Port Commission Minutes

MINUTES FROM THE REGULAR PORT COMMISSION MEETING

OF THE PORT OF HOODSPORT COMMISSION    March 14, 2018

Call to Order: 9:00am                 Adjourned: 10:20am

Meeting Held at:    Port of Hoodsport Office 24113 N US Hwy 101 #A Hoodsport, WA

Roll Call:     Commissioner Petz – Commission Chair

                Commissioner O’ Laughlin –

Commissioner Brazil

Staff Present:     K. Wyatt, Port Operations Manager

                B. Osborne – Maintenance Director

                S. Lindgren – Maintenance

Public:         Jan Morris – Hardware Distillery Fjordin Crossin

Captain Lee Geist – Business owner

Approval of Agenda: Commissioner Petz asked to amend the Agenda by adding Lee Geist under Public Communications & Open Forum. Commissioner Brazil made a motion to approve the amended March 14, 2018 meeting agenda, Commissioner O’ Laughlin seconded, unanimously approved.

Minutes: Commissioner Brazil made a motion to approve the Regular Port Commission minutes of February 21, 2018 Commissioner Petz seconded, unanimously approved.

Vouchers: Commissioner Brazil motioned to approve the following Vouchers for payment: March 2018 1of1 in the amount of $846.44 and March 2018 2of2 in the amount of

$7,047.78 Commissioner O’ Laughlin seconded, unanimously approved.

 

Public Communication:
Jan Morris said she had been thinking about placement of the port o pot for the Fjordin Crossin event and definitely does not want to put it anywhere near the food area. Jan asked if she could have it delivered across the street near the ports shed. Commissioner O’ Laughlin said yes of course. Jan said there was a nice little article about the Fjordin Crossin in the Fjord magazine. She said they were working on wording for the banner which will go up across the road at the beginning of June. They were working on more events and categories for people who wanted to participate in crossing the canal when the barrel crosses. The Shelton Journal will be covering the event. B. Osborne suggested Jan talk to KMAS to broadcast the event live. Commissioner O’ Laughlin said there is no cost and it is a public broadcast. Captain Lee Geist asked the commission for a scope of work to be done on the dock repair. Commissioner Petz said basically, they will be pulling up a good part of the decking, will be using steel plate bracing on the outer East side of the dock and will be using angle braces to re fasten fingers. He said they had to do a lot of research to figure out which way was the best way to re fasten the fingers since the dock is unprotected from the elements. There were two different ways to approach the repair, one was to hinge the fingers so they could move independently with wind and waves, the other was to pull them in tight so the entire dock moves together which would make the dock buck up against the pilings. They will be going in with grade 5 galvanized fasteners. There were other fasteners however they were very expensive. Commissioner Petz asked K. Wyatt to call the contractors to make sure they were still on schedule and had ordered all of the parts needed. Lee Geist asked if the Port had a relationship with the cruise ship that comes into the canal and anchors out in front of the dock during the summer months on the weekends. Commissioner O’ Laughlin said they anchor out and kayak to the dock where buses and vans pick them up for land excursions. Jan said the port may want to ask them if they want to participate in the Fjordin Crossin, Lee said that was a neat idea. Commissioner O’ Laughlin tried to find them online but couldn’t pinpoint who they were. S. Lindgren said he thought the cruise ship was from Port Townsend. Jan said there is an un cruise that travels the world and comes to Seattle once a year.

 

Commissioner Reports:
Commissioner O’ Laughlin has a draft of the Transportation plan he took the initiative to work on for the port. He said the Port of Allyn has county roads going through town and their Transportation plan was paid for by Mason County’s department of transportation who hired a consulting firm that paid for a traffic study. He spoke to Senator Tim Sheldon who encouraged the Port to apply for capital funds. Commissioner O’ Laughlin and K. Wyatt will put together a transportation plan that will be up to seven pages, it will refer to the plan that was done 10 years ago which will include WSDOT meetings that took place over the years referring to the speed monitoring devices given to everyone else at no charge. Our situation is quite different here in Hoodsport where two state roads are the main thoroughfares, Highway 101 and State Rt 119.

