2021_3_17_NewHanover_Minutes
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New Hanover Soil and Water Conservation District Board Meeting held in Wilmington, NC.
FY Meeting Number #10 Date: March 17, 2021
Supervisors Present: Others Present:
Bill Hart, Chairman Dru Harrison, NHSWCD Director
Sue Hayes, Vice-Chairman Amy Renfranz, NHSWCD Program Coordinator
Frank Meares Haley Moccia, NHSWCD Conservation Technician
Matt Collogan Lilly Triolo, NHSWCD Intern
Evan Folds Joshua Davis, USDA NRCS Supervisory Soil Conservationist
Vincent “Pete” Lewis
Sheryl Kelly
Jim Gregory
Was this meeting held during a meal: No
Chairman Hart called the monthly board meeting to order at 8:06 a.m. The meeting was held virtually on Zoom.
CALL TO ORDER
A. Approval of Agenda
➢ Motion: Approve the agenda.
• Motion: Hayes
• Second: Meares
• Vote: Passed unanimously. Motion approved.
B. Introduction of Attendees. Harrison introduced Gregory, Professor Emeritus from N.C. State College of
Forestry and Environmental Sciences and representative of Cape Fear Alliance for Trees. Lewis was
introduced as a Soil & Water Conservation Supervisor from Onslow County, former Division of Soil and
Water Conservation Soil Scientist, now retired, and current employee of NRCS.
HYDRIC SOILS PRESENTATION
A. Lewis provided a presentation on the identifying characteristics of hydric soils and their effect on
urban/suburban areas.
B. Gregory provided GIS mapping data, including imagery for the northern area of New Hanover County
with a soil-type overlay, regarding the presence of hydric soils around Highway 17, Highway 40, and
Market Street. He suggested that the development of the area would result in flooding and other
impacts.
C. The concern of the board is the management of development in these soils. Hart recommended “smart”
development of the area – management that supports the long-term success of the development.
1. Discussion: Lewis recommended that the board recommend that the city and county have high
quality wetland maps to inform practices.
2. Hart and Gregory made a statement regarding ditches and cleaning ditches as not being the
solution to development in areas with hydric soil.
3. Lewis recommended covenants that involve ongoing maintenance of stormwater drainage
systems.
4. Gregory stated that current software systems to predict stormwater runoff are inaccurate but still
in use. He recommended that engineers upgrade to DRAINMOD, a water management
prediction system developed at NC State.
5. Collogan suggested that stormwater fee funding be used to develop a comprehensive drainage
plan for the northern part of the county.
6. Meares suggested that a drainage plan be produced for a small area to show that it is a useful
tool. He recommended a memorandum sent to the city and county to address potential issues.
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7. Lewis recommended that easements be used as a tool to provide space for stormwater
management.
8. Gregory recommended impact fees on developers.
CONSENT AGENDA
A. Approval of Consent Agenda
➢ Motion: Move for approval of consent agenda.
• Motion: Hayes
• Second: Meares
• Vote: Passed unanimously. Motion approved.
SUPERVISOR AND STAFF REPORTS
A. Chairman’s Report (See Addendum for Full Report).
1. Hart reported that the N.C. Coastal Federation and PEW Charitable Trusts have presented a
“Nature-based Stormwater Strategy Action Plan.” He stated that many of the suggested
strategies are already initiatives of Soil & Water programs, but that Soil & Water Conservation
Districts and programs were underrepresented in the plan. He recommended seeking ways for
the Coastal Federation and PEW to become more familiar with the work of the Districts.
a. Hayes recommended that a letter be sent to PEW.
b. Harrison recommended that the NC Association of Soil & Water Conservation District be
the driver of the communication. It was decided that she would contact Bryan Evans to
begin constructing the message.
B. NRCS Report.
1. Davis reported that he has been working on the Sediment Erosion Control Plans for New
Hanover County, a project that is coming to completion.
2. Davis will soon be meeting with Renfranz to discuss NRCS programs that are applicable to
individuals in New Hanover County. Folds and Harrison stated that they would like to attend that
meeting.
