Harbor Commission — Minutes

HARBOR COMMISSION MEETING Thursday, April 9, 2026, 4:00 P.M. Held In-Person and Virtually Conference Room W3728 Franklin Walsh St. Zenda, WI. 53195 1. Call to Order: Supervisor Zimmerman called the meeting to order at 4:00 P.M. 2. Roll call: Present: Supervisor Maureen Zimmerman, Grace Eckland, Scott Dillion Excused: Tom Billings 3. Approve minutes of previous meeting: February 3rd, 2026 - Supervisor Zimmerman asked if everyone had reviewed the February 3, 2026 meeting minutes. There were no comments, changes, or objections. - Motion by S. Dillion, second by G. Eckland, to approve the minutes as presented. Motion carried unanimously. 4. Comments from the public: None 5. Profit & Loss Statement – March 2026 - Administrator Zimmerman reported on the current Profit & Loss. Boat launching fees and boat stall rents are the two main income sources, both just starting. Vent Tech machines were activated on March 23 and are now collecting launch fees; in-house fees are also collected at the clerk’s desk. - Expenses largely relate to the beginning of the launch season, including pier superintendents/assistants and pier maintenance (installation). One repair item from the prior-year boat accident is still pending auditor review to determine whether to move the charge back to last year. - Piers are in; the Hillside launch is being installed and should be completed by the end of the week. Mr. Dillion confirmed the installers are well along. 6. Season opening activities with Ven-Tek - Administrator Zimmerman summarized work with Vent Tech representatives to activate the machines. The process was smooth, supplies (receipt paper, residential passes) have been reordered, and costs remain the same as last year. The VenView platform annual fee remains $1,320. Machines survived the winter; internal heaters and covers were intact. - Regarding compliance monitoring, Administrator Zimmerman has been in discussion with the police department to review whether boaters are swiping passes at the machine before launching, even if they hold a pass. Cameras are positioned to record activity. A plan was formulated for officers to devote approximately one hour per week to compare VenView swipe reports with camera footage to establish a baseline compliance picture. No immediate enforcement is planned; the goal is to understand compliance levels before making any changes. - A year-over-year credit card revenue comparison (through April 1) shows figures very close to last year, confirming the machines are working. - Supervisor Zimmerman noted this police cooperation is a big step forward and will help identify skipping and vandalism. 7. Pier & Telephone Pole Repairs - Administrator Zimmerman reported the Town was able to recoup the insurance deductible from the boat crash damages, meaning the Town lost no money on the incident. - Regarding the utility poles where cameras are mounted, they appear weathered. Mr. Zimmerman contacted Alliant Energy about replacement. Alliant is open to replacing the poles but objects to the Town’s cameras being attached to their poles due to high voltage and company policy. The Town will need to move the cameras to a separate pole. - Mr. Dillion suggested asking Alliant to install a new pole for their equipment and leaving the old pole for the cameras. Supervisor Zimmerman agreed that is a good idea and suggested the Town will work with highway staff, the IT person, and the police to coordinate placement and costs. Mr. Zimmerman will coordinate timing with Alliant, aiming for a Monday–Wednesday window when launches are less busy. 8. Harbor Master/Pier Attendant Hiring Process - Administrator Zimmerman reported the Harbor Master and Launch Attendant positions were posted on Indeed. Nine applications were received for Launch Attendant and two for Harbor Master. Last year’s schedules were Thursday–Sunday (Lynn) and Friday–Sunday (Hillside). - Supervisor Zimmerman stated her opinion that the Harbor Master position, tried at the request of the former administrator/treasurer, proved unnecessary. The 5/hour premium and fewer hours were not worth the added administrative duties, which can be covered by existing staff and the three-attendant rotation. She recommended hiring three Launch Attendants to allow rotation, cover time−off requests (except holiday weekends), and avoid burnout. Ms. Eckland agreed that flexibility is key, and three attendants would provide coverage for peak periods. Mr. Dillion concurred. - The consensus was to move forward with three Launch Attendants at 20/hour, which fits within the budgeted amount (23,000–24,000). Administrator Zimmerman will shortlist candidates this week and, together with Supervisor Zimmerman, conduct interviews. The recommended hires will then be brought to the Harbor Commission and the Town Board for approval. 