Posted on October 30, 2018
A multi-million dollar project to dredge the St. Lawrence River at the Port of Ogdensburg and expand the terminal’s cargo capacity is inching forward, with fresh conversations involving city of Ogdensburg officials over how construction and other maritime disruptions will impact residents and nearby municipal properties.
Ogdensburg City Council was given an update on the years-long initiative on Monday. The elected board heard from representatives of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority. They also heard from their own city manager, Sarah Purdy, regarding potential impacts on the community.
The proposed port expansion has been in the planning stages for years, and the final cost has fluctuated. In 2016, the project was expected to tally slightly more than $18 million, but that cost spiked after engineers said the dredging and terminal expansion would have to be split into separate components.
Wade A. Davis, executive director of the OBPA, said the tentative cost is now approximately $21.4 million. The expansion and deepening will be paid for with a combination of state and federal grants, and a sizeable investment from the OBPA itself.
Mr. Davis said the OBPA has submitted several grant applications and is waiting on word. He said closing the gap in costs could be key.
“The Port of Ogdensburg deepening expansion will benefit the regional economy for many years to come both through construction jobs and ongoing port employment,” Mr. Davis said. “This vital project requires support and investment from both New York state and the federal government, especially as we are nearing a point where without additional support, the project and its benefits will be delayed.”
He said there is also a chance that the price tag could decrease as the Army Corps of Engineers looks for new efficiencies in carrying out the dual faceted job of deepening the harbor and expanding the port terminal to make space for another ship.
Mr. Davis said more detailed numbers of the overall cost could be available in November.
Regardless of the final cost, city, state and federal officials say they are intent on moving the expansion forward, according to Ms. Purdy.
She said although the project will have a temporary impact on some city property — including use of the popular Paterson Street boat launch and the municipal wastewater treatment plant — those inconveniences are in the best interest of the region.
Juggling act
The city’s wastewater plant itself is poised for a $35 million upgrade that is expected to begin next year at the same time the port expansion is underway. And coordinating the two will involve a juggling act.
“During the past few weeks it has been brought to the city’s attention that some of the construction activities will have a direct impact on the wastewater treatment plant, the Paterson Street boat launch, one of the city’s combined sewer outfalls, the Newell building and residents in the vicinity of the port,” Ms. Purdy said.
As part of the port deepening, engineers will have to set a series of explosive charges on the floor of the St. Lawrence River in close proximity to the port in order to loosen bedrock and debris for dredging. During that time, there will be strict protocols in place.
Although the blasting will be inconvenient to boaters and anglers, the upgrade is needed, according to Ms. Purdy, who pointed out that the port first opened in 1935.
“Since then shipping industry has changed significantly,” Ms. Purdy said. “And the port needs to change in order to continue to have a competitive edge.”
The state and federally-funded project at the Port of Ogdensburg will include a substantial deepening of the channel, and pulling part of the bank back to allow for the extension of the terminal’s dock area, according to officials.
Ms. Purdy said when completed, the project will increase the facility’s ability and capacity to unload and process cargo.
“Right now cargo ships coming in cannot come all the way down the docking area. They have to dock at one end and unload until the level of the boat rises up, and then move down,” Ms. Purdy said. “So it is a labor intensive operation to unload the cargo.”
She said improving the port will make the facility more competitive.
“This is a project that the city really needs to support,” Ms. Purdy said.
The challenges of the port expansion include coordinating scheduled blasting of the river bottom around the city’s own $35 million wastewater plant rehabilitation, and trying not to conflict with the popular fishing season during the summer months and use of the Paterson Street boat launch.
In addition, the state Department of Environmental Conservation will not allow blasting or dredging to occur during the fish spawning season on the St. Lawrence, which ends July 15.
One of the options is to back off the scheduled blasting of the river bed until late in the summer when boat usage at the end of Paterson Street begins to wane. She also said talks between the OBPA, the state and the Army Corps of Engineers remain ongoing.
“I think we need to understand that in order to accomplish something that clearly has an economic benefit to the city, as well as to the port, we are going to have to accommodate this type of work and this type of schedule,” Ms. Purdy said. “I think with enough advance notice, people will understand. Obviously some people aren’t going to be happy. The other launch will still be open, although it is not necessarily the preferred launch, but there will still be a launch available.”
Source: Watertown Daily Times
