Posted on June 8, 2017
By Shelley Terry and Mark Todd, Star Beacon
Harbor improvement projects totaling more than $5 million are coming to Ashtabula County, according to a statement from U.S. Rep. David Joyce.
The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers will start breakwater repair projects in Ashtabula and Conneaut and also dredge the Grand River in Fairport Harbor, Joyce (R-Bainbridge Township) said in the statement.
As part of the fiscal year 2017 budget, which was passed in May, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will spend $3 million for repair and construction in Conneaut Harbor, $2.35 million for breakwater repair and dredging in the Ashtabula Harbor and $1.7 million for dredging in Fairport Harbor.
“An efficient transportation network is what makes our economy run, and ensuring America’s water infrastructure is brought into the 21st century will grow the economy, strengthen our competitiveness, and create jobs,” Joyce said in the statement. “This provides certainty and confidence to the private sector, which relies on free and open water navigation to stay in business.”
In June 2014, Joyce traveled to Ashtabula for a two-hour boat tour of the Ashtabula River Area of Concern. A legion of environmental experts briefed him on the history of the site, the many partners involved, the remediation and restoration work, and the overall economic impact of Great Lakes restoration.
Now, three years later, the budget for fiscal year 2017 includes more than $5 billion in discretionary funding for the Civil Works Program of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with about $50 million for Buffalo District projects, which has jurisdiction over Lake Erie.
The Civil Works budget funds the Operation and Maintenance Program, which includes the maintenance of federal shipping channels and navigation structures within the Buffalo District, said Fred Leitert, vice chairman of the Ashtabula Port Authority.
The Ashtabula Harbor project includes critical maintenance of coastal navigation structures and obstruction removal. The breakwater repairs include about 200 linear feet. The money also will be used for routine maintenance dredging, which will remove about 100,000 cubic yards of sediment from the harbor.
“They dredge the river every two years; this is the 2017 dredging,” Leitert said. “It’s necessary — we have some big ships coming in there.”
Ashtabula Harbor generates about $128 million annually in direct revenue, which supports about 1,625 jobs. These jobs generate more than $60 million per year in personal income, according a statement from Joyce.
The Conneaut Harbor has more than 2.2 miles of breakwater structures, a 142 acre outer harbor and 2,450 feet of federal channel in the inner harbor channel. This funding will be for the repair of the East Breakwater End Section. Conneaut Harbor generates about $96 million annually in direct revenue, which supports more than 1,317 jobs, according to a statement from Joyce.
Joseph Raisian, Conneaut Port Authority chairman, said the work targets a portion of the east breakwater “that seems to be settling.” Maintenance work, expected to start this year, should not interfere with boat traffic based on past practice, he said.
“When in the harbor they snuggle right up to the wall,” Raisian said.
The Conneaut Port Authority is pleased with the news, he said.
“It’s always a welcome announcement,” Raisian said. “Rep. Joyce is looking out for Ashtabula County.”
Conneaut City Manager James Hockaday said investment in the harbor pays dividends.
“The city of Conneaut welcomes continued investment in our deep water port,” Hockaday said in an email message. “It remains a very active material-handling facility. Keeping the harbor in good order and repair is essential for a vibrant port — commercial and recreational — now and into the future.”
Ashtabula City Manager Jim Timonere said regular dredging of the harbor is vital for the health of the community.
The Fairport Harbor project includes
$1.7 million to be used for routine maintenance dredging of 120,000 cubic yards of sediment that has accumulated in the harbor. The dredging is necessary to maintain sufficient water depth for commercial navigation in the Grand River.
Source: Star Beacon
