Port of Bandon

                                           Regular Commission Meeting

                                               February 25, 2010-5pm

                                           Bandon Library - Bandon, Oregon

 

Commissioners present: Donny Goddard, Reg Pullen, Steve Martizia, Rick Goche

Staff: Gina Dearth, Trudy Spanier

Guests: Ken and Wayne Butler of Prowler Charters, Dennis Graham, and John Craig of the Army Corps of Engineers

Media: Steve McCasland

 

President Goddard convened the meeting at 5:01pm.  Commissioner Pullen made a motion to approve the consent calendar, seconded by Commissioner Goche and passed unanimously.

 

Gina Dearth introduced John Craig representing the Army Corps. of Engineers.  He began with a little background, having been previously asked by Commissioner Goche

for the dredge orders from 2009 dredging.  Mr. Craig said that these dredge orders are prepared in Portland, and he (Mr. Craig) makes the decision of where to dredge and the

disposal area. 

 

Mr. Craig went on to say that on the Coquille river basically they try to dredge in two places (-13 and +5) on the outer channel and inside from +05 to + .45 and address the shoal.  This past year they were under their 5 year average (20,000 yd).  The dredge encountered weather for 2 days resulting in moving inside to work.  President Goddard

asked Mr. Craig when he has scheduled the 2010 dredging.  The answer was July 4th.

Mr. Craig said that the dredge would be on its way back north after the Chetco dredging and would be less hours of travel time.  Commissioner Goche asked Wayne Butler about the channel experience after the early dredging for last year.  Mr. Butler said that it had been an unusually calm May last year for halibut season and their boats had been able to stay in Bandon for the entire month rather than operating out of Charleston as they have had to in previous years.  He said that the corps. had done an excellent job of knocking down the shoal but that the channel of entry was very narrow on the south side resulting in a fairly precarious entrance for anyone unfamiliar with the channel who was navigating solely by the range markers.  The predominant set at the entrance is from the northwest driving down on the south side which does not leave any room for error by boaters crossing the Bandon bar.  Commissioner Goche asked if perhaps the range markers were off, and would this be a question for the U.S. Coast Guard.  The consensus in the room was that the markers were not off, but that having a narrow hole to come in and out on the outside, having to come in from the north side and crossing to the south side along the rocks is a real concern.  Commissioner Goche asked Mr. Craig if the dredge goes by the range markers, but the answer was no they go by the Federal channel and the cut lines denote the outer edges of the authorized channel.  They dredge a minimum of 15 ft. deep and a maximum of 17’ deep.  Mr. Craig said that the dredge had taken the “fan” out 20 years ago.  Commissioner Martizia asked what date the dredge came to Bandon last year.  The answer was the last week of May, but then discussion followed about the port commission having asked the dredge to come in June.  Mr. Butler’s concern was that although the dredging occurred in late May a very dangerous shoal had shown up on the north side in June.  Commissioner Goche asked the Butlers if they thought July dredging was good.  They answered yes, because the swells were not as big in July.  Traditionally the summer swell is smaller. 

 

Mr. Craig said that the Coquille River gets 4.7 days of dredging and it costs $58,000.00 per day including all transit time.  Every year the weather is a determining factor.  In the 2008 dredging that was scheduled for August, the weather put it back well into September and by that time most of Bandon’s season is done.

 

Commissioner Goche asked the Butlers about their season last year, and they said that they consistently were able to run the bar.  Commissioner Pullen said that last year Bandon experienced a huge influx of new people.  With the predominant set out of the north if these new people were reading their charts and coming in on the range markers it pushes you to the south.  Commissioner Hugh McNeil years ago questioned the position of the range markers.  An average guy is put in a very hazardous situation if they really rely on the range.  Commissioner Pullen also said that this El Niño year had resulted in a lot of beach erosion and asked Mr. Craig about his feelings on this.  Mr. Craig said that both the current and set have been funny this year, but they will not really know until April when the corps can get new soundings.  Commissioner Pullen hopes that the weather will cooperate a little better for the dredging this year so more time can be spent on the outside.  Commissioner Goche asked if the surveys had to wait until April, but Mr. Craig said that the weather usually does not lie down until then.  In his mind Bandon’s 4 days are just as important as Chetco’s and Newport’s dredge time and he tries to make it as economically sensible as possible using the nearby transit times so as not to bite into the dredging time.  Summing up his time, Mr. Craig said that the corps is doing data collection for the jetties but there is no $ for it.  The last he had heard it would be mid-March before there would be any news of another round of recovery act funding.

 

Commissioner Martizia thanked Mr. Craig and the Butler family for coming to the meeting and providing the necessary information to resolve these current issues.  Wayne Butler stated that they really appreciate the port’s backing, but he is a bit confused about what constitutes too rough to work.  They have heard conflicting stories from the crew of the coast guard boats and the commanding officers.  The Butlers had been warned by the coast guard that they had encountered a very shallow shoal while running in from the north to the south side.  Mr. Butler stated that he just had not seen the dredge work on that north side.  Commissioner Goche asked Mr. Craig to please e-mail the graphics of the cut line.

