Salmon Bay Marina Marina News - Archive Stories

Moorage Rate increase coincide with Electric Installation startup:

Salmon Bay Marina is continuing to make improvements. We have anticipated the electrical needs of our tenants and designed an electrical system that should serve our tenants well into the future. We have scheduled Seattle City electrical inspections and anticipate completion of the electrical system on "B" Dock, "C" Dock, "D" Dock and "E" Dock by June 1st. "A" Dock is scheduled by the City for inspection in June, and should be online by July 1. Since "A" Dock is not anticipated to be completed until mid or late June, we will credit "A" Dock tenants the difference between the old rate and new rate for the month of June only. Please note that all billing statements regardless of the dock location, should reflect updating the "last month moorage deposit". The updated electrical system will furnish all tenants who have power outlets a minimum of 30 amp power at 110 VAC. This is a 50% increase over our existing 1962 system. Additional capacity, up to 50 amp. Power will also be available to tenants. Please let us know your desire for 30 amp or 50 amp. Different moorage rates apply between 30 amp and 50 amp service. The new electrical boxes for each slip are located closer to each slip and are water tight. They have pre-installed Cable jacks that may be used when cable becomes available in our area. Telephone jacks are also provided for tenants who wish to have telephone. The pedestals have a bracket on its back to support a water hose. The electrical boxes are designed for marine use and have twist lock receptacles. The new boxes are not to be used for securing vessels. Please refrain from securing mooring lines to the new electrical boxes or their pedestals. They are not designed to withstand the force of a tugging mooring line.

The new power box 30-amp plug is a marine style plug that secures the boaters cord with a locking nut to the marina outlet. This is a safety precaution that will significantly reduce potential short circuits and/or poor electrical contacts at our dock power heads. All Tenants using our 30 amp electrical system must have shore power cords with locking nuts.

Please note, you will have until July 15 to replace your existing electrical cord with a twist lock plug. All 30 amp receptacles require a functioning locking nut. Cords that do not conform to the twist lock style will be unplugged at the tenant's risk. Any cord that is re-plugged into the receptacle and does not conform to the locking nut requirements will be confiscated.

In addition to the electrical expansion costs at Salmon Bay Marina, the City of Seattle will be requiring all covered marinas within the Seattle city limits to make certain improvements. The mandatory investments may exceed $300,000 per marina. No "grandfather clauses" will be applicable. The covered marinas must provide specific types of standpipes and standpipe testing, reduce tenant parking for fire truck turning radii, furnish drafting hydrants where necessary, change electrical connections, and either install sprinkler systems or install heat vents with draft curtains and provide an emergency"911" 24-7 telephone. These are only a few of Seattle's mandated requirements. The new ordinance also indicates that we will probably have to change our existing moorage contracts. We will notify you when the revised contract is completed and available for your signature.

The Fire department has estimated a minimum of $84.00 increase in rents per boat per month on all covered moorage. This number does not include financing fees or 36%+ tax on reserve accounts set aside for the mandated improvements. Our current increase is nowhere near the estimate established by the City Financial department. The City is granting 7 years to comply with the terms of the ordinance however a completion plan must be made 60 days after being notified by the fire Marshall's office. Obtaining the required permits will also be a challenge in the time frame required. The City of Seattle Mayor Nickels and City Council Nick Licata can be thanked for the future high rate increases and potential to drive boaters out of Seattle. They rubber stamped the ordinance that mandates Covered Marinas to make the extreme expenditures.

We do not wish to lose our tenants as a result of cost increases due to Mayor Nickels and City Council persons ordinance changes, however we must adjust rates to reflect marina improvements and Seattle mandated investments. If any tenant wishes to move to less expensive moorage elsewhere, we understand. If you do decide to move, please submit a termination notice to our marina office. Termination notice forms are available in our office for your convenience. Our current moorage tenant contract specifies termination notice by either party to be submitted 30 days prior to the end of any month.

For those of you remaining in Seattle covered moorage, we hope you will find our marina to be an excellent option. Again the city mandate applies to all covered moorage within the Seattle City Limits.

Our new rates can be found at: (Marina Rates) Your moorage rate depends on boat length / slip length, electrical amperage, open or covered moorage, and if you are a live-aboard. In addition, we are changing the minimum electric meter fee and the locker rental fees. Guest moorage fees will remain at $1.00/ft/day-night.

Salmon Bay Marina was the only individual marina representing itself and its tenants at the City Council public hearings. We wrote many letters and sent numerous e-mail's to the Seattle City Council in an attempt to educate our city legislatures. In the end, our City Council people did not want to hear how it would affect our tenants or why more study was necessary before implementing the revised code and what could have been reasonable alternatives. Some of the information we submitted to the Fire Marshall and City Council can be found on our archive news articles page.

We wish to give special thanks to our tenants Mr. Dwyer and Mr. Knight for their testimony at the City Council hearings on Salmon Bay Marina's and our tenant's behalf. Unfortunately, the City Council had already rubber stamped the passage of the expensive ordinance.

We also thank those of you who contacted the City Council and Mayors office. I guess we will have to vote with our wallets and feet when the council and mayor are challenged in the next election.
Thank you all for mooring at Salmon Bay Marina

City Council Committee Meeting on Marina Fire Code Change:

The City of Seattle has several committees who review the different topics being submitted. In the case of the proposed revised Marina Fire Code, a hearing will be on March 15, 2:00 PM in the council chambers (City Hall, 600 Fourth Avenue, 2nd Floor). This may be the only time we will have a voice in how the city council sees business in Seattle. If you have time please attend and state your views. If you do not have time then please e-mail Councilman Nick Licata at : mailto:nick.licata@seattle.gov.

SALMON BAY MARINA NEWSLETTER MARCH 2005

Sprinklers Vs Heat Vents & Draft Curtains in Covered Moorage - If passed by the City Council, covered moorage fees will increase citywide. We suggest amending Council Bill 115185 to accommodate existing marina structures rather than one shoe fits all.

In our January Newsletter we indicated that the City of Seattle Fire Marshall was revising the Seattle Fire Code. The "New" revised code has been passed by Seattle Mayor Nickels and submitted to the City Council for their acceptance or rejection. If adopted, covered moorage and adjacent open slip fees will dramatically increase in Seattle. The good news is that the Fire Marshall's office has recognized that sprinklers in covered moorages are not effective. The bad news is the Fire Marshall's office has come up with an alternative idea using heat vents and draft curtains. The fire marshals senior engineer has indicated many critical issues of the new code need addressing but that the Fire Marshall's office is mainly interested in making changes. The retrofit demand by the Fire Marshall to existing marinas, including Salmon Bay Marina, will cost plenty. We are enclosing a letter sample to be sent to the City Council reflecting concerns about the revised code. The letter can be signed, modified to your own desires, or disregarded if you are so inclined.

