Harbor Commission

Manistee Harbor Commission Agenda Tuesday, January 17, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. – Council Chambers 70 Maple Street, Manistee MI 49660 ____________________________________________________________________ Call to Order Approval of Agenda Public Comments on Agenda Items (5-minute limit) Election of Officers Approval of Minutes • Minutes of October 18, 2022 Unfinished Business • Marina Marketing Plan – with Mark Sandstedt, MS Creative and Sammie Lukaskiewicz, Manistee County Convention and Visitors Bureau • Marina Patio • South Breakwater Project Reports • Harbormaster • City Manager New Business • Suggestions for Marina – Kelly Greve and Liz Laskey, Parks Commission • Annual Review of Bylaws • Annual Review of Strategic Plan • Update Member Roster Public Comment (5-minute limit) Comments by Harbor Commissioners Adjourn  HARBOR COMMISSION MINUTES MEETING OF October 18, 2022 A meeting of the Manistee Harbor Commission was called to order by the Chair on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, at 1:05 p.m. in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 70 Maple Street, Manistee MI 49660. MEMBERS PRESENT Tom Swedenborg, Jeff Mikula, George Becker, Mary Lou Mydill, Bill Gambill MEMBERS ABSENT Ty Cook OTHERS PRESENT APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION by Jeff Mikula, second by George Becker, to approve the agenda as submitted. Voice vote – motion carried. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS None APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION by Tom Swedenborg, second by Jeff Mikula, to approve the minutes for the August 16, 2022, as presented. Voice vote – motion carried. UNFINISHED BUSINESS • Marina Marketing Plan o Drone Pictures – Jeff Mikula received footage from MS Creative, which can be used for video clips or still images. This expended the current budget line item. Will continue to look for additional funding sources over the winter. Jeff confirmed the footage showed activity at the Marina; he will email the footage to Commissioners. o Updated written material – Mary Lou Mydill and George Becker provided feedback on written material. • Marina Patio – topsoil excavated, drainage system was re-piped through the wall to the river, and irrigation was cut and capped. Landscaping fabric, stone and pavers are ready for installation when the weather breaks – will be ready for spring use. • South Breakwater – construction continues to progress. Jeff Mikula is planning on attending the progress meeting tomorrow with contractor and Corps of Engineers. Work has not interfered with recreational use. Some equipment will be stored in lot over the winter. REPORTS • Harbormaster – boat launches, machine and pay tube, have been closed for the season. Most skid piers have been pulled. Marina was closed for the season a few weeks ago. The Princess plans to stay moored throughout the winter – will use a bubbler system to safely stay in the water. City and owner working on an agreement for winter storage and to re-coup electrical costs from the bubbler. Tree pruning at the Marina has been done and Parks Commission has Harbor Commission Minutes – October 18, 2022 Page 1  asked that some additional pruning be completed. DDA approved $11,000.00 of landscaping on the Marina property at their last meeting. • City Manager – reviewed Boat Launch Revenue – $5.00 increase for seasonal permits in July increased the revenue. NEW BUSINESS • Report to Council – December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting • Set Meeting Dates MOTION by Jeff Mikula, second by Mary Lou Mydill, to approve the meeting dates as presented. Voice vote – motion carried. PUBLIC COMMENTS None COMMISSIONER COMMENTS • George Becker – asked what size boat can be accommodated in the Marina? Interested in reaching out to cruise lines. • Bill Gambill – Manistee County Visitors Bureau did a great job with the Origins Walk – dedication was last week. • Jeff Mikula – agreed the Origins Walk is very well put together. ADJOURNMENT Next meeting is scheduled for January 17, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 70 Maple Street, Manistee, Michigan. MOTION to adjourn by Tom Swedenborg at 1:31 p.m. Kelly McColl Recording Secretary Harbor Commission Minutes – October 18, 2022 Page 2  MANISTEE HARBOR COMMISSION City of Manistee Loa&& BYLAws AND RULES OF PROCEDURE T Section 1. NAME. The name of the Commission shall be the " Manistee Harbor Commission." Section 2. PURPOSE. The purpose of the Commission shall be to implement and carry out provisions of Chapter 266 of the Manistee Code of Ordinances. ( As may be amended from time to time.) Section 3. MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMISSION. The membership of the Commission shall consist of seven ( 7) members appointed by the City Council, one of whom shall be the Harbormaster. They shall serve three ( 3) year terms. The City Manager shall be a non-voting ex- officio member of the Commission. Section 4. OFFICERS. 