Chilmark officials are holding off on upgrades to the aging commercial docks in Menemsha until after the Island makes a decision on the $400 million regional high school building project.
A town working group this week laid out its recommendations to the select board to either repair or replace the 39-year-old docks on the east side of Menemsha harbor.
A 2022 inspection and assessment reported moderate age-related defects and deterioration to the commercial dock, Dutcher dock, bulkhead and related infrastructure, which is expected to last another 10 to 15 years without major repairs.
The working group presented four options for repair or replacement to the select board Tuesday, with designs and estimated costs drawn up by a waterfront engineering firm. The group recommended two options to the select board: a basic repair to the docks, which would cost the town almost $1.5 million, or a full upgrade to the docks, which would cost over $8.8 million, and could be partially covered by grants.
After discussing the benefits and drawbacks to each option, the select board voted to table the discussion until after the high school building project vote June 2.
“I think it’s going to be difficult to just take the issue to the voters until we know about some of these other projects,” said recently-elected select board member Rebecca Haag. “It would have to be a broader discussion about priorities and how much debt we can take on.”
Though not an immediate concern, harbor master Ryan Rossi said he does want to get the ball rolling on the project.
“We would hope to have guidance for how to move forward as soon as possible, but we also understand there are constraints as far as budgetary constraints and other priorities in town,” he said in an interview.
Mr. Rossi hoped the select board would pick one option or direct the working group to conduct more community engagement and public surveys on which option the public prefers.
In an initial public survey of the four original options, the most respondents preferred the full upgrade of the dock.
A full upgrade would include a complete reconstruction of the bulkhead and timber wharf. The permitting process and construction would take longer than for basic repairs, but the structures would last decades longer and be more resilient against sea level rise. A full upgrade project could also win up to $3 million in state grants.
Once the select board or working group settles on an option, an engineering firm will construct a 50 per cent construction-ready plan, which will be refined after further community engagement.
Mr. Rossi said Tuesday that the longer the town waits, the higher the cost will be to repair or replace the dock. In the past two years, estimates shot up due to the rising cost of steel.
“I don’t think we’re in an enormous rush,” he said. “I don’t think the dock’s in risk of falling into the water anytime soon, but at the same time, we probably shouldn’t wait forever before something bad does happen.”
The select board expects to revisit the issue at their June 9 meeting.
This article appears in May 15, 2026.
All towns are gonna need to take notice. We cannot build a $400 million high school and afford to do anything else after that for a good chunk of time.
Why are we even spending so much $$$ to renovate school and world is moving towards ai and funds should be directed towards that cause instead of wasting money on highschool stuff not related to ai.