To be fair, a few of the proposed code changes are good. It is important to have a fire plan that all tenants are aware of. It is also reasonable to have dry standpipes tested annually because firefighters deserve reliable equipment. Currently our dry Standpipes are tested every 3 to 5 years.

What is not fair is that Covered Moorages are being used as a whipping boy because three years ago the City of Seattle did not have the infrastructure that it has today. Three years ago the labor unions of the fire department and police department were squabbling who had jurisdiction to fight marina fires and as a result even though the Harbor Patrol fireboat was at the fire sites, they were told to stand down. The fires spread while the Fire Department tried to match different hydrant hose fitting sizes and when they did get their hoses hooked up the fire department discovered the city water department had reduced the water flow to the fire hydrants. Needless to say there were catastrophic losses at those marinas because the City Services that taxpayers had been paying for, for decades, were nonfunctional.

Today, three years later, the Ship Canal has two fireboats soon to be three (the Alki at fisherman's terminal and the Harbor Patrol fire boat, with another on the way), the fire department and the harbor patrol are at least talking on the same radio frequency, the Seattle water department is looking at maintaining their water sources, and the fire department is visiting the marinas regularly to confirm their equipment will fit the city hydrants. A recent fire at Wilson Marina proved that the existing system seems to work. Only two boats were damaged within the marina. No catastrophic loss occurred because the aluminum roof melted away and the Harbor Patrol police / fireboat was able to put the fire out.

If the "New Code" is passed by the City Council then covered moorages will be expected to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to change their marinas and conform to the new code. The Fire Marshall's office is minimizing "grandfather" design issues because they have been told by the Mayors office to change the code and the Fire Marshall has the governmental authority to make it happen. The result is the City Fire Marshall is trying to make one shoe fit 40 marinas that are all structurally different. Even if the marinas spend hundreds of thousands of dollars making structural changes, we have no guarantee that the city won't change again next year requiring more money outlay for another issue.

If the Code revision process goes through and the people of Seattle are not concerned, then the Seattle City Council may assume they have the "go ahead" to make many other changes. This would eliminate the "grandfather" construction implications currently found in homes, apartments and businesses. The cost to live in Seattle will continue to escalate. For example what if…: Requiring all homes to be retrofitted with sprinklers because of the potential of saving lives: Requiring all underground storage tanks in homes to be double walled. Existing heating oil tanks must be removed and replaced with double wall oil tanks: All old and new houses must have foundations able to withstand new seismic standards - jack up houses and structures, tear out and replace the existing foundation: all electrical panels and wiring must be changed to today's code regardless of being in homes or businesses (the new code is going into effect this year). The City is willing for you to make mandatory investments into your property without the City being required to supplement the investment or without regard to where funds you will need to make the changes are going to come from. Where does it stop?

More information is available on specific issues Click here .

Your thoughts can be e-mailed to the City Council at http://www.seattle.gov/council/councilcontact.htm or Council Member Nick Licata, Chair for Public Safety mailto:nick.licata@seattle.gov. City Hall, 600 4th Ave. Floor 2, P.O. Box Seattle, WA 98124-4025. We will post the City Council hearing dates on this web page when available.

Should "New Fire Code" For Covered Moorages be implemented?

The Fire Marshall's office and marina industry have come a long way in a few short months of review time to provide a guideline for marina safety. Many of the issues including signage, emergency plans and even exploring the use of drafting hydrants is beneficial. Those issues could be implemented easily and almost immediately.

We are pleased that the Fire Marshall's office has recognized that sprinklers are not the answer in that they are too maintenance intense, too expensive, may not structurally be adaptable to some covered marinas and may briefly subdue fire spread but will not put out a fire in covered marinas. The Fire Marshall's correct determination for adapting "passive" and less maintenance intensive approach by using Drafting Curtains, heat vents or a combination of the two for fire protection a reasonable direction. Several areas of the "new code" require refinement. Those areas include: Draft curtain calculations, Draft curtain height applicability to existing structures, Heat vent characteristics, potentially hazardous visibility issues, maintenance costs for supporting the code modifications, using alternative materials like aluminum roofs to replace heat vents, and construction costs to implement the code suggestions.

The language that has been crafted over the past several weeks, as a general "new fire code", uses excessive vent size calculations for each of the 40 different marinas that the Fire Marshall's office has targeted. The Fire Marshall will be depending on his discretionary ability to modify a written code that has potential problems. More time is necessary to establish feasible solutions with reasonable wording. The solutions should be economically viable with safer (if possible) conditions than currently exist.

The proposed submittal to the marina and boating industries was crafted under an extremely rapid (approximately two and a half month) time frame Sources continued to furnish valuable information to the Fire Marshall's office up to and including the last marina meeting date of January 27th. More information continues to be assimilated.

We have been reviewing marina structures and boating practices, and are exploring how the Fire Marshall's proposed "new fire code" document for covered marinas will affect covered moorages and their clientele. If the private sector is going to be required to spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to retrofit existing old marinas to a new standard, then that standard should be clearly effective, economically feasible, and not be duplicating effects if a fire does occur (as would be the effect if using heat vents and aluminum roofs).

We spoke to Rich Richardson, the Seattle Fire Marshall Senior Engineer, of our concerns. We spoke after adjourning from the joint Marina / Fire department meeting of January 27th. Mr. Richardson agrees that my concerns are valid and provisions must be made to economically and safely accommodated those concerns. As of March 11, the Fire Marshall's office abandoned several formulas originally applied to the February fire code Draft. Those formulas were thought to be usable but in reality, were discovered to be inapplicable. The fire Marshall is now suggesting using a ratio of 15:1. The revised theory is; for every fifteen square feet of roof, one foot of venting will be required. This revision demonstrates why further analysis is necessary.

Many of the concerns previously reviewed are now being addressed however further scrutiny should be made.

1. Draft curtains:

a. The new fire code document indicates a minimum depth of 2 feet rather than the initial 4 foot depth. (This is appropriate)

b. Draft-curtains on a pitched roof where the top of the sloped roof was open is not addressed. How does the slope affect the heat transfer or heat flow?

c. When I asked why draft curtains must be horizontal to the floor, Mr. Richardson said no reason especially when the roof is pitched. Why the draft curtain could not run parallel with the roof surface has not been addressed. Since heat rises, the draft of the heat would direct it to move in the direction of the least resistance, which is toward the open top of a sloped roof (if the roof peek was open). So why must the curtain be horizontal?

d. The Fire Marshall's document indicates the draft curtains must be smoke tight. This may not be necessary because the structures are open on at least two sides and smoke will escape from one of the sides. If heat vents are doing their job and open at the appropriate temperature, then those smoke tight seams will not be necessary. It is my understanding that a smoke tight wall is to prevent smoke from entering other living spaces. This is not an issue at marinas. In fact having smoke aroma travel around a marina that indicates a potential fire is brewing may be an advantage. Smoke aroma will alert others on the docks that something may be amiss. The boating community is a very tight alert community. They tend to investigate anything that is out of the ordinary.

