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Home My WebLink About2002-08-12 Harbor Commission SummaryKENAI HARBOR COMMISSION MEETING AUGUST 12, 2002 KENAI COUNCIL CHAMBERS 7:00 P.M. AGENDA ITEM 1' CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL ITEM 2' AGENDA APPROVAL ITEM 3' APPROVAL OF MINUTES -- July 8, 2002 ITEM 4: PERSONS SCHEDULED TO BE HEARD ITEM 5: OLD BUSINESS ao Discussion -- Boating Facility Operating Alternatives ITEM 6: NEW BUSINESS ITEM 7: REPORTS ao Director Dock Foreman City Council Liaison ITEM 8' COMMISSIONER COMMENTS/QUESTIONS ITEM 9: INFORMATION ao Kenai City Council Action Agendas of July 3 and 17, 2002. ITEM 10: ADJOURNMENT KENAI HARBOR COMMISSION MEETING AUGUST 12, 2002 KENAI COUNCIL CHAMBERS 7:00 P.M. CHAIRMAN TOM THOMPSON~ PRESIDING MINUTES ITEM 1' CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL Commissioner Thompson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. confirmed as follows: Roll was taken and Present' Thompson, Eldridge, Spracher, Rogers, Simon (in at 7:03 p.m.), Foster (in at 7' 15 p.m.), Barrett (in at 7'35 p.m.). Others Present: Councilman Bookey, Public Works Director Kornelis, Dock Manager Freden, Dockhand Lyn Disque, and Department Assistant Harris Public: Randy Meier (R&J Seafood), Chris Garcia (Kenai), Richard King (Mayflower Fisheries), Leonard Efta (Kenai), John Efta (Kenai) ITEM 2: AGENDA APPROVAL MOTION: Commissioner Eldridge MOVED to approve the agenda as presented and Commissioner Rogers SECONDED the motion. There were no objections. SO ORDERED. ITEM 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES -- July 8, 2002 ,MOTION. Commissioner Spracher MOVED to approve the minutes as presented and Commissioner Rogers SECONDED the motion. Chairman Thompson requested a change in the first motion of the minutes of July 8, 2002 to reflect his absence. There were no objections. SO ORDERED. ITEM 4: PERSONS SCHEDULED TO BE HEARD -- None ITEM 5: OLD BUSINESS Discussion -- Boating Facility Operating Alternatives Chairman Thompson opened the discussion to public testimony. Randy Meier- Co-Owner of R&J Seafood: Meier informed the Commission of his upcoming lease expiration on September 30. Due to the upcoming expiration, Meier stated he is unsure of his intent to renew his lease due to the current financial instability of the Kenai Dock. The following dialogue took place: · Kornelis provided a brief financial history of the Kenai Dock stating it originally was a self-sustaining entity. Due to many variables, the dock has been costing the City of Kenai an average of $70,000 a year for the last several years. The City Council and Harbor Commission has begun looking at alternatives to cut the deficit. But, no decisions have yet been made regarding a solution to the dock. · Meier requested reviewing the financial records of the dock for the last several years and was informed the public would be welcome to view these documents. Additionally, Kornelis stated that administration is completely open to any and all suggestions. · Meier inquired as to the possibility of obtaining federal funding or grants to help with operating and maintenance costs to run the dock. Kornelis explained the dock was originally built on grant funds, which have exclusion clauses regarding money towards maintenance. Since the dock began losing money, the funds to make up for the losses have come out of the general fund. Taxes collected on boat taxes, fuel tax, Borough personal property tax, marine tax, and the federal highway tax all return to the general fund. Meier suggested a change to the traffic flow at the dock ramp might increase users. He stated the current ramp conditions are too small for the amount of people using the facility. Kornelis stated he has applied for'a grant to add two additional ramps, but has not yet received any notification. · Meier inquired as to the possibility of obtaining land/facilities from Dragnet. The Commission discussed the possibility of trying to obtain permission from the Bureau of Land Management for concessions or other possible money making ventures at the dock. To date, BLM has been extremely restrictive, but