KINGSTON — The Port of Kingston began a full overhaul of its marina this week, in the midst of its busiest season.
Harbormaster Kevin Van Vliet said the summer start date was most logical.
The port is taking advantage of good weather for construction and doesn’t want to disrupt services such as electricity to its liveaboard tenants in the winter when they need them the most, he said.
“It might impede a little more,” Van Vliet said. “But there are a lot more intangibles in the winter.”
The port is replacing nearly all the wood, wiring and water lines on all of its docks, except for the guest dock closest to the ferry terminal. Only the concrete will remain untouched.
Construction began this week and will run through November. The roughly $500,000 project is the first major facelift for the marina since the docks were built in 1985.
In addition to the dock project, the port will install four guest mooring buoys off North Beach — just north of the ferry terminal — this week and plans to replace 56 of the wooden marina pilings with concrete in September. The port is completing those improvements to satisfy environmental mitigation requirements prescribed by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife as part of the permitting for the port’s passenger ferry terminal.
The project won’t affect the guest dock — used by visiting boaters — which was rebuilt last summer.
Marina tenants will experience brief power and water outages and a few days of lost access to their slips as work progresses.
Port liveaboard Steve Hyman, who serves as Commodore of Kingston Cove Yacht Club, said the port has communicated well with tenants in the lead-up to the project, even offering to help find alternative lodging during the slip construction. The improvements will reinforce the marina as a boating destination, Hyman said.
“I’ve been to all the meetings,” he said. “I’ve followed the whole process very closely, and I’ve been very impressed.”
Ramps
Dock restoration work began in earnest Monday as a contractor used a crane to replace the original steel ramps leading to A, B, C and D docks with new aluminum ramps. Together the four new ramps cost $60,000. Two of the old ramps were given to North Kitsap Trails Association to be used to span ravines in its String of Pearls trail system.
The port closed its boat ramp Wednesday while work is done on the dock beside the launch.
Wood
Construction company Northern Con-Agg was awarded the $176,094 contract to replace 28,000 linear feet planks on the docks along with 18,000 feet of thinner wooden rub strips.
Port Project Manager Kori Henry said the old wood is deteriorating quickly.
“There are some pretty big pieces in there that are pretty rotten,” she said.
The port will keep the docks open while the wood is replaced, but individual slips will be closed for about two days at a time.
Water
Along with woodwork, Northern Con-Agg has the $47, 583 contract to replace all the water lines in the docks.
Wiring
Contractor Bird Electric will string out 1,000 feet of new electrical wires inside the floats and hook up 134 new pedestals — the posts that hold outlets and switches. Electrical work will cost the port $234,537.
The project is a massive logistical undertaking for port staff. Van Vliet said the project began smoothly this week, a good sign for the months to come.
“We’re right in the middle of it,” he said. “This is a true test of how everyone will work together.”
