March 5, 2021 by Carol Britton Meyer
The time is right to seriously consider reconstruction of the deteriorating town pier near the Iron Horse Statue at the harbor.
That was the selectmen's message to the town following two discussions -- including one Thursday night -- centering around a Town Meeting warrant article asking voters to support spending a potential $5.65 million for the project to address safety issues and potential flooding from expected sea-level rise.
Raising the wharf by 3-1/2 feet to a height of 11 feet would help protect part of the town from projected future sea-level rise, storm surge, and potential negative sewer system impacts and could also reduce risks to public health and safety by helping to prevent flooding on Rte. 3A, supporters say.
The project started out as a reconstruction job but now includes resiliency measures. In the meantime, the Woods Hole Group is in the process of identifying where flooding would likely occur near the town pier during various types of storms, projecting ahead to 2030, 2050, and 2070, and what the tidal conditions might be as well as to address concerns expressed by the Conservation Commission. The report should be ready within six to seven weeks.
"We can converse with the Woods Hole Group in the interim," Harbor Development Committee member William Reardon said.
He noted that the warrant article authorizes but does not require appropriation of funds to pay for the project, and that there could be many available grant opportunities.
"We need to put some skin in the game to indicate the community's support for the project," Reardon said.
Abutter impacts need to be gauged and consideration given to the fact that there are other gaps along the waterfront through which storm surge could flow even if the height of the town pier is raised.
The next step is for the Advisory Committee to consider the warrant article, which will happen next week.
If the article were to move forward and gain Town Meeting support, no work would begin until the permitting process is completed. That process could take two years or more.
"With every northeaster we get, there is the potential for some serious flooding in that area," Selectman William Ramsey said.
Town Meeting has the final say for all warrant articles.