The construction for each of the different marina roofs does not easily adapt to smoke tight seams. Marina roof structures are constructed differently. Some have solid roofs using wood decking, while others like ours has aluminum sheeting for the roof structure. Our purlins (roof supports) are spaced at 22 inches and are 8 inches deep. The curved surfaces of aluminum roof membrane changes shape when the sun strikes it, (even Seattle does get some sun during the year). Miles of tape or caulking will be necessary to make the draft curtain walls smoke tight against the roof. The cost of labor alone will be extraordinary because workers will have to erect scaffolding over water in order to install each inch-by-inch piece of tape or caulking. After the tape or caulking is installed it will not hold because the docks are a dynamic structures i.e. the docks continue to move due to wave action and aluminum roof materials expand and contract at different rates compared to newly installed heat vents and wooden purlins. The caulk or tape will not expand or move at the same rate as the rest of the structure. The movement action will break the "seals" over a short period of time thereby rendering the smoke tight effectiveness irrelevant. We currently are continually on the top of the roofs caulking where the roof fasteners protrude through to the purlins because of the expansion and contraction of the aluminum roofs. These fastener repairs are minuscule compared to the miles of an under roof caulking maintenance nightmare.

d. At what breeze velocities are heat vents ineffective? Are they ineffective immediately if a breeze occurs? If so how often is a breeze flowing through marinas? Possibly roof scuppers may be an alternative to evacuate heat?

2. Lighting: Marinas are constructed in such a manner that boaters (who may only use their boats occasionally) are able to access their slips day or night. In order for boaters to safely navigate their 8+ ton vessels that are 15 feet wide into a slip that is 16 feet wide they must be able to see. Try driving your car on an icy surface into a dark narrow garage in the rain with out lights. Lighting issues diminish if draft curtains that would restrict light are located higher under the roof rather than lower from the roof and are parallel to the roof rather than parallel to the water "floor".

a. Lights must not be in line with boat centerlines and must be higher than the boat flying bridge or lower than the boat deck to allow the pilot of the boat ample visibility without blinding them due to looking directly into a light. Having low curtains or curtains that are parallel with the water "floor", will require the lights to be lowered below the curtain to provide lighting to all of the boats in the boat shed. Lowering the lights may place them directly in line with boat pilot's eye level. Light elevations within a covered marina also affect how safe navigation will occur within the waterways of each marina. Some boats moored at marinas have tenders, swim steps or bow pulpits that extend into waterways. Lighting reduces the collision potential by allowing the boat pilot to visually confirm and avoid obstructions. A lower the elevation of a light in a Covered marina results in less waterway lighting.

b. Adding lights to each area encased with curtains adds to the amperage draw. Increasing the amperage load may require replacing the wire and probably the conduit and circuit breakers, panels, new lights etc. These changes all assume the marina has sufficient electrical capacity to increase the lighting amperage load in the first place. In addition to the structural challenges for moving lighting, the light location must also accommodate maintenance of the light fixtures. It is very difficult to replace a light bulb in an enclosed light fixture that is 20 feet above the water with no structure to stand on. Again special considerations for safe maintenance practices must be addressed. The cost just to change a light bulb must be considered.

c. Boat sheds are designed to have light along walkways as well. The curtains may preclude good walkway lighting. This is hazardous for people who walk to their boats at night on the narrow walkways. Remember wintertime darkness arrives at 4:30 PM. Covered moorages tend to block ambient light from beyond the covered docks. It is therefore important to have the walkways lit to prevent accidents, people falling into the water, or onto adjacent boats.

3. Existing roof construction:

a. Some roofs are made of aluminum or steel and others are made with wood decking. Heat transfer or construction "credit" should given to roofs that are aluminum and have proven the ability to disintegrate under heat load even though the aluminum is not "rated". Additional credit could be given for structures that have sloped roofs with venting at the top of the slope. Aluminum roofing materials are expensive and are actually taking the place of roof vents. Photos of a marina fire in 1994 (below) show how the aluminum roof burnt off. The fire did not spread down the dock because the roof burnt off. This is proof that roofs that burn off works. If vents were placed onto the aluminum roof a question arises if the vents would even be effectual. The roof would burn off and destroy the vent anyway. Why place tens of thousands of dollars into vents when they will be ineffectual.

b. If environmental credits are acceptable for international negotiations then why not devise something for structural marina credits for vent areas. This could possibly include existing walls within marinas, aluminum roofs, accessibility to slips (waterway widths allowing access to the boats in case of fire), and reduced potentials of fire jumping across waterways onto other docks.

c. Why not eliminate Aluminum roof marinas from being required to install vents as was enacted for boathouses. Fires in existing Aluminum roof structures have proven not to be catastrophic because the roofs burn off and vent the heat out.

The newly recommended curtain height as of March 11, that changes the draft curtain to 2' will definitely reduce much of the light blockage issues that would have been a serious problem if requiring a 4 foot draft curtain provided the lower curtain edge is parallel to the roof and not the floor.

4. The March 11 recommendations include using a 15:1 ratio of roof to vent area. This is in excess of the International code which uses 30:1 for the most volatile high stack storage in enclosed buildings. In actuality, because of the structure being a pole structure with relatively low roofs, and a water "floor" it seams reasonable to have a 60:1 roof to vent ratio. This becomes more effective economically for the marinas and follows existing science.

5. Testing of existing standpipes to conform with requirements: The cost to test the flow capabilities of a system annually will be astronomical. All water that will flow though the pipe will be rusty water. Shoreline Management act will not allow that water to flow into the receiving water. Therefore the thousands of gallons of water must be treated or contained at the end of the piers. Special permits from the city will be necessary for using city water from the fire hydrants for testing flows. Inspections by ecology, Washington State Department of natural Resources and probably the Core of Engineers will be necessary. If Seattle is concerned with water drought situation, is this requirement realistic on an annual basis? What additional political ramifications will result when the city requires limited water resources to be used?

We realize that the directive given the Fire Marshall's office is a political issue driven by the mayor's office demanding something be provided in writing. As the marina industry and the Fire Marshall's senior engineer have indicated earlier, a lot of work still needs to be done on making the "new code" viable. Safety programs and signage are excellent directions and as stated earlier can be almost immediately implemented. However, I believe some other issues should have more study time. Even Seattle's Senior Engineer, Mr. Rich Richardson, has indicated that Seattle is trying to do something that has never been done before.

