09/12/2018 Marine Advisory Board Meeting Minutes September 12, 2018
City of Clearwater
City Hall
112 S. Osceola Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33756
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Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
8:00 AM
Council Chambers
Marine Advisory Board
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City of Clearwater
Marine Advisory Board Meeting Minutes September 12, 2018
Roll Call
Present 5 - Acting Chair Michael Grohman, Board Member Kevin Laughlin,
Board Member Ken Marlow, Board Member Wade Carlisle, Board
Member Michael Mack, and Board Member Empty Seat
Absent 2 - Chair Edward O'Brien Jr., and Board Member Eric Spaulding
Also Present - Ed Chesney, P.E. — Marine &Aviation Department Director, Michael
MacDonald - Marine & Aviation Operations Manager, Patricia O.
Sullivan — Board Reporter
1. Call To Order
The Acting Chair called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. at City Hall.
To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily
discussed in that order.
2. Approval of Minutes
2.1 Approve June 13, 2018 Marine Advisory Board Meeting Minutes
Member Laughlin moved to approve the minutes of the June 13,
2018 Marine Advisory Board meeting as submitted in written
summation. The motion was duly seconded and carried
unanimously.
3. Citizens to be Heard Regarding Items Not on the Agenda: None.
4. New Business Items
4.1 Elect Vice Chair
Member Marlow moved to appoint Michael Grohman as Vice
Chair. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
4.2 Wave Attenuator/ Fishing Pier Replacement Update
Marine &Aviation Department Director Ed Chesney said the contractor
selected to replace the Clearwater Harbor North Basin wave attenuator and
fishing pier backed out due to their equipment's inability to perform the work.
Most contractors were rebuilding hurricane damaged marinas in the
Caribbean. This small job made mobilization difficult and was unattractive to
busy contractors. The new wave attenuator was designed and in queue for
fabrication. The project should be under contract by next week and ready for
installation by late October. The contractor selected for installation was
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City of Clearwater
Marine Advisory Board Meeting Minutes September 12, 2018
responsible for ordering and installing all materials.
4.3 Reservation System for Transient Boaters
Mr. Chesney reviewed the Marina's new reservation system for transient
boaters. The smart phone application "Dockwa,"a web-based reservation
system preferred by area customers, provided information on City marina
amenities, rates, and transient slip availability, required users to create a
profile with the boat owner's name, size of boat, credit card and insurance
information and allowed registered boaters to book a slip with a 1 night
deposit subject to a 24-hour cancellation policy. City confirmation was
required, transient vessels without insurance were not accepted.
Reservations then populated the marina maps allowing staff to monitor slip
availability. No-shows forfeited the 1-night deposit. Staff steered phone
queries to the ap, allowing them to provide the same service to all boaters.
The ap limited how far in advance boaters could book, important during high
volume events such as Jazz Holiday. The City paid a 3.5% reservation fee,
which was the same as the credit card fee paid previously.
4.4 Coast Guard Station Sand Key Towing of Vessels in Distress
Marine &Aviation Operations Manager Michael MacDonald said the
Coast Guard towed boats in distress, dropped many of them at the
Downtown Harbor Marina, and left. Staff often spent days, weeks, and even
months tracking down owners. Boats with problems became the marina's
problems and worthless boats had to be towed away. Staff recently
scheduled a meeting with the Coast Guard.
City marinas agreed to accept only seaworthy vessels from the Coast
Guard and to provide 24-hour refuge for these boats, charging slip rent
after that. The Coast Guard agreed to provide the marina with owner names
and contact information for each boat.
Mr. Chesney said the Coast Guard's practice of towing boats in distress to
the closest safe place was done for years without an Interlocal Agreement,
one was being drafted. For marine salvage, the City used Triton Marine,
which filed all necessary paperwork, informed the Police Department, and
contacted the owner.
5. Director's Report
Mr. Chesney reviewed City and County efforts to remove tons of dead
fish killed by red tide from area beaches, marinas, waterways, and the
gulf. Pinellas County Economic Development offered State bridge loans
to impacted businesses. The red tide bloom, off Florida's west coast
since November 2017, arrived in Clearwater in September. It was not known
when the deadly algae bloom would dissipate.
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City of Clearwater
Marine Advisory Board
6. Board Members to be Heard
7. Adjourn
Meeting Minutes September 12, 2018
Acting Chair Grohman said fewer abandoned boats were in City waters. Mr.
Chesney said FWC (Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission)
efforts had helped, especially vessel checks for operable sanitary systems
which pressured many boats to leave. Removal of a beach marina floating
fuel dock had helped too; transient boaters once tied dinghies and other
small vessels to the dock all day. Mr. MacDonald said 6 of 10 abandoned
boats were gone.
In response to a question, Mr. MacDonald said a federal project was
operating a small dredge in the Intracoastal Channel to remove a long
abandoned 12 -inch pipe. The pipe had not been mapped and was
uncovered during a recent dredging operation.
The meeting adjourned at 8:35 a.m.
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City of Clearwater
Chair - Marine Advisory Bd