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Barnstable County dredge enterprise reports rising demand, new equipment, and a revenue target near $2.7 million
Summary
The county’s dredge program told delegates it finished a busy season, completed capital repairs with state grants, increased rates in recent years, and is aiming for roughly $2.7 million in revenue for FY26 while continuing to seek a permanent yard and improved permitting windows.
Ken Cirillo, director of the Barnstable County Dredge Enterprise, told the Assembly of Delegates on Feb. 26 that demand for dredging and beach nourishment across Cape Cod has risen and that the enterprise has completed a series of capital repairs funded by recent state grants.
Cirillo said the dredge fleet had been rebuilt using about $2 million in grant funds and that the program completed 14 projects in 10 towns this season, moving roughly 83,000 cubic yards of material. He told delegates the enterprise remains far less expensive than private contractors and noted there were no rate increases from 2005 until adjustments in 2021 and 2022; the current rate structure, effective July 1, sets rates at $26.50 per cubic yard without a booster station and $28 per cubic yard with a booster, he said.
Cirillo outlined operational challenges: long lead times for specialized spare parts, lack of a permanent enclosed yard to store pipe and equipment, shipyard constraints for major repairs, and shifting time-of-year restrictions tied to fisheries and protected species that shorten the dredging window. "The changes to the time of year restrictions ... will be very, very challenging for us because that'll push the season," he said.
Budget and staffing: The FY26 dredge budget request shows modest increases (about 3%) from FY25 driven by salary steps, insurance and retirement costs, and planned absorption of survey costs previously billed to towns. Cirillo described a revenue target in the neighborhood of $2.7 million for the coming year, while cautioning revenue depends on towns committing projects and on permitting windows. He said the enterprise remains a "lean machine" with two dredges, booster stations and a small crew: a superintendent, superintendent assistant, levermen, four deckhands and an open maintenance technician position the program hopes to fill.
Looking ahead, Cirillo said he is pursuing opportunities such as pilot projects for side-casting or MOS restoration, continued preventive maintenance, and potential state matching grants for capital items, but added that some grants require a 50% local match that the enterprise’s reserves cannot fully cover. He urged continued coordination with towns and regional partners on permitting and storage solutions to reduce setup time and costs.
Cirillo credited staff for long hours and significant weekend work and asked delegates to consider the program’s needs for a storage/maintenance facility and for stable permitting timelines that maximize dredging days.
The presentation included project summaries for Bourne, Parker’s River, Bass River, Falmouth Eel Pond and planned queue work in Chatham, Mashpee and Sandwich, and noted one survey showed Truro did not require dredging this season.
