(City of Sitka photo)
Construction of Sitka’s long-awaited marine haulout is nearing the finish line– for Phase 1, at least.
The travelift, the huge vehicle that plucks boats out of the water for cleaning and repairs, is set to arrive next week. Sitka Economic Development Association Director Garry White says they plan to install the travelift on May 12th. But there’s still more construction required, and much of that is weather-dependent.
“We have to grout the piers, and we need above 45 degrees for days, and then after that, it has to cure for a while,” White said in an interview with KCAW on May 29. “And then we’re also working on getting the concrete wash down pad constructed, and we just were pulling the trigger on that moving forward.”
In March the Sitka Assembly approved a proposal from a Kodiak-based marine fabrication company to operate the haulout. The proposal from Highmark Marine wasn’t without its detractors. Throughout the process, there was pushback from local fishermen and marine fabricators– one concern among them was the price to get their boats hauled out.
Municipal Administrator John Leach said representatives from Highmark Marine were in town last week working on the terms of their final agreement with the city, and he was hopeful they could get that number down.
“We had some really productive sessions with Highmark last week, talking through negotiations, and we’re looking at some creative ways that we could possibly get the haul rate down. So fingers crossed on that one,” Leach said. “But again, just want to reiterate that the plan is still to have an open yard, and we’ll have a an operator here that’s going to get them out of the water and get them in place.”
The haulout is expected to be operational this summer. But plans for the second phase of upland development are already in the works. The GPIP Board will meet on May 15 to discuss the next steps on the haulout project.