9. 2026 Boat Launch Fee Schedule & Slip Rental - Administrator Zimmerman presented the 2026 boat launch fee schedule, which mirrors last year’s rates. - Motion by Ms. Eckland, second by Mr. Dillion, to approve the 2026 Boat Launch Fee Schedule as proposed. Motion carried unanimously. - Administrator Zimmerman also clarified the boat slip rental rates, including the separate sales tax, to avoid any miscalculation this year. Slip payments are due May 1 to the clerk’s office. 10. 2026 Pier Fee Schedule & Slip Rental - Administrator Zimmerman presented the contract with Jake’s Landscaping, which offers identical pricing and services as last year for both boat launches. Jake and Michelle (owners) are responsive and interested in doing more for the Town in the future. - Motion by Ms. Eckland, second by Mr. Dillion, to approve the 2026 landscaping contract with Jake’s Landscaping. Motion carried unanimously. 11. GLEA Presentation Presentation by Holly Baseman – Geneva Lakes Environmental Association (GLEA) Supervisor Zimmerman welcomed Holly Baseman, GLEA Director, to present recommendations on wakeboarding/wake-enhanced boating and permanent piers. - Aquatic Plant Impairment & Wake Guidelines - Ms. Baseman announced that the DNR will soon list Geneva Lake as impaired for aquatic plants due to a significant decrease in native vegetation. The DNR attributes the loss partly to the large increase in recreation, particularly wake-enhanced/surf boats that disturb the lake bed. State legislation is stalled, so various lakes are adopting their own guidelines. GLEA worked with Sewer Pack (Southern Wisconsin lake organization) to develop a recommendation for Geneva Lake: avoid wake-enhanced activities in water shallower than 30 feet and within 500 feet of shore. The back page of her handout shows a map of the recommended zones. The primary goal is voluntary education, not an ordinance. GLEA is asking municipalities to allow installation of an educational sign at boat launches and to promote the message. - Mr. Dillion, who identified himself as a wake surfer, stated that most wake surf boats are kept at private piers, not launched at public ramps, so launch signage has limited reach. He believes surfers would respond better to a request to stay 300 feet from shore rather than being directed to specific areas, especially since the calmest water (where they prefer to surf) is close to shore. He suggested combining the 30‑foot depth guideline with a 300‑foot from shore distance, which would be more practical and likely to gain voluntary compliance. Ms. Baseman agreed this was a reasonable suggestion and will update the sign language to incorporate both metrics. Mr. Dillion also stressed the need to address tour boat wakes, particularly the mail boat, which he said causes significant lakebed disturbance. Ms. Baseman acknowledged the concern and indicated that building relationships for those conversations is part of her long-term effort. - Permanent Piers and Shading - Ms. Baseman reported that GLEA has asked the DNR what authority municipalities have regarding shading caused by permanent piers, given the DNR’s concern over shading of aquatic plants. No answer has been received yet. The GLEA board also strongly opposes aerators on permanent piers because they create unsafe ice conditions in winter. - Mr. Dillion commented on the history of side-curtain regulations and the recent proliferation of permanent piers. He noted ice damage to a pier near Yerkes Observatory and questioned insurance and warranty coverage. At Supervisor Zimmerman’s invitation, George Zick of Somerset Pier Company briefly addressed the damage. He stated that the pier in question was repaired two weeks ago at Somerset’s expense, is covered by a limited lifetime warranty, and that permanent piers cause approximately 80% less shading than traditional cribs because of wider post spacing. He also noted that operating aerators in winter is illegal in Wisconsin. - Supervisor Zimmerman thanked Ms. Baseman and invited her to return at the May meeting to discuss E. coli and any follow-up on the wake guidelines. The Commission will consider a formal vote on the signage request at the May meeting. 12. Adjournment - The Commission discussed a regular meeting day. It was agreed to meet on the first Thursday of each month at 4:00 P.M., with adjustments for holidays. The following dates were selected: - May 7 - June 4 - July 9 (moved from July 2 due to the Fourth of July holiday) - August 6 - September 10 (moved from September 3 due to Labor Day) - If an agenda does not require a meeting, the date may be cancelled or moved. All members confirmed availability. - Motion by S. Dillion, second by G. Eckland, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried unanimously. - Meeting adjourned at 5:00 P.M. Minutes prepared by David Zimmerman