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Resolution 250-1993 Public Works RESOLUTION NO. 250 -1993 A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE SETTLEMENT OFFER OF THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS DATED MAY 11, 1993, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE $10,000 PENALTY, FOR THE UNLAWFUL PLACEMENT OF FILL AT THE MARATHON COURTHOUSE PARKING LOT. WHEREAS, during the expansion of the Marathon Courthouse parking lot in July 1991, fill was erroneously placed by the County in wetlands outside the area permitted by the Army Crops of Engineers (Corps); WHEREAS, the Corps initially sought a $50,000 fine from the County for the unlawful fill; WHEREAS, in a memorandum dated January 28, 1993, the County proposed, in lieu of such fine, certain mitigation projects to be performed by County personnel with an estimated value of $33,894.00; WHEREAS, in a memorandum dated May 11, 199_~, the \.C3Cor~ ,~) UoJ agreed to the County's mitigation proposal as a se=ttlement b@ ',,::, c- c:: ",-, with an additional $10,000 penalty, a penalty that the Cor~ n~ cc indicates is not necessary; and 7') :.., ::=:i - , WHEREAS, it is desired to avoid lengthy litigation with t~ Corps and the US Department of Justice over the appropriate penalty, a process which may ultimately result in the County having to pay a significant cash penalty instead of providing the in-kind mitigation proposed; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA, The Corps' mitigation and settlement proposal dated May 11, 1993, in lieu of any further penalties or litigation regarding the July 1991 unlawful placement of fill at the Marathon Courthouse parking lot, is hereby accepted and approved with the exception of the $10,000 cash penalty. The Director of Public Works is ordered to undertake the mitigation required as soon as possible. The Corps memorandum of May 11, 1993, setting forth the terms of the settlement, as well as the County's memorandum of January 28, 1993, referred to in the Corps' memorandum, are attached hereto, incorporated and made a part of this resolution by reference. PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Florida, at a regular meeting of said Board held 16th day of June 1993. on the Mayor London Mayor Pro Tern Cheal Commissioner Harvey Commissioner Freeman Commissioner Reich yes yes yes yes yes (SEAL) Attest: DANNY KOLHAGE, Clerk BOARD OF COUNTY OF MONROE BY~~~ vifill By By Dats DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY JACKSONVIllE DISTRICT CORPS OF ENGINEERS P. O. BOX 4970 JACKSONVillE, FLORIDA 32232-0019 AEPl Y TO ATTENTION OF MAY 11 1993 Regulatory Division Enforcement Branch 198701062/87IPW-21062 p~-~;;'(;~~ T~~F 1l\~l'Y~r;:G":~' i: ~' : ~),('; :'::.; ;;:-,;' ;''', ::.:, J:-~ J...;L1i Mr. Dave Koppel Monroe County Board of Commissioners 500 Whitehead street Key West, Florida 33040 "'\' 2 1993 (i\~ 1t,'7"\I jr"',1 T, \J '/;.1 .~ T'e I r l I Dear Mr. Koppel, A final review has been made of the pertinent information associated with the noncompliance of Department of the Army permit numbered 198701062 issued to the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners (the County). To restate the facts involved, an unauthorized fill activity occurred at the current location of the Monroe County courthouse in 1984, followed by an after-the-fact permit review and an issued permit. During construction of the authorized activity, approximately 400 square feet of fill was discharged in excess of that authorized by the permit. A notice of noncompliance was issued to the County. Various correspondence have transpired since that time addressing resolution possibilities, including mitigation proposed by the County. Subsequent to these actions, a compliance inspection has been performed at the Hammock Drive restoration area which is required mitigation for permit numbered 198701062. The 500 by 50-foot restoration area has been accomplished for 447 by 50 feet of the pre-exiting roadway. A deficit of 53 by 50 feet, or 0.06 acre, exists at the mitigation site. The mitigation has not been fully completed. In view of the noncompliance activity associated with the parking lot site and the mitigation site, the nature of the wetlands impacted and the nature of the wetlands to be created/restored, this office is prepared to recommend the following as an appropriate settlement to the u.s. Department of Justice: 1) Compliance with the permit special conditions requiring creation of the 500 x 50-foot H~mmock Drive mitigation area by completing the final 53 x 50-foot area; 2) Creation of 600 square feet of wetlands onsite at a cost of $8,890.00, as outlined in your letter dated January 28, 1993; m~ p (rUrrmm~ff)1. lJ_--, 1:111 1\ ;, I I n\ MAY 1 ~ 1993"', Ill! ' ,.., ,,___, _.~ j; ; I....,.., --., "..--" ,'~. ." . . \";,,,Jw '-:.~~: ~i..._; l~ ~l__; .(~'.'...._u__"_ ..,.....-..... -.' ,.....-_-~-- -" 3) Creation of 22,830 square feet of offsite wetlands at a cost of $25,004.00, as outlined in your letter dated January 28, 1993; and 4) A cash penalty amount of $10,000 for a total settlement amount of $43,894. This office has obtained additional guidance on consideration of offsite mitigation as it pertains to a civil penalty. In the area of mitigation, a determination has been made that the cost of offsite mitigation can be utilized to offset a civil penalty amount if it involves more than simple wetland preservation. We are interested in bringing this matter to closure and request that you provide your position on this matter within two weeks of the date of this letter. If you have any additional questions or comments, please contact Ms. Mahoney at the letterhead address or by telephone at 904-232-1683. Sincerely, ~~-X-L vi c!! ~~ I~awrence C. Evans ~ C;Chief, Enforcement Branch Ol!