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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001 PACAB Minutes City nf5.'ewnrd, Alaska January I (), 2(}(} I Pnr! (Jwl ('ol11merce Advis01)' Board '\Iinu!es Volume 3, flage 170 CALL TO ORDF:R The regular January 10,2001, meeting onhe Seward Port and Commerce Advisory Doard was called to order at 12:10 p.m. by Chairman Wille. ROLL CALL There were present: Ron Wille. presiding, and Doug Lechner Jack Goodwill Dean Kasischke Deborah Altermatt Roger Mercer Karl VanDuskirk comprising a quorum of the Board; and Sl:olt Janke, City Manager Sl:ott Ransom. Deputy Harbnnnaster Vanta Shafer, Coundl Ml.:mhl.:r, KPB/EDn Represl:ntatiw Louis Bencardino, ARRC Representative Judi Sweeney, PACAB Secretary Kari Atwood, Harbor Offil.:e Assistant III ABSENT were: James Pruitt, excused Ml:]ouy Jordan, excused SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND RRPORTS Louis Bencardino-ARRC Representative said that as (}fthis past wl:l:kend the new dock is in use. He said they are getting calls scheduling the dock use for this spring. He said that today a group from Holland America, Princess Cruises and executives from the Alaska Railroad would be meeting in Seward to discuss the coming year. Dencardino said there was some discussion for improvements for the building like improving the heating system, putting a check-in booth in the center of the building, etc. In answer to Janke's question, Bencardino said that another attempt to move the old SeaWay dock would be soon. He said the company that bought the ramp has until May 1, 2001 to move it and in answer to Goodwill's question, he said that the company that bought it is bonded as a condition oftheir bid. Vanta Shafer, Council Member, EDD Representative, said the last regular meeting was in December. She said that they would be leasing out part of their building for oftice space. A resolution passed supporting wnstmetion ufprivate prison to be built next to Wildwood Correctional Facility in Kenai. Shafer said she would like to see wireless tekphuIll: and internet service eome to Seward and was tuld that we are too far from an exchange station. The benefit of having one would be lower fees and more services available. Altermatt said that ACS Communications is offering wireless service to residential customers, but not businesses. Altermatt also said that Betsy Arbelovsky, would be attending the Harbor Dusiness Association on February 13. O(V afSeward. .'Ilaska January JU, J001 /'art and C Offlll/uee Advisory Board }..limlte~' Valume 3, Page 171 Administration Rellort. City Manager Janke n:porh..:d that Lowell Point Road had a major erasion problem on Sunday with unusually high tides and storm surges and the City crews have been hauling in rock and fill since Sunday. January 7 at 6;00 p.m. and tlu.:y would be for another couple of days. He said thaL it would cnst about $50.000 to bring the road back to prior condition. [n answer to Wille, Janke said the money for the repair ofthe Lowell Point Road would most likely come from Federa] emergency management funds. Janke reported about the year's Legislative Priorities List that was presented to the Council. He spoke of how the: Council was sUPPOliing Qudecak Shellfish Hatchery's drort to stay in operating status. lIe said that they would have another Seward reception on February] 4, in Juneau as they had dam.: last year and how the previous year's recepti(Jn had proved to be successful. Janke repOlted nil thl.O WTrent North Harbor Renovation project. He saiJ }w and lIarbormaster Beckham had met in Anchorage with Tryck, Nyman, Hayes, and Swalling Construction to go over the chain of command for the proj<..:l,,:l and hold a pre-construction In\.:ding. He said we are still slightly ahead of schedule with the demolition of the old floats around the firstwl.:ck of February and the ncw floats to arrive soon after. Janke reported thl'll he had inspected the floats. in Wa'6hington with the city a\torney, city clerk, In reply to Kasischke, Janke said the D and F. tluats would now be connectcd and there would be a ramp straight tu E float. Janke added that on January 23, 2001. Beckham and Ransom would be in"-pecting the concrete float construction. Lechner asked if there was mOllt;:y for the Lowell Creek (Divcrsion) Tunnel and Janke ."aid the project would be going to the Corp of Engineers. Deputy Harbormaster Ransom said that Harbormaster Beckham was attending meetings in Anchorage with the project engineers and the construction company. lIe introduced Kari Atwood, new OHice Assistant III at the harbormaster's office. CITIZENS' COMMENTS ON AUENDA ITEMS NOT SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Ron Long, KPB representative, reportt:d that KPB Mayor Bagley would be at a budget forum in January He said. the KPB Assembly just passcd their Legislative Priorities the previous evening. He congratulated Sandra Wasille on her appointrlll.:nt to the KPD School Hoard. He noted that it has been quite a while sin>.:\.:. we have had a representative from Sc-ward. Long said whether we want a pri"ate prison or not, the decisilln is made at the State level and \hI; IOl;ation is not final yet. VanBuskirk mentioned that Spring Creek is overpopulated by over 200 prisom:rs and when the present one was designed there were plans for a expanded prison on the same site. Shater '6aid that some reasons the State was not actively pursuing Seward for a new prison is becaust: uf the tuberculosis scare, the cost of transportation and lack of employees. Long said the Foreign Trade Zone appllcillinn was on hold for now Jim Collman, 609 4th Avcnue, said the next meeting of the Seward Boat Owner's Association woulJ be around the first week of February He said the SDUA has been wmking with the telephone cumpany to try and get telephone scrvice 10 the float systems. (:Ny nfS'eward, Alas/w January 10, 2M] Fort and ('omll/(>rce Advi.wrv Board !lfmutes Vulume 3. FaXe 172 APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA MOTION (LechnerlMercer) Approve the Agenda and Consent A~enda Motion passed hy unanimous consent. UNFINISHlW BUSINESS Priorities and Goals - Wille asked the board to look over the new format of the goals and priorities and see ifthere was any item that individually they would like tu tacklc and possible research and bring back to the board. Wille said that irthey approached the priorities and goals this WHY, thl..:Y could accomplish some of the goals. Willc suggested some tours of local busim::ss lu gct a hctter perspective of the nature of their business. The board tkcided to divide the list into Long and Short Term Gua]s. Fullowing discussion, Coodwill volunteered to get morc information on ARK Dock New Commerce by the meeting in April; Kasischkc chose Marketin~ & Economic Development by February 7; and hHve Harbormaster Beckham present at thl..: Fenruary 7 meeting, tht' Revised Rules and Regulations if they are ready. Will..: asked the fl..:mainder of the board to think about and ehuuse a subject. NEW BUSINESS None CORRESPONDENCE, INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS December 20. 2000, memorandum from lobbyists Brad Gilman and CJ Zane with a Washington D.C rl..:purt, noted for information only. December 26, 2000, memorandum from KPB Grants Manager Bonnie L. Golden with an update on the PTZ project, null.:d for information only. BOARD COMMENTS Mercer said the stellar sea lion issue is out of the local hands. Hl..: wondered how many sea lions is the right number - how many do we want? Kasischke said if anyone has a chancl..: to go see the new simulator at A VTEC, that it is quite imprcssive and wished A VTEC good luck. Goodwill commt:ntcd that there is about 110 cruise ships into Seward's port every year and we need to somehow get more of lhese people to enter the town and spend time and muney here rather than being whisked 01Tto Anchorage or other cities. We need to beller educate the cruise lines abuut what is available here. CITIZENS' COMl\1ENTS None r'ify ofSew(/rd. Alaslta Janumy ]0, 20ll] ForI and (~ommeTl:e Advisory Buard A/mules Volllme' 3. Page 173 BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZENS' COMMENTS None ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 1 :34 p.m. ~ee:7C?, udi Sweeney Buard Secrdary ~~ Run Wille Chairman (ritySeal) Cilr of Seward Alaska February 7, 2no J Port and Commerce Advisory Board Minutes Vulume 3, Page 174 CALL TO ORDER The regular February 7, 2001, meeting of the Seward Port and Commerce Advisory Board was called to order at 12:03 p.m, by Chairman Ron Wille, ROLL CALL There were present: Ron Wille, presiding, and Dean Kasischke Deborah Altermatt Karl VanBuskirk *James Pruitt Roger Mercer comprising a quorum of the Board; and James Beckham, Harbormaster Vanta Shafer, KPBjEDD Representative Betsy Arbelovsky, Executive Director, EDD Linda Story, Volunteers of America Judi Sweeney, PACAB Secretary ABSENT and excused were: Jack Goodwill Melody Jordan Doug Lechner *James Pruitt arrived at 12: 12 p.m. and took part in the meeting thereafter SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS Louis Bencardino, Alaska Railroad Corporation Representative reported there was not much change since the last meeting. He said they were going to put heated concrete floor in the main building and two new doors on the west side of the building. He reported the 282- foot USCG cutter Alex Haley is in town. Bencardino said that they are still trying to remove the (old SeaWay) ramp from the dock area. He said they are working on an agreement with Seward Coal Terminal to take back the road next to the terminal. Bencardino said that Swalling Construction Company is offloading at the new dock and they were possibly going to store some property at the SMIC. Vanta Shafer yielded her time to Betsy Arbelovsky, Executive Director of the Economic Development District, Inc, who gave a short presentation, She introduced Linda Story, Volunteers of America who said she would assist anyone If they wanted to help facilitate a forum. She said the EDD recently held an Economic Forum and it was very successful. Arbelovsky said they would like to have a forum for this part of the Peninsula. Some issues that may be covered would be: Harbor Issues Technology Tourism Health Related Issues Infrastructure Land Use Retail Revitalization of the downtown area Arbelovsky also said that they are working on a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for the peninsula. She said it could be a useful tool when projects are proposed if they are in line with the CEDS. City oj Seward, Alaska Fehruary 7, 2001 Port and Commerce Advisory Board Minutes Volume { Page 175 ADMINISTRATION REPORT Harbormaster Beckham said City Manager Janke was in D.C. this week and next week in Juneau. Beckham reported that the EDA pre-application grant for $1.3 million for the East Harbor Expansion has been submitted. He also said the North Harbor Renovation is moving along. The Anderson Tug Gale Wind was about two or three days out of Seattle/Tacoma. He said the floats are done and waiting on the dock In Tacoma. He reported that there is a crane in the harbor to pull piling and the electrical contractor has been pulling wire. Wille said the board appreciated the emait Information about the proposed fish cleaning stations and asked about the status of the plans. Beckham said the fish cleaning station plans were completed except the deck area and how they will be oriented. He said almost all of the concerns and desires of interested parties had been addressed. CITIZENS' COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS NOT SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING None APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA MOTION (Altermatt/Kasischke) Approve the Agenda and Consent Agenda including the minutes of January 10, 2001 Motion passed by unanimous consent. