2. Approval of the Agenda Freyman moved to approve the agenda, second by Philips, motion carried.

Transcription

1 Village of Egg Harbor Harbor Committee Meeting Mintues Wednesday January 25 th, :00 AM Paul J. Bertschinger Community Center 7860 STH 42 Egg Harbor, Wisconsin Call meeting to order Dickson called the meeting to order at 10:01 a.m. Those in attendance were Robert Dickson, Karl Klug, William Freyman, Denny Philips, Ryan Heise, and Megan Vandermause. Also in attendance from SG Marina were Chris Marx and the Egg Harbor Marina Manager Lucienne Fels. 2. Approval of the Agenda Freyman moved to approve the agenda, second by Philips, motion carried. 3. Approval of December 7 th, 2016 Minutes Freyman moved to approve the December 7 th, 2016 meeting minutes, second by Philips, motion carried. 4. Open Session (limit ten minutes) Klug stated that there are two dinghy lifts at the marina. One is used for removing buoys and the other has never been used. Klug asked if the committee should consider removing the lift that is not used. Philips asked if the lifts were gifted to the marina. Fels stated that from what she recalls, Steve Smith told her that the lifts were donated to the marina. Marx stated that there is a slip owner that uses the lift occasionally to load gear into his boat. Dickson stated that this is something that Fels should keep an eye on going into the next season. Freyman asked if the lifts have been checked to ensure that they are properly functioning and Fels confirmed that this has been done. 5. SG Marina Reports Fels said that as of today there are three slips available. Fels stated that through her audit of the waitlist not many members had up to date information. Because of this, Fels is working on a letter to send out to the members that were unreachable. Fels said that there were nine members that declined a slip and there were a number of waitlist members that did not answer. Fels will reach out the members she was unable to contact. Fels suggested starting a policy to remove waitlist members who declined a slip. Freyman stated that he supports removing someone from the waitlist who declined a slip two times.

2 Dickson suggested implementing a policy that allows the marina to retain half of the waitlist member s deposit. Freyman stated that he does not support keeping half of the deposit because the current waitlist members joined the list knowing that they would receive a full deposit refund. Fels said that marina staff could send out a letter outlining the new policy and asking waitlist members to agree to the new terms. Those members that decline the new terms could receive their full deposit back. Dickson stated that marina staff and the committee should come up with a new procedure for waitlist members. Dickson stated unreachable waitlist members should be considered declining members. Fels said that about five waitlist members were unreachable, and about fourteen waitlist members have not returned the call. Fels stated that there are 41 waitlist members as of this year. Marx said that at SG Marina s other facilities there is a $200 non-refundable deposit and in the case of hardships the deposit is refunded. Marx said that the waitlist needs to be managed so that it is a current and accurate list with a timeline so that waitlist members are not sitting on the list for 10 years. Fels said that something she noticed when going through the list is that those who accepted slips are waitlist members who joined within the last few years. Freyman asked how many of the waitlist members are waiting for slip sizes that are not available. Fels reported that nine waitlist members are waiting for a 50-foot slip, seven are waiting for a 45-foot slip, eighteen are waiting for a 40-foot slip, twelve are waiting for a 35-foot slip, sixteen are waiting for a 30-foot slip, and eleven are waiting for a 25-foot slip. Freyman pointed out that part of the problem is that the marina cannot meet the demand of the waitlist. Marx stated that looking at what the marina has available right now there will not be a problem back filling slips. Philips asked if the Egg Harbor marina s reputation is that there are not slips available. Philips suggested educating the general public about the slips available. Fels reviewed the Egg Harbor Marina marketing plan for the next season. Fels stated that the newsletter information that was circulated last year was well received. This is something that the marina staff would like to continue and has put together a newsletter schedule. Fels stated that the marketing plan is broken down into categories. Fels said that there are a number of social media sites that the marina is not using. The marina s google calendar that is connected to the marina website has not been utilized. This is something marina staff will use for the upcoming season. The marina s Active Captain information is out of date. Dickson asked what Active Captain is and Marx reported that Active Captain is a cruise information site. Marx said that this is a nationwide site.

3 Marx stated that as part of the digital marketing efforts Active Captain is something that SG Marina is going to utilize. Marx said that the waitlist is the number one item that staff focuses on when developing a marketing plan. Marx stated that staff has noticed that the waitlist is not strong and there needs to be a mechanism to get empty slips filled. Marx said that last season marina, staff collected detailed transient information. Marx stated that any leads that come in such as walk-ins, ramp launchers, phone calls, and inquiries are recorded as potentials. Marina staff will use E-blasts to reach out to this group. Marx said that the marketing plan is a starting point that will help fill empty slips. Another thing that marina staff is looking into is creating a digital and print brochure. Marx stated that this is something that has been well thought out and is an allinclusive information brochure. Marx said that the digital and print copy is something that the marina would like to start circulating. Fels stated that she has also been looking into including a detachable waitlist application with the brochure. Dickson stated that this is also something that could be passed out to the Egg Harbor Visitor s Center. Marx stated that the information sheet would be detailed but simple. Marx said that information sheets like this have been very effective tools. Fels reviewed the proposed welcome packet that will help the marina with community integration. Fels said that marina staff is working on a transient welcome packet and is going to reach out to local business to put together a packet of brochures, menus, and coupons. Fels said that this will help the marina better serve the Village and make the marina a better resource for the Village. Freyman stated that the marina could have some extra copies of the Visitor s Bureau Brochure. Dickson suggested that the marina contact the Road Runner service to get brochure racks filled. Dickson stated that marina staff should build the welcome packet, but also have the Road Runner service. Marx stated that from a boater standpoint the welcome packets are very beneficial. Marx said that the information brochure would be included in the welcome packet, but would also be an individual page. Marx said that the welcome package program will grow. Marina staff has a letter drafted to reach out and explain the welcome packet to local businesses. Fels said that the marina will also be working on a Business Spotlight Program that will occur weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly and will include a special area of the marina being set up with brochures, information, and samples for a specific business. Marx stated that the Business Spotlight Program will also grow. Marx said that the marina will work around the large events during the season.

