Waterways Management Commission Meeting - December 9, 2025

All right, I'm going to call this meeting to order and do a roll call. Uh TJ here.

Andy here.

Roger here.

Andrea here.

Jamie here.

Dana's here. Steve's here. And Eli is absent.

And first order, first item is u um approval of last the October um meeting minutes.

Everybody get a chance to look at those?

Yeah, they look fine. I make a motion to approve the last meeting minutes as written.

Thank you, Roger. Do I have a second?

Second.

All right. And now a roll call vote for approval. TJ.

Yes.

Andy, yes.

Roger, yes.

Andrea, yes.

Jamie, yes.

And Dana votes, yes. All right.

First item is the marina completion update. Steve, we have two finger pier that need to be driven. We were told it would be October. Then we were told it would be December. Now we're being told it'll be late December. Once you're in, Pioneer has removed all of the floats on the south side of the pier. They are going to remove those on the north side and they will have to install the four finger peers

for placement of the pile properly. It sounds crazy, but they've got to put them in the water and then they've got to make sure that they go where they belong to drive the pile. Then they'll be unstrapped from the pile, disconnected from the floats, and removed for storage for the winter along with the floats that remain. The only float that will stay in the water is the end float, and it's too big to be

removed. And I'm working on getting somebody that will put eyebolts and a means of cranking that gang weight up off the float so it'll be um less of a nuisance or an attractive nuisance for people to go out there in the winter time. It's not going to be safe as a um aluminum gang way will freeze quicker and we certainly don't want to be fishing people out of the drink. We also

don't need the wear the gang way on that float on the months we don't need it. So that's the plan for the marina and I just lost everybody.

Okay.

Yeah, we we've still got you, I think.

And I think Eli just joined us.

Oh, excellent.

Hi, Eli.

I did. Sorry I'm late, guys.

No problem.

All right. And then the the dinghy and kayak rack replacements.

I'm still waiting for word from community preservation if they accepted our extension, but once I get that, I need to put that out. Um, I've been told if we do it in sections, we won't need to put it out for bid, but I still need somebody find somebody willing to build those for us.

Um, I am not looking at doing the hoops.

Those are too expensive. Uh the Yach Club rack that we were given has something called key pass which are kind of like an erector set galvanized. They last forever. They are as strong if not stronger than the black um powder coated and substantially less money than the custommade black powder coated.

[clears throat] So that is still on tap for next season to be replacing the racks that are there. And I'm also looking to reconfigure remove some of dingy and replace those with kayak because that is our more popular request.

So good.

And then on the item five there, the the uh landing and and ramp retaining wall update. We did talk to the state. They're sending somebody out next week, I think on Wednesday to see the 17th at 11:00 a.m.

Yeah. to take a look and hopefully we'll make some progress on that.

Yeah. So, we'll see what they what they say.

Well, that's excellent. They're coming out. That's that's a huge that's a huge step forward to have them come actually show up.

And they're coming out in mid December, which is, you know, slow time for them.

Great.

All right. Uh, how about the clerical position?

I don't want to say too much and draw the anger of either a union or personnel director, but I think we've made great progress and I expect that by our next meeting, I'll be able to provide a name and a starting date uh for a full-time clerical position. We did do interviews of the applicants and um we are done interviewing and it is actually expecting a phone call from HR today or tomorrow to put

the finishing touches on if you will.

Excellent. Excellent.

That's great. Yeah, this is really good news. That's that'd be really helpful.

That's a that's a Christmas present for everybody.

Okay.

And the budget.

Yeah.

Um I just got the email. I believe it was last week. We're already starting the budget and it's due soon, like early February. We start having meetings about it. Uh other than obviously budgeting for a full-time position in the office, I don't expect much significant change.

We are no longer paying for Rogers Street in the fiscal year 27 budget. We have paid off 12 Rogers Street.

Yay.

On.

