Minutes 05-22-86MINUTES OF WORKSHOP MEETING OF THE PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD
HELD IN CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH,
FLORIDA, THURSDAY, MAY 22, 1986 AT 4:00 P. M.
PRESENT
Walter "Marty" Trauger, Chairman
George deLong
Marilyn G. Huckle
John Pagliarulo
Simon Ryder
Robert Wandelt
ABSENT
Garry Winter, Vice Chairman
Norman Gregory, Alternate
William Schultz, Alternate
Carmen S. Annunziato,
Director of Planning
Tim Cannon,
Senior City Planner
Chairman Trauger called the meeting to order at 4:10 P. M.
and recognized the presence in the audience of City Manager
Cheney and Owen Anderson, Executive vice President, Greater
Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Cannon requested that the Board consider the Recreation,
Water and Sewer, and Solid Waste portions of the Evaluation
and Appraisal Report tonight.
Page 132 - RECREATION AND OPEN SPACE ELEMENT
Mr. Cannon informed the Members that this element was
written almost entirely by Charles Frederick, Director of
Parks and Recreation. Some changes Mr. Frederick wished to
make were on a Memorandum dated May 15, 1986 from him to Mr.
Annunziato.
Page 134
Current and Future Park Needs
This element started out with an analysis of both the city's
current and future park needs. In the middle of the page was
a figure of 410 acres for a current demand and a demand of
810 acres by the year 2010. The standard Mr. Frederick is
using is a standard of 10 acres per 1,000 persons. The City's
current inventory of park land is 80 acres, but if you add
up the number of acres that could possibly be added to the
City's park area and also add on some of the school recrea-
tion areas, Mr. Cannon said you would find the City actually
has about 300 acres of park land. In addition to that,
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MAY 22, 1986
there are probably about 100 acres of private recreation
areas in the City, which would bring the city up to about
400 acres.
Mr. Cannon said much of the acreage the City will need by
2010 will eventually be accommodated by the County through
their metropolitan parks. Out of the demand of 10 acres per
1,000 persons, he anticipated Palm Beach County would provide
half. This was the source of some misunderstanding between
Mr. Frederick and the Planning Department. Based on the 10
acres per 1,000, the Planning Department had recommended
that the city's parks and dedication requirement be
increased to approximately 10 acres per 1,000. The Recreation
Director corrected the Planning Department by informing them
that the County is providing much of the acreage so the city's
current requirement of about 6 acres per 1,000 should be
sufficient.
Page 136
District, Metropolitan and Regional Park Needs
Mr. Cannon told the Members the city is the provider of the
neighborhood and district parks; whereas, the County is the
provider of metropolitan and regional parks.
Mr. deLong commented that the County has reasons why they
pick their basis for statistically projecting needs, and
they equate it to thousands of population. It appeared to
him that in certain cases they would not have the acreage,
and he thought it could be a very disproportionate figure.
Of the total acreage the City has now, and if the city had
the total acreage needed, Mr. deLong said they would be
talking about 10% of the City's land now.
In some instances, Mr. deLong thought that could be rather
impractical to base it on population. A standard national
average for commercial is 8 acres per 1,000, and he wondered
if the County took into consideration, when they promulgated
this statistical data, that some cities may just not have
enough acreage to supply so many acres per 1,000 people. In
that case, they should give some thought to what a city can
possibly come up with in its total acreage.
Getting back to the County's role in providing park area,
Mr. Cannon said Palm Beach County has some substantial
acreage, such as John Prince Park. The County is also
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MAY 22, 1986
contemplating a similar regional park west of Boca Raton.
When you consider that acreage and that it is not actually
in the City limits, Mr. Cannon thought 1/10th of the city's
area comes down to a reasonable number. Mr. deLong felt
the way they were getting the 300 number was by throwing in
Caloosa Park and other areas into it. Apparently, 80 acres
now is woefully deficient.
Mr. Ryder asked if they took into account that sometime in
the future, the westerly limits will go to Lawrence Road,
which will provide additional land for park purposes. Mr.
Cannon answered that the Planning Department does not
anticipate that much more park land will be dedicated within
the City (probably 50, and at the most, 100 acres). One
factor that cuts down the amount of land dedicated for parks
is the provision of private recreational facilities in the
Planned Unit Developments (PUDs). Developers get 1/2 credit
if they provide a package of recreation facilities on site.
In a lot of cases, the city does not require dedication of
money. Mr. Cannon said there is a provision in the sub-
division regulations so the City can request an equivalent
amount of dollars. In many cases, the city requests the
dollars instead of the acreage and has used those dollars
to build recreation facilities. Mr. Ryder pointed out that
they would be public facilities.
Page 135
Mr. Cannon drew attention to the top of the page and the
projection of a deficit in 2010 of 117.6 acres for neighbor-
hood park needs. In the first paragraph on page 135, Mr.
Cannon stated that 100 to 200 acres could be dedicated, and
he told the Members the Parks and Recreation Director
questioned that figure. Mr. Cannon thought it may be a
little high and stated that, at the most, they will get 100
acres from the additional subdivisions that will be built in
the City.
Mr. deLong questioned whether the city was getting approxi-
mately 40 acres from the Deutsch - Ireland subdivision. Mr.
Cannon believed there was a dedication to the city of 17
acres on that site. He thought Mr. deLong was referring to
the 40 acres of Sand Pine on the site that will be managed
by Deutsch - Ireland. Mr. Annunziato added that the 40 acres
will not be open to public recreation. At best, it may be a
nature study area, open only under limited conditions at
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MAY 22, 1986
limited times. Mr. Frederick interjected that it really was
not an increase in park acreage because it is also a land
swap. They were only looking at a net of five acres in addi-
tion to the city's overall inventory.
Mr. Cannon thought another reason why his figure was high
was because he counted the number of units in the City where
the PUD had been approved, but they are as yet unplatted.
In a lot of those cases, the City will be receiving money
instead of acreage. Some of that money will go towards build-
ing recreational facilities, as opposed to acquiring an
equivalent amount of acreage, Mr. Cannon said the first
paragraph reiterates that the impact of private recreation
facilities will decrease the demand for neighborhood park
facilities.
Page 136
The second paragraph from the bottom of the page projects
that by 2010, there will be a surplus of 3.8 acres of
district parks. Mr. Frederick stated in the Plan that the
major problem with district parks is the geographic distri-
bution of the parks. With the development of the district
park at N. W. 19th Avenue and Seacrest, Mr. Cannon said that
geographic inequity will be somewhat alleviated.
pages 137 and 138
These pages contain policies concerning recreational
facilities and needs.
