BHMA Minutes January 17 2018Harbor Management Authority
Minutes of January 17, 2018 Meeting
CITY OF BEVERLY
PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES
Board: Harbor Management Authority
Date: January 17, 2018
Location: Beverly Public Library -Fogg Room
Members Present: Chair Paul Earl, Don Neuman, Emily Flaherty, David
Suminsby, George Simon, Pat McAleer, Larry Herman,
Estelle Rand
Members Absent: Rinus Oosthoek, Chris D'Alfonso, David Lang, Rob Dever
(Marina Manager)
Others Present:
Recorder: Brett Bauer
Earl calls the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.
New Members
Earl welcomes new member, Larry Herman, and returning City Council member, David Lang.
Approval of Minutes
Herman motions to approve the November 15, 2017 meeting minutes. Seconded by Neuman.
The motion is approved, 8 -0.
Project Updates
BPM City Settlement
Earl reports that the City Attorney has recently sent out the settlement agreement. She will be
invited to the February meeting.
Pilings Project
Work is expected to begin soon. The pilings for recreational marina are being installed to replace
the anchor floats that were originally used.
Bass River
Neuman reports that the National Marine Fisheries Service has pushed to increase mitigation
requirements as a condition for granting a permit to dredge. Bourne has responded by noting that
mitigation is triggered by dredging the upper part of the river which has already been permitted
without these added requirements.
As a separate issue, at present the City is planning only to dredge the lower portion of the river.
This may require review of the City's agreement with National Grid as to the sequence and
timing of doing the work at the boundary of their cleanup area.
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Harbor Management Authority
Minutes of January 17, 2018 Meeting
Transient Moorings Project
Earl reports that the Harbormaster would receive the revenue from the proposed transient
moorings but the rates will be determined jointly with the HMA. Also, the HMA will recover the
initial funding for equipment that they will provide. $4,000 has been requested. The operational
details still need to be worked out. McAleer will coordinate with the Harbormaster.
Herman motions to approve up to $5,000 for the Harbormaster to complete transient moorings
with repurposed blocks. Seconded by Suminsby. The motion is approved, 8 -0.
Kayak Rack Expansion
No updates are available from the subcommittee. Earl asks that the subcommittee look at
Memorial Day for implementation and work backwards from that date for a proposal deadline,
while allowing a couple months for promotion of the new space.
Commercial Marina Contract Review
Earl reports that money is currently being collected in a manner different from what the contract
sets forth. He would like a subcommittee to look at changes to the contract language. Herman
and Oosthoek will look into this by April.
Harbor Master Plan
Earl reports that McAleer and Neuman have been appointed to the Advisory Committee, and
Flaherty has been appointed as an alternate.
Bridge Mural
Rand reports that the mural has been started and work will resume when temperatures are
warmer. She suggests that the artist could be invited to a meeting. The May meeting might be the
next one available.
Signage Review
Earl notes that the HMA signage around town is showing signs of wear and fading, and he asks
if this is something that should be reviewed again. Rand responds that she can see if any other
individuals or groups in the city are looking at sign replacement. Flaherty responds that Darlene
from Planning is working on this. Rand adds that she can also look at the inventory of signs and
evaluate where additional signs could be added.
Marina Facilities Report
Suminsby reports that the facilities committee recommends no changes be made to the
commercial marina rates. There is some discussion about whether the rates should be lowered to
remain competitive with other commercial marinas in the area. McAleer highlight Beverly's
strengths as a commercial marina, noting that Marblehead and Manchester do not have dockside
commercial marinas, and Salem's dockside commercial marina lacks a hoist. It is decided that
additional information and discussion is needed before any proposal to lower commercial marina
rates.
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Harbor Management Authority
Minutes of January 17, 2018 Meeting
Suminsby motions to keep commercial marina rates the same for the upcoming year. Seconded
by Rand. The motion is approved, 8 -0.
Other Initiatives /Announcements
New Grant Opportunities
Flaherty reports that the Parks Department has indicated that grants are available, but only for
areas that are classified as a park. This does include the small lawn area between the
Harbormaster building and the former McDonalds building, but it does not include marinas or
public pier. Flaherty is still waiting to hear back from the Division of Marine Fisheries. She also
reports that a new Grants Administrator has been hired by the City, Cathryn Barrett. She will be
invited to the March meeting.
New Seaport Grant
Neuman say he can check with GZA about the permitting costs for replacing pier planks and the
hoist.
Congress Street Pocket Park
Earl reports that a 1 -year extension has officially been granted Community Preservation
Committee, and they would like an update in early June.
Single -use Plastic Bag Ban
Rand reports that their presentation went well and progress is being made towards an ordinance.
Other Projects /Announcements
Neuman notes a recent article about ferry service to and from Salem. He adds that a steel float
from the public pier would be needed for the ferry to also serve Beverly. This has been in the
HMA's plans for many years. He adds that the City could look at the Ventron site to address the
parking that would be needed for such a service.
Neuman also brings up that a continuous walkway from Rowans to Tucks Point is coming closer
to a possibility since the Beverly Port Marina settlement will add an additional piece.
Adjournment
There being no further business before the Harbor Management Authority this evening,
Suminsby makes a motion to adjourn. Rand seconds. Motion to adjourn approved unanimously
(8 -0). The HMA Meeting was adjourned at 8:40 pm.
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