So that frees up a little bit of capital. I have been instructed by the town administrator that I need to replace my town truck. Not based on mileage. It has 50,000 miles, but it is 10 years old and there is a townwide policy and I need to conform to that. So I will be putting together bid specs. Um just I was sharing the sticker shock when I bought that truck 2014 for the

department. We sold surplus military crane that we had been gifted and it more than paid for the truck at $39,999.

I've started looking at the prices of those pickup trucks and they have more than doubled for the exact same truck.

So, we're looking at just shy of $100,000 expense for a vehicle that lasts 10 years but would be needed to move our boats around town. So, I'm also going to explore the alternatives which is to find something that's smaller and keep the truck as a backup. One would be for the hover master, one would be for the deputy. We would still only have two vehicles, but the truck itself is reliable. It's

just met the age requirement to be outsourced as a firstline front line truck.

So that that'll be part of the capital improvement committee process.

And obviously we'll be looking at retained earnings available for whatever that purchase is going to be.

I don't think it'll be a Honda Prius or a uh Toyota Prius or a Honda Insight, but um a lot of departments are going to a smaller 4x either small pickup or something like that, small SUV that has four-wheel drive.

So, I'll look at all the options.

But you really need a truck, don't you, Steve? If you get a new smaller You have a fullsize truck now. If you had a new smaller variant of your truck, u it might save a little money, right? Um it will not haul the larger boats. Um but yeah, that's one of the possibilities.

But by keeping the larger truck as our number two vehicle and the number one vehicle being a Ford Explorer or a uh what's the other Ford that the Bronco that park's driving that allows to get into four-wheel drive situations. It won't tow anything much but um again we would keep a large pickup for the few times that we are required to move larger things like right wher rescue boat.

So the town doesn't make you sell it.

They just say you have to have a new one. That's the rule, right?

Yes. Yeah. And currently we have two vehicles. We have my truck that you see me driving, the F250 with the upgraded suspension, and the deputy has a a former fire department Tahoe.

So, if we move the pickup truck to the place of the Tahoe and move something else into the place of the pickup truck, I think we'll still be in compliance and we can make it work. If that saves the department funds, I think that would save a tremendous amount of money because the difference between a half ton pickup and a full ton pickup is a lot of dough. A lot a lot of dough

and and would give us redundancy too, right?

Give us a level of redundancy that we don't have right now.

Y right.

I can I can tell you from experience the newer ones aren't as good as the older ones. Let's just put it that way.

Yeah. Your old truck I mean old truck is 50,000 miles. I would just keep it keep it going. That'll probably last forever.

Really? Really?

They're getting It's starting to show signs of rust, which I can't I've done what I could do to keep it clean and painted unprimed undercoated whatever the uh but it's just the environment I work in. It is always going back and forth over a wet bridge. It's in a salt environment. And no matter how much I keep the undercarriage cleaned, it still has rust in the corners. So with the winters we have too, you know,

it's it's a road salt that that gets them the most.

Right. Exactly. So Steve, we could keep it for a while, but we could have a plan and start to budget maybe two years, three years from now. set aside budget so you could get a really good big truck to replace that if it's if it's literally gonna rust around you. I mean, you can't you can't help that.

If every 10 years we're we're looking for a replacement, we just keep alternating between one large vehicle and one lesser vehicle.

Every 10 years do that rotation.

Steve, is that a diesel or is that a gas? I got the gas because of the cost differential and I don't even want to I don't know if you can get diesel easily.

I know some companies have stopped but I didn't have the I didn't have the need for diesel for the conditions that I drive it.

So we we saved a lot going with gas. It is a large gas engine. It's not the most fuel efficient, but again, I've got two boats that tip the scales at 10,000 pounds almost.

Yeah.

And it's a good truck.

Yeah.

So, that's that's the plan there. Um, I think my Tundra will tow 11 or 12.

That's Your Tundra doesn't have the twin turbo, does it?

Yeah, it's actually not a bad engine.

Um, the I wouldn't buy I wouldn't buy the first two years of it, but they they solved what the problem was.

Okay.

