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Volusia Forever committee approves minutes, ranks and reviews properties; eligibility votes recorded
Summary
At its April 4 meeting the Volusia Forever Committee approved minutes, placed the Sutherland Project on the A list and carried multiple eligibility votes on candidate properties; one applicant spoke during the Melania parcel review.
The Volusia Forever Committee approved the minutes of its Feb. 7 meeting, placed the 52-acre Sutherland Project on its A list for future acquisition consideration and conducted eligibility reviews of three other candidate parcels at its April 4 meeting.
The committee unanimously approved the minutes after a motion to accept them as recorded. Tim Telfer, the county's chief of conservation acquisition, then presented the Sutherland Project — described as roughly 52 acres and scored 10 out of 19 by staff — and the committee voted to place it on the program's A list.
In eligibility reviews, staff presented three more parcels: Lake George Road (fee simple application, about 26 acres, staff score 11 of 21), Whichman (fee simple application, about 5 acres, staff score 1 of 21) and the Melania parcel (fee simple application, about 0.3 acres, staff score 3 of 21). The committee voted on eligibility for each property during the same meeting.
During the Melania-item review a Corbin Park resident who identified herself as the owner described buying the lot and later learning it was wetlands and not buildable. She said she paid about $58,000 for the parcel and had paid additional engineering and legal costs trying to clarify buildability; she asked the committee to consider the parcel for acquisition or to help connect her with other county programs. Committee members and staff discussed possible referrals to public-works and water-resources staff and noted the county's small-lot and basin-study programs as potential avenues.
Committee discussion emphasized that the advisory body can only determine program eligibility; staff handles negotiations and the county manager and county council retain final acquisition authority. Where members asked staff to assist or follow up, staff indicated they would attempt to connect the owner with public-works and water-resources staff as appropriate.
The meeting record shows motions and seconds for each vote and spoken aye responses in favor for the items discussed; recorded vote tallies for some items contain ambiguous wording in the transcript and are noted as stated in the minutes below.
