Harbor Committee - Regular Meeting

Magic Hour just began. Oh, we call the meeting to order. And the first item on the agenda is to approve the minutes of March 10th, 2026. Make a motion we approve the minutes. Second. Move and seconded. Any discussion? All in favor, raise your hand. I

oppose. Carried. Okay. New business. Um, and the item is the summer commuter vote. I'll turn it over to John to explain. Uh, town of Cranberry has come to me. They, uh, the Being Bunker Ferry is not interested in doing the morning commuter boat run. And, uh, Jim probably has more to, to tell us about that.

Uh, sure. Hi, my name is Jim Fortune. I may have met some of you before. Um yeah, so we we've had to be Bill Ba Moner decided uh that they weren't interested in doing the morning commuter boat uh this summer. Uh so we we've uh we were actually doing another three-year contract and thought they were going to be interested, but they about out of that. Um so we've had to hire another operator, which is the operator who does the winter commuter fairy service, which is Downy's Wind Jammers. Um and this winter it was on the Senica. Um, and so we've uh hired them basically under new contract to do the the summer communal for the next three summers. Um, so they'll so they would continue that service. Um, the the summer service operates a little different than the the winter. The winter, of course, the boat is in Northeast Harbor. Um, starts there and finishes there. And that's it entire run as it comes out to Creme Isles. uh the summer ferry um uh when Bill Bunker obviously operate out of Northeast Harbor. In the case of Down East Wind Jammers starting May 1st through the October 14th, which is the summer uh period, um they only do one run a day, just a single run first thing in the morning. Um, and where it's going to be on the downwind jammer, they're actually going to start in Great Cranberry Island. And that's actually where the boat's going to sit and be on a moing out there. Uh, so it's going to start from Cranberry, do its run in Dialsford, and then to Northeast Harbor, drop off any passengers that it has. Um, and from there, it's actually going to go to Manset. Uh, we have our facility in Manset, and they're going to incorporate that into their theirh circuit runs in the morning. Um, and uh, that's basically it. Um, so it's a little different than than it was uh, the last three summers, even when Sadia ran it. Um, in this case, the boat is just going to be a drop off first thing in the

morning. Uh, they'll get there 6:50 between 6:50 and 7. Uh, uh, Monday through Friday. Um, and that's pretty much it. Um, really aren't any other changes to it. Um, it's just an important part of our community in terms of how we operate our ferry services. Um, it provides that early morning ability early morning to get off the island for jobs. Uh, and certainly during the school year for part of it, uh, school kids, that kind of thing. So, you have any other questions? I certainly can answer them for you. Um, and they'll provide the proper insurance and documentation. The harbor master already been handled.

Yeah. Yeah. I've they they actually Yeah, they're going to use a Senica first. So, we actually have all of that uh for the current winter service. That's their insurance, their certificate of uh certificate of um coast guard certificates and inspections. They have all that for the Senica. They have purchased a new boat, which I actually mentioned to John in my original email. I thought they were going to use that right at the beginning of of the this summer, but they actually have uh only recently purchased that. They're going to overhaul it. Uh so that probably won't be in service until maybe the beginning of June. Uh and they will get all the the Coast Guard certifications and the insurance for that one as well before they start using it. But right now it's actually going to be on the Senica. That's

Didn't the Elizabeth T used to do this John? They did and they Elizabeth T has no interest in doing it anymore. But I mean couple years ago that's the reason why we never had to do anything because the Elizabeth T was a scheduled operator. So I thought they were just problem. They are, but they were one of our operators. So we didn't have to do anything. They were allowed to do this. And this is going to be a boat doing it that is not ever been approved to operate in the summer. And it's only going to be for this one pickup first thing in the morning. I think Bon Bunker's run covers the evening.

Yeah, that's correct. We in the summer we just operate the one for the commuter service. Um uh it's kind of a complimentary to the um runs opposite the the winter ferry which is that's has a limited service um in the winter. So this is just that one run in the morning um for a commuter boat commuter ferry. People usually they're going to jobs on the mainland. Um the school kids use it couple there's probably two or three that use it right now. And then some people use it just to get an early like if they're catching a flight or something or captain on the road things like that.

This doesn't put any extra uh load on a pier. No, most of us will never see the boat come or go. Okay. They used to start out at Northeast, right? And to take people at 6. No. When in the summertime, uh Carl Bruner's unit would come from Southwest Harbor over. They would pick up, go to the islands, and then come back. Yeah. And and then be gone. And you know, I personally never saw the vote come or go because it happened before I would get to the office in the morning. Yep.

