HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-12-02 KRSMA Board AgendaSpecial Management Area
"Working together...for the river"
CALL TO ORDER
A. Roll Call;
B. Minutes Approval
C. Agenda Changes and Approval
II. Public Comments /Presentations
III. REPORTS
A. Agency and Government Reports
a. State Parks Sinclair, Russell
b. DEC- Stevens
c. ADF &G- Vania/ Begich
d. USF &WS- Schmidt
e. USFS /Chugach- Travis Mosely
f. City of Kenai- Koch
g. City of Soldotna- Micciche
h. Kenai Peninsula Borough Carey
3. Committee Reports
a. President's Report
b. Guide Advisory
c. Habitat
d. River Use
e. Permits
f. Legislative /Government Activities
g. Board Development
h. Agenda /Board Structure /Housekeeping
IV. OLD BUSINESS
A. Board Seat Nominations update
V. NEW BUSINESS
A. Letter to KPB Assembly regarding 21.18 continuation
B. Resolution supporting the Bing's Landing Angler access parking
VI. CORRESPONDENCE
VII. PUBLIC COMMENT
Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board
***Meeting Agenda
Thursday, December 2, 2010
5:30 p.m. Gilman River Center
KENAI RIVER
VIII. ADJOURNMENT
A. Board Comments
B. Date /Agenda of Next Meeting January 13, 2011 at 5:30 p.m.
i b,u )Lr
Kenai Area Office, PO Box 1247, Soldotna, AK 99669, 907 262 -5581
Kenai Peninsula Borough, 144 N. Binkley, Soldotna, AK 99669 907 262 -4441
Gilman River Center 514 Funny River Road, Soldotna, AK 99669, 907 260 -4882
Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, Department etural Resources, in cooperation with the Kenai Peninsula Borough
KE.NAIER
Ci
ECEIVEt
DEC m 2 2010
KENAI CITY CLERK
Kenai River Special Management Area
Advisory Board Meeting Minutes
Gilman River Center
Thursday, November 11, 2010 5:30 p.m.
Call to Order
A. Members Present: Jack Sinclair, Terri Carter, Andy Loranger, David Carey, Peter Micciche, Kevin Lyon, Brenda
Trefon, Adam Reimer, George Heim. Janet Schmidt
B. The Minutes for October 14, 2010 were approved as written with a minor housekeeping item on page 2, item F
changed Rhine's to Ryan's Creek.
C. Agenda Changes and Approval: No items were added.
IL Public Comments /Presentations none
M. Reports
A. Agency and Government Reports
a. State Parks, Jack Sinclair rangers are still out on the weekends, Bing's Landing and Cooper Landing
boat launch continue to be busy. Pillars boat launch has been kept open as well. We expect as long as
the river stays free of ice, people are going to continue to sport fish until the end of the month. New
board appointments are still pending.
State Parks, Pam Russell, things are slowing down, it's end of season time; we are now into the new
seasons for the guide academy. The first one starts on Monday, we have 17 or 18 people signed up.
They have 4 classes for the winter
b. DEC, Tim Stevens, was not present.
c. ADF &G, Vania/ Begich, was not present.
d. USF &WS, Janet Schmidt -The Russian River parking lot is almost complete. They are adding finishing
touches.
e. USFSIChugach, Bobbi Jo Skibo, Dave Carey reported for Bobbi Jo Skibo that the Citizen's
Advisory group has net and will meet again in January. They are looking for projects to fund and will
decide which ones to fund during January. Projects need to be inside the National Forest or on lands
immediately contiguous. Bobbi Jo is our administrative person and is handling all the paperwork, so if
you go to the Forest Service or the Citizen's Advisory group there should be the applications to provide
ideas. They need projects, the Forest Service has come up with a list of things they would like to see
done, but the public, under the Safe Schools and Rural Communities Act of Congress is also suppose to
be very involved.
f. City of Kenai, Kevin Lyon, we are continuing with our north beach fishery improvements, which include
the permanent outhouses that are currently out for bid as wet as the new improvements to the beach
trail. The bridge is on site and we will be getting that set as soon as we get a good hard freeze. Also, for
those that are looking for bird viewing, we are keeping public access open as the snow comes, so n is
available during winter.
g. City of Soldotna, Peter Micciche, the construction continues at Soldotna Creek Park and the Soberg
house partnership with the Kenai Watershed forum is coming along. Looking forward to the
environmental summer camp they will be doing this year at the Soberg house In the park, as well as their
river education efforts. We are in our final draft of our envision 2030 Comprehensive Plan, which is laced
with all kinds of statements and forwarding looking plans for the conservation of the Kenai River. One of
the items in there was an ordinance dedicating the Spur and Sterling Highways to commercial priority,
which to help people understand why that is important, its the ever existing tie between a healthy
economy and environmental conservation. We are putting a priority on that, still respecting the rights of
those that are using it as residential purposes now, but hoping to direct it toward something more easily
controllable as a conservation easement. We have concerns about the property upstream of Rotary
Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board Minutes November 11, 2010
Page 1 of 3
B. Committee Reports
IV. Old Business
Park. People have been spilling out of Rotary Park, and have this summer literally trashed the bank of
that piece of property that is owned by someone that is out of state. It's in the condition that we haven't
seen in many years. The city remains concerned with the condition of the Kenai River Chinook fishery in
terms of the agencies understanding of return numbers and fish size. We are looking for guidance on the
best way to make that concern constructive in a way that hopefully we can assist the agencies and better
understand.
