Harbor Commission

Manistee Harbor Commission Established - November 1931 70 Maple Street, Manistee, Michigan 49660 Agenda Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at 1 p.m. – Municipal Marina, Boaters Lounge ____________________________________________________________________ Call to Order Approval of Agenda Public Comments on Agenda Items (5 minute limit) Approval of Minutes  Minutes of April 16, 2013 Staff Reports  Harbormaster  City Manager Committee Reports  Strategic Planning with AES (Memberto, Zielinski, Daniels) Unfinished Business  None New Business  None Public Comment (5 minute limit) Comments by Harbor Commissioners Adjourn Commissioners are encouraged to participate in the preparation of the monthly agendas for Harbor Commission meetings. Please contact the City Manager’s Office at least two weeks prior to the scheduled meeting to discuss agenda items.  HARBOR COMMISSION MINUTES MEETING OF APRIL 16, 2013 A regular meeting of the Manistee Harbor Commission was held on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 1 p.m. in the Second Floor Conference Room, City Hall, 70 Maple Street, Manistee MI 49660. Roll Call Present Excused Absence Unexcused Absence Commissioner Bachman  Commissioner Cook  Commissioner Daniels  Commissioner Memberto  Commissioner Smith  Commissioner Zaccanelli  Commissioner Zielinski  City Manager Mitch Deisch  OTHERS PRESENT: Alliance for Economic Success – Kathy Adair Morin and Tim Ervin; Manistee News Advocate – Eric Sagonowsky APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION by Alex Zaccanelli, second by Ty Cook to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried. ROLL CALL VOTE YEAS NAYS ABSTAIN COMMISSIONER BACHMAN --- --- --- COMMISSIONER COOK  COMMISSIONER DANIELS  COMMISSIONER MEMBERTO  COMMISSIONER SMITH  COMMISSIONER ZACCANELLI  COMMISSIONER ZIELINSKI  PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION by Roger Zielinski, second by Rosemary Daniels to approve the minutes for the February 19, 2013 meeting as presented. Voice vote - Motion carried. STAFF REPORTS City Manager. City Manager Mitch Deisch reported on status of the First Street Beach Boat Launch. City spent approximately $850 out of the Boat Launch Enterprise Fund to purchase 15- Harbor Commission Minutes – April 16, 2013 Page 1 20 yards of ballast stone and placed it in front of the sheet piling as identified in the bathymetric survey completed by Abonmarche earlier this spring. All skid piers are in and the ramps should be in good shape this year. The CVB has been contacted to advertise this fact as many harbors along the lake will be having low water problems this year. The Fish Cleaning Station has been razed and the project to replace has begun. Temporary fish cleaning facilities will be erected west of the construction site. Ty Cook noted that one section of the slab next to the second skid pier has heaved. The skid pier should be moved to the east to block this hazard. Ramp improvements this year are a short-term improvement. Long-term options would require additional capital funds. Manistee harbor will be dredged again this year; and some dredging will occur at the Municipal Marina. Abonmarche is working on a permit to dredge 300-400 yards of material at the Marina. Samples passed the sieve test and additional testing will not be required. Dredged materials will be deposited at the compost area. As part of their annual budget process City Council is reviewing the Fee Schedule. City Manager undertook a brief survey of neighboring communities including Frankfort, Ludington, Muskegon and Grand Haven. Manistee’s launch ramp fees are low in comparison. Discussed the MDNR requirement that municipalities that have received grant funding cannot charge differential rates for residents and nonresidents. Following discussion on