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Item O2BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: Wed. Sep. 16, 2009 Division: BOCC Bulk Item: Yes _ No XX Department: Comm. Di Gennaro, District 4 Staff Contact Person: Tamara Lundstrom (305 289-6000) AGENDA ITEM WORDING: Approval to provide additional land on Scout Key to be place under conservation easement to satisfy the requirement for off -site mitigation for Camp Sawyer. ITEM BACKGROUND: Monroe County Planning Commission Resolution P12-08 approved the redevelopment plan for Camp Sawyer. Project has completed construction documents for Phase 1. South Florida Water Management District requires additional mitigation to issue Environmental Resources Permit. Analysis of available Monroe County is included with this item, as well as additional information from BSA for review by the Commission. PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION: BOCC approved NROGO exemption at April 15, 2009 meeting BOCC denied request 4-1 vote at July 15, 2009 meeting BOCC tabled item (#K6) at August 19, 2009 meeting for the Sept. 16, 2009 meeting. CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES: STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: TOTAL COST: BUDGETED: Yes No COST TO COUNTY: SOURCE OF FUNDS: REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes No AMOUNT PER MONTH Year APPROVED BY: County Atty OMB/Purchasing Risk Management DOCUMENTATION: Included XX Not Required DISPOSITION: AGENDA ITEM # Revised 2/05 Proudly serving the youth and famiYes of Broward, Miami -Dade and Monroe Counties August 3, 2009 the Scout Oath Commissioner Mario Di Gennaro & the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners On my honor 1100 Simonton Street I will do my best, Key West, FL 33040 to do my duty to God and Dear Commissioner DiGennaro, my country and to obey As Scouting nears its 100th anniversary of service to our nation in 2010, the history of Boy the Scout Law; Scouting in Monroe County has been well chronicled. The first troop was formed in 1910 To help other by Lord Baden Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts of America. Also, in the archives of people at all the county, photographs of Boy Scout Troops are seen welcoming Henry Flagler's train into Key West in 1912. This longstanding partnership between the South Florida Council, times; BSA and Monroe County has been part of the unique heritage of Monroe County and we To keep myself value our incredible relationship with you and the entire community. physically strong, mentally On December 17, 1956, the Board of County Commissioners deeded a permanent Boy awake, and Scout camp on West Surnmerland Key to the South Florida Council. This property was morally straight. officially opened on August 3, 1958 and dedicated to the memory of Jackson Lee Sawyer, a Star Scout from Troop 52 of Key West and the first Key West native killed in action during World War II. This true American hero lost his life at the Battle of the Bulge on The December 20, 1944 and the naming of the Camp has allowed his legacy to live in Scout Law perpetuity. A scout is: Since the day of dedication, Camp Sawyer has served as a precious resource to tens of Trustworthy thousands of local Scouts from Monroe County as well as other Scouts from South Florida Loyal and throughout the nation, Sawyer is made available for youth ages 6-20 for their weekend Helpful adventure. Most of the buildings on the camp are the original structures built in 1957 and it Friendly is time to upgrade our facilities for Scouting's next generation of youth. Courteous Kind In October of 2005, the South Florida Council launched an initiative called Mission Possible, a Capital Campaign. Mission Possible is a volunteer and community effort Obedient designed to finance the needed capital projects to rebuild Camp Seminole, in Davie and Cheerful Camp Sawyer following the devastation caused by Hurricane Wilma. Since the storm, the Thrifty South Florida Council has worked with a professional team of architects, engineers and Brave planners from Monroe County to provide a LEED certified camping facility for Scoutings Clean next generation. We are excited about our vision for the future and have attached a copy Reverent of our Master Plan for your review, 15255 N.W. 82 Avenue • Miami Lakes, Florida 33016 • Phone (305) 364-0020 - Broward (954) 584-4200 • www.stcbsa.org Commissioner DiGennaro & the Board of County Commissioners August 3, 2009 Page 2 Thanks to the lead gift of $1-million from Edward B. Knight our dreams for Camp Sawyer are moving closer to reality. However, in order to complete our Master Plan we are requesting the assistance of the Board of County Commissioners. During the process of reviewing the Environmental Resource Permit application for the Camp Sawyer improvements, the South Florida Water Management District has required additional area for mitigation to compensate for the new facility. We have maximized the area for conservation on our existing property and are requesting that additional land be deeded or leased to use for this mitigation. The additional land will not be developed in