h. Kenai Peninsula Borough David Carey, as part of the coastal improvement grant projects, the
government has approved the administration costs to continue with Kenai Peninsula Borough 21.18
ordinance review, In regards to the Bing's Landing proposal, the administration is going to support the
concept assuming that the KRSMA board does.
a. President's Report, was not present.
b. Guide Advisory, George Heim reported the committee met and had light attendance today; talked
about 4 different items; discussed the findings from the River Use Recreational study. Looked at the
complaints, and incidents that involved guides on the Kenai River, tried to identify patterns that might be
showing up to see if there are issues that are being repeated that we can address; at we found were
isolated incidents. Had a presentation by Jack Sinclair on the Bing's Backline; talked about protocols for
accidents on the river.
c. Habitat, Jack Sinclair reported for the committee with two things on their agenda; The first was the
symposium, in which we decided to survey the borough assembly and the city councils to make sure the
date that we have decided on are best suited for them. Work on the draft letter for the board to approve,
encouraging the Borough to continue with the provisions of the Kenai Peninsula Borough 21.18 review.
d. River Use, Jack Sinclair reported for the committee: they discussed Bing's Landing and other parking
issues. Briefly discussed the River Use Study, which went to a final report. Reviewed resolution the
board did in April 2010; Resolution 2010 -2, regarding a resolution to the Commissioner encouraging him
to pursue mandatory boating safety courses. It is awaiting the signature of the president. We have a
new Chief of Operations for the Division of State Parks; her name is Claire Leclair. She will be helping us
with any regulation packages or changes in the future. We tabled the discussion of expanding Pillars
parking and access on the lower Kenai River, which were presented in April 2010. Talked about at the
next KRSMA meeting asking the division to look at what it would take to create more trailer parking in the
lower parking lot of Bings Landing and require more passenger traffic to park further up the road so that
they are closer to the boats being launched, that hasn't been formalized, but h was a discussion item.
e. Permits, did not meet.
f. Legislative /Government Activities, Dave Carey commented it is very good and helpful that Mike
Chenault will retain the speakership of the state house because a significant part of his district includes
the KRSMA area. Also, from Kodiak Gary Stevens will remain as the president of the state senate, half of
his district represents from Homer to Seward. Senator Wagner has joined the majority caucus and wit be
the co -chair of resources for the state senate. Will be meeting with Mayor Sullivan tomorrow in
Anchorage to talk about issues in which we can work together and issues on resource development. Wit
be going to Juneau next week to meet with a variety of people and part of the purpose is to talk about the
work of the KRSMA board. Members of our legislative delegation will be meeting here with different
people on December 20'" -22 ""2010, Dave Carey will make sure that Pam Russell has dates and times so
that everyone knows.
g. Board Development, nothing to report. No appointments have yet been decided on by the
commissioner's office.
h. Agenda /Board Structure /Housekeeping, Sinclair reporting that Joe Connors had asked me to draw
up the protocols for electing offices in January to be ready in December. Would like to have a brief
cornmittee meeting at 4:30 pm next month, if any would like to attend and go over protocols in the
committee first and then we can talk about it at the regular meeting.
Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board Minutes November 11, 2010
Page 2 of 3
V. New Business
A. Bing's Landing Backline access concept presentation Jack Sinclair: A map of the area was given to show the
Preliminary conceptual site plan for Bing's landing. State Parks has the money for Phase I, which a proposed service
access road, access stairs to the river and a CXT toilet, there has been no further capital funding purposed for the
remainder of the conceptual site plan. This is to launch a discussion for input on this concept drawing (Phase 2) and
this concept of trying to find sufficient parking and effective parking within the park that will take people from this area
that is outside the park and put them back in the park where they can safely and effectively access those good sport
fishing areas and take the pressure off the local neighborhood. This will be available on the internet on our website for
state parks for people to download these concepts to make their comments back to the state. We are moving as fast
as we can with state parks we still need the momentum of the public, board, and other governmental entities to help us
move this to a higher priority. Jack showed a power point presentation about how the area was developed. The road,
the sub division and the area has grown. Will post it on the internet and have a 30-day review for the public. Hope that
the KRSMA board will confirm their support of the concept by the next meeting to send this forward. The timing would
be if we are going to go forward with this and receive any kind of funding from the legislature as even a borough
legislative priority, it will need to be in the legislative group by January. Otherwise it will be another year, 2013; at this
rate the earliest we could get this going would be 2012. The website for making public comments is
www. alaskastateparks. orq.
VI. Correspondence None
VII. Public Comment
Timothy Martin asked questions regarding the Bing's Landing Backline access concept presentation.
Dani Mains commented regarding the Bing's Landing Backline access concept presentation.
Robert asked what the timeframe was for Phase 2 to be done.
Jack Sinclair said if the money goes through, it doesn't actually get appropriated until the first of July 2011. Completion
date is more like 2013.
Ricky Geese commented on the amount of parking spaces being under estimated in the Bing's Landing Backiine
access concept.
Leroy Sandelhoff asked if there was access to the status of the Kenai Peninsula Borough 21.18 Habitat Protection
ordinance review.
VIII. Adjournment
A. Board Comments
B. Date /Agenda of Next Meeting December 9, 2010 at 5:30 p.m.
Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board Minutes November 11, 2010
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