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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02012023 PACAB Minutes City of Seward,Alaska Port and Commerce Advisory Board Meeting Minutes February 1, 2023 Volume 4,Page 101 CALL TO ORDER The February 1, 2023 regular meeting of the Port and Commerce Advisory Board was called to order at 12:00 p.m. by Vice Chair Lynda Paquette. OPENING CEREMONY Harbormaster Norm Regis led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. ROLL CALL There were present: Chair (Vacant), presiding; and Lynda Paquette Bruce Jaffa Carl Hughes Benjamin Smith Fred Weelko, Dwayne Atwood comprising a quorum of the Board; and Stephen Sowell, Assistant City Manager Norm Regis, Harbormaster i Kris Peck, Deputy City Clerk Excused—Woelkers Absent—None CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Darryl Schaefermeyer said he was interested in today's ordinance discussion and understood the topic might be stretched across multiple meetings. He was concerned about PACAB being too specific to harbor related issues and could miss the broader scope of the community. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Hughes/Jaffa) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda Jaffa removed the January 4, 2023 PACAB Meeting Minutes from the consent agenda. Motion Passed Unanimous The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: Approval of the December 7, 2022 PACAB Meeting Minutes City of Seward,Alaska Port and Commerce Advisory Board Meeting Minutes February 1, 2023 Volume 4, Page 102 SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS Proclamations & Awards—None Administration Report. Harbormaster Norm Regis said Dive Alaska was coming to Seward this weekend to pick up trash underwater around harbor docks. The cleanup project was a training exercise for the dive team. The harbor department would assist with security and marking the area for safety. Regis predicted the dive team would bring up old fishing gear and trash, but possibly some treasures as well. Following the cleanup event there would be a picnic on the South Harbor Uplands. Jaffa mentioned he recently went on a fishing charter and noticed the docks were icy. Regis said once the sun hits the docks the ice melts quickly, but the harbor staff would spread salt as well. Assistant City Manager Stephen Sowell said he had to leave at 1:00 p.m. for another meeting. He wanted to address the resignation of PACAB Chair Brandii O'Reagan and he would like city council to officially accept O'Reagan's resignation at the February 13, 2023 city council meeting. Hughes asked for updates on the proposed Public Works building. Sowell responded they were trying to obtain direct highway access to lessen traffic flow on Sealion Ave. Other Reports and Announcements Alaska Railroad Report. Port Operations Manager Dwayne Atwood said there was a lot of freight activity with trains being loaded and the longshoremen had been working steadily. He introduced Rhonda Crabill as the new Assistant Port Manager. Jaffa was curious if the Alaska Railroad was struggling with employee retention or hiring issues. Atwood responded their wage levels were competitive but hiring seasonal summer staff for the train depot was tricky. Housing was an issue, but the railroad did provide an employee campground nearby with basic shower and laundry facilities. Hughes asked about the planned 2023 improvements to the cruise ship dock. Atwood said the railroad was interested in a dock that served multiple purposes and served the state year-round. Presentations—None NEW BUSINESS Other New Business Items Discuss the Chamber of Commerce Marketing Plan .......... City of Seward,Alaska Port and Commerce Advisory Board Meeting Minutes February 1, 2023 Volume 4,Page 103 Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kat Sorensen unveiled the brand new 2023 Seward visitor guide which was currently limited to only five copies. She then gave an overview of the Chamber of Commerce materials in the PACAB meeting packet. Hughes thanked Sorensen for her presentation. He estimated that 90%of the disembarking cruise ship passengers were immediately transported to Anchorage. Hughes wondered if that demographic should even be counted as visitors. Sorensen responded they were still contributing and leaving their footprint in Seward and to discount them completely would be a disservice. Jaffa asked about difference between paid media and organic media. Sorensen responded that organic media was content created by people who post their own photos and share on social media. Paid media would be social media influencer sponsorships with agreements for promoting certain things. Jaffa wanted to know data about fish harvest data, because he was concerned about a downward trend in the fishery. Sowell noted the Homer Chamber of Commerce was reliant on event specific revenue such as fishing tournaments. Sowell left the meeting at 12;57 p.m. Atwood asked what the future of the print media looked like with so much digital content