The Lake County Board of County Commissioners met in special session (Town Hall Meeting), on Tuesday, February 27, 1990, at 7:00 p.m., in the Lady Lake City Hall. Commissioners present at the meeting were as follows: Michael J. Bakich, Chairman; C. W. "Chick" Gregg ; Don Bailey; Richard Swartz; and Thomas J. Windram. Others present were: Annette Star Lustgarten, County Attorney; Al Thelen, County Manager; Ava Kronz, Assistant to the County Manager; and Sandra Carter, Deputy Clerk.
Commr. Gregg led those present in the Pledge of Allegiance, and then opened the meeting by introducing staff members that were present, as follows: Jim Stivender, Director of Public Works; Mike Andenson, Director of Capital Improvements; Larry Kirch, Planning and Development; Don Findell, Director of Environmental Services; Gregg Stubbs, Director of Development Coordination; and Lonnie Strickland, Director of Health and General Services.
OVERVIEW OF COUNTY ACTIVITIES
Mr. Al Thelen, County Manager;, gave brief opening remarks and then turned the floor over to staff for their presentation.
Jails
Mr. Mike Anderson, Director of Capital Improvements, appeared before those present stating that Lake County, as some other counties, has been faced with an overcrowded inmate condition at the present Jail, for some time. He stated that there are approximately 320 inmates, total, on an average daily count, with 30 of them being in the Leesburg area, 80 in the temporary facilities, and 210 in the Main Jail. The County, therefore, was forced to look at expansion, thus, the new facility.
Mr. Anderson stated that the inmate housing projections, over the next decade, project the inmate population growth to approximately 1,000 to 1,200 by the yeao 2000. He stated that the
project will be phased in, noting that construction has already begun on the Jail, itself. He stated that it will be three blocks long by approximately two blocks deep, consisting of four housing
units, with each housing unit holding approximately 256 inmates. It will be phased in with a fifth pod, which is called the Prelude Project. The Prelude Project was conceived out of necessity, due to the fact that the construction schedule for the Main Jail was to take about two years. He stated that the Prelude Project (which is a stand alone building) will hold 192 inmates, and was conceived, in part, by the Genesis Project which Orange County has successfully used over the past year and a half. The site, where the Prelude Project will be constructed, is complete and ready to start receiving a foundation, however, they have run into a small problem with the grading and excavation of the main site work, in that what is believed to be an old dump site that had been in place for years was discovered, and, as a precautionary measure, excavation was temporarily haulted while some water and soil samples were taken and studied, and found that the dump contained no harmful materials. He stated that construction will be resumed on February 28, 1990.
Mr. Anderson stated that the final contracts for the Prelude Project will be awarded this week, with foundation work to begin approximately two weeks later. He stated that the design of the Main Jail is 90% complete and it is anticipated that bid packages for it will be going out within the next two to three weeks, however, actual award of the contracts will probably not be made until the middle of March, with construction to begin the latter part of March. He stated that, in conjunction with the Jail, immediately north of Main Street is the proposed Criminal Justice Facility. He stated that the Criminal Justice Facility is presently in the schematic development stage, which means that the justification for said facility has been completed. He noted that schematic design means that staff is actually arranging the rooms, configuring the building itself, and going back and consulting with the end user (being the Judiciary, Clerk of Circuit Court, State Attorney, Public Defender, etc.), obtaining final input from them, and going back to the architects for the final design. He stated that the schematic design will be completed by Spring (possibly May.or June), however, construction will not actually begin until the middle of Summer. He stated that the Prelude Project is scheduled to be completed by Fall of 1990 (noting that it is a fast track project), with the Main Jail scheduled to be completed by the Summer of 1992. He stated that, at that point, the County will be capable of housing approximately 576 inmates. He stated that the Criminal Justice Facility is scheduled for its completion to coincide with the New Jail, probably in the last quarter of 1992.
