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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAAC Min 2007-06-18 CITY OF SEAL BEACH Archaeological Advisory Committee Minutes of June 18,2007 The Archaeological Advisory Committee (AAC) meeting of June 18, 2007, was called to order at 5:50 p.m. The meeting was held in the City Council Chambers. J. Call to Order II. Roll Call Present: Chairperson Vesely Members Coles and Dixon Absent: Member Fitzpatrick Also Present: Department of Development Services Lee Whittenberg, Director Jerry Olivera, Senior Planner Mr. Whittenberg recommended that a motion be made to excuse'Member Fitzpatrick who is currently traveling outside the country. So ordered by Chairperson Vesely. III. Approval of Agenda MOTION by Dixon; SECOND by Vesely to approve the Agenda as presented. MOTION CARRIED: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: 3-0-1 Vesely, Coles, and Dixon None Fitzpatrick IV. Oral Communications None v. Consent Calendar 1. RECEIVE AND FILE: Memorandum dated April 13, 2006, Re: Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station - Installation Restoration Program - Status Report Re: RAB Project Update. 2. RECEIVE AND FILE: Letter dated April 26, 2006, from Environmental Quality Control Board to Department of Navy Re: City of Seal Beach Comments Re: "Draft Record of City of Seal Beach Archaeological AdvisolY Committee Meeting MlI1utes of June J 8. 2007 Decision/Remedial Action Plan (ROD/RAP) - Installation Restoration Program Site 70 - Naval Weapons Station," and "Proposed Plan/Draft Remedial Action Plan - Installation Restoration Program - Site 70 - Naval Weapons Station, Seal Beach." 3. RECEIVE AND FILE: Memorandum dated May 16, 2006, Re: Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station - hlstallation Restoration Progranl - Status Report re: RAB Project Update. 4. RECEIVE AND FILE: Staff Rep0l1 dated June 12, 2006, Re: Work Plan for Subsurface Archaeological Investigation for the Building 10 Addition Project, Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach. 5. RECEIVE AND FILE: Staff Report dated June 12,2006, Re: Subsurface Archaeological Investigations for the Building 10 Addition Project, Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach. 6. RECEIVE AND FILE: Letter dated June 28, 2006, from Environmental Quality Control Board to Department of Toxic Substances Control Re: City of Seal Beach Comments Re: "Negative Declaration/Initial Study for Enhanced In Situ Bioremediation of Chlorinated Plume at Installation Restoration Site 70 - Naval Weapons Station, Seal Beach." 7. RECEIVE AND FILE: Letter dated July 26, 2006, from Environmental Quality Control Board to Department of Toxic Substances Control Re: City of Seal Beach Comments Re: "Negative Declaration/Initial Study for Non-Time Critical Removal Action, Installation Restoration Sites 42, 44/45, and Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 57, Naval Weapons Station, Seal Beach." 8. RECEIVE AND FILE: Letter dated July 26, 2006, from Environmental Quality Control Board to Department of Navy Re: City of Seal Beach Comments Re: "Draft 2006 First Semiannual Post-closure Inspection Report, Installation Restoration Program Site 7 (Station Landfill) - Naval Weapons Station, Seal Beach." 9. RECEIVE AND FILE: Memorandum dated August 28, 2006, Re: Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station - Installation Restoration Program - Status Report Re: RAB Project Update. 10. RECEIVE AND FILE: Letter dated September 27, 2006, from Environmental Quality Control Board to Department of Navy Re: City of Seal Beach Comments Re: "Draft Remedial Design (RD) for IR Site 70: Enhanced In Situ Bioremediation, Naval Weapons Station, Seal Beach." 11. RECEIVE AND FILE: Memorandum dated October 16, 2006, Re: Receipt of "Cultural Resources Assessment of the Revised Los Alamitos Pump Station (APN 106) County of Orange, California." 12. RECEIVE AND FILE: Letter dated October 25, 2006, from Environmental Quality Control Board to Orange County Sanitation District Re: City of Seal Beach Comments Re: "Notice 2 City of Seal Beach Archaeological Advis01Y Committee Meetll1g Minutes of June J 8, 2007 of Preparation - Program Environmental hnpact Report for the Orange COlmty Sanitation District Service Area Annexation and Collection System hnprovement Plan." 13. RECEIVE AND FILE: Letter dated October 26,2006, from Enviroml1ental Quality Control Board to County of Orange Re: City of Seal Beach Comments Re: "Recirculated Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration - Los Alamitos Pump Station - SCH 2003071158." 14. RECEIVE AND FILE: Memorandum dated December 11, 2006, Re: Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station - Installation Restoration Program - Status Report Re: RAB Project Update. 15. RECEIVE AND FILE: Memorandwll dated January 12, 2007, Re: Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station - Installation Restoration Program - Status Report re: RAB Project Update. 16. RECEIVE AND FILE: Staff Report dated March 21,2007, Re: City Comments Re: "Area of Potential Effects - PubliclPrivate Venture Family Housing Program, Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach." 17. RECEIVE AND FILE: Memorandum dated April 2, 2007, Re: Provision of Infoffilation Documents - Landing Hi11 Cultural Resource Findings. 