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Commission advances harbor-management plan work and readies SHIP grant applications for dredging and sand-management
Summary
Commissioners reviewed updates to the Harbor Management Plan, confirmed the need to involve DEEP and the Connecticut Port Authority, and discussed sand-management, a proposed 100-foot navigation channel, and preparing SHIP grant applications that require 50% cost matches and professional cost estimates.
Commissioners said on May 19 that they have advanced the Harbor Management Plan toward an implementation chapter and will seek DEEP comment before any formal action. The commission is preparing a redlined version of goals, objectives and project recommendations so stakeholders can compare changes against the 1994 plan.
The commission also discussed sand-management and dredging needs — identifying two current priorities: shoaling near Yee Yacht Yard and recurring shoaling at a pinch point opposite the Country Club of Fairfield. A commissioner said DEEP now allows dredging of a full 100-foot channel and that the harbor plan should incorporate dredging and sand-management recommendations.
Commissioners agreed to prepare a sand-management plan and to be ready for the next round of SHIP grant funding, which opens Sept. 1. The commission discussed project cost estimates and the expectation that SHIP grants will be 50% matching grants that require professional engineering cost estimates (RACE Engineering was recommended as the logical vendor because it prepared prior permits and studies).
On private-property coordination, the commission noted a SHIP grant application that affects private land (the Country Club) can proceed only with the private property owner’s permission; alternatives discussed included the Country Club applying directly or the commission preparing an application that the club would support. Officials stressed that any application must include clear, professional cost estimates and permit planning.
A related update described ongoing work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Outer Harbor Channel dredging project; commissioners said they were drafting the project narrative and have provided vessel and mooring data to the Corps. The commission also reported outreach to a congressional office for support.
The commission directed staff and subcommittees to produce draft grant materials, engineering cost estimates and the redlined plan language for review before the next full commission meeting.