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Priorities and Goals - Kasischke had previously chosen the subject of Economic Development. He talked to Perry Zimmerman of the telephone company and found that they would soon have DSL, which would bring high speed internet access to Seward. Wille said he would volunteer for the internet information by the April meeting and would attend the Economic Development Forum that will be held and also contact other service providers like IntelAJaska or GCI and he would report back to the board in April under unfinished business. Kaslschke said that the Chamber is writing a grant to fund a full-time position at the chamber to promote economic development/marketing, This person would promote Seward and attend seminars and conferences that no one else seems to have time to attend. Following discussion, the board decided to invite the Chamber of Commerce Director to the monthly PACAB meetings to report on their current projects and include the views of the harbor and downtown groups because most of their members belong to the chamber. Harbormaster's report on the Proposed Rules and Regulations Beckham. He said that "where he is at" with the Rules are basically where we left them except for briefly revisiting them on his "to do" list. He would like to compile them in a handbook fashion. Beckham explained that the Rules and RegulatIons are in effect now in the form of the City Code Chapter 7, but in the beginning of this, he was trying to paraphrase and shorten the code section about the harbor. Following discussion, Beckham said he would prOVide the board with another copy of the draft rules and regulations before the next meeting and he would try to have them done by June. NEW BUSINESS rity of Seward, Alaska February 7, 200] Port and Cummerce Advisory Board Minutes Vvlume 3, Page 176 Transient Vendors in the Harbor Wille, with board agreement, opened the subject of transient vendors in the harbor for public input. Bonnie Gill, 510 6th Avenue, Seward, spoke before the board saying that the previous night she and McFarland had gone before the Planning and Zoning Commission. Gill showed a picture of her proposed cart. She said that she thought that it would attract people and enhance the harbor area. Randy McFarland, Mile 6.5, has a similar proposal for a kettle popcorn cart. He said he operates his business in Anchorage at the Fur Rendezvous, Special Olympics, etc. and stressed how hard it is to do business in this town. Carl Hughes, Aurora Charters, Seward Boat Harbor, spoke against allowing transient vendors in the harbor area referring to previous vendors from a couple of years ago and how unsuccessful that was. Hughes said as a leaseholder on the boardwalk, he felt it was not a level playing field allowing vendors to do business when he and the other leaseholders had to comply with rules, pay substantial lease payments, and invest in permanent buildings. He said in the harbor's master plan was adopted as a guideline and it did not include transient vendors. Beckham talked about the already congested harbor plaza area, especially when bus loads of people offload by the harbormaster bUilding and plaza. In answer to Altermatt, Beckham said that he contacted all of the leaseholders in the area, namely Saltwater, The Fish House, Scoby, KFT, Major Marine, etc. and most did not want the transient vendors in the harbor. He had thought they would be at the meeting. Following this discussion, it was moved by Kasischke, seconded by Altermatt and passed with two dissenting votes from Wille and Pruitt to recommend to council to allow transient vendors in the harbor area. Tour of Seward Coal Terminal scheduled for noon on February 14, 2001. Board members will meet at the terminal. Wille added that the tour of the Quetecak Shellfish Hatchery was very interesting and have a fantastic facility. He said if that the economic problems are solved, the hatchery and farmers would benefit greatly. He said the Hatchery was going to provide a fact sheet for the board members who were not able to attend. CORRESPONDENCE, INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS Tryck, Nyman, Hayes, Inc. resident engineer weekly reports, January 14, 21, and 28, 2001, noted for information only. Seward Harbor Long Term Plan and Funding 2001, prepared by Harbormaster Beckham, noted for information only. January 2001, Zones Report, regarding Foreign Trade Zones, noted for information only. December 2000, AK Industrial Development and Export Authority regarding the Ketchikan shipyard, for information only. January 16, 2001, NPFM News and Notes, for information only. BOARD COMMENTS Kasischke thanked Harbormaster Beckham for providing information regarding the North Harbor Renovation. He said it helps to have Information to dispel rumors. Citv olSeward, Alaska Februmy 7, 2001 Port and rommerce AdVl.v()/J' RO(1rd Minutes Vulume 3, Page 177 Wille asked when the next meeting of the fjsh cleaning station task force and if the board could be kept informed about that. CITIZENS' COMMENTS None BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZENS' COMMENTS None ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 1:35 p.m. ! ( ~ r.(,kL<ULC.t.-L ~di Sweeney {/ Board Secretary ~-~ Ron Wille Chairman (City Sea I) Cill' u.{Sewurd Purl und Cummern: Advisory,' Suard Minutl!s M'lrl.;h 7, 2001 Vulume 3, Puge 178 CALL TO ORDER The regular March 7, 2001, meeting of the Seward Port and Commerce Advisory Board was called to order at 12:00 p.m. by Chairman Ron Wille. ROLL CALL There were present: Ron Wille, presiding, and James Pruitt Deborah Altermatt *Doug Lechner Jack Goodwill Dean Kassischke Melody Jordan * Karl Van Buskirk Comprising a quorum of the Board; and Scott Janke, City Manager James Beckham, Harbormaster Vanta Shafer, KPB/EDD Representative Kari Atwood, Acting Board Secretary ABSENT were: Roger Mercer, excused *Karl Van Buskirk and *Doug Lechner arrived at 12:04 p.m. and took part in the meeting thereafter SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS Louis Bencardino, Alaska Railroad Corporation Representative called at 11.30 a.m. to say he would be unable to attend the meeting. Vanta Shafer, KPB/EDD Representative, said that the EDD is going to have a community forum tentatively scheduled for March 27, from 8am to 5pm. The focus will be about commerce development in our town. They have invited representatives from AT&T, GCI, and TelAlaska to the forum to discuss the future of communications in Seward. She hopes most of the PACAS board will be able to attend this event. Administration Report City Manager Janke mentioned that the bid from SwaJ1ing Construction for the fish cleaning stations seemed to high. The City may put the fish cleaning stations back out for bid and just have Swallling do the piling for the stations. The project is moving forward and the barge should be here in about four days. Jordan asked how much the bid was over and Janke reported it was about seventy thousand over what was budgeted. Wille Clly ufSeward Furt und Commerce AdvisOlY Buard kfmutes Mun:h 7, 2001 Volume 3, PURe 179 asked about a time frame for getting them done and Janke said a good case would be sixty days. Janke also reminded everyone that the fish cleaning stations were added to the project in December, late in the process. The B station is still in place and there could be some service there until the other stations are completed. Altermatt asked about the connection between D and E float and Janke added that they will not be connected right away but will be in the future. The City Council would like to get Era Aviation back here to develop some carrier service in Seward and we would support their efforts to get the Essential Air Service Contract. Pruitt asked if we have air service now, we have FS Air but they are a different classification then ERA. FS Air is an on cat! service but ERA would have a flight service schedule. In the long range this would be a good benefit to the community Altermatt expressed that some merchants are concerned about the cross-walks being changed on Fourth Ave. Janke responded that the one in the middle of the block will be moved so that it will be in line with the trestle going to E float. Hopefully people will use the crosswalks. Janke reported that Seward Internet is down and may be down until Friday. Harbormaster Beckham reported that Judi Sweeney, PACAB Board Secretary, had suffered an appendicitis and would probably be gone about a month or month and a half. EDA invited us to submit an application as a result of our preapplication for a $1.3 million-dollar grant for the East Harbor Expansion Project. This is due on the 26th so it has been the item focused on this week. Janke interjected that when you are invited to apply you have about a ninety- percent chance of getting the grant.. Project update, they are almost done relocating J dock to what is now going to be K. The remaining steel piling should be torn out today. We are on schedule. They have two pile driving crews and should be able to do at least twelve a day If necessary we may be able to set up a temporary fish cleaning station while the new ones are being built. We had a DEe volunteer visit; we have some paperwork that needs to be done for the used oil- handling program. We are doing a lot of things right but are working to stay in compliance. Putting finishing touches on rate plan review, the emphasis on tying what people actually pay for service to what services they are receiving. Jordan asked about a plan to facilitate the influx of commercial fisherman that will be coming in the harbor because of IFO 's and black cod fishing. Beckham replied that the harbor is going to be very crowded and several barges are due in. The Bartlett will leave on March 15th. We have broadcast going out so the boats know we are crowded. Everyone needs to work together and Janke will check with the Council about perhaps letting boats tie up to the North Dock but pay the harbor moorage rate, which is lower, to help alleviate the congestion. Boats will have to raft off one another Although so much is happening in the Seward Harbor it remains open. CITIZENS' COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS NOT SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING City u(S",:wurd Purt and Commerce Advisory Board /tIinutes Murch 7, 2001 Vn!Uffle i, Page 180 Dale Hoogland, 2503 Cedar St., he has a trucking service and seventy-five percent of his business is related to the fishing industry He is concerned that people will think the harbor is closed and that will send business to other ports, This could have a negative impact on other businesses Wants everyone to be aware of his concerns that this will affect more than just the fishing fleet. Could we make an agreement with the Railroad to use their dock? There needs to be a plan before the boats get here and we find ourselves in a bad situation. He thanked the board for the opportunity to speak. