MINUTES FROM THE REGULAR PORT COMMISSION MEETING OF THE PORT OF HOODSPORT’s COMMISSION
May 11, 2022
Call to Order: 9:00am Adjourned: 10:27am
Meeting Held at: 24113 North Highway 101, Suite A Hoodsport, WA 98548
Virtual Zoom Conference Meeting Room ID#406-238-9936
Roll Call: Commissioner Kincannon – Chairwoman / 2nd Trustee
Commissioner Brazil – 2nd Chairman / Trustee
Commissioner Morris
Staff Present: K. Wyatt, Executive Director, S. Lindgren – Maintenance Supervisor
Public: Jan Morris – Fjordin Crossin Bill Long – Community Dog Park representative ‘Sundogs’
Approval of Agenda: Commissioner Kincannon motioned to approve the agenda dated May 11, 2022, as written; Commissioner Brazil seconded; all in favor, unanimously approved.
Minutes: Commissioner Brazil motioned to approve the regular port commission minutes for April 13, 2022, Commissioner Morris seconded, all in favor, unanimously approved.
Vouchers: Commissioner Kincannon motioned to approve the Voucher for April 29, 2022, in the amount of $6,853.52 Commissioner Brazil seconded, all in favor, unanimously approved.
Public Communication:
J Morris said the bad news is the Lady Alderbrook is in dry dock for repairs and the parts for repair will not be in by the Fjordin Crossin event, they sold out and are refunding tickets. Captain Lee will still be taking the barrel of Aquavit across the canal in the traditional manner. Washington State patrol will have a patrol car with an officer and cadet at the event as a training exercise, Jan asked any idea where they should be? The executive director said when she was part of the events committee, they stationed the state patrol at the intersection of Hwy 101 and State Rt 119 to direct traffic to and from the main highway. G Purvis said it prevented cars from backing up on the Highway waiting to turn onto SR 119. Jan said they managed to get a small bus from the school district to shuttle people between the school and the bank between 9:30-4:00pm, it will run every ½ hour and takes 11 minutes each way. There will be a dry place for people to wait for the bus in the event it rains. The cost is $1.90 per mile and wages for the driver. Commissioner Kincannon asked how will you get the bus service information out to the public? Jan said Rachel Hansen owns the bank building and will coordinate traffic and tourists to the event, she is posting on Facebook, her website and the Fjordin Crossin website. There will be an article in the Mason-Shelton Newspaper as well. We hired George Stenberg photography, he will be taking pictures of people having fun and riding the bus. G Purvis said it will be a busy parking area until church is out, you are welcome to use the ProBuild parking area as a turn around for the bus. Jan said thank you. The executive director said the two Port parking spaces in front of the Port office have been reserved for Jan as per her request. She said Derek Kilmer will be using the space for a short time. Commissioner Morris said he gave Willis, the Shaved Ice business a spot to park behind the brewery. Jan said Patchen, the chef who will be cooking on the beach will be up to code with the health and fire departments. Bill Long, representative for the dog park group said he sent an email on May 1st and wants to talk about reviewing how the port could give 1.5 Acres in the Hoodsport trail park to their group for a dog park, it would be ideal for a dog park if it was logged and cleared. One acre is ideal for large dogs and a half acre for small dogs. We are also looking at parks owned by the Skokomish tribe and a different piece of land and someone to partner with. Commissioner Brazil said it would be a big feat to log and clear trees in the park. Commissioner Morris said in terms of a dog park and clearing trees, thinning trees is a better idea leaving mature trees for aesthetics and to avoid a big mud pit like I have seen at other dog parks. B Long said we can apply for a $25.k grant through Pet Safe for a new dog park, the problem is it must be complete by June 30th. Is there a possibility to partner with the Port of Hoodsport? Commissioner Brazil said the property was deeded to the Port of Hoodsport by WA state. Washington State Constitution says a municipal agency cannot gift money or land to a business or group. B Long asked how the Disc Golf Course was able to use the Hoodsport trail park. Commissioner Kincannon asked the director to elaborate. The director said after many meetings with the Shelton Disc Golf Club and much consideration including liability, the Port of Hoodsport determined disc golf would be beneficial for tourism and economic development to partner with the disc golf community and to build an 18-hole disc golf course with a 9-hole family friendly disc golf course on the other side of State Rt 119. The mutual agreement included the Port purchasing equipment and material to build the disc golf courses, the members would design, research building materials and their volunteers would construct the courses. The disc golf association would organize tournaments, events and maintain the courses. B Long said the dog walkers would like to enter a similar partnership. Commissioner Kincannon said that would require that the Port of Hoodsport have much more information, research and look at how it fits into the Ports mission statement before agreeing to construct a dog park within the Hoodsport Trail Park. Commissioner Kincannon said since there is a timeline on your grant application, the port needs to vote now on whether the port commission wants to move forward with creating a dog park. Commissioner Brazil made a motion for the commission to vote either yes or no on whether to proceed with creating the dog park at this time. Commissioners Kincannon and Brazil voted not in favor to proceed, and Commissioner Morris voted in favor to proceed. Commissioner Kincannon thanked B Long and said we wish you the best of luck with your other options, if in the future you want to re approach the commission again with much more information you may. F McCullough and the Kiwanis were scheduled to speak on the agenda, and both were unable to attend.
