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 Dana Point Boaters Association
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Discussion With County and Local Officals
Homeland Security Briefing
No dues in 2010!
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April 7, 2010
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Discussion With County and Local Officials
 
Last Friday afternoon, April 2nd, DPBA Treasurer Kevin Hendra and President Rodger Beard had a  1 ½ hour meeting with Tom Mauk, OC CEO, and Alisa Drakodaidis, Deputy CEO responsible for OC DPH (Dana Point Harbor).  Attendees also included Chief of Staff Chip Monaco and Executive Policy Advisor Don Hughes, both from Supervisor Pat Bates' office plus Colleen Clark, OC Director of Public Finance and two of her staff.  Doug Chotkevys, Dana Point City Manager, and Director Brad Gross and Deputy Director Lisa Smith, from OC DPH joined in.
 
The two major topics on DPBA's agenda were: 
 
1. Market based slip and dry storage rates
 
2. Harbor Patrol funding  and impact upon the Tideland Trust & slip fees
 
A third topic, Harbor Revitalization design issues and financing, was added and also discussed at length.
 
This was the first time we've had the opportunity to meet with Tom Mauk except during testimony before the Board of Supervisors.  We were pleased by Tom's personal commitment to finding the best available solutions for our harbor; solutions which we jointly agreed should be creative, practical, financially sound and fair from the perspective of all legitimate stakeholders.  We should add that we've also talked and met privately with Pat Bates on these same topics and know she also shares this perspective.
 
With a list of topics like this, we weren't looking for decisions during our first meeting, but we wanted a commitment to explore and resolve these fundamental boating issues: 
 
> Affordable recreational boating  reduce slip and dry storage fees to be consistent with other comparable non-profit/municipal marinas.  Discussion included jointly creating a sustainable market value model.
 
> Continue to receive high quality Harbor Patrol Services - but services where Dana Point boaters are paying no more than their fair share.  Discussion included consideration of our prior correspondence to County officials on the funding issue, as well as alternatives to the present funding model.
 
> Assure the revitalized Dana Point Harbor continues to be the best it can possibly be - from the perspective of all its stakeholders.  Especially recreational boaters who were (and still are) the primary reason that Dana Point Harbor was built 40 years ago, on land held in trust for the People of State of California. 
  
While, it's too early to say our efforts will be successful, we feel we are getting off on the right foot with our approach.  During the recap, Tom Mauk stated that his team (see OC government organization chart) would further investigate each of the several ideas discussed and report back on next steps within 2-3 weeks during a follow up meeting.
 
We'll of course continue to keep our members involved and informed.  Give us a call if you would like to learn more.
 
Department of Homeland Security Briefing
 
DPBA is hosting a briefing for boaters and the general public on the history and current state of the Border Patrol, as well as maritime smuggling, immigration enforcement and the new Joint Task Force that is addressing these issues.
 
This is a really hot topic so make plans now to be there!  Here are the event details:
Thursday, April 15th
7:30 PM
Cove Room at OC Sailing and Events Center
34451 Ensenada Place
There will be an interactive question and answer period too so be sure to bring your questions!
DPBA Member Dues Waived for 2010
  
We announced some very good news for boaters in our February 26th Boater Blast.  We're waiving dues for 2010 for several good reasons.  This is a great opportunity for boaters and there are no strings attached!
 
To read more click here.
The Dana Point Boaters Association advocates the preservation, enhancement, and expansion of affordable recreational boating.  We work to improve the family friendly atmosphere and breadth of water-oriented actives we all enjoy in the harbor.  We serve as the watchdog by ethically protecting the rights of all boaters and representing them when collective action is most effective.  We actively gather information and communicate our views to educate boaters, external interests, and public officials.  We build and maintain constructive, working relationships to achieve common goals with other harbor stakeholders.  We will pass on our harbor to the next generation of recreational boaters in better condition than it is today.
Questions should be directed by email to (Officers@DanaPointBoaters.org).  Or call us at (949) 485-5656 and leave a voice mail and we'll get back to you soon.

Dana Point Boaters Association
P.O. Box 461
Dana Point, CA  92629
www.danapointboaters.org