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA MOTION (Pruitt I Kasischke) Approve the Agenda and Consent Agenda including The minutes of February 7, 2001 Motion passed by unanimous consent UNFINISHED BUSINESS On-Going Project List -- Wille asked the board if anyone would like to tackle any of the projects on the list that have not been taken. He mentioned that two reports would be given at the next meeting April 4, 2001. Jack Goodwill will give the ARR Dock New Commerce, and he (Wille) will give one on the Internet. Jim Pruitt inquired about the North Dock and its position on the list and he will give a report about it at the next meeting. CORRESPONDENCE, INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS None BOARD COMMENTS Lechner complemented Beckham on his getting the application for the grant for the East Harbor Expansion. He reminded everyone to help with the short-term crunch in the Harbor. Goodwill asked if Seward Fisheries could perhaps provide the number of boats that come into the harbor during this time. Jordan asked the board to all chip in and get flowers for Judi Sweeney She also asked that everyone has patience, this is a big project and we all have to do what we can. So far, no fishermen have complained to her about the Harbor construction and she is not sure where the negative publicity is coming from. The fisheries will give water to all boats that need it and we all have to work together and be accommodating. Altermatt agreed that the board should send Judi flowers and thanked Beckham and Janke for the updates and was glad things are going well. She would like the board to attend and support the EDD conference that Vanta mentioned in whatever way possible. City of Seward Purt and ('nmmr!rc2 Advlsury Boord Aiimltes Manh :, 2001 Volllme 3. PURe 181 Pruitt asked about the status of the "Newby Navy" at SMIC HM Beckham said that every couple of months someone inquires about the derelict boats at SMIC with some great idea that never happens. Pruitt commented that although we have all taken a hit regarding use of the harbor, overall, he wanted to give credit to the Harbormaster on the good job on the harbor project. Pruitt announced that the COM FISH Show would be held on March 23, in Kodiak and that this would be their 13 or 14th year In attendance. Kasischke suggested printing a flyer to had out at the COMFISH show explaining the status of the Seward Harbor. Wille reported that the Chamber of Commerce Director might be at the next meeting. Wille said that the board had found out by accident that the Alaska Railroad would be holding an open house on March 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Seward Freight and Passenger Dock and the Round House. Wille asked about reduced moorage for the North Dock or the ARR Dock during the construction when the bigger fishing boats come in to offload, ice up, etc. Wille suggested the City adopt an ordinance in support of requiring tug assists for all cruise/or boats of certain size because of safety issues. Janke suggested Wille have a resolution for the next meeting in support of the requirement to have assist tugs for vessels of certain size. CITIZEN'S COMMENTS NONE BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN'S COMMENTS NONE ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 1 :23 p.m. ~4k;:;1T/ Kari A. Atwood Acting Board Secretary ..--? C~d-:;2- Ron Wille Chairman (City Seal) Port and Commerce Advisory Board Vol 3 Page 186 CALL TO ORDER The regular May 2, 2001 meeting of the Seward Port and Commerce Advisory Board was called to order at 12:00 pm by Chairman Ron Wille. ROLL CALL There were present: Ron Wille, presiding, and Doug Lechner James Pruitt Melody Jordan Deborah Altermatt *Jack Goodwill *Dean Kasischke Karl Van Buskirk **Roger Mercer Comprising a quorum of the Board; and Scott Janke, City Manager James Beckham, Harbormaster Louis Bernardino, ARRC Representative Kari Atwood, Acting PACAB Secretary Absent: *Jack Goodwill and meeting thereafter *Dean Kasischke arrived at 12:06 and took part in the **Roger Mercer left at 1:20PM SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS Louis Benc:ardino, Alaska Railroad Corporation Representative reported that the heated floors in the new building are just about complete. He said a Japanese film crew would be in town soon filming a documentary on the history of the Alaska Railroad. On Friday, Pat Gambell, President of the Alaska Railroad will be in Seward to have a look around. The Coast Guard will be leaving soon and the ferry and the cruise boats will be coming in soon, it is a very busy time but everyone is working together. They are also trying to get the ferry office moved and that will help with some of the confusion when the cruise ships are in. Jack Goodwill asked if this was Mr. Gambell's first trip to Seward and would he be able to attend a Chamber of Commerce or PACAB meeting. Mr. Bernardino answered yes it was his first visit to Seward and perhaps he could come back down sometime to attend a meeting. Deborah Altermatt asked if he thought there would be any problems with the Holiday train, Mr. Bernardino didn't think there would be. The tracks to the cargo dock will be completed at the end of the month, they did have a few problems, including having to move some boats. A. KPB/EDD - Vanta Shafer (absent) B. Administration Report City Manager Janke brought a copy of a letter he wrote to Tom Torgeson and asked each board member to call a representative and ask them to include Nash Road and Fourth Avenue in bill 191. He said he has spent a lot oftime trying to get Port Avenue built by next year including sidewalks and lighting. Fourth Avenue is closed until May 15 to put in a larger culvert. Janke said he would like to have a gentleman speak at the May 16 work session about his pork project. Seward would be the port Port and Commerce Advisory Board Vol 3 Page I R7 for-bringing in the feed and shipping out the product to other countries and it would not be where the pigs are kept. Harbormaster Beckham reported that the harbor is coming up with a standard for any adjustments people wanted to make to the new floats, like adding fenders etc. The Harbormaster's office would do all the installation and everyone would have the same product to keep the new floats consistent. He is also looking into creating a special place for people to store their dock carts. Kasischke asked about people painting or doing projects on the new floats and Beckham replied that we already have policies covering that in the Code and people will be charged for any damage or defacing to the new float system. Lechner asked if the electricity was suppose to be done on May 1 and when the old floats were going to be moved out of the boat launch area. Beckham said the completion date for electric was July 1 and that the old floats were supposed to be moved two days ago. He had contacted Swalling Construction and they were going to move them out right away. Wille asked if there would be telephone service on the docks, and could we set up a meeting with Tel-Alaska. Beckham said they had a meeting with Tel~Alaska and they said they would not provide telephone service offshore. Beckham dId discuss the possibility of pay phones on the floats. Tel-Alaska would install the telephones, but the city would have to pay and maintain it. It is all very expensive and they are trying to look at some other options for getting telephone service to the floats. Pruitt mentioned that people could use wireless service in the mean time, Presentation by Tim McDonald on Nash Road Boat Harbor Tim McDonald gave a presentation to the board for his proposed boat harbor on Nash Road. CITIZENS' COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS NOT SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Julie Taurlanen, Executive Director of the Seward Chamber of Commerce reported that they received a grant to attract non-tourist businesses to Seward. They have a short time to spend the grant and may use a marketing company. Taurianen said she would like the Board's input. Janke commented that they should stress the low tax rate, Pruitt suggested that they market SMIC and stress that the quality of life is good here. Taurianen stressed that they only have until June 3D and she needs to be contacted before then. Mr. Ron Long, KPB representative remark favorably on Tim McDonald's presentation and wished him good luck on his up hill battle. He hoped the Board would support McDonald's harbor as a private project. He also told McDonald that when you contact your legislator to mention the Spruce Tree Bridge on Lowell Point as a road project that needs funds, APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Lechner moved to approve the April 4, 2001, regular meeting minutes, Kasischke second, unanimous consent. Lechner made a motion to add agenda item 7 A, Northern Edge, to new business. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Priorities and Goals North Dock- James Pruitt The reason the North Dock has not taken off is never been developed. They're our businesses that need and would use a deep-water protected basin. Pruitt said developing the North Dock used to be the priority of the board, but that the focus has shifted away from it and it should be moved back to the top of the list again. Marketing- Dean Kasisc:hke- reported that the name of the company that offers Internet access through a dish network system is Rocket. Port and Commerce Advisory Board Vol 3 Page 1~8 NEW BUSINESS Northern Edge Lechner requested that Janke write a letter to Admiral Barrett inviting the Coast Guard back to Seward, Janke said he would be happy to do that. CORRESPONDENCE, INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS A. Alaska Business Monthly, April 2001- Article "Alaska's Rural Ports Spur Economic Growth" B. Government West, Marchi April 2001 C. April 2001, North Pacific Fishery Management Council News Notes, were noted for information only. BOARD COMMENTS None CITIZENS' COMMENTS None D.l. Whitman, Seward Ships Dry-dock, said that at SMIC people are putting money into the development of the SMIC area. Everyone needs to look at and follow the SMIC policy. If the rules are not going to be enforced Seward Ships Dry Dock is going to put a trailer in SMIC the yard and start working. BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZENS' COMMENTS Harbormaster Beckham will try and get more articles that impact business in the packet. In regard to dealing with OJ Whitman's comments Jim Pruitt said he wanted a response from the administration. Pruitt said that campers in shacks have stayed in the SMIC yard and required insurance is not being enforced. It is a storage yard and it was not intended for a portable shop. He said he wants some clarification. Janke said he could not respond right now, but would look into it. 12. ADJOURNMENT 2:00 p.m. ~~ Ron Wille Chairman ~b~.&~ K ri Atwood, Acting Board Secretary City of Seward. Alaska Port and Cummf.'