At the Nov. 19 meeting Commissioner Laurie Jones presented an onboarding packet designed to help new commissioners understand the Harbor Management Commission’s mission, legal and regulatory framework, bylaws and commonly used acronyms. Members endorsed placing the packet in city documents and asked staff (Amelia) to maintain it as a living resource.

Jones also walked commissioners through ideas for a multi-year update of the North Harbor Management Plan: add an executive summary, consolidate common policies into one chapter, pull future recommendations into a dedicated chapter, expand coastal-resiliency guidance and create a responsibilities grid (modeled after the Clinton Harbor Plan) that maps agency roles (local, state and federal). Commissioners noted the plan must be coordinated with state reviews (DEP, DOT and federal agencies) for final approval.

The commission agreed the update is a long-running effort; staff and commissioners will continue drafting chapters, coordinate with strategic planning consultants and cross-check references once the text is consolidated.