I think my only issue was it set a precedence that we have a system down there and if somebody else comes along and says they want to do something that's out of our system, I mean, I don't think it matters that much but well this is but this is basically taking the place of a existing facility not licensed operators wanted to do no I'm just saying we have you know like

our our operators down there and this is what you have to do if you want to be there and this is going around what what we have down there like You know, like when Tegan comes here and wants to have a truck there. If he said, "Well, there's nobody there at 7:00 in the morning." Can I bring a truck? That's This is a scheduled operator that is licensed to operate for us from October 1st to May 1st already on a special thing. And then and they're going to continue actually the half of what they were doing in the wintertime for us. So, I don't see it as any impact that will affect anything. And it'd be my my opinion to uh it would be something that you guys should approve.

I would agree that the I mean the impact's not there. It's not going to affect anything. I just worry about the the next guy that comes along and says, "Well, you let them do this." That's against your It's not additional. It's just to It's a different boat essentially providing the same service.

Bucker never had that route. I I just think I I agree with him. is probably run a bilal council for I mean just where we have and they need a proper lease agreement to operate and we extended this we had a previous agreement with the town of cranberries I'm in fully in support of this but I think it's proper to ask for you know that we're being fair about this and if I mean if it's something a different slot should be go through the water chain if someone I know no one else has expressed but we should publicly we announce it or be you know what I mean it'd be put in the paper whatever the same agreement we have

and I agree with John I don't think it's anything anybody would ever notice like no they're there early in the morning they've signed and paid for the same actual agreement that allows BMA Bunker to operate year round just we've limited them to October 1st to May 1st to look at it a little differently uh I I look at it as just replacement for the be and bunker backing out. They they never operated those early morning hours. Be and Bunker operated that last year, but they didn't advertise. They didn't have their set schedule before. Yeah, there was a set schedule to go was from 6:15. Yeah. To go out to the cranberries and they were taking people

by the ordinance that shouldn't have been allowed. The the the commuter boat was a special thing we let happen. Yes. And in the summertime, it's always been operated by one of our approved users. None of the approved users want anything to do with it this year. And I saying, but it goes against what the ordinance says. Well, how you interpret the ordinance? It's pretty easy. Pickup drop off. You do for pickup drop off.

Any other trips? It says I mean we should just run it by proper legal channels. I believe if if it's something that should be properly advertised and available to other people that would might want to fill that position, nobody's going to want to fill it. But it's a contract with Granberry Isles, not

we didn't contract for them the summer. We there was that our contract I mean look back in the minutes was set dates and that was in the off season. So October through May, Bill Mugger is authorized to run their times, but we did not have a contract with Cranberry Isles in the in the summer months. If Bill Muger chose to operate that, they are allowed to. This is something different. I just swear you run into the guy whose name will not go mentioned who shows up here and says,

"I don't see the conflict." But anyway, I'm going to ask for a motion to approve this proposal. I make a motion to accept with proper lease agreement approved by town legal advice to operate from 6:15 to 7 Monday through Friday only. Any months on that? Oh, good point. That'd be what? May 1 to October 1st. What is it? May 1 to October 1st. Well, it's actually October 14th is when the the summer fairy runs for that commuter fairy. Is it already approved from Chris made a motion until May? Is somebody going to second it?

Okay. Any other discussion? What do you When you say 6 would you say 6:15 to 7 Monday through Friday with the per with one permanent vessel with a lease agreement that we've done for the other offers. We we have too we haven't filled out what we're allowed. Like we have space in our vessels. Like we're not maxed out on what we've determined per our ordinance during those months. So there's a way to away with that. But I just want someone to say it doesn't have to go through a watery system. Any other discussion? All in favor of the motion as presented raise your hand say I. I.

Oppose. Okay. Note that extra one. Yep. Okay. It because I don't think it's necessary. All right. Um, anything else anybody'd like to bring up? No. Two things. One, John. Down across from where they the storage shed for the lawnmowers is a very dead tree. And there is.

