Call Meeting to Order

Vice-Chairman Pete Onstad called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.

Members Present

Pete Onstad, Steve Pavek, Sue Jerutis, Larry Parkhurst, Ed Towey, Marc Anderson, Council Liaison Keith Kask, Administrator Dana Young

David Paulson enters at 7:18 p.m.

Members Absent

Oliver Arrett, Darel Gustafson

August 9, 2006 Minutes

The Committee approved the August 9, 2006 minutes on a motion by Steve Pavek, seconded by Sue Jerutis. Motion carried 6-0.

Matters from the Floor

David Struyk, 3921 Tramore Lane, was present to discuss the width of his boat on the slide. He stated that he purchased a 13’ Boston Whaler last year that is currently in violation of the 5’4” slide width requirements and is in a quandary on whether he should sell his boat. He stated that it is difficult to find a boat that meets the 5’4” width requirements and made the decision to purchase a Boston Whaler based on the fact that there were a number of these boats already on the slides when he discussed the purchase of a Boston Whaler with City Staff. He added that he also finds it unusual that his boat is considered too big for a slide yet too small to meet the length requirements for a dock slip. He added that he hoped the Committee would be able to successfully resolve the width issue.

Pete Onstad stated that we have had a problem with width issues ever since the adoption of the 5’4” width requirement two years ago. He stated that he is hopeful the issue can be resolved through the plan that will be presented to the City Council.

Tom Brislin, 3675 Parkway, stated that with a 5’4” maximum width, people cannot walk around their boat when it is stored in the slide space and can only access their boat from the front. Pete Onstad stated that this has always been the case.

Jennifer Young, 20035 Lakeview Avenue, asked if the intention of the 5’4” width requirement was to keep larger boats off of slides. Steve Pavek stated that the width of 5’4” was established simply due to the fact that it represents one third of the width of the 16’ wide slide pallets.

Ray Gaffney, 4211 Heathcote Road, stated that he is relatively new to the community and is interested in becoming a Committee member. He stated that he submitted an application and expected a phone call regarding his application but never received a call. He stated that he had dropped by City Hall and asked if he could come to the August Boat Committee meeting and was discouraged from attending. He added that he even left a message with Pete Onstad and was never called back.

Pete Onstad apologized and stated that he can’t remember receiving the message. Ed Towey stated that simply because you fill out a Volunteer Application does not necessarily mean that you will be called for an interview. He stated that there are people who have been on the list of Volunteer Applications for years because there is not that much turnover on the Boat Committee.

Dana Young stated that Ray Gaffney must have inquired about attending the July Boat Committee when the Committee had to meet downstairs in the cramped Police Conference Room. He stated that he recalls that Mr. Gaffney was informed of this fact and that the Committee would not be discussing new members at the July meeting.

Dana Young stated that the Committee realized during the August interviews of potential candidates that the entire slate of new candidates had not been invited but felt that it would be inappropriate to not select a candidate from the four candidates who were interviewed that evening.

Steve Pavek stated that he apologized for the misunderstanding about the interview process. He stated that when he received emails from City Staff regarding the new applicants for the vacant Committee position that were scheduled to be interviewed in August, he assumed that staff had already contacted the new applicants.

Tom Brislin asked if he were still on the list to be appointed by the Committee? He stated that the Boat Committee had recommended him for approval but the Council had chosen to not act on the recommendation due to the fact that he was in violation of the slide width requirements.

Chairman David Paulson enters at 7:18 p.m.

Susan Jerutis, New Member

The Committee welcomed Sue Jerutis to the Boat Committee.

Boats in Violation of Width Requirements on Slides

The Committee reviewed the list of residents with boats on slides that were in violation of the 5’4” width requirement.

Dana Young stated that this issue surfaced when the City Council heard complaints from several residents that there were a number of boats in violation of the slide width requirements. In response to these complaints, the Council requested that staff send a letter to each slide permit holder to inform them that anyone in violation of the slide width requirements would have to come into compliance by the beginning of the 2007 Boating Season.

David Struyk asked why winches were required for slides in the new dock plan for St. Louis Bay?

