PORT AND HARBOR ADVISORY COMMISSION UNAPPROVED

REGULAR MEETING

AUGUST 25, 2010

Session 10-06, a Regular Meeting of the Port and Harbor Advisory Commission was called to order at 5:07 p.m. by Chair Ulmer on August 25, 2010 at the City Hall Cowles Council Chambers located at 491 E. Pioneer Avenue, Homer, Alaska.

PRESENT: COMMISSIONER ZIMMERMAN, ULMER, WEDIN,

HARTLEY, CARROLL

ABSENT: VELSKO, HOTTMANN (excused)

STAFF: HARBORMASTER HAWKINS

DEPUTY CITY CLERK KRAUSE

APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Chair Ulmer asked to amend the agenda to address Item A. CIP, under Pending Business to after approval of the minutes.

WEDIN/HARTLEY – MOVED TO AMEND THE AGENDA.

There was no discussion.

VOTE. YES. NON-OBJECTION. UNANIMOUS CONSENT.

Motion carried.

PUBLIC COMMENT REGARDING ITEMS ON THE AGENDA (3 Minute Time Limit)

Jason Kunz, resident and owner of several large fishing vessels, commented in favor of Upgrading System 5. He explained that he has not been able to keep the large vessels in the Homer Harbor recently due to the lack of moorage and availability of shore power and in fact spent approximately $750,000.00 in repairs, upgrades, services, etc. on his two largest vessels. This revenue benefited Seward, not Homer. It would have been more convenient to stay in Homer. There are changes that need to be made. There should be a wait list for the face of the dock. His opinion was a resident who is here all winter should have priority over transient moorage. If a person has a large project they should have priority and be able to waitlist also. He could plan a year in advance if that was possible. It is not necessarily the derelict vessels causing the problems. He cited an example of calling the Harbor and asking about availability, by the time he arrived less than 24 hours later there was no availability. He spends about $350 per day on diesel for a generator, plus the wear and tear. Mr. Kunz asked if there has been consideration of changing System 5 to have reserve moorage.

Harbormaster Hawkins responded that moorage is on a first come first serve basis. They have always tried to do their very best to accommodate those who have projects to get done to get dockside. When Mr. Kunz called in there were pedestals available. He never considered going to a reserved system because that would require more management and may cause more hard feelings.

Mr. Kunz queried what the difference between the State and the Coast Guard was that he could not lease part of a dock for his five vessels and crew of 23. He stated that times have changed, boats used to work all winter, now they are in town and they need moorage.

Harbormaster Hawkins did not have a good answer regarding why he cannot lease part of a dock, but stated that the Coast Guard would not raft out and commercial fishermen will. He was not prepared to rally to Mr. Kunz's cause to change System 5 to reserve moorage; he saw that as causing lots of trouble to the fleet.

Mr. Kunz commented that the decision larger companies make are based on availability and there should be some preferential treatment to those that live and work out of Homer, the economic benefit would come from a harder management scheme. Seward provides that service for T dock, it is first come first serve, but you can reserve a power pedestal. No one wants to be three boats out with a major project. He does not mind having two boats out from him but the cost to him to fire his boats up when he is the one on the outside in the winter is too high a cost. He believes there are only 8-9 vessels that reside in Homer. It provides a major hardship having to go somewhere else. Mr. Kunz commented that he understands the constraints with funding and budget issues. He wanted to express his thanks to the harbor Staff for the use and personnel availability during the recent use of the Deep Water Dock and will love to arrange use next year for it.

Mr. Doug Stark, city resident, commented on the funding for the design of the Deep Water Dock Expansion. He stated that this was appropriated in the prior legislative session; he spoke with the Governor in Soldotna regarding veto; he met with him in Kachemak City; two days before he issued his vetoes in June. He strongly believes this prevented the governor from not vetoing the final $1 million dollars for the design. As far as getting money from the Feds, Mrs. Murkowski has been pretty effective in getting money since Uncle Ted is gone and in fact if she loses the nomination then we have two senators, one with no seniority, one with two years seniority and a member of the prevailing party; and we still have Don Young still, so he feels the project will still move ahead. Everything is still a few years off. He wanted to let them know what was going on there.

There were no further comments.

RECONSIDERATION

There were no items for reconsideration.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

A. Regular Meeting Minutes for June 23, 2010

WEDIN/HARTLEY - MOVED FOR APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.

There was no discussion.

VOTE. YES. NON-OBJECTION. UNANIMOUS CONSENT.

Motion carried.

VISITORS

There were no visitors scheduled.

STAFF & COUNCIL REPORT/COMMITTEE REPORTS/BOROUGH REPORTS

(Chair set time limit not to exceed 5 minutes)

A. Port & Harbor Director’s Staff Report – August 2010

Harbormaster Hawkins commented on the status of the TORA with the State regarding the City of Homer taking over the parking in the right of way from Freight Dock to Fish Dock and the State liked the idea so well they want the City to take over the whole spit. Details working on are signage, crosswalk locations, etc.