Yeah. I'm trying to stay away from the engines that are maxed out with turbo and things like that because it's real hard to find one now. That's the problem. They've all gone to smaller block, you know, and larger turbos.

Yep.

again. We'll make do, but [clears throat] uh All right, item.

Little Bay Marine has been on our agenda before. Um they are anxious to become a recognized moing service provider. Dana was very kind enough to go through Gemini AI and we have qualifications that are based on a survey that AI did in the New England area and we are going to do this as a policy rather than a uh regulation.

Um, it will go through town council at the approve with the approval of town administrator once I finish fleshing out what I need. Uh, so it is a work in progress. It will be done in time for next year and with Benner's help, we are well on the way to something that I will run by the committee. My plan is to have it uh reviewed by the waterways commission with a recommendation up or

down or changes and then I'll bring it to the town administrator for either his approval or for him to send to the select board however he sees as the proper line of channel of communication on this.

That's where we're going.

Now Steve, this is a new set of um um recommendations or whatever guidelines.

We have existing moing providers now. Uh did I assume they all meet the criteria that we're uh trying to enact it? They do. They would. Um we've just never had a written policy. So when anyone knew wants to sign on, it was basically a sniff test, if you will. Uh but going forward in this day and age, we need to have something that we can say is proper and it's a proper vetting so that we

don't end up with uh you know unqualified people certifying something that important.

No, it's a good idea. Good idea.

There's no reflection on existing or applicant. Uh but you know we've had issues in the past that have been corrected and resolved and uh common sense used to go a long way but now we need to codify through policy that common sense.

I agree and something that can be pointed to no matter who's sitting in your chair or our chairs going forward and going this is this is the logical way you pick up mooring provider in the town of Dartmouth.

Sure. Yeah, exactly.

That's that's it on that update. Um, you've probably all heard that our assistant town administrator is leaving.

I think it's this week or next week, 17th. Uh, he is going to Westport.

Chris Vitali will be the Westport town administrator.

and ever since he was the assistant under Shawn, he's been taking the lead on several of our projects.

Uh Roger Street, for example, I don't know where that stands. Uh there was a survey or a a request for proposals from providers.

There's a pawn against it point that was at some point or some stage in the grant process. All of these grants have timelines and he has been really good writing the timeline, writing the calendar on those. Um, so he took over the role of Deborah Wender and increased that to the assistant town administrator. I know they've posted a request for applications and received a couple last

I heard, but it is open until filled with applicants applying before I think December 12th getting first consideration.

Um, but I'll keep you appraised when I hear more. So, well, the only one there is the Aonagans Park plan, right? I mean, there's a lot of stuff going on there and we really haven't heard much back. I really don't. Roger Street, I think is a dead issue. They were looking at sand transport and trying to do stuff there, but that's gone away. But upon against it, it would be nice to know

where we are, what we're doing, what what is the town's plan. I mean, they really haven't included us in any of the loop, per se.

No. and the um honestly he's had been the interim acting town administrator co- uh with Gary [cough] which added to his plate. Uh we also have an open somewhat open dredge proposal. We've done phase one may have even finished phase two received an inquiry if we were moving on to the next phase and I have not heard a response on that yet. So that dredging is kind of a back burner but still simmering.

So but the dredging is very important.

That's the reason we would love to know what the overall plan is for a ponaganet what what the town hall is thinking. And then we know that the town launch ramp has got a series of baometric issues, shall I put it that way that that need to be that that that that sandbar needs to be removed. And dredging is a very big deal. And you do have to you do have to get in line. And

we now have all the I think we have the data and we have the results from our engineers. So that's something we should probably be looking at for the next year. looking at dredging and getting in the queue. I I know it's going to take a long time and a lot of money, but I think we can we can probably go after grants and see what's happening. But

that would be a real good thing to do in that wonderful asset that we have there, the launch ramp, which is used by literally thousands of people every year.

Absolutely. that we need to identify where those funding sources are, what our best options are, what our co-pay contributing amount will be, and where that's going to come from.

