[Bboa-members] explanation about delayed emails to the list

[Paul Kamen]

On 8/9/2006 at 9:47 PM Zach Nobel wrote:

>Ps. did anyone attend the meeting tonight? I'm unable to make it with baby 
>duty. Anotherposting should address this (perhaps assign representatives 
>to cover one month)

Well, I was there. It looks like the H-I dock replacement is a done deal - the City engineer says it will be done by May or June of '07. 

I'm on record as objecting to the new H and I dock configuration, mainly because it adds too many hard-to-market 48' and 52' berths, in hard-to-market locations between houseboats. The City needs to assume 100% occupancy to cover the debt service and other anticipated costs. See my notes on this at 

http://www.well.com/user/pk/waterfront/A-E-Replacement/index.html

As I had more-or-less expected, there was no real support for my proposed recommendation to Council to put the SF Ferry on the fast track with the ferry berth at the DoubleTree. Oh well, no ferry service 'till 2010 or '11 at the earliest, at according to WTA's timeline.  (I think there is consensus that Doubletree is the right spot - but no-one is willing to shorten the remaining four years of the planning process, even for an interim solution.) 

My advocacy paper for the ferry is at 

http://www.well.com/user/pk/waterfront/Ferry/index.html

One quick note on the bench that gets wet from the shower in the new ABC bathrooms: The bench is for handicapped access, and it's supposed to be under the shower. No comment on the non-draining floor, though. Ann says they still have a punch list with the contractor. 

Ann also confirmed rumors that the Marina Staff is exploring possibilities of contracting with a private operator to take over management of the berthing function. Still just rumor at this point.

But if the City is open to this kind of thing, it suggests that it would also be open to a berthers' cooperative or a yacht club (for example) entering into a long-term agreement to manage some or all of the berths. Commercial lease revenue would still go to park and public access functions of the waterfront, and the berthing operation would presumably be self-sufficient with enough going into reserve accounts to finance the dock replacements every 40 years. (I note that none of this was discussed at the meeting - it's my personal take on how a partial "privatization" might work.)



  


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Paul Kamen
Chair, Berkeley Waterfront Commission
510-540-7968  510-219-8106 (cell)
pk at well.com   www.BerkeleyWaterfront.org