Legislature(2015 - 2016)BUTROVICH 205
02/17/2015 01:00 PM Senate TRANSPORTATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmation Hearing: Board of Marine Pilots | |
| Confirmation Hearing: Commissioner, Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (dotpf) | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE TRANSPORTATION STANDING COMMITTEE
February 17, 2015
1:03 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Peter Micciche, Chair
Senator Click Bishop, Vice Chair
Senator Bert Stedman
Senator Dennis Egan
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Mike Dunleavy
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARINGS
Board of Marine Pilots
Shirley Marquardt
David Arzt
- CONFIRMATIONS ADVANCED
Commissioner - Department Of Transportation and Public
Facilities (DOTPF)
Marc Luiken
- CONFIRMATION ADVANCED
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
SHIRLEY MARQUARDT
Unalaska, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Board of Marine Pilots nominee
DAVID ARZT
Homer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Board of Marine Pilots nominee
MARC LUIKEN, Commissioner-designee
Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOTPF)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Commissioner-designee for DOTPF
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:03:29 PM
CHAIR PETER MICCICHE called the Senate Transportation Standing
Committee meeting to order at 1:03 p.m. Present at the call to
order were Senators Bishop, Stedman, Egan, and Chair Micciche.
^CONFIRMATION HEARING: Board of Marine Pilots
CONFIRMATION HEARINGS
Board of Marine Pilots
1:04:20 PM
CHAIR MICCICHE said the committee would take up confirmations
and invited Shirley Marquardt to tell them why she would be a
good candidate for the Board of Marine Pilots.
1:04:46 PM
SHIRLEY MARQUARDT, Board of Marine Pilots nominee, Unalaska,
Alaska, said she had been living in Dutch Harbor for the last 34
years and has been interested in serving on the board for four
or five years. She has had the opportunity to work with the
Pilot's organization in Western Alaska on several high profile
safety issues protecting the marine environment including their
emergency towing system that the City of Unalaska and Alaska
Marine Pilots put together that the Coast Guard has placed along
the Aleutian Chain, as well. She has also worked with the board
on an emergency mooring buoy and winter severe storm rules for
the thousands of commercial trampers and freighters operating in
the local marine waters on an annual basis.
She said the busiest time of the year is winter when the weather
is the worst. She has seen first-hand what an incredibly
valuable tool the state has to ensure the safe transit of those
vessels with its pilotage program. She appreciated the program
that looks for qualified applicants and the steps people have to
go through to train over a three-year period in order to allow
them to apply for the unlimited master's license, which the
marine pilot holds. Nothing is left to chance; everything is
learned, relearned, and relearned over and over again.
CHAIR MICCICHE said she serves as mayor of a community that is
dependent upon safe marine traffic and mooring and asked the
typical makeup of the Board of Marine Pilots. Is she the only
non-professional in the group?
MS. MARQUARDT answered there are two public and two pilot
members and two members from a ships agent organization. From
the public side, she realizes the value of safe pilotage in
keeping their robust commerce industry going.
SENATOR BISHOP looked at her employment history and asked what
kind of heavy equipment she drives at Samson Tug and Barge.
MS. MARQUARDT answered she drives top picks, 45-ton fork lifts,
running gear, and cranes.
SENATOR STEDMAN said he had worked with Ms. Marquardt over
several years on various issues and thought she would be a fine
member of the board.
1:10:35 PM
SENATOR EGAN supported Senator Stedman's words and her
nomination.
CHAIR MICCICHE agreed with the others' comments.
MS. MARQUARDT thanked them for their trust and said she will do
her level best to be fair and knowledgeable and make the best
decisions for the State of Alaska.
1:11:49 PM
DAVID ARZT, Board of Marine Pilots nominee, Homer, Alaska, said
he is a marine pilot based in Dutch Harbor, Unalaska, and his
region covers the western portion of the state. He has been
associated with this pilotage group for 10 years. Prior to that,
he had 20 years of sea-going experience and an unlimited tonnage
master's license going in and out of Valdez and up Cook Inlet to
Nikiski. He also worked shore-side with BP shipping in Prince
William Sound for a couple of years. He has been a member of the
Board of Marine Pilots for four years as one of the chief
pilots.