The Fire Marshall's office, through Chief Nelsen, recently inquired to fire fighting peers on the East Coast of the United States, as to if they thought Seattle was going in the "right direction". It is my understanding that those inquiries led to the affirmative and that a "passive" direction for fire control by using draft curtains was the best direction. It was suggested not to pursue an "active, more maintenance intense" and potentially nonfunctional direction like requiring sprinklers.

So far, only limited existing science has been performed to validate or negate many of the provisions that the Seattle Fire Marshall is attempting to apply retroactively on older open sided existing structures over water with limited floor space and low roof heights.
Possibly the only opportunity to request further investigation time on portions of the "new Fire Code" lie with the city council hearings and the Fire Code Advisory Committee.

The City of Seattle Fire Marshall's office has pointed out the Mayors political point of view, and we appreciate the Fire Marshall being willing to explore remedies. We all continue to become more familiar with how the marina industry operates with its existing built-in government regulated interjections. Regulations are not only coming from the City Fire Marshall's office. The interjections also come from other government agencies, rules, or laws including: U.S. Core of Engineers, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Seattle Building Department, Seattle Electrical Department, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Tribes, Federal and State Department of Ecology, Department of Licensing, Drainage and Wastewater, Seattle Water Department and the Washington State Shoreline Management Act to name a few.

I recognize that the Fire Marshall is trying to coordinate a relatively palatable direction of mandatory investment on behalf of the forty or so covered marinas. But so are many of the other government agencies. Again implementing signage and safety programs can be addressed almost immediately, however I trust the Seattle City Council and the Fire Code Advisory Committee will see the wisdom of postponing implementation for much of the "new code" as written. Portions of the "new code" that will be expensive to implement and are questionable as to their calculated effectiveness including required vent sizing should be delayed for adoption until more applicable information is available and other issues raised herein have had an opportunity to be reviewed. Having a time frame for implementation as specified in the "new code" is important for budgeting purposes and for establishing compliance deadlines. However to over budget for something that is not necessary can be detrimental to a businesses success. This may be the case if the code stipulates designing a larger number of expensive vents then necessary.

As the Fire Marshall's office has reiterated, doing nothing is not an option. Implementing only part but not all of the proposed "new code" is being proactive. Making more investigations as to how vent sizing should be calculated is also being proactive.
The progress of Seattle showing proof that the City has been proactive includes:

1. Now having effective maneuverable city owned boats on the ship canal with fire fighting capabilities manned by Seattle Harbor Patrol who have fire fighting training.

2. The moving of the large Seattle Fire Boat "Alki" to fisherman's Terminal to augment fire fighting capabilities on the ship canal,

3. Better communication between the Harbor Patrol and the Seattle Fire Department,

4. And the fact that recent covered marina fires have been rapidly extinguished and did not cause catastrophic losses (reference Wilson Marina fire).

5. Requiring safety fire plans for marinas in the "new code"

6. Coordinating and furnishing marina layouts to fire stations to enhance fire protection,

7. Validating dry standpipes regularly so they can be trusted by the Fire Fighters,

8. Verifying and making provisions for marinas to have sufficient water to fight fires that may occur,

These features and many more validate that Seattle has not been standing still.
Seattle is and no doubt will continue to do be progressive with regard to fighting fires on the ship canal, and marinas are willing to help address many of the issues.

Making requirements on marinas that have minimal effect for maximum dollars is not a good idea. It also sends a bad message to Seattle businesses and future businesses.

That message is:

If you come to Seattle and buy or rent a building, Seattle may impose unreasonable restrictions and costs that cannot be budgeted for. They did it to the Marinas and can do it to you. Beware Realtors and Landlords.

It would appear that if the Marinas can justify reasonable cost effective solutions to comply with Fire Marshall issues, then we could encourage business and industry to come to the City of Seattle.

Much of our remaining northwest industry depends on the water we are surrounded by. As indicated before, just because someone has a boat doesn't necessarily make them rich in dollars, only in spirit. Our marina caters to many different lifestyles who enjoy boating. Lets not price them out of the boating experience.
Respectfully

Charles Draper Jr.
Salmon Bay Marina

The "New Code" Council Bill 115185 should be revised prior to adoption into City of Seattle Laws. The "new Code" should include solutions to many of the issues raised. Feel free to e-mail Councilman Nick Licata (Chairman for the Public Safety in Seattle) mailto:nick.licata@seattle.gov about moorage safety concerns and suggest alturnatives if you have them.

Rescuing Sinking Boats: Three boats saved. - Salmon Bay marina staff regularly walks the docks to check boat lines and explores anything out of the ordinary. We also have a wonderful active boating community. Our recent summer hours staffing program with the office open seven days a week is already proving valuable for our tenants. Pete Hanley, a marina staff member, was performing a routine dock check, Sunday, June 8. He noticed a 30' Uniflite on "A" dock sitting low in the water. He boarded the vessel and opened the hatch cover to the engine compartment. "Too Much Water" was leaking in. Pete secured one of the marinas emergency pumps, began pumping out the water, then notified the owner. (The new boat owners were unaware that no automatic bilge pump feature was on board. The boat only had a manual pump switch.) The owner eventually arrived and cured the switch problem. A short while later on "B" dock, Mr. Brian King (one of our tenants) noticed a 40' Chris Craft tri-cabin listing to port. Pete again to the rescue. Pete and another tenant (Mr. Al Halowell who was familiar with the vessel), boarded the boat and discovered water to the floorboards in the forward galley. Pete used two more marina pumps and began pumping the boat out. Again he contacted the emergency number for the tenant and saved the day.
Finally, the "Alien Queen" a beautiful classic yacht, was recently placed from dry storage into the water. Mr. Lyons, a prince of a man and owner of the "Alien Queen", was aware his boat was taking on water. Wood boats will sustain plank shrinkage while out of the water. When placed back into the water, they will normally leak until the seams swell closed. Mr Lyons anticipated his pumps would handle the seepage as was the case in the past. He was unaware that his batteries were uncharged. To the rescue… Pete and a few of our tenants, Mr. Bruce Kinaman, David Leadbetter and Al Halowell assisted Mr. Lyons in setting up a battery charger for the boats power and saw that the pumps were working properly to resolve the issue. We are fortunate to have great tenants, alert staff, and available equipment to cure many problems that arise. Just another day on the docks with great tenants and solving problems.

Boat Auction October 25, 2003 : The 40' Matthews and the 33' Monk had no bidders. Salmon Bay Boat Sales is repairing the Matthews engine and will sell both as repo boats. Information on the boats including specification sheets can be found on our boat sales page (Sales,Repos,Auctions). The most recent surveys for both boats can be viewed in our marina office.

