11-01-1973 Special Meeting
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SPECIAL MEETING
A Special Meeting of the City Council of the City of Clermont was held in the Council
Chambers on Thursday, November 1,1973. The meeting was called to order at 4:00
P. M by Mayor Claude E. Smoak, Jr. with the following members present: Councilmen Beals,
Schroedel, Byrd and Czech. Other officials present were: City Manager Hopkins, City
Controller Fleming, City Clerk Carroll, Director of Community Services Smythe,
Director of Public Utilities Mitchell and Chief of Police Tyndal. Others present
were: The Messrs. Black, Drees, Boone, Oswalt and Crowson. A representative of
the Sentinel/Star was also present.
Mayor Smoak announced the purpose of the meeting was to discuss temporary sites for
spreading of the effluent from the sanitary sewage treatment plant, and more particularly,
the possible sites of the municipal cemetery and ball field. Mayor Smoak advised
that City Manager Hopkins had been requested to make a brief survey of these two
sites, and he then inquired of his fingings. City Manager Hopkins reported that
samples had been taken manually, limited to 12 feet, in three different locations of
the cemetery proper with findings on the east hill at ~ feet to clay, on the west
hill at 7 feet to clay and in the low section going to the depth of 12 feet, it was
all sand. Mr. Hopkins then commented as follows: The desirability of this particular
property would be that it is city owned; That the expense involved would be the piping
of the effluent from the treatment plant to this location; There is an irrigation
system existing within the cemetery proper; There is some questions to to the
desirability of landspreading over that portion of the cemetery where burials are
located; The portion existing now where no burials have been made is less than 10
acres, and that he had related this information this date to Dave Crowson, consulting
engineer, who could offer information as to how this relates to the ground water table
or the aquifer and also possible inherent requirements which would have to be met as
per the Department of Pollution Control. Mr. Hopkins still further reported that the
entire municipal ball field was covered with 14 inches of clay with 7~ feet of sand
below that, and that drainage was so p,or at this location that it had been necessary
to construct a drainage inlet at the back part of the field.
Without an actual cost analysis, definite and professional boring samples, etc. it
was the opinion of Mr. Crowson that Council pursue finding a permanent location for
effluent disposal by landspreading and offered several opinions as follows: That
one of the requirements of Pollution Control was a 150 foot buffer strip from any
existing or potential residential areas, which in the coase of this location, it
would be a severe curtailment; That according to the elevation at the low spot,
it would iddieaee that it does enter fairly directly with the upper level of the
Florida aquifer and if this be the case would require close scrutiny of the Department
of Rehabil itative Services and substantial proof that there would be no jeop..r:dYI'
with respect to vituses to the water supply; That the cost of getting from the
treatement plant to this location is non-recoverable for a long time perm~eent solution;
That the area involved is not adequate to accommodate all the flow coming to the
treatment plant and therefore this would just be another interim approach to the
problem; and That based on measurements taken from the map, and other assumptions
as pumping rates and repumping requirements that the cost would be in the neighborhood
of $50,000 to pump 200,000 gallons per day to this location.
Mayor Smoak reported that he had contacted the Lake County Pollution Control Board
Director, Mr. Hennessey, with regards ,~he interim solution of using the municipal
cemetery and that he had replied by letter to the effect that this location being
high and well drained with a complete cover of various grasses, from a pollution control
view, is the type of land best suited for spray irrigation, and, that upon making
inquiry to the Stote Department of Pollution Control for their comments, they had
been most favorable. (The letter was read in its entirety by City Clerk Carroll
and shall become a part of these minutes.
Upon inquiry by Councilman Byrd as to length of time involved, once a suitable site
has been obtained, to completion of additional facilities he was advised, 14 months.
He then inquired how many 14 months would be allowed before strict enforcement of
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requirements by Pollution Control, whereupon Mr. Crowson advised that the City has
been requested to submit a schedule to them for their consideration as per the recent
workshop session with them, and he was of the opinion that unless such a schedule is
~ubmitted, they would be reluctant to reactivate the existing permit.
City Manager Hopkins again recommended that Council investigate the desirability
of whatever parcels of land the city wants to consider and get some information
that can be measured, that for a year it has only been discussed and that he would
remind once again that the regulatory agencies are relaxing their requirements only
so long as the city moves toward a final solution to the problem.
It was consensus of Council that the committee of Messrs. Hopkins, Fleming and Czech
meet with officials of Green Valley Country Club with regards possible acquisition of
that ~roperty as soon as possible and report back to Council on November 13th,
as well as receive a schedule from Mr. Crowson for accomplishment of the proposed
program. It was also suggested that Council members present any other proposed
sites which they might know of for consideration at the meeting on November 13th,
in order to conclude that evening and authorize the engineers to proceed with finding
suitable land for additional facilities.
The meeting was adjourned by Mayor Smoak.
Claude E. Smoak, Jr.
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