60 moorage stalls slated for Douglas Harbor
The city is having 60 new moorage stalls - the largest city harbor project in years - installed at Douglas Harbor that will improve commercial fishing conditions and attract more out-of-town boaters, Port Director John Stone said.
The project is phase three of a five-phase, $15 million master plan to upgrade the harbor and the nearby area. Two earlier phases are complete.
The new stalls are being installed for boats 32 to 90 feet long. A gangway accessible to people with disabilities will be placed from Savikko Road to the stalls. The project costs $2.9 million and is funded with city general obligation bonds.
The project is scheduled for completion by June 1, 2004, before the summer commercial salmon fishing season begins. The upgrades will improve harbor conditions for gillnetters, Stone said, and could result in them selling more fish. The city collects $250,000 a year in fish taxes from the state, which collects them from processors.
"There has certainly been a chronic shortage (of moorage space) for the fishing fleet here," said Jev Shelton, a member of the United Southeast Alaska Gillnetters Association. "Anything that will increase space for commercial fleets will be a big help."
The harbor improvements also will attract more boaters to stay in Juneau, Stone and Shelton said. Southeast Alaska attracts many recreational 40- to 60-foot boats every summer. Additional moorage will allow those boaters to spend money downtown as opposed to bypassing the community altogether or docking at Statter Harbor at Auke Bay.
About 150 vessels occupy Taku Inlet during the peak of the commercial salmon season that runs from mid-June to Oct. 1, Shelton said. Another 100 vessels work the Lynn Canal area, he said. The boats average 30 to 50 feet.
Meanwhile, phase four of the master plan is being designed and includes construction of a new breakwater to shield the basin from Taku winds and boat wakes, Stone said. The Docks and Harbors Board is working with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to obtain funding. The board hopes to secure it this winter so the breakwater can be installed next fall.
The cost is estimated at $3.6 million, and will be paid for with $3 million in federal money and $600,000 in city general obligation bonds.
Phase five includes all of the finishing touches to the area, such as paving the new parking areas, constructing a seawalk and park benches, installing landscaping, and rebuilding Savikko Road and the entrance to Treadwell Arena, Stone said. The project is estimated to cost $4 million. The Docks and Harbors Board is working with the Juneau Assembly to obtain sales tax revenue to help fund the project, and hopes to complete it in the next few years.
The board started the master plan process in 1998 after studying several sites throughout the city and holding a series of public meetings over 18 months. The board considered adding moorage stalls at Aurora and Harris harbors downtown. But removing and then replacing their breakwaters would have been expensive, Stone said. The harbor at Auke Bay already was too congested with boats, vehicular traffic and people.
Phase two, started and completed in 2002, included the installation of a retaining wall and fill along Savikko Road to create additional upland parking for users of the harbor, park and Treadwell Arena.
The cost of the phase was $1.4 million, and it was funded with $350,000 in cruise ship passenger fees and $1.05 million in Docks and Harbors revenue.
Phase one was started in 2001 and completed in 2002. The project included enlarging the existing small-boat basin by dredging the north part to a depth of minus 14 feet for the eventual installation of additional moorage stalls. The dredge spoils were used to create new uplands for boat trailer parking. A new boat launch ramp was installed.
The total cost of phase one was $4 million.