1947 Matthews 40' - Hull has been refastened and corked - Good shape,

1938 Monk 33' , radar, auto pilot, diesel stove, shower, forward stateroom, runs well and has economical perkins diesel engine.

Cold Weather Water Shut off. It is that time of year when the temperatures drop. Please keep track of our water status. We will be shutting off the water when necessary. Click on Water Status for up-to-date potable water availability on our docks.

Salmon Bay Marina is addling a summer time office hour schedule to include Sunday's and Monday's. To support our current tenants and enhance service to future clients, beginning June 1, 2003 Salmon Bay Marina will have their office staffed seven days a week . Office hours for Sunday and Monday will be from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Our regular office hours Tuesday through Saturday will continue from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This support will allow tenants to remove or replace vehicles, boats etc. from the open storage area on "D" Dock seven days a week. The additional hours will allow prospective boat purchasers an opportunity to receive information about boats for sale at our docks on Sundays and Mondays.

Concerts At The Locks

The Government Locks has Free Concerts throughout the summer. The schedule can be found at: Concerts You can also find other things to do by visiting our Links page - "Kids Stuff".

Hot Topic: Washington State DNR Limits Boat Usage Affecting Non-live-aboard and Live-aboard Boaters

Update November, 2002 - for those who check into our site for changes, additions to this article are in rust color.

The State of Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has moved forward and increased its control over the boating public by changing the law in the WAC's - Washington Administration Code, and RCW's - Revised Code of Washington. The changes by the DNR limit boat usage and restrict where pleasure craft boats can moor. The DNR will require all marinas to follow "Best Management Practices". Marinas are required to furnish proof to the DNR that the boats in their marinas have had their holding tanks pumped to shore based disposal sites.

The DNR has now made their decisions and unfortunately the boaters in the State of Washington will suffer. Boaters wishing to move to other nearby marinas may not be able to do so. The DNR still anticipates placing a time limit on how many days you can "reside" or stay on your boat. That limit will be no more than 90 days per year. The DNR has apparently changed their view to not require the express permission of the DNR when switching slips in the same marina. The proposed laws increase governmental agency control over how you use your boat by limiting marina capabilities and increasing registration responsibilities. (more of "big brother looking over your shoulder").

This control brings up a "Privacy Issue". If the DNR requires all information about a live-aboard, then why not all boaters? Who is responsible for policing the information? Is the marina responsible for establishing what personal property items and corresponding taxes should be reviewed by the State?

Salmon Bay Marina has for many years defined a live-aboard as a boater who stays on board for more than 16 nights / month. This allows our non-Live-aboard tenants the opportunity to enjoy their investment all year long including weekends. The DNR has determined that all boats at Salmon Bay Marina will now be classified "Liveaboard", but only under the definition made by the DNR. The current Seattle restrictions allow 10% of the total slips as liveaboard.

The Good news is that we have 19 years left on our DNR permit and the new laws, according to the DNR, the changes will not affect us until our existing permit expires. The bad news is what will we do in 19 years when the people who make the rules now are no longer around and we must interpret verbatim what the intent was. We currently have tenants who have been with us for over 20 years and hopefully we will continue to have that following.

The DNR proposed live-aboard definition is: a boater who "habitats" their boat for 30 of 40 days and no more than 90 days per year. The DNR is proposing that marinas may have up to a maximum of 10% live-aboards.

The Websters definition of "occupy" is: "to be a resident or tenant of".

Although not the intent of the DNR, an estimated ninety percent of all boaters at every marina in the state will fall into the DNR's live-aboard definition as live-aboards. In order for boaters to comply with the DNR's proposed new law, each boat must move to a different marina over a mile away every 30 to 90 days.

The proposed DNR verbiage with critique can be found on our web site http://www.salmonbaymarina.com/DNRvsBoaters or full text from the DNR without critique at: http://www.wa.gov/dnr/htdocs/aqr/residentaluse/revise.htm and http://www.wa.gov/dnr/htdocs/aqr/residentaluse/revisedrule702.pdf

The DNR's "Proposed New Presidential Rule On State Owned Aquatic Lands - Revised small business Economic impact statement - July 2002 Final" is published. The link is as follows: http://www.state.wa.us/dnr/htdocs/aqr/residentaluse/july3sbeis.htm

Apparently our state officials have decided to continue with their definition of "Occupy" rather than reside or other terms that apply to living at a specific site. In addition the July final publication also indicates that the state is trying to shift more government control. Section 8.1.6 "If the local government sets a limit lower then the 10% used in this study, then that limit would apply to marina businesses regardless of the department’s laws and rules, so any resulting costs could not be attributed to the proposed new rule."

We urge you to call, write, or e-mail your legislative representative and request not passing the proposed revisions of WAC 332-30 sections 171, 106, 139 , 144, 148 until all the bugs are worked out.

Washington State Legislature with e-mail addresses can be found on
Web Site : http://www.leg.wa.gov/wsladm/default.htm

Notify your legislature representatives, lobbyists, and other boaters that the proposed law revisions by the DNR are not ready for passage. The proposed laws are bad for boaters and the boating industry.

September 3, 2004 - The DNR has a new site http://www.dnr.wa.gov/htdocs/aqr/residentaluse/announce.htm and http://www.dnr.wa.gov/htdocs/aqr/ showing the revised rules.

Fire destroys three pleasure craft on Lake Union

Remebmer to unplug all electrical devices on board when leaving your boat. This fire was attributed to a small electric clock.

Thursday, July 24, 2003 This was NOT Salmon Bay Marina

By CHRIS McGANN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

The hollering started about 5:40 a.m., according to Ron Sperry, who lives aboard a 55-foot yacht at the Seattle Marina on north Lake Union where three pleasure boats burned yesterday.

"Fire on the dock! Fire on the dock!"

Sperry shot out of bed when he heard the frantic shouts, echoes of the Seattle Marina fire he narrowly escaped 14 months, six days ago. "But who's counting?"
That earlier fire caused $10 million in damage, flames spreading from boat to boat, destroying 35. It started just two boats away from Sperry's. Though he was not hurt, the fire was a death blow to the 54-year-old yacht broker's business -- 28 of his boats burned.

Quick response by Seattle's Harbor Patrol boat was credited with preventing an even worse fire. No one was injured yesterday, authorities said. (Photo-Noel Berube / Special to the P-I)

Yesterday's fire ravaged a 42-foot fiberglass yacht owned by Richard Brookbush, who had moved from Edmonds on June 10 to live aboard his boat.

Brookbush, 51, said last night he wasn't sure what woke him up, but when he did, glass was already shattering from the heat.

"I ran into the salon and turned around to see the whole back end of my boat in flames," he said. "If I had woken up 30 seconds later, I wouldn't have woken up."

Brookbush escaped by jumping into the water.

From his brother's Edmonds home last night, Brookbush said he was relieved to find out that the fire did not start on his boat.