18. RECEIVE AND FILE: Staff Report dated April 3, 2007, Re: City Comments Re: "Area of Potential Effects - Walking Path, Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach." 19. RECEIVE AND FILE: Letter dated April 11, 2007, from Environmental Quality Control Board to Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Re: City of Seal Beach Comments Re: "Draft Groundwater Monitoring Report, Installation Restoration Program (IRP) Site 14, Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach." 20. RECEIVE AND FILE: Letter dated April 11, 2007, from Environmental Quality Control Board to Orange County Sanitation District Re: City of Seal Beach Conunents Re: "Draft Program Environmental hnpact Report for the Orange County Sanitation District Collection System Improvement Plan." 21. RECEIVE AND FILE: Memorandum dated April 12, 2007, Re: Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station - Installation Restoration Program - Status Report Re: RAB Project Update. 22. RECEIVE AND FILE: Memorandum dated May 9,2007, Re: Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station - Installation Restoration Program - Status Report Re: RAE Project Update. 23. RECEIVE AND FILE: Memorandum dated May 22, 2007, Re: Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station - Installation Restoration Program - Status Report Re: RAE Project Update. 3 City of Seal Beach Archaeological Advisory Comlluttee Meeting Minutes of June J 8. 2007 24. RECEIVE AND FILE: Presentation "Hellman Ranch Archaeological Project, Seal Beach," prepared by EDA W. Member Dixon thanked Staff for the supplementary materials provided for the Landing Hill Report. MOTION by Dixon; SECOND by Vesely to approve the Consent Calendar as presented. MOTION CARRIED: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: VI. Scheduled Matters 3-0-1 Vesely, Coles, and Dixon Non~ Fitzpatrick 25. APROV AL OF MINUTES OF April 10, 2006. Recommendation: Approve Minutes WIth any corrections determined appropriate. MOTION by Dixon; SECOND by Vesely to approve the Minutes of April 10, 2006, as presented. MOTION CARRIED: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: 3-0-1 Vesely, Coles, and Dixon None Fitzpatrick 26. REVIEW AND APPROV AL - "Piecing Together the Prehistory of Landing Hill: A Place Remembered," prepared by EDA W, Inc. Recommendation: Provide comments regarding the subject document and suggest any amendments determined appropriate. Approve Staff-prepared "File Memorandum" and instruct Staff to forward to the City Council and Planning Commission for information purposes. Mr. Whittenberg noted that the full document was delivered to the Members of the Archaeological Advisory Committee (AAC) and a Supplemental Staff Report has also been provided tonight, which provides additional language primarily for the File Memorandum. He stated that after reading the report, Staff believes it to be excellent and that it clearly sets forth the requirements of the mitigation programs and the research designs for the City approvals of the Environmental hnpact Report (EIR) and through the Coast Development Permits issued by the California Coastal Commission (CCC). He noted that he has prepared a short list of typographical corrections, but overall the document is very clear in presenting the importance of 4 City of Seal Beach Archaeological Advis01Y Committee Meetl1lg Minutes of JUlie J 8. 2007 the site and the regional/cultural history of Southern California. Mr. Whittenberg then introduced Dr. Jamie Cleland from EDA W for a brief presentation on the report. Dr. Cleland stated that EDA W has worked on projects for the City of Seal Beach for ten years now, and expressed appreciation for the opportunity to work on the Landing Hill report. He noted that Landie.g Hill is the name by which archaeologist know this area, although it has been identified as the Hellman Ranch site and is now Heron Pointe. He asked whether anyone locally has identified this area as Landing Hill. Member Dixon stated that he believes this to be the traditional name. Dr. Cleland then provided a PowerPoint presentation on the above-noted report. ("Piecing Together the Prehistory of Landing Hill: A Place Remembered," prepared by EDA W, Inc., Staff Report, and copy of PowerPoint presentation are on file for inspection in the Planning Department.) Dr. Cleland began by presenting maps of Landing Hill as it appeared in early history when this area was a peninsula between two estuary wetlands. He explained that in 1955 the first archeological work was done by students from the University of Southern California (USC) and he presented topographical maps dating from 1963 and briefly reviewed the history of the recorded sites. He then discussed the history of the work done on this site by EDA W beginning in 1997 to the present, including the discovery of several Native American burial sites during the grading on the property and the subsequent reinterment of the remains in 2004 within the same geographic reference in which they were found. He added that as a result of the mitigation program for Heron Pointe the education center was created and interpretive signs were placed along the trails between Gum Grove Nature Park (GGNP) and the education center. Dr. Cleland noted that the Native American monitors had displayed an interest in understanding their connection with the past and agreed to permit the use of one tooth from each burial for radiocarbon dating and for DNA, unfortunately the DNA preservation was not useful for extraction and yielded no information, but the radiocarbon dating proved to be critical in interpreting the sites. He then provided a brief review of the radiocarbon dating and land uses for each archaeological period, noting that the Heron Pointe area had primarily been used for mortuary purposes. He continued by describing the findings within this area, then summarized by discussing lessons learned from the archaeological work done on