Yeah.

And and I guess we need to know what the steps are.

Is it permitting next? Uh maybe we are at that point.

Is it uh something else that we need to get in line for?

But uh I mean that's a as Roger points out, that's a big public access issue.

Period.

Yeah. And does the state run that anyway?

Yeah, it's separate from the Seapport Economic Council funding because it bridge projects are uh independently funded. There's a special process for dredging that it falls for the most part the actual work falls outside of SEC but certain aspects of the planning possibly the permitting they all come out of the feasibility. I think we've done feasibility and uh planning. I think we

have left to do the permitting and then the actual construction which I I know the construction cannot be seep economic council.

No, I'm not sure about the permitting.

It's amazing how you think it's done in the Commonwealth.

Yeah, you might say it doesn't, but yeah. Well, I I I think looking back at what New Bedford did, I think the Seapport Economic Council would pay for We'd have to have a small co-pay, but the Seapport Economic Council would pay for a a permit study for dredging in a especially where we can bring the wonderful um monetary value report that we did. So, I I think I

think we have a lot of our ducks uh at least maybe not in a row, but certainly in the harbor ready to go. Steve, we're getting close. In other words, they're all swimming around those ducks, but we just got to get them.

They're all swimming around. Line up, please. Line up.

And And who takes the lead on getting that lined up? If if Chris is gone, is that fall to I will ask that us or I think there will be a division of responsibility with some of it coming back to us and some of it going to the town administrator and I will ask where this lies in that intended scheme.

Well, tell you what, Steve, if you're talking to him, I know you do say that I would I volunteer. I mean, having been around a while and knowing what's going on, I'm happy to be the point person and go out and reach out and find out what we have to do, when we have to do it, how we have to line it all up, and um uh I would also like to be in the loop

because let's just say town hall's busy and uh this is our this is our thing.

So, I'm happy to volunteer. Tell them you got a guy who's willing to bulldog this through cuz I think it's important.

I think I think I think we could get I think we could get support for this quite honestly in the town.

It's not it's not just big it's not just big deep sailboats. I mean a lot of um 19 foot Grady White runaround motorboats launch there every day in in the summer.

I foresee that dredging is our next big project now that the marina is just about completed. Yeah, it's a it's a tough one because it's not visible like the maritime center is or tangible like the marina is, but it's as at least as important as those.

Oh, it'd be very tangible if people can't launch their boats and out of there. It's got to be very tangible, very fast, very quickly. Right.

And there there might be a tiein with whatever is going on with the bridge.

And I say that because I don't know. But um well, let'sach let's reach out to our new lovely town administrator and say this is a big project. We've been very successful with the maritime center.

We've been very successful with the new marina. We've been very successful with the report and for Noah and getting the value of paid naram and all of that. We would like to be very successful for the dredging of this wonderful asset for the entire community of Dartmouth. Uh it's not just folks in Permo use it. I I know a lot of guys from North Dartmouth come down, launch their boat and go fishing all summer long.

I would I would argue that that ramp is the one thing that ties the whole community together. You know, is not is not a P narrow harbor issue at all. It's it's a a whole all Dartmouth community issue. Well, we want to strike that argument, don't we, TJ? Because we're going to go back to them and say, "We need a little money."

Just a little bit. Well, uh, for for the purpose of the minutes, are you just uh offering to take the lead on dredging or all the projects?

Uh, I think the dredging one is the last one left, Andrea. I'll But you can put me down as all projects. I'm happy to find out with this new town administrator. We've had such a shuffle up on the town hall upper floors there.

Yeah, the the rest of the projects look like they're in some stage of of um sitting around, but a lead would move them forward.

Well, a lead would at least go poke them in a nice way.

I was volunteering since Roger is chomping at the bit.

Well, you know, those other projects, Andrea, are not truly waterways projects as they were not the lead. One was a planning process and I forgot who the other one was a townwide process for the Aponagans Point. Certainly, we're involved, but they aren't grants that we applied for as our projects if that's proper to say.