David Paulson stated that boats are exceeding width requirements, are too heavy and tend to fall over to one side or the other taking up even more space. He stated that winches will ease the load on slides and help to maximize space by having them sit straight up instead of leaning over.

David Paulson added that developing wider slides is a change that the community wants and the Boat Committee is striving to meet that need. However, as a result of wider slides, there will be fewer slides, which results in the need to increase the number of dock slips.

Ed Towey stated that, in any case, there would be no action taken on boats in violation of the slide width requirements for this year. Pete Onstad added that the problem would go away if the Council adopts the proposed plan.

Presentation of Dock Plan to City Council

Discussion was held on the final revisions and final clarifications that are needed on the proposed St. Louis Bay dock plan prior to its presentation to the City Council on September 18^th. The Committee recommended that the following points of clarification be made to the City Council:

· The number of licensed Boat Storage Units that are shown on the plan represent the maximum number of licensed BSU’s that we are currently permitted and is the number that would be presented for approval before the LMCD. The number of proposed BSU’s is the number of boats that are actually proposed in the plan.

· The plan is in compliance with all existing setbacks and would not require any additional variances.

· The dock fingers on the proposed plan are currently 22’ in length and should be changed to 24’ to reflect the need to accommodate the larger Shore Space boats.

· The Minnetonka Yacht Club dock will remain at its present location until the boardwalk is constructed. The boardwalk would give the Yacht Club a pick up and drop off point for their members.

· The slides will be categorized into B1 Slides for the larger boats and B2 for the regular boats.

· The waiting list for B1 and B2 slides would remain the same. Residents on the list would simply be asked if they would prefer a larger or regular slide.

· The fee for a B1 would be 50% higher than the fee for a B2 slide.

· B1 Slides would require a winch and winches on B2 slides would be optional but require compliance with the City approved winches.

· Buoy permit holders are eligible for a B2 slide but are not eligible for a B1 slide.

· There will be a total of 20 slide spaces for larger boats and 48 slide spaces for smaller boats.

· The St. Louis Bay boat launch will only be open during the winter months. During the rest of the season the launch will contain slide spaces.

· Pete Onstad recommended that the maximum standard for a boat on a B1 slide would be 17” in length and 7’ in width. Seconded by Sue Jerutis. Motion carried 7-0.

· The recommended standard for boat on a B2 slide would be 16’ in length and 5’4” in width.

Pete Onstad and Steve Pavek agreed to present the proposed dock plan to the City Council on September 18^th.

New Member

Dana Young stated that at the last meeting, when the Committee realized that all the applicants for the Boat Committee had not been invited to attend, the Committee recommended inviting all the remaining candidates to interview for the vacant Committee positions that will become available in February 2007. Dana Young stated that there will be one vacancy with the appointment of a new member to replace the expiring term of Oliver Arrett and possibly the replacement of Darel Gustafson, who may transfer to the Park Committee due to his work on Deephaven Days.

Discussion was held concerning Tom Brislin and whether he should be required to receive another recommendation from the Boat Committee on his appointment since the first recommendation was not accepted by the City Council. The Committee agreed that Mr. Brislin should go through the interview process once again and would need a new recommendation in order to be considered for appointment.

Motion by David Paulson to conduct candidate interviews at the October 11, 2006 Boat Committee meeting. Seconded by Pete Onstad. Motion carried 7-0.

2007 Marina Fund Budget

The Committee reviewed the 2007 Marina Fund Budget. Larry Parkhurst had a question regarding salary increases since 2004 and Ed Towey recommended including the cost of a survey for Carson’s Bay in the 2007 Budget.

Motion by David Paulson to include the cost of a survey of Carson’s Bay in the 2007 Budget. Seconded by Marc Anderson. Motion carried 7-0.

Motion by Ed Towey to approve the 2007 Marina Fund Budget. Seconded by Sue Jerutis. Motion carried 7-0.

Adjournment

Motion to adjourn by Pete Onstad, seconded by Steve Pavek. Motion carried 7-0. The meeting adjourned at 9:35 p.m. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Deephaven Boat Committee will be held on Wednesday, October 11, 2006.