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PORT OF COUPEVILLE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS December 9, 2009 Commissioners Present: Marshall Bronson and Ann McDonald Others Present: Jim Patton (Executive Director), Molly MacLeod-Roberts (Edwards & Associates), Michael Stansbury (President, Greenbank Farm Management Group), Virginia Bloom (Executive Director, Greenbank Farm), and Sharon Dunn (Greenbank Resident). Call to Order: The regular meeting was called to order at 10:40 a.m. by Commissioner Bronson in the Coupeville Recreation Hall, located at 901 Alexander Street in Coupeville, WA, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS: Puget Sound Energy (PSE) Green Power Award: (Kelly Keilwitz) Bronson noted that Keilwitz had not yet arrived, so his presentation would be delayed. MEETING OPEN TO PUBLIC INPUT: Bronson opened the meeting to public input. No one wished to speak and Bronson closed the meeting to public input and returned to the public meeting. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Port Executive Director's Report: (Patton) Boating and fueling activities: Patton reported only 579 gallons sold in November 2009. With the 40-cent per gallon mark-up, the Port's net was only $231 for the month. The fuel sales breakeven point is $7,500 annually, but the Port has only accrued $6,515 through November 2009. He said he would look into it further and might make the suggestion at the regular January meeting to increase the mark-up. Status of state contract for pumpout station reimbursement: In addition to the permits from the Town of Coupeville and the Department of Ecology, Patton said the State Department of Parks and Recreation wanted the Port to obtain a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps). The Corps' list of items identified as needing permits doesn't include pumpout stations, however Patton has contacted the Corps representative and she indicated that it would be appropriate to get a permit from them. She said that she would get to it after Christmas. Wharf, Causeway & Entrance Park Upkeep: Status of replacement of Wharf siding: Patton said they are still waiting on the availability of professional sider and volunteer Gary Wray. Status of piling repairs: The repairs are pending the shift in tides after the 1st of the year, since 6 hours of dry beach during daylight hours are needed to complete the work. Status of bracket installation on concrete fuel float (second float): The installation of the two new brackets will take about 10 days and the work must be done during low tide during daylight hours, with the second float pulled up on the beach. Since fueling activities will have to be suspended during the installation, Patton will work with Penn Cove Shellfish owner, Ian Jeffords, on scheduling the work. Status of hanging "Samson" from the breezeway ceiling: Port Handyman Dick Tackett will do the work as soon as he is available. Status of Beach Watchers' Clean Boating project: The group met with Patton and agreed they will meet with him again after the 1st of the year. They hope to have a more concrete proposal to present to the Port at the January regular meeting. Status of formal agreement with Washington State University (WSU) Extension Beach Watchers: Patton reported that WSU had returned the marked up draft agreement. He will review it carefully and present it to the Board at the January meeting. Comprehensive Plan 2007-2026, three-year review - progress and schedule for review: Patton noted that he and Bronson attended the review committee's meeting last night. The 6 volunteers on the committee have met four times so far, and they have a good plan of action. Their 1st meeting was an organizational meeting, and the following meetings focused on: 1) Coupeville projects and initiatives, 2) Greenbank Farm projects and initiatives, and 3) New projects and initiatives such as the airport and others. At their next meeting on January 5, they intend to review all their ideas and reach conclusions and recommendations about the Comp Plan, which they will then present to the Board at the regular January meeting. There will not be discussion at that time - it will only be a presentation. Patton suggested that the Board then instruct him to prepare a PowerPoint presentation and schedule one or more special meetings in order to receive public comment on the matter. The Board will then review the report in light of public reaction and take action to adopt/reject changes to the Comprehensive Plan at the regular Port meeting on March 10, 2010. Status of nomination of Greenbank Farm barns for inclusion in the Heritage Barns Program: As noted in Patton's earlier email to the Board, Virginia Bloom's application for inclusion was successful! The barns are now listed in the Program and therefore eligible for grants for work such as repainting, roof repair. Greenbank Farm Master Site Plan - status of printing document and distribution: Patton presented the "thank you" letter to the volunteer members of the Master Site Plan focus groups for Board signature. MacLeod-Roberts read it aloud (on file at the Port office). Bronson and McDonald added their signatures to Weber's (who signed it the day before). Patton explained that each focus group member would receive a letter with a copy of the final Master Site Plan. AGENDA RE-ORDERED: Bronson noted that he had inadvertently skipped the approval of Minutes earlier in the meeting, so the agenda was re-ordered accordingly. