Port Commission Minutes

MINUTES FROM THE REMOTE VIRTUAL REGULAR PORT COMMISSION MEETING OF THE PORT OF HOODSPORT COMMISSION

September 15, 2021 Call to Order:   9:03am                                                   Adjourned:  10:02am

Meeting Held at:              Virtual Zoom Conference Meeting Room ID#406-238-9936  

Roll Call: Commissioner Booth – Chairwoman, Commissioner Kincannon – 2^nd Chairwoman, Terry Brazil – Trustee                                                                                                               

Staff Present:                    K. Wyatt, Executive Director, S. Lindgren – Supervisor of Maintenance

Public:                            Cody Morris – Potlatch Brewing Company, Kirk Boxleitner – Shelton-Mason County Journal

Approval of Agenda:  Commissioner Booth made a motion to amend the agenda to remove Samantha Stanford (Corp of Engineers) and George Blevins (Olympic Septic Company from the Open Public comment area as no shows and to approve the remainder of the agenda dated September 15, 2021 as written; Commissioner Brazil seconded; it was unanimously approved.

Minutes: Commissioner Brazil made a motion to approve the regular port commission minutes for August 11, 2021, Commissioner Kincannon seconded the motion, unanimously approved.

Vouchers:  Commissioner Kincannon made a motion to approve the Voucher for August 31, 2021, in the amount of $9,750.28; Commissioner Brazil seconded, unanimously approved.

Public Communication:   The port director talked to the commission and public about the upcoming election in November 2021. Commissioner Booth’s position is up for election, she chose not to file in May as the incumbent for her current position and chose to remain in her Commission position until the election in November.  No one filed for this open position in the May election filing period so there was a special filing period in August in which Cody Morris filed to run for Commissioner Booth’s position. And, because it is an odd year, the position in which Commissioner Kincannon was appointed to is also up for election in November.  No one filed to run for her position in the May or August filing period so Commissioner Kincannon will retain her commission position.  The port director invited and introduced Cody Morris as next to be elected  in November as the newest Port of Hoodsport Commissioner to fill Commissioner Booth’s position, Cody Morris introduced himself as the owner of the Potlatch Brewing Company in Hoodsport. C Morris said he grew up is Seattle and spent time on the Hood Canal at his parent’s cabin since the 1990’s.  He attended Evergreen State College then moved back to Seattle, and pursued the beer and wine industry in the Sodo neighborhood.  His beer pub became the best new restaurant in Seattle.  He was approached to form a partnership with Holland partners in South Lake Union.  He and his wife decided to open a brewery in Hoodsport in 2020 which should be completed with inside service in October 2021.  He is interested in the Port commission position because he is fascinated with local government, he wants to learn about the mechanics and to make changes that could make life more pleasant in Hoodsport. Commissioner Booth welcomed C Morris and said we are excited to have you become a Port commissioner; we are sure you will be an asset to the town.  K Boxleitner said he was looking for a local artist to do a business profile on and now he can add the nuances of becoming a new port commissioner.  C Morris said he was curious about the rules around being a Port commissioner and owning a business in town.  He would like to set up a day a month to offer a place for the community to voice concerns and make suggestions, He was curious if he could use the port office or pub to have public meetings.  The port director said the port office space is very small to even host a regular port commission meeting and that all large public meetings have been held at the library meeting room. The port commission made a motion to continue with remote virtual meetings and noticed there is more participation with a virtual meeting.  Commissioner Booth said anytime two or more commissioners gather and talk about business, it must be advertised as a public meeting and minutes need to be taken. Commissioner Brazil said the public is usually involved only when there is an issue of concern, he added that the commissioners are paid $128. per diem in which they can only claim one meeting per day.  The port director said the WPPA (Washington Public Ports Association) has not yet scheduled the next New Commissioner Training session and she will notify Commissioners Kincannon and Morris (when he is sworn in) as to when it is scheduled.  There is also a Small Ports meeting each year in October that is beneficial for the Commissioners to attend for interactive small port discussion and to get to know other Commissioners of small ports in the state of WA. C Morris said he would love to attend the Port’s regular port commission meeting in October.

Commissioner Reports     Commissioner Kincannon said she will be connecting with the Port’s IT technician as soon as she has an updated map of the Hoodsport Trail Park so they can create a QR code for people to scan with their phone to download a copy of the trail map.  The QR code can be laminated and posted in the parking lots to each entrance of the trail park for hikers to access.  Commissioner Brazil asked what it would look like, Commissioner Kincannon said a picture will pop up on your phone that says welcome to the Hoodsport Trail Park, there will be a photo of the Hoodsport Trail map.  S Lindgren said he would leave a copy of the current trail map at the office for Commissioner Kincannon to pick up.  She said she has a graphic designer who can enhance the trail map.  Commissioner Brazil said it is called the Hoodsport Hills Disc Golf Course and the 9-hole course is officially called the ‘Cushman Crawl’.  Commissioner Kincannon said if enough people go to Google maps while at the Hoodsport Trail Park and drop a pin on the disc golf course, Google will start to recognize it and it will show up on a Google map.  Commissioner Booth said she has multiple calls into WSDOT regarding the striping in the crosswalks throughout Hoodsport. The project engineer said the crosswalks, ADAs parking and no parking around the fire hydrants should be painted in the next week, Commissioner Booth told WSDOT she was concerned about visitor safety.  Commissioner Booth asked S Lindgren if they could put the crosswalk flags back up on the poles.  He said he would gather the flags and make more if needed.