available. Sorensen responded there was still demand for print media, especially for senior visitors who had not totally jumped onboard the digital bandwagon. Each year Sorensen reported a small decline in the number of visitor guides that were handed out. Sorensen said the chamber's event calendar had become too repetitive with repeat events and she had dialed it back to showcase only special events. Paquette wished there was an overall one-stop-shop event calendar that included everything such as weekly AA meeting and church events. Jaffa thanked Kat for providing a tremendous resource for the community. Formulate the 2023 PACAB Work Session Meeting Topics Jaffa felt that the document in the packet was too incomplete to be worked on at this meeting. Motion to Postpone (Hughes/Jaffa) Postpone Formulate the 2023 PACAB Work Session Meeting Topics until March 1, 2023. Motion to Postpone Passed Unanimous City of Seward,Alaska Port and Commerce Advisory Board Meeting Minutes February 1, 2023 ]volume 4, Page 104 Ordinance 2023-XXX Amending Seward City Code Chapter 2.30 Boards and Commissions Jaffa wanted to postpone the discussion to a February 15, 2023 PACAB Special Meeting and look very carefully at the language in this ordinance. Atwood wanted to learn more about the scope of PACAB and thoughtfully consider every aspect of the board including the very name of the board itself. Paquette agreed that the name PACAB would be worth re-visiting. Motion to Postpone (Jaffa/Atwood) Postpone Ordinance 2023-XXX Amending Seward City Code Chapter 2.30 Boards and Commissions to a special meeting on February 15, 2023. Motion to Postpone Passed Unanimous Approval of the January 4, 2023 PACAB Meeting Minutes Jaffa would like the minutes to reflect the brief exchange where he asked the assistant city manager a question and was ruled out of order by the chair. Deputy City Clerk Kris Peck responded he would add that occurrence into the minutes and re-submit the minutes on the agenda for the March 1, 2023 PACAB regular meeting. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS—None CITIZEN COMMENTS Darryl Schaefermeyer said he was saddened to hear the passing of Louie Bencardino. He encouraged PACAB to think of ways to honor Bencardino for his unmatched service to this community. Schaefermeyer noted PACAB's website information was outdated and he looked forward to seeing how the board would rebrand itself BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION COMMENTS & RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS Hughes was saddened to hear about the loss of Bencardino. Hughes recalled his first encounter with Bencardino. At the time Hughes was in his mid-20's and Bencardino was Seward's Chief of Police. Bencardino provided Hughes with a valuable life lesson on being a better citizen. Atwood said the Alaska Railroad was working on their part in honoring Bencardino. Atwood expected to see information soon in regard to Bencardino's years of service as the Alaska Railroad Port Manager in Seward. City of Seward, Alaska Port and Commerce Advisory Board Meeting Minutes February I, 2023 Volume 4,Page 105 Smith said he had only known Bencardino in his later years but had the privilege of working on Bencardino's custom-built electric tricycle. Smith also noted that PACAB was well suited for tackling a wide variety of community issues. Jaffa was keeping tabs on several projects outside of Seward. He advised everyone to pay close attention to Department of Transportation(DOT)projects and give them feedback whenever possible. One example was the Girdwood cloverleaf issue which Jaffa felt could be corrected by a simple $10,000 dollar traffic light. The Whittier masterplan had potential to impact Seward and he encouraged everyone to keep an eye on it. Jaffa was hoping to recruit volunteers for the Moose Pass Fire Department. The proposed trail from Seward that would replicate the Iditarod trail was underway and needed support. In closing, he was deeply saddened to hear of Bencardino's passing. Paquette said Bencardino's passing left a big hole in the community. She thanked Kat Sorensen for the Chamber of Commerce presentation and discussion. Paquette was glad to have postponed the two discussion items on today's agenda. She was looking for feedback from city council for PACAB work session topics. Paquette remained concerned that Seward was a coastal community without a climate action plan. She suggested involving Sustainable Seward as a resource. Paquette was particularly concerned that Seward and Lowell Point were unprepared for rising sea levels. Regis noted there would be an In Memoriam proclamation for Louie Bencardino at the February 13, 2023 city council Meeting. Regis said his recent trip with city officials to Juneau was very worthwhile. The City of Seward had great lobbyists and there was a lot of funding out there for projects. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 1:45 p.m. Kris Peck da Paque Deputy City Clerk e Chair (City Seal) �.O 4f SEyVq ,�r, 41-0 *. • 4s • SEAL r �V