 

Gina Dearth made a staff report that started by announcing the sadness that Mel Erdman of the Kelori had passed away.  All fishermen and mariners in Bandon will miss him.  Ms. Dearth stated that the Coquille Tribe and Coos County Commissioner had held a public hearing on Johnson Log Pond the previous Saturday, and no public had even showed up so it was utilized as a work session on the memorandum of understanding and that things seem to be progressing well.  Harbormaster Bob Dearth had finished cleaning out from under the coast guard building an accumulation of many years of items that had been stored.  They filled 2 entire 15 yard dumpsters, and the archaeological site beneath the building was ready.  Now work can begin with SHPO to secure the midden.  Mr. Dearth has also shortened all the steel pilings in the marina that remained standing by 10’ so that if they fell there would be less of a chance to create damage.  All the engraved bricks needed for the installation of the Riverwalk project in front of the coast guard building have been sold and there is a waiting list.  The total of fundraising for the engraved bricks amounts to about $6500. of the $18,000. portion that would be paid by the Port of Bandon for our share of the sidewalk project.  Ms. Dearth addressed the commission asking for permission to pay the City of Bandon ½ of the $18,000. now in order to be a “good neighbor”.  City of Bandon has had enormous costs for archaeology and engineering in this project, and it would help them if they could be paid this $9000. now and the balance upon completion.  Commissioner Goche asked what the total sidewalk project costs were.  Ms. Dearth said that the City of Bandon would have a bill of over $100,000.  Commissioner Pullen explained that the past inhabitants of this area had a habit of burying their dead under their houses with the midden.  The Coquille Tribe is sensitive to this and the combined study of the fish bones and scales will give an idea of the estuary health and will identify species that were used by the people living here.  With that knowledge we may be able to improve the productivity of this estuary.  It is invaluable knowledge.  Commissioner Goche made a motion to give the City of Bandon a check for $9,000. at the earliest convenience.  Commissioner Martizia seconded this motion and it passed unanimously.  Gina Dearth stated that there is a very important public meeting to be held in the City of Bandon Council Chambers on April 13th at 7 pm on the Cultural History of First Street.  It is her hope that the commission and staff will be able to attend.  Additional details of the staff report included the new Marine Pump Out station completion and a thank you to OSMB for the grant, negotiations ongoing with the new tenants in the High Dock Building, draft lease and legal information is being conducted with Jordan Schrader, and communications are open with City of Bandon in the matter.  The bathroom downstairs in the High Dock building has been remodeled, and the inside of the Coast Guard Building is all painted.  There is a new tenant, Susan Dimock who is a licensed social worker.  A new video surveillance system has been installed at Prowler Charters and staff was looking online for cameras that might include a zoom to cover the back side of the buildings further west on the port property.  Commissioner Goche asked that staff look for a higher resolution camera for that area.  BLM Botanist Jeanne Standley and Gina Dearth seeded Redmon Pond on Wednesday with native grass seed supplied for the test plot by BLM.  One hundred kinnikinnick have been purchased and are waiting to transplant there also.  The Port of Bandon purchased a Happy 125th Birthday ad for the City of Coquille.

 

Ms Dearth then introduced Dennis Graham from the Coquille River Walk Project.  Mr. Graham announced that their grant had made it to the second round, and now they were looking for a presenter.  He stated that perhaps someone from the port might be a better power point expert, and his first choice would be one or two of the port commissioners.  The presentation would be in Springfield, Oregon.  Rick Goche and Steve Martizia both expressed interest and Gina Dearth stated that Robert Miller was very good at power point.  Commissioner Goche said that the head of the department had said the past problem was partially that there was no clear tie in of the project to the Coquille Comprehensive plan.  Dennis Graham said this was addressed in the grant.  City of Coquille owns the right of way.  The deed is in county records as city owned property.  Commissioner Goche will enlist the help of Commissioner Miller and go over the Comprehensive plan.  Commissioner Martizia will contact Terence O’Connor and go over some of the details next week.

 

Commissioner Pullen asked if there was any development on the fish waste plan.  He went on to say that the Port of Coos Bay has a freezing trailer on site, and Hallmark may be interested in collecting the carcasses.  Commissioner Goche is on the Oregon Albacore commission and they have a working grinder that has been successful on the albacore carcasses.  They are working together with the Crab Commission to get into Coos Bay and work into something.  He asked Ms. Dearth what kind of volume Bandon might have during the heaviest part of the season.  Ms. Dearth estimated that perhaps 100 maximum per day had gone into the garbage dumpster during the summer.  Commissioner Goche would like to investigate having some sort of a freezing system to get them transported to Coos Bay, and he also asked about the poundage required for legal dumping that Charleston Marina had gotten the permit for.  Gina Dearth stated that all season last year the port gave away bags, and it appeared that most boaters took their carcasses home to freeze them for crab bait.  The port has a launch lot attendant in summer months to oversee the life jacket station and watch to see there is no dumping.

 

Commissioner Pullen talked about the importance of the letter of support for the Klamath research to find out what is killing fish.  Commissioner Goche is working with the Klamath tribes, the farmers and fishermen on a coalition to make everybody happy.  Coincidently they have found that the parasite that is killing 80% of the fish.  They are garnering support for OSU funding to figure out how to kill the parasite and to get this issue put into the National Marine Fisheries budget.  It may take years just to find out what the fix will be.  Bandon is now on the list of supporters.  In a natural situation without the presence of dams the freshets would run fast enough to scour the rocky bottom and the parasite would not have a chance to proliferate.  When the dams slow the movement of the water, the warmth and the substrate not moving provide the worms a perfect place to grow.  The flow is the key.  The three dams that remain on the Klamath are used to prevent flooding and provide electricity. 

 

Gina Dearth reported that the grant applied to the Coquille Tribal Community fund had been denied, but that the SDAO Safety Grant had been awarded.  Port staff is looking into the different brands of heart defibrillators.  Commissioner Pullen said that the BLM Safety Officer Vanessa Duncan might be a good source of knowledge.  Ms. Dearth has also been in touch with Dave Ledig from the Bandon Marsh about participating in the Visitors Services Review for Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, to help assess past, current and future resource and public use management issues to develop objectives and strategies during the Comprehensive Conservation Planning process.

 

President Goddard adjourned the meeting at 6:13PM.

 

Submitted by Trudy Spanier