There was a mandatory traffic study done in 2012 when a developer developed lots at a subdivision on State Rt 119 , they were required to put in a traffic light at Hwy 101 and State Rt 119. Commissioner Brazil said he would contact the realtor who has the exclusive listing to find out how well the lots are selling and if there is any reference for a future traffic light. Commissioner O’ Laughlin mentioned the upcoming annual plant sale put on by the Kiwanis. Commissioner O’ Laughlin said there is a horticulture instructor at the Washington corrections center for women, they are offering big flower baskets at $40.00 per basket and asked K. Wyatt to contact them. The Port property along Highway 101 has six plant hangers attached to the power poles that beautify the community in the summer months. Commissioner Brazil asked Lee if there is anyone in Union that may want to purchase flower baskets for their businesses. Lee said he couldn’t think of anyone. Commissioner Petz is the point of contact for the septic company who is trying to figure out what course of action needs to be taken to get the public restrooms operational. He met with the installer and has been in contact with the septic designer who asked the port to do a pump down test. The numbers indicated the public restrooms have been pumping water at two times the design limit which saturated the drain field. The two major issues are too much water and the distribution system. Commissioner Petz added the public restrooms have been a phenomenal success which led to excessive use. The worst case scenario is to install a second drain field; we will also need to evaluate limiting the hours to avoid overwhelming the system again. Commissioner O’ Laughlin asked if the sanicans are open 24 hours and wanted to know if they have locks on the doors. S. Lindgren said they do lock them in the event they are full in between pumps and on days they do not pump, signs are put up when they are locked. They are services on Mondays and Fridays to pump before and after the weekend. Commissioner Petz suggested ordering a third large sanican

 

Port Maintenance Reports:

Hoodsport Trail Park: S. Lindgren reported that Household garbage continues to be left in and around the trash cans at the Hoodsport trail park. B. Osborne designed color coded directional signs for intersections of the trails at the trail park which include disc golf designations. These signs will be made out of steel with reflective lettering and attached to wood posts. There will be a total of 50 signs. Commissioner O’ Laughlin suggested volunteer labor from the penitentiary to help with installation and will talk to someone he knows who works there. Commissioner Petz suggested renting power augers for digging the post holes. S. Lindgren is cutting fallen trees off of the trail.

Hoodsport Marina, Dock & Waterfront Park: Contractors will be starting dock repair the first week of April

Public Restrooms: Are currently closed to the public

Port parking/maintenance shed: Household trash is regularly being left in all of the trash receptacles at the port restroom and waterfront park area and also by the Port dumpster.

 

Port Operations Manager Report:

K. Wyatt will verify with the contractor that they will be starting on the dock repair the first part of April. Morgan R. was unable to attend this meeting but should be able to attend the April meeting and bring the Port up to date on the plans and progress on Phase II of the disc golf course. K. Wyatt collected activity reports for the first quarter commission payroll.

 

Budget:     February 2018 Financial Statement was reviewed

 

Old Business:     As discussed above

 

New Business:     None

 

Next Meet:      April 11, 2018

 

Adjourn:         Commissioner Petz made a motion to adjourn the Regular Port Commission meeting, Commissioner O’ Laughlin seconded, unanimously approved, meeting adjourned at 10:20 a.m.

 

2018 Regular Port Commission Meetings are scheduled as follows:

 

Wednesday’s at 9a.m.

 

April 11, April 25, May 16, May 30, June 13, June 27, July 11, July 25, August 8, August 22

 

 

 

________________________ _______________________ _____________________

Commissioner O’ Laughlin Commissioner Petz Commissioner Brazil

 

MINUTES FROM THE REGULAR PORT COMMISSION MEETING

OF THE PORT OF HOODSPORT COMMISSION    

February 21, 2018

Call to Order: 9:00am                 Adjourned: 11:55am

Meeting Held at:    Port of Hoodsport Office 24113 N US Hwy 101 #A Hoodsport, WA

Roll Call:     Commissioner Petz – Commission Chair

                Commissioner Brazil

                Commissioner O’ Laughlin – Excused absence

Staff Present:     K. Wyatt, Port Operations Manager

                B. Osborne – Maintenance Director

                S. Lindgren – Maintenance

Public:         Heidi McCutchen – President Mason County Chamber of Commerce

                Jan Morris – Hardware Distillery Fjordin Crossin

                Captain Lee Geist – Business owner

Approval of Agenda: Commissioner Petz asked to amend the Agenda by adding Lee Geist and removing Stephen Scott and Bill Heil, under Public Communications & Open Forum. Commissioner Brazil made a motion to approve the amended February 21, 2018 meeting agenda, Commissioner Petz seconded, unanimously approved.