current rates; the Harbor Commission reached a consensus to support increases to the daily fee from $5 to $10 and the seasonal rate from $35 to $40. This information will be shared with City Council. The auto- attendant is up and running at the launch ramp and seasonal passes are being sold. Another requirement by the MDNR is that they must review any proposed rate increases. It is entirely possible that any proposed rate increases might not take effect until July 1 or even next year. Staff is also recommending that the auto-attendant be replaced in the 2014-2015 budget and is recommending equipment that will dispense seasonal permit stickers. The concession stand at the launch ramp will be raised as soon as the new Fish Cleaning Station is completed. Received a request from David Story to operate a temporary concession trailer at this location. COMMITTEE REPORTS Rosemary Daniels and Thom Smith volunteered to represent the City of Manistee at the Michigan Small Harbors Coalition meeting in Lansing on February 27, 2013. A report was distributed to the Harbor Commission electronically on April 15, 2013 and was reviewed at this time. A good learning experience and very interesting. The Coalition continues to look at future funding for harbor dredging. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. NEW BUSINESS The USCG Auxiliary would like to sponsor another navigation class at the Municipal Marina on Saturday, June 8 from 9 to 5 p.m. The cost of the session would be $15. Requested the use of the second floor meeting space at the marina for this class. Alex Zaccanelli, along with Ty Cook will be working on advertising this event and on the annual boat inspection program. Harbor Commission Minutes – April 16, 2013 Page 2 Discussion on Accessibility Grant Funds. AES Executive Director Kathy Adair Morin and Tim Ervin discussed funding mechanisms for marinas, launch ramps and other recreational based ventures. Manistee is known to various funding providers for their strategic planning. The Alliance for Economic Success (AES) office will do their best to find and help secure grant funding for projects. Discussed creating a Harbor Commission strategic plan. Several members (Shelly Memberto, Roger Zielinski and Rosemary Daniels) volunteered to work with the AES to get a strategic planning session scheduled. Consensus by the Harbor Commission to request that the AES contact Onekama and Arcadia Harbor Commissions to see if there is any interest in a tri-port collaborative for a strategic planning session. STAFF REPORTS (continued) Harbormaster. Dave Bachman arrived at 1:50 p.m. and gave a brief update on marina operations that will begin May 15. The seven seasonal slips are full for the season. Frank Post will return to manage the marina on a part-time basis. Miscellaneous comments on areas that do not have enough draft for sailboats at the marina and other areas. PUBLIC COMMENTS None. COMMENTS BY HARBOR COMMISSIONERS None. ADJOURNMENT Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 18, 2013. There is no meeting currently scheduled for May. MOTION by Roger Zielinski, second by Rosemary Daniels to adjourn at 2:04 p.m. Respectfully submitted, DRAFT - cl Cindy Lokovich, Recording Secretary Harbor Commission Minutes – April 16, 2013 Page 3  MUNICIPAL MARINA 480 River Street, Manistee, MI 49660-1557 * (231) 723-1552 Coordinates: 44º 14'54"N, 86º 19' 58"W Memorandum To: Manistee Harbor Commission From: Frank Post, Marina Manager Date: June 8, 2013 Subject: Fee Recommendations on Marina Incentive Programs This proposal is intended to create incentives for people to stay at the marina that could increase revenues and make the marina at least revenue neutral. In the early spring and late fall, we have a significant amount of empty dock space that, with some type of incentive, could at