Port Maintenance Reports:  

Hoodsport Trail Park & Disc Golf Park:  S Lindgren said the parking signs are up at all three parking areas at the trail park and disc golf park. He researched how to keep the hikers on the trail and determined yellow markers will indicate the lower loop and red markers will indicate the upper loop trail.  He and the other maintenance crew moved the trail around a big tree as a safety precaution, so hikers avoid an area of natural erosion occurring next to the trail on the lower loop. 

Hoodsport Marina, Dock & Waterfront Park:  S Lindgren refreshed the painted areas in the port’s parking lot.  Commissioner Kincannon said she went through all the grants available at this time for the break water project and an EV Charging station, there are currently no grants available for ports, the grants were all to create jobs and for lost revenue due to COVID relief.  Commissioner Booth asked the port director to check with the County Treasurer to find out if there are an alternative way people can pay for moorage with a credit card online or with a phone App.

Public Restrooms: The Public restrooms were surplused to the Purvis’ on April 14^, 2021, after a public hearing was held.  The Purvis’ will be replacing the drain field and repair the septic system in accordance with the Mason County Environmental health specifications to re-open the restrooms as soon as possible.   Until then, the Port of Hoodsport and the Purvis’ continue to provide Sani cans with washing stations for the publics use.

Port parking/Office building/Maintenance shed: S. Lindgren through a Security App monitors live stream surveillance cameras overlooking the public restrooms, office building, ports shed, parking lot, waterfront park and marina dock. It appears the same people continue to dump household garbage.

Port Directors Report

All items on the port director’s agenda were covered in the regular port commission meeting.

Budget:               August financial statements were reviewed

Old Business:  As discussed above        New Business:    As discussed above Next Meeting:    October 13^th

Adjourn:          Commissioner Kincannon made a motion to adjourn the Regular Port Commission meeting, Commissioner Brazil seconded, it was unanimously approved, meeting adjourned at 10:02 a.m.

2021 Regular Port Commission Meetings are scheduled as follows:

Wednesday’s at 9am   October 13^th, November 10^th, December 15^th             

Commissioner Brazil                Commissioner Booth          Commissioner Kincannon

MINUTES FROM THE REMOTE VIRTUAL REGULAR PORT COMMISSION MEETING OF THE PORT OF HOODSPORT COMMISSION August 11, 2021

Call to Order:   9:00am                                                   Adjourned:  10:13am

Meeting Held at:              Via Zoom Conference Room  

Roll Call:  Commissioner Booth – Chairwoman, Commissioner Kincannon – 2^nd Chairwoman, Terry Brazil – Trustee                                                                                                               

Staff Present:                    K. Wyatt, Executive Director, S. Lindgren – Supervisor of Maintenance

Public comment:              None               

Approval of Agenda:  Commissioner Kincannon made a motion to approve the agenda as

written; Commissioner Booth seconded; unanimously approved.

Minutes: Commissioner Kincannon made a motion to approve the regular port commission minutes for July 14, 2021, Commissioner Booth seconded, unanimously approved.

Vouchers:  Commissioner Kincannon made a motion to approve the Vouchers for July 15, 2021, in the amount of $14.74 and July 31, 2021, in the amount of $14,995.83 which included the annual insurance premium of $5,757.00; Commissioner Booth seconded, unanimously approved.

Public Communication:   M. Purvis emailed the port with an update on the public restroom septic system saying he has a septic design but no permit yet.  He is having a land survey done to double check boundaries. K Boxleightner with the Shelton-Mason Journal said he was here to listen in. A Bowers with the Timberland Regional Library said she had nothing to add and is listening in.  J Morris said she was working on the Fjordin Crossin and trying to find dates in 2022 that would work best, the tides and Farmers Market events were conflicting. The Potlatch Brewery got their final from the liquor control board and building permit, but the contractors are not finished with the inside, they have a beer garden in the back with tents on the gravel.  She said the beer was very good. Commissioner Kincannon said her family was visiting and many of them went to the brewery and said the beer was absolutely great.

Commissioner Reports     Commissioner Booth asked the commission if there was anything to report, there was not.  Commissioner Booth asked the port director to send an email with a reminder to each commissioner to write about the port’s amenities for submission in the 2022 Mason County Visitors Guide.

