Steering Committee Meeting Minutes
November 14, 2001, 1:00 PM
The Steering Committee Meeting for the Smith Mountain Pumped Storage Project Shoreline Management Plan began at 1:00 PM on November 14, 2001. The meeting was held at the Bedford County Administration Building located in Bedford, Virginia.
Mike Thacker (AEP) welcomed everyone and introduced the people from American Electric Power (AEP) and The Louis Berger Group (Berger).
Teresa Rogers (AEP) presented an update on the permitting process for two proposed projects along the shoreline of Smith Mountain Lake – Land’s End and Bernard’s Landing. The Land’s End Project consists of a total of 53 slips that will serve single family homes. The state agencies have made several recommendations to address concerns related to the proposed dredging and its effects on wetlands. Based on these agency comments, the applicant has redesigned the project to address these concerns. AEP is in the process of preparing the application for forwarding to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for consideration.
Bernard’s Landing has submitted an application to AEP for consideration, and the application has been sent to the state agencies for review and comment. This project consists of a total of 56 slips in four different locations at the site. The slips will serve existing condominium units. AEP is in the process of obtaining additional information from the applicant to address comments already received from several agencies.
Frank Simms (AEP) presented an update on the shoreline management planning process by highlighting the bid process for choosing a consultant to assist with developing the plan. Frank introduced Berger and stressed AEP’s long-term relationship with Berger and Berger’s familiarity with shoreline management planning and the Smith Mountain Project.
Berger (Gregory Theyel and Bill Perry) began by establishing three goals for the steering committee meeting – 1) Introduction of stakeholders, 2) Presentation of Berger’s shoreline management planning process, and 3) Discussion of opportunities for participation by stakeholders in the planning process.
Each participant in the steering committee meeting introduced him or herself and described their vision for the shoreline management planning process. (Please see the attached list of participants.) Berger briefly reviewed its experience with developing the FERC 2001 Shoreline Management Plan Handbook, assisting FERC licensees with the development of shoreline management plans, and conducting the 1995-6 Recreation Use Study for the Smith Mountain Project.
Berger introduced its process for developing a shoreline management plan. The process involves the development of land use, recreation, erosion, environmental, cultural, and permitting data layers for the shoreline within the Smith Mountain Project boundary. These data layers act as “filters” that determine whether or not particular development proposals will be acceptable in specific locations along the project shoreline. These filters will lead to planning guidelines for the shoreline of Smith Mountain Lake and Leesville Lake.
Land Use Data – Berger will gather existing reports, maps, and zoning information in order to identify existing and permitted land uses. Berger will acquire digital orthophotography in 2002 to document land uses along the project shoreline. Berger will also field verify the shoreline data.
Recreation Data – Berger will develop a layer of private and public recreation facility inventory information. They will also use recreation use data collected in 1995-6 and data they obtain from other studies and reports to identify recreation use patterns in the project area.
Shoreline Erosion Data – Berger will use digital orthophotography and field verification to document existing shoreline stabilization and erosion sites. Berger will identify general stabilization techniques for types of shoreline erosion.
Environmental and Natural Resource Data – Berger will use existing reports, such as the Fish & Wildlife Threatened and Endangered Species lists, digital orthophotography, and field verification to document environmental and natural resources along the project shoreline.
Cultural Resource Data – Berger will use the Virginia State Historic Preservation Officer files to identify known cultural sites within ¼ mile of the project shoreline. Berger will develop a relational database and map the sites they identify.
Permitting Data – Berger will outline permitting responsibilities including how to obtain necessary permits, information required for certain types of permits, and requirements for notifying FERC of certain activities.
The following are topics of discussion that arose during the presentation of the planning process. The steering committee discussed the relevance of viewsheds in the shoreline planning process. The committee was divided on the role of viewsheds in shoreline planning, but there was agreement that there may be significant views in the project area that warrant protection. The committee discussed the importance of county zoning for supporting and implementing the shoreline planning guidelines in the Smith Mountain Shoreline Plan.
Berger will schedule public meetings and quarterly steering committee meetings during the development of the shoreline management plan. Berger will complete the draft plan in January 2003 and the final plan in June 2003. A representative for the state agencies requested at least 30 days of review time to adequately obtain comments from other divisions within their departments.
The Steering Committee discussed ways for them to be involved in the planning process. Suggestions included providing information for the development of the data layers, reviewing drafts of the plan, attending meetings to offer suggestions, and providing facilities for meetings. Dick Gibbons, representing the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, volunteered that up-to-date recreation information will soon be available with the printing of Virginia’s latest State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan. In addition, a representative of Bedford County stated that the County is in the process of reviewing their Comprehensive Plan.
The Steering Committee discussed ideas for involving the public in the shoreline planning process. These ideas included:
· An information session with tables for each topic area, e.g. land use, recreation, etc.
· A public meeting with a presentation on the shoreline management planning process and public comment
· Hand-outs on the planning process for the public to take home
· A questionnaire for surveying the public’s perceptions and planning vision
· Mailings with information on the shoreline management planning process
· The collection of names and contact information in order to send future information
In addition, the committee advised that the project area be clearly defined for the public and that all the local papers be included for any public notices including Roanoke, Rocky Mount, Bedford, Altavista, Lynchburg, and Chatham. The committee agreed to schedule a public meeting during the first part of 2002. Berger agreed to prepare draft questions for a questionnaire to be administered to the public. Berger will send the draft questionnaire to the committee electronically for review and comment.
One member of the committee suggested that it would be beneficial if the committee had the opportunity to go out on Smith Mountain Lake during one of the committee meetings. There was also the suggestion of having the next committee meeting at the Smith Mountain State Park coupled with a boat tour.
The meeting came to a close at approximately 3:30 PM.
November 14, 2001 Steering Committee Attendees
Name Affiliation
Steve Campbell ALAC
Rich Weeks DEQ WCRO
Kirby Richardson Bedford County
Dave Banta SML Association
Ron Willard II SML Chamber of Commerce/Partnership
Gina Shaw Bedford County Planning Dept.
Bob Clark Virginia Department of Health
Greg Sides Pittsylvania County Planning Dept.
R. Gibbons DCR
Patrick Lawrence Franklin County
Lily Richards DHR
Tim Ward Franklin County
Charlie Sledd Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries
Frank Simms American Electric Power (AEP)
Mike Thacker AEP
Teresa Rogers AEP
Liz Parcell AEP
Gregory Theyel Louis Berger Group (LBG)
Bill Perry LBG
Eric Voigt LBG
Invited, but could not attend
Bill Gillespie Campbell County
Mike Davidson Campbell County