Harbor Commission

HARBOR COMMISSION MINUTES MEETING OF APRIL 23, 2018 A meeting of the Manistee Harbor Commission was held on Monday, April 23, 2018 at 1:00 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 Fritz Boehm  Commissioner Ty Cook  Commissioner Tim Kozal  Commissioner Jim Smith  Commissioner Alex Zaccanelli  Commissioner Glenn Zaring  Commissioner Roger Zielinski  City Manager Thad Taylor  OTHERS PRESENT: DDA Director Tyler Leppanen APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION by Roger Zielinski, second by Jim Smith, to approve the agenda as submitted. Voice vote - Motion carried. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS  None APPROVAL OF MINUTES The Recording Secretary requested wording clarification on the draft minutes from February 20, 2018. Following discussion MOTION by Roger Zielinski, second by Alex Zaccanelli, to approve the minutes for the January 16, 2018 and the February 20, 2018 meetings. Voice vote - Motion carried. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Marina Patio Area.  Design Committee – No update. Tim Kozal distributed design cost estimate from Spicer. Ty Cook recommended that some sort of outdoor lighting be included in the design.  Finance Committee – No update. Timing of patio project will be impacted by recent seiche event that damaged many docks at the marina. STAFF REPORTS Harbormaster. Reviewed revenue and expense reports from last season. Rental income on the open space was higher than anticipated. Laura Brennan will manage the marina again this year and three staff members returning from last year. Five new applications are being reviewed. Marina reports being sent to the state. Marina season will be impacted by the seiche event from April 13, 2018; damage assessment continues. Initial reports indicate 30% of the docks are damaged or gone. Insurance coverage has Harbor Commission Minutes – April 23 2018 Page 1 been confirmed. Water did not enter the facility; no report on how the gas dock kiosk fared, water rose halfway up the structure. Plans to repair the USCG dock first. Researching potential emergency Waterways grant; using the insurance money as a grant match to repair the remaining docks. Researching any obligations from previous Waterways grants; would a payback be required if the property was sold. Slip rates are set by the state. City Manager. Reviewed launch ramp revenue report. Auto-attendant at the launch ramp will be installed soon, machine is weather dependent. NEW BUSINESS  Review of Last Season’s Occupancies – Ty Cook provided his observations on last season’s occupancies. Discussed marketing, water levels, adjustable/floating docks, and replacement of pilings. Rates were raised on transient docks last year – seasonal rates were not raised.  Implementation of an Active Sales/Marketing/Facebook Program – Discussed mailer to advertise for seasonal docks. Waterways will be asked if they allow commercial dockage for seasonal docks and if they would pay a premium. Riverfront leases were renewed with a 3% increase each year. We need to determine the level of repairs first to drive how we move forward. The Marina Manager has already confirmed five seasonal docks. Facebook posts will continue with no boosted posts.  Day Dock / Guest Dock Program – Temporary dockage is already allowed along the wall.Ty Cook suggested a designated space and a press release to advertise the space. Alex Zaccanelli suggested contacting downtown merchants to sponsor a dock for the season. Signs could be posted acknowledging the merchants.  Marina Infrastructure – Address Continuing Deterioration – No discussion, all projects are on hold until repairs are completed from the seiche event. PUBLIC COMMENTS  None OTHER COMMENTS  Thad Taylor - Responding to a statewide port initiative economic study of port impacts to the state.  Catamaran racing event will be back this summer.  Tight Lines for Troops event scheduled for May could be impacted by the damages at the marina. Committee researching options.  Discussed shoulder season rates. ADJOURNMENT Next meeting is scheduled for June 19, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. in the Second Floor Conference Room, City Hall, 70 Maple Street, Manistee, Michigan. MOTION to adjourn by Roger Zielinski, second by Alex Zaccanelli at 1:50 p.m. Cynthia Lokovich, CAP-OM Recording Secretary Harbor Commission Minutes – April 23 2018 Page 2