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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-07-08 Business and Economic Development Committee Minutes • BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE TUESDAY, 7uly 8, 2003 Meeting Minutes Councilors Attending: John Rohman, Gerry Palmer, Frank Farrington, Dan Tremble Staff Attending: Jonathan Daniels, Tony Caruso, Sally Bates, Jim Ring, Mike Dyer, Sally Bilancia Others Attending: Tom Lambert, Richard Thomas, Larry Napoleone, Bill Kerns The meeting convened at 5:00 p.m. 1. Discussion on waterfront parking for 6oaters. Sally Bates discussed that in the past the Harbormaster has unofficially issued permits to boaters renting space at the waterfront and reserved spaces in the • temporary gravel parking lot closest to the water for boaters. She noted that there are currently 19 seasonal boaters renting space at Dock 4 and that these boaters have come to expect some special arrangements for their vehicles. Bates said that there should be two spaces identified as"reserved for 20 minutes for use by boaters loading/unloading." She noted that nowhere else in the Downtown Parking Management District are permit spaces reserved for a category of user. Tremble noted that there should be some steps down to the docks, so that boaters do not have to walk down a sandy hill when unloading. He said that it is reasonable to have spaces closest to the waterfront for the boaters, and that most boaters were paying $1,000 per season to dock. He said that the only time that parking might be an issue would be during the Thursday night concerts, the 4th of July and The National Folk Festival. Ring said that the sand hill is a temporary walkway due to the grade change of . the new parking lot and should be corrected next year. He said that there is parking on Railroad Street and along Front Street. He said that the City used to have 20 spaces that were for marina parking, however they were not formally adopted under an ordinance. With future development along the waterfront the . parking needs will change. Larry Napoleone of Glenburn said that it is frustrating to come to the waterfront � to-go on his boat and have to park far away and lug things to the dock. He said that he was unaware that the parking was unenforceable and that he had always received a permit and was not told that he wasn't goin.g to get one this year. He said that the Council should give some consideration to this and that the boaters should have some place to park their cars. He said that unlike people who come in just for the waterfront events, the boaters are there all the time and should have some place to park. He said that the parking doesn't need to be in the front row as long as there is a designated area to load and unload. Farrington wanted to know how much time is reasonable for unloading to which Napoleone replied 30 minutes. Farrington asked how long the parking should be for and at what distance should the spaces be from the docks. Napoleone said that there are people of various ages that may not want or be able to walk more than a �/a mile. He said that the boaters should be given preference over others. Farrington wanted to know the rate that Napoleone paid to dock, to which Napoleone replied that he pays $1,200 for the season. Dr. Richard Thomas of Bangor said that he commends the City for their work on the waterfront. He commented that the sooner temporary steps could be placed on the sand hill the better. He said that his mother-in-law had tough time negotiating the sand hill. He said that it is treacherous footing especially when he tries to carry two five-gallon gas cans down over the hill. He said that there � should also be some handicapped spots close to the dock. Rohman said that the sand hill issue should be resolved fairly soon. Ring said that stafF has already discussed this issue. Tom Lambert noted that his wife Alice fell on the hill and her leg went under the gate. He did say that the City has done a great job on the waterfront. He said that there is not a marina around that does not offer parking for its boaters, and commented that if you don't have parking, then what good is the dock space. He said that a lot of boaters go out for the weekend and would need parking for the weekend. Bill Kerns said that if commercial spaces go up on the waterfront there are requirements for parking spaces. He said that the City receives $20,000 per year from the boaters and that there should be parking in the lot for boaters. Tremble recommended to follow Bates' recommendation for two spots for loading/unloading with a 30-minute time limit and to have a few spots in the lot for 6-hour parking and lots on Railroad Street for overnight parking. Palmer suggested that the City might provide a golf cart for use in transporting from vehicle to boat. He said that the City should make things more user friendly for • „�i' ..i",..�I�.''.L _ . � � , . , , .'=i' - ,. . , • boaters. He said that he is supportive of the 30-minute parking. Rohman agreed with having 30 minute parking, spaces in the Front Street lot for shorter- term parking and on Railroad Street for overnight parking. Farrington agreed but added that perhaps boaters could have a sticker for their vehicle for parking protection. Daniels asked if the boaters could continue to use the existing lot with the unenforceable signs and then pass the ordinance to strengthen the use of the existing spaces. Bates said that if we identify a block of spaces they would be for boaters with permits. She suggested that the block of spaces be nearest to Front Street for better enforcement. She asked if the boaters have had problems finding spaces to park other than on Thursday nights. The boaters replied that other than during events and the 4”' of July, they have not had problems with parking. Daniels suggested that the Committee recommend to reserve two 30-minute spaces for loading/unloading, reserve spaces along Front Street for day parking and reserve spaces in the Railroad Street lot for overnight parking or other available spots. Rohman said that we install the loading/unloading spaces and return later for a discussion on how many other spaces will be needed. Ring said that in terms of reserving longer-term spaces we need to evaluate the number of • spaces. Bates said that we could unofficially install the 30-minute spaces and then bring it to the Council. Daniels said that we should get an unofficial location for 10 spaces right now as the boating season is well underway. A suggestion was made by a member of the public to place a restriction on campers setting up in the parking spaces. 