3. The local working group meeting for Team 18 will be April 19th via Zoom. Harrison will send out
a Doddle poll to determine a date and time for the New Hanover group to meet to plan for the
meeting on April 19th.
C. Division Report.
1. Fischer’s report is shared in the Addendum.
D. Staff Reports.
1. Director’s Report.
• Hart inquired if the Director had met with the NHC Planning Director regarding the history
of the Pages Creek proposal. Harrison confirmed that she has met with Planning Director,
Engineering Department, the Recovery & Resiliency Director, a representative from Cape
Fear RC & D, and a representative from Nichols & Moffat.
• Hart inquired about Brad Roseoff’s role in the Pages Creek project. Harrison stated that
Roseoff is a consultant for a water consultancy agency. Harrison reported that his input
has been utilized by the planning department.
2. Program Coordinator’s Report.
• Hart inquired if soils are discussed during Watershed Wednesday presentations.
Renfranz stated that it has not yet been included in the subject matter, but there are
plans to do so. Hayes shared that the programs should receive more publicity.
• Renfranz clarified that the low interest in the conservation contests was seen in districts
across the state and that she has plans to improve participation next year.
• Renfranz stated that though five teams from New Hanover County registered for the
Coastal Envirothon, only one team showed up for the competition which took place on
the day prior to the meeting.
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• Renfranz shared that the e-newsletter is available on the district’s website under the
“Resources” tab.
3. Technician’s Report.
• Hart inquired about an acronym used in her report, NHCWQIP, which Moccia stated
stands for “New Hanover County Water Quality Improvement Program.”
E. Approval of Staff Reports
➢ Motion: Move for approval of staff reports.
• Motion: Hart
• Second: Hayes
• Vote: Passed unanimously. Motion approved.
OLD BUSINESS
A. Tick List. From February 17, 2021.
1. Clarify NRCS resources - Josh, Evan and Matt
• Update: Harrison stated that the meeting between Davis and Renfranz, along with other
interested individuals, will fulfill this item.
2. Edit and send letters regarding CCAP funding to Legislators and Governor – Bill, Sue and Dru
• Harrison stated that the letter to the Governor has been written and sent.
3. Develop process for County Commissioner meetings with supervisors – Sue, Dru and Amy
• Time will be spent during the Strategic Planning meeting to develop a list of projects and
programs that are priorities and should be shared with the Commissioners.
4. Contact Kirsten Dixon, Brunswick County Planning Director, regarding our interest in rezoning
our property on Eagles Island from Industrial to open space or recreation – Dru
• Harrison has not yet been able to make contact with Dixon.
5. Explore opportunities for development of 4th grade curriculum – Amy & Evan
• Folds and Renfranz have not yet been able to connect. Triolo shared that she is working
on a 4th grade lesson plan. Triolo will be added to the initiative.
6. Initiate discussion with Bryan Evans regarding Washington State DENR for future of water
quality issues – Bill
• Harrison would like to be added to this initiative. She has connections to the Washington
DENR that could be beneficial.
7. Send letter to Commission concerning requiring of supervisor with connection to agriculture on
district boards – Sue & Bill
• Hayes sent an email to Bryan Evans. He clarified the objectives of the Commission, in
which they will “suggest” that district boards contain individuals with connections to
agriculture. There will not be a requirement.
8. Investigate scheduling of Mike Mallon for April Board meeting – Dru
• Harrison shared that Mallin forgot that he was scheduled for the meeting in February.
9. Send info on High Performance Leadership Academy to supervisors – Dru
• Complete.
On-Going Projects:
10. Develop database of New Hanover farmers and identify list of farmers for EQUIP program –
Josh and Evan
• Harrison reported that Renfranz acquired a list of producers in New Hanover County and
has shared with Davis.
11. Propose edits to county tree ordinances – Bill
• Hart reported that he will use the City of Wilmington’s tree ordinance to determine if
there is usable information for a county-wide ordinance.
