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HMA 3-20-24 Harbor Management Authority Minutes of March 20, 2024 Meeting CITY OF BEVERLY 0 PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES CITY i:' Board: Harbor Management Authority ZOZ4 APR 18 A 9. 39 Date: March 20, 2024 Location: Beverly Public Library- Barnet Gallery and via Google Meet Members Present: Chair Paul Earl, Joe Crowell, Todd Callaghan, Emily Flaherty, David Lane, Todd Rotondo, George Simon, Danielle Spang, David Suminsby Members Absent: none Others Present: Erin Schaeffer (Economic Development Planner),Peter Dickman (Harbormaster), Sean Ciancarelli (Marina Manager), Harry Pratt(Bass Haven Yacht Club), Scott White Recorder: Brett Bauer Earl calls the meeting to order at 6:45 pm. Approval of Minutes Rotondo motions to approve the January 17, 2024 minutes. Seconded by Lane. The motion is approved, 6-0. Bass Haven Yacht Club Commodore, Harry Pratt introduces himself and is present at the meeting to learn about options for boats at the Bass Haven Yacht Club that will not be able to get out of the Bass River when the Hall Whitaker bridge is not able to be opened. Earl provides some background on the available slips and moorings under the HMA's management, and notes that there is a long waiting list. He mentions that they could also look at the Beverly Port Marina. Pratt notes that they would not need the space until about a year or year and a half. They have 13 sailboats and 6 motorboats that would not be able to get-out if the bridge cannot open. Financials Report Earl reports that they had a good revenue month and received payments from many of the commercial boats. The capital fund is up by$7k to $709k. There are 21 open kayak spaces with 43 on the active waiting list and 90 plus on the total waiting list. Earl notes that they received $5400 for equipment staging for the construction in the area. Harbormaster Update Dickman reports the pump boat has arrived and will be put in the water towards the end of April. A truck is being approved by the City Council. It's a Ford F350 for about$60k. Up to $30k 1 I Page Harbor Management Authority Minutes of March 20, 2024 Meeting towards this was approved by the HMA. They are planning a soft-launch of a launch service boat this year. An existing boat from their fleet has been identified and four staff members are licensed for operating it. Dickman notes that there is a fishing day for seniors on Father's Day. The Mission boathouse is planning a party for the opening of their patio for the season. The USGS has reached out to the Harbormaster about installing a sensor at the end of the public pier to measure pH and other water quality concerns. Callaghan adds that he prompted this initiative and that the Harbormaster should also expect to be contacted by NOAA regarding the resurveying of water depths. Dickman reports that there has been no change to the marker for Bowditch Ledge and that the Coast Guard has pushed this off until next winter. Dickman recently discovered that all of the services from Comcast Business, including the internet, are billed to the Harbormaster's office. Rotondo motions to transfer $3k per year to the Harbormaster's office for the Comeast bill. Seconded by Callaghan. Discussion: Rotondo asks if they should audit the utility expenses for the Harbormaster Building for any other utilities that they are unaware of. Earl notes that there has been much research into the utilities at the building and it is still ongoing. The motion is approved 9-0. Facilities Report There has been no installation yet of the dinghy bar or the commercial gates. The electronic door locks have been received, but not yet installed. Earl suggests they defer voting on the commercial marina rates until the April meeting. Falco Project Earl reports that the money for the contract renewal has not been fully approved by the City, but a combined contract has been fully negotiated and signed by the mayor. The contract total is $8 8 5 0 for a term from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. Most of the expense is for the digital data at$5700. The expense for the Glover Wharf app ($5700)was waived. The presence sensors add another $910 and the electricity monitoring$2,240 but we are receiving a credit for sensor when one gets damaged or lost. The term for the electrical monitoring has been changed to align with the combined contract renewal, so there is a credit for the shorter term. Rotondo motions to approve $8850 for renewing the Falco software contract. Seconded by Simon. Discussion: Earl clarifies that they have not made any decisions yet about charging the electrical usage back to the customers. The motion is approved, 9-0. Electrical Usage Earl has collected data and highlighted some observations about electrical usage at the marina. There is a significant discrepancy between the usage in the Falco data and the total usage on the electrical bill,but Earl feels the data could still be useful if the discrepancy was down to under 10%. Communication to customers about the usage could start as early as May if data discrepancy is reduced which Falco is investigating further. Earl envisions this as a once per year adjustment made to the admin fee. The commercial side could start in FY25 and the recreational side in FY26. He notes that many of the boats use very little to no electricity. Spang notes that 2 ) Page Harbor Management