least be partially filled. The daily and weekly incentives are intended to lure a boater to stay a little longer and, while we receive a little more money, our feedback forms tell us they are also putting more money in the local economy. Marina employees would be empowered to apply these rates without further permission required. Courtesy Dock Rebate We currently charge $5.00 for a boater to dock at our facility and go downtown. Many spend a few hours and either shop or eat. If we could have a system where a boater that spends more than $20.00 or $30.00 that we would rebate the courtesy dock fee. We could create a card or form that the business would either give or sign and give back to the boater and we would rebate their fee. While this may slightly reduce our revenues, I believe it is an excellent public relations program that puts us in a positive light in the eyes of both businesses and boaters. Daily Rate Incentives We would create an incentive for a boater who comes in from May 15th through June 15th and again from the day after Labor Day to close (October 1st) and stays of up to 6 days, • Option #1-Stay 2 days get the 3rd day free, or • Option #2-Stay one day get the second at half price • If the boater stays longer than that, Weekly Incentives apply. Examples A 31’ boat is charged a $41.00 daily rate; • Under Option #1-Under this option the boater is charged $82 for 3 days. • Under Option #2-Under this option the boater is charged $61.50 for 2 days. A 42’ boat is charged a $62.00 daily rate; • Under Option #1-Under this option the boater is charged $124.00 for 3 days. • Under Option #2-Under this option the boater is charged $93.00 for 2 days. Weekly Incentives (Pre and Post Season) We get a lot of individuals that inquire about staying a week or more. I would propose that we consider some incentives, again on the theory of prolonging a boater’s stay, putting more money in the local economy. From May 15th through June 15th and again from the day after Labor Day to close (October 1st); Recommendations on Marina Incentive Program Continued: Page 2 • A 7 day to 13 day stay is discounted by 20% of the daily rate, • A 14 day to 30 day stay is discounted by 40% of the daily rate, • A stay longer than 30 days, Monthly Incentives applies. Examples a 7 day to 13 day stay at 20% discount A 31’ boat is charged a $41.00 daily rate. The normal rate for a 7 to 13 day stay would be $287.00 to $533.00. Under the 20% Discount-this boater would be charged $229.60 for 7 days and up to $426.40 for a 13 day stay. A 42’ boat is charged a $62 daily rate. The normal rate for a 7 to 13 day stay would be $434.00 to $806.00. Under the 20% Discount-this boater would be charged $347.20 for 7 days and up to $644.80 for a 13 day stay. Examples a 14 day to 30 day stay at 40% discount A 31’ boat is charged a $41 daily rate. The normal rate for a 14 to 30 day stay would be $574.00 to $1,230.00. Under the 40% Discount-this boater would be charged $344.40 for 14 days and up to $738.00 for a 30 day stay. A 42’ boat is charged a $62 daily rate. The normal rate for a 14 to 30 day stay would be $868.00 to $3,720.00. Under the 40% Discount-this boater would be charged $520.80 for 14 days and up to $1,116.00 for a 30 day stay. Weekly Incentives (Summer Season) During peak activity periods (June 16th through Labor Day) a discount of 25% for all days from 7 through 30 Days. Examples A 31’ boat is charged a $41 daily rate. The normal rate for a 7 to 30 day stay would be $287.00 to $1,230.00. Under the 25% Discount-this boater would be charged $215.25 for 7 days and up to $922.50 for a 30 day stay. A 42’ boat is charged a $62 daily rate. The normal rate for a 7 to 30 day stay would be $434.00 to $1,860.00. Under the 25% Discount-this boater would be charged $325.50 for 7 days and up to $1,395.00 for a 30 day