/"Cf.' AdvisorJ.' Buard J'vfinutes Vulume 3, Puge 189 CALL TO ORDER: The regular JUll\,; 6, 2001 meeting of the Seward Purt and Commerce Advisory Board was called to order at 12:08 p.m. by Chairman Ron Wille. ROLL CALL '1 'here were present: Ron Wille, presiding, and Roger Mercer Jim Pruitt .Jack Goodwill Dean Kasischke Ahsent were: Doug Lechner Melody Jordan Deborah Altermatt Karl Van Buskirk Comprising a quorum of the Board; and W. Scott Janke, City Manager James B. Beckham, I-Iarbormaster Louis Bcncardino, Alaska Railroad Corporation Representative Vanta Shafer, KPBIEDD Represenlative Kari Atwood, Acting P ACAB Sccretary SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS: Vanta Shafer, Council Member/Kenai Peninsula Borough Economic Development District representative passed out a draft of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy tor the Kenai Peninsula Burough. They havc spent a lut of timc un this and the next meeting is June 21 after that they will be meeting every other month. Louis Bcncardino, ARRC Representative reported that Yukon Fuel is interested in putting in storage tanks out on railroad property near the blue building. The railroad is supporting their efforts as much as they can. It is a big $30 million project and seems like it is moving forward. The cruise ships are getting larger (some 900 ft) have caused some problems for the railroad. Thcy arc making adjustments to make them work, may have to look at putting an extension un thc duck. Friday there will be two cruise ships, a HSCG ship, a NOAA ship and the State Ferry all using thc dock. The floor is complete and the electricians should be wraping it up SOOl1, have talked to the railroad ahout utilizing the huilding in the winter, for conventions or maybe cvcn youth dances. Wille asked ifthe railroad had looked into requiring the cmise ships to have tug assists wh-.:n usmg the railroad dock. Rencardino responded that the railroad had not re811y discussed it but perhaps they Part and Camm,:>rce Advisory Board A,fjnutes Vu/ume 3, Puge 190 ('ity ofScwurd, Alaska L:uuld diSL:USS it. The JapaI1L:Se film crew is herc doing a documentary about the railroad. II will be a two-hour documentary to air in Japan. Pruitt asked ifBencardino had heard any wonl on the railroad to Anchorage Airport project and could we possibly get a copy ofthe documentary when it is done. Bencardino said the Airport project should be done next fall and the documentary would be in Japanese language but he would see what he could do. City Manager Janke reported that he had dinner with the President of Yukon Fuel; they have a lease with the railroad for the property that ha.. heen done. They have also shown some interest in somc propClty in SMIC Hthe project went on line as a $30 million dollar construction project that would mean around $1 no thousand in property taxes to the City Most of the employees would live in Seward. They will he making a presentation to Council either the end of June or in July. Have asked thi.:m with our assistance to hold a town meeting. They are very pro-active and have met with local envirorunental groups to keep them infonned of their plans and appear to have very good attituues. We will keep everyone posted on the progress of this project. The City has a risk management group looking into repOlts of people tripping and falling on the new harhor ramps. No one has been seriously iqiured and the ramps are not as steep as the old ones hut apparently the grating is causing some problems. The City is concemed for the puhlic 's safety and doesn't take this matter lightly. PL:rhaps carpet will be installed or some other altemative. Goodwill asked if the tank farm project was only looking at railroad land. Janke answered that the actual tank farm would be on railroad land. Tht; City didjust reccivc late Monday a public notice ofa permit application from Seward Ships to build a small dock within the City's Small Roat Harhor This will he on calendar for City Council next Monday night the deadline for comments to the Army Corp is .June 281h. This was not in on time to hring to the Board as an agenda item it has been distributed as a lay down item so you can look at it hut we are not asking for any action to be taken on this item. Harbormaster Beckham reported that half the power is available un H & J docks and the remaining pedestals should be here Monday. A sewer pump test is scheduled for today and he will have to leave right after this report to be present lor the test. The 1ish c.leaning station completion contract is under way and the contractor is on site. We are still working on the puneh list for the project there are just a few small item left. Janke added that 2500 boy scouts would be showing up in town today. Kasischke asked if the floats that were cracked when they arrived would they still be guaranteed. Beckham replied that some of the cracks will self heal and there are three floats that are going to be replaced. All the floats will be guaranteed. Wille asked if John Daley was gonc. Beckham answered that he does nol need to be here full time but will be here at critical junctures for the fish cleaning stations and to go through the punch list and inspect repairs. Wille commented that he did appreciate the weekly engineer's repotts and felt they were very helpful and would like to see perhaps a bi-weekly harbor report continue maybe just on an e-mail basis to keep the Board informed on what is going on in the Harbor. Wille also asked why the short buses are still parking in the parking lot and not using the bus-loading zone. Janke replied that there are two shuttle bus stops located in the middle lot. The whole parking lot issue will be revisited in the fall with the different groups that u::;e it and they will discuss what works and what doesn't and make changes. The system is not peried but it is bctter than last year. Kasischke a..ked Beckham why the G float slips on the North end of the Harbor takcn out and what was the Harbor going to do to alleviate the problems with the 20 n boats that had been there in the past. Beckham replied that anything fewer than 32 it is City afSeward, Alaska I'ort and Cummf.!rce Advisarv Buurd Minutes Volume 3, Page 191 considered trailerable all the slips were eliminated when the G float was moved forward in the renovation. Those slips were usually only rented on a semi-annual or quarterly basis and the revenue on those slips maybe totaled $12 thousand we were ablt: to add some new slips in the larger sizes with this move and their revenue is about $37 thousand a year. Those slips were added to F-F- & H 11oats. Wille mentioned that this was discussed a long time ago with the engineers when this project started and had been in all the drawings previously presented to the board. CITIZEN'S COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS NOT SCHRIJIJL~:1l FOR PUBLIC HEARING: None APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA: Added Agenda Statement, Rescheduling the July 4, 2001 meeting to July 1 L 2001' Motion by Goodwill, 2nd by Mercer Passed with unanimous consent.. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Goodwill, Railroad dock report. the State Ferry Tustumena will be relocated to the freight dock lor the summer because of the l.:ruise ship trame. Snug Harbor has entered into a long-term lease agreement with the railroad for unloading fish there. We are trying to solicit new winter barge traffic, especially with the mild winter wc just had. Janke mentioned that Yukon Fuel said they wuuld push Northland to bring more traiTie in to Seward. There were 110 cruise ships scheduled ffild that number is down to 108. Princess still has the most stops here and next year may be bringing in some even larger boats. Holland America has the second most port calls with 28. Celebrity cruises has nine and Royal Caribbean is new this year. Carnival has the new large ship 960 ft. NEW BUSINESS: Resolution 2001-02, Supporting the Efforts oftht.: Alaska Pork Project, Inc. in seeking and acquiring funds for the development of a business plan. Kasischkc motion tu adopt, Goodwill seconded. Discussion: Goodwill said the article from the Peninsula Clarion sure brought up some interesting environmental concerns, wondered if perhaps some addition shuuld be made to the resolution concerning them following environmental policies. Pruitt stakd that when they get tu the permitting stage of this process that will take care of a lot ofthe environmcntal cuncerns. Janke also noted that none of the farms would be located in Seward. Kasischke suggested it should be supported because it would be good for the economy. Kasischke moved to enact the resolution and Pruitt 2nd thc motion. Goodwill, Kasischkc, Mercer, Pruitt, Willc all voted yes. Resolution Passed Resolution 2001-03, recommending support of the McDonald Point Project. Kasisehke motion to adopt, Pruitt 2nd Discussion: Kasischke thinks the resolution is good as it stands and that it is important that we show support for Mr. McDonalds plan. It is a good dcvelopmcnt and would be good for the Seward economy. Kasischke motion to enact resolution 200l-c;, Mercer 2"u, Goodwill, Kasischke, Mercer, Pruitt, Wille all voted Yes. Resolution Passed City of Seward, Alaska Port and r.'oll1l11crce Advisorv Board Minutes Vulume 3, Page 192 CORRESPONDENCE, IN~'ORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS (no action required) A. Preventing and preparing for fud spills I3. Bottom washing- A cleaner underside and a cleaner environment C. Boat Bottom Wash Water in Michigan D, US EPA settles lawsuit with marine paint firm E. US boating industry study available f. Clarion Hog Farm artidc G, A Risk Management Reminder II. US Army Corps of Engineers Alaska District Public Notice of AppliL:ation for Permit, within section 22, TIS., R. 1 W., Seward Meridian, adjac.ent to Lowell Point, in Seward, Ala"ka 1. Marcus Hartley letter to Harburmaster Jim Beckham regarding, the online sea lion survey BOARD COMMENTS: Pruitt we have applied for a Corp of Enginc~rs Permit to drive sheet piling "dlong the face of the shoreline from to J dock to Tanya's train depot and dredge out the area in between. This would help hold the beaL:h bat:k and accommodate the huilding, of a huteL There would he a boardwalk going around the front and it would be a nice continuation ofthc harbor. If they get through the Corp permit process the window or operation is between Septemhcr emu April. Mercer inquired if the purposed boardwalk would be n public boaruwalk and Pruitt answered yes it would be and the purposed dock area would be accessible to the public also. He will keep tht: board informed oftheir progress. Wille said he talked to Dan McDonald, ofKFT and he said fiftcen people had fallen on the ramps so far. It is good that the City is looking for a solution to this problem because that ramp is like achecse-grater when people fall on it and we want everyone tu be safe. We really need to work something out. Janke responded thal the City is concerned ahout the safety of the people who use the harbor and a solution will be found. Wille mentioned that he really did appreciate the E-mails and would really like to see that continue, from the harbor department. City of Seward, Alaska Fort and Cmnmerce AdVlsmy Roard Afinu{es Volume 3, /'age 193 CITIZEN'S COMMENTS: Nunc BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN'S COMMENTS None ADJOURNMENT I :30 pm &: /lfiwc/ Kari Atwood Acting Board Secretary C:::=:Z::=:.