Authority Minutes of March 20, 2024 Meeting they should be sure to consider de-identifying any data before sharing. Lane suggests they could install a separate meter for just the marina to better measure the usage on the slips. Simon asks about transient usage of slips and accounting for their electrical usage. Earl responds that it can be easily subtracted out. Callaghan notes that distributing the usage numbers could enable peer pressure as a motivator for keeping electrical usage down. Support Learning to Sail for Minorities This idea was brought to Earl by the city DEI director. It would be a two-week program that covers tuition and life jackets for 10 students. The program will be operated by the Sandy Point Sailing Association. Earl suggests that the HMA contribute $2500, or roughly half of the program cost, and the program can look to other organizations for the remaining funds. Rotondo motions to approve $2500 towards the Diversify Sailing Program. Seconded by Callaghan. The motion is approved, 9-0. (Sparig leaves at 7:55) Beverly 400 Rotondo reports that Beverly will be celebrating its 400th anniversary in 2026. A replica of the Schooner Hannah is being planned, and the possibility of a re-enactment of the battle between the Hannah and the Nautilus is being discussed. The cost is estimated at around Wk. Rotondo is the chair of a new 501 c3 organization, that is entirely separate from the city, to organize and coordinate the Beverly 400 events. Rotondo asks if the HMA would like to have a role in the re- enactment. He notes that they are competing with similar events being planned in Salem,but he also sees this as an opportunity to look to Seth Moulton for help with a float-by of the USS Constitution. Scott White notes that Sail Boston is also planned for that year. Rotondo adds that if anyone from the HMA wants to be involved they can take the project up on their own and be kept in the loop by the Events Chair. It's asked if the two historic boats could be docked at Glover Wharf for boarding tours. It is also suggested that they could partner with Jubilee Yacht Club. Suminsby adds that they could potentially use the end of the recreational floats for docking the replica boats if the re-enactment takes place in October. Signage Phase 3 Callaghan reports that all the signs have finally been installed. (Rotondo leaves at 8:15) Transient Floats/Rowands Expansion Feasibility Grant Ciancarelli had a meeting with Foth and the commercial marina customers about the design of the new floats. There were some concerns voiced about the pinch point between the design of the new floats with the commercial hoist. So, this moves the design back to the west of the bridge which extends the length. If the design is limited to 8 slips, they can avoid the MEPA approval 3 Page Harbor Management Authority Minutes of March 20, 2024 Meeting process. But they are interested in getting 14 slips. There is some discussion about the approval process and the possibility to pursue approvals concurrently. The funding for this project would come from a Seaport grant, which involves a 10% match from the HMA and a 10% match from the city. The smaller version would come to about$1.8 million and the larger version would come to about$2.5 million both including 10% contingencies. Lane notes that they will need to work closely with Foth to ensure that there are no issues with the MEPA approval. Commercial Hoist Grant Ciancarelli reports that GZA said they would incorporate Foth's suggestions. The grant has already been extended. Public Pier Plank Replacement(DMF Grant) Ciancarelli expects delivery of the lumber in the next few weeks. Customer Issue Ciancarelli reports that the owner of Riley Too is not answering calls or communicating with the city about the matter. The City's solicitor's office has started a formal eviction process and hired a maritime lawyer to advise. Kayak Racks Earl notes that there is no need for expansion of the kayak racks with spaces available primarily at Pleasant Beach right now. Ryalside- South Terrace Small Dock Lane notes that the stairs currently at this location are very steep, have no railing, and there is a very big drop to the beach. Any dock would require stilts or pilings to get out of the low-tide zone. Earl asks if there is room for moorings, Dickman responds that it is tight. Earl will table this project for now. _Norwood Pond Kayak Rack Earl notes that this suggested project is outside of the HMA's jurisdiction. There is some discussion about what the proponents of this project want. Earl will invite them to the April or May meeting. Schaefer adds that they really need to work with the 4SRC and the point person would be Ken Clawson. Winter Projects Lane reports on the handicap hoist idea for the dock. He notes that is not a giant expense, but really only designed for small boats. The operation of these hoists is a bit precarious using a harness to lift a wheel chair onto a boat. And they would also need a designated area for the hoist. 4 Page Harbor Management Authority Minutes of March 20, 2024 Meeting Other Announcements White notes that the Coast Guard will be holding an event in Boston on Wednesday. Adiournment There being no further business before the Harbor Management Authority this evening, Callaghan makes a motion to adjourn. Lane seconds. Motion to adjourn is approved(7-0). The HMA Meeting is adjourned at 8:50 pm. 5 Page