He said insurance likely will pay to replace the boat, but some items are irreplaceable.

"I lost everything I owned," he said. "I had all my property on the boat."

A collection of more than 100 signed first editions of books by Mickey Spillane and Ray Bradbury collected over 25 years may be among the hardest to part with, he said.

No one was injured in yesterday's fire.
The two other boats were not occupied.

Nick LeClercq, owner of Seattle Marina, said the Seattle Police Department's quick response prevented kind of catastrophic damage that occurred in the fire last year.

"What saved the day is the Harbor Patrol boat No. 4," LeClercq said. "They were here within 10 minutes. They came around the corner with their cannons blazing. They were like the cavalry.

"The result is three boats ruined rather than 50."

As he stared at the blackened rubble that was the galley of one of the burned ships, Seattle Fire Department investigator Tony Little said fiberglass burns incredibly quickly. A small flame can sweep from bow to stern in five minutes or less on fiberglass boats such as the ones that burned yesterday, he said.

"The same (fast-spreading fire) is true of a house, but on a boat you've got limited egress," Little said.

The boats explode like plastic and gasoline and propane -- cause that's what they are," LeClercq said.

Lt. Sue Stangl, a spokeswoman for the Seattle Fire Department, said firefighters had the fire doused by 6:30 a.m.

She said the fire caused $1 million in damage to the boats and the dock.

The fire was ruled accidental, caused by an electrical problem in one of the unoccupied boats.

John Baxter, the marina manager, said investigators on the scene told him a small electric clock onboard the 34-foot Tollycraft where the fire broke out, was to blame.

"It was the only thing that was running in the area of the boat," Baxter said. "It was the clock or the outlet or both.

"Clocks are dangerous, especially the cheap ones, they have a tendency to go bad, and they'll just sit there and cook."

Seattle fire investigators looked into the possibility that electrical appliances on one of the boats had caused last year's fire, but in the end, they were not able to say what started the blaze.

With his border collie Buddy at his side as he watched the mop-up, Speery, who has lived at the Seattle Marina for 15 years, said the back-to-back marina fires are more than he could believe.

"We're not supposed to have this many fires," he said. "This is crazy."

He said with last year's fire still fresh in his memory, the warning cries yesterday morning seemed especially terrifying.

"When you're on your own boat and somebody starts screaming 'Fire!' your heart just goes into your throat."

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Chittenden Lockage Timing:

Saturday, July 12, 2003

Conservation efforts may cause traffic jams at Ballard Locks

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF

Boats using the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Ballard may face longer wait times as the Army Corps of Engineers works to conserve water and reduce the chance that Lake Washington will fall below normal levels.

More than 57,000 vessels each year pass through the locks, which regulate the level of lakes Washington and Union.

Lock operators now will wait until boats fill the lock chamber whenever possible, increasing wait times up to an hour. The increased wait times will last through August and perhaps through mid-September.

By starting conservation measures now, the corps hopes to keep the lake at or above its normal low elevation. For more, see http://www.nwd-wc.usace.army.mil/nws/hh/basins/rivers.htm

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Rescuing Sinking Boats: Three boats saved. - Salmon Bay marina staff regularly walks the docks to check boat lines and explores anything out of the ordinary. We also have a wonderful active boating community. Our recent summer hours staffing program with the office open seven days a week is already proving valuable for our tenants. Pete Hanley, a marina staff member, was performing a routine dock check, Sunday, June 8. He noticed a 30' Uniflite on "A" dock sitting low in the water. He boarded the vessel and opened the hatch cover to the engine compartment. "Too Much Water" was leaking in. Pete secured one of the marinas emergency pumps, began pumping out the water, then notified the owner. (The new boat owners were unaware that no automatic bilge pump feature was on board. The boat only had a manual pump switch.) The owner eventually arrived and cured the switch problem. A short while later on "B" dock, Mr. Brian King (one of our tenants) noticed a 40' Chris Craft tri-cabin listing to port. Pete again to the rescue. Pete and another tenant (Mr. Al Halowell who was familiar with the vessel), boarded the boat and discovered water to the floorboards in the forward galley. Pete used two more marina pumps and began pumping the boat out. Again he contacted the emergency number for the tenant and saved the day.
Finally, the "Alien Queen" a beautiful classic yacht, was recently placed from dry storage into the water. Mr. Lyons, a prince of a man and owner of the "Alien Queen", was aware his boat was taking on water. Wood boats will sustain plank shrinkage while out of the water. When placed back into the water, they will normally leak until the seams swell closed. Mr Lyons anticipated his pumps would handle the seepage as was the case in the past. He was unaware that his batteries were uncharged. To the rescue… Pete and a few of our tenants, Mr. Bruce Kinaman, David Leadbetter and Al Halowell assisted Mr. Lyons in setting up a battery charger for the boats power and saw that the pumps were working properly to resolve the issue. We are fortunate to have great tenants, alert staff, and available equipment to cure many problems that arise. Just another day on the docks with great tenants and solving problems.

Live-Aboard Moorage Slips Available
Even though the DNR is trying to put marinas out of business, we will still endeavor to support the boating public. In supporting the boaters we are adding three and possibly 4 more live-aboard moorage slips. We made an electrical expansion on "D" Dock and "E" Dock sufficient to support live-aboard tenants. The power available is 110VAC and 220VAC with 30 amp and 50 amp breakers depending upon which slips are leased. The moorage slips can accommodate boats up to 70 feet in length with a slip minimum of 40 feet. The Moorage rate is based on $14.00/ft. per month + Electrical. We have combined two slips into one in order to accommodate larger live-aboard vessels. The combined slips are: E-6 & E-5, E3D & E2D. The slip locations can be seen on our "SlipMap" on "D" and "E" Docks. Call our office for more details.

Live-aboard boats with moorage.

Basic projects: Bear with us. Our marina projects include parking lot re-stripping, repairing asphalt areas, fence installation, rewiring the "new shop area", evaluating Rest Room addition, repairing bulkheads and roof structures, caulking roofs, painting the marina, moving temporary steel storage, and yard maintenance (lawn & shrubs).

We have installed two new stacked Maytag front loader washer and dryer units in the laundry / shower room. Each washer has increased capacity and higher spin rate. This should reduce the laundry drying time and allow tenants a faster turnaround time.

Relocated the Dumpster to the corner of the "New Shop". This will allow better access to "B" Dock and help keep the area cleaner.

Rebuilt "A" Dock entrance increasing the walkway width at the gate. This will provide easier access with carts onto "A" dock. (Rails will be made in our new shop when the shop is ready - see "New Marina Shop" - below.)

