Seaport Grant Awarded For Rock Harbor Wharf Project

ORLEANS – Come spring, the commercial wharf at Rock Harbor will have a whole new look. And thanks to a recently awarded Seaport Economic Council grant, the project will come in at a lower cost to local taxpayers.
 It was announced last week that the town received a $1 million grant from the council for the project, which voters authorized funding through a $9 million override at the annual town meeting and town election in May. 
 The $1 million is the maximum amount the town could have received from the grant, and it accounts for almost a third of the $3.2 million awarded by the council across 10 projects this grant cycle. The town has also applied for another grant through the Office of Coastal Zone Management in hopes of bringing down the project cost further.
 “This award will offset the cost to taxpayers,” said Rich Waldo, the town’s public works director. “And we’re not done. We’re going to go for CZM and try to offset that cost a little more.”
 The project represents a full-scale overhaul of the wharf area, which has fallen into disrepair in recent years and become increasingly unsafe for the 15 commercial fishermen that use it. The project involves construction of a new steel sheet pile bulkhead that will be set an additional 20 feet back from the existing structure, thereby creating an additional 3,400 square feet of space for boats to navigate. Other features include a new 5,420-square-foot commercial dock for offloading catch, a new public viewing area and the construction of two commercial floats with pier and gangway access that will allow for end-in berthing.
 “The state's investment in the Rock Harbor wharf project underscores the importance of supporting coastal communities and their vital economic infrastructure,” Town Manager Kim Newman said in a statement. “Orleans is grateful to the Seaport Economic Council for recognizing the value of this project and investing in the future of our town.”
 “The Seaport Economic Council provides critical funding to improve our waterfronts, mitigate the impacts of climate change, and support economic growth along our coasts,” Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, who chairs the Seaport Economic Council, said in a statement. “We are proud to work with Massachusetts’ 78 coastal communities to move key blue economy projects forward.”
 Waldo and Nate Sears, the town’s harbormaster and natural resources manager, made a presentation on the project to the council last week ahead of the awarding of the grants. In her statement, Newman thanked Sears for “educating the community on the importance of this project to our local economy and continuing to support and recognize Rock Harbor as a cornerstone of the Orleans community.”
 As a blue economy and maritime project with a focus on boosting tourism and coastal resiliency, the wharf reconstruction aligns with many of the Seaport council’s priorities, Waldo said. He noted that the bulkhead has been flexibly designed in such a way that it can be raised higher to combat sea level rise and flooding.
 “Having our commercial wharf, the project, centered around that for our commercial fishing fleet, that was a big point for them, especially when we showed them the existing condition of the failing bulkhead and the jersey barriers that are up to keep traffic away from the seawall.”
 The CZM grant could net the town as much as $2 million in additional funding to further offset the cost of the project for taxpayers. The town is still waiting to hear on the status of its application, but Waldo said he hopes securing the Seaport grant will help its chances of netting the additional funds.
 “We’re hoping this will help our chances with CZM, when they see the commitment not only from the town but also the Seaport Economic Council,” he said.
 Meanwhile, work on the bulkhead started earlier this fall. Waldo said the project is about 40 percent complete, and that work on the bulkhead is expected to be finished by the end of the year. From there, the focus will turn to work on the commercial floats and the public viewing area. 
 The project is expected to be fully completed and operational by May 1, possibly in April if weather cooperates, Waldo said. 
 “It would be great to get the Seaport Economic Council down here to visit so they can see what they’re funding, what they’re supporting, and to see Rock Harbor in action,” he said.

 Email Ryan Bray at ryan@capecodchronicle.com