Port Maintenance Reports:  

Hoodsport Trail Park & Disc Golf Park:  S Lindgren said the disc golf and Hoodsport trail parks are very busy.  S Lindgren walked through the trail park to look at the trail signs because people were confused with the current trail signs. He said they were a little confusing and invited the commission and the port director to walk the trails and loop with him to look at the signs and make decisions on what symbols should be on the signs for clarity.  Commissioner Booth and the director committed to meet with him to walk the trails in the park.  Commissioner Kincannon is looking in to a QR code or a GPS system that can be linked to a trail map showing where you are on the trail.  She will talk to the port’s IT person to see what software programs could be used.  The director said the printed maps need to be updated but will order more for handouts at the Visitors center and trail park.

Hoodsport Marina, Dock & Waterfront Park:  S Lindgren purchased paint to freshen lines and painted areas in the port’s parking lot. 

Public Restrooms: The Public restrooms were surplus’d to the Purvis’ on April 14^, 2021 after a public hearing was held.  The Purvis’ will be replacing the drain field and repair the septic system in accordance with the Mason County Environmental health specifications to re-open the restrooms to the public as soon as possible.   Until then, the Port of Hoodsport and the Purvis’ continue to provide Sani cans with washing stations for the publics use.

Port parking/Office building/Maintenance shed: S. Lindgren has a Security App on his phone to monitor live stream surveillance cameras overlooking the public restrooms, office building, ports shed, parking lot, waterfront park and marina dock.

Port Directors Report

The port director said she and the port’s accountant, Wittenberg CPA have complied with the state auditor to provide information as requested during the biennial assessment audit for the years 2018-2019.  The director said the port just received an Exit letter stating the audit was complete and the audit results would be posted on the WA state auditor’s website.  The exit letter stated that based on the procedures performed, nothing came to their attention in the areas they reviewed causing them to believe the Port was in compliance with applicable state laws, regulations and its own policies and had no significant weaknesses in controls over the safeguarding of public resources. They added their appreciation for the prompt assistance with audit requests.  The port director asked if the commission and maintenance supervisor would review the parking and trail signs before placing the order.  The port director, Commissioner Booth and S Lindgren committed to meet in the port parking area across from the waterfront park.  The port director contacted Laura at the WA Fish & Wildlife Habitat Program office, explained there were stumps on the public beach that were anchored for erosion control.  They were there for as long as anyone could remember, then one day the maintenance supervisor noticed the cable that anchored them was cut and removed causing some of them to float away in a high tide.  Laura said, ‘do you think it is still necessary to have the stumps for erosion control? Soft shore armory is better than cement blocks, but you will need a permit from us and the county to replace them.  In my opinion, it is okay if they float away, I have no concerns, it is okay for inland soil to go into the water.  You can check with WSDOT to see if it worries them since the highway is close by and ask them if they want to fix it.”  The director asked if Laura knew who the point of contact was to talk about a break water floating log boom that could protect the port’s 6 slip boat dock in inclement weather. She suggested Samantha with the Army Corp of Engineers.  The director called Samantha, she said the Corp. could permit the breakwater if the port hired a contractor to do the work, she said the contractor would know how to apply for necessary permits.  Samantha said she is willing to attend the next port meeting to explain the procedure and answer the port commissions questions.  The port director went over the port’s insurance binder with the commission and noted the ports insurance premium increased by $1000.00 for 9-2021 through 8-2022.  The port director attended a webinar on EV Charging stations, the electric vehicles being built by car manufacturers and the need for EV Charging stations on Highways in Washington, it was directed at Port’s in the state of Washington. It was hosted by the project development manager at WSDOT and WA State University’s Green Transportation & Energy program director.  They wanted Port’s to partner with the private sector to find locations where EV charging stations could be placed to electrify the highways.  They offered limited grant money and suggested the federal government would be providing grants to help agencies and the private sector to install EV charging stations.  The level 1 EV charging station cost up to $100,000. providing a full battery charge in a short amount of time, the level 2 EV charging station costs $10,000. It provides a partial charge.  WSDOT and WSU representatives said they would be willing to do a presentation for Port commissions and the private sector.  The director asked if anyone was interested in a presentation, Commissioner Booth said yes, lets invite them to give us a presentation.  In an email, M Purvis said he is interested in partnering with the port if WSDOT or Federal EV Charging station grant money becomes available.  J Morris with the Hardware Distillery said she would be interested in partnering with the Port on the EV charging station as well. 

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Budget:               July financial statements were reviewed

Old Business:  As discussed above        New Business:    As discussed above Next Meeting:                   September 15^th

Adjourn:          Commissioner Booth made a motion to adjourn the Regular Port Commission meeting, Commissioner Brazil seconded, it was unanimously approved, meeting adjourned at 10:13 a.m.

2021 Regular Port Commission Meetings are scheduled as follows:

Wednesday’s at 9am   September 15^th, October 13^th, November 10^th, December 15^th        

Commissioner Brazil                Commissioner Booth          Commissioner Kincannon