TOWN OF CHATHAM
Waterways Advisory Committee
Thursday, March 12, 2009 – 4 pm
Permit Office, George Ryder Road
Present: Ed Conway, Bob Hamblet, Stephen King, Don St. Pierre, Peter Taylor
Others: Ted Keon, Director of Coastal Resources; Stuart Smith, Harbormaster
Vice Chair Stephen King conducted the meeting because Ed Conway has been away and missed the most recent meetings.
The meeting was called to order at 4:00 pm
Item 1: Minutes of the February 19, 2009 meeting
Regarding the marking of dinghies, Peter Taylor noted that there was no mention in the minutes of the fact that the idea of requiring dinghy stickers from the Harbormaster’s office was not favorably received by all committee members. It was agreed to add the following to clarify: Page 2, Paragraph 1: “Harbormaster Smith suggested tying the dinghy information, with the possibility of a sticker system, to a person’s mooring permit. The idea of using stickers was not favorably received, although there was general consensus that contact information should be required on all dinghies stored along the shore.”
The minutes were approved as amended.
Item 2: Updates – Ted Keon
Ted Keon noted that the March storm did not impact significantly on the new break into Pleasant Bay, although some of the North Beach camps remain in imminent danger.
Ed Conway mentioned recent movement in the Stage Harbor inlet, noting that there seemed to be movement of the eastern edges toward the west, narrowing the channel. Despite subtle changes, the channel has remained relatively stable in the past two years.
Item 3: Update re. Inspector General’s Report
Bob Hamblet reported that he has been working with Ramona at Town Hall to finalize the new “fair and equitable” mooring assignment policy. A copy of the policy will be printed on Town Letterhead with indication that it has been adopted by the Harbormaster and approved by the Board of Selectmen. There was some discussion regarding signatures of the marina owners, but it was decided that this would not be appropriate as it is a town policy to be used by the marina owners. A separate cover letter will be sent to the marina owners to be signed indicating receipt and acceptance of the policy. Bob Hamblet will communicate this information to Ramona at Town Hall.
There was also discussion about commercial vs. recreational moorings and whether the number of these two categories of moorings has been recorded by the Harbormaster so that the ratio can be maintained in the future. Stuart Smith indicated that he has the necessary data to determine these numbers at a given point in time.
Item 4: Fish Pier Parking
Stuart Smith indicated that the town is continuing to talk with representatives of Chatham Bars Inn regarding the parking situation at the Town Pier. It is hoped that some mutually agreeable solution can be reached as the inability to use the parking area near the fish packing facility will severely impact the use of the facility by the fishermen and will limit the ability of large trucks to pick up in this area.
Item 5: Proposed Pier/Float configurations at Old Mill Boatyard
Ted Keon provided a brief review of options presented in the engineering report regarding float/pier designs. He indicated that while this project does not have funding, that should not constrain the input of the WAC to establish their vision as to what should be developed for the future enhancement of the facility. This project would be a very good candidate for a future Seaport Bond grant application.
The replacement of the finger pier on the east side has been approved by the Conservation Commission and is seeking other state permits.
Configurations for the area west of the existing boat ramp were discussed:
- Option 1 – Replace the existing facility without expansion
- Option 2 – Add small float and cut back slightly on the hard pier
- Option 3 – Add a larger “L” float with less hard pier
- Option 4 – Create a small hard pier plus a “T” finger pier
- Option 5 – Add a rectangular float
- Option 6 – Add a rectangular float with a small pier structure (overhang)
There was discussion of options and benefits/problems associated with each.
- Dredging would be needed to enable boats to access the hard pier between the proposed finger pier and the neighboring pier.
- It is important to balance the needs of the commercial fleet and recreational boaters
- None of these alternatives represents a full fish unloading facility
- Access to the unloading area by vehicles needs to be considered
- Abutters need to be involved in the planning process
- Any dredging would require special consideration of the adjacent pier
- It might be possible to eliminate the space between the adjacent pier and the proposed finger pier west of the boat ramp by building a larger hard pier.
- Parking would be a problem if commercial facilities were increased.
There was general agreement that options 5 and 6 offered the best solutions at this time.
Item 6: Other Business
Coast Guard Boathouse: Stuart Smith reported that the Coast Guard boathouse would be floated to Quincy for storage in the next few days. The crane and barge are in place to move the boathouse.
Weather Buoy: Stuart Smith distributed a notice regarding the replacement of Buoy 17 with a weather buoy by NOAA.
Kayak Identification Stickers: Stuart Smith reported that the Coast Guard Auxiliary would be providing fee stickers to identify kayaks. These could be used for dinghy identification.
Stage Harbor No-Anchorage Zone: Stuart Smith showed the committee the proposed map of “no anchorage” in Stage Harbor. The proposal will slightly decrease the current size of the “no anchorage” area and allow for additional moorings to the east/south of the channel. There was brief discussion and general agreement that any new moorings along the channel should be held by the town and used as temporary moorings primarily for commercial fishing vessels with a preference given to Chatham residents/taxpayers seeking to work from the south side of town.
Battlefield Landing: Ted Keon reported that the Battlefield Landing erosion project would begin on Monday with the addition of sand and new dinghy tie-up fences.
No-Discharge Zone in Pleasant Bay: Ted Keon reported that a “no-discharge zone” has been proposed for Pleasant Bay by the Pleasant Bay Alliance. Carole Ridley has offered to speak to any interested groups to describe the program. It was agreed that she should be invited to the next meeting to answer any questions regarding pump out facilities, maintenance responsibilities, etc.
Ryder’s Cove Boatyard “L” Float: Ted Keon reported that the permits have been obtained and the project should begin soon. He provided engineer information about the float configuration. There was brief discussion about the need for two floats and the angle of the “L”. The floats will be used seasonally and removed off season. At the next meeting, the WAC will make a recommendation as to when the added seasonal floats should be installed and removed.
Item 7: Adjournment: There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:21 p.m.
Notes by Marie Williams
NEXT MEETING: Thursday, April 9
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