Harbor Commission

HARBOR COMMISSION MINUTES MEETING OF JULY 19, 2016 A regular meeting of the Manistee Harbor Commission was held on Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at 1 p.m. in the Second Floor Conference Room, City Hall, 70 Maple Street, Manistee MI 49660. The meeting was called to order by the Chair. Roll Call Present Excused Absence Unexcused Absence Commissioner Dave Bachman  Commissioner Fritz Boehm  Commissioner Ty Cook  Commissioner Jim Smith  Commissioner Alex Zaccanelli  Commissioner Glenn Zaring  Commissioner Roger Zielinski  City Manager Thad Taylor  OTHERS PRESENT: Kathryn Kenny and Maralee Cook of the Manistee Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION by Roger Zielinski, second by Dave Bachman, to approve the agenda as amended, moving the discussion on marketing to the first item of discussion. Voice vote - Motion carried. Fritz Boehm arrived at 1:07 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS None UNFINISHED BUSINESS Marketing Discussion – Kathryn Kenny and Maralee Cook were present to engage the Harbor Commission in a discussion about marketing the marina. Dave Bachman noted that the group is looking for the best return on a limited marketing budget. Kathryn Kenny said that a Facebook page, efficiently maintained, is the way to go. Choose your targeted audience and buy economical ads to attract the targeted audience. The CVB has been very successful with this practice. The Marina’s Facebook page needs to reflect the marina, not just freighter traffic. If staff is not available in house, someone should be hired to do this. Kathryn could also train an individual to do this. It could be done with less than an hour a day. Walk-In traffic at the CVB has dropped significantly, it’s all digital now. Harbor Commission Minutes – July 19, 2016 Page 1 The Marina Facebook page should also join the Manistee Pure Michigan Facebook page and other similar pages. The Harbor Commission needs to come up with a targeted audience. Be specific, you cannot afford to target everyone. The marina also needs to post information and updates to the Pure Manistee page. MOTION by Roger Zielinski, second by Glenn Zaring to request Kathryn Kenny provide a quote to assist the Municipal Marina as a Facebook Page Administrator prior to the meeting in August. Voice vote - Motion carried. Kathryn requested that the Harbor Commission begin their research on preferred targeted audiences for discussion at the August meeting. Discussed whether a committee needed to be assigned the task of researching a target audience. Following discussion it was decided that all members should do this research and bring it back for review at the August meeting. Harbor Commission was reminded that any sub-committees of the Harbor Commission are subject to the Open Meetings Act requirements. Discussed that there might be conflicts with the date of the August meeting. MOTION by Dave Bachman, second by Fritz Boehm, to reschedule the next meeting to August 23, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. Voice vote - Motion carried. Maralee Cook prepared a packet of information for other marketing ideas. Jackpine could be hired to create a flier for the marina at an estimated cost of $400 for 1,000 copies. Consider this for the 2017 season. Compiled a list of websites boaters can view; many of these have incorrect and outdated information on them. City should have someone contact these websites to either remove or correct the data. Continue annual ad in the Manistee County Visitors Guide; cost is $425 for the 2017 Guide and will include a 200 word feature with photo about the marina. Join the Great Lakes Cruising organization for $100. Consider additional magazine ads. Consider collaborating with the other two Manistee County Lake Michigan ports (Onekama and Arcadia) or form a county-wide Harbor Commission. Kenny and Cook left the meeting at 2:20 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION by Roger Zielinski, second by Fritz Boehm, to approve the minutes for the June 21, 2016 meeting as presented. Voice vote - Motion carried. STAFF REPORTS Harbormaster. One staff member at the Marina quit and they only received one application. City Manager. Presented launch ramp revenue updates to the Harbor Commission as of June 30, 2016. Revenues are up slightly from the previous year. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Parking Ordinance – Dave Bachman working with the City Attorney to draft another ordinance to address parking issues. Harbor Commission Minutes – July 19, 2016 Page 2 NEW BUSINESS None PUBLIC COMMENTS None OTHER COMMENTS Alex Zaccanelli requested that the Coast Guard Auxiliary be allowed to post safe boating class fliers at the launch ramps. Permission already granted. Cindy will also share on the City’s Facebook page and website. ADJOURNMENT Next meeting is scheduled for August 23, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. in the Second Floor Conference Room, City Hall. MOTION to adjourn by Roger Zielinski, second by Fritz Boehm at 2:30 p.m. Cynthia Lokovich, CAP-OM Recording Secretary Harbor Commission Minutes – July 19, 2016 Page 3