BHMA Minutes June 20 2018Harbor Management Authority
Minutes of June 20, 2018 Meeting
CITY OF BEVERLY
PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES
Board:
Harbor Management Authority
Date:
June 20, 2018
Location:
Beverly Public Library -Fogg Room
Members Present:
Chair Paul Earl, Don Neuman, Rinus Oosthoek, George
Simon, Larry Herman, Chris D'Alfonso, David Suminsby,
Emily Flaherty
Members Absent:
Pat McAleer, Estelle Rand, David Lang, Rob Dever
(Marina Manager)
Others Present:
Charlie Mann (Open Space Committee)
Recorder:
Brett Bauer
Earl calls the meeting to order at 7:05 pm.
Charlie Mann - Appraisal of 10 Green Street
Mann is requesting funds for an appraisal of 10 Green Street on behalf of the Open Space and
Recreation Committee (OSRC) which is interested in acquiring the parcel to preserve as open
space and complete the Green Hill public access path along the Bass River. A new determination
was made that the lot is buildable, so a new appraisal is needed based on this determination. CPA
funds would be used to purchase the property but cannot be used for an appraisal. The OSRC has
been trying to acquire the parcel for many years and are hoping that the increase in value from
the newly determined buildable status may make a deal possible. $1,000 is being requested.
Neuman expresses concerns about using funds for an appraisal when it is tine et4ain that a deal to
purchase the property is not in place. Earl adds that he is not in favor of granting the request, but
they could offer to reimburse the OSRC for the funds after a deal to purchase is in place. Flaherty
asks if there is any update on the question about HMA funds originally used for Green Hill. Earl
responds that he still has not heard back about this. Suminsby notes that they could save $1,000
from the cost of the kayak racks if they forego the custom color option.
Neuman motions to not approve the funding request. Seconded by Simon. Earl abstains. The
motion is approved by a vote of 4 -3.
Annroval of Minutes
Oosthoek motions to approve the April 18, 2018 meeting minutes. Seconded by Neuman. The
motion is approved, 8 -0.
Project Updates
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Pilings Project
Earl reports that this project is now complete. The Seaport Council has approved 80% of the
funding and the HMA's share is $234,000. Earl and Neuman will discuss with the City regarding
paying for some of the overage in engineering costs as the money was spent without the HMA's
approval. Oosthoek expresses concerns about the HMA's ability to plan for expenses as the
HMA's share of this project grew from $100,000 to $234,000. Earl responds that this can mostly
be attributed to the engineering costs and that the assumption was that the Seaport Council would
cover it.
Bass River Dredging
Neuman reports that the latest news from Jay Ash is that more money may be available than
previously thought for the project, but a 50% match is still required and the application asks that
the City Council has approved the funds for this match. Neuman spoke again with the Mayor and
Planning Director. Suminsby questions whether Bass Haven Yacht Club would be eligible to
contribute some of the matching funds for the upper half of the river or whether the money has to
come from the City to qualify for the grant. Neuman responds that it is hard to imagine the
Seaport Council would approve a grant to dredge for a private enterprise. Earl notes that the
permits are still in place. Oosthoek concludes that this project's fate is now up to those along the
Bass River to promote it.
Transient Moorings
Earl reports that the anchors cannot be moved until July 1 but this project will be completed.
Kayak Racks
Suminsby reports that approval was received from the Conservation Committee for the kayak
racks. The rack location at Dane Street Beach has been moved inland, onto the grass, for security
reasons. Earl will arrange for delivery of the racks. Earl asks if use of the racks should be free
this year? Oosthoek suggests that users could claim ownership of their space and maybe take
sign -ups for next year while giving free use for the remainder of this year. Suminsby feels that it
is premature to talk about rates until we know when the racks can be installed. Flaherty asks how
many people are on the waiting list for the Water Street kayak rack, and she suggests that the
new racks could be filled from this list, and also that the fees could be prorated for the remainder
of this season.
