During the February 25 meeting of the Mattapoisett Marine Advisory Board, Harbormaster Jamie McIntosh discussed the importance of reviewing waterways fees.
McIntosh has been making the rounds during the FY22 budget season, meeting with various boards, including the selectmen, to share the good news on completed projects and departmental services to boaters and express his growing concern over a very slim retained earnings figure.
Chairman Carlos DeSousa opened the discussion by saying that when the board was considering expanding the harbormaster position from part-time to full-time, financial projections were only covered through FY20. DeSousa said the time has come to look at fee increases.
McIntosh said that the department had been level-funded for the past two years but that, looking to FY22, projects for the waterfront need to be funded. He also noted that the department had taken on new duties such as management of the aquaculture program and possibly oversight regarding shellfishing in local waters, adding to the number of staff hours the enterprise fund would need to cover.
McIntosh shared that a recent meeting with the Board of Selectmen produced a request to review the indirect costs currently assessed at over $70,000, a sum that further eroded retained earnings.
The harbormaster said that a 20 percent, across-the-board increase is needed. “It is my feeling we are going to need this increase just to stay above water,” said McIntosh, who also suggested that, if the increase is accepted, an annual increase of 2 to 3 percent be put in place that would help to maintain the department. “I don’t think 20 percent is too much.”
The discussion also covered such topics as increased staff hours during the peak boating season, hours spent in shellfish management, and projects waiting in the wings for funding such as repairs to Long Wharf, pilings for the timber piers, and dinghy dock expansion. McIntosh said that during FY21, Cares Act funding helped with increased staffing hours, which were needed to keep high-contact areas sanitized. Those funds would not be forthcoming in FY22, he said. “We can’t sustain this [department] without an increase,” McIntosh told the board. The fees increase was unanimously supported and will now head to the selectmen for their review.
The current waterways fees stand at (sticker per foot): residents $2, non-residents $5. seniors $1; waterways-usage sticker fee $60; all-inclusive commercial dock/float/sticker fee $210; commercial mooring $70; town slip and timber pier fee all-inclusive $50 per foot; skiff fee $150, seniors $75; small boat fee $50; and kayak permits $50.
McIntosh also updated the board on the long-awaited dredging project. He said that delays in receiving permits from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection will mean the project will not take place until next fall, but that the delay has also given him time to re-evaluate costs to lower the final figure. He also said that work on dinghy docks should be wrapped up by April 1.
Earlier in the meeting, the board and McIntosh discussed security cameras. McIntosh said he had everything in place for $10,000 with cameras planned for the wharf area at Shipyard Park. He said that storage for video would be cloud-based and that focus of individual cameras could be aimed where needed most, including Barstow Wharf. One camera is planned for the majority of the harbor, a second will be mounted on the harbormaster building, and a third at the end of the short wharf. All will be privately viewed by the harbormaster and his staff, he said. Signage is planned, alerting the public that the area is under surveillance.
Member Jack Duff asked about security during the daylight hours when the summer season begins and what agencies should be brought to control the dangerous and outrageous behavior of congregated teens. Duff said the large, loud groups were intimidating to boaters.
McIntosh agreed it is a problem and talked about how he had done his best to move the group off the pier, only to have them return a short time later. Police had been called to the scene as well, with the same result; the youngsters returned en masse. No resolution was struck upon, but all agreed it is a problem.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Marine Advisory Board is scheduled for March 25 at 7:00 pm.
Mattapoisett Marine Advisory Board
By Marilou Newell