Page 141-D
The Recreation and Parks Department provided this analysis
of what the city's current and future needs for recreational
facilities are.
page 138
This page states that there is currently a shortage of a
community center and two baseball fields. Mr. Cannon said
all of these recreation facilities will have to be supple-
mented as the City's population expands.
Mr. Ryder questioned whether the Planning Department
concurred with the recommended changes from Mr. Frederick.
Mr. Cannon replied that they "pretty much accepted Mr.
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PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD
BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA
MAY 22, 1986
Frederick's analysis" because Mr. Frederick is the one that
knows what the standards are and what is currently in the
City.
Mr. Frederick clarified that he had worked in conjunction
with Wallace and Todd in preparing the initial plan. What
he did in the evaluation and appraisal of this plan was
follow their format and update the majority of the figures.
Mr. Frederick informed Mr. deLong that he was not recommend-
ing an increase from 6 per 1,000 to 10.
Statistically, Mr. deLong asked if there is any problem with
crime in the parks. Mr. Frederick answered, "No", and added
that the City's biggest problem in parks is vandalism as it
relates to private situations. He thought the City was
relatively free of rape and murder situations in the City
parks but was not saying that it cannot happen.
Page 143
At the top of the page was a listing of the existing school
sites for recreation use. The original Comprehensive Plan
recommended that as one means of alleviating the shortage of
neighborhood parks, the city should cooperate with the Palm
Beach County School Board to develop additional recreational
facilities at the schools in the City.
Chairman Trauger did not see Casa Loma Park listed. Mr.
Frederick did not think they classified it as a park because
it is a special use site. It was not used in the compila-
tion of the acreage figures. Chairman Trauger remarked that
the City maintains it. Mr. Frederick agreed and said it
probably should be added as a special use site.
Pages 142 throuqh 146
Plan Recommendations
Mr. Cannon said the recommendations start on page 142. At
the bottom of page 143 and continuing through page 146,
there is a time table for development of parks in the City.
Mr. Cannon noted that some park sites have been dedicated
in the new subdivisions in the western portion of town
which will have to be developed, in addition to expanding
facilities to some of the parks in the older area of town.
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At the bottom of the page begins the listing of specific
recreation facilities that need to be emphasized.
Page 148
Gymnasium
Mr. Cannon pointed out that a gymnasium is not going to be
provided at Vo-Tech District Park. However, the City
anticipates that they will have a gymnasium at the North
District Park site at North Seacrest Boulevard and also a
combination auditorium/gymnasium at Congress Avenue
Community Park.
Beaches
Mr. Cannon said the big question at this point is the time
table for Palm Beach County, as far as what they are going to
do with their beach front park immediately to the north of
the city's ocean front park. Mr. Frederick thought it would
be a long time before they would see that particular site
developed. Ocean Ridge has taken the position that they do
not want it developed, but want to maintain the hammock in a
preservation state. They do not want parking, rest room
facilities, or that type of thing, which are necessary for
the public's use. Right now, it is a piece of property that
has been setting there for ten years.
Mr. Ryder advised that the only way they can go is north.
They cannot go. south. Vice Chairman Trauger recalled that
when Inlet Park was going to be developed by the County,
they thought of running a bus or tram down there. In the
next few months, Mr. Frederick said Inlet Park should be
into some initial construction. He thought they were
beginning to build the section on the south side of the inlet
now.
Mr. Frederick told Chairman Trauger there has always been
conversation about a bus or tram, and he could see in the
future where the city may even want to participate with the
County and work some type of tram system between the inlet,
the City's beach, Gulfstream Park, over to an additional
parking area on the west side of the Intracoastal. As the
beach demand becomes more important and parking is not there,
they will have to come up with some alternatives.
Mr. Trauger asked if they were not going to develop the
hammock at the same time. Mr. Frederick was not aware of
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PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD
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that as a part of the discussion but stressed it is a piece
of property the City definitely needs.
When they talk about the County, Mr. Frederick said they
generally talk about the metropolitan regional type park.
The County is currently updating their plans, as far as where
they are going to provide additional parks in the future, and
is looking at sections west of the city's current park. The
County classifies its district parks as 100 acres or more
and is currently projecting the need for one right now and
another one by around 1990. Mr. Frederick continued that
the County is currently in the initial stages of looking at
properties and incorporating that into their plan projections,
so they were looking at approximately two 100 plus acre sites
west of Boynton Beach, probably designed similar to the
Caloosa Park facility.
Mr. Frederick has also been trying to encourage the County's
Planning Section to incorporate a regional park directly west
of the city. The County's regional parks normally run
between 500 and 1,000 acres and are similar to John Prince
Park. Mr. Frederick emphasized that the city needs that
type of development west of the City so that some major
properties will be set aside for parks and recreation. He
thought the Board should make sure they try to support that
in this Plan.
Page 149
Develop water related recreation
In order to alleviate the crowded situation at the beaches,
Mr. Cannon said one major recommendation was that the City
should develop water related recreational areas. Boat Ramp
Park has been upgraded and is now being expanded to provide
additional parking.
Girl Scout Park
Mr. Cannon told the Members this property has already been
transferred to the City. However, the park site has not
been developed yet. Chairman Trauger asked if there were any
plans for it to come within the budgeting for the next couple
of years. Mr. Frederick replied that the city's objective
for the 1986/1987 coming budget year is to do the initial
planning and cost estimates for that project and, hopefully,
develop it the following year. He informed Chairman Trauger
there are a little over five acres in the site.
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PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD
BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA
MAY 22, 1986
Mr. Wandelt entered the meeting at 4:38 P. M.
Boat Ramp Park
Chairman Trauger noticed they cleared the lot on the side
and asked what it would be. Mr. Frederick answered that
the City will extend development of the park out to Federal
Highway. Part of the new plan is to build a new bait shop.
As soon as it is built, the lessee will move into the new
shop, and the old bait shop will be torn down. Boat trailer
parking, additional picnicking areas, and landscaping will be
added.
Jaycee Park
Mrs. Huckle inquired whether the Jaycees own the park. Mr.
Frederick replied that the City leases it and has restrictive
use rights. The City has tried to acquire the park, but it
is being held as a spoil site. If and when the City can
ever get it, they want to fully develop it as a park site.
Mr. Frederick thought the Jaycees were responsible for the
name "Jaycee Park".
Page 150
Park Dedication
Mr. Cannon said this gets back to whether the City's current
park dedication requirements are adequate. The Planning
Department recommended that the City consider requiring
approximately 10 acres per 1,000 people. The Recreation
Director corrected the Planning Department, saying the
County is providing part of that. As a consequence, the
current standard of the City, which provides about 6 acres
per 1,000, is still adequate.