CHAIR MICCICHE thanked him for his service and finding no
questions, remarked on the high level of comfort he has in
knowing Mr. Arzt is involved when he is dealing with shipping on
large tank vessels and as part of a family-owned commercial
fishing operation when large tank vessels come by.
^CONFIRMATION HEARING: Commissioner, Department of
Transportation and Public Facilities (DOTPF)
CONFIRMATION HEARING
Commissioner, Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
CHAIR MICCICHE invited Commissioner-designee Luiken to give the
committee a history lesson.
1:15:44 PM
MARC LUIKEN, Commissioner-designee, Department of Transportation
and Public Facilities (DOTPF), said it is a privilege to appear
before them today and to serve his state. His focus is to
organize the department to meet the budget challenges that
Alaska is currently facing by consolidating where possible and
creating efficiencies throughout the department. Changes made
now have to be sustainable for the long-term and he will strive
to minimize the impacts to core services that are so vital to
Alaskans every day.
In FY16, the department is looking at reducing its operating
budget by $12 million, he said. This equates to about a 4
percent reduction from the prior fiscal year and leads to the
elimination of nine full-time, three part-time and four non-
permanent positions spread across the entire department.
COMMISSIONER LUIKEN said that during this period of fiscal
uncertainty it is ever more important to foster better
communications with stakeholders: the way he and his staff
communicate with the legislature and enhancing how the
department communicates and involves the public. They must
better explain what they can and cannot do and be better
listeners. Every Alaskan has the potential to add value to
project design and delivery and he recognizes that much can be
gained by involving them in the decision making.
COMMISSIONER LUIKEN said the department will explore new revenue
generating opportunities like a 4.5 percent increase in AMHS
fares and introducing landing fees at the Deadhorse airport, one
of the most important transportation hubs for the North Slope.
By 2017, they believe that revenue generated from the landing
fees will offset the cost of operating the airport. In addition,
they will consider recommendations from the AMHS tariff study.
1:20:07 PM
He said he began his tenure as commissioner by bringing back a
couple of familiar faces. He saw a need for leaders to fill the
top positions in the organization, which is why he is pleased to
have Steve Hatter rejoin as the Deputy Commissioner. He is very
talented with a very similar background to his. During his
previous tenure he made outstanding progress in the aviation
arena. As a result of his leadership, the air carriers that use
the Alaska International Airport system signed an unprecedented
10-year user agreement.
COMMISSIONER LUIKEN said he also asked Deputy Commissioner Mike
Neusel to rejoin as deputy for the Marine Highway System; he
brings over 30 years of marine and leadership experience as a
former Coast Guard Captain, with 12 of those years being
stationed in Alaska.
Deputy Commissioner John Binder will continue to oversee
statewide aviation for the department. He is a proven leader who
recently stepped up to fill the commissioner's duties until the
beginning of February.
COMMISSIONER LUIKEN said his first priority is to the
organization; his vision as commissioner will focus on the
department's core mission and functions: mobility, access and
commerce. As a department, they must continue to provide safe,
environmentally responsible and sustainable mobility for
travelers, and improve access and opportunity for individual and
Alaskan businesses as well as access to Alaska's vast resources.
Finally, they will support commerce to help Alaska's economy
grow.
His second priority will be focused on the department's culture;
the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOTPF)
must be one department rather than three independently
operational regional entities. Their service will reflect an
attitude of responsibility and service to the public rather than
arrogance or superiority. They will strive for continuous
improvement, operating in the learning mode. To ensure these
changes stick, they will measure their performance regularly and
publish the results so Alaskans will be able to hold them
accountable.
COMMISSIONER LUIKEN said they must also become efficient with
their most important resource, their people. They stand to lose
up to 30 percent of the employees in the next five years due
primarily to the age of the workforce and retirement. Therefore,
their desire is to create an organization that people want to
join and be part of, one that encourages growth and recognizes
and rewards collaboration and innovation. He will also strive to
build an organization that is accountable to the legislature,
one which promotes integrity, transparency and outstanding
service.