>- P'r>- Ron Wille Chairman (City Seal) C,ity of Seward P0l1 anu Cllmmerce Advisory Board September l, lOlll Vol 1 Pagel94 CALL TO ORDER The regular September 5, 2001, meeting of the Seward Port and Commerce Advisory Board was called to order at 12:00 p.m. by Chairman Ron Wille, ROLL CALL There were present: Ron Wille, presiding, and Dean Kasischke Deborah Altermatt James Pruitt Karl Van Buskirk Jack Goodwill *Roger Mercer Melody Jordan Doug Lechner Comprising a quorum of the Board; and Scott Ransom, Deputy Harbormaster Louis Bencardino, Alaska Railroad Corporation Representative Vanta Shafer, KPBjEDD Representative Judj Sweeney, PACAB Secretary SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS ADMINISTRATION REPORT City Manager Janke gave a brief report first because he had another meeting to attend with Yukon Fuel regarding establishing a fuel tank farm. Janke invited the Board to come to a meeting with the State DOT on September 6 from 5 to 7:00 p.m, regarding the proposed plans for Port Avenue to Van Buren, Janke reported that the Council had a work session the previous night to discuss the $1 million grant for the expansion of capacities of the shipyard (scope of the project including expansion of the welding fabrication shop, extension of the water main, add fire hydrants, enlarge the sewer service, electrical expansion. Janke noted there is correspondence included in the packet that were the July 6, 2001, DOTPF Captain Capacci and a August 27, 2001 letter from Carl Norman, President of the Seward International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) regarding the proposed elimination of the docking of the Marine Ferry Tustumena. He noted that the Jetter from Capacci was somewhat pointed and he does not recommend the city supporting their position. He noted that the ILWU letter argues against the DOTPF's position. Wille noted that the second page of the ILWU letter was missing from the packet in error. Janke said he would email the board if anything comes of the meeting with Yukon Fuel. Janke noted that if there are questions for him during the meeting, they could be forwarded to him. Vanta Shafer, KPB/EDD Representative, noted that there was no quorum for the August EDD meetiny, but that at the previous meetingl the Peninsula Outlook forum was discussed. Shafer reported that Mary Tougas had resigned from the EDD and they were looking for a representative from the public. She said they meet every other month on a Thursday and you could attend by teleconference because of the distance. In answer to a question from Kasischke, Shafer said that a tentative synopsis of the Economic Conference held in Seward would be sent to the board CiLy of Seward Port and Commerce Advisory Board September 5, 200 I Vol3 Pagel95 members as soon as possible. Wille inquired if there was any follow-up on the conference Issues and requested a copy of the synopsis. Shafer reported on the fOllowing: . Communications issues - TelAlaska had hoped to have DSL internet service by mid July, but has not. The Alaska SeaLife Center is working with a telecommunications company for fiber optic. She noted that AT&T did not express any interest . Fishery type of forum in the fall - showing how much the fishing industry impacts the community economically in areas like stores, restaurants, hotels, fish tax, etc. She urged the board to help with gathering information (statistics) regarding the fishing industry in Seward for political and economic reasons, *Taken out of order: addition of Fishery Forum to meeting agenda under new business item c. Wille noted that TelAlaska is having an open house this Thursday, September 06, and urged the board to attend and discuss communications with them and to invite them to the next regular meeting (October 3). Louis Bencardino, Alaska Railroad Corporation Representative reported on the railroad's progress in Seward. He said that the contract for an extension of the sewer/water would be awarded. The contract would extend water and sewer to the new cruise dock and the freight dock also adding telephone service and a warm up shed on the new dock for the longshoremen. He said they have been cleaning up the yards near the docks and had been contacted by Metco who would be removing the remainder of the old SeaWay ramp purchased by the Kenai Peninsula Borough, He said as far as ships coming here this winter, it depends on the weather - if Anchorage freezes up, Northland Services would come to Seward, He reported that five old derelict boats were burned and the area will be cleaned up. Bencardino said some material would be coming in this week and some of it would be stockpiled for the City. He said the cruise ships soon would stop for the season. In answer to a question from Jordan, Bencardino said concerning the sewer line project, the ARR is tying into the City sewer system, but will not accommodate cruise ship sewer use. CITIZEN'S COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS NOT SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING: Ron Long, KPB Assembly, said that the KPB Economic Development would be hosting the Resource Development Council community outreach program on September 27, bringing in about 30 business leaders from Anchorage to Seward, the central peninsula and Homer. They would meet at about 11:30 a.m. touring the SeaLife Center, Qutekcak Shellfish Hatchery and to the Seward Ship Drydock and other places in town as time permits, possibly Seward Fisheries. Long said that the KPB may support a resolution in support of the Marine Ferry Taku's maintenance be done in Seward, He explained that the ferry was scheduled to have maintenance in Ketchikan, but then they lost their ability to be bonded. The State contracted with Seward Ship's Drydock to do the work and in the meantime, the Ketchikan Borough helped the shipyard get their bonding back and the Taku would, after all, be maintained in Ketchikan. City orSeward Port (1nd Commerce Advisory Board September 5, 2001 Vul3 Pagel 96 Long said that the KPB Planning Commission wants input on reapportionment from all of the cities. He noted there are more people in the unincorporated areas of the borough than in city limits. Long said the code requires a reapportionment to account for the number of people on the planning commission compared to the number of people living in incorporated areas. Long reported that the Mile 0-8 DOT project's engineering phase is in place this year and the railroad chose not to participate and he was very disappointed. In answer to Wille, Long said they were looking for general suggestions from different groups. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA: it was moved by Altermatt, seconded by Kasischke, to approve the minutes of May 2 and June 6, 2001 and motion passed by unanimous consent with the addition of Item c under New Business: Fish Forum UNFINISHED BUSINESS D-Float Removal - Deputy Harbormaster Ransom said the Harbormaster had asked this to be on the agenda to get ideas about the old gangways, whether to re-deck, remove, etc. Wille noted that at the last meeting, the opinion was to remove the D-float Ramp and it was decided by the board to table this until the next meeting when the Harbormaster attended. Lechner noted that nothing could be removed until the floats were connected at E/D. Rate Analysis Full Cost RecoverVI March 2001, - It was moved by Kasischke and seconded by Wille and passed unanimously to table this item until the Rules and Regulations have been reviewed by the board then forwarded to council. NEW BUSINESS It was moved by Kasischke, seconded by Jordan and unanimously was approved: Resolution 2001~004 - of the Seward Port and Commerce Advisory Board Supporting and Recommending City Council Support of the Seward Airport Improvements Project Fuel Spill Clean up and Training: Wille said the reason he asked for this agenda item was to review what happened recently in the harbor regarding a recent fuel spill. He asked for a brief synopsis of what the harbor does for fuel spills. Ransom said that the Harbonnaster and City Manager were working on the procedures. Ransom gave an overview of the recent fuel spill that happened at night. A harbor worker was on call and assessed the spill, established who did the spill, how it happened. Then the U.S. Coast Guard Manne Safety Officer IS called to do their own assessment and they take it from there. If it involved fuel getting on beaches or land, then the DEe is called in. We respond as best as we can. Ransom explained that in the past we have had access to boom from inside the U.S.c.G. storage shed. Kasischke asked how many booms we had access to and it found was enough for approximately a 200~foot boat. Ransom said that ttle harbor's level of City of Seward Port and Commerce Advisory Hoard September 5, 200 I Vol3 Pagel97 training is to simply access and report. Ransom told the board that he is to find out how much it would cost to get a program together. In answer to Jordan, VanBuskirk said that vessels that have fuel for sale or that transport fuel are required to carry boom. Pruitt said he remembered a response clean up plan in the past and wondered what happened to that plan. Ransom said that the on-site commander said we could get a maintenance agreement with the state for training. Pruitt wondered if during the recent Corp permit process if they asked on the application jf a contingency plan was in place. Altermatt said she asked the same thing and was told the contingency plan was to contact the coast guard and this was to protect the employees, but remarked that the public needs to be protected also. Shafer asked if at anytime, in the last three years, before this fuel spill if training was mentioned to employees. Ransom said he felt that our training as first responders was the only training harbor employees had for spills. VanBuskirk noted that limits have to be in place, wondering how far we will go with spill training. He mentioned that in his own experience, the MSO from Anchorage has responded day or night. In answer to Kasischke, Lechner said Shoreside Petroleum IS required to have both HAZMAT and HAZWOPER training. Lechner explained that they were required to use a company called Shadoux that cleans up fuel spills. Long said that vessels are not required to carry boom for spills, but to carry enough insurance to cover an incident if they were 79' or over. Kasischke made a motion, but it died for lack of a second, to recommend to the City Council that we have an oil spill contingency on hand for small spills like this and have a trained first response in place and also have someone to cleanup like Shadoux. Pruitt said he did not even hear about a spill until Altermatt called him. VanBuskirk said that the first responder actions were within the harbor worker's abilities and should be part of the normal harbor operations or to contract it to someone else to be a first responder so that it is done by someone. She noted that this particular spill happened during the derby, when public opinion was high. She said that if harbor personnel have been told not to respond because they may get sick from the fumes, she asked what about the harbor users smelling the fumes. Wille asked that this item goes on the next agenda under Old Business for follow up so that Ransom can report back with what results he has. Ransom said he would report with the city manager harbormaster's direction. Goodwill noted that when Janke left the meeting he offered to have questions directed to him and this would be a good one for him. Fish Forum - Kasischke asked for the addition of this agenda item because the trend that fisheries are starting to limit what they are buying. Shafer said we need an economic outlook on how much the fishing industry contributes to this community. Jordan said that she would be willing to serve on an organizing committee for the fish forum and added that the Chamber of Commerce was involved in the last forum. She said the issues with the economics of the fishing industry are wide-ranged and revolve around the resource. Shafer said she did not think this community has supported the fishing industry. Goodwill asked what they wanted to do with the information they will be gathering. Shafer said it would be useful information to find out how much fishing contributes to our economy. Jordan spoke of how this used to be primarily a fishing town with product year round such as crab, shrimp, scallops, fish, etc. Wille asked that Jordan lead the board in what action the board should take on this issue. Mercer asked that recreational fishing is induded in the forum, and following discussion, it was decided that recreational fishing and commercial fishing be completely separate. Pruitt suggested forming an ad hoc type of committee to get the facts together [wior to holding a fishing forum because then City of Seward Port and Commerce Advisory Board September 5, 2001 Vol] PagellJS we are prepared with numbers. Shafer said that we need to take a positive approach toward the fishing industry. The numbers could be used politically on behalf of the fishermen. Pruitt stressed that this information is a good resource for visitors, political and otherwise to have on hand to dispel rumors, etc. The board decided that Jordan, Kasischke, and Lechner would get information together for the Seward area and have a proposal on what fishing both commercial