Wichita Lake Study Commission Minutes - 08/13/2013_C
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LAKE WICHITA STUDY COMMITTEE
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August 13, 2013
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Stephen Garner, Chairman ■ Members
Clayton Lane, Vice Chair
Penny Miller, Secretary
Sam Bownds
Nic Brissette
Michael Chapman
Larry Scott
Jennifer Simmons
Tom Lang, Ex- Officio
Jack Murphy, Director of Parks and Recreation ■ staff
Kevin Hugman, Director of Community Development
Miles Risley, City Attorney
Pat Hoffman, Property Administrator
Monique Coleman, City Planner
Councilor Brian Hooker ■ Council Liaison
Pete Gill, Lakeside City Homeowner's Group ■ Guests
ABSENT:
Nancy Heath Howell ■ Members
I. Call to Order and Introductions
Steve Garner called the meeting to order and all members, staff and guests introduced
themselves. New committee members, Nic Brissette and Jennifer Simmons were
introduced.
II. Approval of Minutes
Larry Scott moved the minutes of the July 9 minutes be approved. Michael Chapman
seconded. Minutes were approved.
III. Election of Vice Chair
There was a vacancy of the Vice Chair position. Nic Brissette nominated Clayton Lane for
the position. Larry Scott seconded the motion. Motion passed.
LAKE WICHITA COMMITTEE August 13, 2013 Page 1
IV. Conference Call, Friends of Reservoirs Foundation
Tom Lang introduced a Jeff Boxrucher from the Friends of Reservoirs Foundation (FOR).
A summary of the key points of the presentation follows:
• FOR, a 501(c)(3) organization, is one of 18 organizations working on the National
Fish Habitat Action Plan. There are 80,000+ reservoirs in the nation —the 10,000+
with public access are the focus of FOR.
• FOR focuses on the watershed as well as the reservoir. They raise funds, raise
awareness of issues affecting reservoirs and are a voice in policy making.
• Fishing is a $23B business in the U.S. Reservoirs are also a place for non - fishing
recreation.
• Chapter membership for a local group with interest in a single reservoir is $25.
General industry memberships are $100.
• New reservoir construction is nearly nonexistent. The median age of reservoirs is
60 years, and they were built with a 100 year life expectancy.
• Reservoir impairments normal in our area include siltation, turbidity, structural
habitat and too little vegetation.
• FOR is needed because fish habitats are in decline, there has been a negative
impact on fish populations and water quality, and state fisheries agencies cannot
tackle all of the problems alone due to funding and manpower constraints.
• FOR funds small projects. They currently have $90k annually to fund projects, so
requests are limited to $20k. Partner chapters get "bonus points" in funding
consideration. Some examples of funded projects include reestablishing vegetation
and stabilizing shorelines.
• Iowa budgets $8M annually to rehabilitate reservoirs and have documented a 4:1
return on investment in increased recreation and decreased cost of water
treatment.
• The Lake Wichita project would be beyond the funding capability of FOR, but the
organization could contribute technical expertise, the backing of the National Fish
Habitat Project, 501(c)(3) access and exposure.
Clayton Lane asked about the availability of grants. Mr. Boxrucker suggested looking at
water quality NGO grants, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the 319
program (for water quality and watershed management). NGO grants cap out at around
$50k. More money is available through the EPA. The FOR has a Memorandum of
Understanding with the Corps of Engineers in our area. Mr. Boxrucker will send a copy to
Tom Lang.
The committee discussed the advantages of FOR membership. Miles Risely said that the
city owns five reservoirs and will check to see if the city has a membership already. If
membership is only $25 a year with no other obligations, then he doesn't see a problem
with joining.
Clayton Lane moved we join the FOR. Jennifer Simmons seconded. The motion was
approved.
V. Subcomittee Reports
Permitting: The subcommittee will meet with two representatives of the Corps of
Engineers at Lake Wichita on July 24, Noon – 2:00 PM. This will be an excellent
opportunity to ask questions about the permitting process. The RPS Group will send a
representative to the meeting to help put together questions.
LAKE WICHITA COMMITTEE August 13, 2013 Page 2
Public Awareness: The subcommittee reviewed the city web page on the LWSC and
really liked it. The subcommittee suggests that we promote as many avenues for public
input as possible. The city has a Facebook page, which could be used in addition to the
web site. The subcommittee discussed a poll for the public to make input on the project.
The subcommittee will develop questions and send to Monique Coleman to develop the
poll.
Economic Development: Clayton Lane said their subcommittee needs the plan to
determine the potential economic impact of the project might be. Tom Lang provided input
from activities at other lakes.
Fundraising: Relationships matter. We will need to look at outside sources of funding.
Clayton Lane would like to look at other projects of this scope (Ex., MPEC project) to see
how they were funded (city vs. county, private dollars, bonds, etc.)
Recreation: Jennifer Simmons asked to be added to this subcommittee. Larry Scott
reported on the subcommittee's recommendations:
• Extend the trail onto the lake bed between Barnett and Lake Wichita Park
Earthen fishing piers
Two or three beach areas conducive to water sports
Pavilion /amphitheater for entertainment
VI. Other Items
Steve Garner distributed a 2 -page excerpt from the 2020 plan with recommendations for
Lake Wichita.
Steve Garner asked the LWSC to establish a timeline. We are three months into an 18
month charter. He suggested that at the 6 -month point (November) we should have a plan
of action for the City Council to consider. By May 2014 we should be working on
fundraising.
Nic Brissette wants to look at groundwater as a source of water to help keep the lake full.
Tom Lang asked what is the watershed capable of generating? Should we use
groundwater?
Steve Garner said he will put water on the next agenda.
VII. Adjournment
p.m.
Date
LAKE WICHITA COMMITTEE August 13, 2013 Page 3