ACTION MINUTES

Regular Meeting of the Waterfront Commission

February 11, 1998

Hs Lordships Restaurant

199 Seawall Drive

1. CALL TO ORDER

Chair WASSON called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM. Secretary Marchetti called the roll:

COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: FELIX, KAWCZYNSKA, SMITH, Chair WASSON, Vice-Chair WOLGAST, & WOZNIAK.

COMMISSIONERS TARDY: JONES

COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: THOMAS & WINDHAM.

STAFF PRESENT: Buckley Lai, Cliff Marchetti, Ed Murphy, and Patricia Jeffery.

2. PUBLIC COMMENT

Rebecca Hausmann, Commodore of the Cal Sailing Club, thanked staff for fixing the dock.

3. CONSENT CALENDAR

a. Approval of Minutes

Ed Murphy distributed a new page 5 for the 1/14/98 regular meeting which corrected mistakes in Item 4. c. concerning the election of officers. Vice Chair WASSON then asked that Item 5. n. concerning the live-aboard policy be revised to clarify that the meeting with the houseboat owners was a public meeting with interested parties and not specifically between her and the house boat owners.

Chair WASSON also asked, in reference to item 5. e., that whenever a Commissioner votes "no" on an item, the minutes should reflect the reason for that vote. Commissioner WASSON stated that she was not opposed to the proposed leases with the Rowing and Waterski Clubs, but only to the fact that the Commission only received the lease terms at the meeting in January as an Information Item. She would have preferred taking more time to study this matter before approving it.

Vice Chair WOLGAST asked that Item 5. c. be revised to delete the repetitive "no".

Subject to these corrections, Commissioner KAWCZYNSKA moved a motion to approve both the minutes of the January 14, 1998 regular meeting and the minutes of the January 21, 1998 special meeting. The motion was seconded by Commissioner FELIX and approved by a vote of: 6-0-3, with Commissioners JONES, THOMAS, and WINDHAM absent.

b. Approval of the Agenda

Commissioner FELIX made a motion to approve the agenda. Vice Chair WOLGAST seconded the motion, subject to the following changes requested by staff and several Commission members:

1) Delete item 4. a. re: the Hornblower Kitchen.

2) Move item 5. f. up to receive a report from Martin Vitz with the East Bay Regional Park District on the Eastshore State Park & the Bike Trail.

3) Discuss the rest of the Marina Master Plan report after Item 4. b. (Off-Leash Dog Area) and Item 5. a. (agreements with Cal Sailing and Cal Adventures).

The motion was then approved by a vote of: 6-0-3, with Commissioners JONES, THOMAS, & WINDHAM absent.

5. INFORMATION REPORTS

f. Marina Master Plan

Pat Jeffrey with the Planning Dept. introduced Martin Vitz, the Advance Planning Manager with the East Bay Regional Park District. Mr. Vitz gave the Commission with a detailed status on the proposed Eastshore State Park and Bay Trail alongside I-80. He stated that purchase of the land for the Park is contingent on environmental studies being completed. Park planning would start after the purchase. The Bay Trail is being delayed until the State and the City agree on a maintenance agreements. Mr. Vitz said that both issues (land purchase and maintenance agreement) may possibly be resolved in 1998.

No action was taken.

Commissioner JONES arrived at 7:25 PM during the presentation.

a. Agreements with Cal Sailing & Cal Adventures

Ed Murphy described the terms of the proposed agreements. The Commission said they would look at the site of Cal Sailing in terms of a new chain link fence and adding a strip of land 13 feet by 150 feet to its property on the north side. Rob Anderson with Cal Adventures said that adding this strip of land to Cal Sailing could adversely impact bus access to and from the parking area.

No action was taken.

b. & c. Review of Radisson Remodel and Sign

Brij Misra, General Manager, introduced his architect, Bob Allen of BSA Architects, who explained the remodel plans. He presented plans, photos, and color boards. He said that one pool will likely be removed to expand the lobby. No major problem with settlement. Brij Masri said the owner will pay for improvements to the sidewalk area around the Hotel on its south side. The fitness club would remain open for public memberships. The Commission discussed the plans and colors. A proposal to revise the sign would be submitted to the Commission at its next meeting. No action was taken.

4. ACTION REPORT

b. Setting Time and Date for Public Hearings on Off-Leash Dog Area

Ed Murphy distributed a proposed schedule which shows the key milestones in the review and approval process. He also said that an Initial Environmental Study is being prepared on this project, which will include a revision to the Master Plan for Cesar Chavez Park.

After discussion, Commissioner SMITH made a motion to approve March 30, 1998 and April 6, 1998 as two dates for special meetings to hold joint public hearings with the Park & Recreation Commission at 7 PM at Hs Lordships Restaurant. Commissioner Jones seconded the motion and it was unanimously adopted: 7-0-2, with Commissioners THOMAS & WINDHAM absent.

5. INFORMATION REPORT

f. Marina Master Plan

Pat Jeffery continued the discussion of the Marina Master Plan. She gave a brief status report on the planning schedule. Ms. Jeffrey then distributed a brief summary of key planning issues and a preliminary schedule. She discussed the inventory and said it is being updated, esp. the maps for each leaseholder. Ms. Jeffery stated that the Master Plan will include Cesar Chavez Park.

