Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout062518_ra02Regular Agenda f� 615 Sheridan Street 6/` 1�,&so n Port Townsend, WA 98368 y www.JeffersonCountyPublicHealth.org Public Health June 18, 2018 JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA REQUEST TO: Board of County Commissioners Philip Morley, County Administrator FROM: Vicki Kirkpatrick, Director Tami Pokorny, Natural Resources Coordinator DATE: June 18, 2018 SUBJECT: Agenda Request: Presentation of Conservation Futures Citizen Oversight Committee Funding Recommendations for 2018 STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Environmental Health and Conservation Futures Citizen Oversight Committee (CF Committee) Chair David Wilkinson request an opportunity to present the Committee's funding recommendations for 2018. ANALYSIS/STRATEGIC GOALS: The five applications for conservation futures funding are: 1. Chimacum Forest (Short's Forest), $140,000 towards the fee -simple purchase of 65 acres of residential and forest land south of Chimacum along Center Road located in two parcels. The property contains mature, mixed species second -growth forests and links protected agricultural open space on the valley floor with working forest on Chimacum Ridge, which is part of an effort to establish a community forest. The proposed match of $1,952,000 includes funds from the U.S. Forest Service, Navy REPI Program, private sources and donation of partial value of the property from the seller. Jefferson Land Trust is the project sponsor and applicant. Project location: Sections 23, 26 & 27, T25N, R2W. 2. Dabob Bay Natural Area Addition. $100,000 towards the fee -simple acquisition of 5.11 acres of rural residential land including 200 feet of shoreline along Dabob Bay for eventual inclusion in the DNR Dabob Bay Natural Area, which protects rare saltmarsh habitat. The proposed match is $251,600 from a National Coastal Wetland grant. Northwest Watershed Institute is the project sponsor and applicant. Project location: Sec. 17, T28N, RI W. 3. Marrowstone Mize, $45,000 towards the acquisition of a conservation easement on nine parcels of vacant land totaling approximately 35.19 acres located on Marrowstone Island one mile south of Fort Flagler State Park for wildlife habitat, future agriculture and recreation. The proposed match of $180,000 is a partial donation of easement value. The project sponsor is Jefferson Land Trust. Marrowstone Preserve LLC is the project applicant. Project location: Sec.29, T.30, R.IE. Community Health Environmental Health Developmental Disabilities Water Quality 360-385-9400 360-385-9444 360-385-9401 (f) Always working for a safer and healthier community (f) 360-379-4487 4. Ruby Ranch Preservation, $60,000 towards the acquisition of a conservation easement on two parcels of residential and agricultural lands totaling approximately 60 acres in Beaver Valley located three miles south of Chimacum to protect important agricultural lands and support the local food system. The proposed match is $90,000 from the Navy REPI Program. Jefferson Land Trust is the project sponsor. Joseph and Val Goularte are the project applicants. Project location: Sections 25 & 36, T.29N, R.1 W. 5. Snow Creek Middle Reach Forest Protection, $25,385 towards the fee -simple acquisition of four parcels of vacant land totaling approximately 8.7 acres of riparian habitat including 720 bank feet of shoreline to help create a continuous open space corridor along Snow Creek. The proposed match is $124,015 from the Recreation and Conservation Office for salmon recovery. Jefferson Land Trust is the project sponsor and applicant. Project location: Sections 25 & 36, T.29N, R.1 W. The combined total request for this year is $370,385. Conservation Futures Funds available to projects in 2018 equal $275,000. At its May 9' meeting, the CF Committee concluded that all five projects are worthy of full funding. Due the limited funds available, they recommend that the top four projects be awarded full funding for a total award amount of $270,385. This briefing packet contains: • Letter from CF Committee Chair David Wilkinson detailing the Committee's recommendations • May 9, 2018 draft project ranking meeting minutes and the composite score sheets for each project The purpose of the CF Program is to address the "general and increasing need to provide a system of public open spaces... for the health, welfare, benefit and safety of the residents of Jefferson County," and to maintain "Jefferson County as a desirable place to live, visit and locate businesses." Conservation futures tax levy collections, authorized under