns of the public. -Members of thc public asked about two different car dealerships where the cars were being parked to close to the roadways and slowing traffic. Janet stated that she was familiar with the sites and would initiate action orders so that they are looked at again. Page 9 April 17, 2003 Mr. Mudd added that he has asked Code Enforcement to set up a new procedure for warnings and notice of violations, so that they avoid continual warnings being ignored. IX. Other Discussions - Mr. Coyle informed the public that FGCU would be given some property from the Botanical Gardens at Bayshore Drive and Thomason Drive in order to build a plant- research facility. The type of research likely to be conducted would be medical research. X. Public Speakers -All of the speakers, but one, waived their option to speak, since their questions had been addressed throughout the meeting. 1) Dave Benson thanked the commissioners and the staff for the town hall meeting. He was concerned about the "bad rap" East Naples received in regards to crime. He felt that the East Naples community has been improved greatly and the public should take pride in this. He asked that the Naples Daily News report the improvements made to the East Naples Area. XI. Adjournment There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was adjourned by order of the Chair at 9:07 PM. BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS/EX OFFICIO GOVERNING BOARDS(S) OF SPECIAL i;i TOM HENNING, ATTEST: DWIGHT E. BROCK, CLERK :~' IS;fO approvea /~/~//~ g ~ '.~Slg~l~ture !~I,Y. _ ~" ~'es~minutes by the Board on ¢'~ ~,.-'or as corrected . , as presented Page 10