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P. 0. Boh 1.8313 VE; -1'O BEA.C. i *LGRiCA 32960 :Mr. Chairman, County Cournissioners, Mr. Mayor and City Councilmen: September 14, 1981 Pelican Island Audubon Society has studied the Indian River Boulevard Extension proposal and offers the following comments. We have not objected to this project in the past because of the claim that its primary purpose was to provide emergency access to Indian River Memorial Hospital. We felt that the public benefits to be gained .justified the loss of approximately 8 acres of wetlands. Sufficient mitigatory measures were proposed to offset these losses, and we were under the impression that access :from adjacent properties east of the aligiment would not be provided. We are deeply disturbed to now find that the stated justification for this project is not paramount, and that the project has been modified so as to facilitate drainage and development of native wetlands rather than conserve these resources. With regard to the justification for this project, we note that the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation (FDER) permit application appraisal states that "The primary plirp.-,se for the road is to provide quicker access to a nearby hospital". The appraisal also stater that " Re`ulatory agencies havt,_ been giving, special consideration to this project because of the express -ed need to provide quick emergency service to the hospital and. the lack of :,iterra�« routes." In fact, there has been no publish d study of the ambulance response tire savings to be accruf!d by this pro j _,c_t . Furthermore, there is presently an alternative route utilizing 30th Street, which would cut approximately 2 minutes from the travel tine. Ambulance squad records indicate that there have been only 20 code -blue ambulance runs from the beach area to the hospital in the last. 2 years. This level of emergency traffic could easily be absorbed by the above-mentioned route. We find it incongruous that the County would be willing to spend 2 million dollars for an emergency roadway, when 90 thousand dollars could not bp allocated for Advanced Cardiac Life Support capabilities. Statements in the project environmental impact assessment, and in the May and July County Commission minutes, indicate that the pre- eminent purpose for this roadway is to provide an alternative thoroughfare to US 1 between northern portions of the county and the beach area. "Thio is 10% recycled paper" 7 mar 47?AtE*428