HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-20-2024 Fairhope Environmental Advisory Board Minutes
MEETING MINUTES ~ ANNUAL CITY STRATEGY SESSION
DECEMBER 20, 2024 / 3 - 4 PM, LIBRARY ~ GIDDENS CONFERENCE CENTER
ATTENDEES
COF Officials: Nicole Love
FEAB Board Members: Amy Paulson, Ben Frater, Gary Gover, Nigel Temple, Anna Miller
FEAB Members Absent: Steven Scyphers, Jennifer Foutch, Jim Horner, Carl Couret
Official Quorum Count: 5/9
FEAB Active Participants: Jaime Crawford
Honored Guests N/A
Minutes Author: Nigel Temple
Commencement: Amy called the meeting to order at 3:10 p.m.
SUMMARY OF SALIENT DECISIONS, DISCUSSION, AND ACTIONS
● FEAB will largely maintain its designated 2024 priorities through 2025. FEAB performed an extensive
group workshop in 2024 to establish its selected priorities, including supporting CoF greenspace and
native habitat management; expanding CoF sustainable waste management practices; communicating
Energy Policies; and responding to the City ’s requests for Water Conservation support. In 2025, FEAB
intends to expand its engagement with environmentally-related matters identified in the CoF
Comprehensive Land Use Plan.
● In 2025, FEAB will disengage with the performance of a Community Resilience Index Workshop and will
not officially or regularly attend COF Council Meetings unless requested or if environmentally-relevant
agenda items are to occur.
● FEAB submitted a Letter of Support for the City of Fairhope to receive funds from the Rebuilding
American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Program to help remove the damaged
and dysfunctional culvert and construct a single span concrete bridge at the crossing of US Highway 98
over Fly Creek.
● FEAB performed a drone survey to assess pine bark beetle infestation and damage at the Flying Creek
Nature Preserve. Nigel Tempel, PhD performed this preliminary test of available technology, which
concluded that the process may have wider applications for cost-effective / labor-reducing land use and
open space management across the City.
DETAILED MINUTES
1. Housekeeping
a. November minutes approved without changes - unanimous
b. Sarah Chandler nominated to assist Nigel with development of salient communication items in
2025 meeting minute documentation.
c. FEAB meeting for December, 2025 is preemptively cancelled.
2. Priority Issues and Subcommittee Reports
a. Greenspace and Native Habitat
i. COF Comprehensive Land Use Plan
1. ACTION: Amy reintroduce relevant environmental bullets to group in Jan
meeting
ii. Greenspace Assessment Working Group
1. RAISE - FEAB Letter of Support - Ben
a. ACTION: Amy to sign and submit to Nicole
2. CoF working with SALT (Cassidy Redding) to organize a walking tour of
greenspace opportunities (potential targets, priorities for City); would include
all relevant stakeholders including FEAB for partnership and alignment - Ben
3. Partnership with University of Southern Alabama (USA) to catalog open space.
Developing interactive GoogleEarth-based tool. Potential application for
tourism as well as greenspace prioritization and management.
4. ACTION: group to present findings/2025 roadmap to FEAB in Feb meeting.
iii. Greenspace Management
1. Colony Park - astroturf/golf tee box mats installed - source of environmental
microplastics. Also, not “natural.”
2. Flying Creek Nature Preserve - Nigel performed drone survey to test potential
for tracking pine beetle infestation. (Action was fully misrepresented in
Fairhope Times.)
3. 2025 Priorities
a. Engage - involvement with COF LUP as living document - engage various proposed actions and/or
facilitate progress and connections.
b. Engage - “Greener by the Yard” update - water conservation and best practices for turf
maintenance; include identification of watershed friendly lawn chemical applicators (e.g., Xtreme
Turf)
i. ACTION: Amy to engage Johanna at Weeks Bay NERR to come to meeting (March?)
c. Reorg - Integrate Airport Authority partnerships within greenspace sub-committee
d. Disengage - Community Resilience Index Workshop; attendance at COF Council Meetings.
ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 4:05 p.m.
NEXT MEETING: Friday, September 13 @ 3 p.m. @ Fairhope Public Library
FEAB CONTACT INFORMATION:
Chairperson:
Amy Paulson amy.paulson@yahoo.com (251) 654-7401
Board Members:
Carl Couret ccouretjr@yahoo.com TBD
Jennifer Foutch Foutch.jennifer@gmail.com (618) 318-0354
Ben Frater ben.frater@gmail.com (404) 314-8815
Gary Gover govers@bellsouth.net (251) 990-8662
Jim Horner none (251) 928-9722
Anna Miller anna@keenliving.pro (251) 279-0395
Steven Scyphers sscyphers@southalabama.edu (334) 701-8864
Nigel Temple 757nigel@gmail.com (757) 803-3589
Active Participants
Lance Slater lanceslater@gmail.com
Sarah Bogdanovich smbogdanovitch@gmail.com (727) 421-7321
Sarah Chandler sarahchandler504@gmail.com (504) 239-6651
Jamie Crawford 7jamiecrawford7@gmail.com TBD
Cynthia Rush crush300@gmail.com (251) 223-3880
Carole Tebay cftebay@gmail.com (850) 466-6592
CITY CONTACTS:
Corey Martin, COF City Council corey.martin@fairhopeal.gov
Nicole Love, COF Grants Coordinator nicole.love@fairhopeal.gov
Christina LeJeune,COF Planning and Zoning Department christina.lejeune@fairhopeal.gov
Justin Hammers, COF Urban Forrester justin.hammers@fairhopeal.gov