Northern & Central MA Harbor Safety Committee Managing Board Meeting

Minutes

9 January 2013

Introduction:

The Meeting was called to order by Capt. David Cox, in the Chair at 1000 hours in the Ward Room of the Boston Marine Society.

The following Committee Members were present:

Capt. David Cox, Chairman and Vice President of the Boston Marine Society

Mr. Mark Cutter, Assistant Branch Chief, USCG Sector Boston

Capt. Christopher Deeley, Port Captain and Pilot, Foss/ Constellation Maritime

LCDR Scott White, Chief, Waterways Management, USCG Sector Boston

Capt. George Lee, Docking Master, Boston Towing and Transportation (via telecom)

Capt. William McHugh, Harbormaster City of Salem

Mr. Peter Gilson, Director, MA Boating & Yacht Clubs Association

Capt. Robert Blair, District Two Pilot

Capt. Bradley Wellock, Manager, Maritime Regulatory Affairs, MASSPORT (via telecom)

Mr. Jim Caulkett, Harbormaster City of Gloucester

CG Aux Phil Karwowski, SO-PA

MST1 Trevor Hughes

Ms. Lisa Walsh, Administrator, Boston Marine Society

Sub-Committees/Working Group Updates:

Terminal Berth Sounding & Under Keel Clearance Sub-Committee:

Sponsor-Mr. Andrew Hammond

Working Group: Capt. George Lee, Capt. Christopher Deeley, Mr. Andrew Hammond and LCDR Scott White

·  A letter was drafted by the USCG and sent to commercial terminal operators requesting data from their most recent berth sounding surveys with a deadline submission of January 15th. LCDR White read the letter aloud to the Managing Board and noted to- date he has received a few responses.

·  The USCG will work on conducting onsite visits to all terminals and obtaining restrictive depths of each terminal.

·  Mr. Hammond was not present, however, it was stated he is working on gathering surveys from Boston Harbor Pilot’s records.

·  LCDR White will get the COTP’s perspective on establishing a port-wide minimum under keel clearance policy.

Debris Management Sub-Committee:

Sponsor- Capt. Angel Montanez

Working Group: Capt. William McHugh, Mr. Mark Cutter, and Capt. Angel Montanez

·  The issues pertaining to debris disposal; i.e. lack of funds and lack of proper disposal facilities in Boston Harbor and the North Shore were discussed.

·  The working group will reach out to Ms. Vivian Li of The Boston Harbor Association and “Clean the Bay” in Narragansett Bay to talk about the possibility of engaging them in future discussions.

·  LCDR White spoke about the importance of involving the ACOE as they bear the responsibility of removal for Federal Navigation Channels.

·  LCDR White suggested holding a round table discussion with the sub-committee and potential stakeholders in February or March.

Recreational Vessel Awareness Sub-Committee:

Sponsor-Mr. Peter Gilson

Working Group: Mr. Andrew Hammond, Mr. Walt Taylor, Capt. Bob Blair, Mr. Mark Cutter, and Mr. Peter Gilson

·  Mr. Gilson reported there will be a sub-committee meeting regarding large/recreational vessel awareness today following the Managing Board Meeting at 1200 hours.

·  Prior to the meeting, Mr. Gilson collected suggestions/topics from the Massachusetts Boating and Yacht Clubs Association (MBYCA) and emailed them to the Committee for review.

·  The goal of the sub-committee is to design a pamphlet or handout similar to the one used in San Diego and to have it available for distribution at the Boston Boat Show on February 16th.

Maintenance Dredging Working Group:

Sponsor: Mr. Michael Keegan (not present)

Working Group: Mr. Mark Cutter, Mr. Michael Keegan

·  Some topics of concern mentioned were; shallow areas in the Boston Harbor and the North Shore, i.e. Annisquam River and Plum Island Sound, commercial encroachment, and the lack of participation from the ACOE.

·  The working group will work on gathering data, such as; identifying the areas in need of maintenance dredging , type of traffic flow through each channel, the history of maintenance dredging and sponsorship possibilities. The collected data will be discussed with the HSC and the Committee will then decide whether or not they will advocate for channels based on an individual basis.

·  The Gloucester Harbormaster, Mr. Jim Caulkett, spoke about his on-going discussion with the ACOE regarding support needed for dredging in the Annisquam River and the lack of response given that it is not a commercial channel. LCDR White reiterated the need to have active participation from the ACOE and how the HSC as a group needs to reach out to them and express the maintenance dredging concerns discussed today.

·  The working group will touch base with Mr. Keegan and report to the Committee with any updates.

Waterway Development Permitting and Awareness:

·  Capt. Cox spoke about the construction project occurring at 201 Marginal Street site in the Chelsea River.

·  Some of the concerns mentioned were; allowing recreational boating at the pier would be hazardous due to the amount of large vessel and tanker traffic sharing the very constricted area, and determining who is responsible for policing the area and enforcing the Chapter 91 Law.

·  Capt. George Lee mentioned he wrote a letter on behalf of Boston Towing and Transportation to the MassDEP in regards to the concerns mentioned and has not received a response.

·  It was agreed a letter should be sent from the HSC to the MassDEP , attention Ben Lynch, along with a copy to the ACOE, voicing the Committee’s concerns. Capt. Lee will draft the letter and email it to the HSC for input.

Old Business:

·  LCDR White handed out a draft of the HSC Charter for the Managing Board to review. LCDR White will update the charter, noting the discussed changes and email it to the HSC for review and final input.

·  Capt. Cox mentioned he is working with Brightworks on creating a HSC website. The Boston Marine Society has agreed to contribute $2500 towards web design and monthly host fee for the year 2013. MST2 Samantha Stone (USCG) is developing potential logo options.

·  Capt. Cox will meet with the designer on Tuesday to discuss details. The designer is also working on creating a HSC logo for letterhead etc.

New Business:

·  The next North Shore Regional HSC meeting is tentatively scheduled for April 29th.

·  The Managing Board would like to meet following the debris management sub-committee meeting, possibly in April.

·  In the meantime, LCDR White will work on getting the charter circulated and signed.

There being no further business to discuss the meeting was adjourned at approximately 11:45a.m.