Okay.

But it'd be nice to know what's going on.

Yeah, that'd be that's my role. Find out what's going on. Keep us keep us in the loop. And I think it's a good thing.

We've got a lot of good things in the past. And let's do this last big good thing for uh the whole the whole community as you say TJ. This is this is this has all been leading up to this.

Yeah, I was going to say that that project will tie it all together basically because that that'll that'll assure access for a significant portion of time going forward long after we're done uh you know our service here.

Right. Right.

So that's what I see it as sort of the last big the last big project quite honestly. Uh yeah until the next one.

Right.

All right. Thank you, Andy.

Gonna be realistic.

Thank you, Roger.

All right, Steve. Item 10.

Well, Maritime Center was front and center for the Louising, and it was bigger again this year than last year.

It was wonderful.

Every year, [clears throat] it really I heard the comment so many times that it really was like a hallmark event. um like a Hallmark movie event.

We had a full moon that was rising over Bridge Street.

Gorgeous.

It was awesome. Wish I could take freezing cold.

It wasn't as cold as it has been. And uh it really wasn't bad.

It was popular. What also, you know, what what also made me proudest is how many families were there with with little children and how much the evening really is about little children rather than uh you know rather than just adults walking around. Um I thought that I thought that they it was just it was magical for the kids.

Yep.

It was and it was good for the adult even the adults who were there. It was kind of a romantic not for me but for others it was a it was a joy it was an enjoyable event without any pressure without any I didn't hear any complaints but um my daughter loved it and that was good enough for me. Uh we did get um a thank you for assisting which we do every

year. Wouldn't have it any other way. Uh so that was Friday night. Uh Saturday Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus arrived safely on our winter whaler to the yach club. There was good crowd there. That is truly for the kids and uh yours truly was dressed up as a elf which uh I wouldn't do for anybody but I'll do that for the kids and I kept in costume for the tree lighting that night at town

hall. So it was just um nice.

It was a miniature Nantucket stroll kind of weekend.

Excellent.

I keep getting asked about the little tree that has the Christmas tree on it.

I The little boat rather, the dinghy, the lobster dinghy. It is on the dock at the maritime center. It does have a small tree on it, but I have not been told or asked about moving it to the pond. Uh, I will add that the night of the tree, the buoy tree lighting, you might have seen a marshall cat all lit up with white lights just at the end of the maritime dock on

the first morning. It looked beautiful.

That was Adam Cove. Uh, he's rode that boat. It does not have an engine in an event on the west coast, I believe, to Alaska. He went to he rode to Alaska.

Yes. Yep. So that Marshall cat was there. It was decorated and I thanked him for the effort and it really looked beautiful.

Unbelievable.

So do you think that Steve the dinghy is you're going to put the dinghy out in the little cove there?

I'm hoping I don't have to. First of all, the anchor setup that I made was taken. So that's not I'll have to do another one. My thought is it would be just as effective to tie it between the two docks and then we'd be able to empty the rain water out of it easier and it would be visible from the maritime center and it would still have the tree the light in you know the Nantucket look

of a dinghy tied to the dock. So nice two cents but I don't know if they'll be happy.

Beautiful.

If you only give two cents, who who actually gets it done?

Oh, the Payton Business Association is I want to say work for, but that I let them drive that bus.

I just change the oil and fill the tires.

That's the nice part about the dingy is you can gauge how our winter storms were going.

Absolutely.

If it's not there when you get up the next day, it was a bad storm.

That happened the first year.

Yeah. And you can always tell if it's rain, if it rained overnight because I'm crouching through the muck, breaking the ice in the dinghy.

I like that. I like that. Advocate for putting the dinghy by the dock, not on that marsh land.

Yeah. No, it makes sense.

That's an ecological hazard over there.

I don't want that. But and it's not it is not easy getting that dinghy over the guardrail across the beach.

Uh, all right.