Provided three additional parking spaces near "A" dock entrance

One of our tenants invited friends aboard their boat. One of their guests was pregnant. Delivery was onboard in late May at Salmon Bay Marina. - Mom and Baby are doing fine - we are not sure if its name is guppy (probably not).

Charles Draper III. Marina Operations Manager, is also a new daddy with a son as of March 15 - Charles David Draper IV. (Between his 19 month old little girl and the three month old little boy, daddy is not getting much sleep yet)

New Occupancy of Old B & A Building (See "New Marina Shop" - below)

Potential New Rest Room in Old B & A Building (See "Potential Rest Room Addition" - below)

Marina is still attempting to work with the City of Seattle, Emperor Nichols and his Court Jesters concerning the New Laws for Heat vents and Draft curtains (See "City of Seattle Covered Moorage Requirements" - below)

Birchard & Agee Move to bigger space:

A third party recently purchased the Birchard and Agee business. They moved from the 2900 Sq. Ft facility at Salmon Bay Marina to a 10,000 square foot facility three blocks west of Salmon Bay Marina. Their telephone number continues to be 206.282.3593. They are still available to service your vessels. We wish the new owners of Birchard and Agee Marine service continued success.

New Marina Shop:

The building previously occupied by Birchard and Agee is to be a shop facility for the Marina. For the past 40 years Salmon Bay Marina has had a shop off site at Draper Machine Works Inc. Draper Machine Works Inc. is the parent company of Salmon Bay Marina. Their shop area, located in south Seattle, was recently leased to another business. As a result, the machine shop tooling, steel materials and equipment had to be moved to a new location for temporary storage. Some of the equipment and materials were loaded into containers.

The temporary storage is currently at Salmon Bay Marina on "D" dock and part of the Parking Lot. The steel and wood beam storage in the parking lot is anticipated to be temporary. The move of equipment to Salmon Bay Marina took place early 2006. Since that time, materials are, slowly but surely, being placed into service or are being sold.

Some materials are planned for use at the Marina for repairs and construction projects. For example, our transformer supports in our new marina electrical system came from the steel "I" beam inventory.

Potential Rest Room addition:

We are exploring the potential of installing another Rest Room facility within the "new shop" that would be accessible to tenants. The Rest Room will require additional excavation within the building and trenching the parking lot for installation of a pump system and piping for water and sewer. The marina is below the sewer system and therefore the effluent must be pumped up to the sewer line. Some of the steel in the yard will be used to cover the trench while under construction thereby allowing parking for our tenants. We are still exploring this and completion will depend upon what other projects must be completed first.

Bulkhead Repairs:

In earlier notices to our tenants, we indicated our intent on making bulkhead repairs. Many of those plans have had to be place on hold due to the recent lease of the property in South Seattle and the required moving of materials. Some steel materials being stored at Salmon Bay marina will be used in our bulkhead and dock repairs. Bulkhead repairs are scheduled for this year.

Marina Parking:

We have increased the number of parking spaces available since Birchard and Agee moved while other marinas on Westlake Ave. are struggling to find parking for their tenants. Birchard and Agee is no longer taking up the 23 plus parking spaces at peek times for their boat storage and employee parking. Our storage containers do take up some space however more parking is now available for tenant parking than when B & A were on site. We will be dressing up the parking lot with planters and by painting the containers as well as re-striping the lot.

Fence Installation:

In addition to the temporary storage of steel in the parking lot, we are also storing fencing materials in a few of the containers. We anticipate installing the fence along the bank between the parking lot and West Commodore Way. This will provide additional security for our tenants. As stated earlier, it all depends on which project is most important as to which is done first. The fact that we have the materials reduces the overall cost to only labor.

Parking change on West Commodore Way:
You may notice that the number of transient vehicles that used to park on West Commodore Way above the marina no longer park there. The City of Seattle has posted that area for 2 hour parking.

"A" Dock Damage:

A few months ago one of the fishing vessels from Fisherman's terminal lost shifting capability and ran into "A" Dock causing over $60,000 of damage to the dock. We have been working with Seaborn Pile Driving Company the City of Seattle, and the Core of Engineers to make the repairs. We are currently in the permitting process and have had to pay upfront money to begin the process. Eventually the insurance companies will take over, but until then Salmon Bay Marina will foot the bill and make every effort to keep the piers safe. The docks are currently stable. Divers have been sent below to inspect the damage. They have confirmed visually that the piles are sound.

Boat Auction Coming up on July 15 2006

We have several boats to be auctioned off.
· 1978 Bayliner 2550 Saratoga Power boat - sleeps 4,
· 1983 Formula 26' Sail Boat with sales- sleeps 6,
· Row boats,
· "Linda Ray" 36' Diesel Engine Custom wood sport fisher,
· Sprint fiberglass sailboat hull with center board and
· Wooden boats that have teak and mahogany planks for wood workers.
Visit our Auctions web page to see what is to be auctioned. Boats should be posted by June 20th.

Boatyards Need Our Help - Feb 2, 2006. The Department of Ecology is on the war path and boaters need to help make a statement. Please read the article from the Northwest Marine Trade Association concerning the dilemma. http://www.nmta.net/wl/campbellscorner.asp If the The Puget Soundkeepers Alliance gets their way, just pulling your boat out of the water will cost plenty. If boatyards here go out of business, then haulouts may only be in .... Canada?

DNR trying to Change WAC- The State of Washington Department of Natural Resources is attempting to change the long standing and negotiated procedures for how submerged lands within the State of Washington are to be designated. On the face, the State of Washington DNR is saying the changes are to clarify, however when the documents are really read, the DNR appears to be making another attempt at raising money and costing boaters more. The new proposed WAC revisions will overrule County Assessors offices, the Board of Tax appeals process, and the long-standing existing methods of land appraisal. The DNR proposals can be found at: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/htdocs/aqr/indexlaw.html#rule. The DNR Q & A about the changes can be found at: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/htdocs/aqr/law/pdf/upland_parcelqa.pdf . Let your voice be known. A new contact person at the DNR has been listed other than the person we were told to communicate with. She is Elizabeth Ellis ellis@wadnr.gov . You may also want to notify your legislator to vote against the changes. You can find your legislator at: http://washingtonvotes.org/Find.aspx

Our response letter of opposition to the DNR proposal is as follows:

Matthew Green
Washington State Department of Natural Resources
P.O. Box 47027
Olympia Wa 98504

Re: Proposed Rules Changes for the WAC

Dear Mr. Green

I am in receipt of proposed rules changes for WAC 332-30-123. Those rules changes do not reflect the true nature or intent of Washington State DNR aquatic management nor do they follow the characteristics developed by the Federal Government established in 1894 by act of congress.

The existing language of the WAC should not be changed.

The true nature of the Washington State DNR was not to generate revenue but to efficiently manage "state owned lands". The proposed changes are a means to generate additional revenue by arbitrarily selecting properties not adjacent to the subject lease / permitted lands at artificially higher values.