He said the DOTPF already has an incredibly dedicated and
professional workforce and he is privileged to serve them in
this capacity. His goal is to give them the resources, the
training and the focus to be even better. Now he is excited to
have the opportunity to serve this great state full time with
all his strength, skill and ability.
1:23:33 PM
SENATOR STEDMAN said he thought the department should accelerate
the Marine Highway tariff increases to address the budget
challenges. He also asked him to explain a little about his role
as a vice commander of the 11th Air Force in reorganization of
headquarters and reduction of manpower.
COMMISSIONER LUIKEN answered that it took place at headquarters
PACAF in Honolulu, Hawaii, and as with any reorganization one
looks for efficiencies and redundancy in work, and reduction in
staff. He looked for creative ways to minimize the impact to
personnel as much as possible, similar to what the state is
doing now: eliminating positions that aren't filled and
combining positions. He has done this many times in the military
in various command positions.
SENATOR STEDMAN asked what he found when he came back to his
position as commissioner.
COMMISSIONER LUIKEN answered that he felt he had made a good
start, but his goal back then is the same as his goal is now: to
have a single organization - you'll get the same answer no
matter what region you go to. He is encouraged to see that the
department has made progress. As an example, over the last year,
the Northern Region was without a regional director and Rob
Campbell from Central Region stepped in to oversee both. As a
result, they are communicating much more regularly and sharing
best practices and processes that may have been different in the
past.
SENATOR EGAN said he was really pleased to have Mr. Luiken back
and pleased that he recognizes the AMHS as part of the national
highway system.
SENATOR BISHOP asked if the gasline infrastructure is still a
priority and a focus of the department.
COMMISSIONER LUIKEN answered yes; the department has continued
working on the Richardson, Parks, and Dalton highways to prepare
them for that work that includes quite a bit of renovation,
restoration or replacement of many of the bridges on all of
those highways.
1:30:21 PM
SENATOR BISHOP asked if he had appointed someone as director of
the Northern Region.
COMMISSIONER LUIKEN answered no, but it was forthcoming.
CHAIR MICCICHE thanked him for his service and said that he is
inheriting a different organization and asked if he had a focus
and some sort of objective on operating a leaner and meaner
department and how would he describe his first actions moving
forward.
COMMISSIONER LUIKEN answered that he has several ideas and the
first is to build the right leadership team, which he is in the
middle of doing now. He wants to make sure of getting the right
people to carry this department forward. The other areas he is
looking at are to consolidate and standardize. Those two alone
will help create efficiency and that will impact the budget. His
sole focus is to adjust to budget realities without impacting
services as much as possible.
SENATOR MICCICHE said a lot of the decisions made on DOTPF
projects were made with a different fiscal outlook and asked if
those projects are being re-evaluated.
COMMISSIONER LUIKEN said there is a great opportunity in putting
the next four-year Statewide Transportation Improvement Program
(STIP) together to review those projects. The federal capital
funding has been pretty steady for many years and should remain
so for the next few years. That gives them an opportunity to
improve the system and expand where possible to support the
economy. He said they will maybe start by updating the state
long-range transportation plans.
1:35:11 PM
SENATOR MICCICHE asked if he is re-evaluating his leadership
philosophy with reorganization and asked if it's possible that
the current titles on the chart may change significantly even at
the higher titles.
COMMISSIONER LUIKEN answered yes; that is an option he is
exploring.
SENATOR BISHOP moved to forward all three names to a joint
session saying that signing the report does not reflect the
intent by any members to vote for or against the confirmation of
the individuals during any further sessions. There were no
objections and it was so ordered.
1:37:41 PM
CHAIR MICCICHE, finding no further business, adjourned the
Senate Transportation Standing Committee meeting at 1:37 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Marc Luiken Resume for Commissioner of Transportation.pdf |
STRA 2/17/2015 1:00:00 PM |
|
| Shirley Marquardt Resume Board of Marine Pilots.pdf |
STRA 2/17/2015 1:00:00 PM |
|
| Captain David Arzt Resume Board of Marine Pilots.pdf |
STRA 2/17/2015 1:00:00 PM |