12. Develop process for use of trees for stormwater management as a District BMP – Dru
13. Develop Water table management seminar – Bill, Evan and staff
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14. Develop priority list of projects for grant proposals and identify grant-writing assistance -
supervisors and staff
Break was taken at 9:28 a.m. The meeting reconvened at 9:40 a.m.
B. NHC Administration Building
1. Harrison reported that the planning for the “park” portion of the project will begin in March 2022.
She stated that the county plans to sell a portion of the property to a private developer, FD
Stonewater, as a mixed-use development site. Harrison will contact the developer to set up a
meeting to share ideas on LID practices.
2. The Board expressed interest in formalizing an approach to engage with municipal and private
developers regarding LID practices. Folds recommended that the Board create a directive to
inform the public on the board’s position on development. Collectively, the Board would like to
express that the department is not anti-development.
a. Discussion. Boland stated that he would like for the Board to address how the
department and Board began to be seen as “anti-development.” Harrison stated that one
example is the new Eagles Island group, which she stated has “anti-development” on the
website and that meetings between Board Supervisors and NHC staff members left staff
with a feeling that the board was anti-development. Kelly shared a website regarding
Eagles Island that communicated an anti-development message. Folds, who serves on
the Eagles Island Central Park Task Force, stated that the website is not owned or
endorsed by the group and that he will review the messaging of the Task Force to
ensure that it does not communicate an anti-development thread.
b. Harrison stated that NHC Planning, Engineering, and Resiliency departments cannot
sign on as official partners of the Pages Creek Restoration grant request until language
that is seen as “anti-development” be removed. She is currently working to find a
solution. The grant application has already been submitted, but edits are accepted until
the summer.
c. Harrison suggested that time be spent during strategic planning to develop a unified
message based on our positions and priorities.
C. Director 2020-2021 Work Goals
1. Harrison shared her current work goals, which include five initiatives pertaining to Pages Creek,
implementing urban forestry and urban agriculture in the District’s strategic plan, obtaining JAA
for rain gardens, managing contracts, and developing improved communications.
D. Pages Creek Restoration Plan Update
1. Harrison reported that she and the NHC Director of Recovery & Resiliency plan to work together
to amend the Pages Creek Restoration project grant so that others can sign on as official
partners. She will provide an update at the next meeting.
NEW BUSINESS
A. New Meeting Date
1. There is a conflict between NHSWCD meetings and Commission meetings. It was decided to
move the board meetings to a different date beginning in May. Hayes suggested making the
final decision about the new date at the April meeting.
B. District Employees Association Membership
1. Hayes recommended that Board Supervisors become members of the District Employees
Association. Folds shared his position that the costs be covered by the district. Harrison stated
that she would investigate that as a possibility.
C. LID Stormwater Practices at Two New Elementary Schools
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1. Hart shared that the site plans for two proposed schools at River Lights (2026) and Pine Valley
(2025) do not seem to take soils or LID practices into account. He suggested that the Board
meet with the Board of Education to respond to the plans and provide recommendations.
a. Meares shared that the NHC School Board recently adopted language in a policy that
states that all future development of school grounds “consider” LID practices.
b. The Board expressed interest in developing a communication policy and marketing
materials regarding LID and how LID would benefit public and private places.
c. Harrison will reach out to Hunter Freeman (McAdams) to determine if he can assist in
creating an LID rendering pertaining to a school site development. Hart will contact Mike
Randall (NC Coastal Division Water Resources DEQ) to determine if they could be
involved in the project.
D. Agriculture in Schools and NHC Buildings
1. Organic Park Project Pilot. Folds reported that COW’s Olsen Park has been selected to receive
grant funds to be managed organically and naturally. A third-party contractor has been selected to
directly receive funds and perform the work. Work will begin in Fall 2021.
2. Folds reported that an urban agriculture designation, which would legalize farming in residential
areas – allowing for produce from those areas to be legally sold, will be added to the City of
Wilmington Code on April 1, 2021. Hart recommended that the Board consider a resolution in
support of urban agriculture as it pertains to the new ordinance.
