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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1990-04-26 Economic Development Commission Summary'~CONOMIC DKVKLOPMKNT COMNISSION MINUTES April 26, 1990 7: OOpm liKA Board Room Ba~~ Thomson, Chairman 1. I~OLL CALL: The meeting wa~ called to o~der at 7:151~n. Co~nie~ione~e present were: O'I~eilly, ~lson, Nelson, and Wallin~fo~d. Kxcused: Scott Guests: Barry Kldridge, Chairman of the Harbor Commission Bill Bmi~hton, Cit~ Manager A cop~ of a letter from Commissioner Penne~ was read. He has resigned from the KDC Commission due to relocating to Anchorage. 2. APPROVAL OF THK MINUTKS OF MARCH 15, 1990: The minutes were approved by unanimous consent. 3. COMMISSION OPEN DISCUSSION: Comissioner Klson reported on the K.D.D and a workshop he ~ecently attended in Anchorage that was put on by the Department of Comme~ce. He received a lot of information about the ~1~ pmogram and how it opemates in this state. The ARDOI~ pmo~r~ helps to fund economic development distmicts and deve lo~ pmogr~m, to help small businesses in the State. Commis~ionem Nelson commented on the Karth Day Fair planned for the Kenai Mall. Commissioner O'Reill~ stated that the there were ~ood forcasts fo~ this year's salmon run. Commissionem Thomson noted that almost 300 people have been layed off due to the shut down of dPill~n~ in the Cook Inlet. SevePal platforms are down and it is not known how soon they will start up a~ain.. Barry Kldrid~e from the Harbor Commission coemented on the work being done at the D~ift River Facility. There a~e several state a~encies involved and it's not known how lon~ it will take to ~et back operating. Fir. Kldrid~e will try to contact someone and find out what the latest estimate is for how lon~ the facility will be shut down. ' D. OLD BUSINESS: None K. PROJKCT RKPORT PI~KSKNTATION: Hr. Thomson asked ~lr. B~ighton and Mr. Kldridge to give the Commission a short sketch on ~hat is goin~ to happen in the city over the next t~enty years in their various fields of expertise. Mr. Brighton spoke first on the Kenai Airport: 1. The Airport runway will need to be resumfaced this ~r. No other major expenditures are planned for the airport for the next five to seven years. 2. The City will be marketing and continuing to develop the Float Plane Basin. Page T~o KDC Ninute~ Apr~l 26, 1990 3. Possibility of an Ai~ Rescue Faoilit~ and/om the Fime Tmainin~ School. The Fire Trainin~ Suhoo! is a bi~ pro2ect for this area if it can ~et thro~ the le~islatume and the University. 1. The City itself is in p~ett¥ ~ood shape. It looks like Kenai ~lementary will be reopenin~ and there is the possibility that People Count could relocate to the Kenai Mall. 2. Another possibility--The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District has PepoPted a shoPta~e of space fop some time. The~ may be lookin~ to move out of the Borough bui~in~ and possibly that move could be to Kenair- Somethin~ to look into to. 3. The population of the City of Kenai was 4,000 in 1980 and ~ew to 6500 in 1990. M~. Brighton did not feel that we will experience another ~rowth spurt of this kind in the next ten ye~as. 4. 64% of the water system is be in~ used. 5. 55% of the Sewer Treatment Plan is operating. This will need work to meet cumrent regulations. The money is available to up, adc this facility (1/2 from the City 1/2 from the State) and when it is up~aded . . it should last at least ten more years. 6. The infma-stmuctume is in ~ood shape. Most of the heavil~ traveled streets amc fF~aveled, roads amc paved and water and sewer lines amc in place. The only amea left would be Thompson Patak subdivision, but that's not a sure thin~ at this time. No ma~or expenditumes amc planned re~ardin~ the infrastructure for the next ten yearns. 7. Old Towne- M~.BriEhton gave an update on the problems in Old Towne. No solution seen at this time. Letters have gone out to all the absent owners. 8. The Merrit Inn is reopenin~ and that's good news for the City who has been experiencing a real shomtage of available hote~ roo~. 9. The FAA buildin~ will not be moved in the neam future. The FAA was willin~ to move it if the City could pay for the move. But that would be pretty costly and not much actual benefit at this time. No plans to move the facility are planned for the near future. 10. The Visitors and Convention Center wil be operatin~ and will be brin~in~ people into the area. The City will be placin~ much more emphasis on the toumist industry. Page Three EDC Minutes April 26, 1990 H~R/PORT AHKA--~rry Kldridge: 1. Port Area- There is the possibility of bringing ~ater and sewer down to the dock, but this would be an expensive project. But it could happen in the next ten to twenty yeams. 2. The Hambor Commission has completed their Five Year Plan and it includes mamketin~ the Harbor amea, p~omotin~ new industries to the Hambo~ and the Kenai River (Industries that are compatible with the fishin~ indust~y), and investi~atin~ ways to brin~ in these new industries. 3. Also in the Hambor Commission's Five Year Plan is the problem with the bluff area. This will need to be addressed in the next twenty yearns. Bulkheads were discussed as one way of handlin~ the erosion mmoblem. 4. The Hambor Com~ission recently heard a proposal by two men in the local oommunitF who wanted to purchase city land at the docks to put in a bait/ice shop and eventually have an excumsion boat. At some point an exursion boat would be a ~ood idea and ~ood business for this a~ea. The how's and the why's need to be worked out, but it is just one of many ideas for~ p~omotin~ the Hambom ~]?eE~. 5. The Kenai dock will need to be dredged and permits will need to be obtained. A progrsm will need to be developed for the river itself, as it continues to change more and more each year. This will to be monitored. The existing dock will need to be lengthened and the fuel capacity increased over the next few years. 6. Limited entry on the river will probably happen and motors will not be allowed. This was a p~o~ection of what will probably happen and what the City should be looking at in their long ~ange planning. 7. The fishing industry itself will chan~e dmastically in the next ten to twenty years. ~r. Eldridge predicted that the market will be for two types of fish . . A. Junk fish for fish sticks, etc. and B. Elite Fish . . no marks, handled carefully, hi~her p~iced, etc. He also felt that fish farming will have a majom impact on the fishing industry in this area. The possiblity of some type of fish meal plant is also a ~ood bet for the Harbor area. The state agencies will ~~e it tougher and tougher to dispose of the fish waste and a plant of this .type would help solve the problem. Commissioners asked questions of Hr. Kldridge and Hr. Brighton about their ideas for the future of Kenai, the Airport and the Harbor area. Mr. Brighton was not sure if the Airport would become a Pomt of Entry in the near future. Pa~e Four KDC Minutes April 26, 1990 Hr. Thompson thanked everyone for their input. A lot of information and ideas were exchanged. The final report on this twenty year project will be distributed to the City Council and the Mayor with the KDC's recommendations. A special thanks to Mr. Eldridge and M~. Brighton for comin~ and sha~in~ rheim view of the City of Ken&i in the futume. F. OTHER BUSINKSS: Commissioners discussed the news letter from the Cooperative ~tension Service, the letter from Henry Penney and copies of the Anchorage Ordinance ~89-122 on the Establishment of a Southcentmeal Alaska Region PoPt Authority. A a~ticle was also discussed, b~iefly, that conoemned the problems with ~xxon and the U.S. Depamtment of Justice. G. A])JOURNM~NT- The meetin~ was ad~oumned at 9'501~n on a motion by Commissioners Klson and Nelson. Motion carried. Respectfully submitted, Patti Truesdell, Recordin~ Secretary for the City of Kenai 5-1-90