And it's now come. It's been dead for about four or five years. It's now dropping the branches. You mean this one right at the end of the parking lot? Is that us? Well, it's us till we have to pay. Well, it's us unless someone else wants to Yeah. take over and then can you get talk to Ben about it? Yeah, I mean it's it's gonna fall on a car and drop some big limbs this winter. I mean it's just it's going to come down in the next good win clean up weeks next week. I'll see if they can make it disappear. Yeah. All right. Now that we're in groundskeeping,

wait, I have I have a neighbor that was designed and donated to the town for Cranberry Island foot traffic and it's the walkway from the parking lot down here and everybody even forgets it there. It's a beautiful walkway. It was paved but it has never had a leaf blower on it in the last 30 years. So when right now to cranberry parking Yeah. It comes right down over from the parking lot right down the steps down and then on that stone

and I should suggest that when John speaks to man that's we get that cleaned up a little bit. Yeah. And I and I will say the VIS built it uh in memory of Gordon Paul back in the 80s. I think uh they were talking about when they redo the tennis court and everything, something is going to be done with that. I believe I don't know if they're going to I don't think this has anything to do with the tennis courts. No, no, but it was going to Was it going to be disturbed because of the tennis court? It's on the other side of the road. the different one.

This is a wooden is a wooden and there's a park bench comes down from the gray cow across this stairway and it ends. Okay. I'm They talking about a different It ends right down by this parking lot over here. Yeah. Okay. No, the dirt walkway down there is going to be paved after our one thing.

Go for it. There's been a Northeast seafood thing truck sitting there all afternoon and I watched I was down here came back an hour and a half later and still sitting there. Nobody's no boat is there and I watched another boat come in and asked people that were loaning on loading on the ferry how long they were going to be there. That truck has sat there all afternoon with a driver in it. some point we got to start if these guys aren't going to pay attention then they got to lose their access to the pier.

How how much do we have to notes and I'll call all four of them and tell them that they have they can sit there and they have a boat and they're not a boat then they need to move off the pier until their boat comes in a half hour and refresh their memories. You have a half hour on the pier. Oh, they have zones. Actually, there's an ordinance that says there's no parking on the pier. So, to sit there, in the seafood bars, I believe the ones we did before the urchin was half hour. Yeah. Well, yeah, it's a good point. And uh it's time to if they're going to be a constant offender, then they should lose their license. Okay.

You're going to call, right? You're going to call the I'll call four of them tomorrow. Anything else? Anybody? Could I say something about the doctors? He'll have a dog ramping uh tomorrow. Tomorrow. Okay, good. See, he told me he's coming to get the floats for the ski flo the whole thing. I mean, is there any chance that like we could have had the ramp to the ski float two weeks ago easy? I thought that would be the goal. If I can get it early enough, it's one fee versus paying twice to have a truck come.

So then nobody can use it for a couple weeks because we're waiting. I mean, what is today? Today's the middle of the month. Yeah. So I'm told that the floats are going tomorrow. So you know, I feel it's still plenty early. Uh you know, I don't know. Not one person has called the office and said, "Hey, I want to start fishing. When can I get a ramp?" So, well, that's that's not true. You haven't got a call. You call Sam unless he lied to me.

Sam was in there a couple of days ago and I told him that Cody was going to be getting the floats this week and he's coming tomorrow to get them. So, I think we're in pretty good shape. He's missing Sam going off shore right off. No, he was there a week or so ago. No, he's in the water now. He's down here waiting for the float. No, he was in the office I think yesterday and uh asked when I was waiting on a response from Cody and I got that response today and it's happening tomorrow. All right. Well, he told me he was in last week and he said it was going to be this week. Two days. Yeah. Yeah. And this is still this week again. I just wanted at least they're going in. That's fine.

I mean, if you expected them to show up on Monday, you know, the weather was shitty. Um I don't know what the reason was they didn't happen today, but they're going tomorrow, so you know. Okay, everybody. Who's the other participants on this? The other three. I don't know. We have other members. Yeah. for for attendance. We should also maybe they could tell us who they are went missing. I just do I just do who members committee members of Mount Deserts one that's us Julia Rush Meredith R and that's Doug Meredith is probably looking for Doug probably. Hello.

Okay. Going to ask for a motion to adjourn. Yes, that's uh that that's me. I was not able to get in on my account for some reason. I don't know why. So I was able to get in through Meredith. Was it? Thank you. Make a motion we adjourn. Motion to adjurnn. Is that seconded? I guess we didn't hear from Ellen. Any discussion? All in favor raise your hand. Opposed. Gary. You're today. No, he's a meeting dad or you want to stay.