~ ~2!!!!2E (305) 294-4641 Engineering Department 5100 College Rd. Key West, FL 33040 BOAh.U vi COUNTY COMMISSIONE MAYOR. Jacl( London, District 2 Mayor Pro Tem, A Earl Cheal, District 4 Wilhelmina Harvey, District 1 ShirteyFreeman, District 3 Mary Kay Re~, District 5 January 28, 1993 ~. ~ ~ Lawrence C. Evans Chief, Enforcement Branch Department of the Army Jacksonville District Corps of Engineers P.o. Box 4970 Jacksonville, FL 32232-0019 ~ \ RE: Marathon Courthouse Parking Lot Proposed Mitigation Plan Permit Number 87IPW-21062 Dear Mr. ~Evans: As mitigation for the work performed at the above. ~'referenced location Monroe County is proposing the following: 1. Remove the fill inadvertently placed beyond the existing toe of slope in the wetlands adjacent to the parking lot and restore the area to wetland conditions (work complete). 2. Create 600 sf of on-site wetlands estimated to cost $8.890 (see attached). 3. Create 22.830 sf of off-site wetlands estimated to cost $25.004 (see attached). ~ The Notice of violation was for 400 sf of fill placed into the wetlands. All of the fill placed beyond the existing toe of slope was immediately removed and the area was restored to wetland conditions. In addition 23.430 sf of wetlands to be created is being proposed. This amounts to a ratio greater than 50:1. Al though we are estimating the cost of this mitigation to be $33.894 we are not suggesting that an equivalent cash amount would be agreeable. Rather, we are proposing this large mitigation area because, we could do this work in-house with existing personnel and equipment, and the work will have a positive effect on the environment. Mr. Evans January 28, 1993 Page Two ..-. .~~--" ? I. The specific benefits of the off-sit 19a in a letter from George Garrett t lizabeth 17, 1992. .. We understand that "the Department of Justice hC!s provided guidance which prohibits the consideration of off~site mitigation as credit towards a civil penalty action." How~er, consideration should be given to the fact that our negotiations have preceded this action, and our off-site proposed mitigation will not only create additional wetlands but also have a positive effect on the endangered Key Deer. Therefore, we are very hopeful that you will find this mitigation plan acceptable and we can resolve this matter. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at (305) 29~-4426. [jj' ~ David S. Koppel, P.E. Director of Engineering DSK/jd MGCMP cc: Capt. Thomas W. Brown Dent pierce G~orge Garrett ~ MEMORANDUM TO: Dent Pierce, Director Public Works Division r ,./ {. I: ," .;. .' FROM: David S. Koppel, P.E. AAY Director of Engineering~~ DATE: January 28, 1993 RE: Marathon Courthouse Parking Lot ; . Cost Estimate - Proposed Mitigation .,' ~ The following cost breakdown is given to perform both on-site and off-site mitigation using current costs and estimates: Item/Description Estimated Quantity unit Pride Total Cost On-site Surveying* - Crew ( 3 men) 0.5 day $125/man day..,.. .:' $188 Labor* - Supervisor (1 man) - Foreman (1 man) - Crew (3 man) 1.5 days 3 days 3 days .. $200/man day $150/man day $125/man day $300 $450 $1125 Administration* - Engineer 1 day (1 man) - Biologist 1 day (1 man) - Secretary 0.5 day (1 man) Equipment - Backhoe/ Loader (2cy) 3 days - Dump Truck 3 days (20cy) - Truck (0.5Tn) 3 days - Low Boy Tractor 0.5 day Dump Fees ** 26.1 Tons $260/man day $200/man day $150/man day $260 $200 $75 $128/day $50/day $76/day $128/day $384 $150 $228 $64 $110/ton $2,868 Production Loss Value - equivalent to labor costs Estimated Cost $2,598 $8,890 Item/Description Off-site Surveying* - Crew (3 men) Labor* - supervisor (1 man) - Foreman (1 man) - Crew (4 man) 10 10 Administration* - Engineer 2 (1 man) - Biologist 2 (1 man) Secretary 1 (1 man) Equipment - Dozer (0-6) 10 - Dozer (0-3) 10 Loader (2CY) 10 - Dump Truck 5 (2-20cy) - Truck (0.5Tn) 10 - Low Boy Tractor 0.5 Estimated Quantity / ~..f! 2 days ~ . ., " ", J '. , unit : /. Price: J.. :.:;- $125/man day $200/man day $150/man day $12S/man day $260/man day $200/man:.. .- day:~, . $150/man .' day $248/day $128/day $128/day $50/Truck day $76/day $12~/day Production Loss Value - equivalent to labor costs Estimated Cost 5 days days days *Personnel costs include salary and benefits d~ys days day days days days. days' days days Total Cost $750 ~ $1000 $1500 $5000 $520 $400 $150 $2,480 $1,280 $1,280 $500 $760 $64 $9,320 $25,004 ** - Dump fees based on a portion of the estimated 51.5 cubic yards of excavated material. 75% of the fill will be suitable for cover at the land fill and, therefore, will be disposed of at no charge. The remaining 25% of the excavated material will be unsuitable fill including concrete & foreign debris, exotic vegetation, etc and will be disposed of at the dump for a fee of $110 per ton. Summary of Mitiaation Costs On-site Off-site Total $ 8,890 $25.004 $33,894 ~. :~..,., If you have any questions, please let me know. DSK/jd MCPLCE ,10 '.'1 ,/!" ;~ .. I~> , ' . .', . i= +