Upland usage that is different than "water related uses" should be of no consequence to the DNR. The Existing municipalities have developed stringent zoning guidelines to which property owners must adhere. For the DNR to make changes to the already established guidelines will adversely affect not only the property owner who has municipal zoning guideline restrictions, but also the nature of the Municipal government itself. Changing the character of a land parcel will adversely affect the land values of lands adjacent to the water and the reasons why people purchase land or have purchased lands adjacent to water.

The "Questions and Answers" submitted by the DNR indicates "DNR's rule (WAC 332-32-123) lists six situations where the upland parcel will be considered inconsistent and thus require the selection of an alternate parcel." Those six instances are actually non-issues and therefore can be corrected by the County they are located in.

The situations listed are:

Additional considerations listed in the Q & A include Contaminated sediments or contaminated uplands. The fact that both the sediments and upland are tied together with past usage is critical for real estate valuation. It is important to recognize that if the upland is contaminated, it will have a reduced value. It will automatically affect the usability of all lands attached to it or adjacent to it. How many people wish to live next to a dumpsite? What would a perspective tenant consider as reasonable compensation in order to accept being next to a contaminated land parcel? It is a fact that land values are reduced if they are adjacent to contaminated parcels. If the DNR parcel is next to a contaminated parcel then the value of the DNR parcel is less valuable than a parcel that is near a pristine clean parcel, even thought they are performing the same function. Any knowledgeable land manager or appraiser will acknowledge this fact.

Section 2 comments:
Persons who purchase real estate adjacent to waters and in some instances, also purchases the adjacent tidelands, are affected by past uses of real estate. The King County assessor does not distinguish between tideland value and upland value. At least not in the Lake Washington Federal Ship Canal. Both are valued at a consistent $/sq. ft. rate. King County does not characterize separately either filled tidelands or submerged uplands differently. (Submerged uplands exist above the Government locks and are valued at the same rate as dry land.) Therefore changing and adding to section 2 does not make sense. The changes are more confusing when you realize that both submerged uplands exist.

Section 3 comments:
Consideration as to what conditions are being applied to the "special tax classification" as indicated in the above table with "red response". I can think of no conditions where the new "g" classification should be added as an adjustment. As indicated in the above table, clearly contamination on adjacent property will affect the value of lands. There is more of an inconsistency if a "full value for an upland parcel" is used and contamination is disregarded. Persons who have contaminated properties are paying dearly for the liability assumed by just owning the contaminated real estate. If the DNR indicates no problem exists with contaminants or the stigma that contaminants make to a property then it should consult with Washington State Department of Ecology or Dr. Bill Mundy of Mundy and Associates, who specializes in contaminated property evaluation.

Delete: "The assessed value reflects the presence of contamination on the uplands. This inconsistency may be corrected by substituting the full value for the upland parcel as if there were no contamination, if such value is part of the assessment records".

Section 4 comments:
Selection of the nearest comparable upland tax parcel.
Most if not all of the "inconsistent assessments can be corrected by using current County records or making appropriate requests of the County to furnish data. If an alternative upland tax parcel is being selected, additional criteria must be taken into account including the amenities that the "subject parcel has or does not have" and what the "comparable" parcel has or does not have. Unfortunately I do not believe that the DNR can hold an unbiased judgment as to what is or is not comparable and to what degree the comparison exists. Appraisers will tell you that all properties are comparable to some degree, however some are more comparable than others. Moving a few hundred feet from the subject parcel can change the upland value just because of location. The BTA (Washington State Board of Tax Appeals) have already established a method to establish property value. The DNR should not be overruling the BTA authority.

I would be most pleased to review with you some alternative remedies that may already exist and that will not require "rewriting current law".

Respectfully,

Charles Draper Jr.
Salmon Bay Marina

Electric is IN, New "Moorage Agreements", Bulkhead Repair and parking lot usage ahead:

Electric Upgrade: The new electric installation with 30 amp and 50 amp capacity pedestals is complete. This is a welcome sight for boaters as the cooler weather arrives. Now all boats moored here at Salmon Bay Marina should be able to be warm all year around. We wish to caution boaters that even though you now have "the power", only specific type of electric heaters should be used aboard. We are making a list of acceptable heaters. The list will be published when complete. All shore power cords should have locking rings installed before plugging into the new pedestals. The locking rings will significantly reduce potential electrical shorts and fire hazards. Leslie (our office manager) is documenting which boats still require the rings. We can supply locking rings to you for a nominal fee if necessary. Boaters seeking 50 Amp power should let us know. We can rewire the pedestals to accommodate that need.

We are still waiting to here from the "cable TV guys" as to why we can't get cable down here. The new pedestals are wired to accept cable + telephone. We are ready to pull the cable and telephone wire down the communications conduit when it becomes available. This will be an added feature for those of you seeking computer hookups through the cable line or just want to sit back and watch a little TV while rocking to sleep.

Mayor Nickels:Emperor Nickels has been re-elected. Dictator Mayor Nickels is making it mandatory that we revise our current "Moorage Agreement". Do not be alarmed when a certified mail - multi page document shows up at your door step. You haven't done anything wrong. The revisions are being required as a result of the recently passed Chapter 94 Fire Code. Requirements made by Emperor Mayor Nickels will require tenants to be aware of the law changes. When complete, the document will need the tenant's signature and then be returned to the Marina. The new Moorage Agreement" will replace the old Moorage Agreement. After we receive a signed document from the tenant, a copy forwarded to the tenant for their records. We are looking to have the capability to scan and e-mail records. Our plan as to how the marina intends to satisfy the new city mandated rules was submitted to the city on November 1, 2005. The new "Moorage Agreement" document will be sent to tenants after we receive conformation that our plan was acceptable to the city. The new city requirements apply to all covered moorage's within the City of Seattle City Limits. (The restrictions and mandates that are being imposed on Seattle marinas and boaters by Emperor Nickels and the Seattle Fire Department are found nowhere else in the United States. Isn't it great to be unique?)

Bulkhead repair: We are continuing to make dock repairs when the needs arise. We recently rebuilt the floats on "D" dock east and "E" dock. We will be making repairs to our bulkhead near the front of "C" Dock in the future. This will require some parking lot disruption. We will try to keep the construction area as small as possible. The parking lot usage usually declines this time of the year therefore parking should not be a problem while the construction is underway.

Containers Arriving: Draper Machine Works Inc. owns Salmon Bay Marina. Recently Draper Machine Works leased out one of their real estate holdings. The lease required Draper to move their equipment and materials from the newly leased area. As a result, a portion of the marina parking lot will be used to store several containers. Containers will be arriving during the end of December. Eventually the containers will be moved to "D" Dock.