When they say 6 acres per 1,000, Mr. Ryder asked if it
included the park areas made available in the private develop-
ments, like the ones on Congress Avenue, as well. Mr. Cannon
replied that the City has assumed those recreational facili-
ties in private developments are accommodating part of that
6 acres per 1,000 figure. Mr. Frederick advised that the
formula they use is based on 6 acres per 1,000 equated out
to acres per unit, which is like .015 acres per unit for a
single family residential area. That is multiplied out x
the number of units. That way you can get how many acres
they owe the city.
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PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD
BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA
MAY 22, 1986
Mr. Frederick said they basically come at 2.5 acres for
neighborhood parks (2.5 acres for community parks per 1,000,
and an additional acre for some special uses not in those
categories). That is how they get to 6 acres per 1,000.
If you look at the third paragraph, "Since ordinance No.
77-36 . . .", Mr. Annunziato said you would get the feeling
of the impact of the decision that was made to include in the
subdivision regulations the recreation and parks dedications.
He said the 69.1 acres are public acres, not including
private recreation. The $583,000 with interest, more or
less, turns out to be something like $613,000, which the
City has used to develop a Congress Avenue tennis center.
Some of it has been used at Boat Ramp Park.
From the time they set that standard, Chairman Trauger won-
dered if the City was getting the increased value they
should from the appraisal of the land. Mr. Annunziato
answered that the City does, and it benefits from inflation.
The value of the land is based on the recent sale as being
fair market value. If time has passed between when the last
sale of the property occurred, the City requires that the
applicant submit a property appraisal. Then the city trans-
lates that into how much it costs per acre.
Page 150-A
Mr. Annunziato referred the Members to the amounts on this
page. Mr. Frederick interjected that they were 1984 figures
and confirmed Mr. Annunziato's estimate that the City is
nearing the $900,000 estimate with interest.
Some of the plans get approved for development like the
corner of Woolbright Road and Congress Avenue. Chairman
Trauger asked if the dedicated money the City extracts comes
from the current time or the time when it was initially
approved and platted. Mr. Annunziato answered that it comes
from the time it was initially approved and platted. Chair-
man Trauger remarked that was quite awhile ago. Mr.
Annunziato responded that there are no more subdivision
requirements which can be imposed on that property. Chair-
man Trauger commented that the property has really gone up
in value since the time it was originally platted. Mrs.
Huckle pointed out that the City has received the interest
on the money. There was more discussion. Chairman Trauger
did not think it should have been iapproved unless they were
going to develop it within the neXt two or three years.
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PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD
BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA
MAY 22, 1986
As an example of the effect of inflation, Mr. Annunziato
said from when the subdivision regulation was approved until
today, the land on Congress Avenue is no longer sold by the
acre but is sold by the unit. Instead of having an acre
worth $50,000, you have the acre x the number of units, so
now it is worth $10,000 a unit as opposed to $50,000 an acre.
That is where the numbers get very substantial because when
you take the total purchase price of the propertY and spread
it across the acreage, the dollars per acre are very high.
Now they are looking at numbers which are more than $100,000
an acre that translate back through the equation. The numbers
are getting progressively higher per square foot.
Page 151
Bikeways
Mr. Cannon said this page gives figures as to how much of
the bikeway system has been constructed, how much is under
construction, and how much still remains to be constructed.
Chairman Trauger asked if the City got any County money on
this in the last year. Mr. Frederick answered, "No." Chair-
man Trauger questioned whether the city applied for any.
Mr. Frederick replied that they did not. Chairman Trauger
asked if they were going to apply for money this year. Mr.
Frederick was not sure. He exPlained that, as indicated on
the page, a lot of sections are coming in as part of the
development projects, which means the City does not have to
pay anything, whiCh is better than paying 50%.
Mangrove Area
The bottom of page 151 discusses the status of this area.
Mr. Cannon said it is anticipated that the City will
eventually acquire that property. To a large extent, it
will be preserved in its natural condition.
Page 152
Fiscal Impact
Mr. Cannon stated this is more or less a warning to the city
that the city shOuld consider the ongoing costs involved in
operating and maintaining city Parks and Recreation facili-
ties.
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PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD
BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA
MAY 22, 1986
Expand park and recreation facilities within Neighborhood
Action Areas
After explaning this section, Mr. Cannon thought the major
addition on the northend of town will be North District
Park, which was an acquisition of approximately 19 acres on
North Seacrest, just north of the Boynton Canal. It is
anticipated that will be the major recreation facility on
the north end of the city. As part of the development of
that park, the City hopes to construct a community center.
QUESTIONS BY BOARD MEMBERS
Out Parcel at Forest Park
Mrs. Huckle noticed this in the Land Use Section and asked
what it was specified for. Mr. Frederick recalled it was
next to Forest Park School and asked if that was the piece
that was zoned improperly. Mr. Annunziato answered
affirmatively. Mrs. Huckle determined it was not actually
an out parcel. Mr. Annunziato clarified that it was an out
parcel of the school property, but houses are there on 3rd
Street, just north of Woolbright Road, on the west side.
Mrs. Huckle questioned whether that was part of Forest Park
School's parcel. Mr. Annunziato replied that was the
problem. It is not part of the Forest Park School's parcel.
Two houses are there, which are surrounded on three sides by
the Forest Park School parcel. In order for those houses to
continue to exist and be able to be maintained, they have to
be conforming uses. The recommendation is to put them back
in a residential category equal to the use.
Mrs. Huckle did not understand why it was called an out
parcel. Mr. Annunziato explained it was only because the
houses are surrounded on three sides by the school property.
Personnel
Mr. deLong asked Mr. Frederick if he addressed future staff-
ing in his report. Mr. Frederick did not. Mr. deLong asked
if Mr. Frederick knew what that figure might be. Mr.
Frederick questioned whether Mr. deLong meant numbers of
dollars for the year 2010. Mr. deLong replied, "How about
numbers of bodies?" Mr. Frederick answered that they had
not analyzed operations and maintenance costs as it related
to this plan. The existing staff in Parks and Recreation
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PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD
BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA
MAY 22, 1986
totals 103. Mr. Frederick added that is a combination of
full-time, part-time, and seasonal.
Golf Course
Mrs. Huckle asked if there was a projected time for the
expansion of the golf course. Mr. John Guidry, Assistant
Utilities Director, informed the Members that the State
imposed upon the City to investigate the ground water
adjacent to that area, and they found some negative results.