4. 1 Selection: The Commissioners shall elect a chair, and a vice- chair. The election shall take place during the first meeting of each calendar year in ifffm Zy. Officers shall be selected by majority vote of the Commissioners. Recording Secretary services will be provided by the Executive Secretary in the City Manager' s Office. 4. 2 Tenure: The Officers shall take office upon selection and shall hold office for a term of one year, or until their successors are selected and assume office. Section 5. OFFICER DUTIES. 5. 1 CHAIR. The Chair shall: a.) Preside at all meetings. b.) Appoint committees. c.) Periodically meet with City department staff. d.) Appoint an acting recording secretary for a meeting in which the recording secretary is absent. e.) Perform such other duties as may be ordered or authorized by the Harbor Commission. HARBOR COMMISSION BYLAWS& RULES OF PROCEDURE PAGE 1 5. 2 VICE- CHAIR. The Vice-Chair shall: a.) Act in full capacity of the Chair in the absence of the Chair. b.) In the event of a vacancy in the position of Vice-Chair, the Harbor Commission shall then select a successor to the office of Vice-Chair from its membership for the unexpired term. 5. 3 SECRETARY. The Secretary shall: a.) Execute documents in the name of the Harbor Commission as authorized by the Harbor Commission. b.) Be responsible for the minutes of each meeting and shall have them appropriately distributed. c.) Track attendance and make reports to the City Manager as specified in Section 6. 3 of these bylaws. d.) Perform such other duties as the Harbor Commission may determine. Section 6. VACANCIES, REMOVAL, ABSENCES. 6. 1 Vacancies: Vacancies shall be filled for unexpired terms in the same manner as original appointments. 6. 2 Removal: A member may be removed from office by the appointing City Council for neglect of official duty or misconduct in office after being given a written statement for reasons and an opportunity to be heard thereon. 6. 3 Absences: In order to maintain the maximum participation of all appointed Harbor Commission members at all scheduled meetings, the following is the attendance guide and Board member replacement policy for" excused" or" unexcused" absences: a) When appointed, each Commission member should state his/her willingness and intention to attend each scheduled meeting of the Harbor Commission. b) In the event of unplanned personal matters, business trips, family vacation trips, changed job requirements, sickness, or other physical disabilities that prohibit the Board member from attending the scheduled meeting:; the Commission Chair or staff liaison to the Harbor Commission should be notified as soon as possible prior to the time of the scheduled meeting of their inability to attend. The Commission member upon this notification will receive an " excused absence" for the involved scheduled meeting. c) If any Commission member is absent from three ( 3) consecutive scheduled meetings without an " excused absence" for any of the three ( 3) meetings, the Commission member shall be reported in writing to the City Manager. The City Manager will contact the Commission member in writing and question his/her continued ability or interest in being on the Commission, giving the member a chance to rectify the attendance issue or submit a resignation. d) There will be no limit on the number of consecutive " excused absences" for any Commission member. However, if the Commission member is repeatedly absent for HARBOR COMMISSION BYLAWS& RULES OF PROCEDURE PAGE 2  at least 50% of the yearly scheduled meetings, that member will also be reported in writing to the City Manager. The City Manager will contact the Commission member in writing and question the member' s continued ability or interest to be on the Commission. The Commission member will be considered for appointment nullification when the absences total six in the calendar year. e) The appointment nullification action would be initiated by the City Manager and forwarded on to the City Council for official action. Section 7. MEETINGS. 7. 1 Regular Meetings: As directed in Chapter 266 of the Manistee Code of Ordinances the Commission shall meet at least quarterly during each year, and more frequently as needed. The date and time of each meeting will, where practicable be agreed upon by the consensus of the Commission members and such City staff as may be assigned to meet with the Commission. Meeting times and locations shall be posted and open to the public with time set aside at each meeting to receive public comment. All actions taken by the Commission shall be recorded by the Secretary and filed with the Manistee City Clerk. All meetings and Commission business shall comply with the Open Meetings laws of the State of Michigan. Meetings can be cancelled by the Chair if there are no agenda items or if it is predetermined that a quorum will not be present. Special meetings may be called by or at the request of the Chair or any two members. Meetings shall be held after due notice to all members and the public. 