ITEM TITLE:
Kelsey Dock Mooring Recovery and Long-Term Improvements
SUBMITTED BY: Jeremy Talbott, Ports and Harbors Director
FISCAL NOTES:
Expenditure Required: 0
Unencumbered Balance: 0
Funding Source: 0
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommend that the Commission review and discuss:
The current Kelsey Dock mooring limitations and the status of the funded temporary operational solution.
The continued successful use of Kelsey Dock by existing cruise customers under the current operating configuration.
The need for engineering and development of a permanent west-end mooring solution that protects existing cruise operations while evaluating opportunities to safely accommodate larger vessels at the downtown terminal.
Whether the Kelsey Dock permanent mooring project should be forwarded as a stand-alone priority recommendation to the City Council or incorporated into the Commission's broader Port and Harbor capital project priorities.
The relative priority of Kelsey Dock compared with the VCT water/fire system, Small Boat Harbor boat ramps, Harbormaster office, and other identified deferred-maintenance and capital projects.
How the Commission's recommendations should support the City Council's direction to develop a five-year capital project list focused on deferred maintenance and priority projects.
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
Discussion
Commissioners Colleen Stephens and Alan Steed requested that the Commission discuss the loss of west-end mooring capability at Kelsey Dock and consider recommending that the City Council prioritize the project.
The west mooring dolphin failed in 2024 and was subsequently removed. The City installed a temporary upland bollard on State Ferry property under a temporary land-use permit. However, the distance and configuration may prevent some vessels from using the bollard through their normal mooring-line arrangement.
Commissioner Stephens raised concerns regarding safe vessel operations, vessel-master confidence, and the potential loss of future cr...
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