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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03022022 PACAB Minutes l City of Seward,Alaska Port and Commerce Advisory Board Meeting Minutes March 2, 2022 Volume 4,Page 51 CALL TO ORDER The March 2,2022 regular meeting of the Port and Commerce Advisory Board was called to order at 12:00 p.m.by Chair Brandii Holmdahl. OPENING CEREMONY The board led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. ROLL CALL There were present: Brandii Holmdahl, presiding; and Lynda Paquette Bruce Jaffa Colby Lawrence Carl Hughes Benjamin Smith comprising a quorum of the Board; and Norm Regis, Harbormaster Brenda Ballou, City Clerk Excused—None Absent—None Vacant—One CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING—None APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Hughes/Lawrence) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda Holmdahl pointed out an error on the agenda and asked the clerk to fix the date of the minutes from January 5, 2022 to February 2,2022. Paquette stated that Dr. Henry Burns was able to attend today's meeting and would be presenting along with Jen Peterson; Dr. Burns had been scheduled for a previous PACAB meeting and had IL been unable to attend. Motion Passed Unanimous The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: Approve the February 2, 2022 Regular Meeting Minutes. City of Seward,Alaska Port and Commerce Advisory Board Meeting Minutes March 2,2022 Volume 4,Page 52 SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS Proclamations& Awards—None Administration Report. Assistant City Manager Stephen Sowell said he had provided a report in the packet with updates on the city's current projects.He pointed out that the city would be moving forward with creating a master plan for expanding the city's utilities. Sowell said the housing issue in Seward was complex and multi-faceted, and would not be solved quickly. Jaffa was hoping to receive feedback from administration on how best to frame the feedback from the community regarding housing and employment concerns. Regarding the Public Works shop relocation,Jaffa wondered what the city's vision was for the new facility. Sowell said Kenai's Public Works facility would be used as a model for the new facility in Seward, with some modifications. Paquette wondered how confident the city was in moving forward with creating a new housing subdivision at the Hemlock campgrounds. Sowell said there were multiple preliminary things happening for that property, including a replat and rezone to separate the bike park from that parcel of land. Paquette asked if the city was having conversations with either the borough or the state about property they owned that the city could potentially purchase and use for housing. In response, Sowell said there were currently no meaningful conversations happening in that regard. Hughes mentioned the proposed housing sites for the Hemlock subdivision and wondered if 6,000 square foot lots would be appropriate for single family residences; he suggested that perhaps 10,000 square foot lots would be more appropriate. Sowell said there had been a lot of discussion about the lot sizes; he pointed out that lots downtown were 3,000 square feet. Sowell added that 6,000 square foot lots in this area would yield 40 new homes. Sowell stated that Seward would always have more of a demand for housing than the community could provide; that was a blessing and a challenge. The community needed to decide what kind of community Seward wanted to be, and how much growth was desired. Other Reports and Announcements Alaska Railroad Report.Port Operations Manager Christy Terry stated there had been recent train traffic for freight, and they would continue throughout March. There would be 81 cruise ships for a total of 95 cruise ship days this year.The port was already getting strong numbers for project barges that were scheduled to come into Seward. Terry passed out a flyer containing updates on the terminal and dock expansion project;the cruise ship terminal building would likely not be available for any community use starting as early as this fall,because the construction may begin that soon. The deadline for proposals was March 10,2022,so there would be a contractor in place by early April to begin the work.The cruise ship dock,cruise ship terminal,and freight dock City of Seward,Alaska Port and Commerce Advisory Board Meeting Minutes March 2, 2022 Volume 4, Page 53 were considered three projects, so there was potential to have three different construction companies working there. Jaffa asked if the $60 million bond would be enough for the entire project. Terry said it would be enough for the dock portion, and they would be looking for other funding for the cruise ship terminal project. Chamber of Commerce Report.Executive Director Kat Sorenson reported that ad sales for the Seward Hometown Guide were underway. The chamber would be creating a Relocation & Services Guide to assist newcomers. Registration was open for the 94`1' Mount Marathon Race. Vendor applications were being accepted for the Fourth of July Festival; they were already at capacity, but the chamber was looking at how they could accommodate more vendors. SBDC Representative Kelly Ann Cavaretta had already met with 20 local businesses to assist them with their endeavors. The chamber would be resuming in person lunches at the end of March,and Kelly Ann would be the first speaker. Nominations were open for the annual chamber awards. Harbormaster Report. Harbormaster Norm Regis said he missed PACAB's last work session because he had been in Juneau for legislative meetings. He reported the G, K, and L Float replacement project was well underway; new pilings would be driven soon. Presentations Jena Petersen from Seward Real Estate, and Dr. Henry Burns from Seward High School, presentations on housing and employment issues in Seward. irr Heat Loop Project presentation by Andy Baker. (telephonic) Childcare presentation by Casie Warner. NEW BUSINESS Other New Business Items Provide input on the Capital Improvement Plan for the 2023/2024 budget. Motion (Jaffa/Paquette) Postpone this item to May 4, 2022. Motion Passed Unanimous INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS PACAB Meeting Schedule PACAB Priorities & Goals CITIZEN COMMENTS—None City of Seward,Alaska Port and Commerce Advisory Board Meeting Minutes March 2, 2022 Volume 4,Page 54 BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION COMMENTS & RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS Smith thought the housing issue was perhaps more urgent than anyone realized; he was surprised to learn today that people earning six figures were priced out of the housing market. He thought it was critical that this issue be addressed as soon as possible. Hughes concurred with Smith. Everything was tied together: education,families,housing, childcare. He wondered if the borough could be engaged to see what property that had that could be used for housing. Paquette thanked everyone for coming to the meeting today. She asked if administration could provide a time estimate on what it would take to have the IT support at the PACAB meetings. She asked if the Planning&Zoning Commission could be charged with looking at nightly lodging in town to see how big of an impact this was having on housing. Woelkers was new to the board,but he was learning as fast as he could. Lawrence welcomed Woelkers to the board. He said housing was clearly an issue; he thought there were things the city could do to help solve the housing issues. He said there were city code violators in town operating nightly lodging; if the enforcement issue could be solved, it may help. Jaffa appreciated Woelkers joining the board. He thanked all the presenters at today's meeting, and he thanked administration for their work on the heat loop project. He encouraged citizens to continue reaching out and voicing their opinions. Jaffa was a strong advocate for the heat loop project; he was hoping to bid on the project when it came time to seek contractors. Holmdahl thanked everyone from the public for coming out. Next Tuesday would be international women's day, and there would be a celebration at Primrose Provisions starting at 6:00 p.m. Sowell said the current Public Works facility sat on a 2.2 acre parcel. Regarding the heat loop project, Sowell said the city supported this project 100%, and had engaged grant writers to work on funding opportunities. It would be inaccurate to suggest that the city did not support this project. Regis thought it would help the housing issue if the number of nightly lodging businesses could be capped. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 2:10 p.m. City of Seward,Alaska Port and Commerce Advisory Board Meeting Minutes March 2, 2022 Volume 4, Page 55 Brenda Ballou, M C Brandii Holmdahl City Clerk Chair (City Seal) •• OF SF'tt• ),•• ` �• SEAL F • ••��OF A\P► II