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Harbormaster details Pratty Park bulkhead rebuild as multi‑year, harbor‑funded project
Summary
The harbor master told councilors the Pratty Park bulkhead and associated docks, ramps and amenities are a multi‑year reconstruction estimated roughly $14M–$20M, to be funded from harbor revenues (including the raised cruise‑ship fee); architects and contractors are being procured and a public design process will follow.
Harbormaster Steve Land described a multi‑year overhaul of Pratty Park (also referenced as Paraty Park in staff slides) at the Jan. 7 CIP workshop, saying the project covers docks, ramps, the bulkhead, a harbor walk and a new public building and that design and construction are already underway in early phases.
Land said preliminary engineering and soil probing have informed design choices and that the project is being sized to avoid expensive anchors where possible; probing suggests sufficient mud in locations that could reduce structural piling costs. He gave a hypothetical budget range that has shifted between about $14 million and $20 million as the team refines scope and noted the harbor fund — not the city general fund — will repay any harbor borrowing.
The harbormaster said earlier revenue steps, including an increased cruise passenger fee raised from $6 to $20 per person, helped make larger harbor projects feasible by increasing annual harbor receipts from roughly $600,000 toward an estimated $1.5 million. Land said the combined revenue picture and new projects such as the Anne Street Pier should help support debt service and future harbor investments.
He said the project team will issue an RFQ for an architect and hold public design workshops when a schematic design phase begins. He estimated construction completion in the summer of 2028 if schedule and permits align.
Next steps: RFQ for architect, continued soil and electric/flood mitigation design, and public workshops on the harbor‑walk design and building program.
