Sand must be tested again before it’s used for park

The “hill” of sand north of Port Washington’s new fifth pier is being tested for contaminants again, even though it’s tested clean before.

Harbormaster Dennis Cherny told the Harbor Commission on Monday that this is being required by the Department of Natural Resources.

“They want clear evidence the sand is not contaminated,” he said.

Once that’s completed, Cherny said, some of the sand will be removed and used on construction projects.

The rest will be leveled off to a height of about five feet, then sloped to the water, creating a park-like area that the public can enjoy.

Cherny noted that the area around the slips was dredged five feet, which he said is “adequate for the boats we’re putting in there.”

The 14 slips on pier five will be used for 30-foot boats, the size most in demand at the marina.

The fifth pier should be put in place in April or May, Cherny added.

City crews will put the piers in place, a process Cherny said will take about two weeks.

Then, the 14 slips they create will be ready for the boating season, he said.

He added that he has also installed a dock for personal watercraft  on the north side of the pier and could add more if needed.

“Everything’s a go. We’re just waiting for the materials to arrive,” Cherny said. “Everything is on schedule.”

Cherny noted that the dredging cost $148,000, and the new piers $50,000. Electrical work for the fifth pier will cost about $2,500, helped by the fact they are salvaging past electrical boxes.

The cost for the city crews to install the piers is expected to be about $8,000, he said, and work to run water lines to the pier about $500.

Cherny also told the commission that work on the new fuel tanks should begin this week and be completed by April 1.

Even if the project takes a few days longer, he said, it shouldn’t be an issue because the marina doesn’t sell much fuel during its opening days.

The tanks themselves should arrive in early March, Cherny said.

The bid for the tanks came in at more than $600,000, he said, while the Common Council approved spending $502,000 on them.

To make up the difference, he said, the city will not be replacing the lines leading from the tanks to the dispensers, a savings of about $109,000.

These lines don’t need to be replaced now, he said, but should be addressed in a future capital improvement project.

The marina had no choice but to replace the fuel tanks despite the fact they were not causing problems, officials said, because insurance companies refused to cover them due to their age.

In other action, Cherny proposed that the marina sponsor a run/walk to help raise money to restore the Port lighthouse, which is falling into disrepair.

The lighthouse project is expected to cost between $1 million and $2 million, due in part to the fact that it was painted with lead paint. It’s also considered a restoration project, so care must be taken to ensure the lighthouse remains as original as possible.

Even if the city borrows the funds to pay for the restoration of the lighthouse, commission member Mike Gasper said, any money raised could be used to maintain it.