Duxbury Bay Management Commission
Meeting Minutes – Thursday, January 25, 2007
A meeting of the Duxbury Bay Management Commission was held at the Duxbury Senior Center at 7 pm.
In attendance:
Duxbury Bay Management Commission (DBMC):
In attendance: Shawn Dahlen, Ned Lawson, Corey Wisneski (Secretary), John Brawley, Kathy Gould, Jack Kent, Emmett Sheehan, Don Beers (ex officio).
Missing: John Carnuccio (Chair), Don Gunster
A quorum was reached.
I. Bay Avenue Seawall Repairs Update
In an effort to discover who is the rightful owner of the seawall (the residents, the town, or the state), the selectmen have requested a title search. N. Lawson is working on a letter of recommendation to the BOS which will include the issue of renourishment using Green Harbor dredged material and suggesting that the residents of Bay Avenue assume part of the costs of the projects.
II. Proposed Changes to Mooring and Shellfish Fees
Harbormaster D. Beers was present and provided a several page memo containing the Proposed Waterfront Fees for 2007, the 2003 Proposed Fees, the FY2006 permit revenues, and the results of a survey of waterfront fees in other coastal towns. D. Beers said that the selectmen requested the current fee structure review, which is typically conducted every 3-4 years. He shared that the Town Manager is interested in coming up with a better and more regular fee review method. D. Beers recommended a reclassification of Two Rock and Clark’s Island mooring areas as basin areas, since they are already managed like the main anchorage. He also noted that the increase in waterfront fees was unconnected to the Harbormaster’s staff costs. A motion was made (1) to recommend the Option 1 increases as
described in the memo, recognizing that there is no clear link between fee increases and operating costs; (2) to recommend that, in the future, the basis for fee increases be related to increases in Harbormaster Department operating costs; and (3) that fees be reviewed on an annual basis. J. Brawley abstained from the vote on the motion because he agreed with part of the motion, but not with another. N. Lawson will write a letter to the selectmen regarding the DBMC’s recommendations.
III. Duxbury Yacht Club Seawall Repairs
The DBMC reviewed a proposal and plans for repairs to the seawall at the Duxbury yacht Club, in front of the clubhouse. The proposal included replacing the top cap, replacing the whalers, installing laminated timbers, and excavating the base of the wall to install pressure treated timbers. The DBMC noted that the repairs to the wall would not alter its appearance or the function and that repair was not only important to Yacht Club property, but could impact the Town Landing. Therefore, a motion was made to write a letter of recommendation for the seawall repairs to the Conservation Commission.
IV. Bezdek Aquaculture Lease Review
The DBMC reviewed the application of Claire Bezdek for an aquaculture lease in the Bay. Her application has been approved by the Division of Marine Fisheries, and Conservation Commission, and the Army Corps of Engineers. The current moratorium does not apply here because Bezdek submitted her application prior to its instigation and the decision was made at the time to allow those people in the process of getting approved to proceed. A motion was made to recommend approval of the lease based on the approval of the other agencies, which have already assured that the lease will not be an obstruction to other Bay uses and does not adversely impact Bay resources. N. Lawson will write a letter of recommendation.
V. Other Business
The DBMC meeting minutes from November 9, 2006; November 16, 2006; and January 11, 2007 were approved.
J. Brawley described the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) proposal that he and C. Wisneski are putting together to institute a light attenuation volunteer monitoring program in the Bay. A Quality Assurance Project Plan is being prepared as required by the DEP and the proposal will be submitted by January 30, 2007.
J. Brawley updated the DBMC on the Aquaculture Management Plan. Ken McKim of the Shellfish Advisory Committee and Dick Loring of the Agricultural Commission have been appointed to the ad hoc committee charged with drafting the management plan. D. Beers is working on identifying a wild shellfisherman that would be interested in serving on the committee.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:45 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Corey Wisneski
Secretary
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