Planning and Development
Mr. Gregg Stubbs, Director of Development Coordination, appeared before those present to discuss development review procedures, stating that his department is a very busy one, in that anyone in the County wishing to pull a building permit, will eventually go through the Development Coordination Department, for clearance, before obtaining said permit. He stated that, in the past, there were some difficulties involved with obtaining a building peamit, however, his department is presently in the process of streamlining their reviews for rezoning requests, site plans, subdivision platting, developments of regional impact, zoning variance requests and subdivision requests. He stated that over the years they have had a Subdivision Advisory Committee, a Site Plan Review Committee, as well as many other committees, for review at the staff level, which has now been combined into one, and staff is trying to turn most of the applications around in a more expedient manner. He stated that his department is trying to streamline the process, whereby, if one submits a rezoning request, a DRI for a new subdivision, or a site plan, staff can turn it around in approximately three weeks and three days, and, if it did require additional actions by the Boards, one would be looking at a 60 day wait, noting, however, if a planned unit development can be turned out anywhere from three to six months, this is very good. He stated that Lake County is doing their best to try and coordinate their efforts to where they can provide better, more courteous service to the public, in the best possible way they know how. He stated that it will take time to get everything in line, however, staff hopes to have it set up where there will be a one stop permitting process set up, whereby, one can drop off their application for a building permit, and within the next 24 hours, one can come back and pick it up. He then reviewed charts which staff had prepared, showing the various steps for rezoning.
Mr. Larry Kirch, also from the Development Coordination Department, appeared before those present to discuss the Comprehensive Plan update. He stated that he was under the Long-Range Planning section of the County, noting that, at present, his section does not deal with the public on a day-to-day basis, however, during the next year, the public will most likely get to know a lot of the staff members in his section. He stated that in 1985 the Legislature amended Chapter 163, known as the Growth Management Act, which requires all counties (67) in the State of Florida, as well as all incorporated towns and cities, to amend their Comprehensive Plan, with Lake County due to have theirs done by February, 1991. The due dates, for the fourteen cities in the county, ane scattered between February and March of 1991. He then reviewed a chart - the Lake County Comprehensive Planning Matrix -which covered elements such as Economic, Housing, Water/Sewer, Future Land Use, etc. which had been prepared by staff. He stated that the County is also assisting nine of the Cities, within the County, with their Comprehensive Plans, being Howey-in-the-Hills, Mascotte, Astatula, Montverde, Minneola, and Lady Lake, therefore, County staff is preparing a total of seven Comprehensive Plans that are all due in Tallahassee on February 1, 1991. In March 1991, plans for Fruitland Park, Groveland, and Umatilla will be due in Tallahassee.
Health and General Services
Mr. Lonnie Strickland, Director of Health and General Services, appeared before those present to give an update on the County's ambulance services, as well as discuss fire district consolidation issues. He stated that approximately one year ago he was given responsibility over the County's fire protection services. He informed those present what had transpired in the creation of.countywide fire services, up to this point, from 1984. He stated that ten districts were created, out of an original seven, however, the County is presently in the process of getting the service to where it will be one countywide distcict, that will serve everybody equally, therefore, have eliminated the ten district system. He stated that, in the past few months, the County has been able to purchase a ladder truck (probably the first in the County), which will be housed in the Northwest Fire District. He stated that the County has also procurred another fire engine for said district. He stated that the ambulance, as well as the fire service, has suffered a severe communication problem, especially in the Lady Lake area, noting that staff has been working on it for the past two years. He stated that this has been one of the biggest paoblems in the whole area, and will hopefully have it straightened out within the next year. He stated that last month ambulance calls were reevaluated, for the Lady Lake area, and demonstrated a need to shift ambulance services, therefore, within the next couple of months, the County hopes to have an ambulance stationed at the fieehouse in Lady Lake.