3. Folds shared that he has an upcoming meeting with the Board of Education to explore ways for
agriculture to be elevated in school curriculum.
UPCOMING EVENTS
A. Strategic Planning March 31st, 10am-12pm, Lucie Harrell Conference Room at NHC
Government Center Building
B. Good Friday (Employee Holiday) ~ April 2nd, 2021
C. Compost How To ~ April 17th, 2021 at Cooperative Extension
ADJOURNMENT
• Motion: Without objection, the meeting was adjourned.
➢ Adjourned at 10:44 am.
The next regular board meeting is set for April 21, 2021 at 8 a.m. on Zoom.
Recorded By: Amy Renfranz
Approved By: ____________________________________________________________
ADDENDUM
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
I attended the state-wide Facebook introduction of the “Nature-Based Stormwater Strategies”. In my view, this
is an extremely valuable document: it verifies all the things that this District has been trying to do for 16 years.
That the strategies are tied into the Governor’s Executive Order #80 should carry some weight; and there is
some prestige in having the financial support of a non-partisan organization such as the Pew Charitable Trust.
All of us should hand out as many copies as possible, e.g., Commissioners, Mayor and Councilpersons. I’m
glad that Tom Boland picked up on the report and recognized its importance.
A few observations:
William J. Hart (Apr 21, 2021 17:28 EDT)
William J. Hart
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• Todd Miller was asked whether there was a source of money to support local implementation of the
strategies: the two he scraped to mention were the Section 319 work in the DEQ and CCAP – although
he knows very well it is broke.
• The State agency most directly involved was DEQ; little mention was made of DACS. This is a carry
forward of my comments last month that the district organization is poorly positioned to be the recipient
of stormwater funding.
• The Division of Soil and Water Conservation personnel I could identify were in the “Working Lands”
group.
• Several of the DEQ personnel have long been associated with Low Impact Development, e.g., Mike
Randall who was associated with the permit for the first Wal-Mart LID construction in New Bern. He
has often said that his biggest problems come from fellow engineers.
• At least two of the DOT Division of Highways members of the “Highways Group” were transfers from
what was then DENR. We invited them to look at possibilities for handling/treating stormwater outside
the highway rights-of-way as is done in Florida. The answer then, and I suspect now, is no activity
outside the right-of way.
• There is an assumption that local jurisdictions have a LID ordinance in place. I don’t know of a single
county of municipal government that has adopted an LID as a recognized alternative to curb, pipe and
pond.
We should have a supply of both the report and the executive summary for distribution.
I propose that staff bundle the best of our material, drawing from our web site and the items attached to the
Program Coordinator’s report, and send them to the Pew Charitable Trust staff man identified in the Facebook
program.
WEB LINKS SHARED IN THE MEETING
City Tree Ordinance
https://portcitydaily.com/local-news/2021/03/16/how-wilmingtons-new-development-code-could-save-trees-
polish-
aesthetics/?utm_source=Morning+Headlines+Subscribers+%E2%80%A2+Port+City+Daily&utm_campaign=6e
5301c6ae-
EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_06_01_03_11_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_afcb4c5de5-
6e5301c6ae-28653733
Elementary School Design
https://portcitydaily.com/local-news/2021/03/11/new-hanover-county-pursues-new-elementary-school-in-
riverlights-replacement-building-for-pine-valley/
Eagles Island Related Website
https://preserveeaglesisland.com/
District Employees Association Membership
https://www.nccdea.org/membership
School Board Building Policy
https://boardpolicyonline.com/bl/?b=hanover_county_old#&&hs=860921
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Winston Salem City Ag Ordinance
https://www.cityofws.org/1055/Urban-Agriculture
2021_3_17_NewHanover_Minutes
Final Audit Report 2021-04-21
Created:2021-04-21
By:Amy Renfranz (arenfranz@nhcgov.com)
Status:Signed
Transaction ID:CBJCHBCAABAANk03w5W6AYiNQxtdkQjpPbrSrVBSWzes
"2021_3_17_NewHanover_Minutes" History
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