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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-12-09 Harbor Commission SummaryKENAI HARBOR COMMISSION MEETING DECEMBER 9~ 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 - - November 15, 2002 ITEM 4' PERSONS SCHEDULED TO BE HEARD ITEM 5: OLD BUSINESS a. Discussion-- Kenai Coastal Trail Update ITEM 6: NEW BUSINESS ITEM 7: REPORTS ao Director Dock Foreman City Council Liaison ITEM 8. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS/QUESTIONS ITEM 9: INFORMATION a. 2002. Kenai City Council Action Agendas of November 6 and November 20, ITEM 10: ADJOURNMENT KENAI HARBOR COMMISSION MEETING DECEMBER 9~ 2002 KENAI COUNCIL CHAMBERS 7:00 P.M. CHAIRMAN TOM THOMPSON, PRESIDING MINUTES ITEM 1: CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL Chairman Thompson called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. confirmed as followed: Roll was taken and Present' Absent: Others Present: Thompson, Spracher, Eldridge, Simon, Foster Barrett Councilman Bookey, Public Works Director Kornelis, Department Assistant Harris ITEM 2: AGENDA APPROVAL MOTION: Commissioner Eldridge MOVED to approve the agenda as presented and Commissioner Foster SECONDED the motion. There were no objections. SO ORDERED. ITEM 3' APPROVAL OF MINUTES -- November 15, 2002 MOTION: Commissioner Eldridge MOVED to approve the minutes as written and Commissioner Foster SECONDED the motion. There were no objections. SO ORDERED. ITEM 4: PERSONS SCHEDULED TO BE HEARD -- None ITEM 5: OLD BUSINESS -ae Discussion-- Kenai Coastal Trail Update Kornelis reported he attended a meeting with the Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), and City of Kenai administration members. Kornelis detailed the following: · A Corps of Engineers meeting was held and a baseline survey on invertebrates, plankton, birds, and other marine life was discussed. The Corps has formulated a tentative work plan, which is broken into three studies: biological, hydrology, and sedimentation. Kornelis stated he felt the Corps is very supportive of City of Kenai administration and the bluff erosion project; though the Alaska Department of Fish and Game seemed less enthusiastic and helpful. · ADF&G stated it could take as long as three years to complete and compile the biological survey. Kornelis stated he and the Corps of Engineers strongly encouraged them to complete it sooner, as this project has been ongoing for years and should be made a priority. Additionally, Kornelis stated ADF&G should try to conduct and complete any wintertime studies now, as the Kenai River is still ice-flee. Councilman Bookey stated he has a meeting scheduled with Phil North, a member of the ADF&G, to discuss and clarify some of the statements made at the meeting. Bookey stated he also felt ADF&G was not cooperative in proceeding with the project. Commissioner Simon suggested sending a letter to the Director of the EPA as a complaint against the ADF&G, specifically Phil North, citing unprofessional conduct. Simon stated she feels this, as well as any past resistance, should be documented and brought to the attention,of top EPA officials, Governor Murkowksi, and Senator Stevens. Councilman Bookey stated that any and all correspondence should come from City Council itself, if and when Council deems it necessary. At this point concerning this issue, Bookey stated he felt a letter would be premature and aggressive. The Corps of Engineers is very supportive and a studies timetable should be ready by March 2003. ITEM 6: NEW BUSINESS -- None ITEM 7: REPORTS 7-a. Director-- No report 7-b. Dock Foreman-- No report 7-c. City Council Liaison -- Councilman Bookey reported the following: * The next Council work session is scheduled for December 12 at 7 p.m. and will focus on employee insurance and benefit issues. The Commission and Councilman Bookey briefly discussed possible future mill rate changes and bond issues; Commissioner Simon requested Bookey explain what a mill rate is to three high school audience members. ITEM 8: COMMISSIONER COMMENTS ! (~UESTIONS -- None ITEM 9: INFORMATION Kenai City Council Action Agendas of November 6 and November 20, 2002. ITEM 10: ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8' 10 p.m. Minutes prepared and transcribed by: Sharon M. Harris, Department Assistant KENAI HARBOR COMMISSION MEETING DECEMBER 9, 2002 PAGE 2 Harbor Commission December 9, 2002 Item 5-a (Commissioner Simon Comments) Verbatim Simon' This is getting kind of personal, but I'm thinking that there was a time when the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency that had been appointed by President Clinton just quit and there was another person that was appointed to take his place. Maybe a letter about, like, unprofessional conduct, having to do... Bookey: I hate to see us go there and, you know. I feel confident I can make the point with Mr. North pretty plain. That letter would have to go to Seattle, anyway. He doesn't have a boss here, anyhow. Simon' Right. The point of his being placed on the peninsula was to be able to work better with local communities and be more in touch with .... Bookey: I understand that, but sometimes, we don't want to jump into the foot that he did. I don't want to go in and annihilate him at this point. I know Phil well enough to sit down and talk to him and, you know, see what happens at that point. If something doesn't come out of it from that, then maybe, but that would have to go to Council and be discussed at Council. We can't authorize anything .... Eldridge' Before the heavy hand comes down. He doesn't answer to Anchorage?' Bookey: Well, he might, but I think his big boss is in Seattle. the Western Division. The head of the EPA in Eldridge: Well, yeah, I knew it was in Seattle, but isn't he a branch out of the Anchorage office? Bookey: I'm with Keith, I really don't know. Kornelis: We deal directly with him and with the Seattle office...