Redevelopment authority approves on-site engineering services for Northfield Point revetment, advances seaport and boating grants

The Forwarder Redevelopment Authority on Sept. 24 authorized a Beta Group amendment for on-site resident-engineer services at Northfield Point and approved documents to advance two waterfront grant efforts, including a Seaport Economic Council application and a state boating-infrastructure agreement the authority will sign with the city. The board voted to authorize the chair to sign the Beta amendment and the project agreement and MOU for the boating grant.

The Beta amendment authorizes construction-administration and on-site resident-engineer services for revetment work at Northfield Point at a cost not to exceed $114,001.65, the board record shows. The motion passed with recorded “yes” votes from John Anderson, Ron Roosin, Joan Maderas and Keane. Sarah Page, executive director, said the Beta proposal was included in the board package to ensure on-site oversight for debris removal and elevation verification and that full-time services would taper to time-and-material billing as work progressed.

Page told the board the Authority has submitted a Seaport Economic Council grant request for $965,000 to fund a walkway, plantings and water service to the spit; she said, “We asked for 965,000” and that the council “should be letting us know in December.” Page said the Seaport grant application emphasizes environmental and educational programming; she said the Audubon Society and Trustees of Reservations have agreed to lead educational workshops for school groups and weekend activities on the spit.

Project manager Karen Martin described recent site maintenance and inspections leading into the revetment work. “We were able to finalize the site inspections with the cathodic engineer and the diver,” Martin said, and reported a short punch list: one anode tab to be rewelded and some coating touch-ups. Martin said contractor Kavanaugh will return on Sept. 29 to complete those items and to proceed with coating and the change order; she added, “They’ll be out there on Monday.”

Martin and Page said invasive-plant removal at Northfield Point is complete and that a pre-construction meeting with the landscape contractor and engineers has been scheduled; Page said Beta’s submittal for a turbidity curtain was in for approval and was expected to be returned promptly.

Board members discussed project budget context. Staff noted a construction-line figure referenced in the discussion but did not provide a definitive final construction contract amount at the meeting. Page said the Authority has committed matching funds and is pursuing an earmark of $125,000; she described the Seaport request and the Authority’s match as distinct items in the broader waterfront package.

Separately, the board approved by roll-call vote the project B sub-guarantee agreement as revised by legal counsel and authorized the chair to sign the grant agreement and associated state contract documents; the recorded votes on that motion were John Erickson, Ron Russen, Matt Pleasantburg, Joan Maderas and Keane voting yes.

The board’s approvals allow the Authority to proceed with contractor submittals, on-site engineering oversight, and signature of the state grant documents. Page and staff noted outstanding dependencies: final Army Corps of Engineers permit responses, state acceptance of contract modifications, and securing an anticipated earmark. No additional formal budget amendments were adopted at the meeting.

The meeting record shows the Authority moved into executive session at the end of the open meeting to discuss potential real estate transactions and to approve executive-session minutes; the board stated it would not return to open session.