Memorandum 15-053 Interpretive Sign Design and Fabrication Deep Water Dock/Spit Trail Project

Memorandum ID: 
15-053
Memorandum Status: 
Backup

Details

Memorandum 15-053

 

TO:                       Mary K. Koester, City Manager

FROM:                 Carey Meyer, Public Works Director

DATE:                  April 22, 2015

SUBJECT:         Approval –  Letter of Understanding with Pratt Museum

                              Interpretive Sign Design and Fabrication

                              Deep Water Dock/Spit Trail Project

 

 

The Deep Water Dock, Coal Point, and the Spit Trail project included provisions for the installation of interpretive signing.  Public Works facilitated a work session with various local, state and federal agencies (and individuals) interested in planning for these signs.

 

Attached are the overall signage themes and subthemes developed by the group. Also attached is a map showing the preferred location of signage prepared by Public Works.

 

The consensus was that the Pratt Museum was most qualified and in the best position to complete the final design and fabrication of the nine interpretive signs (with support from the group).

 

Attached is the letter of understanding prepared by Public Works that would authorize a partnership between the City and the Pratt Museum regarding the design and fabrication of the signage.

 

The budgets for these projects have sufficient funds to prepare and install the signs as envisioned in the letter of understanding.  Public Works would install the signs this summer.

 

Recommendation: The City Council, by resolution, authorize the City Manager or their designee to execute a Letter of Understanding between the City and the Pratt Museum regarding the design and fabrication of interpretive signage for the Spit Trails projects.

 

 

Homer Spit/Deep Water Dock Trails - Interpretive Signage

 

Overall Theme:

Homer’s Harbor isn’t simply a tourist destination, it’s a dynamic place with extreme tides, hosting a fleet of commercial and charter boats, birds and marine mammals, and links the end of the road to the marine highway and sea.

 

Subthemes:

Tides: Floating docks ride the tides, so the angle of the ramp that takes you down to the harbor may be very different on your trip back up.

Potential location: Ramp 5, 1 or Steel Grid

History of the Harbor: This harbor has been shaped by humans and nature.

The 1964 Earthquake dramatically reshaped the Spit, dropping its elevation by 7 feet.
Humans (Corps of Engineers) have shaped and re-shaped the harbor through different eras of dredging.
In 1899, the Cook Inlet Coal Fields Company laid a railroad track along the spit, connecting the docks to the coal fields along Kachemak Bay.
People that have been important to Homer’s history in relation to the harbor – is there an individual or individual who was key with a story that needs to be told?

 

Working Harbor: This working harbor shelters a diverse fleet from commercial fishing to charter boats.

There are # different boat types used in commercial fishing and they reveal the rich marine resources that come through Homer’s harbor.
Part of Homer’s work includes play, and this harbor shelters #personal and #charter boats to connect people to Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet.

 

End of the Road: The spit and harbor connect the end of the road to the marine highway, Kachemak Bay, and the sea beyond.

Homer is the end of the road, and the beginning of the marine highway, spanning ## to Seldovia/Kodiak/Dutch.
The Homer Spit is the exposed part of an underwater moraine for a tidewater glacier, formed approximately 16,500 years ago.

Wildlife: The sheltered waters of the harbor are a great place to spot wildlife including marine mammals and birds.

Look at existing panels and decide to replace or augment? What species/time of year is most important to tell about?

Many different species of birds are seen regularly in the harbor. (Seabirds, Shorebirds, Waterfowl)
Marine mammals may be seen loafing or feeding in the harbor (Otters, Seals)

Kachemak Bay is a critical habitat area for a wide variety of marine wildlife