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING: Bronson stated that the Minutes for the regular meeting of November 11, 2009 were available for approval and signatures. ACTION: A motion was made by Bronson and seconded by McDonald to approve the November meeting Minutes as submitted. The motion passed unanimously. Greenbank Farm Management Report: GFMG President, Michael Stansbury, and Executive Director, Virginia Bloom, were on hand to answer any questions the Board had regarding the November Report previously emailed to the Board, which is included in these Minutes as follows: Holiday markets started on the last weekend in November and are continuing through the Christmas season. The GFMG has raised almost $23,500 and continues to work toward its $30,000 goal. Michael and Virginia have been working with Patton to prepare a working draft of the Grant Deed for the Conservation Easement on Greenbank Farm (first half of "Plan B"). A first draft was reviewed on Monday. A revised draft will be reviewed again at a meeting with Pat Powell next Monday. The objective is to have a final draft for Board review by January 13, 2010. Patton and Stansbury will soon begin drafting the application for Conservation Futures Funds (second half of "Plan B"). The application will be presented to the Board at the regular meeting on February 10, 2010 in time for submission to the county before the March 1, 2010 deadline. Planning and budgeting activities continue. Improvement work at the Jim Davis House has started and should be completed in several weeks. The Board thanked Bloom and Stansbury for the report. Patton complimented Stansbury on all the work he had done on the Grant Deed for the Conversation Easement, synthesizing the documents of previous conservation easements provided by Pat Powell. He noted that at the beginning, Powell had estimated it would cost about $20,000 to put together the document, and Stansbury had done it all for free. COMMITTEE REPORTS: Greenbank Farm Liaison, Puget Sound Partnership (PSP), Economic Development Council (EDC), Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO): (Bronson)
Penn Cove Water Festival Committee (PCWF), Marine Resources Committee (MRC); Northwest Straits Commission (NWSC) and Central Whidbey Chamber of Commerce (CWCC), Council of Governments (COG):(Weber)
Washington Public Ports Association (WPPA) Legislative Committee: (McDonald) McDonald said there was no news. NEW BUSINESS: Agreement with Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC) and GFMG re: Port support to Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): Patton reported that he, Bloom, Stansbury and Maryon Atwood of NABC would meet on Friday at 10 a.m. to draft an agreement that will satisfy all 3 entities: the Port (owners of the property), NABC (as sponsor of CSA) and GFMG (on-site managers). Letter from National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP): Patton referred the Board to the "Dear Friend" letter received yesterday (on file at the Port office) in response to the Port's registering the Coupeville Wharf in their system. Patton suggested the Board consider contributing to NTHP. Bronson said belonging to the NTHP is most appropriate. ACTION: A motion was made by Bronson and seconded by McDonald to authorize the expenditure of $50 for membership in the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The motion passed unanimously. Patton will provide an invoice to MacLeod-Roberts before the next Port meeting. ANNOUNCEMENTS & ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS: Next Port regular public meeting: The next regular monthly meeting of the Port's Board of Commissioners will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 13, 2009, in the Coupeville Recreation Hall, located at 901 Alexander Street in Coupeville, WA. Monthly Financial Status Report: MacLeod-Roberts submitted the final October financial statements. ACTION: A motion was made by Bronson and seconded by McDonald to accept the final October financial statement as submitted. The motion passed unanimously. Resolution No. 155 - Cancellation of Lost Warrant:Patton explained that last month's payment to the Washington State Department of Revenue was evidently lost in the mail. In order to avoid late penalties, the Port must cancel the warrant by Resolution and submit a copy of the Resolution along with a new warrant. ACTION: A motion was made by Bronson and seconded by McDonald to approve and adopt Resolution No. 155, canceling Warrant #321636. The motion passed unanimously. Annual Engagement Letter from Port Accountant Edwards & Associates: Patton presented the Board with two copies of the Engagement Letter for their signature (on file at the Port office). He noted that the conditions and rates for accounting and clerical services remained unchanged. ACTION: A motion was made by Bronson and seconded by McDonald to approve by signature the Engagement Letter from Edwards and Associates for services to be provided in 2010. The motion passed unanimously. Bronson signed the Letter as Vice President on behalf of the Board. SPECIAL PRESENTATION: Puget Sound Energy (PSE) Green Power Award: Since Kelly Keilwitz of Whidbey Sun & Wind had not yet arrived, Patton said he was prepared to discuss the proposition Keilwitz had presented to him at the Port office last Friday. He referred the Board to his email summarizing Keilwitz's proposal, along with an attachment of the COG's draft criteria of 8 points for the PSE grant award of $25,000 (on file at the Port office). Keilwitz suggested the creation of a solar energy community cooperative (preferably a non-profit), with shareholders/investors being paid production credits by the State government at a rate provided by state law and commensurate with the electricity that the solar project creates. The Greenbank Farm, which gets only 18-19 inches of rain per year, would be an excellent location for an array sized to produce 10kW and would require less than 1,000 sq. ft. of space - thus fitting on the south-facing roof of either Barn A or Barn B -- and would cost about $100,000. The $25,000 grant from PSE, plus about an $8,000 investment by the Port, would amount to 1/3 of the $100,000. The remaining balance would come from investors in the co-op. Patton asked the Board to consider whether the Port should contribute some of its scarce funds to the project to provide evidence to the COG of Port contribution beyond just the roof site. He noted that if the Board decided to contribute, the 2010 budget would have to be amended accordingly. Bronson thought it was a very worthy project, and Greenbank Farm is the perfect location for a demonstration project. However, he doesn't think the array should be placed on the roof of an historic building (Barn A or Barn B). A ground location would be better. He noted that the Port would need to research the following question: What is the obligation of putting taxpayer funds into a non-profit organization? He thought the Port would have to "have some modicum of control over it." Bronson said he would be happy to work with Patton and Keilwitz on this important issue. The Board agreed they should pursue the project, and Bronson suggested they prepare two proposals - one for 10 kWh and one for 20kWh. McDonald said she shared the concern over the Port maintaining some control. Patton pointed to the model of the NABC and the CSA, where the Port has a lot of control, which will soon be formalized in an agreement. A similar agreement could be formalized between the Port and the operator of a solar energy system at the Farm. Patton asked if the Port should be both an investor and a sponsor, and Bronson's view of other port districts is that they don't make investments in projects where they are not the primary controlling agency. McDonald asked Stansbury to share his thoughts on the proposal, and he responded that it is an interesting prospect. Many of the volunteers from the Master Site Plan focus groups were interested in pursuing alternative energy sources, green power, etc. The GFMG would like to learn more. ACTION: A motion was made by Bronson and seconded by McDonald to authorize Executive Director Patton to work to establish the principles, outlines, presentation and feasibility for the installation of a solar array at Greenbank Farm. The motion passed unanimously. Patton informed the Board that Silicon Energy, (a Washington State solar panel manufacturer) had placed a small solar array system (1.2 kW) on the back of a flatbed truck and taken it around the state, including in front of the Capitol Building in Olympia (photos on file at the Port office). The flatbed and display are available for the next two weeks, and Silicon Energy could bring the truck to the Farm, complete with holiday lights powered by the array. Patton suggested it could help "socialize" the solar array system project to the Port's constituents. The Board agreed, and Patton said he would work with Bloom and Stansbury for a suitable location for the temporary display. Approval of Current Vouchers: MacLeod-Roberts submitted vouchers audited and certified by the auditing officer as required by RCW 42.24.080. She also submitted expense reimbursement claims certified as required by RCW 42.24.090. ACTION: A motion was made by Bronson and seconded by McDonald to approve by signature the November 2009 vouchers, numbers #1192 - #1216 for a total amount of $20,137.13. The motion passed unanimously. On behalf of the Board, Bronson wished everyone "Happy Holiday!" ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to come before the Board, Weber adjourned the meeting at 12:10 p.m. |