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Jul 03, 2023

Magnolia Pier work to start soon

The much anticipated gangway gantry system and float improvements to Magnolia Pier in Gloucester will be built during the dog days of summer. Members of the Magnolia Pier Advisory Committee plan to go

The much anticipated gangway gantry system and float improvements to Magnolia Pier in Gloucester will be built during the dog days of summer.

Members of the Magnolia Pier Advisory Committee plan to go door-to-door this week to let neighbors know of the construction taking place in the coming weeks, said Ted Costa, chair of the Magnolia Pier Advisory Committee and a former city councilor.

While the pier will be inaccessible due to the work for some period of time during August, the project should wrap up by Labor Day, though a lot will depend on the weather and tides for the project’s schedule.

The city had been awaiting a sign-off from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as the final piece of the permitting puzzle before it could move ahead with restoring the gangway and float.

With that permit and others in hand, the project is moving to the construction phase. The gangway and float project has been estimated to cost about $160,000 to $180,000. The cost of the overall pier reconstruction project has been offset by a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant based on damage the pier incurred in March 2018.

In addition, the community stepped up and raised nearly $200,000 for the project.

Mayor Greg Verga said Monday that the first phase has a window of Aug. 7 to 20 to install the gallows frame piles. He said for safety’s sake, people will not be allowed on the pier during construction.

According to a memo from the contractor, North Shore Marine of Salem, this task is expected to last four days. The piles have been delivered to North Shore Marine’s yard with installation of them dependent on weather and tide.

“Because of the location and task, it may be likely that mobilization and execution could be done on short notice,” the contractor wrote. “It is our intent to provide sufficient notice to all parties, but there may be weather days involved where we plan to mobilize and it gets pushed due to weather conditions. The overall duration of this task is anticipated to be 4 days.”

Fabrication of the float would take place from Aug. 1 to Aug. 21. Installation of moorings, float and gangway is scheduled for Aug. 28, according to the memo.

“So, it’s a long time coming. There is no question about it, this project was lingering before the last election and I’m just glad we can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel at this point,” Verga said.

According to Costa and the notice on the pier construction schedule, residents should expect to see boat and barge activity and construction-related activities on and around the pier.

“This activity will include crane noise, pile driving noise, as well as the sounds associated with construction,” Costa said. Work will only be done during the day and as a safety precaution, the pier will be closed due to the work.

The new gallows lift is mean to lift the gangway out of harm’s way in advance of a coastal storm.

Last September, the City Council increased a loan order for the project from $1.15 million to $1.54 million due to the receipt of the long-awaited nearly $400,000 reimbursement from FEMA to offset the cost of the pier, which was damaged in storms in March 2018.

After it was destroyed, the pier was rebuilt and reopened in the summer of 2020, but a storm that September ripped away the new gangway and an older float. The gangway lift system and float are the last parts of the pier restoration project.

Ethan Forman may be contacted at 978-675-2714,or at [email protected].

Ethan Forman may be contacted at 978-675-2714,or at [email protected].

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