Commissioner Reports Commissioner Brazil went to the Washington Public Ports Spring meeting. He said he ran into some other commissioners from Mason County who expressed they would like to have an All-Ports Meeting. Commissioner Brazil suggested the Port of Hoodsport host it. G Purvis said the Port could use the meeting space at the ProBuild building and they could also cater it. The director said she would coordinate the meeting. Commissioner Brazil said he spoke to Bill Grondin, warden of the disc golf course who said their tournament was cancelled due to all the blown down trees in the park and said they would reschedule after it was cleaned up. S Lindgren said the tree removal will start in a week, will last 3 weeks and they will stage in the disc golf parking lot then clean up when they are finished. Commissioner Kincannon said she was contacted by several people early in the morning on Saturday April 30th saying there were dive groups, pop up tents, cars, and dive equipment everywhere at the Port’s parking lot, waterfront park, pier, beach and dock. G Purvis said no one on any given weekend can use the waterfront park or picnic tables because there is dive equipment covering the tables, divers walking through the grassy area to the beach and carts wheeling dive equipment down the dock. On the day of their unscheduled event there was heavy usage of the portable restrooms which we pay for. We were told they were celebrating their first year with a dive event so I had to be in our parking lot, some of the people attending the event were very rude when they were told they could not park in our store parking area which costs us money when other people park there. Commissioner Kincannon said we cannot allow the dive shop to monopolize the port’s property with disregard to the public. A previous letter was written to the Dive Shop on April 10, 2021, when they requested use of the port’s waterfront property and dock several days a week and weekends on an ongoing basis. The letter stated the Port’s legal counsel’s findings from the Washington State Constitution and RCW stating the Port is prohibited to allow any business to continuous use of public agency property for business gain. Occasional scheduled events that have gone through the application, approval process is an exception. Another concern is what if someone else had gone through the event application process of scheduling usage of the port’s waterfront property and dock that Saturday when they were heavily using the port’s public beach, waterfront, and dock areas? Commissioner Brazil said there is an event application process and procedures to follow. Commissioner Kincannon asked the director to write a letter to the Dive Shop regarding reminding them of the rules and regulations the Port must adhere to directed by the WA State Constitution and RCW’s and to remind them to please not use port property for the dive shops business purposes. Commissioner Kincannon made a motion to send YSS Dive Shop a new letter as a reminder and a copy of the old letter, Commissioner Brazil seconded, it was unanimously approved. Commissioner Kincannon asked the board if they had a chance to preview the 3 choices for a new port seal and logo. Both Commissioner Brazil and Morris said yes, they both liked the second rendition. Commissioner Kincannon asked for a formal vote, the choice of the second seal/logo was unanimously chosen. Commissioner Morris said he noticed a lot less trash where the new trash can was placed at the North stairway to the waterfront beach.
Port Maintenance Reports:
Hoodsport Trail Park & Disc Golf Park:
Hoodsport Marina, Dock & Waterfront Park: With help from Lori and Maury, the hanging flower baskets are up on the poles, flowers are in the planters along the waterfront, irrigation has been tested and repairs made, electricity is working at the electrical outlets and the water at the hose bib is on. The dock is clean. There is a big log that washed up on the beach right in front of the stairway, I will work on moving it. We are ready for the Fjordin Crossin event. I will contact the new fire chief to pressure test the line on the dock before the event. A large motorboat was moored at one of the slips for six days straight, they repaired the motor and left today, they paid for 6 nights. Washington State Fish and Wildlife put up signs at the end of March to allow public shellfish harvesting. Washington State Fish and Wildlife were back here at the end of April, removed the signs and replaced them with ‘no shellfish harvesting’. Commissioner Brazil asked if we could ask for more signs to post along the waterfront walkway. The director said she would contact them and make the request.
Public Restrooms: On April 14, 2021, the public restrooms were surplus’d to the Purvis’ whose plans are to repair and re-open them at their expense, they will replace the drain field and repair the septic system in accordance with the Mason County Environmental health specifications. Until then, the Port of Hoodsport and the Purvis’ continue to provide portable restrooms with washing stations for the publics use.
Port parking/Office building/Maintenance shed: S. Lindgren monitors live stream surveillance cameras overlooking the public restrooms, office building, port shed, parking lot, waterfront park and marina dock. It appears the same people continue to dump household garbage in the trash receptacles.
Port Directors Report
An additional portable restroom for the Fjordin Crossin event has been requested, two parking spaces directly in front of the Port office will be reserved for the event coordinator, two cones will be provided, a Fjordin Crossin poster was posted on the Port’s website, one placed on the Port office window and in the Kiosk at the waterfront park. The port director and port’s accountant completed the Schedule 22 annual audit, it was submitted to the state auditor. A 5-day notice and activity map were submitted to Department of Natural Resources for approval to notify them of the removal of blown down and hazard trees in the Hoodsport trail park all within the forest practice 15 year plan. Two different volunteers contacted the port offering to help clear trails in the summer after the tree removal process is complete. A second maintenance contractor will assist the maintenance supervisor with summertime tasks to relieve him of some of the 24/7 duties required to maintain the port’s public properties, trash cans and surveillance. Process to remove what appeared to be an abandoned vessel was halted as the owner finally moved the boat after six days. An additional portable restroom with a hand washing station will be provided by the Port of Hoodsport to be placed next to the other two in the Hood Canal Grocery parking lot, another three are provided by the Hood Canal Grocery store for the publics use at the end of May. Additional cleaning and pumping of the portable restrooms at this location and the disc golf course will start at the end of May. Increased garbage service of the dumpster will start at the end of May through October.
Budget: April financial statements were reviewed
Old Business: As discussed above New Business: As discussed above
Next Meeting: June 20, 2022
Adjourn: Commissioner Kincannon made a motion to adjourn the Regular Port Commission meeting, Commissioner Brazil seconded, all in favor, unanimously approved, meeting adjourned at 10:27a.m.
2022 Regular Port Commission Meetings are scheduled as follows:
Wednesday’s at 9am June 22, July 20, August 17, September 7th
_______________________ _____________________ _________________________
Commissioner Kincannon Commissioner Brazil Commissioner Morris