the City Manager is once again looking into seeking permission. Chris Garcia (Kenai): Garcia addressed the Commission and inquired if the City plans to sell or lease the dock. Kornelis stated, selling the dock is not an option, but will look at leasing the dock, though maintenance could be an issue. Richard King (Mayflower Fisheries): King informed the Commission he has compiled a catalog of grant applications that could possibly be used for the dock. He stated most, though, require a non-profit group as the applicant. He suggested looking to the Kenaitze Tribe and the United Cook Inlet Drift Association (UCIDA) as possible applicants on behalf of the dock. King encouraged all to call him to discuss these possibilities and stated he would be willing HARBOR COMMISSION MEETING AUGUST 12, 2002 PAGE 2 to help in any way possible. King stated the next UCIDA meeting is September 13. The Commission suggested inviting a member of UCIDA to the next Harbor Commission meeting to discuss options. Leonard Efta (Kenai)' Efta stated all fishermen pay a boat parking tax, which is in addition to the Borough property tax, but the fishermen don't seem to get much in return. John Efta (Kenai)' 'Efta requested a breakdown of dock expenses (labor, utilities, maintenance, etc). Kornelis stated he and anyone else is welcome to come to City Hall and can receive copies of all the financial documents they would like. Lyn Disque (City of Kenai Dockhand): Disque stated he and Swede Freden have kept an informal list of expenses for the last several months and stated he finds it interesting that both taxes and revenue have increased; yet the dock still loses money. Additionally, he stated the whole program and intent of the dock has been changed as it was originally supposed to be a stand- alone facility. Swede Freden (Dock Foreman)' Freden stated the dip netting has generated a lot of revenue, but a four-lane road and launch area would make much more money. He stated people have a hard time launching, turning around, and getting into the facility itself. ITEM 6: NEW BUSINESS -- None ITEM 7: REPORTS 7-a. Director-- Kornelis reported on the following: · Kornelis provided the Commission with copies of the recent Peninsula Clarion articles regarding the bluff erosion. been pulled. remaining. occurred during the recent dipnetting fishery. Dock Foreman- Freden reported on the following: The majority of buoys for R&J, Richard, King, and the City of Kenai have Three floats from the back of the dock have been pulled; two are The majority of people had no problem paying, and few problems Most problems occurred during low tide. HARBOR COMMISSION MEETING AUGUST 12, 2002 PAGE 3 7-c. City Council Liaison - Councilman Bookey reported on the following' · Resolution No. 2002-48 (supporting a separated trail for the Unity Trail) was re-evaluated by the Council and approved. The budget season for the next year is beginning in September or October. The dock is a major concern and Bookey requested the Commission to formulate specific ideas for him to present to Council. Additionally, Bookey requested the financial documents and figures for the last two years be sent to all the Commissioners for review as soon as possible. ITEM 8: COMMISSIONER COMMENTS/(~UESTIONS Barrett -- Apologized for his tardiness and stated he felt the Clarion bluff erosion articles were good. Foster -- Inquired about the status of the Coastal Trail and was informed the project is still in review. Simon -- Requested permission to solicit a letter of support of Resolution No. 2002-48 from the City of Soldotna. Councilman Bookey stated it would be best if she approached the City of Soldotna as a citizen, rather than as a Commission member. ITEM 9: INFORMATION Kenai City Council Action Agendas of July 3 and 17, 2002. ITEM 10: ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Commissioner Barrett MOVED to adjourn and Commissioner Eldridge SECONDED the motion. There were no objections. SO ORDERED. The meeting adjourned at 9:20 p.m. Minutes prepared and transcribed by' Sharon M. Harris, Department Assistant. HARBOR COMMISSION MEETING AUGUST 12, 2002 PAGE 4