Chair WASSON called for a special meeting of the Commission from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM on February 26, 1998 at Hs Lordships for the purpose of discussing planning issues, the inventory report, and maps of leaseholder space. The Chair also set a public workshop from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM on March 21, 1998 to allow for public input.

The Chair asked for a report at each Commission meeting on the status of the $250,000 allocated for the Master Plan.

j. Aquatic Park - Improvements Related to Pedestrian Bridge over I-80

Mark Liolios distributed a report describing a series of public improvements related to the proposed pedestrian bridge over I-80. Two corrections were made to the report, as follows: 1) on page two the words "for the sidewalks" should be added to the end of the final sentence under the item entitled "Addison Street Regrading" to clarify that the reference is to pedestrian access and not the street itself; and 2) that the word "significant" be eliminated under the "Acquisition of Parking Lot" item on page three since the term "significant" relates to CEQA mandated mitigations. The environmental review for the project acknowledges that there will be a loss of parking, but such loss will not be "significant" as defined by CEQA.

After further discussion, Commissioner SMITH moved that the Waterfront Commission recommend that Council assign staff and provide direction to staff to identify and pursue funding sources for the 13 items included in the report dated February 5, 1998 from the Joint Sub-Committee on Aquatic Park of the Waterfront Commission and the Parks and recreation Commission. Commissioner WOZNIAK seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved by a vote of 7-0-2. Commissioner SMITH thanked Mark Liolios and the other persons who contributed to the report on this issue.

4. ACTION REPORT

c. Non-Profit Berth Policy

Cliff Marchetti stated that he received one completed application for berthing space. Two others were received too late for this meeting packet and would be presented in March. He introduced Hartel Saugman, the Skipper of Sea Scout's Northland boat, who then described his organization's purpose and history at the Marina. After discussion and questions, Commissioner SMITH made a motion to table the application until the March meeting to give the applicant an opportunity to clarify certain issues with the national Boy Scout's organization that appear to be in conflict with the City's policies on discrimination. Commissioner FELIX seconded this motion and it was approved by unanimous vote: 7-0-2.

5. INFORMATION REPORT

e. Salt Water Pump Station

Cliff Marchetti distributed information on the next public hearing on the Initial Environmental Study (EIS) for this project set for 2/17 at 7 PM at the West Berkeley Senior Center. The project would replace the existing restroom at F & G Docks at no cost to the Marina budget. The EIS is available in the Marina office for review.

g. Marina Ten Year Budget & Project Status Report

Commissioner SMITH reviewed the budget included in the packet and discussed the reasons for the increasing drain on the Marina reserves. He wanted the Council to be aware of this situation. Commissioner SMITH then made a motion to request direction from the Council on whether it wants the Waterfront Commission to work with staff in developing a balanced Marina Enterprise Fund; and if so, whether General Funds can be used to balance the Marina budget. Commissioner KAWCZYNSKA seconded the motion and it was approved by unanimous vote: 7-0-2.

Commissioner SMITH said the Commission should receive the budget report monthly and that it should identify the numbers on the back-up spreadsheets with the corresponding numbers on the Marina Budget.

d. Launch Ramp Parking Lot Project

Cliff Marchetti said that the consultants are finalizing its report and would present cost estimates and a proposed plan at the next meeting.

h. Policy on Donated Benches

Mr. Marchetti distributed a report which described the procedure used by the City in parks throughout the City. He said he intended to use this policy and review each donation with the Waterfront Commission.

i. Aquatic Park - Tidal Tubes

Cliff Marchetti stated that Cal Trans had cleaned all five of the tidal tubes to the main lagoon and they are working well. The two tubes (one to the model yacht basin and the other to the KBLX site) have not been cleaned and there are problems related to these smaller ponds on the north end of the main lagoon. Staff will continue to discuss this issue with Cal Trans.

k. Trees at Aquatic Park

The Chair asked if the City Attorney's office had provided any information. Cliff <Marchetti said not yet and that he has called Santa Fe Railroad to provide a written policy which would prohibit any future tree cutting. He also reported that the City could seek damages from the perpetrator for the trees that were removed.

l. Report on Past Commission Actions

The Chair asked for information on the requested legal opinions at the next meeting.

Members asked that the roof on the building at 225 University Avenue should be replaced or repaired to prevent damage to the structure. They also asked that a the card key system should be put into next year's budget. Staff agreed.

Commissioner SMITH left the meeting at 10:30 PM.

6. OTHER REPORTS

a. Occupancy Report

The report was received without comment.

7. Comments from the Chair

The Chair asked for the following items to be on the next agenda:

a) Hornblower Kitchen

b) Salt Water Pump Station

c) Cal Sailing & Cal Adventures Agreements

d) Non-Profit Berthing Applications

e) Marina Master Plan

The Chair commended staff for keeping docks and facilities in place during the stormy weather.

8. ADJOURNMENT

The Chair asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner JONES made a motion to adjourn which was seconded by Commissioner FELIX and adopted at 10:45 PM by unanimous vote: 6-0-3.

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