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Ken Smith/Turnagain Times The harbormaster office will be rebuilt as part of the second phase of the renovation and expansion of the Whittier small boat harbor. |
By Ken Smith
Turnagain Times
Whittier is the gateway to Prince William Sound, and since the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel opened in 2000, the city has become a popular destination for weekend boaters. There are also 500 boaters on a waiting list for slips in the city’s small boat harbor and pay $40 per year to be on that list. The lack of boat slips is a problem that stems from a harbor that was built in the 70’s and expanded in 1980 with slips built for smaller boats. The answer: replace the smaller slips with bigger ones and expand the harbor.
It will be a three phase project with the first phase expected to begin this winter when the city replaces the East boat launch ramp.
“The idea is that the ramp would be completed this winter and ready for service next summer, that’s what we’re striving for,” said Whittier City Manager Mark Earnest. “That ramp is in extremely poor condition; the concrete is just really crumbling, and there are large holes in the plank.”
There is a second West ramp available to boaters, but it is not useable during high tide—one more reason for the urgency to replace the two-lane east launch ramp with a new concrete three-lane ramp.
However, no concrete will be poured until the U.S. Army Corp of Engineer’s completes its environmental assessment and soil testing and grants final permit approval for construction to begin.
“We expect it will be forthcoming soon,” said Earnest. “We did get our test results back, and they look very positive and encouraging.”
Whittier was home to a military base during World War II and large fuel storage tanks were positioned around the harbor. In the 1964 Good Friday earthquake, the tanks were destroyed and 10 million gallons of petroleum products caught on fire. Most of the fuel tanks were positioned where the parking lot is currently located, and a large amount of fuel spilled into the area where the current small boat harbor sits.
The soil testing will determine the amount and location of contamination, whether it’s below the construction zone, and whether dredged material would need to be treated and disposed of.
“They built other facilities in that area,” said Earnest. “They went through the same process for the new Marine Highway Ferry docking area. It’s a pretty rigorous process to make sure that we know if there are any pollutants in the construction area and that it is accounted for.”
If the permit is approved, it will begin a renovation project of the small boat harbor that has been long awaited by city officials and boaters alike.
Money for the renovation project will be provided in large part by state funds and federal grants. Funding has already been provided for replacement of the boat ramp, which will cost an estimated $2 million. The city received a total of $6 million earlier this year, but well short of the estimated $17 million it will take to complete the entire three-phase renovation and expansion of the small boat harbor.
“It’s a complete renovation of all of the float systems,” said Earnest. “The only part of the harbor that will remain will be breakwater and some of the dock facilities and the East grid.”
The current slips at the small boat harbor accommodate 24-foot boats; but in the last 27 years boats have increased extensively in size and larger 28-foot slips are needed.
“We’ll have about the same number of slips overall (281),” said Earnest. “We’re not currently getting efficient use of the slips because one boat is occupying two slips. With larger slips, it will make the whole operation more efficient and safer.”
As part of the second phase of renovations, a new harbormaster office will be built, housing both state and federal agencies such as the Dept. of Public Safety, Dept. of Fish and Game, the Coast Guard and U.S. Forest Service.
The third phase of the project would include moving the breakwater further out, but as of now, it is not in the design phase. The rock structure would be replaced with a wave barrier made out of steel, and the breakwater would be excavated and expanded out into the ocean.
The city is seeking to finance the entire project through state grants and federal funding, but if it falls short, the possibility of paying off a portion of the costs would be provided through user fees. Earnest said he expects the new harbor to be completed in three to four years.