stay. Monthly Incentives If a boater asks to stay 30 days or over, we would apply the seasonal rate for that sized boat. The seasonal rate for the boat calculated down to a daily rate (138 days) and multiplied by number of days of the stay. This incentive would be available from May 15th through October 1st. Examples A 31’ boat is charged a $41 daily rate up to a $2,511 seasonal rate. The normal rate for a 31 to 60 day stay would be $1,271.00 to $2,460.00. Under the Monthly Incentive-this boater would be charged $564.07 for 31 days and up to $1,091.74 for a 60 day stay. A 42’ boat is charged a $62 daily rate up to a $3,570.00 seasonal rate. The normal rate for a 31 to 60 day stay would be $1,860.00 to $3,720.00. Under the Monthly Incentive-this boater would be charged $776.09 for 31 days and up to $1,552.17 for a 60 day stay. Seasonal Slip Pricing One other concern is the application of a Seasonal Rate based on length of the dock instead of length of the boat. I understand that we do not want to have small boats occupying long docks, however, I have had at least five inquiries this spring about a seasonal slip and these boat owners were extremely surprised how expensive our slips were. The current practice is to apply 3 different prices to “Seasonal Slip Rental” based on the length of the dock. Those are Bold on the list below. One can see the significant difference to a Recommendations on Marina Incentive Program Continued: Page 3 owner of a 25’ boat having to rent a 35’ dock ($800). It is also difficult to explain to an owner of a of a 36’ boat that his cost is the same as the owner of a 45’ boat. I would recommend that we apply the schedule that the Harbor Commission adopted base on the size of the boat and not the size of the dock. Rate Category 3 Boat Length 2013 Rate 41 $3,485 Boat Length 2013 Rate 42 $3,570 20 $1,620 43 $3,698 21 $1,701 44 $3,828 22 $1,782 45 $3,960 23 $1,863 46 $4,094 24 $1,944 47 $4,183 25 $2,025 48 $4,320 26 $2,106 49 $4,410 27 $2,187 50 $4,500 28 $2,268 51 $4,590 29 $2,349 52 $4,732 30 $2,430 53 $4,823 31 $2,511 54 $4,914 32 $2,592 55 $5,005 33 $2,673 56 $5,152 34 $2,754 57 $5,244 35 $2,835 58 $5,336 36 $2,952 59 $5,428 37 $3,034 60 $5,520 38 $3,154 Over 60 Foot $92 per foot 39 $3,276 61 5,612 40 $3,400 Final Recommendations Because we have accepted DNR funds for certain projects, I am not sure if they have a “vote” or would prohibit any the aforementioned proposals. Many grant or State of Michigan projects have “strings attached” that limit the local unit of governments’ ability to do discounting. I would defer to the cities administration for a determination. Much of the information on the various programs came from other marinas. Any and all of the aforementioned options would be applied locally and can be complicated if an individual boater pays for a reservation through the reservation system. The DNR Reservation System has a specific rate and boaters are only allowed to reserve up to 14 days. We would have to create some workarounds to make any of the aforementioned recommendations work. Any of these recommendations will take a season or 2 to gain acceptance. Generally this information gets around by word of mouth; however, I would propose that any of these that are adopted be put on our web page and Facebook account to help get the word out.  