Environmental Services
Mr. Don Findell, Director of Environmental Services, appeared before those present to discuss the County's expanded hazardous waste program and recycling program. He stated that approximately one and a half months ago, the Board asked staff to prepare what they called an Enhanced Hazardous Waste Management Program, noting that the purpose of said progtam was to remove, as much as possible, hazardous and toxic materials from the solid waste stream, which would either go to the landfill or to the waste-to-energy facility. He stated that staff spent a lot of time researching a number of programs that are operated in the United States, and in Europe, as well (where technology has been a little ahead of the United States, due to the fact that they have had to address the issues for much longer than what the United States has). He stated that staff was able to come up with a three part program, to address various aspects of the hazardous waste generation stream, being: (1) the small quantity and conditional exempt generated waste, which usually comes from the small businesses; (2) household hazardous waste, which is usually the cleaners, solvents, paints, oils, etc.; and (3) the collection of batteries.
Mr. Findell touched on the Amnesty Days Program, stating that Lake County has been very successful with their program, in fact, the most successful in the State of Florida, if one were to look at it on a cost, per pound, of waste collected. He stated that, in order to enhance said program, and in order to make it more convenient for the average resident in the County, the Board has approved the establishment of a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center, at the Astatula Landfill. He stated that once the collection center is established, it will be manned on a routine basis, however;, initially, on a periodic basis, it will be open a couple of times a week to see what type of response it receives.
Depending on how successful the program is, or how successful the operation at the Astatula Landfill is, the County anticipates establishing collection centers in other areas of the County, in order to maximize the convenience to the residents. He stated that the third area the County is looking at, for hazardous waste reduction, is battery collection, noting that in order to minimize or reduce the amount of batteries that ultimately find their way to the disposal point, County staff will be working with retailers throughout the County, such as Walmart, K-Mart, Radio Shack, etc., who sell batteries, to establish collection points at their establishments, so that the County's residents can bring their household batteries to the collection points, at which time a County staff person will periodically collect the containers that the batteries are dropped off in, and take them out to the collection center where they will be segregated, and those batteries that can be recycled will be sent to a recycling facility, and those that must be disposed of in a landfill, or incinerator, will be properly packaged and sent to the disposal facility. He pointed out to those present the type of container that will be used in the recycling program.
Mr. Findell stated that the four areas that have initially been selected for recycling are Hawthorne, Silven Shores, Pine Lakes and Silver Lakes. He stated that the program has been designed whereby the County will start off with 2,500 homes, in varying areas of population density and economics, due to the fact that staff wants to see what type of participation the program gets from the various households in the County - who recycles, who has an interest in recycling, why they recycle, and how much they recycle. What this will allow the County to do is to expand the program on an incremental basis, and place resources where they can receive the maximum benefit from recycling. He stated that the program will start with 2,500 homes, go to 5,000 homes the next quarter, and go up another 2,500 homes for each of the next several quarters, for a couple of years, and then, in 1993 and 1994, will be expanded dramatically, so that each quarter, it begins to serve 8,000, and then 10,000 homes, so that by the end of 1994, the entire population of the County will be served. He stated that the purpose of the program is to assist the County in meeting State mandates for solid waste reduction, and to help the County reach the goal of 30-35% recycling in the County.
Mr. Findell stated that the County is also developing an office recycling program, which is almost under way at this time. He stated that the bins have been established, and the County offices will begin recycling within the next few days.
Administrative Services
Due to the fact that Ms. Eleanor Anderson was not present to discuss the newly formed Budget Office and Personnel activities for the County, Mr. Al Thelen, County Manager, gave a brief background history of Ms. Anderson and what goals she hopes to establish for her departments, in trying to develop a more understandable budget for the Board of County Commissioners, the staff that works with it, nd for the citizens that participate in the budget process. He stated that a caliber has been established for the FY 1990-91 budget, which will culminate in September, when the Board will hold a public hearing in order to receive input, before adopting it. He stated that the County, for the first time, will have a mid-year review at the six month break, which staff feels is extremely important to reevaluate and get into a better process for developing next year's budget. He stated that in the Personnel area, the major, item on the agenda is to replace the Personnel Director, Mr. Glenn Timmons, who is going to retire in the latter part of March, noting that staff is now in the process of interviewing for said position. He stated that the County is also in the process of hiring, for the first time, a Parks and Recreation Director.
