Eleven letters of interest filed to the Islamorada Village Clerk’s Office for the vacant council seat will be considered at the beginning of the meeting Thursday, Jan. 23 at Founders Park Community Center.
Since Jan. 9, registered voters within the village have had the opportunity to express their interest for the seat from which Cheryl Meads resigned on Jan. 7. Meads made the decision so she could invest her time, energy and focus as an at-large member of the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board.
Among those submitting interest are three former council members in Chris Sante, who served from 2008-18; George Geisler, who served as a councilman from 1998-2002; and Jill Zima Borski, who served on council 2008-10. Pete Bacheler, chairman of the Land Planning Agency for the past six years, and Mark Gregg, who serves on the LPA and Achievable Housing Committee, have also filed letters. Eric Carlson, who ran for village council during the 2018 election, has submitted a letter as well.
Others expressing interest include Don Horton, former director of the village building department and code enforcement; Mary Lou Kohne, part-time resident since 2005 and full-time resident since 2017; Capt. Bill Todd; David Webb, who serves on the village Water Quality Improvement Citizens’ Advisory Committee; and Larry Zettwoch, volunteer firefighter and paramedic with Islamorada since 2012.
Once the new member is selected and sworn in, the council will hear updates from the Parks & Recreation Citizens Advisory Committee from Lesley Rhyne, vice chair, and the Local Planning Agency from Bacheler.
As for resolutions, council will consider an agreement with Adventure Environmental Inc. for professional services associated with sediment removal within canal 151, Sandy Cove Basin, on Lower Matecumbe. The first phase of sediment removal in two canals approved under the Natural Resources Conservation Service Grant started on May 7, 2019 and was finished by June 6, 2019. In coordination with Monroe County, a request for additional sediment removal was submitted to the NRCS program on June 13, 2019. The request included five canals within the village with two being selected, canals 151 and 157, Sunset Drive, which commenced on Jan. 7.
Completion of sediment removal within both canals is expected to take eight to 10 weeks. The project end date for the NRCS grant is currently March 30, 2020.
Council will also consider approving a contract with CBT Construction for demolition of a vacant residence at Green Turtle Hammock Preserve that was once used for environmental education and office space. Following Hurricane Irma in 2017, inspections of the residence conducted by village staff revealed dilapidated conditions, typical of aging waterfront.
In August 2018, the village hired H&G Structures to inspect the building and provide an estimate for renovation of the structure to meet building code, ADA, and public facility requirements. The estimate for renovation was $325,884. The village’s Historic Preservation Commission found that there was no historical significance to the residence and recommended demolishing the structure.
