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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04012009 PACAB Minutes MEOW Cite 01'Sewar d,Alaska PO N and Cor11r11C'rce A ., API-ill, 2009Cllr]r�I.5 Board Minutes Yr 1 um e 3, Page 56 CALL TO ORDER The regular April 1, 2009 meeting of the Seward Port and Commerce Advisory dvrsory Board was called to order at 12:00 p.m. by Chair Ron Long. g PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE To THE FLAG Board Member Long led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. Roll Call There were present: Board Member Ron Long pros id ing, and Theresa Butts Dan Oliver Deborah Altermatt Darryl S chaefermeyer Paul To ugas (12:08 p.m.) comprising a quorum of the Board; and Kari Anderson, Harbormaster Christy Terry, Community Development Director Anne Bailey, Executive Liaison Oliver explained he would have to leave at 12:40 p.m. for another ineeting. ARRC Representative Louis Bencardino Alaska Railroad Dock Manager— Louis Bencardino reported on the following issues: • He had talked to Kurt Wright and trains would not arrive in Seward until April 6, 2009 due to an avalanche. A coal train was waiting in Anchorage to arrive. • A goal ship would arrive today, April 1, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. and a second coal ship would arrive on April 7, 2009. • A railroad Board Meeting was held on March 31-April 1, 2009 in Anchorage. • An inspection had occurred at the Yukon to make sure all the equipment and systems worked properly and the Southeast Stevedore were working. • The cruise ship corning to Seward on April 16, 2009 had requested water capability and he p y hoped it would not be too difficult. ■ Discussed the vessels that would be moored at the Railroad dock (fishing vessels dredging bar vessels). barges, and Sampson vessels). • Noted he had a community service worker currently working for the Railroad. In response to Altermatt, Bencardino stated he had not heard from Holland America regarding Seward trips being cancelled. g g City ol'Seivard, Ala.ska Port and C ominerc°e Advismy Board Minutes r April l 2009 Volume 3, Page 57 P Long explained that the Anchorage Daily News had an article stating some Holland America p turn-a-round ships would not be stopping in Seward in 2010. Chamber Report by Laura Cloward Executive Director-- None Administrative Report - Harbormaster Karr Anderson reported on the following items: • The Harbor Department continued to work with Community Development on Tariff and Code Revisions. • The Harbor Department recently attended a workshop sponsored by the EPA and ADEC on the new MSGP for Stormwater Pollution. ADEC would review the Harbor Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan and the city anticipated obtaining the NPDES permit in the next couple of months. • Northern Economics was completing the SMIC feasibility study and copies would be available at the May b, 2009 Port and Commerce Advisory Board meeting and a joint work session with Council was planned for May 11, 2009. • The Harbor sent out a newsletter to slip holder and she discussed the items included. • Used oil collection sites at the top of D and F float have been renovated to include used anti- freeze collection sites, which would be recycled through the assistance of a private company. The sites should be ready for used anti-freeze collection by May 1, 2009. • The Harbor was applying for four grants with April deadlines and she reviewed the projects. • Welcomed Jen Fain to the Harbor Department who would begin on April b, 2009. Long congratulated the Harbor on changing the layout of the front of the harbor building stating it was a great improvement. Community Development Director Christy Terry reported on the following items: • Explained the lay downs before the Board: 2006 Economic Forum With staff' accomplishments, an Alaska SeaLife Center document, Coal Dust Task Force Meeting Document, an email regarding Polar Consult, a copy of a color proposal from Polar Consult, and a Natural Resource Development flyer. • The Chamber regretted not being in attendance but two film crews Were in Seward filming a wedding show and a tourisn-ilsrnall business development DVD. • The PACAB North Harbor recommendations would go before Council the same evening as the PACAB priority resolution. • The Planning and zoning Commission Would begin discussions on their code updates and PACAB would begin their code review shortly after that. • On April 27, 2009, Council entered into agreement with Harmon Construction to construct the Adam's Street Pavilion and would reach substantial completion by July 4, 2009 and final completion by July 17, 2009. ■ A list of Stimulus Funds would be continuously updated. 04,()l SE'11'Cl 1'C 1, Alaska PU 1"t and Commerce t1 c ll'!.S'()1''Board MiMlteS .'Aril 1, 009 l l)lL j7 r `"r' • The voice over IP conversion would occur on April 4 2009. In response to Altennatt, Terry stated there was a meeting with DOT to discuss s road closures and would email the Board the information. Schaefermeyer interjected that there was discussion about havinga weekend road closure.o sure. In further response to Altermatt, Terry stated before the Harbor Tariff'rough drafts were e available they needed to be vetted by the City Attorney and would be provided to the Board prior the meeting. p p t� Anderson stated the existing Harbor Tariff'was available on the harbor website and Terry would send the Board the link. The Board discussed the code review and coordinating with the Planning and 7onl g Commission. In response to Butts, Terry explained the proposed change to the zoning of the South Harbor Uplands would occur after the Borough replats it and PACAB's recommendations would go before Planning � and Zoning and then Council. Presentation by Polarconsult on the proposed 4"' of July Creek Hydro Project Joel Groves, outside