Minutes of the Woods Hole, Martha’S Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority
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MINUTES OF THE WOODS HOLE, MARTHA’S VINEYARD AND NANTUCKET STEAMSHIP AUTHORITY The Meeting in Public Session September 24, 2019 The Members of the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority met this 24th day of September, 2019, beginning at approximately 9:45 a.m. in the Discovery Room of the Nantucket Whaling Museum, located at 15 Broad Street, Nantucket, Massachusetts. Four Members were present: Chairman Robert R. Jones of Barnstable; Vice Chairman Marc N. Hanover of Dukes County; Secretary Kathryn Wilson of Falmouth; and Robert F. Ranney of Nantucket. Moira E. Tierney of New Bedford was absent. Port Council Member Nathaniel Lowell was present, as were Nantucket Town Manager Elizabeth “Libby” Gibson, Nantucket Transportation Planner Mike Burns, and the following members of management: General Manager Robert B. Davis; Treasurer/Comptroller Mark K. Rozum; General Counsel Terence G. Kenneally; Communications Director Sean F. Driscoll; Director of Shoreside Operations Alison A. Fletcher; Director of Human Resources Janice L. Kennefick; Director of Marketing Kimberlee J. McHugh; Nantucket Terminal Manager Elaine Mooney; and Assistant Treasurer Courtney Oliveira. Video and Audio Recording of Today’s Meeting: Mr. Jones announced that Steve Baty was taking a video and audio recording of today’s meeting in public session for Martha’s Vineyard Community Television, also known as MVTV. Mr. Driscoll was making an audio recording of the meeting, as was Louisa Hufstader (representing the Vineyard Gazette). Minutes: IT WAS VOTED – upon Ms. Wilson’s motion, seconded by Mr. Ranney – to approve the minutes of the Authority’s meetings on June 5, 2019, June 8, 2019, the second meeting of June 18, 2019, and August 20, 2019. September 24, 2019 Minutes of the Public Session VOTING AYE NAY Mr. Jones 10 % Ms. Wilson 10 % Mr. Ranney 35 % ______ TOTAL 55 % 0 % Mr. Hanover abstained from voting on the motion. Port Council’s Report: Mr. Lowell reviewed with the Members the topics covered at the Port Council’s September 18, 2019 meeting, which included: . A discussion of the July business summary and the Authority’s current projects. Mr. Lowell noted that Woods Hole Terminal Reconstruction Project Manager William J. Cloutier was forthcoming on the project’s progress and some of the issues marine contractor Jay Cashman Inc. was facing after restarting work. The Nantucket summer and fall 2020 operating schedules, which the Port Council voted to recommend approval of following one change, which Mr. Lowell said would be covered in the Board’s discussion of the matter. The Port Council was introduced to Director of Shoreside Operations Alison Fletcher, whom Mr. Lowell said is already well up to speed on several important matters. The draft mission statement, which the Port Council voted to recommend acceptance of following some discussion. The preliminary budget and preliminary rate increases. Mr. Lowell noted he still felt the same-day midweek roundtrip fare on board the M/V Iyanough should be increased by $5.00. Additionally, he did not agree with the proposed increase in the motorcycle fare, while he agreed with the proposed increase in parking permit fares. Regarding the excursion rate, he agreed with the proposed increase, but he also said there were some things the Authority could do to ameliorate the situation, such as a blended rate when a trip straddles the date of the seasonal fare change. Page 2 September 24, 2019 Minutes of the Public Session Results of Operations: Mr. Davis presented the results of operations for the month of July 2019. Overall, the Authority carried fewer passengers (down 2.4%) and automobiles (down 2.6%), but more trucks (up 2.9%) than it did in July 2018. Through the first seven (7) months of the year, the Authority has carried more passengers (up 0.7%), automobiles (up 2.0%), and trucks (up 5.7%) than it did for the same time in 2018. Mr. Davis noted that, in July 2018, there were nine weekend days compared to eight in 2019, which may account for the decreases as weekends are obviously very busy travel times. In the month of July 2019, the Authority’s net operating income was approximately $6,776,000, approximately $942,000 lower than the 2019 budget, Mr. Davis said. Year-to-date, the Authority has realized a net operating loss of $1,279,000, which is approximately $1,360,000 more than the budget. Regardless, the fund balances remain in relatively good shape, although he noted that some corrections due to be made in August 2019 would change those balances. Mr. Davis said that, during July, the vessels completed 2,684 trips, of which four (4) trips were cancelled for mechanical reasons on the Vineyard route and zero trips were cancelled for mechanical reasons on the Nantucket route. Update on the Woods Hole Terminal Reconstruction Project: