December 1, 2020

CFSB Board Meeting Minutes - October 26, 2020

Attendance:

Chris Voss, Bernard Friedman, John Colgate, Michael Harrington, Gary Burke, Harry Liquornik, Garrett Rose, Kim Selkoe, Mike Nelson

Notes:

BR Hoover

Agenda:

  1. West Beach mooring area - what's going on and what do we want the outcome to be?

  2. Slip Transfer fees - update from October Harbor Commission meeting, next steps

  3. Updates on our infrastructure project

  4. Discussion on grants, board approval and spending priorities

  5. Offshore wind - Discussion about strategy of engagement with Steve Scheiblauer.

  6. Other updates on fisheries news

Chris Voss opened the meeting October 26, 2020 at 3:00pm via Zoom.

Approval Of General Meeting Minutes

A motion made by Friedman to approve the minutes for the September 28, 2020 meeting was seconded by Voss and unanimously approved (5-0).

Mike Wiltshire - Waterfront Director/Harbormaster

Wiltshire has been appointed the new harbor director, and joined the meeting as an opportunity to engage with CFSB and introduce himself. Chris and Kim have his direct line, so if CFSB has any questions or needs him, please reach out. Wiltshire expressed he is looking forward to getting more involved with CFSB.

Emanuele Azzaretto - Ocean Fathoms

Ocean Fathoms Wine will be sinking cages of wine on the ocean floor off of Fernald point. The permit area is a 150x150 ft space, and the wine will remain there for about one year. There will be no buoy or lines to the surface, and the wine will be submerged at a depth of 70ft on the sandy bottom. 

Azzaretto is one of the owners and wanted to inform CFSB of this and welcomes any questions, concerns, or comments regarding the placement of the wine. His full presentation will be available for those who are interested. 

Ocean Fathoms is a local organization and the wine is sold directly to consumers.

1. West Beach Mooring Area

Liquornik has been working with Erik Engebretson, the acting Harbor Operations Manager regarding this issue. Recently, the state permit for this area has expired and Liquornik has been asked to move out of the mooring field and move down east. Attendees discussed reaching out to other CFSB members who are impacted. Voss suggested that mooring of live products should not have to have the same criteria for permits as vessels, since it does not have the same impact and risk of vessels. 

2. Slip Transfer Fees - Update From October Harbor Commission Meeting, Next Steps

Background; harbor commission meeting, rec & com fishers voiced concern of the increasing vessel slip fees. Would like to know what CFSB feels about the transfer fees so Voss can advocate appropriately in regards to the following topics;

  1. Transfer fee

  2. How city is calculating property tax based on slip fees 

Attendees expressed challenges associated with the high cost of the slip transfer fee and the associated property tax. Burke voiced concern with the cost, stating he would like to transfer his slip to his grandson but he might not be able to because the transfer fee is so high. The following ideas were brought up;

  • Lower fee for lower value ships

  • Waived or reduced transfer fee for family members 

  • The fee is 5% of the sale cost (Currently done in Catalina Island)

Wiltshire clarified that the transfer fee is purely a tax on the use of public resources and not an admin fee and has been a part of the waterfront budget for a long time. The fairest way would be to a purely waitlist system. Everytime a slip is done with, it would go back to the city. The other end of the spectrum would be a 100% free market system. 

Voss has volunteered to represent CFSB’s interests for slip transfer fees and will report back as needed. 

3. Infrastructure Project Update

Thought we would meet with city councils more, but they asked for more time to investigate on their own. Hope to hear from them soon. 

4. Discussion On Grants, Board Approval And Spending Priorities

12,000 into the bank for Catch Together. $6,000 will go to cover Kim’s time and the other $6,000 is for a consultant, probably  Sheri Franklin if our first contract with her is a success and we want to extend it.

SB Foundation - A grant for $5,000 was submitted by Sheri Franklin for work on the infrastructure project. (Update: SB Foundation has awarded CFSB the funds). 

USDA Grant - We did not receive the grant for $100,000. The grant was intended for the infrastructure project.  We heard recently from the program officer that it was a strong proposal and they encourage us to resubmit it next year. They did not have enough money to fund all the good proposals.

Safety Grant - CFSB will award funds to SB Fishermen who are part of CFSB only. 

A Motion was made by Voss to increase the funds awarded for life raft repacking to $750, seconded by Liquornik and unanimously approved (5-0). Burke and Rose abstained.

5. Offshore Wind - Discussion About Strategy Of Engagement With Steve Scheiblauer.

Scheiblauer is a retired Monterey Harbormaster, currently working as a consultant to coastal communities with Marine Alliances Consulting. He gave the following suggestions in regards to the offshore wind topic;

  1. Get more involved with RODA (Responsible Offshore Development Alliance)

  2. Make needs known to Carbajal

  3. Active participation in webinars and public zoom meetings. 

  4. Unified Voice to represent CFSB Interests

  5. Appoint a person to stay informed

6. Other Updates 

Harrington to step down from treasurer and board member. After discussion, unanimous vote for Garret Rose to replace Harrington as treasurer. 

The empty board seat does not have to be filled right away. The board will discuss how to fill this seat in the November meeting. 

Possible office space at the Harbor. Kim will prepare a financial analysis to help the board decide whether the investment is a good move. Gary suggested applying for a 2021 Cable Grant to create a office rent fund for the 3-5 year term.

6PM motion to adjourn