RCW 84.34.230 are an important means of retaining community character and accomplishing open space policies and objectives of the Jefferson County Comprehensive Plan. The goal of the program is to preserve and protect the county's open space resources from development, and from being "negatively and permanently affected." Environmental Health will separately request that the BoCC hold a public hearing on the five applications in coming weeks. The applications themselves will be included with that briefing packet, are available in hard copy at the Commissioners' Office, and may be viewed online at http://www.co. j efferson.wa. us/commissioners/Conservation/conservation.asp. FISCAL IMPACT: Costs for the presentation are negligible. RECOMMENDATION: Review the five project proposals brought forth by the CF Committee, hear the Chair's presentation of the Committee's recommendations, and ask questions. Community Health Environmental Health Developmental Disabilities Water Quality 360-385-9400 360-385-9444 360-385-9401 (f) Always working for a safer and healthier community (f) 360-379-4487 615 Sheridan Street (jn Port Townsend, WA 98368 d` www.JeffersonCountyPublicHealth.org Public Healt To: Jefferson County Board of Commissioners From: David Wilkinson, Chair Conservation Futures Citizen Oversight Committee Date: June 18, 2018 Subject: Conservation Futures Citizen Oversight Committee — 2018 Funding Round Recommendations As Chair of the Conservation Futures Citizen Oversight Committee (CF Committee), I'm pleased to present our recommendations for the 2018 funding cycle. The CF Committee received five applications for funding this year for a combined total of $370,385 in requests. Conservation Futures Funds available to projects equal $275,000 of which $35,947 may be used to reimburse operations and maintenance expenses. However, no O & M funds have been requested. The 2018 applications are: 1. Chimacum Forest (Short's Forest), $140,000 towards the fee -simple purchase of 65 acres of residential and forest land south of Chimacum along Center Road located in two parcels. The property contains mature, mixed species second -growth forests and links protected agricultural open space on the valley floor with working forest on Chimacum Ridge, which is part of an effort to establish a community forest. The proposed match of $1,952,000 includes funds from the U.S. Forest Service, Navy REPI Program, private sources and donation of partial value of the property from the seller. Jefferson Land Trust is the project sponsor and applicant. Project location: Sections 23, 26 & 27, T25N, R2W. 2. Dabob Bay Natural Area Addition, $100,000 towards the fee -simple acquisition of 5.11 acres of rural residential land including 200 feet of shoreline along Dabob Bay for eventual inclusion in the DNR Dabob Bay Natural Area, which protects rare saltmarsh habitat. The proposed match is $251,600 from a National Coastal Wetland grant. Northwest Watershed Institute is the project sponsor and applicant. Project location: Sec. 17, T28N, R1W. 3. Marrowstone Mize, $45,000 towards the acquisition of a conservation easement on nine parcels of vacant land totaling approximately 35.19 acres located on Marrowstone Island one mile south of Fort Flagler State Park for wildlife habitat, future agriculture and recreation. The proposed match of $180,000 is a partial donation of easement value. The project sponsor is Jefferson Land Trust. Marrowstone Preserve LLC is the project applicant. Project location: Sec.29, T.30, RJE. 4. Ruby Ranch Preservation, $60,000 towards the acquisition of a conservation easement on two parcels of residential and agricultural lands totaling approximately 60 acres in Beaver Valley located three miles south of Chimacum to protect important agricultural lands and support the local food system. The proposed match is $90,000 from the Navy REPI Program. Jefferson Land Trust is the project sponsor. Joseph and Val Goularte are the project applicants. Project location: Sections 25 & 36, T.29N, R.1W. Community Health Developmental Disabilities 360-385-9400 360-385-9401 (f) Always working for a safer and healthier community Environmental Health Water Quality 360-385-9444 (f) 360-379-4487 5. Snow Creek Middle Reach Forest Protection, $25,385 towards the fee -simple acquisition of four parcels of vacant land totaling approximately 8.7 acres of riparian habitat including 720 bank feet of shoreline to help create a continuous open space corridor along Snow Creek. The proposed match is $124,015 from the Recreation and Conservation Office for salmon recovery. Jefferson Land Trust is the project sponsor