Andrea, the town waterways group. The only thing that I wanted to say first, if there is an update or not, but tonight there's a meeting in the city of New Bedford at their water sewage treatment plant with a remote access option and they're addressing the future of combined sewer overflows from the city sewer system. So, I intend to participate.

Given the state of my voice, I would probably do it remotely, but um I don't know if anyone else has been invited. I actually heard it, researched it online, and registered for online today.

Can you send uh the link to all of us? I I might be interested in joining remotely also.

We'll do.

Andrew, you weren't invited.

You know, I got a call from uh Chris Mashad. Uh but I but we didn't connect in.

Okay.

Somebody should go. Um yeah, if I if I can zoom in, I um I'll re I'll represent myself as being on the waterways committee if that's what you'd like.

Sure.

Great.

That'd be great, Andrew.

Okay.

It does start at six o'clock tonight.

Okay.

and a New Bedford guide is the link that I'll send out to everybody because you will need to click on that to register.

I don't want to be zoombombed.

Uh so they will register. I've done that. Uh yeah, excellent. Yeah, we should know what's going on. I mean, it's it's clearly, as you pointed out, Steve, this is a pain in the butt. Every time it rains a tenth of an inch, you've got to shut down a viable agricultural uh growing area because New Bedford is pushing their poop in Dartmouth [clears throat] waters.

Um do you think they'll mention um the uh the study that uh Andy you you heard about from MIT?

the se there's a I I'm gonna go I have not followed up on that either.

Yeah, I haven't heard much about that. I haven't heard much about that either, but it was the MI it was MIT and they were going to be studying Cso U versus the Cso levels for shelf. What? We have to come up with a We have to come up with what um trying to remember what they were going to do.

They were going to be they were going to be doing water quality sampling for on the CSOS to see if they could influence the shellfish closure um levels if that makes sense.

Steve, can you speak to that at tonight?

you not now, but can I can you ask about the status of that?

I have a voice. I will. I can tell you what we're all work all working together on is data. The more better data we get, the more data we get, the better we can address the theoretical or model uh that they're throwing at us. Uh because there's no better proof than actual.

Theoretical is nice when you don't have actual. So yeah, sampling at the outflow, sampling within seven days at various locations and the impact direct impact on the shellfish itself, not just the water quality or the theoretical spread.

I'll do um I'll I'll review the information I've been sent and try to get a hold of Chris Mashad today.

Okay.

I I don't know if Chris knows about this meeting, but I'd be happy to send him or add him to this link email that I'm doing.

Great.

All right. All right. Guess we have no public comment.

Next meeting would be

we're looking at uh January uh 13th at at noon again.

Yeah.

Is that a um Tuesday?

That's the second Tuesday in January.

Yeah.

Anybody else have anybody have anything else before we adjourn?

No, I just threw something in the chat regarding that MIT. It doesn't look like the project's going to kick off till February 26 for that one.

We'll be helpful that I'm sorry, February. Okay, we'll look in the chat.

2026. Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah. Do do you do we want to do Jan uh January? Do we want to combine into early February the two do two meetings that way?

I think we'll have enough stuff for a January meeting.

I don't expect a lot will be done between now and the holidays. That's just the nature of government.

I'm just thinking this there's two weeks of holidays involved, you know, the next two weeks.

So, let's go to let's go to February. Uh we'll do the first week of fe Oh, Dana, what?

So, I'm actually gone in fe in February.

um and traveling on that Tuesday. Um how about the end of Jan?

But what what about the 27th? How does that look for folks of January?

Okay.

And that would kind of cover us probably through January and February.

That's going to get to March probably.

Yeah.

Then Okay. The 27th at noon.

Got it.

27th.

Great. Thanks. Thanks, TJ.

All right. Do I have a motion to adjurnn?

Move to adjourn.

And a second and eyes.

Second.

I I adjourned. Thanks everybody.

[clears throat] Merry Christmas everybody.

Happy holiday.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone.

Thanks. Take care. Byebye. Take care.