Petersburg advances $15.1 million plan for Skow Bay boat haul-out and work yard

Petersburg Borough officials and harbor board members on Nov. 1 heard a progress report on the Skow Bay boat haul‑out and work yard project that would expand the existing two‑acre yard to about four acres, build a 400‑foot concrete ramp on a 6% grade and add a rubble‑mound breakwater, washdown treatment, utilities and a small utility/office building.

Somerville, a lead engineer with P and D Engineers, told the joint work session that the team has completed topographic and bathymetric surveys, geotechnical investigations and a 65% design package and is preparing the environmental assessment required under the National Environmental Policy Act. “You just fundamentally, we wanna develop a functional boat haul out yard,” Somerville said during the presentation.

Why it matters: the design is intended to accommodate multiple types of haul‑out equipment used locally and regionally, allow simultaneous contractor work in designated work spaces, and provide treated washdown discharge and stormwater controls required for permitting. The project leaders say the yard would support local marine service providers and commercial fishing fleets and is framed as part of a long‑term Scow Bay master plan that could include future moorage, dredging and a basin.

Key features and operations: the plan calls for a versatile concrete ramp that runs from roughly a finished elevation near minus‑2 to about +23, with a guide float alongside for queuing vessels.…