and applicant. Project location: Sections 25 & 36, T.29N, R.1W. The Committee ranked the projects in the following order: Project Points Awarded/Percentage of Points Available Ruby Ranch Preservation 220/69 Chimacum Forest (Short's Forest) 203/63 Marrowstone Mize 199/62 Snow Creek Middle Reach Forest Protection 199/62 Dabob Bay Natural Area Addition 190/59 All five projects were considered worthy of funding. Due to a shortfall in available funds, the CF Committee recommends by unanimous vote that the top four projects be awarded full funding. Together, these total $270,385, which is $4,615 less than the total amount available. The CF Committee followed the scoring and ranking procedures as described in the 2018 Conservation Futures Manual with one exception. None of this year's submissions met the 70% threshold for funding. This resulted, in part, from an increase in total available points from 306 in 2017 to 321. A motion was made and passed with nine in favor and two abstentions to waive the 70% requirement. Adjustments to the scoring or threshold levels are anticipated in recommendations for approval of the 2019 program materials to mitigate this issue going forward. We feel that these four diverse projects add significantly to the County's open space reserves. Marrowstone Mize is the first proposal for Marrowstone Island and will support open space recreation and agriculture in a quickly developing area. The other three projects make strong local contributions to salmon recovery, sustainable agriculture or timber production. We hope you will concur with our recommendations and approve these four projects for funding at the appropriate time. Community Health Developmental Disabilities 360-385-9400 360-385-9401 (f) Always working for a safer and healthier community Environmental Health Water Quality 360-385-9444 (f) 360-379-4487 ON �oG I ffer n C nes ,fie Cin. st—rvation Futures Committee w� DRAFT RANKING MEETING SUMMARY ti 7CPH Pacific Room � Port Townsend, WA �rhI NG�� May 9,,2018,,3:36 PM to 5:05 PM * Decisions and action items are indicated in bold font. Members Present: Phil Andrus, District 2; Mary Biskup, District 1; Scott Brinton, Interest — Agriculture; Lige Christian, Vice Chair, District 3; JD Gallant, District 3; Rob Harbour, Interest — Working Lands; Ray Hunter, Interest — Fallow Farms; Richard Jahnke, Interest — Coastal Areas; Craig Schrader, Interest — Climate Change; Dave Wilkinson, Chair, District 1 Members Absent: Lorna Smith, Interest — Ecotourism; Sarah Spaeth, Interest - Jefferson Land Trust County Staff Present: Tami Pokorny, Environmental Health Call to Order: Chair Dave Wilkinson called the meeting to order at 3:36 PM. II. Welcome and Introductions III. Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the April 16, 2018 meeting were preliminarily approved by unanimous consensus. The minutes from the November 9, 2017 meeting were unanimously accepted. IV. Review of Agenda: Tami Pokorny corrected the November meeting date, from November 9, 2018 to November 9, 2017. V. Observer comments: There were no guest observers present. VI. Old Business: None http://www.co.lefferson.wa.us May 9, 2018 VII. New Business A. 2017 Annual Reports Lige Christian moved to approve the 2017 Annual Reports; Rob Harbour seconded. The motion passed unanimously. B. Review of Appearance of Fairness Forms Tami Pokorny received the forms from everyone. Sarah Spaeth requested to recuse herself from scoring the projects. Mary Biskup disclosed the fact that she has close friends who own property adjacent to the Marrowstone Mize project, so she may have a predisposition to approve of the project. The JCCF Committee appreciated the disclosure, but saw no need to remove her scores since she has no personal or financial gain from the project. The group then deliberated over whether or not to include Lorna Smith's scores in the project totals. Since the project ranking is based on both scores and discussion, and Lorna was not present for the discussion, she was unable change her scores based on what might be brought up during the meeting. Phil Andrus moved to remove Lorna Smith's scores from the totals; Lige Christian seconded. After discussion, Lige argued against the motion he seconded because review of the bylaws confirmed that Lorna had followed all of the steps required for her to vote on the projects. Richard Jahnke called the question. The Committee voted with five in favor of the motion and five against; the motion failed. Lorna's scores remained included in the project totals. C. Review Project Selection Protocol (Program Manual pg. 4) The Committee discussed the