Public Works
Mr. Jim Stivenderi, Director of Public Works, appeared before those present to update them regarding the Public Works projects which have been scheduled for District 1. He explained how the Public Works Department is set up, and reviewed a chart which showed the fours divisions of Public Works. He discussed public boat ramp projects which have been scheduled for, Singletary Park and Buzzard Beach Park, noting that both sites are to be under contract later this year.
Mr. Stivender then discussed road projects which the County has recently completed, as well as future projects which have been scheduled for this year, one being Hwy. 27/441 in Leesburg, from the area of the new Publics Supermarket, down to the area around Hardees Restaurant. He stated that an engineering study was started approximately three months ago, in cooperation with DOT, whereby, the County impact fees are paying for an engineering firm, through the State, to do a study, which the County hopes to have aesthetic design drawings by the end of this year for the whole one mile strip. He stated that it will be a six lane project, with changing and coordination of all the signals, as well as a continual left turn lane. He stated that in March, staff will meet with DOT to receive an updated report on said project.
Mr. Stivender stated that othet projects which have been scheduled for this year, are Spring Lake Road, which will have a deceleration lane, southbound, as well as improvements to the intersection, to allow a lot of residential traffic to get on and off U.S. 27/441. He stated that countywide resurfacing is under.contract with some roads west of Fruitland Park, in the Picciola Road area, as well as some other roads in the area. He stated that Griffin Avenue, which runs along the south side of Orange Blossom Gardens, is another road scheduled for improvements this year.
Question and Answer Period
Mr. Hersh Volat, a local resident, appeared before those present and discussed a concern he had regarding firearms being discharged in his neighborhood, stating that he was afraid someone was going to be killed if something was not done, soon, and recommended that an ordinance be adopted regarding the discharge of firearms in the unincorporated areas of the County.
Commr. Gregg stated that part of the problem is with enforcement, noting that the Sheriff's Office is a completely separate elected office, and how the Sheriff chooses to handle a situation such as this, is in his hands. He stated that approximately six months ago, the Board had some conversations, as well as correspondence, with the Sheriff regarding the discharge of firearms in the unincorporated areas of the County, at which time the Sheriff indicated that he would like to get back with the Board, with a recommendation from his staff, as to what type of ordinance he would like to adopt, therefore, the Board is waiting for the Sheriff to get back with them regarding said ordinance.
Commr. Bailey questioned the County Attorney, Ms. Lustgarten, as to whether the Board could give some direction, as far as an ordinance, at which time the County Attorney stated that her office is presently looking at an amendment to the Noise Ordinance, however, the discharge of firearms concerns a different area.
Commr. Gregg suggested that Commr. Bakich, as Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, write a letter to Sheriff Knupp requesting his input, at this time, o r the Board will try to write something on its own.
Mr. Earl Rolette, a local resident, appeared before those present and discussed the consolidation of the fire districts, noting that he was against it, for Lady Lake, due to the fact that Lady Lake will be the only one, of the large cities, that will be affected by it. He stated that, if funding is taken away from Lady Lake, they will be forced to come up with their own fire district.
Mr. Lonnie Strickland, Director of Health and General Services, as well as Commr. Bakich, responded to Mr. Rolette's concerns. Mr. Rolette then discussed the proposed widening of a road near Orange Blossom Gardens, stating that when Mr. Carson was still a Commissioner, the residents were told that said project would be done, however, it wasn't. They were then promised that the project would be done when Commr. Gregg came into office, however, it wasn't. He questioned when Public Works would, in fact, be doing the project.
Mr. Jim Stivender, Director of Public Works, responded to Mr. Rolette's question, stating that the project has not been done, as yet, due to the fact that two property owners in the area have not given the County right-of-way, noting that the County hopes to resolve said problem soon.