The City is now meeting with the Department of Environmental
Regulations (DER) and going for a closure permit to coincide
with the development of a dry golf course, if the city elects
that type of approach, meaning with the liners that would
have to be constructed on the land fill, the State would not
feel comfortable with them putting lakes on the site.
Mrs. Huckle asked if Mr. Guidry could give her an idea in
years. If they had the closure plans in hand and the monies
committed, Mr. Guidry said they would probably be looking at
a two year civil works project to effect closure and design
landfill. Perry Cessna, Director of Utilities, estimated
that they were probably talking about four years before they
would get through all of the red tape and bureaucracy and'
another two years by the time they build it and get it into
operation. Mr. Guidry's point was that the actual closure
and the construction of the golf course should take place
simultaneously because of the moving of the ground, etc.
Mr. Cessna agreed and said if they do not, the city will be
paying for moving the earth twice, and it will become very
expensive.
Mrs. Huckle questioned whether the City is at the point in
the golf course where there would be that much use. Mr.
Frederick responded that he is not in charge of the golf
course but said the demand is great during the season. In
the summertime, everybody is starving for golfers.
SANITARY SEWER, SOLID WASTE, DRAINAGE,
AND POTABLE WATER ELEMENT
Page 18~
Goals and Objectives
Mr. Cannon read the goals, which were restated under the
"Objectives" with respect to the water and sewer systems.
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PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD
BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA
MAY 22, 1986
What they attempted to do was to relate the capacity of both
the water and sewer system to the zoning that is in place in
the city, County, the remainder of the City's service area,
and also the potentials under the County's Land Use Plan.
Mr. Cannon said that starts on page 190.
Page 182
Storm Drainaqe
Mr. Cannon said the city has all but discarded the concept
of a backbone drainage system. There was a bond referendum
in the '70s in which the voters turned down the construction
of this system. Because of the prohibitive expense involved
and the question of whether the DER would even permit a
system like that, the City recommended that no longer be
considered as a viable solution to whatever remaining drain-
age problems are in the city.
Page 186-A
Swales
Mr. Cannon said the second alternative was to construct
swales in those areas of the city which have drainage
problems. This page shows where swales have been installed.
Chairman Trauger asked Tom Clark, city Engineer, if the city
has had any trouble maintaining the initial swales which were
put in along Seacrest and various other places. Mr. Clark
answered, "Not as much as you would anticipate." At one
time, Chairman Trauger recalled they planned that the swales
would probably have to be rebuilt after a period of years.
It has been eight or nine years now. Mr. Clark informed him
that the swales are still functioning, although they do not
work as well as they did. That program has been very
successful.
Yesterday (May 20, 1986), Mr. Cessna said they received a
proposed change in regulations from DER that will make what
is called the "backbone drainage" and where there are big
retention areas very tough. The regulation means it will be
considered a source of pollution if it is going into the
ground water system. Any central drainage where large areas
are going to affect it will come under very close scrutiny
from the State and probably from the South Florida Water
Management District (SFWMD).
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PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD
BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA
MAY 22, 1986
Chairman Trauger asked if the parking lot requirement
figure, where they have to contain the first hour, would
prove adequate. Mr. Cessna replied that they got the regula-
tion yesterday afternoon and just skimmed through it, but it
looks like it will point up towards more and more regulation
of storm water as a source of possibly getting into the
aquifer system when you collect it at one place. He said it
will probably change over the time that they develop the rule
and SFWMD comes into it.
At the time they put the requirement on the containment of
the runoff from the parking lot into that regulation, Chair-
man Trauger could remember the arguments as to whether it
was adequate. They went along with saying it was probably
adequate at the time, but experience, as they developed,
would tell them maybe it should be something different.
That was why he was aking the question. Mr. Annunziato
thought more emphasis would be placed on dry retention where
the storm water runs over the side of the sodded or
landscaped area before it goes into storage.
In addition to the retention basins and swales, Mr. Ryder
questioned whether the City has any significant extension or
installation of storm water sewers. Mr. Annunziato replied
that storm water sewers are not in vogue. He thought there
would be outfalls, but they would have to be outfalling
water that is fairly clean.
Chairman Trauger referred to Congress Avenue and said when
they six lane Boynton Beach Boulevard, they will have posi-
tive drains. Mr. Annunziato responded that they drain to
receiving bodies (wet retention areas) that outfall into
canals. What might happen is there might be a requirement
to run the storm water over grassed swales before it can
reach a sewer which goes to a retaining body.
Mr. Cessna explained that DER is shooting at protecting the
aquifer, and they are going to enforce the regulations.
They will be looking more at areas that already have them
and see that they do not have a point source where they
collect all of the pesticides, etc. into a retention area.
If that is leaking into the aquifer, they will look very
hard at it over the next few years.
In the next few years, Mr. Annunziato thought the Board
could anticipate amendments to both the subdivision and
parking lot regulations. There will be more definitive
treatment of runoff.
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PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD
BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA
MAY 22, 1986
Mr. Ryder asked to what extent the city has outfalls to the
canals. Mr. Annunziato replied that the City has outfalls
to the canals but you only outfall beyond the control stage.
In theory, storm water that is retained on site is to perco-
late through to the ground water. Apparently, what has
happened is the wet retention area, where all of the storm
water is flushed, is going to be considered a point source
of pollution, so Mr. Annunziato guessed DER was going to be
regulating the quality of water going into that water body,
which now outfalls into the public water body, which would
be the canal.
Mr. Clark wished to clarify Mr. Ryder's point and said the
City does have outfalls that are grandfathered in, just like
the Department of Transportation (DOT) has one on Boynton
Beach Boulevard. Even when they have an outfall, with new
construction, they have to prove that they contained "X"
inches of water on site prior to any discharge. The outfall
is really on the overflow and not a direct discharge. If
you get enough rain, the system will fill up, and you will
have an overflow. Mr. Clark informed the Members you do not
have many of those because by the time you prove that you
can contain the first hour of the three year storm on site,
you do not need a pipe because pipes are designed for three
year storms. If you can prove you do not need a pipe, why
put it in? In some areas where the water table is high, Mr.
Clark said you can get a general permit for small areas to
overflow into the Intracoastal, not in a fresh water canal.
Mr. deLong asked if Mr. Clark was implying that if a grand-
fathered in situation is one where the city is getting
serious contamination, they can do nothing about it. Mr.
Clark was saying that even the regulatory agencies have not
addressed that problem. There are old outfalls in the DOT,
and some are up and down U. S. 1. They collect water within
the rights-of-way and have easements that accommodate out-
falls to the Intracoastal. Nobody is addressing that
problem to the extent that it is a problem. Mr. Clark was
not prepared to say how much of a problem it is.