Mr. Davis said the marine contractor, Jay Cashman Inc., mobilized after Labor Day after a short delay due to the effects of Hurricane Dorian that were felt locally. They began rebuilding the ringer crane on the on-site barge before they began to work on the north pier from the shore. The barge is now operating in Slip 3 because it was determined that the chains and U-bolts at that slip had to be changed and strengthened, Mr. Davis said. Following the completion of the Slip 3 work, demolition at the middle slip should commence. Mr. Davis said Cashman was also preparing the decking on the south side of the southernmost slip to serve as the ingress and egress for that (southern) slip once the middle slip is taken out of commission. He said a hazmat trailer was procured in order to transition the oil shed into temporary passenger shelter space. Unlike the current tents, the converted oil shed will provide more protection against the wind and elements, he said. The tents will not come down until after Columbus Day, Mr. Davis said. In response to a question from Mr. Hanover, Mr. Davis said that the oil shed would be situated at the foot of the southernmost slip and that, once the ramps and decking are completed on that Page 3 September 24, 2019 Minutes of the Public Session side of the slip, they should be right at the entrance to the temporary passenger shed. Additionally, a glass enclosure will be located at the site to provide extra coverage in the winter. Status on the Implementation of the HMS Consulting Recommendations: Mr. Davis noted that HMS Consulting President John Sainsbury and Matt Lankowski, an ocean engineer with Glosten Associates, were present to provide their quarterly update on the status of the implementation of the recommendations contained in the independent review of the Authority’s operations conducted in 2018. Mr. Sainsbury said, in general, the Authority has been moving along according to schedule on the recommendations following the board/staff workshops that were held in June 2019. Messrs. Sainsbury and Lankowski then provided the following updates: . Safety Management System/Quality Management System: A kick- off meeting with Safety Management Systems LLC (“SMSLLC”) was held in early is scheduled for early September. SMSLLC is currently conducting its “gap analysis” with on-site work at the Authority, in addition to and reviewing existing documentation, procedures, and protocols. The work is to require careful project management as it is a large undertaking, but it is scheduled to be fully implemented by the end of 2020 or early 2021. The contract price of some $560,000 was within HMS’ estimate for the work. The project is scheduled to begin with vessel operations, and then move to terminals and facilities, administration, and management. At the conclusion of the work, SMSLLC will facilitate certification of the system from a recognized certification organization. Learning Management System: This was one of the first projects to be implemented as the Authority issued a request for proposals (“RFP”) for a new LMS and entered into an agreement in April 2019 with Marine Learning Systems. The focus is currently on adding content to the system. So far, the only additional expense has been the purchase of around thirty (30) computers to be distributed throughout the organization to allow personnel to access the LMS. Mission Statement: Mr. Driscoll was to have a presentation on the draft mission statement later in the meeting, but in general, the first round of public comment was limited in number and was enough for a strong start on the project. The goal is to have the mission statement adopted by the Port Council and Board in November. The project team has done a good job of communicating Page 4 September 24, 2019 Minutes of the Public Session the goals and activities of the project and has been very transparent throughout the process. Strategic Planning: The project had not begun yet as it is meant to follow adoption of the new mission statement. However, for that to happen, the RFP for a vendor to aid the Authority in this project will have to go out very soon. The next step would be finalizing who would serve as project manager from the Authority; that individual would be responsible for developing a project plan and working with the selected vendor. Performance Metrics: This project is purposely being held until after the development of the strategic planning process. Engineering Resources: Staff have been interviewing candidates for several positions in order to “right-size” the department, and the work is off to a strong start. The consulting team is working with the project team to determine a scoring matrix for the candidates and that the effort is expected to conclude in the next month or two. Vessel Operations: As the new hires are brought on board, the goal is to reorganize the Authority into a more efficient structure with greater accountability in a process-based culture.