Commissioner Zimmerman asked about the Boardwalk Fish & Chips not having their own dumpster anymore.

Harbormaster Hawkins commented it may be something to address in the future – shared costs for the dumpsters.

Commissioner Carroll asked about disposal/use of the dredge materials. Harbormaster Hawkins responded that the materials will be trucked. The goal is to have a destination when the materials are initially in the truck. The dredging will be done in the beginning of September, he noted the areas on the Spit where dredging materials will be used, between Mariner parking lot, near Boardwalk Fish & Chips it is D.O.T. right of way and above high tide line but requires a permit. Another use is beach re-nourishment. They are finishing up the applications for permits.

Commissioner Carroll questioned if a certain area of the harbor could be used to provide moorage for Mr. Kunz. The clerk could not clearly hear the response from the Harbormaster as he was away from a mike.

Harbormaster Hawkins noted that with the final report from the Army Corps of Engineers the City will be able to do their own stumping for funds for projects such as Harbor Expansion.

He passed around a photo array of the barge being disassembled and then a clean beach. The Husky II is currently on the chopping block.

There was a brief discussion regarding the parking in the state right of way when the agreements are in place and the status of equipment, vehicles, etc. that are currently in the right of way.

There was no further discussion.

PUBLIC HEARING (3 minute time limit)

There were no public hearings scheduled.

PENDING BUSINESS

A. Memorandum from Harbormaster Hawkins dated August 18, 2010 Re: CIP List

B. Proposed New Projects

C. CIP Ranking and Tally Sheet

Chair Ulmer asked if everyone did their homework and was ready to list their preferences. There was a brief discussion on the priority listing of the projects. It was recommended that each Commissioner go home, fill out the tally sheet and get their choices to the Clerk in the next two days so it can be submitted. Any questions can be directed to Harbormaster Hawkins by calling or emailing him.

Commissioner Zimmerman questioned if a guard shack was required for the dock area in regards to the Upland Improvements on the Deep Water Dock and why not propose a restroom for System 5 also as a project.

A brief discussion ensued on funds the city will and has recently received from the cruise ship head tax, grant opportunities that this will open up, use of the head tax to improve the cruise ship area, trail improvement for cruise passengers, signage, etc.

There was no further discussion.

NEW BUSINESS

A. Alaska Harbor Observation Network (AHON)

Harbormaster Hawkins stated this was in previous packets. He commented that funding was found for approximately half the project installation cost and the enterprise fund would have to pay approximately $22,400 plus approximately $4000 per year for maintenance. Harbormaster Hawkins spoke to Seward, the test site for the program and proceeded to list some comparisons with the current system that is being used at the harbor. Overall current system is better in his opinion. The AHON system has a webcam. He spoke with representatives for the Army Corps of Engineers. This system is to gather and compile data from all over the state. He would prefer the opinion and direction of the Commission.

Commissioner Wedin commented that he accesses the current system, does not feel that a webcam is needed and did not feel that the expected cost for this new system offered any benefits they did not have now.

Commissioner Hartley stated he would like to have the program explained more fully. He felt that there may be some benefits to this new system in the future that they are overlooking. He expounded on the wish to see a wave machine at the green can. He felt that if a presentation was made at a meeting it may be that they can use most or some of the existing system.

Commissioner Zimmerman agreed with Commissioner Wedin. He felt that for the most part this was experimental at the City’s expense.

Commissioner Carroll agreed in part with Commissioner Wedin and felt that they would have more benefits of expending monies into a system that would really work.

Chair Ulmer felt that it was a sales job.

Harbormaster Hawkins will contact and make arrangements for attendance at a near future meeting for Question & Answers on the AHON project.

There was no further discussion.

B. Memorandum of Agreement between Rescue 21 and City of Homer

Dan Cole, a member of Rescue 21, understands that the proposed action is to begin charging the Quanah P slip fees and electricity. He is here to talk about a couple items related to that. If it is the general consideration that the Quanah P is excess to the services provided by the Coast Guard Auxiliary, which he is also a member; he would like to point out that the safe boat is limited to 6 foot seas, and 32 degree temperatures. This results in pulling the safe boat from the water in the winter, leaving only the Quanah P available for rescue operations. The Quanah P has no income and as such they would have to pull the boat from service.

Commissioner Wedin asked for further information regarding the services the Quanah P provides and the number of times the Quanah P has been called out. Mr. Cole can provide the information as to the dollar amount and lives saved at a later date. He did not have that information available tonight.

Harbormaster Hawkins stated that the reason this has come about was he found that there was no agreement on file and as an enterprise the Harbor must provide the reason why Rescue 21 gets free moorage.

The agreement drawn up by Rescue 21 in response to the standard agreement sent by the City is included in the packet and there are a few changes submitted by rescue 21 such as another stall at a different location.

Harbormaster Hawkins pointed out that they must get on the stall wait list and stall swap list. He does not have the authority and cannot give them a stall ahead of others who have been waiting. He further explained that the Quanah P does have a stall however they give up their stall in the warmer weather to the safe boat and then the Quanah P goes into transient status. In reality the safe boat is the transient.