Mr. Guidry said the DER report ties it to ground water. If
someone is polluting, it is an enforceable issue, and he
thought they would take it to enforcement, based upon the
rule as drafted.
Where there is an expansion of the use, Mr. Annunziato said
the parking lot regulations require conformance with the
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MAY 22, 1986
current standards. The City has been somewhat lenient on
that because it generally means someone tearing up their
entire parking lot. The City has benefited to the extent
that where there is existing surface water run-off into the
street, by the addition of landscaping, you get nutrients
and uptake. Instead of granting variances for the drainage
criteria, Mr. Annunziato said there would be sound basis not
to grant them, based on pollution.
Mr. Cessna thought they were saying the whole storm water
problem in relation to the Comprehensive Plan will get more
complicated and told the Board to expect the State and
controlling bodies to get more involved and tell them what
they can and cannot do. There was more discussion.
Page 184
Mr. Cannon said they recommended that the City continue to
spend more money at approximately $40,000 a year for swale
construction until all of the remaining flooding problems
east of 1-95 are taken care of. There are spots in the
older part of the City that still have drainage problems.
In areas that are already swaled and they have to take out
a driveway, Mr. Wandelt has noticed they now make a straight
driveway. He asked if that was to retain the water. Mr.
Clark replied that configuration (a straight shot from the
edge of the pavement to the sidewalk) evolved from an attempt
to impound the water in front of the property and eliminate the
water standing on the driveways. It worked very well, but a
lot of contractors could not figure out how to put 1/Sth of
a foot of grade in from the edge of the pavement. It was
simplified so you now have a straight shot from the sidewalk.
Under certain circumstances, Mr. Clark said you get a little
more water in the traffic lanes. Generally speaking, there
has been no significant problem.
Mr. Annunziato commented that this was important where the
city had flooding problems at the bottom of the hill. All
of the water ran down to the low spot. By raising the drive-
ways and putting in swales, the water is captured before it
gets to the bottom of the hill.
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MAY 22, 1986
SOLID WASTE
Page 187
Mr. Cannon said the city no longer operates its own landfill
but is using the Lantana Road Landfill, which is operated by
Palm Beach County Solid Waste Authority. It is anticipated
that the Lantana Road Landfill's capacity will be used up by
1987. After that time, solid waste will be trucked to the
resource recovery plant and new landfill to the west of
Riviera Beach. The City's garbage will first go to the trans-
fer station at Lantana Road and 1-95. (Rick Walke had a
memo which said that may not be so. It may have to go to
Delray until the facility is built.)
Palm Beach County Solid Waste Authority plans to build an
incinerator and resource recovery plant located near the
Florida Turnpike and Beeline Highway. All of the solid
waste will go to that facility.
Page 188
Mr. Cannon said the Regional Planning Council has the
responsibility for planning facilities for storage and
disposal of hazardous waste within the Treasure Coast region.
QUESTIONS BY THE BOARD
Sites
Mr. Ryder commented that you hear a lot about the Solid
Waste Authority having difficulty coming up with a site that
does not meet with a lot of objections. He asked if they
have an acceptable site. Richard S. Walke, Director of
Public Works, has been on the Selection Committee for the
last two years and said the 1-95 transfer station had been
purchased. The engineering plans are in and they plan to
break ground in three months. The main plant will be built
off of 45th Street, near Beeline Highway. It is progressing
nicely. They just finished public hearings and figure the
Governor and his Cabinet will make a final decision by
June 30th. The Solid Waste Authority felt the hearings went
very favorably in their direction.
If that is not a possibility, Mr. Walke stressed that the
County would be in dire trouble. In September, 1980, Mr.
Walke said the Solid Waste Authority was selecting a site.
It is 1986, and they have not started construction yet.
Chairman Trauger asked when they expect to have the plant.
Mr. Walke replied that they were talking about a 2½ to 3
year construction period. Chairman Trauger remarked that it
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MAY 22, 1986
would be close to the Dyer Boulevard fill. Mr. Walke
informed him that they will continue to use Dyer Boulevard
for left over residue, which fuels the main plant itself.
Chairman Trauger asked what happens to the City's tree
cuttings. Mr. Walke replied that will also go to the
Lantana Landfill. They selected a site west of Boca Raton
for a Type 3 landfill, which is building debris and that
type "of stuff". Chances are they may have to change that
site selection, but there is nowhere else.
Mr. Walke handed the Members a newspaper which showed an
artist's conception of the facade for the new plant. There
was more discussion about who would be building the plant.
Mrs. Huckle read from the middle of the page that the site
selected by the Palm Beach County Waste Authority was near
the West Palm Beach water catchment area and the Turnpike
Aquifer and, as a consequence, may not be a desirable loca-
tion from the standpoint of water quality. However, due to
the lack of other suitable sites, they approved the site.
Mr. Walke advised they would not find a spot anywhere with-
out this same situation. There have been a number of public
hearings, and all of the agencies had their say.
Mr. Walke assured Mrs. Huckle this was a valid statement.
In spite of it, Mrs. Huckle asked Mr. Walke what else they
were going to do. Mr. Walke replied that the original site
he liked best was objected to by Century Village, so the
Solid Waste Authority went to this site. Mr. Walke went
into more detail.
Sludge
Chairman Trauger commented that the sludge furnace at the
South Central Wastewater Treatment Plant was not used
because of the high cost of petroleum. With petroleum real
low, he asked if the city generates enough sludge. Mr.
Cessna replied that it was a 20 ton a day thing. For another
ten years, they will probably not produce more than 12 to 13
tons of dry solid, so they would be running it at half speed
or storing it. If they start storing it to wait until they
get enough to run the furnace for seven days, Mr. Cessna
commented that he will retire. If they wait until they get
20 tons, Chairman Trauger said it will be rusted down. Mr.
Cessna did not want a 20 ton one but wanted two ten ton
ones, but Delray Beach ran it.
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MAY 22, 1986
Page 190.
POTABLE WATER AND SANITARY SEWER
Mr. Cannon said they were making projections of both water
and sewer service areas. At the bottom of the page, they
are making an estimate of approximately a 150,000 population
for the water service area and estimate there will be a
population of 156,000 at build-out. Both the water and
sewer service areas correspond to the areas the Members
could see on the maps. The population projections were
considerably above the population projections for the city of
Boynton Beach itself. Mr. Cannon agreed with Mr. Ryder that
the figures included substantial County unincorporated areas
as well.
Ocean Ridge
Mr. Ryder asked about Ocean Ridge. Mr. Cannon replied that
Ocean Ridge is excluded from the estimate.