Manistee Municipal Marina Number of Boats 2011 May June July August September 0-19 Feet 0 0 1 4 1 Number of Boats By Month 20-29 Feet 4 16 62 97 33 30-39 Feet 2 23 108 93 12 300 40-49 Feet 1 4 47 52 5 278 50+ Feet 1 4 8 7 1 258 Seasonal 5 5 5 5 5 Totals 13 52 231 258 57 250 231 224 Number of Boats 2012 May June July August September 200 0-19 Feet 0 0 3 3 2 2011 20-29 Feet 8 14 78 107 26 30-39 Feet 4 14 132 67 22 2012 150 40-49 Feet 3 12 43 31 9 2013 50+ Feet 1 2 15 8 5 Seasonal 5 7 7 8 7 Totals 21 49 278 224 71 100 71 Number of Boats 52 49 57 2013 May June July August September 50 0-19 Feet 2 21 18 13 20-29 Feet 5 0 0 0 0 30-39 Feet 6 0 40-49 Feet 2 May June July August September 50+ Feet 0 Seasonal 3 Totals 18 0 0 0 0 Page 1  Manistee Municipal Marina Number of Boat Days 2011 May June July August September Number of Boat Days By Month 0-19 Feet 0 0 1 6 2 20-29 Feet 6 27 137 314 74 30-39 Feet 6 37 193 148 16 800 40-49 Feet 5 5 63 77 9 736 712 710 50+ Feet 1 16 13 10 1 Seasonal 75 150 155 155 155 700 Totals 93 235 562 710 257 Number of Boat 600 562 Days 2012 500 0-19 Feet 0 0 14 6 3 2011 20-29 Feet 11 23 177 323 55 30-39 Feet 6 20 217 100 35 2012 400 40-49 Feet 3 17 65 48 10 2013 327 50+ Feet 1 2 22 11 7 Seasonal 75 210 217 248 217 300 272 257 Totals 96 272 712 736 327 235 Number of Boat 200 Days 2013 93 96 0-19 Feet 4 100 70 20-29 Feet 5 30-39 Feet 14 0 0 0 0 40-49 Feet 2 0 50+ Feet 0 May June July August September Seasonal 45 Totals 70 0 0 0 0 Page 2  Manistee Municipal Marina 2012 Boat Census By Boat Length 2013 Boat Census By Boat Length 140 7 132 6 120 6 107 5 100 5 0-19 Feet 0-19 Feet 78 20-29 Feet 20-29 Feet 80 4 30-39 Feet 30-39 Feet 67 40-49 Feet 40-49 Feet 3 60 50+ Feet 3 50+ Feet Seasonal Seasonal 43 2 2 40 2 31 26 22 20 141412 15 1 8 7 7 8 8 9 4 3 5 3 3 5 7 0 1 0 2 2 0 0 0 May June July August September May June July August September NOTE: The aforementioned numbers do not reflect the seasonal boats at the Manistee Municipal Marina. Seasonal Dockage 3 Slips for Private Individuals United States Coast Guard United States Coast Guard Auxillary Michigan Department of Natural Resources Page 3  Manistee Municipal Marina Boaters Survey's for May 2013 How would you rate your experience in Manistee (1-Lowest to 5-Highest) Avg. Score Number of Returned Cards: 1 Docking and cast off assistance 5.00 Your Home Port and State: Pump out and fueling services 5.00 Leland, MI Were the marina staff courteous and displayed professionalism 5.00 Marina lounges were clean and orderly 5.00 Marina restrooms and showers were clean and well maintained 5.00 The overall condition and level of maintenance of the marina 5.00 Are you likely to return to Manistee Municipal Marina 5.00 Will your recommend our Marina to your friends or other boaters 5.00 What made you Choose Manistee? On my way to Leland While in Manistee, did you Buy Groceries 0 Buy Hardware 0 Visit Museums 0 Go to Casino 0 Walk the River Walk 1 Go to the Beaches 0 Eat on Boat 0 Eat at a Restaurant 1 Your comments /suggestions are welcomed! Page 4  Manistee Municipal Marina Commodies Sold as of 2012 vs 2013 Marine Gas Sales 2012 vs 2013 2012 2013 8000 Gas Diesel Gas Diesel May 1,840 0 0 0 7000 June 2,262 650 0 0 July 4,661 2,239 0 0 6000 August 7,772 1,184 0 0 September 2,904 1,559 0 0 5000 2012 4000 2013 Total Gallons 19,439 5,632 0 0 Fuel Numbers from Bills of Lading 3000 2000 1000 Marine Diesel Sales 2012 vs 2013 0 May June July August September 2500 2000 1500 2012 2013 1000 500 0 May June July August September Page 5  Manistee Municipal Marina Commodities 8 Commodies 8 Sold 7 2012 May June July August September Ice Sold 10 38 394 290 61 6 Amount Sold Courtsey Docks 0 13 43 41 8 5 Ice Sold 4 Pump Outs 3 11 34 19 21 Courtsey Docks 4 Pump Outs 2013 May June July August September 3 Ice Sold 4 2 Courtsey Docks 8 1 0 Pump Outs 0 0 Month May June July August September Marina Staffing Hours 2012 and 2013 Staffing Hours by Month Year May June July August Sept Total Staffing Hours by Month 2012 216 514 567 715 186.5 2198.5 800 2013 168 0 0 0 0 168 700 600 Scheduled Shifts and Open Hours for 2013 500 Hours 400 5/15 to 6/10 6/11 to 9/2 9/4 to 9/29 300 8am-2pm 8am-3pm 8am-3:30pm 200 2pm-6pm 3pm to 10pm 3:30pm-6pm 10am-6pm 7 days a wk. 100 0 May June July August Sept Open Hours Open Hours Open Hours Month 8am-6pm 8am to 10pm 8am-6pm Page 6