Posted on August 30, 2018
The harbormaster and his crew will finally get a maritime building and a $1 million state grant is going to help.
Plymouth will receive a $1 million grant from the Seaport Economic Council to help pay for the new facility, the governor’s office said last week.
The building, to be erected behind East Bay Grille, will have a laundry, showers and public restrooms for transient boaters and an office and bathrooms for the harbormaster and his staff. The harbormaster’s current office has no bathrooms or running water.
“Massachusetts maritime economy supports the commonwealth’s coastal communities through tourism, commercial fishing, marine research and shipping,” Gov. Charlie Baker said in a statement. “Our administration remains committed to strengthening these cities and towns through the funding, expertise, and leadership of the Seaport Economic Council and will continue to do so through new authorization from the economic development package signed last week.”
Plymouth Marine and Environmental Affairs Director David Gould said town meeting authorized borrowing $3.5 million to construct the new building, with the understanding that grants would be sought to cover some of the cost. He said Plymouth is grateful to the Baker-Polito Administration for the grant. His department has also applied for a $750,000 federal port security grant and $1 million federal economic development grant.
The new building will have space for meetings of the harbor committee and rooms to accommodate safe boating, CPR and first aid classes.
Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, who co-chairs the Seaport Economic Council, said in a release that she is honored to support these and other projects through these Seaport Economic Council grants.
Gould said the project will be put out to bid in the fall, with construction likely beginning in November. The building will be constructed on wood pilings due to the flood elevation.
It’s just one of several large waterfront projects. A $13.5 million Army Corps of Engineering harbor dredging project will begin in the fall.
The dredging will allow smaller cruise ships to navigate the harbor and will also allow for the full-sized ship variety to anchor away from shore and have passengers shuttled to the waterfront.
“The Army Corps will dredge this fall and winter and next fall and winter,” Gould said. “This year the Army Corps will dredge the federal navigation channel and then the federal mooring area next winter. Next winter they will also be working to dredge the local and state mooring areas to get them done at the same time.”
It’s all in time for the town’s 400th anniversary celebration in 2020.
Source: The Patriot Ledger
