Minutes of a Meeting of
The Old Lyme Harbor Management Commission
May 13, 2014
Attendance:
Members present – Robert Falaguerra, Ned Farman, Bill Harris, Mike Magee, Tom Meyer, Harry Plaut, and Steven Ross.
Alternate Member present – David Musto, seated for Dave Frederiks
Absent – Bob Doyen, Dave Frederiks, Mike Mackey
A quorum being present, Chairman Ross called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.
REPORTS
Motion made by Steven Ross seconded by Robert Falaguerra to approve the minutes of the meeting of April 8, 2014. Motion passed unanimously and they were accepted as submitted. ~
Steven Ross reported that the only correspondence received related to Item 3c on the agenda and it will be addressed at that time.
Bill Harris presented the Treasurer’s Report for April 2014, which was accepted for audit. A copy of the report is on file with the minutes.
OLD BUSINESS
Mike Magee reported that the landing has been cleaned up by the neighbor and he will check to see if any gravel has to be added to the area.
Steven Ross said that the dock is in, but needs to have the ramp put in. Steven said he would go down there to see what is involved to lower the ramp and will ask Dave Peterson at Old Lyme Dock Co. who usually takes care of it.
- Potential Public Access Site—West bank of Lt. River and Halls Road
Steven reported that the HMC has received approval from the DEEP for the acquisition of this parcel with the following conditions.
- The Town shall use the premises for park and recreational purposes only and shall be open to the general public. Such recreational uses shall include public fishing, crabbing, and hand carry non-commercial boat launching.
- The Town shall allow state access to the river to undertake scientific studies, fish, post regulations and notices and construct and maintain fishing or marine habitat enhancement structures on the premises.
- If the Town does not use it for the purposes it said it would, the Town will not retain ownership or if the Town leases it or the other conditions are not abided by, the parcel reverts back to the State of Connecticut.
The parcel acquisition must be approved at the Town Budget Meeting on May 19, 2014 and Bonnie Reemsnyder will put it on the agenda and give a brief presentation at the meeting. Once the acquisition has been approved, the HMC can move forward with its plans. It was noted by Steven that the portion which is not below high tide will be the Town’s responsibility and not the HMC’s. Steven said that an overall plan for what the HMC wants to do at the site will be discussed at the next meeting. A brief discussion followed about the possibility of a stone and gravel ramp and other improvements at the site.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Steven said that Mike Magee had emailed Harry, Ned and he his report and he noted that the HMC has already received money for 70 private moorings. Last year we had a total of 82. In 2012 we had a total of 71. Most of the mooring permits have come in, although this does not include Old Lyme Marina or Old Lyme Dock, neither of which have put their moorings in yet. Steven spoke to Mike at Four Mile River Marina and went over the moorings that he puts in and pulls automatically and they coordinated so that he makes sure before he puts a mooring in, they have their 2014 permit. The 7 people he has put moorings in for this year have permits.
Steven checked with the Governor’s office and the appointment of Harry Plaut as Harbor Master is proceeding and he expects the appointment should be confirmed soon. Steven said that at some point we should publish a notice in the local paper that we have abandoned moorings and they have a certain number of days to claim their mooring or it can be sold by the Town of Old Lyme for expenses incurred. A discussion followed regarding the decrease in the number of moorings in the area. Harry Plaut told the members about a recent DEEP meeting which was held for the purpose of discussing the possibility of expanding the no wake zone in the CT River beyond Marker 22.
Final design plans are underway, following analysis of sediment testing results. (Phase 2: Dredging Project Design).
Regulatory pre-applications consultations have been underway for quite a while and continue. As soon as all pre-application determinations are made, the final application report will be composed within a month. (Phase 3: Regulatory Permitting).
- LIS Markers for OL river approaches
The members reviewed the specifications of the marker chosen for this area and discussed the placement of the marker. Harry Plaut said that he has tackle for it. Motion made by Steven Ross, seconded by Ned Farman and moved by Robert Falaguerra to approve Harry Plaut’s purchase of Float Collar Model #B1428NSW from Rolyan Buoys and Floats. Motion passed unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS
None received this month.
- Harbor Master Job Description.
The members discussed the duties of the Harbor Master and reviewed the job description prepared by Mike Magee in detail. The members agreed on revisions to the wording and on which items to omit and include in the job description. Mike Magee made notes and Steven Ross told him he can email a revised version of the job description when it is done. Steven said that he will distribute a new draft to the members prior to the next meeting and the job description will be finalized at that time.
- A discussion regarding the possibility of a mooring committee and separation of field and office responsibilities will be discussed at the next meeting when Mike Mackey is present, as he had expressed some interest in the office responsibilities.
Steven spoke to someone at the DEEP regarding the Notice of Non-Compliance to Mr. Scanlon for removal of the addition to the existing dock and they told him that the Scanlons had hired someone to design a properly installed ramp and that they will remove the additions to the existing second dock.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 8:34 PM.
Submitted by:
Patti Myers, Clerk
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