(inaudible) Simon' On that same line, I think that the amount of record-keeping that's going on not only shows efforts of the city, on behalf of the project, but also try recalling or document the resistance that's been consistently happening and, I would say that the number of times you attempted to contact by phone, you know, all of these things. And I would stipulate that, it's kind of dangerous to make stipulations. But, I predict, you know, that whether, either way (inaudible) I would think that you're going to see a lot of the same characters in the world that are here on the Kenai Peninsula, and until those people are removed and other people are placed, I don't think you're going to see a lot of cooperation. Bookey: I probably agree with you on some of it, but, you know, we had a problem politically with all of the agencies, what, two years ago, a year and a half ago, and I sat down personally with a couple of different agency leaders and said "look, we~l get out -1- of this politically but I want to see something happen in six months to a year." Well, it's at a year today. And that's why I told you all, at our last meeting, I was tired of waiting. Nothing has happened and I don't care if there was a flood, sure I'm sorry that the rest of the peninsula was involved with a flood, but you know, the world still goes on. We've just kind got left behind because our meetings got postponed, postponed, postponed. And, Mr. North was one of them, who said to me, you know, we can make this thing happen in six months to a year. Fine, I~l go with you the first time, and the first time is fine, but if you stonewall me, you know, the second time is shame on me and there ain't never a shame on me. I had, we had our last meeting here, Keith can attest to it, I went, presented to the Council and said, "You know what? It's time to change our tactics." The mayor agreed, the Council agreed, so we're not going away. We're in it; we're going to stay in it. Politically you're going to see us, we~l stay out of the way of the administration because that's not where we want to be. But we're going to push this project and there are a few of us who don't have a whole lot of time. But, John and myself are the two main ones who really want to see this project locked down and completed within the next two years. Simon' I'd like to just say it's one of the key topics of Senator Murkowski's administrations really for. I'd think this project would make a marvelous showcase of agency resistance to development. Bookey: And I agree with you and I've already had that same thought pattern, my only concern with it is is that by the time the new administration changes the regulatory bill lease for us, I'm hoping we're already done. Even if he starts as of his date of swearing in, by the time he gets his administration up and going and there is any time for any type of public hearings or anything, you're looking at a year. And then you're looking at a year to eighteen months to get new rules or regulations either reduced or in place and I'm hoping we're long gone by that point. Simon: I'm thinking that if we go ahead and summarize all the remedies that you've exhausted and summarize that for the Governor, I'm talking about making it a publicity (inaudible) more than that. Eldridge- I think it's (inaudible) because, you know, the last director of Fish and Game is gone. He went out with Knowles, there's a new interim director appointed out of Anchorage and that's already got Fish and Game all abuzz, because it's somebody new and Murkowski is still liable to appoint somebody else before it's over. One of the things .... it might be helpful to get some feedback to Murkowski ahead of time, is, one of the things we problems with down on the river with Fish and Game is their unwillingness to work with us and try to protect our town. Bookey: He's already aware of that. We put that issue before him the last three or four years. Eldridge' now. Well I know, down in Washington, but he's in a new hat and in authority Bookey' We'll all be down, some of us will be down in Juneau for January/February and that whole issue will be brought back before them. Because, like John said, and -2- Keith said at the meeting the other day, Kenai Coastal Trial is the number one priority for Kenai. Bar none. There ain't nothing out there more important to us right now than the Kenai Coastal Trail. The commitment of the Council is there 100%. We're going to see that something happens. -3-