Mr. Robert Willets, a resident of Umatilla, appeared before those present and questioned the Board regarding the siting of the hazardous ash dump, in Okahumpka. He referred to an article regarding the cancellation of a mass burn incinerator in Austin, Texas, which was cancelled after the community had spent $23 million, due to the fact that it was discovered to be located over the community's drinking water supply. He stated it was advertised that said facility might be sold, in order to recoup what was invested in it, noting that Lake County could possibly do the same thing.
Mr. Willets questioned whether there has been any consideration given to the incinerator being put over the acquifer, where all the other ones in the State of Florida are over polluted salt water basins, to which Mr. Findell, Director of Environmental Services, responded to the question.
At this time, Commr. Gregg gave input, as well.
Mr. Willets then questioned whether all the garbage would be separated before going to the incinerator, to be burned, to which Commr. Gregg replied that the County hopes to get as much out of the.waste stream as it can, and, eventually, get it all out.
Commr. Gregg was then questioned as to whether the County could guarantee that this would be done, to which he responded that such a guarantee could not be given.
Ms. Mary Hadden, a resident of Leesburg, appeared before those present and questioned the Board regarding the fact that, when the County is under a water restriction, how the incinerator would be cooled down, as it would have to use massive amounts of water, and questioned who would pay that bill.
Mr. Joe Treshler, General Manager for Ogden Martin Systems, responded to Ms. Hadden's question, stating that the facility is not on a public water supply, as it has a well system, approved by the St. Johns River Water Management District. He also noted that it would not be a drain on established water systems.
Ms. Hadden then questioned whether the facility would be under the same water, restrictions that the residents would be under, to which Mr. Treshler replied that they would have to look at what the Consumtive Use Permit, from the St. Johns River Water Management District, says in those cases that are specific to industry, and would then be treated as any other industrial use.
Ms. Hadden commented about the toxic ash in the landfill, and how the County plans to resolve it with a double liner, noting that a toxic waste liner is guaranteed for three years, and a hazardous waste liner is guaranteed for twenty years. She questioned how many years the County is adding on to the life of the ash landfill.
Commr. Gregg responded that Ogden Martin does not have any bottom or fly ash generated, that is classified as a toxic waste, at which time Mr. Treshler added that Ogden Martin has not had any facilities that have had ash that was tested and found to be hazardous or toxic.
Commr. Swartz also gave input, stating that the fact is, whether the County puts garbage, or ash, in the new landfill, there is no guarantee that it is not going to leak (as is presently happening in Astatula), noting that this is not wise, and the County needs to stop doing it. He stated that, if the County is going to incinerate, they have got to recycle before they start putting garbage in the incinetator. He also stated that the residents present at this meeting, as well as residents of Okahumpka, do not have a whole lot of assurance that, no matter how well the landfill is built, and no matter what assurances Ogden Martin gives them, that someday, over the County's water supply, there will not be leakage from the landfill. He stated that this is a concern that needs to be addressed, whether the County continues to landfill its garbage, without incineration, o r whether they incinerate.
Mr. Treshler commented further, stating that Ogden Martin would encourage and help support the County in developing hazardous waste control programs. He also made the point that, should metals go through the facility, they are much more stable in the dry scrubber/mixed ash situation than they would be if they were put into the landfill, as a raw waste.
Commrs. Bakich and Gregg also gave input at this time.
Ms. Hadden then questioned air emissions from the incinerator, and what guarantees the residents would have on any EPA tests that say there are not going to be any harmful emissions, to which Mr. Treshler responded by explaining the facility's monitoring system, noting that it is a continuous process.
Ms. Kathleen Cook, a local resident, commented (from the audience) regarding air emissions and a magazine article which Mr. Treshler had referred to, earlier, regarding same.
Commr. Bailey questioned what procedure would be followed, by Ogden Martin, to notify the County or the residents of the community, if some problem is discovered in the monitoring system.
