The Coast Guard has pledged to rebuild and the Chilmark selectmen have declared a state of emergency in the village of Menemsha following the Monday afternoon fire that destroyed the U.S. Coast Guard boathouse and most of a wooden pier leading out to the West Dock.

Voted formally by the selectmen in a special meeting held Wednesday afternoon, the third such meeting since the fire broke out, the declaration will allow the town immediately to begin cleanup and reconstruction, and possibly cut through state red tape related to procedures for town projects.

In the wake of the fire, the state Division of Marine Fisheries has also ordered Menemsha Pond closed to shellfishing, as a precautionary measure. According to senior shellfish biologist Michael Hickey, the closure was prompted by concern about fire debris in the pond.

An investigation begun by the Coast Guard on Monday is ongoing, and no cause has been determined. But four government agencies, including the United States Coast Guard, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the state fire marshal and the state police investigations unit are working together on the investigation. Menemsha Coast Guard chief Jason Olsen said yesterday that he expects the investigation to be complete by early to mid-August.

At the Wednesday meeting selectmen agreed to immediately set up a boom around the fire-affected area of the harbor to try to contain some of the debris in the water.

The harbor remains closed to recreational boat traffic.

The suggestion at the meeting that the Coast Guard will not assist in the cleanup efforts until their investigation is complete was met with disbelief on behalf of the board. Selectman Frank M. Fenner Jr. said Chief Olsen informed him that the Coast Guard is not currently at liberty to assist in the cleanup effort or accept liability for damages to town or personal property.

“That’s a joke, that you can’t pick up debris in the harbor,” said selectmen chairman Warren Doty.

But Chief Olsen, reached by phone yesterday, said that the Coast Guard will in fact pitch in. “We’re going to try to do our best with helping to get some of that debris out of the water. Get a couple of our boat crews out there and try to take some of the stuff out of there,” he said. “We’re definitely going to actively help as best we can.”

The fire was first called in at 2:40 p.m. Monday, after a Coast Guardsman who had been using the boathouse exercise room ran to call 911 after smelling smoke and spotting flames creeping up the building. The village was evacuated while emergency personnel from all six Island towns responded to help combat the blaze. Workers had gotten the flames under control by roughly 5 p.m. Monday evening, but not before the fire completely destroyed the 68-year-old boathouse and a large portion of the wooden pier, making the West Dock completely inaccessible to vehicle or foot traffic.

Chief Olsen said the various agencies involved in the investigation are currently interviewing witnesses and asking others for help. “If anyone has statements or pictures, please come forward,” he said. Once the investigation is complete, he said the Coast Guard will begin reconstruction efforts. “I can assure you that we are going to rebuild that boathouse,” he said.

At the Wednesday meeting selectmen voted to immediately begin construction of a temporary walkway over the damaged portion of the pier, to allow fisherman to access their boat slips located around the West Dock. The walkway will be accessible only to those who have rented slips. Public access will not be allowed. “I think the goal is to get as many slips up and operating as soon as possible,” said Mr. Doty.

Meanwhile, the board decided that the best long-term option for restoration of the dock would be to install a cement dock and carway, similar to docks currently standing on an unharmed portion of the pier. Allowances to bypass a bid process and town meeting vote for expenditures relating to the project may be possible, if the town can secure the construction materials quickly.

“There’s no question that a concrete system tied together with the concrete that’s [already] there would be a good permanent solution,” said town executive secretary Tim Carroll at the meeting. But he said it could take up to a month to have the materials delivered to the Island, which might disqualify the town from the special allowances made in emergency situations.

Engineer Kent Healy, whom the board enlisted to investigate options for reconstruction, estimated that the installation of a new concrete dock would cost roughly $110,000. The dock would be some 310 feet in length.

Town accountant Emily R. Day outlined several funding possibilities for the construction project. She said that there is some money available within the operating budget of the harbor department, and another $35,000 available in the financial advisory committee’s reserve fund, which would be subject to approval by the committee. Mrs. Day said that there is also some $600,000 in the town stabilization fund which would require a town meeting vote to be used.

Another option would be to go into a deficit to cover project costs, with the idea that the budget would be reconciled once insurance money is collected for damages. In an interview after the meeting, Mrs. Day said this spending would be legal because the town is in a state of emergency. “But we’re going to try to keep it within these pots of money,” she said, referring to the various funds already available to the town. “We’re going to take care and spend the money wisely; it’s just a quicker process,” she said.

Chilmark fire chief David Norton said this week that the boathouse blaze was one of the worst in memory. “Everything was just a ball of flame,” he said, recalling what he saw when he arrived at the scene just minutes after receiving the first call. “We had plenty of trucks, we had plenty of water. What we needed was manpower for the rotation, because it was so hot and during that we also sent them back to rehab [a rehabilitation center set up near the Home Port] so that they could cool down, chill, out take a rest, take a breather, have the EMTs check them out, make sure that they were okay to come back for a second and third time. Because it does take a lot out of you. You get dehydrated awful fast out there.”

A claims number has been set up at 508-457-3240, but there is no estimate of damage yet, and Chief Norton said the total number of boats damaged in the fire remained unknown this week. Pertinent information will be posted on the town Web site at ci.chilmark.ma.us, under news and announcements, as it becomes available.

At the meeting Wednesday, Menemsha harbor master Dennis Jason said that though many fishermen have been displaced due to the damage, there is still a place for everyone in Menemsha. Other slip-holders in the harbor are cooperating to make sure of it, he said.

The selectmen also discussed the possibility of securing the fire-damaged area with a chain-link fence to keep the public out and alert people to danger at the site.

But for now, local officials will be present at all times to bar access to dangerous areas. Chief Norton said volunteer firefighters will participate in the rotation. “We’re just here to monitor, make sure there’s no more fire spread [and] work with the fire investigators,” he said. “Not bad for a bunch of volunteers.”