Minutes: Commissioner Brazil made a motion to approve the Regular Port Commission minutes of February 21, 2018 Commissioner Petz seconded, unanimously approved.

Vouchers: Commissioner Brazil motioned to approve the following Vouchers for payment: January 2018 2of2 in the amount of $5,088.38 and February 2018 1of1 in the amount of

$1,154.17 and February 2of2 in the amount of $7,501.47 Commissioner Petz seconded, unanimously approved.

Public Communication: Jan Morris said she is coordinating the first annual ‘Fjordin Crossin’ event, hoping to have it on June 23^rd starting at 10a.m. She is requesting use of the waterfront park and the long outside edge of the dock. Vendors from last year will be back along with some new ones. The Lady Alderbrook will have a scheduled cruise from Union that will coordinate with the barrel crossing the canal. There will be a float with a wagon for the barrel to come down the sidewalk, vendors, music and a beer garden hosted by Harmony Hill. Commissioner Brazil asked about the Beer garden, Jan said that Harmony Hill was experienced with having a beer garden, the permits and insurance involved. Jan is working with Geri at IGA, they will be designing T-shirts for sale to help with costs. Jan has arranged for an advertisement Banner to stretch across Highway 101. Captain Lee Geist will bring a Viking boat to carry the barrel of Aquavit across the canal as in past tradition; there will also be smaller boats, canoes and kayaks. Jan asked about the status of the dock. Commissioner Petz said the dock repair is scheduled to start the first week of April and the dock will be in good shape. Jan asked about the electrical issues at the waterfront park, B. Osborne said they were addressed last year and should be fine. Jan asked if she could have a map of the grassy area at the waterfront park with dimensions so she could arrange the vendors, B. Osborne said he had one he could give to her. Jan said Commissioner O’ Laughlin offered to get some traffic signs to slow traffic for pedestrian safety; K. Wyatt will ask him if he can get the signs from WSDOT for the event. K. Wyatt said two port o pots will need to be rented and placed at the park. Jan said she was trying not to incur more expenses, K. Wyatt suggested calling ahead which may get her a discount, and then have the vendors pitch in to help with costs. Jan said she would like to move forward if it was okay with the Port. Commissioner Petz said as long as all of the county and WSDOT permits, insurance certificates of liability, traffic plan, port o pots and garbage arrangements were in place he thought it would be a great event. K. Wyatt will email Jan with the Event application and Facility Use agreement. Commissioner Brazil asked Bruce to make more crosswalk flags and asked Scott to replace the cleats on the dock that were broken. Commissioner Petz suggested Jan attends upcoming port meetings to keep each other informed. Captain Lee Geist said he was here to talk about the ports boat dock. I have a 30′ boat in Union and my business consists of taking people out on my boat for tours. I take up to six people at a time out on the canal; I get a lot of people who ask me, where do you go? I would love to say I am going to Hoodsport. I have been unable to land my boat at the Port dock in Hoodsport because the metal plate is loose prohibiting me from tying up, I would like to know when the dock repairs will be done. I feel some upgrades will need to be done in the future. S. Lindgren reminded Captain Geist that a boat of his size could only fit on the outer edge of the dock and that the dock wasn’t built to moor boats over 16 feet in length although there is a 4′ hangover allowed in each slip. Lee said the 12” cleats are not big enough, Commissioner Petz reminded him it was not a Marina and the dock is not made for big boats, it’s made for single small boats. Commissioner Brazil said he and Commissioner Petz both spoke to Lee over the phone about the upcoming repairs to the dock and knew that he communicated with the port office via email regarding information in past minutes pertaining to the dock repair. K. Wyatt said that just this week; the contractor set a date for the first week in April to start the storm damage dock repairs. Lee said the Hood Canal was unique in area and the waterfront park is a great asset but if the dock goes away, it would be difficult to get back. Commissioner Petz said the Hoodsport dock is very exposed and does not have a break water to protect it; in high winds and weather and takes a beating whenever there is a storm, especially in a South wind. S. Lindgren said this isn’t a port; it is a boat dock with a very shallow location. Lee said the Port of Brownsville has a break water dock which helps them in a North wind. Commissioner Brazil said the Port has started conversation and is aware that it will need to rebuild the dock and was looking at grant opportunities. Lee said he knows there is public money available and the port should find a good grant writer. He said the Port of Allyn put in a new boat launch, the Port of Grapeview and Port of Shelton had repairs done, the Port of Bremerton has 70-80 year old docks which were torn down and