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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNatural Resources Advisory Board - Minutes - 09/03/1997MINUTES CITY OF FORT COLLINS NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING 281 CONFERENCE ROOM - 281 N. COLLEGE AVE. SEPTEMBER 3,1997 For Reference: Phil Murphy, NRAB Chair - 491-6303 Bill Bertschy, Council Liaison - 484-0181 Susie Gordon, Staff Liaison - 221-6265 Board Members Present Phil Murphy, Phil Friedman, Randy Fischer, Don Rodriguez, Bill Miller, Ed Secor, and Jan Behunek (7:10 p.m.) Board Members Absent Kelly Ohlson and Craig McGee Staff Present Natural Resources Dent: Tom Shoemaker, Sally Maggart, Susie Gordon, and Rob Wilkinson The meeting was called to order at 7:02 p.m. Guests Sally Craig, Planning & Zoning boardmember; Mike Sailor, Peggy Anderson, and Mike Hart, consultants Review and Approval of Minutes With the following changes, the minutes of the August 20, 1997 meeting were approved as written: Phil Friedman noted that the third bullet on Page 3 under Districting Project - Discussion should reflect that the Board believes enough work has been done and a vote is needed. Phil Murphy said that under Upcoming Agenda Items on Page 4, "and" needs to be inserted between "monitoring" and "reporting". Agenda Review Bill Miller will report on the Latimer County Environmental Advisory Board meeting. Announcements Phil Friedman asked that compliments on the preparation of the Prairie Dog Manual be forwarded to staffinember Karen Manci. He added that on Friday, September 5, Sigma Xi is sponsoring a talk on the Control of Ecosystem Processes by Prairie Dogs at CSU. Friedman passed around a May 3 Denver Post article about repaving trails. Phil Murphy said that he would distribute handouts from Kelly Ohlson at the end of the meeting. Natural Resources Advisory Board September 5, 1996 Page 2 Gravel Study, Rob Wilkinson Tom Shoemaker reported that the gravel study is one component of Poudre River planning, along with the Poudre River Land Use and Poudre River Master Drainageway Plan. Rob Wilkinson, Environmental Planner, explained that an interdepartmental team is looking more broadly at the gravel mining issue, and how pits relate to each other and the river corridor. ISSUE • Gravel producers cannot injure individual or municipal right by causing evaporative loss. • Water augmentation is an important concept. • Partnerships are being formed between producers and municipalities to create storage for municipal use. • Phase 1 is looking at opportunities to eliminate existing water surfaces and provide producers alternatives for the future. • Phase 2 is geared toward implementation of the plan to improve the diversity of the ecosystem and create a more diverse landscape. • Three alternatives: 1.) No action; 2.) Moderate action; and, 3.) Pro action. DISCUSSION • Gravel pits are efficient for water storage. • The City has to meet downstream requirements. • Storage gives more flexibility in water release timing. • The County has local land use authority since most of the mining is done in the County. • The State cannot grant a permit to an operator who does not already have local government authorization. • A major obstacle is that an individual producer or landowner cannot look beyond their own boundaries like a city or county can. • It is important to recognize the economics of the real estate market. • The City also owns gravel resources and can regulate land use. • Many of the water rights dedicated to existing pits are water rights historically used on that land. • Reservoirs are not jurisdictional, like lakes. They are covered by the Clean Water Act. • Wetlands need to be mitigated. • The key to draining is having the ability to have a long, linear connected piece of ground running parallel to the river with the bedrock fall, and to have the ability to manipulate water. • Policy decisions will come later. • The County is an active member of the advisory committee. • Recommend a stronger statement about not allowing grazing. New Natural Area Acquisition, Tom Shoemaker McKee Charitable Trust • 973-acre in the heart of the corridor between Loveland and Fort Collins. • Development has been approved on the northern one-third. • Appraised value $2.75 million. Natural Resources Advisory Board September 5, 1996 Page 3 • Structured as option agreements without interest payments, saving $300,000 in interest. • Working on an IGA with the City paying 50 percent of the purchase, Larimer County 25 percent and Loveland 25 percent. • Larimer County would manage the property. • Some options being considered: • Retain fee ownership • Resale with conservation easement • Exchange of property with conservation easement • Limited development of property • Sale of portion to Larimer County for future fairgrounds • Acquisition funding would be from the HPOS initiative, not the City's 1/4 cent sales tax. DISCUSSION • Might be a viable alternative for the fairgrounds. • Carefully locate the fairgrounds to avoid extensive impact. • Fits into Corridor Plan. • Appropriate to look at ways to recoup costs. • Do not want to see limited development happen. • Recommend eastern 2/3 of the southern section for the fairground. • The Education Committee could look at creative approaches to use land. • The Prairie Dog Committee could discuss the potential use as a prairie dog habitat. DECISION Phil Friedman made the motion to support the purchase of the McKee Charitable Trust as presented in the document. Don Rodriguez seconded the motion. Bill Miller added a friendly amendment to pursue the IGA. The motion passed unanimously (7-0). Review of Draft Memo to John Fischbach on the Council Policy Agenda • Second paragraph should read "Cache La PoudreBig Thompson Rivers Legacy Project". • Be specific in the last sentence about the 100-year flood plain. • Qualify phrase about reducing the cost of natural gas. • First paragraph should have a period after "effectiveness". • Second page, Theme 3, add " environmentally friendly construction". Committee Roles, Topics, Meeting Schedules Committee chairs were elected. • Education: Phil Friedman • Solid Waste: Ed Secor • Growth Mana eg ment: Jan Behunek • Budget & Futur.es Committe= Phil Murphy • Natural Areas: Don Rodriguez Staff representatives will be selected. Committees need to meet before the October meeting. Natural Resources Advisory Board September 5, 1996 Page 4 Other Bill Miller reported that the landfill issue is heating up and there is a lot of work to be done. Joe Skeleton is the Chair, and Susie Gordon is the Vice Chair of the Solid Waste Management Task Force. Gordon noted that none of the trash haulers have attended the meetings. She said that a meeting is planned with Commissioner Disney and Janelle Henderson, Larimer County Department of Natural Resources, to emphasize that the County needs to move forward. Gordon said that the Solid Waste Committee will meet and discuss this. Phil Murphy distributed handouts from Kelly Ohlson about growth numbers from Eric Levine, and a memo from Alan Krcmarik about Summary Results on Growth from a Survey of Voters. Phil Murphy said that he would like clarification from Krcmarik at a future meeting. Gordon distributed a memo regarding Districted Waste Hauling Questions. Bill Miller asked about information on the Fiscal and Environmental Model. Gordon said that Frank Bruno, Asst. City Manager, will provide the information at the October meeting. Action Log Review Included in the packet. Upcoming Agenda Items • Fossil Creek Reservoir Plan- October 1 meeting • Poudre River Land Use Plan - Goes to Council November 25. Staff will obtain a draft for the Natural Areas Committee to review. Jan Behunek would also like a copy. • Update on November 8 Growth Conference. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 10:35 p.m.