Newport Beach Harbor Commission brings back boat meeting
November 15, 2018
The advisory board’s November meeting will be on the water for the third time since 2014.
NEWPORT BEACH — The Newport Beach Harbor Commission appears to have established a pattern of hosting its even-year November meetings on the water.
Commissioners will meet at Marina Park on Saturday, Nov. 17. The general meeting, which is open to the public, will begin inside the second floor event room at 8:30 a.m. The meeting will continue with a boat tour around Newport Beach Harbor; the tour will take place aboard a Balboa Island ferry, rain or shine.
“The purpose of this Special Meeting is to build familiarity with the topics, terminology and geography frequently reviewed by the Harbor Commission, build rapport between the public and the commissioners, and identify additional areas of concern in the harbor,” city staff said about the meeting and boat tour.
“The tour route will cover approximately 6.7 nautical miles and topics covered along the way will include the current Harbor Commission objectives, city code enforcement efforts, stand up paddleboard safety, Title 17 updates, dredging solutions, and much more,” city staff continued. “The commissioners will discuss the various waypoints along the route and there will be ample opportunity for public participants to ask questions during the tour.”
Meeting on the water every other year is starting to be a trend for the Harbor Commission. Similar Harbor Commission meetings were held in 2014 (Nov. 15) and 2016 (Nov. 19). Several dozen people attended the 2014 boat tour meeting, where commissioners discussed issues such as eelgrass mitigation, boat launch ramps, waterbus service, public anchorages, harbor speed limit, development of the Lower Castaways and water-propelled vessels.
The 2016 boat tour meeting addressed safe navigation standards, derelict vessels and establishment of the Turning Basin anchorage. Dredging, eelgrass, revitalization and sea lions were also on the agenda.
The boat tour will be two hours in length, with no stops once it leaves Marina Park. There are no facilities or services on board. Bottled water, coffee and light snacks will be available. The tour, due to the ferry’s limited capacity, will be available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.
Harbor commissioners meet once per month at Newport Beach City Hall.
Marina Park is at 1600 W. Balboa Boulevard in Newport Beach.
