Board Meeting Minutes August 15, 2012
Bayport Marina Association
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
Marina Clubhouse
August 15, 2012
Board present:
Brad Baune
Sandor Csallany
Jim Mondry
Val Fuller
Marcus Gernes
Jim Mondry
Steve Paquette
Chris Ridgway
Absent:
Morgan Fudge
Michelle Lemanski
Motion by Morgan to call meeting to order, seconded by Val. Unanimous. Meeting called to order at 6:30 pm by Commodore Marcus Gernes.
1. Meeting Minutes – July 25, 2012
Motion by Brad to approve Minutes as written. Seconded by Steve. Unanimous approval.
2. Financials
July 2012 Financials were reviewed and no concerns were addressed. It was requested Kathy send the Variable Compensation Grid to new Board members Brad and Sandor. Question was asked if the sail-away (transient dock) had been marketed. Cliff stated it had not. Further discussion questioned marketing until the issue of power on posts had been resolved.
3. GM Report
· Gas Dock sales are down. Checked with other marinas in the area and all are experiencing the same.
· Currently, the service department is very quiet and there is no backlog. No winter work has been scheduled. Marcus recommended sending a postcard mailer out to non-members to recruit more winter work. He will work with Mike and Kathy to put this together.
· Great turnout for the Antique Boat Show. Difficult to estimate the number of people that attended due to the event being spread out. Spoke with Sam (Security) and he estimates 300-400. However, Chris believed from his observation the number to be closer to 1,000. Cliff stated the committee is currently working on next year’s show which has been scheduled for August 9-11, 2013.
4. Group 41 Update
Attorney Ekman, BMA counsel, has reported there has been more communication with Group 41’s attorney regarding the settlement. He expects this to continue as we get closer to the Scheduling Conference which is set for October 5. Attorney Kranz investigated the real estate tax arrears of Group 41 and found they are current with taxes. A spreadsheet was distributed showing the arrears Group 41 owes Bayport Marina and Waterford for their 1/3 of the railroad, lift station and road maintenance since 2007. Marcus stated a decision on a settlement will not be made without Board involvement and approval.
5. Past Commodore Reception
The Agenda for the 2012 Past Commodore Reception was distributed. Marcus stated his goal of the meeting was to have an open forum discussing the Dock Project. It is his opinion if the past commodores buy in and support the project, they can provide the history and knowledge for promoting and furthering the project. Recommendation was made to bring up the assessment issue to the past commodores for their input. Marcus stated the Board should be prepared to answer why a dock building assessment is necessary when there is $700k sitting in the bank. Should also ask what their thoughts are regarding what is a realistic number to have in a “rainy day” fund. Marcus requested all Board Members review the Agenda and email entire Board with suggestions and additions. A revised Agenda will be sent out on Tuesday.
6. Presentation by Bill Brose
Upon the request of the Board, Cliff extended an invitation to Bill Brose, Vice President/Civil Engineer of SmithGroupJJR. Bill’s company is an architectural firm based in Madison Wisconsin. JJR has 12 offices with 900 employees. Bill presented his background as a coastal and waterfront engineer. He has been a speaker at the Docks in Marinas Conference held in Madison for the past 10-12 years. He has been with JJR for 17 years. JJR has been in business for 50 years and although their focus is marinas and waterfronts in the upper Midwest, they have done projects all over the world. The roots of the company are in cold weather climate marinas. Bill informed there are no standards for designing a marina, only guidelines. He further stated his company was asked by the American Society of Civil Engineers to update the Planning and Design Guidelines for Small Craft Harbors.
Bill stated the steps for efficiently and effectively revamping a marina. First he stated a Condition Assessment needs to be conducted. This comprehensive assessment would research what we currently have and how bad is it i.e. pumpout, electrical, dock, floats, cover, etc. The assessment would provide a report of what’s wrong and what needs to be replaced. Bill informed during his walk-about with Cliff prior to the meeting, he noted some safety issues. One of significance is that none of the ramps are ADA compliant. He stated the ADA laws are not just for wheelchair accessibility but include the ability for people who may have had knee surgery or people who just have difficulty walking. Bill also noted there are a lot of tripping hazards on the docks. Bill stated the assessment would inspect and report the things that might get the Marina in trouble.
The comprehensive inspection would go through the entire marina and assess what needs to be replaced and when. Bill stated his report following the inspection would list:
· Options available
· Costs
· Phasing
· Reuse
· Cosmetic vs. structural
· What can get by with
He further stated the report would be a “road map” of priorities.
The next step once the plan of what to do is in place, would be for JJR to draw up engineering plans that could be sent out to qualified bidders. Bill stated the services provided by JJR would include the construction oversight and assistance with all the regulatory permits required for the projects.
The question was asked if Bill could do a below surface assessment. Bill stated he doesn’t like to do the underwater himself but does have a qualified diver he uses for assessment.
The question was asked when the revised issue of the handbook would be available. Bill stated he thought it would be out in the next 2 months. Brad recommended that a copy be obtained for the Board Members to review so they could talk Bill’s language. Bill concurred with this recommendation.
Bill commented from his walk-about things are in pretty good shape due to the regular maintenance that has been conducted over the years. For example, replacing floats when they crack and deck boards when needed. One of Bill’s observation was there seems to be a hodge-podge of power pedestals and the lighting is not adequate. He stated there are a number of energy efficient lighting products on the market using LED.
The question was asked what is the process to obtain an assessment. Bill stated that once he receives approval for a project, he writes a proposal and outlines everything JJR will do along with the associated costs to perform. He estimates the timeline from the assessment to the report to be 4-6 weeks and would include photos of their findings. Marcus asked if there was a typical timeline for a project such as ours, what would it be. Bill stated it was difficult to ballpark without knowing everything that would be needed. However, based on the good job of maintenance, it was his opinion the improvements could be done over a 5-year period. Brad asked Bill what he estimated the total cost of the assessment to be with the underwater inspection. Bill stated a typical assessment of a marina the size of BMA without the underwater and electrical would run approximately $13k – with all areas it could run $20k-$25k.
The question was asked what one item stood out as a priority – Bill stated the 3” piles were too weak. He further stated they do not recommend anything 3”- 4”.
Bill was asked if the DNR had a preference for decking – they do not. Cliff will talk with other marinas that have installed different types of decking to see what their preference is.
Discussion regarding the underwater assessment concluded this portion should be done after all the boats are out of the water in October and the electrical is turned off. Bill stated this is a better time of year to underwater assessments as the water is clearer in late fall and the diver can see more.
At this time, the Board thanked Bill for his presentation and Bill left the meeting.
Upon Bill’s departure, Marcus asked each of the Board Members what their opinion of Bill and his company were:
Steve – liked the fact he mentioned salvaging existing materials
Jim – knows what’s happening with docks i.e. movement
Marcus – appreciated his observation of quality maintenance and what we’ve done instead of putting lipstick on a pig
Sandor – would have liked Bill to have presented using a PowerPoint Presentation
Brad – knowledge base is outstanding. Brad suggested the Board have a web-x presentation before it is presented to members
Val – has seen JJR’s design of a marina first-hand while at the 31st Street Marina Boat Show in Chicago back in June.
Chris – Bill and JJR offer the complete package.
Steve made a motion to hire Bill of SmithGroupJJR to do a comprehensive assessment of the Marina. Seconded by Chris. Unanimous. Cliff will contact Bill on Thursday to inform of the Board’s decision.
Motion for meeting adjournment by Chris, seconded by Brad. Unanimous approval. Meeting adjourned at 8:07 p.m.
© 2011 Bayport Marina. All Rights Reserved.