2. Bass Park Report— Update on Bangor State Fair. Sally Bilancia presented a report on the fair noting that the major attractions this year are the Great Cats of the World, Mad Mission to Mars, and bands in the newly created amphitheater near the agricultural area. She said that the official program will come out on July 17th and will be part of the Bangor Daily News. She said that they have purchased radio and television advertising focusing the spots closer to the event and during the event. Bilancia said to save money; she has been doing some print ads herself. She noted that she has been updating the website. She presented a map of the commercial exhibitors and noted that the Great Cats of the World exhibit has been placed nearby to hopefully draw more attention. She noted that Mr. Donald Dorr had recently passed away and that Mike Dyer had taken over the agricultural parts of the fair until they could hire a replacement. � Mike Dyer said that advertising this year is focusing on the fact that the fair is . affordable. He said that they have added a wristband day and a $i day. 3. Cruise Boat Request to use City Docks. (see attached materials) Ring said that we have recently worked out the details of an agreement. Hilmar Noble, the operations manager for Mid-Coast Cruises, a resident of Bangor, said that he has been working with the town of Bucksport and their town council and area schools on potential cruises. He said that they have a ribbon cutting on the 12�' with the town of Bucksport and would like to work with the City of Bangor. Noble said that the whole top deck has been completely refurbished, as well the engineering and navigational equipment. He described other work that has been done to the boat. He wants to get away from the stigma of being a "floating bar." He noted that the July 4�' cruise was very successful. Ring said that this committee has the ability to approve the proposed agreement. He said that the American Eagle will be docked during the National Folk Festival, and the City has committed dock space to the Coast Guard, therefore the Roxy Leigh would not have space to dock during the festival. Ring said this agreement if for the remainder of this year through October 26"'. The rent is $500 for this year. Ring discussed the various aspects of the agreement. • The proposed schedule is for two cruises every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. Palmer moved for Staff recommendation. Noble said that they were going to offer shuttle service.from the parking garage and validate parking. Farrington seconded the motion. . The Committee approved the agreement. Daniels noted that this stresses the need to continue the work that is going on at the waterfront and the great job that Jim Ring and Rod McKay are doing on the waterfront that is making this possible. He said that American Cruise Lines is considering expanding their cruise schedule for next year. 4. Discussion on issue of pre-clearance for Halifax International Airport. Daniels distributed a letter that he recently received from the Premier of Nova Scotia. Halifax International Airport and the Premier have asked us to reconsider our position on pre-clearance. He said that the City of Bangor is one of the last holdouts on allowing pre-clearance with Halifax International Airport. Since our � . last meeting there has been an agreement between the State Department and Ottawa working on the issues of where and what would be allowed. The issues are basic pre-clearance and intransit pre-clearance. Intransit pre-clearance would allow a plane coming from Europe, landing in Halifax and those passengers being allowed to clear once they have entered Halifax and then come into the United States. Intransit pre-clearance would not be allowed at Halifax. Vancouver is the only one that has intransit pre-clearance. The Bangor issue is with sympathetic consideration versus intransit pre-clearance. Daniels said that anything drafted between Bangor and Halifax would be brought to Washington, D.C. to make sure that we are covered 100%. He said that this would be a long process and Halifax is aware of how long the process could take. Rohman clarified that there was no action to be taken tonight, however this would come before the Council for reconsideration and discussion. Farrington wanted to clarify what potential losses there could be. Daniels said that potential losses could be losing technical stops in Bangor. Daniels said that he would be putting together a package that identifies the potential losses to the City/Airport. Palmer wanted to know how this might impact travel to Cuba. Daniels said that • with pre-clearance, European passengers coming to Halifax could get clearance go on to Cuba. Daniels said it should be the end of August before this is brought before the Council. 5. Agreement with the Transportation Security Administration Caruso said that the TSA has agreed to provide partial reimbursement to the Airport for law enforcement services for the period between June 1 and September 30, 2003. The partial reimbursement is for 8 hours per day at a rate set by the TSA. The TSA has an option to extend the contract up to the year 2007. The cost for the first year is just over $25,000, and the Airport recommends that the City accept the agreement. The Committee voted to approve the agreement between BGR and TSA. Farrington expressed his discomfort with partial reimbursement versus full reimbursement. Palmer said he felt the same way, although at least we will receive partial reimbursement. � The meeting adjourned at 6:20 p.m.