city limits, explained Polar Consult was an engineering consultation flrlll based out of Anchorage and one of the key focuses was hydro electric power development and projects had been done throughout the state. He stated a prospective project on Fourth of Jul Creek h• � ' y had been identified and was in the reconnaissance phase to see if this was a viable project. He rave an overview of what has been done so far, initial estimate of electric capacity and usage, and the future schedule with it operational in 2011. He noted the property was on State land within the City limits and the requirements they would need to operate. In response to Long, Groves discussed the proposed funding, the renewable grant program gram and h -ydro electric, and whether hydro-electric was considered renewable energy. In further resonse to Long, � p one,, Groves explained other projects Polar Consult had taken on stating Fourth of July Creek was not the largest one and other projects Polar Consult were involved in were operational. In response to Schaefermeyer, Groves explained Independence Power, LLC would own and operate the project and was comprised of the same invo involved in Polar Consult. Groves people o ves continued to explain the business entity. In further response to Schaefermeyer, Groves explained the sustainability of the project through the summer and winter months, the rough cost estimate, and the lifeline of the project. In response to Butts, Groves discussed the location of the project, the land owner's requirements, the design-style of the project, the life of the project, cost of operation, and stated he could get the financial information to the Board. City of'Sryeward, Alaska P()I.t r1,7c1 Commerce AdviSoty Board Minutes A 1aril 1, 21�1� Volume 3, Page 59 Board Member Oliver left at 12:40 p.m. In response to the Board, Groves explained projects that were geographically similar to p . Fourth of July Creek, the flow of intake during the winter and summer months, creek debris and the effects on the turbine, and the costs for power. In response to City of Seward Utility Manager John Foutz, Groves discussed the effect this project would have on the natural habitat. He continued to say there was not a biologist on staff but had brought a habitat biologist on board when needed on other projects. In response to Long, Groves discussed the permits and requirements that would be needed. Citizens' comments on any subject except those items scheduled for public hearing- Russ Maddox, 3385 Nash Road, Chris Rose from the Renewable Energy Alaska project would do a presentation on April 7, 2009 at 7:oo p.m. in the Rae Building to address renewable energy opportunities, fund, and net-metering meeting that recently occurred. He stated the definition of renewable energy was a Federal definition and Senator Murkowski was trying to change this. He said many Board members did not make it to the Coal Dust Task Force and they discussed what would be done about the problem. He said he had received 14 complaints regarding the dust and wondered if there was another method for these complaints to be received. He continued to discuss the dust problern and how to assess it. In response to Terry, Maddox stated it would be great to have the complaints be directed to the railroad but it needs to be advertised or the complaints needed to be quantified. Anderson stated she did not want to add coal dust complaints to her staffs workload. Marianna Keil, inside City limits, hoped the Board would add the update to the Harbor Master Plan to their list of priorities. Mark Luttrell, outside City limits, supported the Resurrection Bay Conservation Alliance concept of renewable energy and urged the Board to include a hydro project proposal to Lowell Creek. He continued that he was concerned about road access trail to the intake and the notion of clean energy to Seward not subject to disruptions was attractive. Approval of the Agenda and Consent Agenda Motion (Butts/Schaefermeyer) Approve the Agenda and Consent Agenda Motion Passed Unanimous Consent The following items were approved under the Consent Agenda: City of'S'c>>tTctj•d, Alaska Pc}j•t crrtrl Commerce Advisr�j•�,�Br�ct�•rl M't ,• t �I]!}�] o r y t ttttct� :`��71'il 1, ,:,lJlJ7 Volume 3 Page 60 March 4, 2008 Regular Meeting Minutes Board Member Tougas excused himself from the meeting. Unfinished Business - None New Business- Resolution 2009-03, Providing a Recommendation to Seward City Council Supporting L - y the Low-impact Run-of-River Hydroelectric Facility Proposed on Fourth of July Creek Motion (Butts/Altermatt) Approver Resolution 2009•-03 Schaefermeyer stated he would like this to come to the Board at a later date following the completion of the feasibility study. Motion (Schaefermeyer/Long) Lay Resolution 2009-03 on the table Butts suggested rather than supporting the project they support the feasibility study. . Long thought laying this on the table was not stopping the project and would like to revisit this at a later date when there was more information available. Butts countered that a few words could be changed in Section 1 of the Resolution to change the support of the project to the feasibility itself. Motion Passed Yes: Altermatt, Schaeferme er, Long g No: Butts Long explained how this agenda item could be brought back before the Board. Provide Recommendations for the Economic Stimulus Forum Scheduled for May 13, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. Terry stated Council had set the next economic forum on May 13, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. but the City Manager had asked for the Boards recommendation on the forum format, location facilitators specific invitations, groups and topics to be addressed. She continued that staff comments on what had been accomplished from the last fo rurn. Alterinatt thanked Terry for the lay down and thought it was a great idea to do sorriething but was concerned with the feedback. She noted the lack of communication devices and that a lot of participants did not receive feedback from the last forum. Long surmised that the last forum was a good session but the follow through might not have g been the best and did not think it went as far as it could have. He thought the facilitators should not City o f Se�lvcrj•c, Alaska Po]'t(117d Commerce.4 dvi.