Jessica Cejnar Andrews / Wednesday, June 7, 2023 @ 4:35 p.m.
Despite Losing Out On CERF Dollars, Grant Funding Accounts For Most of the Harbor District's 2023-24 Budget
Aislene Delane, of Community Systems Solutions, gave harbor commissioners a glimpse at her Citizens Dock presentation on Tuesday. | screenshot
Previously:
• Crescent City Harbor Aiming For a Rebuilt, 'Multi-Use' Citizens Dock; Will Seek Public Input
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Despite successfully pursuing some grants, including a $7.3 million Port Infrastructure Development Grant to build a new seawall, the Crescent City Harbor District lost out on state Community Economic Resiliency Fund dollars.
Aislene Delane, of Community Systems Solutions, the third-party grant writing firm working for the Harbor District, gave the Board of Commissioners a rundown Tuesday of what state and federal dollars the port has received and what it could get.
The California Employment Development Department decided to award CERF money to another harbor that had no community partners tied to its grant application, Delane told commissioners.
“The whole entire point was to do community partnerships,” she said. “And unfortunately the state decided not to do that.”
The Harbor District was the lead agency in pursuing CERF dollars that would have benefitted programs and projects in Del Norte, Humboldt and Mendocino counties. Partners included the Tri-Agency Economic Development Authority, the Del Norte Healthcare District, the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, Elk Valley Rancheria and the Community Food Council.
The Redwood Parks Conservancy, the North Coast Small Business Development Center and the Port to Partnership Program were also partnering with the Crescent City Harbor District to receive CERF dollars.
Delane’s colleague, Community Systems Solutions founder Mike Bahr, had estimated that Del Norte could have received $6.5 million to $7 million in CERF money.
Despite the loss, most of the 2023-24 operating revenue for the Crescent City Harbor District, about $4.9 million, consists of grant dollars, said Thomas Zickgraf, the port’s comptroller.
The total operating revenue for the port is $8 million, according to Zickgraf.
“As we move into the new fiscal year, the way we’ve set this budget up is that thanks to Mike Bahr and his team, we’ll be focusing our efforts more toward grant work, not only acquiring new grants, but also successfully executing those contracts,” he said. “That’s why you see grant proceeds of $4.937 million here. We’re spending everything we’re bringing in and while we may have much higher grant rewards than the $4.9 million here, that represents the amount of grants we’ll report as income versus as having it as a grant receivable on our balance sheet.”
According to Delane’s presentation, the Crescent City Harbor District has received more than $9 million in grant dollars since November. Applications for $17.8 million in state and federal grant dollars are still under review. And Bahr’s team is working on applications for a further $11.75 million.
The grant applications under review include $8.8 million in 2023-24 Port Infrastructure Development dollars for new 100-year storm surge and 50-year tsunami resistant breakwaters. The harbor is also pursuing nearly $7.7 million in FEMA dollars to repair Anchor Way and the Whaler Island Groin breakwaters following January’s storms.
Bahr’s team at Community Systems Solutions is working on applications for Department of Boating and Water Ways grants to buy a patrol boat and to replace old docks in the inner boat basin.
Another application Bahr’s team is pursuing on behalf of the harbor is a $2 million California Department of Energy Grant for planning studies and commercial area development to support offshore wind energy efforts.
Meanwhile, the California Coastal Conservancy has issued notices to proceed for the planning and design of a new Citizens Dock as well as a new bathroom and shower facility for Anchor and Starfish ways.
The Harbor District received $927,000 for the permitting and design phase of the Citizens Dock rebuild with Harbormaster Tim Petrick saying the port aims to make it as multi-use as possible.
Delane said she and her colleagues will hold presentations about the new citizens dock before the Elk Valley Rancheria Tribal Council at 12:30 p.m. Monday and the Del Norte Unified School District Board of Trustees at 4:30 p.m. June 29. Community meetings will be held in July and people will be asked to fill out a survey of what they’d like to see in a rebuilt Citizens Dock.
According to Petrick, the community meetings will be held alongside a districtwide study by Moffatt & Nichol to determine expansion possibilities for commercial and recreational fishing, boating as well as amenities and activities for visitors.
“The community meetings could also potentially inform the Moffatt & Nichol report,” Petrick told commissioners.
As for the new bathrooms and shower facility, the Harbor District has 36 months to build it, though Delane said it’ll likely take about a year. The Harbor District is using a $450,000 Coastal Conservancy grant for the restroom project.
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