and recreational means to the community. CORRESPONDENCE, INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS July/August 2001 article from Marina World regarding Dry Stack Storage of Boats August 27,2001 ILWU letter from Carl Norman, President, in response to the Marine Highway, both items were noted as incomplete and would be faxed to Board members following the meeting. BOARD COMMENTS Wille said that on September 19,2001, would be a work session. Mercer said a fish forum is a good idea and that there are boomtowns in Florida and Santa Cruz that have made a fortune on sport fishing and have found a good mix between sport and commercial fishing optimizing the community's wealth from both fisheries. Goodwill thought a good reason to have a fish forum would be to enhance the fishery as the Chamber does. Kasischke explained that the Chamber gets the money from the buying fish back during the derby to enhance the salmon runs. Pruitt said the data that would be used to tell how much the commercial fisheries industry has impacted an area would be things like as hotels, groceries, taxis, fuel, etc. He offered his information they have on hand at the Drydock. Wille said Kasischke has some valuable information from the Chamber regarding the fishing community. Lechner asked Sweeney to collect data on the amount of money collected in passenger fees, bed tax and parking fees and report in comparison to last year. Kasischke said he would obtain the amount of visitors passed through and registered at the Chamb~r of Comm~rce information office. Altermatt said she appreciated being renewed on the board for another term along with a couple others and it was good to see the fuJl board at the meeting. She said she hopes that as a full board, some things will be accomplished toward commerce this year and that the fishing forum is a good start. Pruitt said at the last meeting the priority list was brought up and he wanted the North Dock finishing the development at the North Dock back as a priority item. He noted that quite a bit of landfill was brought in and it should be put to use. Pruitt speaking as the president of Seward Ship's Drydock said that they had a contract with the State of Alaska Marine Highway system to do work on the ferries. The Drydock is able to work on the vessels, Tustumena, Bartlett, Leconte, Aurora and the Taku (357'). He explained that Ketchikan lost their bonding capability and SSD was contacted and was issued an amended contract and a notice to proceed. In the City of Seward Port and Commerce Advisory BoanJ Sl:ptember 5, 2001 Vol] Pagel99 meantime, Ketchikan Borough bonded for the shipyard. He said they are waiting for a letter explaining the situation from the AMHS. He said almost ten years ago to the day this same thing happened. He said the State was talking about changing the maintenance scheduling to the summer months so they can navigate across the Gulf of Alaska. Pruitt spoke about the shipyard grant ($1 million). He said Torgeson helped get the money for Seward. He said some priority items are: extending the water main for extra fire hydrants and enlarging the sewer line. He said that to go after contracts like the U.S.c.G., certain things have to be in place such as a break room with a shower and office space and a fabrication shop. He said it would all start very soon. Pruitt spoke about a serious erosion problem across the bay near the communications towers of the coast guard and the cellular telephone tower. He said some riprap is supposed to go in there and hopefully it will not be delayed. He said he discussed this with the City Manager already, but wanted the board to be aware of this, Kasischke said he was glad that the fish forum was suggested. Another thing he felt was very important is the spill response, Jordan said regarding oil spill response that it is a good idea to have a plan in effect. She said that she is pleased that the board tabled it and stepped back to let the harbor develop a plan, but the board needs to take a stand that we need a plan. Jordan spoke about the fish forum and how it is a good idea. She said the political ramifications can help the city in a good way, but stressed that she does not want to get into commercial fishing vs. sports fishing. She said the intent of the fish forum is for commercial fishing and she would like to keep it that way. Kasischke added that at the last chamber meeting it was reported that there was $6 million in revenue in the passenger industry and $3.5 million in sport fishing revenue in this summer. Wille spoke of how unsuccessful the board had been in getting the rules and regulations changed and suggested having a written recommendation from the board on what they would like to see changed. He said that after they have a meeting suggesting certain changes they find they are not changed in the copy. He suggested that the board meets and provides a written recommendation to the harbormaster on what the board would like to see changed. Altermatt said changes have disappeared, She noted that during the summer, the board received a copy of the rules, but it was not with the changes they had suggested. She stated that she does not want to sit and rehash through the changes again. In answer to Wille, Sweeney said that all of the board was given the most recent copies of the rules and there were a few extra copies on the public information table at the meeting today. Jordan asked about the procedure and found that the board can make suggestions and forward them to the harbormaster that does not have to make the changes. Then the final rules and regulations go to the COI Jnci I with the board's recommendation that a change were not made and so as the rules and regulations stand the board does not support them. Pruitt explained that the board had done their job regarding the rules and it would be in the hands of the council. Altermatt asked Sweeney if the copy that they received had the changes they asked for and Sweeney said she thought he had put in all of the changes they had asked for which were all minor changes. Jordan asked if Wille had all of the changes recommended by the board. He said that this has gone back and forth for over a year and one-half it is still unresolved. Lechner asked if anyone has asked the harbormaster if he has City of Seward POlt and Commt:lct: AJvisury Boal'u St;plcmhcr 5, 'l()() I Vol J Page200 just thrown away the board's recommendations. Pruitt said it is a good idea for the board to get the recommendations together and then ask the harbormaster where the recommendations have gone. Altermatt asked Wille what would be discussed at the work session on September 19 and with the board's agreement, the rules and regulations would be discussed. Altermatt asked the most recent copy to be provided to each of the board with the date included on the document. CITIZENS' COMMENTS Ron Long said that the roles of responsibility have to be clearly defined. He said the Port and Commerce Advisory Board is to advise the Council. The administration is comprised of the Harbormaster and the City Manager who works for the Council. He explained that the board does not have to agree but that the board's job is to take their recommendations and send them to Council. If the harbormaster takes exception to that recommendation, it is his job to go to the Council and defend his reasons for the changes - you don't have to agree. If the board is having trouble getting those changes incorporated into a document with a date on it, is partly because the board no longer has a board secretary that works for them exclusively noting that Sweeney works for the harbor. He said this board needs to move out of the harbor department and back into the administration. Long asked about the cost recovery schedule was for and what costs are recoverable. Long said he thought that when the north portion of the harbor was going to be renovated, we got money from the State as partial cost recovery and we have gained some interest on it as part of the recovery and when other projects were added in through various mechanism we established means to recover those costs. We added a passenger fee that over time would cover those costs. The other portion of reduced cost was reduced maintenance. He asked what portion of those cost is left to recover. What is unrecovered and "out there" and what is it going to cost or is this merely a reopening of the discussion of square footage moorage that we thought was tabled a year ago. BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZENS' COMMENTS Pruitt this has happened more than once and is something that we need to watch as a committee. The administration is the one we should be working with and should be a conduit directly to the Council and the board loses site of that every now and again. Pruitt suggested a rotating roster of board members to attend council meetings when the recommendations are made to answer questions they may have. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 2:03 p.m. 10 .~//'tM'7fI- ~Udi Sweeney , Board Secretary ~ Ron Wille Chairman (City Seal) City afSeward, A/ask" Port and Commerce Advisory Board Minutes Volume 3, Page 20 I PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG Pruitt led the pledge of allegiance to the flag. CALL TO ORDER The regular October 3,2001 meeting of the Seward Port and Commerce Advisory Board was called to order at 12:01 p.m.by Chairman Ron Wille. ROLL CALL There were present: Ron Wille, presiding, and Jack Goodwill Dean Kasischke Roger Mercer Melody Jordan Doug Lechner James Pruitt comprising a quorum of the Board; and Scott Janke, City Manager James Beckham, Harbormaster Vanta Shafer, KPBjEDD Judi Sweeney, PACAB Secretary Excused Absence: Deborah Altermatt Karl Van Buskirk SPECIAL REPORTS Dave Gibbons, Vice President of Operations! TelAlaska. Travis Davis, Area Supervisor for the Seward office and Richard Wroth, Operations Manager attended. Gibbons reported on the status of the company including switch upgrades of service from analog to digital, training in the Seward office. Gibbons said TelAlaska had bought Seward Internet Service and one of the improvements would be the addition of a help desk. Gibbons told the board that the DSL internet service is now being tested in a couple of home in Seward and may be available to the public after the bugs are all worked out. The service area for DSL is limited at this time, but will be expanded eventually to Bear Lake, Questa Woods, Exit Glacier and Forest Acres. Davis added that the Internet speed would be about five times faster than what we have now. Gibbons said he would come back to the board with a report after about six months. It was noted that Louis Bencardino, Alaska Railroad Corporation Representative was out of town. Vanta Shafer, Councilmember - KPB/EDD Shafer said she could not attend the last meeting and Rick Gjfford had listened to the meeting for her. Shafer said that the board discussed the now defeated private prison issue. She said the board approved granting $5,000 micro loans for businesses that are just beginning. She saId there was il resolution put on hold Pur! und Commercl.' AdvisOIY Board Minute.