7. 2 Quorum: Four members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Whenever a quorum in not present at a meeting, those present may adjourn the meeting to another day or hold the meeting for the purpose of considering such matters as are on the agenda. No action taken at such a meeting shall be final or official unless and until ratified and confirmed at a subsequent meeting when a quorum is present by acting to approve the minutes of the meeting at which the quorum was not present. 7. 3 Order of Business: The Chair or their designee shall prepare an agenda for each meeting and the order of business shall follow in an orderly manner according to the agenda. A designated period for public comment shall be allowed. A time limit for discussion and/ or comment may be set by the Chair. 7. 4Parliamentary Procedure: Parliamentary procedure in Harbor Commission meetings, when needed, shall be governed by Roberts' Rules of Order. Section 8. EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT. Commissioners shall be reimbursed by the City of Manistee for all pre- approved out of pocket expenses incurred in carrying out the official business of the Commission. The City Manager or his designee shall be responsible for the preapproval process. HARBOR COMMISSION BYLAWS& RULES OF PROCEDURE PAGE 3 Section 9. CONFLICT OF INTEREST. In the event that business being carried out by the Commission may have a personal or financial impact on a member of the Commission or their immediate family, or any corporation or business of which a Commissioner is an officer or director, the Commission member must disclose the conflict of interest and refrain from voting on that particular business. If any question of whether or not a conflict exists cannot be determined by the Commission, then the matter of the question shall immediately be referred in writing to the Manistee City Attorney for consultation and recommendation. Section 10. CHANGES OR AMENDMENTS. Bylaws shall be reviewed annually during the first meeting of the year. All changes or amendments to the Bylaws must be approved by the majority of the Commissioners. Such changes or amendments must be presented to the Commission in writing for consideration and may not be voted upon until the following regularly scheduled meeting. Upon approval by the Commission, the Bylaws, showing the proposed amendment, shall be submitted to the Manistee City Council for final approval. The foregoing Bylaws were duly adopted at a regular meeting of the Manistee Harbor Commission held 9/ 16/ 91; amended 5/ 06/ 96; amended 4/ 4/ 06; amended 8/ 3/ 09 amended 5110/ 11; amended 2/ 19/ 13. Cy thia J. Lo ovich, Secretary Dated Approved by the Manistee City Council: Mayor Colleen Kenny 2, Dated 1 1, 5 HARBOR COMMISSION BYLAWS& RULES OF PROCEDURE PAGE 4  2016- 2022 City of Manistee Harbor Commission Strategic Plan Prepared with the assistance from the Alliance for Economic Success 2016-2022 Revision Page • 2016-2019 City of Manistee Harbor Commission Strategic Plan Adopted: April 19, 2016 • Revised and adopted for 2020-2022: January 21, 2020. o Removed section 5.1.2. 1 Purpose of the Harbor Commission It is important for all interests in the City of Manistee’s harbor to understand the purpose of the City’s Harbor Commission. The City’s Codified Ordinances establishes that the Harbor Commission’s purposes are to provide recommendations to City Council concerning: • Operation, maintenance and policy about the City Municipal Marina and City owned boat launches. • Improvements involving the City Municipal Marina and boat launches. • Acquisition of waterfront property, wharves, and docks. • Use of waterways, channels, municipal docks and other City navigational facilities. • Ordinances/rules regarding public safety. What Does the Manistee “Harbor” include? In keeping with the City Charter and Strategic Plan of the City, the Harbor Commission is concerned with: • All City owned boat launches. • All developments, improvements, and the safe use and operations involving the Manistee harbor from its point of entry through the Federally owned navigation structure into Manistee Lake within the physical boundary of the City. It is important to note that the Harbor Commission does not currently become involved with beach or park maintenance or signage. What are we proud of? • New marina facility. • Spectacular view as you approach the marina. • Welcome sign at the Harbor entrance. • New United States of America flag. • Positive feedback from users of the marina about the facility and the quality of staff that the marina employs. 