Salem Harbor Port Authority

SALEM HARBOR PORT AUTHORITY 98 WASHINGTON STREET, SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS 01970 (978) 619-5685 PLANNING (978) 741-5685 HARBORMASTER MEETING MINUTES: Feb. 6, 2020 A public meeting of the Salem Harbor Port Authority was convened at 5:00 pm in the large conference room located on the ground floor of Salem City Hall Annex, 98 Washington Street. Members present: Acting Chairman Bob McCarthy - Ward 1 Councilor, Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, Fred Atkins Members joined by phone: Michael Rutstein Members absent: Meaghan LeClerc Others Present: Lisa Engler – CZM, Bruce Carlisle – MassCEC, Capt. Bill McHugh – Harbormaster, Tom Daniel – Planning Director, Kathy Winn – Deputy Planner, Seth Lattrell – Port Authority Deputy/Planner, Brittany Dolan – Conservation Agent, Rinus Oosthoek/Jeff Swartz – Salem Chamber of Commerce, Capt. Bob Blair – Eastern Point Pilots, Barbara Warren – Salem Sound Coastwatch, Ted Warren, Curtis Cheney – Collins Eng., Stan Franzeen – Salem Alliance for the Environment, Steve Kapantais, Noah Flaherty – Hawthorne Cove Marina. Meeting called to order at 5:00pm. Meeting minutes from the December 5th meeting were unanimously approved. Councilor McCarthy opened the meeting. Mr. Lattrell introduced Lisa Engler, Director of the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management and Bruce Carlisle, Director of Offshore Wind for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. Ms. Engler presented on the role of CZM in municipal harbor planning and provided an overview of the state’s Designated Port Area program. Mayor Driscoll asked for recent examples of where DPAs have been modified. Ms. Engler indicated that the most recent DPA boundary reviews were in Chelsea and South Boston. In the case of South Boston, one parcel was removed, and another was added, resulting in an increase in overall DPA area. CZM also recently received a request for a boundary review for East Boston. Councilor McCarthy inquired as to whether Beverly and Gloucester have modified their DPAs. Ms. Engler acknowledged that they both had.  Meeting Minutes Feb 6, 2020 Page 2 Mr. Carlisle presented on the offshore wind developments off the coast of Massachusetts, including the benefits of offshore wind, infrastructure and pre-market investments, offshore wind process, MA procurements, sector development, workforce, and R&D. Bob Blair asked if Mr. Carlisle was familiar with Salem Harbor specifically. Mr. Carlisle indicated that he was generally familiar with the site from his involvement during the transition between Dominion and Footprint and shared that Salem has a deepwater berth with a large upland area, but is aware that upland roadway infrastructure is poor. Mr. Carlisle indicated that they have not evaluated Salem specifically for its feasibility as an offshore wind port since the needs vary depending on the nature of the use. Construction duration for a project is typically 12-24 months, so construction base port usage is typically temporary, but O&M or flex space uses could provide more long term benefit with minimal impact. Mayor Driscoll asked who leads/manages the process for advancing port development for offshore wind. Mr. Carlisle indicated that it’s typically all parties. MassCEC serves as a conduit for information and ombudsman to the developers and manufacturers as well as state funding resources, but industry also plays a major role. Mayor Driscoll suggested that it would be helpful for CEC or industry to assess port feasibility and make recommendations, as it would inform future planning efforts the city is undertaking. There are a variety of needs/concerns that need to be balanced here, so a diagnostic evaluation of the site would be beneficial. Mr. Carlisle stated that CEC could help but would first need to identify which site they are analyzing. O&M type uses are favorable as they have a small footprint, minimal impact, but provide a significant benefit to the overall economy. Harbormaster McHugh asked how New Bedford was initiated. Mr. Carlisle indicated that it was driven by the needs of Cape Wind, but that the specific site was the product of the MassCEC site feasibility analysis. He indicated that it required a substantial amount of City coordination and resulted in a substantial environmental remediation effort. Noah Flaherty asked which type of port facility has highest demand right now. Mr. Carlisle indicated that we need construction ports, but the biggest opportunity right now is for a manufacturing port. There is concern with overbuilding as the quantity of projects is limited and states are vying for an edge in the market. Jeff Swartz asked if there were sites north of Salem that we would be competing with in the future. Mr. Carlisle said there are several, including Canada as it is not subject to the same Jones act restrictions. Mr. Lattrell provided an update on the Municipal Harbor Plan/DPA Master Plan. Three proposals were received in response to the RFP. It was a competitive process, but the City has selected a team led by Utile. The process will likely begin in late February/early March after the consultant is brought under contract. Following kickoff, the City will submit a request for notice to proceed with the state which includes a public comment period on the scope of the plan. Mr. McHugh noted that there was no update regarding discussions with DEME Offshore regarding the previously discussed letter of interest. Mr. Lattrell and Mr. McHugh provided an update on Berth/Upland Conveyance. The previously discussed updated agreement was presented to Attorney Smith on Feb 6. Attorney Smith is reviewing the details and will be reaching out to the Footprint attorneys to coordinate next steps.  Meeting Minutes Feb 6, 2020 Page 3 Mr. McCarthy suggested that he and Harbormaster McHugh coordinate on Blaney Street parking with the Traffic and Parking staff/commission, outside of the Port Authority meeting. Harbormaster McHugh reported that the Coast Guard recently contacted him to notify him that their regulations had changed and that the Facility Security Plan was no longer valid; however, Mr. McHugh was able to resolve the concern with them and the FSP is now reinstated. The meeting was opened to public comment. Mr. Blair suggested that a helpful agenda item would be an update on marketing of the port and schedule of ship arrivals, specifically for cruise ships. Steve Kapantais stated that the Congress Street landing is very well done, especially the ADA access. He indicated that he supports the industrial manufacturing opportunity that could be provided by the port, but believes we would be competing with existing sites that may be better suited, including Lynn and Portsmouth, so would need to be creative to be successful. Jim Harold of Salem Trolley indicated he would coordinate with Harbormaster McHugh, but indicated that he was interested in anything that would impact the trolley route. Salem Harbor Port Authority adjourned @ 6:45 pm.