4 Fels stated that there will also be a seasonal boater welcome packet created that will include all updates and marina information. Freyman stated that the Yacht Club has had discussions about how they can integrate themselves with the marina and is hoping to be a partner in some of these programs. Freyman said that the Yacht Club has dates established for events that work around the Village wide events. Freyman suggested getting the social committee of the yacht club in touch with marina staff. Marx said that SG Marina has four marinas on Lake Michigan right now. Marx stated that the other three marinas have developed a reciprocal marina cruising program. Marx stated that he thought about implementing a cruising program for the Egg Harbor Marina during the shoulder seasons. Freyman stated that he feels that implementing a cruising program during the shoulder season might be something that attracts boaters to make the long trip to Egg Harbor from the other SG Marinas. Marx stated that usually the offer for the cruising program is buy one night get one night free. Philips stated that he feels that Fourth of July to Labor Day should be excluded and June should be included in the cruising program dates. Fels said that festival weekends and other busy marina weekends would be excluded from the cruise program schedule. Dickson confirmed that this would be specific to SG Marina slip holders. Marx said that marina staff will come back next month with the program details. Freyman asked Dickson if the Village Board would have a problem with this because they implement the rental rate each year, and Dickson stated that he does not see any issues. Dickson stated that this could help with exposure of the Egg Harbor Marina. Freyman stated that he spoke with some yacht club members that were very pleased to have had received the end of season survey. These members expressed one concern from last season which was that the maintenance on the docks was not up to par. These members felt that the younger staff members were more relaxed when working and did not have great attention to detail. Freyman stated that this is something that management needs to be aware of going into the next season. Fels said that one thing she has been working on to address these issues is implementing an opening and closing cleaning list to ensure that certain tasks are done each day. Fels stated that this is one of the main focuses for the marina next season. Marx pointed out that because of the timing with the marina transfer, the marina kind of inherited a staff last year and Fels now has the opportunity to build her own staff for the next season. Freyman asked if kayaks are allowed to launch from the launch ramp. Fels stated that last season she directed kayak launchers to use the free kayak launch at the beach.

5 Freyman stated that this is not written in the rules and if a trailer is used to launch the kayak it is difficult to launch at the free kayak launch at the beach. Freyman said that he does not see launching a kayak as different from launching a jetski. Fels said that if kayaks are allowed to launch from the launch ramp it needs to be known that a launch fee must be paid. Dickson suggested including this information on the Village and marina websites. Klug said that the Yacht Club used to have a Mary Poppins race which allowed individuals to launch a canoe or a kayak. Klug said that the dinghy ramp was used to put in the canoes and kayaks. Dickson stated that kayak launching is something that Fels can look out for this next season. Philips asked if Fels ever figured out who owns the two dinghies that are still at the marina, and Fels said that she reached out to the DNR to identify the owners. Dickson said that if the dinghies are not removed before next season they should have to pay a fee to get them back. 6. William Read boat handling accessories Fels stated that this accessory was discussed a few months ago during open session, and William Read is requesting a simple docking mechanism. Freyman stated that the discussion was about a temporary boat handling accessory. Fels said that this would be on the main walkway right next to the dock. Philips asked if the hose real is allowed on the slip at the marina, and Freyman said that this is not allowed. Fels said that she has spoken with this slip owner and the hose real will not be in the slip next season. Freyman stated that the real is actually bolted into the dock, and Freyman said that this should be removed by marina staff. Dickson stated that marina management should document when they need to talk to slip owners about breaking the rules. Klug confirmed that there is a rule that nothing can be attached to the dock. Dickson asked if this real is still on the dock and Fels confirmed that it is not. Freyman moved to approve William Read s request for his boat handling accessory, second by Philips, the committee discussed: Klug asked if this is something that will be mounted to the dock. Fels said that the accessory is removable and when it is removed there will only be a mounting hole. The committee voted, motion carried. 7. Updates on Lift Station recommendation Fels said that the quotes were reviewed by the Utility Committee and the committee agreed that Sabel Mechanical offered the best quote. Dickson asked if this was budgeted for and Marx confirmed that this was budgeted as a capital item, but only $8,000 was budgeted for this project. Dickson said that the committee still agrees that the project should be completed.

6 Dickson moved to recommend to the Village Board that the Sabel Mechanical quote be approved in the amount of $11,500, second by Philips, motion carried. Freyman stated that there were not cones put out in the marina to prevent the fuel fill from getting damaged. Dickson stated that this is something that Fels should remind the Public Works Department about. Klug asked about the break wall inspection issue, and Dickson said that the committee discussed completing the chain inspection but not the full break wall inspection. Dickson asked about the prediction for the water level and Marx reported that it will be fairly consistent with last year. Philips suggested putting an ad in the Peninsula Pulse for the empty slips. 8. Next meeting time and date The next meeting is February 22 nd, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. 9. Adjourn Philips moved to adjourn, second by Freyman, motion carried.