Delray Beach
Mr. Cessna informed Chairman Trauger that Delray comes up
to the north end of Gulfstream. The city takes care of the
County pocket between St. Andrews down to the north Gulf-
stream city limits and has an interconnect between the two
cities in case of an emergency.
Population Projections
Mr. Cannon wished to point out the basis for the population
and dwelling unit projections. He took the existing number
of dwelling units and service areas and added to that dwell-
ing units for approved projects and the number of dwelling
units that could be built in the City under the City's
Comprehensive Plan. For those areas of the County that are
still zoned Agricultural, he used the mid points of the den-
sity range. Rather than specifying a particular density for
a particular parcel, Palm Beach County's Land Use Plan has a
density range which, in most of the city's service area, has
a base of 3 units per acre. Providing developers meet the
County's performance standards, they can have that density
increased up to 8 units per acre.
Mr. Cannon used a figure of 5.5 units per acre, which is the
mid point of that range. In the higher density (a portion
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MAY 22, 1986
of the unincorporated area around Lawrence Road and on
Boynton Beach Boulevard), he used 10 units per acre, since
the County's density range is 8 to 12 units per acre. Mr.
Cannon stressed that this was very important since they are
making estimates based on those densities. It was suggested
that later on, the City not approve water service agreements
which would exceed those densities. Obviously, the cumula-
tive effect of approving higher densities will be that they
will exceed the system.
Mr. deLong asked if that was what they anticipated when the
Board was discussing the 109 acre piece. Mr. Annunziato
said it was primarily traffic on Old Boynton Road.
Mr. Ryder asked how they would effectively oppose increases
in densities in the unincorporated areas. Mr. Annunziato
replied that a document required for County zoning action is
a verification of the availability of utilities. That means
if somebody wants to go to the County to seek rezoning, they
will have to go to the City and get an agreement to serve.
If the City can certify that they can only serve five units
an acre, then the County will not permit a request that
exceeds that. The densities shown on the County plan are
if and only if densities (if and only if there is adequate
sewer and water, capacity to add adequate road capacity,
etc.). If the City certifies five, Mr. Annunziato said that
then becomes the upper cap.
They were talking about a new overall Planning Council. Mr.
Ryder asked if that would be the County's job. Mr.
Annunziato did not think so. He thought the County would
be primarily in the initial Comprehensive Planning business,
taking Comprehensive Plans initially and then working out
problems where there are inconsistencies. However, he thought
they were going to be in the utility and road business to
the extent that in order to get your plan certified, you
will have to prove that there is capacity to serve.
Chairman Ryder asked if the County would not also be
involved as to what impact each municipality would have on
the adjacent municipalities. Mr. Annunziato replied there
was no question about that.
As a part of the City's service area on sewer and water,
suppose a developer made his reservation when he had his
plans approved three or four years ago, has it developed,
and other people come in and want that. Chairman Trauger
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wondered how the City would block someone new from coming in
because of the succeeding capacity for this. Mr. Annunziato
answered that it is not much more than an accounting respons-
ibility to determine where you are in capacity allocation.
Then it is a policy decision to determine how to allocate
the surplus. They can allocate it evenly throughout the
remaining properties or allocate it in higher numbers in
areas where there will be transportation routes. Maybe they
will not want to build all of the utilities and say they will
allocate less. If there is a desire to have more, someone
else will have to build more.
Mr. Annunziato continued that then you move from the aspect
of accounting into policy, which is where the Board and
Council must begin to make recommendations and decisions.
Mr. deLong thought what Chairman Trauger was getting at was
what happens to a reserve capacity that has not been used.
Mr. Annunziato replied that the city does not reserve
capacity; they just say they can serve "up to". Chairman
Trauger thought when the City approved them coming in, the
City set up an accounting basis saying, "he needs 'X' amount."
Mr. Annunziato said there is no question that if the city
says they will serve somebody five units per acre, it is
not a license that they will get the five units.
Mr. Cessna interjected that it goes into the accouting, but
he asked the Members to recall that the City Council made a
policy that they should take care of inside the City first.
Chairman Trauger was talking about outside of the City. The
only people Mr. Cessna said the City guarantees anything to
are people who oversize a line and develop credits.
Mr. Cessna gave the old golf course on the "S" curve of Old
Boynton Road as an example. They put in an important loop.
Mr. Cessna said Boynton Beach Boulevard had been sitting
there for ten years on one 12 inch line. 4,000 homes were
out there and if that broke, he would have 4,000 homes out
of water with no way to feed it any place else. The
important thing was they put up $400,000 to build that. Out
of that they will get $250,000 or $300,000 in credits in
water and sewer, which are kept separate. At their build-out,
the City will have to give them enough until they use up the
credits.
Mr. Cessna said that was the only one they permitted outside
of the city and the only one the City assured they would
give utilities to. The rest are on a first comes first serve
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MAY 22, 1986
basis. If the City does not have it and they wait three
years to build, "tough".
Mr. Cessna asked the Members to recall the line coming down
Congress Avenue. It was designed with the basis of the
northwest area on an average of 5 units per acre. When Field
& Riley came in for the piece along 22nd Avenue on the west
side, there was a proviso that they would pay an extra sur-
charge because they were over the 5 units per acre. If they
keep giving people more than this, Mr. Cessna said the City
would have to go back and either double draw the line or
increase the head capacity of the pumping stations at a
considerable expense to be able to transport the sewage on
down. He stressed that the sewer was the most critical
thing.
Mr. deLong remarked that apparently, the City has the
flexibility to accommodate in some instances, depending on
what they get in return. Mr. Cessna emphasized that it is
a limited thing, and you have to watch it very carefully.
Mr. Annunziato thought the point Mr. Cessna raised moved to
policy because the City is beginning to recognize some
finite supplies in water, and the City knows it has a finite
supply of sewer plants. The City continues to be involved
in the creation of potable water, but it will be limited by
the availability of raw water. Mr. Annunziato further
explained to the Board and said there is a level they can go
to. He thought the policy was how they split the surplus.
15 years ago Riteco owned property. Mrs. Huckle commented
that they really could not reserve anything because they did
not know what would be going there. When something really
big comes in like Deutsch - Ireland, she wondered if it
caused a great deal of realigning of their capacity projec-
tions, etc. for a project that size. Mr. Annunziato replied
that the projections are based on what they know today. He
expounded and then said there is a surplus. The way the
ability to serve is placed on the land primarily in the un-
incorporated area becomes a matter of policy, and Mr.
Annunziato asked, "How do you want to split that difference?