A discussion ensued regarding the status of the Quanah P and how long it can be out of service.

Chair Ulmer requested clarification on the action required of the Commission.

Harbormaster Hawkins stated he could continue negotiations with Rescue 21. He explained that a sticking point with him was giving them another stall on G float and they needed to be put on the stall wait list as soon as possible. He related the paperwork end of this process has been quite bad between Rescue 21 and the city. Receiving timely responses to the paperwork would be a step in the right direction. He did not feel the application fee was hindering the process and that the Commission could waive the $25.00 fee if desired. Mr. Cole responded that he would gladly pay the fee if it was delaying progress.

Commissioner Hartley requested clarification on if the safe boat pays moorage and electric or if they are free too. He did not want to give away another slip on the same float.

Harbormaster Hawkins explained that the safe boat does pay moorage and electric he further clarified that 26 years ago the slip G2 was assigned to the Quanah P with no paperwork and he opened the file questioning who, what and how. This process will end with a resolution from Council guaranteeing the Quanah P a home. Mr. Cole stated he would forward his contact information to the harbormaster and if he could be cc’d on all correspondence and paperwork he will make sure it is completed and returned in a timely manner.

Harbormaster Hawkins will proceed with negotiations and when completed will bring it back before the commissioners for comment and recommendation.

There was no further discussion.

INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS

A. 2010 Commissioner Attendance at City Council Meetings

B. Harbormaster’s Monthly Statistical Report for July 2010

C. Weekly Crane & Ice Report

D. Deep Water Dock

E. Pioneer Dock

F. Pioneer Dock Ferry Landings

G. Water Usage

H. Lease Expirations as of 8/31/09

I. Letter dated July 28, 2010 from Seldovia City Manager Re: Designated Parking on the Spit

J. Resolution 10-66, Requesting Conclusion of Feasibility Study on the East Boat Harbor

K. Resolution 10-61, Endorsing Alaska Clean Harbor Pledge and Expressing Support

For Actions that Result in a “Clean Harbor” Certification.

L. 2010 Rate Comparison

Harbormaster Hawkins commented on the letters received regarding parking availability for Seldovia residents or included in customers with boat slips. It is requested that a year round designated parking area be determined. This was brought about by the enforcement of parking time limits and illegal parking. Ticketing was not done Spit wide due to the very nature that there were many issues with long term parking.

Discussion was entertained by the commissioners regarding developing a parking by permit system to address the concerns from residents in Seldovia and boat slip tenants. It was noted that living on the south side of the bay did not give you an automatic right for a parking spot, it was commented that you should be able to pay for the right. It was also discussed that paying for a boat slip should include a parking spot. The commission agreed to work on the issue over the winter and try to come up with an equitable solution.

The fish dock is doing great, business has been brisk. Production at the ice plant is going along the same levels as 2009 and may surpass those numbers.

The comparative study for harbor rates was reviewed. It was remarked that Homer is comparable if not cheaper than most on the list. Commissioner Carroll commented that Homer is higher on the daily rate. Harbormaster Hawkins explained this rate was capped out at six days and the rate is then converted over to a monthly rate.

Commissioner Carroll stated that Homer was in direct competition with Kodiak and Seward with the halibut boats and anytime they get hammered by Homer deters them from coming here. This situation is bad enough and cited Mr. Kunz as an example. Availability and electric should be provided for the larger vessels. Chair Ulmer asked what prevents a project like that to be done and the response from Harbormaster Hawkins stated it was cost, approximately $500,000.00 for a project like that and then you would have to look at other harbor project like Ramp 3. He asked which priority the commission would put on the project.

Commissioner Hartley asked how many derelict vessels are taking up space in the harbor. Harbormaster Hawkins responded there was one on System 5, the Inlet Harvester. Those being warehoused, the Albert, the rent was increased 50% and the Harbormaster has been in contact with the owner 2-3 times each week. Pressure is being put on the owner to do something as the boat has been there for 20 years. He relayed that the Abby Em has been sold, it will be moved out come spring by the new owner. The Honcho is current with the moorage and up for sale. The Spanky Paine is abandoned. He has been in contact with the City Attorney on taking ownership. Peninsula Scrap will finish up with the Husky II and closing up for the winter.

COMMENTS OF THE AUDIENCE

None.

COMMENTS OF THE CITY STAFF

There were no comments.

COMMENTS OF THE CHAIR

Chair Ulmer thanked the Harbormaster for all his hard work and the information on these vessels and the Rescue 21 people for attending.

COMMENTS OF THE COMMISSION

There were no comments from the commissioners.

ADJOURN

There being no more business to come before the Commission the meeting was adjourned at 6:48 p.m. The next regular meeting is scheduled for September 22, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. in the City Hall Cowles Council Chambers.

RENEE KRAUSE, DEPUTY CITY CLERK I

Approved: