Category Archives: CC Harbor

Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure

Crescent City Harbor Roundup, Nov. 19, 2024

Leave a comment

The old Fashion Blacksmith building at the Crescent City Harbor. | Photo by Gavin Van Alstine

(Updated at 8:53 a.m. Monday to correct an error. The Crescent City Harbor District received a proposal to site a wave energy pilot project at the port.)

Among the items discussed at the Nov. 19 Harbor District meeting:

Old Fashion Blacksmith Building: Harbor commissioners unanimously approved contracting with SHN, a Eureka-based consulting firm, to conduct the first phase of an environmental assessment on the old Fashion Blacksmith building at 121 Starfish Way.

Phase one of the project is expected to cost $7,500 and would be paid for with Harbor Mitigation Grant Program dollars, interim harbormaster Mike Rademaker told commissioners.

Continue reading Crescent City Harbor Roundup, Nov. 19, 2024 →
Articles, CC Harbor, Community News, Economy

Pacific Seafood Said It Was Going To Take Ice Plant Equipment, Harbor Locked Them Out — Briefly

Leave a comment

Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

(Updated at 9:16 a.m. Wednesday to correct an error. Pacific Seafood sold about 1,300 tons of ice last year, according to Interim Harbormaster Mike Rademaker.)

Mike Rademaker thought the Crescent City Harbor’s potential takeover of the ice plant was a good solution given the impending crab season — until the plant’s previous operator decided it was going to remove the equipment.

The interim harbormaster received this news Nov. 5, about a month after Pacific Seafood vacated the premises. With the Harbor District’s legal counsel stating that its previous tenant had abandoned its equipment when it ceased operations, Rademaker locked them out of the building.

But that lockout was short-lived, he told Redwood Voice Community News on Monday.

Continue reading Pacific Seafood Said It Was Going To Take Ice Plant Equipment, Harbor Locked Them Out — Briefly →
Articles, CC Harbor, Local Government

Current Harbor Board Bequeaths New Admin/Finance Policy, Revised Bylaws To Their Successors

Leave a comment

Thumbnail photo by Gavin Van Alstine

Despite a request from Commissioner-elect Dan Schmidt to table most of their Tuesday agenda, current Crescent City Harbor commissioners, including the “lame duckers,” approved their revised bylaws and updated finance and administration policy.

Outgoing commissioner Brian Stone urged his colleagues to vote on the latter item, which was listed on the agenda for discussion only. He said the Del Norte County Civil Grand Jury had asked the Harbor District to approve a credit card policy by Sept. 30.

Stone said he and his colleagues Wes White and Gerhardt Weber had also been working on revising the bylaws since June and urged them to finish up that unfinished business. 

Continue reading Current Harbor Board Bequeaths New Admin/Finance Policy, Revised Bylaws To Their Successors →
Articles, CC Harbor, Community News, Infrastructure

Harbor District Scores $8 Million Federal Grant For Citizens Dock Rebuild

1 Comment

Photo and image courtesy of the Crescent City Harbor District

An $8 million Port Infrastructure Development Program grant will allow the Crescent City Harbor District to begin constructing a new Citizens Dock.

But, according to interim harbormaster Mike Rademaker, representatives with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD), which is offering the grant, questioned whether or not the harbor could manage it.

This uncertainty was due to the recent resignation of previous harbormaster Tim Petrick amid concerns that he had misused a Harbor District credit card, Rademaker told harbor commissioners on Tuesday. There was also some concern when the Harbor District’s contract with its grant consultants, Community System Solutions, ran out on Oct. 1, Rademaker said.

Continue reading Harbor District Scores $8 Million Federal Grant For Citizens Dock Rebuild →
Articles, CC Harbor, Community News, Elections

Del Norte Saw A Surge In Last-Minute Ballot Submissions, County Clerk Says; Dan Schmidt, Annie Nehmer and John Evans Lead In Harbor Race

Leave a comment

Thumbnail photo by Eric (HASH) Hersman, via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License.

Though she’s not sure if the winners in Del Norte’s one contested race will change, County Clerk Recorder Alissia Northrup is certain that the raw data will change.

Northrup said her office and polling places throughout the county saw a surge in last-minute voters on Tuesday. As a result, Northrup estimated that more than 1,000 ballots were submitted and have yet to be counted.

Continue reading Del Norte Saw A Surge In Last-Minute Ballot Submissions, County Clerk Says; Dan Schmidt, Annie Nehmer and John Evans Lead In Harbor Race →
Articles, CC Harbor, Community News, Economy, Local Government

Ice Plant Saga: Harbor District Weighs Operating Plant As Short-Term Solution, Enlists Help From City, County Leaders

Leave a comment

Thumbnail courtesy of KFUG Station Manager Paul Critz.

After meeting with city and county representatives on Monday, Interim Harbormaster Mike Rademaker says there’s more momentum toward the Harbor District operating the ice plant rather than transporting the ice from Brookings.

The Crescent City Harbor District is still working on establishing a containerized ice plant, but with the commercial Dungeness crab season set to start soon, getting the ice plant on Citizens Dock up and running is a faster option, Rademaker told Redwood Voice Community News on Tuesday.

“Lead time is at least 24 weeks,” he said, referring to the containerized ice plant option, which could cost about $1 million. “It’s not a viable solution for the upcoming crab season or tuna [fishery].”