2 What are some of the issues that the marina faces? • Slow use of the facility at the beginning and end of the season. • Significant factors affect the marina business that are beyond our control such as the weather, changing fishery industry, changing types of users in the boating industry in general (trailering versus docking). • Maintenance of the docks is a struggle due to cash flow issues. • Need a good picture of the operating expenses because the budget isn’t clear on what those expenses are. • Deficit of about $40,000.00 a year. What are our opportunities that we could take advantage of? • More fishing tournaments especially in the shoulder season before July/August. • Early and late season deals (reduced rates, pay for 2 days get the 3rd day free, etc.) • Increase/Improve marketing efforts with a couple of ideas including developing a welcoming packet for marina users and arranging for shuttles to the casino. • Develop a sister city program with Kewanee, Wisconsin and/or other partners with neighboring ports. • Reach out to key stakeholders/groups/organizations such as the Chicago Yacht Club to tap into the opportunities that the Mackinac Race presents. • Update the website. • Create opportunities and improve efforts to create a meaningful interaction with the downtown area. • Create an Explore the Shores kayak/canoe launch site. 3 What is our goal? GOAL: To make the Harbor profitable. What are the strategies and actions we are going to take to achieve our goal? BOARD COMPOSITION 1. Strategy: Ensure that the Board is composed of a wide variety of stakeholders. 1.1. Action Item(s): 1.1.1. ORDINANCE REVIEW: Evaluate, and take action to revise, the Ordinance to ensure that it allows for a wide variety of stakeholders. 1.1.2. RECRUITMENT: Each current Board member will continuously ask key stakeholders to apply for a Board position. 2. Strategy: Work to ensure that the infrastructure of the marina is well maintained and replaced when needed promptly to ensure that the facility is meeting the demands of the users. 2.1. Actions Item(s): 2.1.1. SKID PIERS: Ensure that the skid piers are maintained on a regular basis as part of the City’s capital improvement plan. 2.1.2. DOCKS: Evaluate and identify docks that need repairing and establish a schedule and allocate funds to have the work done. 2.1.3. BOAT LAUNCHES: Evaluate, identify priorities, and support efforts to maintain the City owned boat launches (1st Street and Arthur Street). PROFITABILITY 3. Strategy: Understand the Marinas profitability and take steps to rectify the outcome of the evaluation. Action Item(s): 3.1.1. LOSS REVENUE: Identify loss revenue opportunities. 3.1.2. REVENUE SOURCES: Identify potential revenue sources such as grants and philanthropy. 3.1.3. EXPENSES: Evaluate the budget to determine actual expenses in order to identify ways to reduce those expenses. 4 EXPANDING REVENUE STREAMS 4. Strategy: Identify opportunities to expand the revenue stream of the marina. Action Items: 4.1.1. TRANSIENT USERS NEEDS: Understand the needs, and competition for, transient users. 4.1.2. CHANGE OF FOCUS: Work to change the focus of the harbor from fisheries dependent to transient users. 4.1.3. EARLY & LATE SEASON: Increase the use of the Marina in the early and late seasons. COLLABOARTION 5. Strategy: Collaborate with strategic partners. Action Item(s): 5.1.1. Lead the effort to have “around the lake” discussions in order to understand … 5.1.2. Removed: See revision page. 5.1.3. Reach out to key stakeholders/groups/organizations (such as the Chicago Yacht Club and the associated Mackinaw Race event) to tap into the opportunities. MARKETING & PROMOTION 6. Strategy: Improve marketing and promotion efforts to include not only the fisheries industry but also the tourism industry. Action Item(s): 6.1.1. Update the website. 6.1.2. Strengthen the marinas relationship and impact to the downtown district. 6.1.3. Update information in the Manistee County Visitors Guide. 5  MANISTEE CITY HARBOR COMMISSION MEMBER ROSTER NAME PHONE ADDRESS E-MAIL TERM / APPOINTED Tyler Cook 231-723-4387 (h) 373 Second Street cook.jt38@yahoo.com 10/31/25 / (05/11) 231-714-8543 (m) Manistee MI 49660 Tom Swedenborg 231-690-9971 (m) 562 First Street tmswede@gmail.com 10/31/24 / (10/15) Chair 231-723-0114 (h) Manistee MI 49660 George A. Becker 773-648-3255 (m) 565 Bryant Avenue gabeck@outdrs.net 10/31/23 / (12/20) Vice-Chair Manistee, MI 49660 Vacancy 10/31/23 Vacancy 10/31/25 Mary Lou Mydill 847-571-7601 (h) 565 Bryant Avenue ml.mydill@gmail.com 10/31/24 / (07/22) Manistee, MI 49660 Jeff Mikula 231-723-7132 (w) City Hall jmikula@manisteemi.gov Position required in Harbormaster 231-510-6050 (m) bylaws / (05/20) Bill Gambill (Non- 231-398-2801 (w) City Hall bgambill@manisteemi.gov City Manager / Voting Ex-Officio) (09/21) Kelly McColl 231-398-2801 (w) City Hall kmccoll@manisteemi.gov Position required in Recording Secretary bylaws / (12/19) Updated: June 30, 2022