Oak Bluffs selectmen accepted a bid of $5.2 million to repair the crumbling seawall on the North Bluff and build a walkway to connect the Steamship Authority terminal to Oak Bluffs harbor. The low bidder, MIG Corporation of Acton, submitted a quote about $800,000 more than the price estimated by the town’s consultants, for a plan that has been pared back considerably from the original concept.
The bid includes restoration of the seawall only from the harbor parking lot to the new fishing pier. The seawall restoration and walkway will not continue along the short stretch from the pier to the ferry terminal. The new walkway will provide a continuous path to the terminal and downtown area, by connecting with the existing walkway from the fishing pier up to the clay brick bathrooms.
The project design calls for removal of the concrete seawall which is considered a public hazard because of structural failure at numerous points. It will be replaced with sheet piling, large metal supports similar to the design used for the harbor bulkhead. The piling is anchored with long rods that extend into the coastal bank.
The town will be responsible for any future maintenance of the new structure.
Construction is expected to begin in December, and the project is scheduled for completion by Memorial Day 2016.
The project could go ahead without a contingency budget, but it would be risky, according to project manager David Lager.
“As good as your specifications are, as good as your planning may be, it’s very hard to say your base bid is not going to encounter a problem,” Mr. Lager told the selectmen at their regular meeting Tuesday. “You may not need it. I’m fairly confident you probably won’t.”
Under state procurement law, the contractor could be entitled to additional funds if unforeseen costs arise.
“None of us on the team feel comfortable moving forward without a contingency budget,” town administrator Robert Whritenour said.
With a 5 percent contingency budget for unexpected costs ($262,117), the cost of engineering ($265,000), and the cost of a project manager to oversee the project for the town ($168,500), the project totals $5.9 million.
Restoration of the North Bluff will be paid for mostly by state funds. The state Dam and Seawall Repair or Removal Program, created in 2013, will fund $3.6 million of the project. The Massachusetts Seaport Advisory Council has issued a grant for $2 million.
That leaves the project short $342,967. Mr. Whritenour said Tuesday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency committed $113,000 to the project in a letter to the town last week. If that funding comes through, the shortfall would be reduced to $229,967.
Selectmen will seek Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds to make up the funding deficit.
“This is clearly a project that meets their guidelines,” Mr. Whritenour told selectmen.
The Community Preservation Committee, which evaluates projects and recommends allocation of CPA money, has scheduled a meeting for Monday, Sept. 28 to consider a fast track application from the board of selectmen. The board hopes to have approval in time to include the funding request on the warrant for the special town meeting scheduled for November 17. All CPA projects require approval by town meeting voters.
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