Waterways Committee: No More Summer Construction Projects

CHATHAM – On a split vote earlier this month, the waterways advisory committee recommended that the town avoid any future construction on shoreside facilities during the peak summer season. The recommendation has been forwarded to the select board for consideration.

 Prompting the discussion at the committee’s June 12 meeting was an update on various waterfront projects, including the proposed new pier and upweller system at 90 Bridge St. Coastal Resilience Director Catherine Ricks told the committee that, with a new bulkhead in place, construction is expected to begin on the second phase of the project shortly, with ground to be broken the first week of July. In the second phase, a wharf will be built to support the upweller, with an extension to the existing pier. Work is expected to be completed by September, with the third and final phase of the project taking place in the fall, when the historic Stage Harbor Coast Guard boathouse will be relocated to the new wharf to house the shellfish upweller.

 Committee member Dave Davis said he is a strong supporter of the 90 Bridge St. project, but the work has been disruptive.

 “I want it done in the worst way,” he said. “But the timing is awful.” He said that work on the property this summer will essentially make 90 Bridge St. unusable, and will put great strain on the town landing across the street. 

 “There’s no parking. I’m sure that site’s going to be taken up with materials, and where are they going to park? Across the street,” Davis said. The work will affect a number of mariners who use the area, himself included, he said. 

 “There’s nothing we can do about it now, because we’re doing it. But we have to make sure that we don’t do this again,” Davis said.

 Harbormaster Jason Holm said that typically, shoreside construction projects are suspended during the boating season, but unusual circumstances meant that 90 Bridge St. would not follow the usual schedule. There were a number of reasons that summer work is required in this case related to securing funding for the project and the complexities involved in planning and permitting for it, he said. 

 “There were certain building codes that we were trying to get ahead of by getting the bids in and getting this done to get the project complete as soon as we could,” Holm said. While the timing isn’t ideal, “this will be completed hopefully next summer instead of being halfway done this year, halfway done next year.”

 Davis said the work done last summer kept mariners from using the dock at 90 Bridge St., where temporary pilings were still in place to hold temporary containment booms in place.

 “So nobody’s been able to use it. It’s never been used to its potential since it’s been in there,” he said. “All that damage is done now. We just have to make sure we don’t do it again.”

 On a motion by Davis, the committee voted to recommend that no construction take place on shoreside facilities between the dates of June 1 and Sept. 30. With committee Chair Dick Hosmer dissenting, and with virtually no discussion, the committee approved Davis’ motion by a 3-1 vote. Select board liaison Cory Metters said it will now be up to the select board to consider the recommendation.