November 4th, 2019 by Carol Britton Meyer
A number of town wharves need attention, but improvements to the Town Pier by the Iron Horse Statue, Barnes Wharf from which Hingham Maritime Center operates, and the one at Veterans Park near Whitney Wharf are of top priority. These are the lowest wharves, and the most vulnerable.
Harbor Development Committee Chairman William Reardon recently provided an update to the Selectmen on the harbor wharves project, which involves raising each one by 3- 1/2 feet to make them more resilient, with an average life expectancy of 72 years. This increases the town’s protection from expected future sea-level rise and storm events and reduces risks to public health and safety.
To help stem the flow of potential flooding, temporary barriers could be installed to close off the most vulnerable parts of the area that lie between the wharves in the event of a major storm surge.
The goal is to make the town better able to ward off future flooding similar or worse to the significant harbor inundation that occurred in March 2018.
Town Meeting earlier approved $200,000 for the initial repair and restoration of these wharves, with a wary eye on expected future sea-level rise. Prior to that allocation, Town Meeting approved an additional $175,000 in 2015 for an engineering assessment on the condition of the wharves and $240,000 for phase two (engineering, design, and permitting) in 2017. Some grant opportunities exist for this type of work.
"The goal is to move all three wharves along in the permitting process at the same time," Reardon said. "The town pier is the furthest along from a design standpoint." At the same time, he stated: "This won't solve all of our potential flooding problems."
This multi-wharf project will require an additional substantial capital investment in future years, subject to Town Meeting approval -- including potentially next year -- and possible further state grants beyond the ones already received.
Those were for planning assistance toward strengthening the coastal infrastructure within Hingham's Inner Harbor and a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Grant, which provides support for Massachusetts communities to begin the process of planning for climate change and implementing prior projects.