�of-v Board Minute. April 1, 2 0 0 9 V 011111l e 3, Page 61 be known political figures. In response to Butts, Terry stated Council Members had directed the City Manager to resurrect this, this would not take place if the City did not want the biggest response possible, and fellow-up needed to occur from the last forum. Bailey clarified this Economic Forum took place in September 2007. Schaeferineyer asked what the goal of this forum was and suggested focusing on certain issues and having more structure. Altermatt stated a lot of people had attended the 2007 forurn and the problem was not getting enough feedback and it might be easy to hone in on a narrower topic. She suggested the high school for the location but did not like separating into groups. She asked what impact the efficiency study had on the community. Anderson commented this forum could address the efficiency study and what the City had done with the information gathered in 2007. The Board continued to discuss their stance on the Economic Forum and suggested the High School Auditorium or Rae Building for the location, any rnethod to get the word out to the public, the 2007 facilitators and others not involved in local politics, a creative method of debate, place as much information in the invitations about the forum, whether or not to break up into groups,breaking the forum into two stages, and the need for open communication. Discuss contracting Northern Economics to do a presentation at a joint work session with City Council on the SMIC feasibility study Anderson stated that Northern Economics had been contracted to do a S M I C feasibility study and there was an additional cost to do a presentation to the Board and Council that was beyond the original scope of work. She explained that this was a request to the Board to use a portion of the PACAB budget to fund the presentation and recommended the Board approve a resolution to authorizing $1000 of the PACAB budget to help with the presentation cost. In response to Long, Anderson said she did not have the PACAB fund information available. Long stated he was surprised Northern Economics did not include a presentation in the scope of work and supported the drafting of a resolution for the next business meeting. Terry interjected the Board could authorize these funds by a motion. Motion (Schaefermeyer/Altermatt) Designate $1,000 from the PACAB budget for a S M IC Feasibility Study Presentation Motion Passed Unanimous Consent City of'ScJtit}ard, Alaska Port and Cojii»ac l-c'c,,,4tli�i-s t'i,!Board Minutes pt•il 1, 2009 Y'ottrme 3, Pagcl 62 """' Anderson stated the presentation had been scheduled for May 11, 2009 at 6:00 p.tn. and the feasibility study should be distributed on May 6, 2009. Discuss the PACAB priorities in preparation for Council and Board joint work session scheduled for April 8, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. Anderson agreed with Kell to add the Harbor Master Development Plan and requested this be done in the fall. Terry interjected the 1993 Small Boat Harbor Master Plan needed an update and requested to do this in the fall. The Board suggested reviewing the Small Boat Harbor Master plan in October 2009. In response to Altermatt, Anderson discussed what was being completed or worked on in the harbor. Long said he expected Council to provide their input on the Board's priorities. Discuss the World Trade Center Alaska Membership Renewal Long stated this renewal was Worth it if the Wednesday PACAB meetings could be rescheduled so Board Members could attend the World Trade Center meetings. Butts agreed if we Were not going to have a presence there than the renewal Was not necessary. Altermatt thought it was a good liaison for the Board. In response to Butts, Terry stated this World Trade Center Alaska renewal was budgeted for 2009. Motion (Altermatt/Schaefermeyer) Renew the World Trade Center Alaska Membership Motion Passed Unanimous Consent Correspondence, Information Items and Reports (no action required) — None Board Comments- Altermatt stated Seward Harbor opening weekend was May 16, 2009 and was hoping to re- energize the Community Street Dance at the Harbor Plaza. Citv of Seward,Alaska Port and COMIWITC Advi.smy Board Minute April 1, 009 Volume 3, Page 63 Butts expressed gratitude on having the public and council members attend and clarified the IMMOV p � � April S, 2009 joint work session with Council. Schaefermeyer thanked Joel Groves for his hydro presentation and stated a lot of time was spent on looking at a Lowell Creek project. He reviewed the SeaLife Center report and stated there may be an opportunity to use sea water has a heating source in Seward. Anderson recommended canccliing the April 15, 2009 work session. By general consensus, the April 15, 2009 work session had been cancelled. Long thanked Joel Groves and the utility manager for coning noted the Harbor opening `]Weekend dance was sponsored by the Kenai Fjords Yacht Club and Sailing Inc and some of the proceeds would go towards the Mariner's Memorial. Citizen Comments [5 ininittes per intlivitlital -Each intlivhlual has one opportunity to speak.]- None Board and Administrative Response to Citizens' Comments- None Adjournment Chair Ron Long adjourned the meeting at 1:49 p.m. _ 1 An4 Bailey Ron Long Executive Liaison Chair (City Seal) Ht v ION i y rAAV y` ea wka •4 iV +W U i tIF {+ �oL •x, wow +1 k ,f,y■ ��la