by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
The JEA board of directors met Tuesday to discuss its recently granted water-use permit, a proposed shopping center in Yulee, capacity fees for the new Duval County Courthouse and its fiscal 2012 budget.
The St. Johns River Water Management District recently approved JEA’s application for a 20-year consumptive use permit, which consolidated 27 JEA water-use permits with a combined allocation of 155 million gallons of water per day into one permit. JEA currently averages about 117 million gallons a day, but the permit allows the utility to plan for the future.
“We can now plan and invest over that time,” said Jim Dickenson, managing director and CEO of JEA. “It helps us with the development and growth of our city.”
Athena Mann, JEA vice president of environmental services, gave a presentation on the process to gain the permit.
“I’ve been with JEA for 28 years, and this was one of the most difficult negotiations I’ve had to deal with,” she said.
JEA submitted about 4,000 documents to the water management district to support the application.
The permit will be subject to a full review in 10 years as part of the conditions of the permit.
The board was also presented an update on a shopping center project in Yulee. The update showed that Villages of Amelia, owned by Sleiman Enterprises, will offer 134,399 square feet of commercial space, including a 75,000-square-foot store. President Toney Sleiman said phase one will be anchored by a Publix Super Market.
The JEA and Sleiman Enterprises are discussing connecting the property to utilities.
The JEA has proposed that the project would be better served if the water and sewer lines were placed on public right-of-way around the property. This plan would allow JEA to service the lines. The public utility doesn’t service water and sewer lines on private property.
“When you look at the designs, our design is less footage of pipe and less manholes then their design,” said Dickenson, when talking to the board. Some of the biggest things they bring up is that now the time and cost of redesign (is a problem). What I tell them is that we should not be at the point of redesign. You should have the approval before you do it.”
Sleiman has proposed to install the lines on his private property and he will maintain the lines.
“I’ve been building shopping centers for 50 years and have never had a problem,” said Sleiman. “Why would (the JEA) want to give themselves more work? I’m proposing to take work off of their hands and make it easier for them.”
Sleiman expects the first tenant to be on the property in about a year.
As the new Duval County Courthouse moves toward its tentative opening in May 2012, the JEA discussed the capacity fee for the new structure. It is an upfront fee charged to large buildings.
“There may be the possibility of transferring capacity depending on what happens with the old courthouse,” said Dickenson. “We are looking into it.
“What is going to happen to the old courthouse?” said Mike Hightower, a member of the JEA board.
“I guess that depends on who becomes mayor,” said Ron Townsend, JEA board chair.
The next board meeting is June 21 at which the board will hold a public hearing on the budget for the 2012 fiscal year.
356-2466