Do you split it equally so that everybody gets 3 units an
acre (which is probably the most equitable way), or do you
compound it in an area and tell somebody else that in the
future, the city will not have the capacity?" Mr. Annunziato
thought that was the point Mr. Cannon was making about how
to treat requests for utility services in the unincorporated
areas.
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MAY 22, 1986
Getting back to sewage, Mr. deLongsaid, at build-out, the
City apparently feels it will have adequate sewage capacity.
He asked if they feel the same about the City water. Mr.
Annunziato replied that the answer to his question was "Yes,
but at what level?" For example, they know that 15,000,000
gallons of capacity at the sewer plant translates into so
many units. (Units includes commecial and industrial too.)
iThey know how many units they have now and what their com-
mitment ~to serve is. The difference between what the City
has and what the projection is tells the City how many more
units it can serve.
Mr. Ryder determined it would require further expansion of
the sewer plant. Mr. Annunziato pointed out that there are
limits to that too. Mr. Ryder called attention to the fact
that the city is undergoing one now.
Mr. Cessna explained that when he came back from the
Phillipines, city Manager Cheney and he started projecting
the City's growth and went to the Regional Board. Delray
Beach thought they were crazy. If the City was not where it
is right now, Mr. Cessna said they would probably be on a
moratorium within twelve months on sewage, and Delray Beach
would be too. The point was the City is now going for a
full 24,000,000, which will take them up to about 95% at
build-out for the existing plant. However, they have had a
program of excellent inspections on their new lines, and
the Council has allowed them to do replacements of old lines
and certain equipment.
From May 1, 1985 to April 30, 1986, Mr. Cessna pointed out
that the average flow at the sewage plant was only 5.014
million gallons a day. When he came to the City eleven
years ago, they had over 4,000,000 gallons a day coming in
at the old sewage plant. Part of that was because what the
City Council is doing to continue this program is bit by bit
cutting down infiltration, which gives more capacity. If
they keep the program up, Mr. Cessna believed the City's
half of that 24,000,000 (12,000,000) would take them to
build-out without adding anything. If it does not, the
variation capacity is there for taking care of more. Mr.
Cessna said they would not need more than 2,000,000 or
3,000,000 gallons, and one more clarifier alone would take
care of it. That would be the critical thing.
Mr. Cessna said the top critical thing was the fact that the
line they are putting out to the ocean across the Intra-
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MAY 22, 1986
coastal, which was a bottleneck, will now be big enough that
you can ultimately pump 30,000,000 gallons out there from
the two cities. In his opinion, the City has taken care of
the sewage situation for the long term with some minor
adjustments ten or fifteen years down the road.
Mrs. Huckle asked if Delray Beach is still borrowing some of
the City's capacity. Mr. Cessna answered affirmatively but
added that City Manager Cheney and he were discussing that.
When the city opens up the second section of this, it will
be very important that when they get to Delray Beach's half,
that the City says, "No more. You do something else."
Presently, Delray Beach is pumping about 1,500,000 gallons
more per day than the City is with approximately the same
population, which is a lot of money.
Mr. Ryder asked if the City is sized, particularly along
Congress Avenue, with the main collectors to take care of
the western expansion in the future. Mr. Cessna replied
that all of it is master sized, and all of the master pump
stations, master force mains, and the master gravity
collectors to those stations are in place. He agreed with
Mr. Ryder that any extension is the developer's duty to
connect with the City's existing line.
Mr. Cessna told the Members John Guidry, Assistant Utilities
Director, is very knowledgeable, and will take over
completely about the 1st of February, 1987. city Manager
Cheney added that Mr. Guidry used to work for the DER and
worked with utility systems all over the world.
Mrs. Huckle asked if most of the ground water that we get
through rain and our yards goes into a system that the City
utilizes. Mr. Cessna said that is why the City is tightening
up all of the joints. Mr. Annunziato stated that there was
no question that rain water recharges the aquifer indirectly.
Rain water is needed to keep the level up.
If 80 inches of rain water per atom*hit the earth's surface,
Mr. Guidry said 40% of that would get into the aquifer
system. The rest of it goes out through the plant uptake,
etc. and comes back via rainfall. The last five years South
Florida has had drier seasons.
Mr. Cannon said the major point the Planning Department
wanted to make was the connection between the sewage system
capacity and the Land Use Plan. This was probably the major
*annually(see minutes of June 10, 1986)
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MAY 22, 1986
departure of the E & A report from the current Comprehensive
Plan. At this time, Mr. Cannon said they were suggesting
certain limits on densities on the remaining unzoned acres
in the unincorporated area. They were also recommending
that developers not be allowed to come in with revised master
plans showing more dwelling units because the effect of
increasing densities beyond those limits would cause the
City to exceed the capacity of the sewer plant.
Page 192
Demand for Treated Water
Mr. Cessna informed Mr. Cannon that the City now has a well
field capacity of 21,000,000 gallons a day. That is well
water. The plant has a capacity for 16,000,000 gallons.
Their withdrawal permit is for 10.25 per day average over
the year. Mr. Cannon asked if that included the new well
field site at the Boynton Commerce Center. Mr. Cessna
answered, "Yes", and added that it was all of the wells
around 1-95 and the water plant.
Page 191
Mr. Cannon called attention to a handout the Members had
with regard to the last sentence on this page. The Planning
Department had a discussion with the Utility Director as to
whether the figures they were representing in the E & A
report were accurate. Mr. Cessna and Mr. Guidry indicated
to the Planning Department that the capacity of the Hagen
Ranch well field may not be what they originally anticipated
it to be.
Mr. Guidry said the Engineers categorically design well
fields to optium capacity because that protects the client.
The suppositions made in the studies were that they could
develop given wells at a 1,000,000 capacity per day per Well.
Then the assumption was that they could obviously go to
12,000,000 gallons. Mr. Guidry explained that 12 =
12,000,000 gallons.
Mr. Guidry stated that they found themselves in that area
going into a well field area that has a series of lakes.
When they go in and mathematically calculate the impact of
the City's wells at 1,000,000 gallons a day pumping rate x
12 over a quadrant, they get 17 feet of draw down in the
bottom of those lakes, which "does not fly", so they have to
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back the numbers off. Based on that, they did not believe
their numbers that well. Mr. Guidry and a friend in the
ground water science business recalculated the figures, and
they came up a foot apart, so he felt they were very close
on it.
Mr. Guidry said there are ways to overcome the issues. In
the first 12 wells' increment, the City will probably have
half the capacity they envisioned three years ago. Another
way!to do it is probably to come east into the City area
because of the chain of lakes, the system of recharge, etc.
