Harbor Commission

HARBOR COMMISSION MINUTES MEETING OF APRIL 16, 2019 A meeting of the Manistee Harbor Commission was called to order by the Chair on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. in the Second Floor Conference Room, City Hall, 70 Maple Street, Manistee MI 49660. Roll Call Present Excused Absence Unexcused Absence Commissioner Fritz Boehm  Commissioner Ty Cook  Commissioner Tim Kozal  Commissioner Tom Swedenborg  Commissioner Alex Zaccanelli  Commissioner - Vacancy Commissioner - Vacancy City Manager Thad Taylor  OTHERS PRESENT: Deputy Clerk Lora Laurain, DPW Director Jeff Mikula OATH OF OFFICE Deputy City Clerk Lora Laurain was in attendance to administer the Oath of Office to all commission members as recommended by the City Attorney. Left at 1:05 p.m. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION by Fritz Boehm, second by Alex Zaccanelli, to approve the agenda as submitted. Voice vote - motion carried. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS  None APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION by Alex Zaccanelli, second by Tom Swedenborg, to approve the minutes for January 15, 2019 as presented. Voice vote - motion carried. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Roger Zielinski was in attendance to provide an update on the regional fisheries workshop he recently attended and shared that approximately 80% of the salmon caught are wild which means the stocked salmon are successfully reproducing. Fishing still looks good for Manistee. Left the meeting at 1:15 p.m. Marina Dock Repairs. Jeff Mikula was in attendance representing the Harbormaster. Discussed timeline for Riverwalk and Marina dock repairs. All materials have been ordered and Fisher has mobilized and is onsite. New piles are steel and the dock is steel framed and can be adjusted manually for water level fluctuations. Waiting for a permit from the Corps of Engineers. Following several months of review the Corps decided that they needed the State Historic Harbor Commission Minutes – April 16, 2019 Page 1 Preservation Office to sign off on the project since it is adjacent to an historic district. This will delay some work and affect the completion date. Senator Stabenow’s Office was contacted for assistance. Fisher will work around this until the permit is received and will be using the east end of the launch ramp as a staging area. Bids were solicited for Phase II to replace the remaining docks. A grant application was submitted to the Waterways Commission. The Waterways Commission denied the application based on the need for a newly required Harbor Recreation Plan. Staff is working to create this new plan but we missed this round and cannot reapply until 2020. An application to the Community Foundation was pulled since we did not get Waterways funding. The gas dock will be the first to be repaired so it will be available at the start of the season. Discussed marketing seasonal docks. The Waterways Commission approved increasing the number of seasonal docks from 10 to 18. Discussed ways to raise the west docks so that they are above high water levels. Discussed recent erosion and ice damage to the west end of the Riverwalk. The Army Corps of Engineers have been contacted for assistance. An insurance claim has been submitted and accepted by the insurance company for the Riverwalk structural damage. Fisher is providing an estimate for repairs. Concern expressed for the west end of the Riverwalk and the upland property. Reviewed the previous Corps of Engineer’s wave study and the recommended revetment to protect the river channel. There is no cash on hand to complete this work. City will undertake what is needed immediately and work with the Corps of Engineers for the future. An update to City Council on the situation is planned for the May 7 meeting. Tom Swedenborg noted the continued erosion of his and neighboring properties along the riverbank. Discussed dredging and the cyclical nature of Lake Michigan water levels. Marina Patio Area. This project was put on hold.  Design Committee (Cook, Zielinski, Smith) – No report.  Finance Committee (Zaring, Boehm, Zaccanelli) – No report. Day Dock / Guest Dock Program. Original concept: find someone to purchase a seasonal dock that would be used for temporary dockage for visitors. Marina staff regularly allows temporary dockage for visitors if space is available; signage was suggested along the wall. STAFF REPORTS Harbormaster.  Received insurance renewal on the underground fuel tanks at the marina; researching replacement of the tank to avoid the high cost of coverage for older tanks.  Participated in Chamber Business Expo to attract seasonal employees. The Expo was not well attended. Help Wanted ads have been placed in the paper, on Facebook and on the City’s website.  Launch ramps are being installed at First Street as weather allows. The auto-attendant will go into effect once the weather warms up.  Working with representatives of the Steelheader Association on their planned donation of a fish scale for the fish cleaning station. Will be a nice addition to the facility.  The Manistee River channel experienced another seiche event last week with a fluctuation of Harbor Commission Minutes – April 16, 2019 Page 2  three feet. No reported damage. Enhanced community awareness since last year’s devastating seiche prepared staff in monitoring the event. Warnings were given to the community. City Manager.  The Manistee County Historical Museum submitted a grant application for interior work at the Lighthouse. The granting agency required the lighthouse to have flood insurance so the application was withdrawn. NEW BUSINESS  Discussed cleaning and maintenance of the First Street launch ramps. Cleaned on as needed basis but will change that to regular monthly basis.  Discussion on no wake zone for the Manistee River channel. Signage is in the harbor but is needed all along the river channel. Following discussion MOTION was made by Tom Swedenborg, second by Alex Zaccanelli to request the Harbormaster research who has the authority to post no wake signs along the river channel and who is responsible for enforcement. Voice vote – motion carried.  A pontoon was confiscated from the launch ramp last year. It was deemed abandoned and will be used by the Department of Public Works for installing swim buoys and other water related projects. PUBLIC COMMENTS  None. OTHER COMMENTS  Ty Cook – Enjoyed having Jeff Mikula in attendance to provide updates on projects.  Ty Cook – Marina Facebook page needs updates. ADJOURNMENT Next meeting is scheduled for June 18, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. in the Second Floor Conference Room, City Hall, 70 Maple Street, Manistee, Michigan. MOTION to adjourn by Alex Zaccanelli, second by Fritz Boehm at 2:15 p.m. Cynthia Lokovich, CAP-OM Recording Secretary Harbor Commission Minutes – April 16, 2019 Page 3