\' Volume 3. Pa:z.e 202 City ofSl.'ward. Alaska that supported a slaughterhouse and she assumed it was connected with the Pork Project, She said the next meeting would be in November. She said that one EDD seat vacated by Mary Tougas is still open and urged any interested person to apply. Administration Report. City Manager Janke reported that gravel from the Resurrection River had been removed and fHl has been hauled to the North Dock in the past week or so creating a better staging area. He reported that on October 16, at 1 :00 p.m. the DOT is holding a public hearing on the Port Avenue Project and if anyone wants to review them, there is a set in his office and one in the planner's office. He noted that the pedestrian pathway is proposed to be terminated at or around the coal facility and that the main ideas was to have a walkway for the cruise ship passengers. He reported and gave recognition to Jim Beckham tllat the EDA had awarded a $1.3 million grant for the East Horbor Expansion project. He said the EDA Grant has a is-month window to start construction. After construction starts, then it must be completed within 2 years. He said they would know in ten days whether we will get the Federal portion of money and if we don't he had a backup-funding source. Janke said he is in the early stages of changing the staffing of the PACAB because of a strong desire by the board to move more into commerce issues. Janke said that he might have the manager's office take that function back as it had been In the past. He said they would try focus it more on commerce than the harbor's functions. Janke told the board that a Port Marketing conference would be held in Miami in February if anyone were interested. Harbormaster Beckham reported that the harbor is preparing for winter and finishing small projects like fencing around the dumpsters. He ~aid that parking enforcement has ended for the season and the bus lane in front of the harbor building was taken out. He reported that we are in the budget process and there is in the board's budget money for travel and education. Janke said that the budget is in the preliminary stages and would be presented to the Council on Monday, October 8, 2001. He said overall he felt that the budget looked like it would "hold the line". Janke said had forecasts reducing their revenue by 20% in bed tax and passenger fee because of the recent terrorist attacks and people's reluctance to travel. Beckham said he was pleased to report that Samson Tug and Barge would be coming to Seward approximately every two weeks to offload freight. Beckham reported that Spanky Paine, a boat that had sat at the SMIC uplands for several years was launched yesterday. Ron Long added that the Spanky Paine was built in 1894 and had been in the Spanish American war and had received a commendation for service. CITIZENS' COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS NOT SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING Carl Norman, President of the local International Longshoreman's Union (ILWU) asked support of the board by way of a letter that would give U.S. Citizens their right to work as mandated by Federal law. He explained that the cruiselines had been using sometimes 30 foreign nationals to offload luggage and that was illegal. He said that once luggage is stacked in an area on board, it is not to be touched except by longshoremen. He said Seward is only place in the U.S. that allowed this. Norman said that the local longshoremen lose $1 million per year in salaries. Norman said they had filed over 100 complaint~ and only three citations were issued from the INS and asked the board for support in expediting the complaints. City oj Seward. Alaska Purt and Commer~'e Advisurv Board Minules Volume 3, Puge 203 Janke said that this issue was presented to the Council at their last meeting and did not feel that a letter of support from the PACAB would be in order. Janke asked Norman if they (ILWU) had talked to the congressional delegation. Norman said they had not gone that route yet. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA MOTION (Lechner) SECOND (Jordan) Approve the Agenda and Consent Agenda as amended with the addition of New Business Item C. Longshoremen letter of Support Motion Passed with Unanimous consent. Approval of the September 5,2001, minutes was postponed until Wille listens to the audiotape. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Fuel Spill Plans in the Harbor Harbormaster Beckham explained that the contingency plan for a large spill in the harbor would be to close off the harbor with boom, He said that most spills are small and about three to five gallons. He ~aid we have access to boom with Shoreside Petroleum, Alaska Shadoux or the Coast Guard. Beckham said that the harbor staff is trarned to take defensive measures. Janke said because of public perception; from now on, the harbor would be a first responder and contain the oiled area, Statistical Information Per the board's request, statistical information regarding passenger fees, bed taxes and parking fees with the exception of the third quarter of the year was noted. Kasischke provided copies of the Chamber of Commerce's number of visitors around town for the year 2000 and 2001. Wille ask~d that the absent board members get a copy of the statistical hand out from Kasischke. Wille suggested that this same statistical information be reviewed again after the first of the next year. Harbor Rules and Regulations 9/18/01 draft copy will be discussed at the next work session. Wille urged the board to attend and make a final copy to be forwarded to Council. NEW BUSINESS Storm Chasers Inc. September 14, 2001, proposal to remove and destroy four derelict boats at the Seward Marine Industrial Center for $15,750 each, Harbormaster Beckham said they had gone through the legal process to get rid of the boats ending with an offer to sell the boats, with no success. Beckham recommended that Storm Chasers be given the job. In answer to Wille, Janke said all of the legal issues had been addressed. Pruitt said he would like to see the whole SMIC area cleaned up rather than just these four boats. Beckham said we have gone through all of the legal processes on these four boats and it would take about two more years for the rest of the boats to be cleared for destruction. Following discussion, it was moved by Kasischke, seconded by Wille to recommend the proposal to the City Council authorizing the manager enter into a contract with Storm Chasers to remove four derelict boats at the SMIC (for an amount not to exceed $63/000) and have the Harbormaster get the other derelict vessels ready for destruction and was unanimously carried, Harbormaster also said he would get a list of the apparently abandoned boats in the SMIC yard with the amount of money they owe. Harbor Reports Harbormaster Beckham asked the board what kind of things they would like reported. He apologized for the past communication error when he had thought that the board only wanted reports on the North Harbor Renovation and when that project ended so City a/Seward, Alaska P,Jrlllnd {'ommer,'e Advi.wry Board Minutes Volume 3, Page 204 did his reports. Pruitt referred to the past when a suggestion box was put in at the harbor and then the "Harbor Commission" was given copies of the suggestions. The general feeling of the board was that they did not want to "micro manage" the harbor and did not need details of day to day duties, but rather would like to have a report on things significant that would affect the majority of users of the harbor. Longshoremen's Letter of Support Kasischke asked the board to back the local longshoremen with a Jetter of support regarding the cruise lines using foreign nationals to offload luggage on their shIps. Lechner said that both sides of the story should be heard before a letter of support is sent. Wille recommended writing a letter of support to urge the INS to support the laws as written and resolve the conflict at the Seward dock. Beckham offered to draft a letter and email it to all of the board for comments. CORRESPONDENCE, INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS September 12, 2001, North Pacific Fishery Management Council newsletter, noted. September 2001 Zones Report, noted September 20 and 21, 2001 Boating Industry International Online News, noted RCAC Geographic Response Strategies Information Packet, noted September 17 and 19, 2001, News Release from the Consulate General of Japan, noted BOARD COMMENTS Pruitt said that he did not agree with the statement that sending a letter of support for the Longshoremen would be redundant. He said the board has their own ideas and should be given credit. Lechner said he was pleased that Samson Tug ancl Barge was making this a regular stop and thought they should be thanked with a letter from the City. Lechner said that Bob Valdatta had brought up a good point that the same coal ship of Hyundai's (Trader) had been coming into port and should be given a plaque showing our gratitude like we have given other boats for making Seward their Port of Call. Jordan said she encourages people to still tome to this board to give their views and then that could be passed on to the council. Wille congratulated Jim Beckham for his hard work on the $1.3 million EDA grant award. CITIZENS' COMMENTS None BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZENS' COMMENTS City oj ,I.,'eward, Afusku Port and Commerce Advisory Board AIinutes Volume 1, Page 205 None ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 2:12 p.rn.. ~g/c Ron Wille Cha i rma n (City Seal) rity ofSewurd. Alaska l'ort alld CommprI:e Advi.wrv Board Minllles Volume J, Page 206 CALL TO ORDER The regular November 7, 2001 meeting of the Seward Port and Commerce Advisory Board was called to order at 12:00 p.m. by Chairman Ron Wille. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG Pruitt led the pledge of allegiance to the flag. ROLL CALL There were present: Ron Wille, presiding, and Jack Goodwill Dean Kasischke Deborah Altermatt Karl Van Buskirk Doug Lechner James Pruitt comprising a quorum of the Board; and Scott Janke, City Manager Scott Ransom, Deputy Harbormaster Kari Atwood, Acting PACAB Secretary Absent: *Roger Mercer Melody Jordan point) *( Mr. Mercer arrived at 12:30 PM and participated in the meeting from that SPECIAL REPORTS It was noted that Vanta Shafer, council member-KPB/EDD could not attend the meeting_ Louis Bencardino, Alaska Railroad Corporation Representative reported that the railroad had extended its deadline with Yukon Fuel, they have some survey work they would like to do but are unable to do it until this spring. Samson Tug and Barge is starting to use the railroad dock and they hope they will become a long-term customer. They have also lengthened the dock, the upland.; portion and have extended the area by the cruise ship dock and some loading ramps have been added. The shippers seem to really like these improvements. They are also working on building a new walkway underneath the dock. Administration Report City Manager Janke gave the board members a copy of a memo from Brad Gilman, it shows Senator Stevens was successful in gdting the first $1,000,000 (for the Federal portion of the project) for the East Harbor Expansion. Now it IS a real project. There were only tWQ projects funded in AlaSka so this is a major step forward for us. Now we have 2.9 million in City afSeward, A/ask" Porll1nd CommerCt< Advisory Board Minutes Vulume 3, Page 207 state money, 1.3 million in a grant from EDA and now this first million from the Federal Government. Janke mentioned that at one of the future PACAB meetings he would like the board to discuss staffing the harbor in the evening time during the summer months. He would like the board's opinion, ideas and suggestions. It was brought up by the Seward Boat Owners Association and he will forward a copy of their fetter as well as his response to all the board members. Pruitt asked if the police were patrolling the harbor. Janke responded that this evening person would not be a night watchman or for security but to provide better service to the customers. Kristin Erchinger, Finance Director for the City of Seward gave an overview of the hZlrbor budget and answered questions from the board members. She also gave the board members a copy of the SMIC budget because some members requested it. She didn't realize her presentation would be so long and said she would be happy to return to answer any other questions the board may have. Wille commented that this was just to get an over-view of the budget because it is really a done deal for the 2002 budget but if the board wanted to be more involved with the budget process they could but they would have to start at the beginning of the process. CITIZENS' COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS NOT SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING None APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA MOTION (Kasischke) SECOND (Lechner) Approve the Agenda and Consent Agenda as amended with Unfinished Business Item A. Harbor Rules and Regulations tabled until the next regular meeting. Motion Passed with Unanimous consent. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Tabled until the December 5,2001 regular meeting. NEW BUSINESS The Chairman opened nominations for Chairman, Kasischke nominated Wille, there were no other nominations received. Kasischke made a motion to close the nominations and cast a unanimous ballot, seconded by Lechner and was approved by unanimous consent. The Chairman opened nominations for Vice~Chalrman, Kasiscl1ke nominated Lechner, there were no other nominations received. Kasischke made a motion to close the nominations and cast a unanimous ballot, seconded by Wi1Ie and was approved by unanimous consent. CORRESPONDENCE, INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS (no action required) Dock I,ines, Volume X1l1, No. 14~October 19,2001 Zones Report. October 200l City ofScward, A{a~ku Purl and L'<NlllllerC/1 Advisory Board /J.1inules Volume 3, Puge 208 NQrth Pacific Fishery Management Council7 News and Not~s, October 200 [ Alaska Municipal League, Newly Eleded (}fficials Training UPC Fuam Filled Fenders, The Ultimate Pwtl:ctor BOARO COMMENTS Goodwill would like the board to discuss the state ferry Tustumena and its schedule at the next regular meeting. This next summer season they plan on dropping Seward from their schedule or at least reducing the number of port calls and they only have two calis now. Wille hoppened to see the letter to the editor in the Phoenix Log from Rhonda Hubbard regarding the newspaper article about a possible rate increase in the harbor. One of the items she did mention in her letter and he wanted to bring back to the board was the raw fish tax, That Is something that Is generated in the harbor but not allocated to the harbor, This may be an item the board could discuss this winter and pass along to the council. Janke commented that one of our top priorities, legislatively IS the marine fuel tax and to get that re-allocated to the harbor. If we can get that accomplished someday it will be a great source of income for the harbor and we would have some money for capital improvements. CITIZENS' COMMENTS None BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZENS' COMMENTS None ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 1:50 p.m. ~~ Kari Atwood Acting Board Secretory ~-C:h-~ Ron Wille Chairman (City Sea I) City ufSeward. Alaska Port and Commerce Advisory Hoard Minute~' Vulume 3, Page 209 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG Board member Jordan led the pledge of allegiance to the flag. CALL TO ORDER The regular December 5, 2001 meeting of the Seward Port and Commerce Advisory Board was called to order at 12:07 p.m. by Chairman Ron Wille. ROLL CALL There were present: Ron Wille, presiding, and Deborah Altermatt Dean Kasischke Karl VanBuskirk Jack Goodwill Doug Lechner Melody Jordan Roger Mercer Absent: James Pruitt Comprising a quorum of the Board; and James B. Beckham, Harbormaster Louis Bencardino, Alaska Railroad Corporation Representative Vanta Shafer, Councilmember/KPB/EDD Representative Judi Sweeney, PACAB Secretary SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS: KPBjEDD Council member Shafer reported that the EDD had accepted the resignation of Executive Director Betsy Arbelovsky and explained that when she was hired she had agreed to work for eighteen months. She said the position has been offered to James Carter. She reported that the Economic Outlook Forum was held with good participation. Shafer said that there still is a vacancy for a community representative on the Economic Board. Louis Bencardino, Alaska Railroad Corporation Representative reported that Samson Tug and Barge has been coming in on a regular basis and so are Northland, SeaTac, and the Ferry. He said that it was discussed at the morning Economic Development meeting and said that the organization felt that the PACAB spent too much time on Harbor related issues. Wille added that he and the Harbormaster work together to form the agenda for the next meeting and at any time any of the board would like to see issues on the agenda whether commerce or harbor related. He asked the board for some direction. Administrative Report Harbormaster Beckham reported on the progress of the East Harbor Expansion Project. He said the Harbor budget was adopted and safety ladders would be purchased as planned. He spoke about the care of the new floats with regard to Ice and snow and said we have been using a sweeper and it works well. He said the new floats have a three-year warranty. In answer to Altermatt, Beckham stated that the East Harbor Expansion Project like the North Harbor Renovation Project would have plenty of public meetings and opportunity for the public to have input in the project. City ({{Seward, A{(l~'ka Port and Commerce Advisory Board Jvlinute.f Vu/ume 3, Page 210 CITIZEN'S COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS NOT SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING: None APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA MOTION (Jordan/Kasischke) Approve the Agenda and Consent Agenda .Motion passed by unanimous consent. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Harbor Rules and Regulations The board discussed a coupl~ of questions they had from the November work session more specifically: If there were boats in the harbor that were smaller or larger than the minimum or maximum length? Harbormaster Beckham said yes there are some under the minimum and over the maximum, but we do not have anything to accommodate those sizes. Why is there a limit of 45 tons for the SO-ton lift and 240 tons for the 250-ton 11ft? Harbormaster Beckham explained that the wording is in place as a safety precaution. Lifts would be assessed on a case by-case basis determining whether it is safe for the boat and for the crew to lift a boat. Beckham explained that when a boat is that close to the maximum weight it places a huge burden on the machines. Following discussion, It was moved by Kaslschke, seconded by Goodwill and unanimously carried to forward the October 17, 2001, then condensed into a more appropriate format of the Rules and Regulations for Council's review. Rate StUdy Harbormaster Beckham explained that this study was originally done in March. He said that with the East Harbor Expansion project coming up, this should be addressed to generate revenue to meet administrative, operational and capital replacement cost. The report recommends the square foot type of moorage billing rather than lineal foot moorage. Beckham said with the square foot method, the costs are in place for the administration, infrastructure and overhead. Following discussion, the board decided to hold a work session on December 19 to discuss the rate study and also change the meeting date in January to the 9th for the regular meeting and the 23rd for the work session. Hyundal and Samson Letters Wille explained that this was on the agenda to find a way to show appreciation to companies that frequent the Seward port. It was noted that Harbormaster Beckham had drafted a letter. It was moved by Jordan, ~econded by Altermatt and unanimously carned to accept the draft letter and forward it to the companies (Hyundai, SeaTac, Northland) and have a gold pan made for Hyunda; Trader who have been consistently coming to Seward. Bencardino suggested that someone communicate the City's intentions as a courtesy with Seward Coal Terminal. NEW BUSINESS: Tustumena Schedule Goodwill noted that the Alaska Marine Highway System had published their summer schedule and it showed a reduction of stops to Seward. He said they did that without public input. Following a discussion, the board requested that the City Manager give a status report of the Tustumena at the next meeting. City ufSewurd, Alasku Port and ('nmmerce Advisory Board Minutes Vnlume J, Page 211 Harbor Staffing Nights Harbormaster Beckham explained that this was placed on the agenda because some people thought the harbor should be open later to accommodate boaters that come in to the harbor after the office closing time of 5:00 p.m. and are looking for a place to tie up. Jordan wondered why the board was being asked to micro manage the harbor in this way and felt that this should be handled administratively. Altermatt explained that it was presented by the Seward Boat Owners not to micro manage the harbor but to help the harbor be of more service, Goodwill spoke in favor of addressing topics like AVTEC, Sun Eel, Wesleyan, encouraging companies like Samson Tug and Barge to continue to grow and flourish in Seward rather than always focusing on the harbor issues such as the hours of operation. It was the consensus of the board to have the administration handle the issue. CORRESPONDENCE, INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS: None BOARD COMMENTS: Lechner gave a history of how the Port and Commerce Board's origin. He spoke against micro managing the harbor and Altermatt and Kaslschke and Goodwill agreed. Van Buskirk spoke in support of the harbormaster and harbor crew in the job they do with boatlifts. He said they were fully accommodating and voiced his ~upport for the Harbor rules and regulations. Kasischke and Jordan echoed the same sentiments regarding the micro managing of the harbor. Jordan asked why emails containing work lists were being sent to the board. Jordan said they (PACAB) were not a board of directors running the harbor. Wille explained that what he requested of the harbormaster was to be Informed of broad reaching issues such as the safety ladders, significant oil spills, etc. Wille said that many times the board tackles issues regarding the harbor are because the agenda and packet for the board is generated out of the harbor office. If the board wants non-harbor Issues dealt with, they should be brought to the attention of the board by way of the agenda. Goodwill noted that most of the group is comprised of water related businesses but that he agreed to quit being so heavily involved with the harbor issues. Altermatt said that she did not want harbor issues to simply go away or not be discussed at all because the harbor is an important part of the city. Altermatt said the economic group that meets would like to see a person hired for marketing Seward. Kasischke said there would be a December 11-13 meeting for the chamber. Jordan said the commercial fisheries group had met a couple of times. Wille suggested that it be added to the priorities and goats. CITIZENS COMMENTS: None Norm Regis, Eagle Lane, said that the harbor crew assesses every lift carefully and decides if each can be done safety. Regis added that in an emergency they do lifts at night. City of Seward, Alaska f'()N Ilnd Commerce Advi:,ury Buard Minu(es Volume 3, Page 212 BOARD RESPONSE TO CITIZENS COMMENTS: ADJOURNMENT The meeting ended at 1:47 p,m. ( Judi Sweeney Boa rd Secreta ry (City Seal) ~ Ron Wille Chairman