now used strictly for recreational purposes; they all found public money and it should be available. Commissioner Brazil said we’ve applied for public funds and weren’t chosen for funding. Commissioner Petz said the RCO grant for boating infrastructure is in its 2019 funding cycle, boating infrastructure that is under $1.2 million competes locally for funding anything higher than that competes nationwide. Lee said as far as the Fjordin Crossin goes, he would be honored to take the keg of Aquavit across the canal as done in tradition, he just wants a safe place to land upon his return. Lee suggested the port may want to put together a Marina Advisory Committee and said many people have boats and would like to moor here which may bring in more tourism. Heidi from the Chamber said there may be some tourism money and that the more people who sign off on a project would trigger support from the Chamber. Commissioner Brazil said we have tourism here; people go to the National parks and the hood canal. Lee said boaters need a safe place to land and that the port is unique in that it allows crabbers with pots and lines which disparage boaters. Commissioner Brazil said there is clear signage that boaters have priority. Commissioner Brazil asked Lee if he has spoken to Carlos regarding landing at his new dock. Jan said Carlos was going to participate in the Fjordin Crossin last year but decided not to. Jan said they were planning on parking cars for the event at the bank and church parking lots. Commissioner Brazil asked if they had bus transportation. Heidi said Mason Transit can utilize their Shuttles for a nonprofit organization at a cost of $15. Per day. Jan said she was going to contact Jonathan at the Casino to find out if people could park there. S. Lingren suggested asking the Library if they could use their parking area. Commissioner Petz thanked Lee for his concerns and to look for the repair of the dock to be completed by the end of April. Heidi said it was a banner year for the Hoodsport visitor’s center that brought in over 20,000 people. There are 20 volunteers who are all fantastic. Commissioner Brazil said lots of people are attracted to the area in the three months when the weather is terrific, everyone heads up to hike around the lake and staircase. The repair of the road to staircase has been a battle between the national parks and Tacoma Power; no one wants to maintain the road. Heidi said the Olympic National parks and National Parks service each contribute $5,000. to the visitors centers annual budget but may not be able to contribute due to changes made in their own budgets. The Visitors center is selling North West forest Discover passes and postcards to the public. They will be adding national geographic maps, t- shirts and apparel for sale in an effort to subsidize the loss of those funds. Heidi said there was definitely a higher number of people visiting the area this last year. Commissioner Brazil asked if the lodging tax tourism money is mostly distributed to the City of Shelton or is it distributed all around Mason County. Heidi said Mason County receives $350,000.00 which goes toward the tourism budget annually and there is potential for more motels which would bring more lodging tax money into the county. Air bnb and vacation rentals will now be paying lodging tax and will potentially double the tourism fund. Commissioner Brazil asked if some of the lodging tax money could be allocated to help with flower baskets and or the watering. K. Wyatt said the Port took over purchasing flower baskets to help beautify Hoodsport so when tourists and visitors come through town, it looks attractive and inviting. Heidi said in Shelton they have a ‘Beautification Campaign’ where individuals can sponsor a flower basket for $225.00 annually. She will email K. Wyatt a letter they use on their website to solicit sponsorships and will take a look at their tourism funds to see if there is any way the Chamber can help. She said the applications requesting tourism funds go out in September for the following years lodging tax funds. Heidi said the tribes put in 1% of their lodging funds into a statewide pot and they allocate funds to different applicants for tourism. Commissioner Petz said the port has been in discussion with WSDOT for over 6 years regarding traffic calming devices to slow down vehicles driving through town and they basically said we will not get help with traffic safety devices. WSDOT offered $10,000. to the Port, but it was to help with a traffic plan and not for traffic calming devices. Commissioner O’ Laughlin who has lots of experience with traffic safety is tasked with writing a traffic plan for the port which can be submitted as a addendum with grant applications. Heidi asked if any of the legislators were aware of the problems with traffic safety in Hoodsport. Commissioner Brazil said yes, Senator Tim Sheldon is aware. Commissioner Brazil said the port partnered with PUD#1 and the North West Olympic counsel in five locations from Olympia to Port Angeles in a grant application for EV Car Charging stations, that grant was denied funding. Heidi said she would definitely forward any grant notifications she may receive.