Mr. Treshler replied that, if there is a violation, or problem, where the facility has an emission that is not within permit standards, they are required to shut the facility down and repair whatever is causing the problem, as well as immediately report same to the State and to the County. He also noted that Mr. Findell's department, Environmental Services, has access to information regarding the continuous monitoring, at any given time.
Ms. Cook then appeared before those present and questioned.Mr. Treshler as to whether the facility would be using a masspectrometer to monitor the emissions, to which Mr. Treshler replied that it is not a masspectrometer, but is similar in technology.
Ms. Cook then stated that the masspectrometer is the only true way to measure what will be coming out of the facility's stack, to which Mr. Treshler stated that the EPA has established what is the safe and proper monitoring equipment, not Ogden Martin.
Commr. Bailey questioned Mr. Findell as to whether the County will be doing something independent of Ogden Martin, to which Mr. Findell replied that the County will be recommending to the Board that they execute a contract with an independent firm that would monitor, on a routine basis, the emissions, as well as the monitoring equipment within the facility, and report back to staff and the Board, regarding the operation of the facility, on a monthly basis.
Ms. Nancy Abbott, a resident of Eustis, appeared before those present and read a statement from Mr. Hal Turville, President of the Lake Environmental Coalition, regarding the incinerator. She then submitted the statement for the record.
Commr. Bakich responded to Mr. Turville's statement, stating that portions of it were incorrect, noting that Mr. Turville was either not aware of, or refuses to be aware of, certain facts. He stated that where Mr. Turville states there is enough garbage to feed the incinerator and none would ever need to be imported, noted that the County has never stated they would have 160,000 tons of garbage - that the figure has always been in the neighborhood of 130,000 tons, give or take. He also stated that the County has never lobbied Congress, paying $5,000.00 for less stringent emission controls, as Mr. Turville indicated. He stated that what the County tried to do, as a member of that organization, was to try and have a number of the issues within the Bill, that did not belong there, omitted. He stated that for someone to think that the County lobbied not to have cleaner air is ludicrous - that the County wants the cleanest air possible. He then stated that Mr. Turville's statement neganding garbage being imported for nineteen years is incorrect, in that it has been proven, with the growth of the County coming in, that the County will not be importing garbage for nineteen years.
A question was asked as to whether the Board felt the County was really going to grow as they predict it will, with the price that the taxpayers are going to have to pay for the incinerator, to which Commr. Bakich nesponded that he can only go by what other counties have experienced, that have incinerators.
At this time, Commr. Gregg stated that there seems to be a misunderstanding that the total increase in tipping fees, or the cost of disposing of garbage, is due to the incinerator, however, that is not true, noting that Lake County is in the process of closing its existing landfill, which is going to be of considerable expense to the County, and has to be passed on in the tipping fee, and then is going to be closed down within the next four years. He stated that the County is also faced with opening a new landfill, whether there is an incinerator or not, so the County's tipping fees are going to go up, whether there is an incinerator, a recycling program, composting program, o r anything else. He also stated that the incinerator was contracted in 1988, apptoximately two weeks before the present Board took office. He stated that it is a legal, binding contract, on the part of the County, therefore, even if the Board felt that the County may have gotten a bad deal on it, they have an obligation, and a contract that would be litigated, with the taxpayers of the County picking up the debt service on it, as well as damages from Ogden Martin and other vendors that might be involved, therefore, it is not a simple matter of just not utilizing it. He stated that he has read every bit of information he could read on it, reviewed some of the tapes which are being passed around, as well as information from both sides of the issue, and has yet to see a reason why the County should shut the incinerator down.
Ms. Cook then stated that the citizens of the County feel that the Board has not been truthful with them, to which Commr. Bakich responded. Further discussion occurred regarding the matter, at which time Commrs. Bakich and Swartz gave input.
Ms. Rhonda Gerber, a resident of Leesburg, appeared before those present stating that she understands the Board will be renegotiating the contract at the March 6, 1990, Board Meeting and questioned exactly what the Board will be renegotiating.