this site. Dr. Cleland noted that EDA W feels that the most important lesson learned was that a larger manual sample probably should have been done as well as a controlled destruction rather than waiting for the construction crew to begin grading, which probably would have produced better data at less cost. Member Dixon asked if trail access was from Seal Beach Boulevard (SBB) as well as from GGNP. Mr. Whittenberg stated that eventually there will be access from both ends, but currently the trail access is from the parking lot off of SBB and is also available from the visitor parking lot within Heron Pointe. He explained that once the GGNP improvements are done, there will be complete trail access from SBB and from the entrance to GGNP off of Crestview Avenue. Member Vesely asked if the acronym "BP" in the report means "b efore present." Dr. Cleland confirmed that this was correct. He noted that there are calibrated years BP and radiocarbon years BP, and EDA W has used the calibrated years. Member Vesely stated that although he has not had sufficient time to thoroughly review the report, he is very impressed 5 City of Seal Beach Archaeological Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes of June 18, 2007 with its content. He thanked Dr. Cleland for his presentation. Dr. Cleland congratulated the City of Seal Beach for creating an Archaeological Advisory Committee (AAC), as not many cities in California have one. Member Dixon stated that this is one of the finest reports he has seen for the Coastal Region of Southern California, noting that the manner in which the questions, field work, and analysis are presented was very effective. Mr. Whittenberg requested that Committee members make a note of any clerical errors or omissions they may find within the report, and he will fOlward them to EDA W with the comment package. Member Coles a&ked when construction of the Native American walkway would be completed. Mr. Whittenberg stated that the walkway has been installed and the Interpretive Education Center is complete. He noted that additional landscaping is to be done at the GGNP extension between the eastern boundary of the park and extending out to SBB, and should be complete in approximately 4 months. Member Dixon stated that the last section of the report on "Lessons Learned" is an impoliant one, and he would like to excerpt this separately to provide to the City of Long Beach. Mr. Whittenberg said that copies of the final report will be provided to the libraries, a copy will be kept on file with the City, and EDA W will probably be distributing the report to several professional agencies within the field. He noted that Member Dixon's request can be placed on the agenda for the next scheduled AAC meeting. He suggested that the AAC make a recommendation that the final report be distributed to all adjoining cities around Seal Beach. Dr. Cleland stated that EDA W would be happy to do this and could also make a presentation to the City of Long Beach Planning Department. Mr. Whittenberg recommended approval of the File Memorandum as presented. Member Dixon stated that he would not hesitate to recommend approval. He again commented on the high caliber of the report and noted he is amazed that so much useful and important data has come from this site. Mr. Whittenberg commented that without the cooperation of the Most Likely Descendent in allowing analysis of the teeth from the burials, the report may not have been as comprehensive, and he hoped other Native American tribes would see that their ancestors can still be honored while allowing the tribe to learn more about how its ancestors used an area. Dr. Cleland noted that if appears the our culture is becoming more accepting of scientific findings in general, and perhaps this will lead toward more acceptance within the Native American community. MOTION by Dixon; SECOND by Vesely to approve Staff-prepared "File Memorandum" and instruct Staffto forward to the City Council and Planning Commission for information purposes. MOTION CARRIED: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: 3-0-1 Vesely, Coles, and Dixon None Fitzpatrick 6 City of Seal Beach Archaeological Advis01Y Committee Meeting Ml/1l1tes of June 18. 2007 VII. Committee Concerns Chairperson Vesely stated that he would be resigning as a member of the AAC. Mr. Whittenberg asked that Mr. Vesely submit written notice of his resignation to Staff. He noted that the final meeting for the Landing Hill report is scheduled for August 2007. Chairperson Vesely stated that he could remain on the Committee until then. VIII. Staff Concerns Mr. Whittenberg stated that from Staff's view they are sorry to hear about Chairperson Vesely's intent to resign from the AAC, as he has been very important to the Committee and very interested in the work being done in the City. Mr. Whittenberg also reported that Member Hoy has moved out of state and is no longer a member of the AAC. He stated that City Council has an appointee on the agenda for approval at the meeting of Monday, June 25, 2007. IX. Adjournment There being no objections, Chairperson Vesely adjourned the meeting at 6:45 p.m. to the meeting of August 2007. MOTION by Vesely; SECOND by Coles to adjourn to the meeting of August 2007. MOTION CARRIED: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: 3-0-1 Vesely, Coles, and Dixon None Fitzpatrick Gene Vesely, Chair son, Archaeological A visory Committee Respectfully Submitted, C'~\."",,....~^^~A.~ Carmen Alvarez, Executive Secretary Planning Department APPROVAL The Archaeological Advisory Committee on August 27, 2007, approved the Meeting Minutes of the June 18,2007. ~ . 7