One of the more recent things they uncovered is that Lake
Worth Drainage District is not able to recharge the aquifer
system during the dry season because they do not have the
pump capacity to do it. The city has some land in an area
near the Boynton Canal that may ibe the City's salvation in
the long run.
Reverse Osmosis and Other Water Treatment
In order to overcome the dry window they were alluding to,
which is usually the 1st of the year until April and also
impacts on the City because it is the "Snowbird season" as
well, Mr. Guidry said the City is looking at a form of
reverse osmosis. Reverse osmosis lends itself to looking at
treating dirtier water. Their recommendation is that the
City explore the feasibility of tying into the aquifer well
to support that type of system, which would probably bring
the City up to capacity.
Other things the City can do would be treatment. They can
go through a filter upgrading process on the existing lime
softening plant that probably could give an additional 2,000
gallons a day of plant installed capacity, and they can also
go into water to ground storage in the north region. Mr.
Guidry said these things have to happen. They will not
solve the problem but will get the city's head above water.
Florida Aquifer
Ail of north Florida enjoys the Florida aquifer where they
can stick a pipe in the ground, and it comes up fresh.
Here, the water is brackish. It is found at about 800 and
900 feet in depth, flows artesian, and the problems the
city has with it is that all of the exploration on it on
the Florida East Coast has been in the deep injection well
projects where you had to go in with a Florida aquifer moni-
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MAY 22, 1986
tor well in order to make sure you were protecting the
Florida aquifer. The methodology for constructing those
wells to hold down that pressure head of artesian water
coming up is by loading it up with salt. The net result is
if you were not worried about collecting the data if you
were not going to use it for drinking water, you would not
worry about how much salt you put into it.
From the data they have, Mr. Guidry said nobody really
looked at the salt issue that much, so there are some very
high numbers. The regulatory agencies are going to force
the City to go in with an exploratory hole and absolutely
confirm that it is treatable water. Mr. Guidry advised that
it is an abundant supply and is not a new technology. The
technology has been with Engineers for 25 years and has
worked out very well on the west coast of Florida. Mr.
Guidry told about the west coast.
Initially, Mr. Guidry said the South Florida Water Management
District's role was flood control. As population increases
hit the Florida East Coast, they have to look at more than
flood control. They look at surface water, ground water
quality, etc. Mr. Guidry said they have found a lot of
institutions are like the City and they say, "Here's the
population hitting us, and we are running out of water."
Another thing Mr. Guidry mentioned was on site retention of
the first "X" number of inches of the rainfall and said it
does generate a point source of pollution potential for the
aquifer system. It literally bleeds right in. They will be
showing staff a slide show tomorrow that explains all of
this.
There was discussion about the utilities in Dade County
being forced to buy their water from Miami - Dade. Mr.
deLong had .posed the question. Mr. Guidry said it was
caused by population, inadequate protection of their well
fields on the parts of the utilities of the cities, and
excess pumpages. Mr. deLong questioned whether it would be
a very expensive proposition if the City would have to go to
another area. Mr. Guidry replied that it is a very expensive
issue.
If you are into a massive, hazardous waste fill where your
well field is going.to pot, Mr. Guidry warned that people
will die if they drink this stuff. Boynton Beach is not in
that situation. North Miami Beach and Hialeah had to make
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MAY 22, 1986
those decisions, or they would have tremendous death liability,
potential cancer, or whatever. There was more discussion.
.Ground Storage
On Miner Road extended, on the Melear property, Mr. Cessna
said they were talking about 2,000,000 gallons of storage.
As economies increase, you increase size when you go to
ground storage for the reason that you are always going to
need it, but during the interim period you get more plant
capacity. One problem you have is the high peak during the
dry season. Because of the limited storage the City has
now, the City is producing 700,000 gallons an hour or
16,000,000 gallons a day and gets everything full; the plant
has to shut down for three or four hours until people start
drawing the water down and the city starts losing it. If
you have more storage, you can keep going 24 hours a day,
and then you cut out the peak demand where you lose water
out of your ground storage or elevated tanks. That is why
Mr. Cessna said part of it should go for 5,000,000 gallons
on Miner Road.
Page 235
Mr. Annunziato said reference to the ground storage tank was
on this page. The recommendation was that the ground storage
tank at Miner Road be increased to 5,000,000.
City Manager Cheney commented that Boynton Beach is on the
edge of doing things in water supply that no one else is
doing, including the County. No one else is doing the whole
operation of reverse osmosis started by Mr. Cessna, which
Mr. Guidry is now doing. The city got a grant from SFWMD,
out of which it bought computer hardware, which it will use.
Florida Atlantic's Engineering Department and SFWMD will
work with us. That will be the first for a lot of water
suppliers, including the County, to look at.
The city is also getting into the Florida aquifer. No one
else is doing that. The city has applied to SFWMD for a
grant to help us do that kind of an analysis of the aquifer,
where there is plenty of water if it can be treated for
drinking purposes. One reason the City has held back growth
is because of the water. This is the only City that has
some staff and people involved with people at SFWMD, who are
willing to give the city grants to do this.
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MINUTES - WORKSHOP MEETING
PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD
BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA
MAY 22, 1986
Mrs. Huckle asked how they knew what was down there. City
Manager Cheney replied that the City knows because there
have been a lot of drawings over the past. Mr. Guidry has
an intimate knowledge of the Florida aquifer and the various
Biscayne aquifer systems. He advised that the only problems
are (1) utilities have a tendency not to look forward to
this type of technology because human resources are not
staffed. (2) The engineering group in the community has not
done it. There are only three or four engineering firms in
the country Mr. Cessna and Mr. Guidry feel comfortable with.
It is not that it is a new technology. It is that it has
not been vogue to look at those issues here.
Mr. Guidry said it is a science that can get off the ground
and run. It is also economically feasible. If they have to
go to the Florida aquifer, Mr. Cessna thought they should
know conventional lime coagulation will not take the solid
out, and they still will not have a drinking water. That
is why reverse osmosis is the feasible thing if they go down
to that point.
As a past permitting regulator, Mr. Guidry emphasized that
lime softening in public drinking water is not permittable
as treatment. It is not treatment. Very few Utility
Directors in this region realize that. From an engineering
concept, it is not acceptable.
Mr. Wandelt asked if the water in the Florida aquifer is
sulphur type. Mr. Guidry answered, "No." Mr. deLong asked
if it was saline. Mr. Guidry replied it is somewhat saline,
but the problem is total dissolved solids. It has been lay-
ing down there awhile sucking up all the materials from the
rocks, which is really what it is.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting properly adjourned at 6:10 P. M.
Patricia Ramseyer
Recording Secretary
(Three Tapes)
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