Commr. Gregg responded to Ms. Gerber's question, stating that the County is looking at tipping information which they have received oven the past year, and will try and determine whether the County will be able to meet the 130,000 ton per year requirement, noting that there will be some general discussion regarding it.
Mr. Thelen, County Manger, then stated that the question that has to be answered on March 6th, o r by March lOth, according to the 1988 contract, is how much garbage and trash the County is going to guarantee to deliver. This is part of the requirement of the County, under the contract.
Ms. Gerber then verified the fact that the County will have no control over where Ogden Martin receives additional garbage from, in order to meet the needed requirements, if the residents do not want to pay the $1.5 million.
Mr. Thelen, County Manager, replied that Ogden Martin has indicated that they will work with the County and let the County control that portion of the contract, in order to enable the County to obtain garbage that is as clean as its own.
Ms. Gerber then venified the fact that the County pays for the disposal of the ash, at which time Mr. Thelen, County Manager, stated that there is a provision in the contract in that, if it is found that Ogden Martin can eventually use the ash for building materials or for road materials, and can obtain a permit for same, that they have the ability to do that.
Ms. Cynthia Shumaker, a resident of Leesburg, appeared before those present and questioned Mr. Findell as to how certain areas were picked for recycling, to which Mr. Findell responded that the selection process was based on demographics, so that areas with different population densities and different income levels would be picked.
At this time, Commrs. Gregg and Swartz gave input regarding the matter.
Ms. Shumaker then stated that she understands the fact that the present Board members are not the ones that made the decision to go with the incinerator, however, they are the Board that the citizens presently have, and the citizens are deeply concerned about the matter. She stated that when there are School Board issues, the citizens are allowed to vote, however, have been given no control over what has happened regarding the incinerator. She stated that if something is wrong, it should be fixed, and the County should not be trying to find a way to keep at it, but should be trying to find a way to fix it.
Mr. Dan Eastwood, a resident of Tavares, appeared before those present and stated that he feels the Board needs to focus on two things at this meeting - one being that, when the public asked for a zero option analysis, they got it - they may not agree with it, but they received it (figures, data and statistics), which can now be analyzed. He stated that he and Mr. Findell would be meeting on Thursday, March 1, 1990, at which time they will focus on the issue and try to identify the very things that are being mentioned at this meeting. He then commended the Board on their handling of the incinerator. He gave a closing remark in that if the County imports, to import selectively, and to presort, before putting anything into the incinerator, noting that if this is done properly, the County will probably have a safer fire, if there must be a fire.
Ms. Ruth Gray, a resident of Eustis, appeared before those present and requested the Board to explain whether or not there is renegotiation, regarding the required tonnage, to which Commr. Bakich responded.
Ms. Gray then referred to a plant which Ogden Martin built in Huntington, Long Island, and a suit which was filed regarding same, however, later dropped, at which time Mr. Treshler responded to said reference. It was noted that there is no suit filed regarding same..Ms. Gray then questioned whether the recycling and composting programs were going to be mandatory, and, if so, will it appear on the residents' tax bills as an extra charge, to which Mr. Findell responded that, at present, he does not know if it will be mandatory.
Further discussion occurred regarding the issue, at which time Mr. Findell, Commr. Bakich, Commr. Gregg and Mr. Thelen, County Manager, gave input.
A lady from the audience questioned whether the issue of impact fees was going to be discussed at this meeting, at which time Mr. Thelen stated that it was not, however, noted that the second hearing regarding the impact fee ordinance would be held at the March 13, 1990, Board Meeting, at 5:05 p.m., in the Board Meeting Room.
The Board was then asked whether the impact fee would affect Lady Lake, to which she was informed that it would.
At this time, Commr. Gregg, a s Commissioner of District I , thanked the City of Lady Lake for, the use of their City Hall, in holding the meeting.
There being no further business to be brought to the attention of the Board, the meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m.
MICHAEL J. BAKICH , CHAIRMAN
ATTEST:
sec/3-7-90/wp-2