BHMA Minutes Nov 18 2015Harbor Management Authority
Minutes of November 18, 2015 Meeting
CITY OF BEVERLY
PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES
Board: Harbor Management Authority
Date: November 18, 2015
Location: Beverly Public Library -Fogg Room
Members Present: Chair Paul Earl, David Suminsby, George Simon, Don
Neuman, Chris D'Alfonso, Pat McAleer, Paul
Miedzionoski, Rinus Oosthoek
Members Absent: Scott Houseman, David Lang (arrived later)
Others Present: Emily Flaherty
Recorder: Aileen O'Rourke
Earl called the meeting to order at 7:00pm.
Public input
No members of the public were present.
Approval of Minutes
Neuman motions to approve the October 21, 2015 HMA meeting minutes with minor edits.
Suminsby seconds. All approved, motion passes unanimously (8 -0).
Facilities Committee Report
Earl reports that Rob Dever will not be at the meeting tonight. D'Alfonso previews a list of items
the Facilities Committee would like to review tonight such as: the Brown building, maintenance
not being done, the pilings project, and the appendage at the pier.
Brown Building
There has been very little progress on the Brown building and it seems this is a low priority for
the City to finish. Members discuss the possibility of putting the remaining work out for bid to
get the building completed. No one knows how much it will cost to finish. Oosthoek would like
the HMA to meet with the Mayor before looking into an RFP. Lang thinks the Public Works is
overloaded and may look favorably at having the work completed by an outside company but it
would be best to include Mile Collins, Head of Public Works in the discussions. Electricity bills
at the old McDonald building continue to be high so the City would save money by finishing the
Brown Building in a timely manner.
D'Alfonso makes a motion for several HMA members (Lang, Houseman, Oosthoek, and Earl) to
meet with the Mayor to discuss going for an RFP to finish the Brown Building and understand
how the process works. Suminsby seconds. All in favor, motion passes unanimously (9 -0). Earl
will also invite Mike Collins.
Harbor Management Authority
Minutes of November 18, 2015 Meeting
Maintenance concerns
The Facilities Committee walked around the public area to access the situation. They fear little
things are not being repaired when they were supposed to be and some of the work that was
completed has not been repaired well. This could be a deterrent to creating a vibrant waterfront.
The Facilities Committee will develop a comprehensive list of projects that needs to be done
including electrical work and cracks in the concrete. Suminsby motions to authorize the
Facilities Committee to hire someone to get maintenance items done on the docks with a budget
not to exceed $5K. Oosthoek seconds. All in favor, motion approved (10 -0). Members will
discuss with David Gellineau and Mike Collins how to proceed with this. Lang recommends
Earl reach out to John Ventola, who works with North Shore marine and runs the yard at Jubilee,
to assess his interest.
Pilings Project
The Facilities committee would like to look at an alternative to the proposed piling project and
consider keeping the anchor -held system, and add a gangway off of the apron. Suminsby
discusses options for the gangway. Suminsby makes a motion for the HMA to pursue a feasibility
study to explore alternatives to the pilings held dock system for the recreation marina.
Houseman seconds. Discussion ensues.
Oosthoek would like to look at why pilings were originally decided upon. Neuman notes that the
pilings would fix the transition plate and marine experts recommend pilings over the anchor -held
dock system. McAleer acknowledges there is additional cost of maintenance with anchor held so
he wonders if the higher upfront costs of pilings outweigh the benefits of the less expensive
anchor -held system. The pilings estimate is around $350K- $400K. Neuman states the pilings
would transform the marina to a world class marina. Additionally, the pilings may last longer and
with the current configuration the pilings project seems like the way to go.
Members decide to wait on this motion until the January meeting. The Facilities committee will
create a more detailed design of what they were thinking as an alternative and contact North
Shore marina for an estimate. Suminsby withdraws his motion.
Appendage at end of dock
The appendage is a little odd. Members wonder if there is a need to keep it there as the Coast
Guard, boaters and Harbormaster complain and it seems to be an issue. Members wonder what
will happen if the steel float was taken away. They will have Kevin at North Shore Marina take
a look and give a rough estimate. This will be an agenda item for the January or February
meeting.
Financial Update
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Harbor Management Authority
Minutes of November 18, 2015 Meeting
The renewal letters have been sent out. The 2 outstanding payments for winter storage will be
paid and the boaters on the Commercial side will pay as well. The reserve is up to $270K.
Active Projects
Piles Project
Neuman reports that GZA is contracted for the permitting and survey project. A schedule needs
to be established but work will likely start in January and be completed by November of 2016.
Salem walkway
Oosthoek will check with Salem public works for end date.
Gruppe Mural
Oosthoek spoke with Clausen to relocate Gruppe. Clausen will follow up with Gellineau on what
can be done with this.
Bass River
Neuman states there is no current funding for dredging and wonders if it is a maintenance
dredging. Perhaps Beverly could work with other nearby coastal cities to obtain funding through
the state? Matt St.Hillaire and Houseman will try to pursue funding with the state. Flaherty
wonders about the historic source of what caused the need for dredging in the first place. It was
from the United Shoe Company to transport coal for their foundry. Houseman will send the
historic permit to Bourne and cc HMA members.
Seaport Council
Houseman reports on what used to be known as the Seaport Advisory Council, it is now the
Seaport Economic Council. They have established a 5 category grant system based upon
economic development. The grant amount is up to $1M but the awards will likely not be that
much. Unfortunately dredging is not under any department for funding, it's likely an ad hoc
addition through the Governor's budget.
Cummings
Neuman states the Cummings property is being redeveloped as a new use and mitigation is
appropriate under DEP chapter 91. The applicant is required to file with DEP and perhaps those
mitigation funds could be used for the dredging fund or pilings project.
Glover Wharf Use Guidelines
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Harbor Management Authority
Minutes of November 18, 2015 Meeting
Draft guidelines have been sent by Neuman to McAleer and Lang. The Harbormaster should also
review. The goal is to establish some rules without being too prohibitive. This will be a
discussion item at the February meeting.
Other
Houseman wonders who monitors the surveillance cameras at the marina. The Police Chief will
have a satellite office in the Brown building and the Harbormaster will likely have a feed as well.
HMA Holiday Gathering
The holiday gathering is scheduled for Monday, Dec 14' 2015 from 6:30- 9:30pm at the Jubilee
Yacht Club. Earl passes around a list of food assignments. HMA members should plan to each
bring enough for 20 -30 people. Earl will be sending invitations to Beverly officials.
Grnntc
Flaherty, who works with the Salem Sound Coastwatch, reports her organization is working on a
grant to partner with the company Geospatial, to model the impacts of climate change on the
coastlines of Beverly and Salem and perform a risk analysis if sea levels rise and the number and
severity of storms increase. Geospatial will do the bulk of the work with Salem Sound
Coastwatch being a partner. The grant deadline is Dec 1st. Beverly would be included in the
modeling. HMA will receive a copy of the grant application.
Earl spoke with Martha Lewis the Mayor's secretary, regarding Flaherty's appointment to the
HMA. Her appointment is still waiting on City Council approval but it has been held until
December so that she can be appointed in January for a 3 year term. Her appointment will bring
the HMA up to 11 people.
Adiournment
There being no further business before the Harbor Management Authority this evening,
Suminsby makes a motion to adjourn. Seconded by Miedzionoski. Motion approved
unanimously (7 -0).
The November 18, 2015 HMA meeting was adjourned at 9pm.
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