City council has gotten a preview of what the Bobby Storrs small boat harbor might look like after an extensive renovation. 

The ports department hired PND Engineering to do scoping work on the renovation project in January. Last night, PND’s engineer, Dick Somerville, called in to present council with some options for overhauling the facility.

All five councilors present said they wanted to see the floats reconfigured, to maximize moorage space. (Councilor Zoya Johnson was excused from the meeting.)

The council wasn't completely on board with what Somerville had drawn up, though. A few of the designs would encroach on tidelands owned by the Ounalashka Corporation and the state -– a situation council said they want to avoid, if possible.

Councilor Roger Rowland said he was glad to see more dedicated slips in the plans, as opposed to side-tie moorage. But he wants the harbor to provide extra moorage for 60-foot boats. Councilor Dennis Robinson favored adding more space for smaller vessels, to privilege residents over transient fishing crews.

PND Engineering will go back to the drawing board based on the discussion at last night’s meeting. But they’ll also be seeking comments from the public. PND sent a handful of surveys to the ports department, which were distributed at the meeting, and there will likely be open hearings on the new designs.

No matter what, money will be a concern: PND's sample budget for the project exceeded $10 million.

Accordingly, council considered two resolutions that set up Unalaska's grant priorities for the state and federal government in fiscal year 2015. Council approved both lists, which include the Bobby Storrs harbor and a number of other infrastructure projects. Unalaska is asking for more than $110 million in government support.

Public works director Nancy Peterson gave council a broad overview of some upcoming city projects during a work session. She ran through an agenda that includes drainage improvements on Delta Way, renovations of existing groundwater wells, a new waste heat system for the powerhouse, and more paving.

Several of those projects will go out to bid this winter, Peterson says.

Council went into a regular session to consider a tideland lease to Bering Shai Marine. The planning department had put together a 50-year rental agreement for 2.71 acres of tideland in Captains Bay, just beyond the uplands that Shaishnikoff already owns.

Planning director Erin Reinders said 50 years was already an extension. Usually, the city only offers 30-year terms to tideland tenants. But Shaishnikoff wanted an even longer lease.

Councilors Robinson and Rowland said they both supported that request. Robinson moved to amend the lease to 75 years, and council voted 5-0 to approve it.

At the end of the meeting, council entered into two executive sessions. The first was to discuss potential legal action against BC Vehicle Rental, a local company owned by Sonny Nguyen. City staff allege that the company’s been selling used vehicles for the past three years without remitting sales tax from those transactions to the city of Unalaska.

At the end of a closed-door discussion, council reconvened and unanimously voted to have the city attorney attempt to recover the funds.

Council then went back into executive session to conduct the city manager’s annual performance evaluation. They reconvened into an opening meeting and unanimously approved a motion to enter into contract negotiations with Chris Hladick for another year of work.