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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06 - Stand Up Paddleboard Safety FlyerPORT CITY OF O � _ i NEWPORT BEACH City Council Staff Report <i FO RN October 9, 2018 Agenda Item No. 6 TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: Grace K. Leung, City Manager - 949-644-3001, gleung@newportbeachca.gov PREPARED BY: Carol Jacobs, Assistant City Manager, cjacobs@newportbeachca.gov PHONE: 949-644-3313 TITLE: Stand Up Paddleboard Safety Flyer ABSTRACT: The City's Harbor Commission created an ad hoc subcommittee to review this popular activity in the Harbor and determine what could be done to improve safety for paddle boarders and boaters using the harbor. City Council provided direction to the Harbor Commission to return the Council for final approval of a safety flyer. RECOMMENDATION: a) Determine this action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because this action will not result in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly; and b) Approve the Stand Up Paddleboard Safety Flyer and provide to rental companies who rent in the harbor. FUNDING REQUIREMENTS: The current Harbor Department budget includes sufficient funding for this purchase of the flyers. It will be expensed to the Special Department Supplies account 10045451- 841015. DISCUSSION: The Harbor Commission created an ad hoc subcommittee to review Stand Up Paddleboard Safety in 2017 after an unfortunate accident occurred in Huntington Beach involving a stand up paddle boarder. The ad hoc subcommittee took a number of actions to identify the issues that included: 1) identified companies renting stand up paddleboards, 2) interviewed operators to determine what types of safety information was supplied to renters, 3) reached out to industry experts, 4) reviewed safety material from various organizations and rental companies, 5) conducted a meeting of rental operators to receive feedback. 6-1 Stand Up Paddleboard Safety Flyer October 9, 2018 Page 2 This work by the subcommittee resulted in four recommendations approved by the full Harbor Commission at the October 11, 2017 meeting and the actions that have been taken to date. 1. City's Harbormaster should coordinate with Code Enforcement to identify and regulate operators in the Harbor that are operating without a permit. 2. Harbor Commission to revise SUP safety pamphlet prepared by the previous SUP Safety Committee and Harbor Resources to make pamphlet available to the Harbor operators and general public. 3. That all rental SUP boards and manual powered vessels be fitted with leashes, and that providers of such rental vessels encourage their customers to wear them. 4. As a follow up to the Harbor Commission's previous recommendations that the Harbor operators improve educational procedures at the source of renting human - powered watercraft, the Committee recommends that the following become conditions of procuring a Marine Activities Permit: a. That each operator distribute the safety brochure and require its customers to acknowledge they have read it. b. That each operator acknowledge in writing with each customer that they can swim. In not, the operator must require the user to wear a life vest. These recommendations were presented to the City Council at the May 8, 2018 Study Session. Based on the discussions at the Study Session, staff did some additional research on the broader issues of stand up paddleboard safety. • If at some time, the Council chose to require leashes on paddleboards, this would not be enforced with the rental companies and not the individual with a personal paddleboard. • Based on the interviews with rental operators in 2017, not all operators were complying with the PDF and signaling device regulations. • Several recommendations could be considered with the re -write of Title 17 and the Marine Activities Permit. This could include: requiring operators to provide the safety brochure, safety equipment, a swim acknowledgement along with the rental agreement. • Requiring leashes on paddleboards has not yet been decided by the National Boating Safety Advisory Council. While some rental companies provide leashes as a matter of business, they are not required. Since July 1, 2017, the Harbor staff have had 196 contacts with paddle boarders. This could be anything from education to pulling the paddler out of the water because they cannot make it back to the shore. 6-2 Stand Up Paddleboard Safety Flyer October 9, 2018 Page 3 Next Steps Several Harbor Commissioners are planning a rental company meeting at the end of October to receive additional feedback from the rental community and provide the flyers should City Council approve the flyer tonight. Once that feedback has been received, recommendations will be forwarded to the Harbor Commission and then to the City Council during the revision process for Title 17. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: Staff recommends the City Council find this action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly. NOTICING: The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item). ATTACHMENTS: Attachment A — Stand Up Paddleboard Safety Flyer (front) Attachment B — Stand Up Paddleboard Safety Flyer (back) 6-3 NEWPORT HARBOR Paddleboarding S ips A1. KNOW HOW TO SWIM AL2. MAKE SURE TO HAVE A LIFEJACKET & WHISTLE (IT'S THE LAW) 3. WEAR YOUR LEASHdT ALL TIMES IFdVAILA BLE 4. SlAYCLEAROF80AT5& ALWAYSGIVETHEM THE RIGHT OFWAY 5. DONOTD/STURBSEA LIFE (INCLUDING SEA LIONS) Newport Harbor's main boating channel, as shown above, is busy with vessel traffic. Keep clear and use extreme caution if crossing. Remember to always give passing boats the right of way. IN CASE OF EMERGENCY: Credit: Newport Aquatic Center • Do not abandon your board in the water • Paddle to the nearest dock for assistance • If you cannot paddle, wave your paddle from side to side to warn others about your need for help