Commissioner Reports: Commissioner Petz has been dealing with the ports public restroom drain field. In the beginning of February, a septic company noticed a wet spot on the drain field and reported it to the County. The port hired a septic company to pump and clean the tanks, filter and look at the drain field. The county was satisfied there was action being taken. The septic company gave the port a proposal to jet the laterals because something could be clogging the pipes, when they got there they said the situation was bigger than they could handle and reported it to the county. The county considered it a failed drain field and shut the restrooms down. The port ordered two port o pots for the public’s use. Commissioner Petz consulted the septic engineer and will be going through a series of tests before writing a plan of action for the county. The port will be working with septic engineers, designers and the county to solve the problem. Until then, the ports restrooms will be closed until there is a remedy.

Port Maintenance Reports:

Hoodsport Trail Park: B. Osborne reported that Household garbage continues to be left in the trash cans at the Hoodsport trail park.

Hoodsport Marina, Dock & Waterfront Park: Contractors will be starting dock repair the first week of April

Public Restrooms:

Port parking/maintenance shed: Household trash is regularly being left in all of the receptacle and by the Port dumpster.

Port Operations Manager Report:

K. Wyatt notified the ports insurance company that the dock repairs will be completed in April and received a letter from them that they have closed the claim. There was an invoice for a $1,000.00 deductible. K. Wyatt was unable to talk to Morgan R. regarding their Phase III plans, map or budget as of yet. In the January 10^th meeting, K. Wyatt was tasked with creating a Resolution for the Port to obtain a credit card for routine purchases and supplies that are not invoiced. Commissioner Brazil made a motion to approve Resolution POH R18-02, Commissioner Petz seconded, and it was unanimously approved. A Resolution POH R18-01 for an Agent to receive Claims was created to be recorded and filed with the Mason County Auditor. Commissioner Brazil made a motion to approve Resolution POH R18-01, Commissioner Petz seconded, and it was unanimously approved. K. Wyatt will be recording the resolution and filing it with the Auditor. K. Wyatt received an email from someone claiming to be Hood Canal Communications asking to enter a username and password so they could create more space for emails. She called HCTC and they verified it was a scam. Just a reminder of how many people are in the cyber world trying to hack into people and business accounts. Mason County sent 2018 Tax Levy summaries stating how much property tax owners pay towards each district in levies. The Port of Hoodsport collects .2515 per 1000 from tax payers in its port district. John Wynand will be contacted to attend a port meeting once a preliminary traffic plan has been written to talk about which avenues can be taken and to go from there in obtaining traffic safety devices.

Budget:     January 2018 Financial Statement was reviewed

Old Business:     As discussed above

New Business: None

Next Meet:     March 14, 2018

Adjourn:     Commissioner Brazil made a motion to adjourn the Regular Port Commission meeting, Commissioner Petz seconded, unanimously approved, meeting adjourned at 11:15 a.m.

2018 Regular Port Commission Meetings are scheduled as follows: Wednesday’s at 9a.m. March 14^th

________________________ _______________________ _____________________

Commissioner O’ Laughlin Commissioner Petz Commissioner Brazil