selection protocol, which is based on each project having a score of 70% or higher to be considered for funding. By that criteria, none of the projects for this round would be considered. The Committee discussed changing the criteria, or changing the points awarded on the score sheet to mitigate this discrepancy. D. Presentation of Composite Scores The projects ranked as follows: 1. Ruby Ranch: 220 out of a possible 321 points; 69% 2. Chimacum Forest (Short's Forest): 203 out of a possible 321 points; 63% 3. Marrowstone Mize: 199 out of a possible 321 points; 62% 4. Snow Creek Middle Reach Forest Protection: 199 out of a possible 321 points; 62% 5. Dabob Bay Natural Area Addition: 190 out of a possible 321 points; 59% E. Develop Funding Recommendations Lige Christian moved that all of the projects be considered worthy of funding in spite of none of them scoring at least 70%; Mary Biskup seconded. The motion passed with nine in favor and two abstentions. Review of available funds revealed that the top four ranked projects could be fully funded. Scott Brinton moved to fully fund the top four ranked projects; Lige Christian seconded. Ray Hunter explained that he thought the Marrowstone Mize project was overvalued for the land and did not agree with funding the project. He advocated for funding the Dabob Bay Natural Areas Addition in its place. The group discussed the merits of both projects and decided to keep the ranking as it stood. The Committee voted with nine in favor, one abstention and one against. Ruby Ranch Lige Christian moved to fully fund the Ruby Ranch project at the level requested; Richard Jahnke seconded. The Committee voted all in favor. Marrowstone Mize Lige Christian moved to fully fund the Marrowstone Mize project at the level requested; JD Gallant seconded. The Committee voted all in favor. Snow Creek Middle Reach Forest Protection Lige Christian moved to fully fund the Snow Creek project at the level requested; Ray Hunter seconded. The Committee voted all in favor. Chimacum Forest (Short's Forest) Lige Christian moved to fully fund the Chimacum Forest project at the level requested; Rob Harbour seconded. The Committee voted all in favor. Lige Christian moved that although the Committee found the Dabob Bay Natural Areas Addition project worthy of funding, it did not approve of funding the project because it ranked fifth among the proposed projects; Mary Biskup seconded. The Committee commented on the qualities of the project, agreeing that the property is relevant, but does not have the same value as the other projects. It was noted that the projects were not voted on in the order they were ranked. Lige Christian amended his motion to reflect that the Committee approve of the projects in the numerical order in which they were ranked; Mary Biskup seconded. The Committee voted all in favor. F. Revision of Program Materials for 2019 The Committee discussed issues it wished to resolve in the score sheet, including modifying the 70% scoring criteria for funding. Long-term stewardship and project monitoring over time to follow up on past funded projects was also discussed; suggestions included random inspections, assessments on a five-year cycle, and annual reports. The Committee also expressed interest in having a presentation and in-depth conversation with the Jefferson Land Trust and possibly the Watershed Institute at the next meeting. G. Next Meeting and Agenda A subcommittee was formed to address the issues of revaluing the 70% funding criteria; updating the manual and refining questions; the process of project change; how to handle the matter of voting members being absent from meetings; and the annual report. Phil Andrus, Rob Harbour, Ray Hunter and Richard Jahnke volunteered for the subcommittee and agreed to schedule a meeting in May. A full JCCF Committee Meeting will be scheduled for the summer. VIII. Announcements/ Administrative Staff Update: Tami Pokorny requested comments in support of the funded projects to submit to the Board of County Commissioners; comments can be emailed to Tami. Iglitzin Match Change: The change in funding for the Iglitzin project was approved by the Commissioners. Fund Balance: There was $825,380.47 available as of the end of April. Multiple large projects are pending. Membership: Ray Hunter confirmed that he was maintaining his seat on the Committee. Tami asked for the Chair and Vice Chair, and anyone else who was interested, to be available to participate in a new member subcommittee for interviews for the open District 2 seat. IX. Observer Comments None X. Adiournment Chair adjourned the meeting at 5:05 PM.