any way and only used as conservation and open space area. Furthermore, our Scouts will maintain this area; keep it free of invasive exotic plants and periodically police the shoreline for debris. If required by SFWMD this area will be fenced and sign posted. This deed or lease can also be written with a reversionary clause to ensure the spirit of this agreement. Monroe County has been very supportive of the Boy Scouts for many decades and hope we can once again count on your support for this critical community endeavor. Upon completion, Camp Sawyer will continue to serve as a resource for the community and the residents of Monroe County. In recent years, Camp Sawyer has been made available for community use including the Rotary Club, Project SOAR, the Boys and Girls Club of Key West, and events hosted by the Chambers of Commerce. On behalf of our Scouts, thank you for your thoughtful consideration of this request. Together, I am confident we can turn Camp Sawyer, Edward B. Knight Scout Reservation into one of the finest Boy Scouts Camps in America. If I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me directly for any clarification or additional information. I can be contacted at (305) 364-0020 extension 212, or emailed at jhunt@sfcbsa.org. In the service of Scouting, 944e Jeff Hunt Scout Executive Chief Executive Officer Enclosures: Mission Possible: An Investment in Character, Camp Sawyer m C:ux�j e4o_T .%' M Comprehensive Planning Resort/Tourism Planning S i J F VI,1� F �AAJL Land Use Regulation TO: Commissioner Di Gennaro Development Feasibility Honorable Mayor Neugent Site Design Commissioner Wigington Expert Witness E Commissioner Carruthers Commissioner Murphy Mailing address: P. O. Box 970 Key West, FL 33041-0970 FROM: Barbara Mitchell Office location: 610 White St. DATE: August 3, 2009 Key West, FL 33040 M Phone: 305/294-1515 RE: Camp Sawyer Fax: 305/292-1525 E-mail: barb @craigcompany. corn CC: Don Craig, File On behalf of our clients, the Boy Scouts of America, I am respectfully asking you to reconsider our request for the parcel of land on Scout (West SUrnmerland) Key to be used as part of the mitigation required for the redevelopment of Camp Sawyer. Since the July 15, 2009 BOCC meeting I have researched, with the help of the Monroe County Land Authority and the Monroe County Property Appraisers office, the vacant property Rowned by Monroe County. The overall acreage is 813.13 acres.' The data represents upland, transitional and environmentally sensitive parcels. The transitional parcels have been specifically identified in the Property Appraisers database by documentation (ie Vegetation Surveys) and includes such habitats as Salt Marsh Buttonwood or Beach Berm. According to the Property Appraiser's office, the environmentally sensitive parcels A are a "mixed bag" that includes not only mangroves but also a variety of other habitats. These parcels did not include specific documentation as to habitat when entered into the Property Appraiser's database. Based upon this research, the following summarizes my findings: Upland Parcels: 137 acres + 138 lots. Transitional Parcels: 54 acres Environmentally Sensitive Parcels: 368 acres + 1,161 lots In order to get a total land area, some assumptions are required. If one assumes the average upland lot is 6,000 s.f., then the additional upland acreage is 19 acres. Therefore the remaining area for the l ,161 lots is 235 acres (813- 578). Assuming that Monroe County did not purchase 603 (235 + 368) acres of mangroves and even 50% of that is transitional area, that would add 300 acres to the pool of land. The point of this exercise is that there is, more than likely over 500 acres of land that could be used for mitigation if ever needed by Monroe County. The Boy Scouts and Camp Sawyer are requesting 9 acres that represents 1.7% of the total land available based upon the above analysis. In response to the concern for precedent setting if this land were granted for mitigation, T T precedent has already been set and is very narrowly defined. Monroe County has assisted local, This does not include the land purchased with the Preservation 2000 Legislative Appropriation grant funds that conveyed 184.6 acres to the State of Florida, 17.7 acres to the Village of Islamorada nor 2.5 acres to the City of Marathon. M Wait Woct • Rror4onrir4nn non-profit organizations in many ways. Land has been provided for projects that are largely oriented towards youth and recreational programs. Monroe County has supported the Boy and Girl Scouts in many ways, you have supported the Girls and Boys Club, you have supported Habitat for Humanity and you have supported public/private partnerships for many units of affordable housing. This is not a request that, if granted, will open a floodgate of mitigation requests; but rather it is the continuation of a program supportive of those not for profit organizations that give so much back to our community. We hope that you will review this information and grant our request. Thank you. < v VIP-1- ■ I � ,,, r,, i, ;r:,� wAppx. 6.0 acres mangroves. sall marsh wetlands and beach/shoreline J. ♦��I N � 41 v. -r' rt ,.41 et.