By Janet Long
Turnagain Times Whittier Correspondent
The highly anticipated Shotgun Cove development project in Whittier is nearing the end of its first phase of construction. The first phase was devoted to road construction and funded by more than $3.1 million from a grant by the U.S. Department of Transportation, which was awarded to bidder D & L Construction of Soldotna.
Begun briefly last fall and resumed in late May 2007, the road project has blasted tons of rock, diverted run-off, removed a hairpin curve and begun a utility corridor to service 15-20 scenic lots between the abandoned Buckner Building, heading east from Shotgun Cove Road.
In compliance with federal regulations, the route is a two-lane road with a bike path, which makes up the 4,200-linear-feet of phase I of a proposed three-phase project. Construction is in 100-foot stations and currently extends 600-800 feet beyond Cove Creek at the “first salmon” run recreational area.
The project has gone fairly well according to Larry Smith, co-owner of D & L Construction.
“We are pretty much on target, depending on what Mother Nature holds in store for us in October,” he said. “A new 64-foot by 45-foot bridge crossing Cove Creek is nearing completion except for the second abutment. The bridge includes seven wing walls and 64-foot bulb girders.”
Recreation upgrades at the “first salmon run,” traditionally a popular site for summer visitors and anglers, includes a rebuilt double vaulted outhouse, five fire pits, six picnic tables and a bear-proof garbage can.
“Planting and adding guardrails should be all that remain to be completed in the spring,” said Smith. “We’re getting close to completion, but we missed the window for some of the seeding of willows and other brush, and seeding along some of the construction area.”
Engineers and the city of Whittier are not certain of a timeline to complete the development of Shotgun Cove because it’s subject to future appropriations of the Federal Highway Administration. The next phase of the project is estimated at $8 million.
“It’s a long-term project and provides over 400 acres that has been deeded to Whittier,” said Mark Earnest, Whittier City Manager, “and the city is required to put a significant percentage of the land into private hands or the land reverts back to the state. We have until 2014 to accomplish that.”
The city administration is starting the process of serving and permitting lots for land sales with a minimum size of 1.5 acres. Most of the land will be located in two areas: one on a portion of land along the coast just East of town between Whittier proper and Trinity Point just before you turn into Shotgun Cove, and the second area within Shotgun Cove itself, covering about two miles of shoreline with some waterfront lots and lots behind the access road.
“Our goal is to have the first sales during 2008,” said Earnest. “Our preliminary plan at this point is to probably put 20 lots up for bid. The public auction will be advertised when it’s available. Our goal is to disseminate it to as wide an audience as we can.”
Earnest expects bids to start at a minimum of $50,000 per acre, but that’s just a working number at this point, he said. He added that a lot of the land within Shotgun Cove is wetlands and other sections are located on steep slopes, leaving the total number of developable lots in question at this point.
Ken Smith contributed to this article.