Commercial Marina Contract Review
Earl reports that the City Solicitor made some changes, and HMA corrected some math and
number errors.
Harbor/Waterfront Master Plan
Earl reports that he was interviewed by one of the planning consultants from Harriman. He
invited her to an HMA meeting to discuss the project. A planner from Harriman will attend the
July meeting at Glover Wharf, along with Planning Director, Aaron Clausen.
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Under the Bridge Mural
Work on this project has not yet restarted.
Signage Review
Flaherty reports that Kevin has indicated an interest in starting a review of signage around the
city, but the discussion has not changed or progressed from a year ago. Kevin has indicated that
the focus is on park signs and that harbor /waterfront access signage is not a priority.
Main Street 2030
Oosthoek reports they are still pursuing a consultant to assist with this process and still hoping it
will be the same as the one used for the 2020 plan.
Dinghy Float
Earl notes that this has still not been repaired /replaced.
GW Wi -Fi Project
Earl reports that the equipment and materials have been received, and the City is targeting 7/4 for
a completion date.
Plastic Bags Project
Flaherty reports that City Council voted to ban plastic bags effective January 1, 2019. Earl notes
that he received an invoice for $1,200, but the HMA had only approved $1,000. Oosthoek
motions to pay the total amount of the invoice. Seconded by Herman. The motion is approved, 8-
0.
Harbor Fest
Earl reports that they are starting to secure food and activities vendors. Simon mentions that this
is Beverly's 350th anniversary and asks if they should try to highlight that. Simon will reach out
to the Beverly Historical Society. Oosthoek said he can reach out to the new Beverly Chamber
director about matching what the organization has contributed in the past. Earl has heard interest
in having tours of the new Harbormaster building. Earl will ask the Harbormaster if they can
have one person available for 4 hours to allow for this. Earl will split up territories for HMA
members to spread the word about the Harbor Fest.
Potential Harbor Fest Collaboration with Montserrat College of Art
Earl met with representatives from Montserrat about a multi -day art festival under the bridge that
they would potentially like to coordinate with Harbor Fest in 2019. This project is part of a grant
application for illumination under the bridge. It is envisioned as an art installation designed to
draw people to the waterfront. Earl, hearing no objections to this collaboration, will sign a letter
of support.
Marina Facilities
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Earl reports that Tracy, an admin. assistant at the Public Works department, has taken over the
marina accounting for the Harbormaster. Dever has plans to do a sweep for dinghies on the docks
sometime the first week in July. Earl notes that he saw 4 pedestal lights out but asked if someone
could check that they are not just shut off. Simon has heard reports that the garbage is
overflowing. Earl is still working to get keys to the bathroom for marina customers and learned
that there is only one machine to make these keys that is administered by Tracy from the Public
Works department. Oosthoek will take the lead in requesting 10 -15 bathroom keys be made to
meet immediate needs and to have an inventory. D'Alfonso reports that marina customers are
frustrated by how the marina is being managed and the lack of response to issues that are brought
up. He asks if the HMA wants to consider hiring a dedicated marina manager as they have done
in the past? The consensus is that would currently be beyond the HMA's financial and
management capacity but could be revisited in the future. D'Alfonso notes that most other
municipal marinas are managed by the Harbormaster. D'Alfonso feels that the current marina
manager is not able to provide 20% of his time allocated to managing the marina, but also
recognizes that he is stretched thin.
Other Initiatives /Items /Announcements
Earl will have a conflict with the regular meeting day on Wednesdays coming up and needs to
find a new day of the month to meet. He proposes the 2nd or 4th Tuesday of the month starting
in August. The consensus is that the 4th Tuesday will work the best.
Adjournment
There being no further business before the Harbor Management Authority this evening,
Suminsby makes a motion to adjourn. Herman seconds. Motion to adjourn approved
unanimously (8 -0).
The HMA Meeting was adjourned at 9:00 pm.
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