Minutes of a Meeting of
The Old Lyme Harbor Management Commission
October 13, 2009
Attendance:
Members present – Bill Harris, Mike Magee, Jon Mittelman, Mark Rohrberg, Steve Ross,
Alternates present – Susan Connors, Ned Farman.
Absent – Charlie Delinks, Bob Doyen, Dave Frederiks, Mike Mackey, Mike Moran, Dave Zita.
A quorum being present, Chairman Ross called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM.
Motion made by Steve Ross second by Mark Rohrberg to amend the agenda and place the Harbor Master’s Report as the first item on the agenda. Motion passed unanimously.
REPORTS
Harbor Master
Mike Moran noted that he had received an email request from Steve Ross to produce a rationale for the $90 per hour fee rate that he charges for the use of his personal boat for Harbor Master use. The request was in response to some questions that Acting Chairman Steve Ross and former Chairman Bob Doyen had received. Mike stated that he had called other towns and averaged the fees to produce his $90 per hour fee. He reported that he had purchased a smaller boat than what he had originally planned in order to meet the needs of the dock and that he had kept expenses low, averaging between 8-14 hours per year. He did not have a schedule of expenses to submit.
In other matters, Mike noted that many moorings remained empty over the summer. He moved logs off of three sailboats and towed them down the CT River to a back creek as well as moved one mooring at Sound View Beach. He spoke with the East Lyme Harbor Master regarding the sand fill it will need when moving the train tracks to the south. He related the possibility of meeting their sand fill needs with dredged sand from Old Lyme. Mike will ask the East Lyme Harbor Master to attend the next meeting and give an overview of the project.
Due to his work schedule, Mike needed to leave the meeting and return to work. Discussion followed regarding costs between a Harbor Master’s use of his personal boat versus the Commission purchasing a boat for his use. The Commission acknowledged possible hidden costs to Mike when using his personal boat that would not be reimbursed by the Commission. It was decided that members would price an 18-20 foot boat with a simple outboard motor and depth sounder. Jon Mittelman will look at costs of Mike’s personal boat. Ned Farman suggested advertising in the Town newsletter for a donated boat that would suit the Commission’s needs. Members decided to price boats first and wait until November to consider advertising for donations.
Clerk’s Report
The minutes of the previous meeting were reviewed and accepted as submitted.
Treasurer’s Report
Jon Mittelman had no formal Treasurer’s report since he had not received the September bank statement but he reported that expenses for the month were $964.94 and that the current balance is $13,732.58. The expenses were mostly for reimbursement of expenses paid by the Town and just recently billed to HMC.
OLD BUSINESS
Member Appointments
An alternate member position remains vacant.
Dinghy Dock
No report this month.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Dock Standards
Steve Ross reported that Dave Frederiks had recently sent Marylin Clarke the letter requesting the drafts for two separate ordinances: 1) to adopt the addendum and 2) to provide for enforcement issues. Steve had also spoken to Marylin as well regarding the matter. He stated that there may not be a need for the second ordinance since most violations fall under DEP jurisdiction and any that don’t fall would fall under Harbor Management. Fee collection would only be on new dock applications.
Harbor Management Plan
Tabled this month.
Dredging Machine Plan
Nothing new to report this month.
Army Corps of Engineers Regional Dredging Plan
Ned Farman provided detailed history and information on the dredging efforts locally (see attachment). Jon Mittelman will scan the report and email it to the clerk who will email it to all Commission members for review. At the November meeting, representatives from Apex Company will be invited to present their dredging capabilities. Once the scope of the project is defined, the HMC can present it to the Selectmen for review should the decision be made to proceed.
NEW BUSINESS
Dock Applications
Steve Ross presented information on the application for dock modifications at 14 Lieutenant River Rd. The plans were found to be consistent with the dock standards. The site had been inspected by Mike Moran and Steve Ross. Motion made by Jon Mittelman second by Ned Farman to approve the plan. Motion passed unanimously.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 PM.
Submitted by:
Janet S. Cody, Clerk
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