Stonington moving forward with designing plan for Town Dock repair
Stonington — The town has instructed an engineering firm to combine two of the less expensive options as a way to repair the deteriorating south pier at the Town Dock.
The 450-foot-long pier was constructed in the 1830s and is leased by the Southern New England Fishermen and Lobstermen’s Association, which docks boats along the protected north side of the pier and stores equipment on it. Using a Connecticut Port Authority grant, the town hired Stantec Consulting to develop options for repairing the pier and in January 2019, the firm conducted an above- and below-water inspection of the structure.
It found that the paved deck was in good to fair condition, while timber piles were in fair condition with varying degrees of deterioration, splitting and rot. There was a partial collapse of the north wall where a steel plate has now been placed and loads are not allowed in that area. There are also missing and loose stones in the wall of the pier.
Alternative 1 calls for no action, which the report states would result in the pier continuing to degrade with unanticipated closures of berths. This would have significant impact on operations until repairs could be made.
Alternative 2 calls for making localized repairs at a cost of $1,840,000. Alternative 3 calls for the removal and reconstruction of the stone seawall above the mean low water level at a cost of $5.6 million. Alternative 4 calls for construction of a new concrete seawall at a cost of $7.2 million, and Alternative 5, a new steel bulkhead at a cost of $6.3 million.
Simmons said combining aspects of Alternative 2, which would give the pier a 15-year life span, and Alternative 3, which has a life span of 50 years, will help keep costs down. He said the study will give the town the plan and cost estimates that it needs to apply for state funding to cover much of the cost.
If the 80 percent funding were approved, it would be up to the Board of Finance to decide how to appropriate the remainder. That could come from an allocation in the annual capital improvement budget, bonding or from the town’s undesignated fund surplus.
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