But local leaders are still figuring out how to address environmental concerns associated with the ice plant itself as well as how much ice the local fishing fleet actually needs, according to Crescent City Manager Eric Wier.

That information must also be weighed against the  costs associated with transporting ice from Pacific Choice Seafood’s plant in Brookings to Crescent City as well as figuring out how to get it onto local fishing boats, Weir said.

“We had an initial meeting in which some more questions were asked, and we need to have the answers to those questions,” he said Thursday. “What are some of the options and what are the impacts? How does this affect fishermen in regards to crab season, which is basically upon us, versus other fishing seasons? We need to have some answers fairly quickly.”

Continue reading Ice Plant Saga: Harbor District Weighs Operating Plant As Short-Term Solution, Enlists Help From City, County Leaders →
Articles, CC Harbor, Community News, Elections, Local Government

Race For The Harbor: Harry Adams Says His Job’s Not Done

Leave a comment

Harry Adams credits the changing atmosphere and the new harbormaster for his last-minute decision to run for reelection as a Crescent City Harbor commissioner.

Adams, who’s currently president of the Board of Commissioners, says he’s not done doing the job. Yet  until about three weeks ago, he wasn’t even in the running for the three seats that are up for election this year.

“I felt like I was banging my head against the wall for four years,” Adams said, explaining why he hadn’t planned on seeking re-election. “I was frustrated. I wasn’t feeling it. But with the change in harbormaster, I feel like the cadence has changed, and I received  overwhelming support from the community to run again.”

Continue reading Race For The Harbor: Harry Adams Says His Job’s Not Done →
Articles, CC Harbor, Community News, Elections, Local Government

Race For The Harbor: John Evans Wants To ‘Further His Service To The Public’

Leave a comment

The Crescent City Harbor is in the midst of a cultural shift, John Evans says.

The 40-year-old correctional officer says he sees this shift at play during Harbor District meetings, especially during public comment. Expectations for how the port should operate have changed. People expect a more professional image from the Board of Commissioners, he says.

Speaking with KFUG Community Radio’s Paul Critz and Redwood Voice Community News on Oct 17, Evans opined on the recent changes at the Crescent City Harbor District. This includes the resignation of its harbormaster in September amidst allegations of credit card misuse. Its perceived lack of transparency by the public as well as its financial struggles.

It’s not lost on Evans that the only contested local race on the ballot this election season is the Crescent City Harbor District Board of Commissioners. This, he says, makes him optimistic about its future.

“At the end of the day there’s no money being a harbor commissioner,” Evans said. “Everybody who threw their hat into the ring is passionate about it and they feel they have something to offer the harbor.”

Continue reading Race For The Harbor: John Evans Wants To ‘Further His Service To The Public’ →
Articles, CC Harbor, Community News, Elections

Race For The Harbor: Devon Morgante Wants To Help The Harbor Realize Its Potential

Leave a comment

Devon Morgante says he doesn’t want to come to the Crescent City Harbor District Board of Commissioners with an agenda, even though people ask him if he’s got one.

Instead, he says he wants to hear the community’s concerns, “filter that through education and experience,” work with his potential colleagues and the harbormaster and come up with a solution.

“Being here for about 19 years, we always enjoyed the harbor,” Morgante told KFUG Community Radio’s Paul Critz and Redwood Voice Community News last week. “There is a lot that could be done to improve the harbor. Then, as you start peeling back the layers, you’re like, ‘Oh, it’s not just about small business development, it’s not just about fishermen and their access….’ You start getting into the infrastructure and maintenance, the safety and, I guess, there’s a lot of different layers.”

Continue reading Race For The Harbor: Devon Morgante Wants To Help The Harbor Realize Its Potential →
Articles, CC Harbor, Community News, Economy

Harbor Officials, Fishermen Are Still Exploring Ice Plant Alternatives; Special Meeting Set For Tuesday

Leave a comment

A potential agreement between the Crescent City Harbor District and Pacific Seafood to purchase ice in bulk from the company’s Brookings plant may provide a short-term solution for fishermen.

But there are still questions over how much ice the fleet needs over the next year, whether fishermen want it flaked or cubed and how it will get from Oregon to Crescent City, Interim Harbormaster Mike Rademaker told Redwood Voice Community News on Friday.

“That’s still to be determined,” he said, adding that it will be up to the Harbor District or, potentially, a cooperative group from the fishing community to work out transporting the ice. “I sent out another email soliciting the fishermen to anticipate what their needs would be over the next year in terms of ice. We’ll add it all up in a spreadsheet and get an idea of what the aggregate demand will be. It will help us negotiate a discounted rate and determine the right size for storage and transportation.”

There also are other challenges associated with that potential agreement, according to Josh Mims, a local commercial fisherman who’s been working to ensure there’s ice available for the upcoming Dungeness crab season.

“One is the storage of ice,” he said. “If that ice sits on a boat for more than four or five days it becomes rock hard and it’s not usable anymore. If we do set up some kind of transportation situation then we got to make sure we store it and handle it properly or it’ll be a waste of money.”

Continue reading Harbor Officials, Fishermen Are Still Exploring Ice Plant Alternatives; Special Meeting Set For Tuesday →