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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12072022 PACAB Minutes City of Seward,Alaska Port and Commerce Advisory Board Meeting Minutes December 7,2022 Volume 4,Page 93 CALL TO ORDER The December 7, 2022 regular meeting of the Port and Commerce Advisory Board was called to order at 12:00 p.m.by Chair Brandii O'Reagan. OPENING CEREMONY Chair Brandii O'Reagan led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. ROLL CALL There were present: Brandii O'Reagan,presiding; and Lynda Paquette Bruee-Jaffa Carl Hughes (arrived at 12:08 p.m) Fred Woelkers Dwayne Atwood comprising a quorum of the Board; and Stephen Sowell, Assistant City Manager Norm Regis, Harbormaster Courtney Bringhurst, City Planner(clerk of the meeting) Excused—Jaffa Absent—Smith CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING—None APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Paquette/Woelkers) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda Motion Passed Unanimous The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: Approval of the November 2,2022 PACAB Regular Meeting Minutes. Approval of the November 16,2022 PACAB Special Meeting Minutes. SPECIAL ORDERS,PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS Proclamations & Awards—None City of Seward,Alaska Port and Commerce Advisory Board Meeting Minutes December 7, 2022 Volume 4,Page 94 Administration Report. Assistant City Manager Stephen Sowell clarified that past comments he had made regarding Vice Chair Paquette were meant as appreciation and support. Sowell reiterated that he appreciated Vice Chair Paquette and all the board members for their work. Paquette thanked Sowell for clarifying that issue. Harbormaster Norm Regis said the harbormaster's office was busy training three newly hired employees at the same time. All three new hires would need to obtain a Commercial Driver's License(CDL)which would cost around$6,000 each. Regis was still waiting for a letter from the US Coast Guard (USCG) in regard to purchasing land at the Seward Marine Industrial Center (SMIC). Hughes arrived at 12:08 p.m. Woelkers mentioned the City of Homer was in the process of becoming a designated Coast Guard City. There were only five other communities in Alaska with such a distinction. Woelkers wanted to know how the City of Seward could apply for that status in the future. Regis responded he would look into the criteria to receive such a distinction. Atwood asked if the city helped new employees obtain their CDL. Regis clarified that the city would pay for the CDL since it was a city requirement. In order to save money,it was possible the Public Works Director could train individuals to obtain their CDL. Paquette asked if the employees who obtained their CDL had an obligation to stay with the city for a certain amount of time or else pay back the cost of training. Regis said he had looked into that issue and there was nothing in the city code that would require that commitment from an employee. Paquette felt the city should consider adding that requirement in code. Other Reports and Announcements Alaska Railroad Report.Port Operations Manager Dwayne Atwood said a bulk cargo ship would deliver bags of fracking sand to the Seward port. Many freight trains would be lined up to transport the shipment to Anchorage. The 2023 cruise ship schedule was not yet finalized, but currently there were 92 cruise ships scheduled to arrive in Seward. Last weekend, the Alaska Railroad terminal hosted the Holiday Craft Fair. Seward representatives from the Alaska Railroad, Chamber of Commerce,AVTEC,and the Harbor department all attended the Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle. Presentations— None NEW BUSINESS Other New Business Items Formulate the 2023 PACAB Meeting Topics. City of Seward,Alaska Port and Commerce Advisory Board Meeting Minutes December 7, 2022 Volume 4,Page 95 O'Reagan noted the calendar included in the packet only contained regular meetings and did not include the work sessions. O'Reagan read PACAB's goals and priorities that were approved by the city council. She pointed out that five of those priorities required specific dates for when they would be discussed. Sowell clarified that city council's next meeting would be approving the 2023-2024 budget, so PACAB would not need to have any budget conversations until the 2025-2026 budget discussion. However, Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) discussions happened annually. Paquette asked if it would be better to discuss CIP in May or September. Sowell responded that November would provide adequate time to discuss CIP. O'Reagan stated that the board typically held one regular meeting every month and one work session every month. She suggested the board not schedule the work session topics until closer to the date of the work session. Paquette expressed her support to replace the work sessions with another regular meeting for a total of two meetings per month. If there was something that needed to be heavily discussed they could operate as a committee as a whole. Regis suggested that PACAB could change the work sessions to special meetings on an individual basis at the previous regular meeting. O'Reagan asked the board if they wanted to schedule all their work sessions in their entirety as special meetings or if the board would rather schedule special meetings only as needed. Hughes responded that the board should schedule special meetings as needed. Regis reiterated that the board could leave all their work sessions scheduled and the change them as needed to special meetings. O'Reagan summarized the discussion for regular meeting dates and topics for 2023: January 4,2023 - Harbor Tariff February 1, 2023 - Chamber of Commerce March 1,2023 - SMIC Development Plan April 5, 2023 - Community Utility Infrastructure May 3, 2023 -Legislative Priorities September 6, 2023 -Vessel property tax and PACAB attendance at AML conference October 4, 2023 - Harbor plan November 1, 2023- Capital Improvement Plan December 6, 2023 - Fisheries update O'Reagan stated the 2023 work sessions dates would be announced at the next PACAB meeting. The board would also assign topics for the work sessions at that meeting. Paquette asked when PACAB could expect feedback from the Heat Loop Ad Hoc Committee. O'Reagan replied that would fall under the topic of community utility infrastructure. City of Seward,Alaska Port and Commerce Advisory Board Meeting Minutes December 7,2022 Volume 4,Page 96 O'Reagan also clarified that the Ad Hoc Committee could request a special meeting with PACAB or attend any regular meeting to provide updates on their progress. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS —None CITIZEN COMMENTS—None BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION COMMENTS & RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS Woelkers advised everyone to be safe in this winter weather. Hughes said he was glad to be back,however he would be leaving again soon. Paquette said she was looking forward to the next meeting where they could schedule the rest of their topics. She thanked everyone for coming. Atwood thanked staff and board members for attending. He felt it had been a very productive meeting. Sowell remarked that it had been a productive half an hour. Regis said that the city had received boxes to cover the life rings in the harbor, but they didn't fit correctly. The city was working with the company to get replacements. O'Reagan said that it was great to be back, however she would not be able to attend the next PACAB work session. She thanked all those who traveled to the Marine Expo in Seattle. She felt that Seward did a great job of showcasing all the commercial, tourism, and recreational possibilities the waterfront had to offer. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 12:38 p.m. Courtney Bringhurst r _dii O'Reagan Chair "City Planner(Clerk of the Meetin�,�.�-� '" ,"B� 'P,o• (City Seal) �� POAPO��,�4�,•,•s ••• 1le OF Wit,'