Salem Harbor Plan Update Public Forum &
Harbor Plan Implementation Committee
Meeting Notes
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
City Hall Annex (3rd Floor, 120 Washington Street)
7pm to 9pm
Committee Members Present:
Fred Atkins Barbara Warren Patricia Trap
Claudia Chuber Peg Harrington Dolores Jordan
Kevin Cornacchio Walter Power
Conrad Prosniewski Malia Griffin
Salem City Staff:
Mayor Kimberley Driscoll
Lynn Duncan, Director DPCD
Kathy Winn, Deputy Director DPCD
Frank Taormina, Harbor Coordinator
Consultants:
Jamie Fay (Fort Point Associates)
Greg Ketchen (Fort Point Associates)
John Simpson (Apex)
Other Attendees:
View attached sign-in sheet.
An agenda for the meeting is attached.
Mayor Kimberley Driscoll opened the meeting with welcoming remarks and emphasized the importance of this initiative.
Frank Taormina provided some procedural remarks including that there would be a brief Harbor Plan Implementation Committee Meeting tonight following this public meeting. He then introduced the consultants to facilitate the public meeting.
Greg Ketchen provided a brief project overview including the scope of work, work completed to date and some of the findings, the regulatory environment, and goals of this planning process. He mentioned that the primary focus of the update would likely be on the South Commercial District (South River and Shetland Park) and the North Commercial District (proposed site of the New Salem Wharf). In the near term (10-year horizon), he did not expect much, if any, change to the current uses of the Industrial Port District (Designated Port Area/ Dominion Energy Salem Station property and City’s Waste Treatment Facility). He emphasized that port and power plant security requirements since 9/11 have increased the need for perimeter buffer zones around the power
plant reducing opportunities to utilize these areas for public access or parking.
Greg Ketchen then opened the meeting up for public comment. Following is a summary of issues discussed:
· A need to improve signage leading to and around the harbor.
· Support for initiatives that will bring more people to Salem from Cape Cod and vice versa (e.g. ferry from Salem or Gloucester to Provincetown).
· Expand the use of the Salem Trolley through yearly passes for residents and others and with more service to Winter Island, downtown and the waterfront.
· Support expressed for cruise ship activity for Salem but there was some concern about potential vessel discharges into the harbor. Committee member Warren responded that she has been working with the City and State for a “no discharge area” designation for the harbor (Salem Sound).
· The new ferry service is great but it’s a long walk to downtown. Could there be an additional ferry stop closer to downtown (nearer Derby Wharf and South River)? Greg Ketchen indicated that the ferry operator said (during a stakeholder interview), because of summer boat traffic, it could be potentially dangerous to routinely bring the ferry further into the harbor and it would prove to be very time consuming. Using the Blaney Street docks
allowed him to make round trips between Salem and Boston in two hours. Committee member Jordan indicated that motor launches and expanded bus service are both possible. Committee Member Harrington questioned: Does Excelerate offer potential for funding increased water taxi service in Salem Harbor? A brief discussion led to the conclusion that this would not be likely. Committee member Warren expressed concern about possible diesel emissions from
ferries and cruise ships.
· Questioned whether infrastructure needs of the neighborhood are included as part of this update (such as a traffic study). Greg Ketchen said that this was not specifically included in the scope of work. Lynn Duncan, Director of Salem DPCD, indicated that the City has an additional $200,000 for completing the New Salem Wharf plans and that these issues will need to be looked at during that study. Lynn Duncan added that the MHP and the
upcoming Port Expansion project would be focused on use of the Blaney Street property for the New Salem Wharf. The 2000 Harbor Plan showed some of the NE Petroleum site (part of Salem Station property) used in the initial design for the New Salem Wharf build out but that an agreement had never been reached with PG&E or Dominion for this use. She added that the City has been working with Dominion Energy on uses for the Blaney Street property and
that Dominion has been very supportive and cooperative.
· Public access along the waterfront from Congress Street to the House of Seven Gables was addressed as a priority in the 2000 Plan and should be part of the updated plan. A suggestion was made to build a new seawall seaward of the existing deteriorating walls along this section of the harbor. Contaminated filled dredged from the harbor could then be used to fill in behind the new seawall and capped to create a walkway along the water’s
edge. Committee Member Atkins agreed that public access onto Salem Harbor needs improvement. He said that there should be an additional boat ramp and generally more access to the water’s edge. Others supported the need for more walkways along the shore including the Shetland Park waterfront.
· Will set backs and other regulatory issues be changed? Greg Ketchen indicated that no changes were proposed at this time although some adjustments may be called for along the South River.
· The boat service out to Misery Island was popular and should be continued.
· It would be good to bring the Duck Boats back. There was a brief discussion regarding access restrictions to Winter Island for commercial operators and some recent liability challenges for Duck boat operations.
· Committee Member Prosniewski asked about the potential for additional public docking along Derby Wharf. Committee Member Trap said that the National Park Service is open to considering more public boat berthing, particularly along Central Wharf. They have concerns about both the condition of Derby Wharf and the appropriateness of docking modern vessels along this historic dock.
· Dredging is very critical and is needed to realize the full vision for the future of the harbor as expressed in the Harbor Plan. It was pointed out that the map in the previous Harbor Plan indicates that the federal channel extends all the way into the Dominion Wharf and to the proposed site of the new Salem Wharf but it does not. Should be corrected in the updated plan.
A letter from Dominion Energy was delivered to the City and Harbor Plan consultants prior to this public meeting requesting that the updated Harbor Plan not include plans for new uses of Dominion property as shown in the 2000 Salem Harbor Plan (referred to as the “Northeast Petroleum” property). The letter indicated that Dominion Energy intends to continue to work with and cooperate with the City concerning future use of their 10 Blaney Street Property for the Salem Ferry and other future marine uses.
Next steps: Greg Ketchen said that stakeholder interviews would continue during the next month in addition to developing specific updates and new recommendations for the 2007 Salem Harbor Plan. The next Harbor Plan Committee meeting will be on Tuesday, May 22, 2007. The date for the next Public Forum will be selected at that committee meeting.
Following the public meeting, a Harbor Plan Committee meeting was convened. Fred Atkins was elected Chair of the Salem Harbor Plan Implementation Committee and Barbara Warren was elected Vice Chair. The list of harbor stakeholder interviews already completed or planned was reviewed with the committee. Committee members asked that Tim Clarke, owner of four properties on the South River, be added to the stakeholder interviewee list.
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