Blue Hill to meet, decide fate of wharf

BLUE HILL – Selectmen are expected to set a date Friday for a special town meeting to once again decide the fate of the new wharf in South Blue Hill.

The meeting comes in response to a petition circulated by fishermen concerned about the height of the new wharf. The wharf, which was designed and built to state specifications, is almost two feet higher than the wharf it replaced.

Fishermen have argued that the added height makes it difficult for them to load and unload traps during most tides.

The fishermen presented their petition to selectmen after their regular meeting on Friday. The language is simple and straightforward, asking if town residents will vote to lower the elevation of the new wharf and to fund the costs of those renovations.

Construction on the wharf was almost complete earlier this year when the height discrepancy was discovered. Work was halted while the selectmen, fishermen and others sought a remedy. Earlier this month, the selectmen, in a split vote, decided to move ahead and complete the wharf as designed. That decision triggered the fishermen’s petition.

Selectman Jim Schatz said the selectmen likely will set the date for the special town meeting at their regular meeting on Friday. He said he expected there will be at least two options to be discussed as potential fixes for the wharf.

“There’s nothing confining in terms of the petition,” he said. “I think we can just discuss the options and vote.”

The selectmen have reviewed several options to deal with the problem, and, according to Schatz, two have stood out in recent discussions. The pier was built using concrete T-wall units.

The first option would involve removing fill from the wharf site and cutting about two feet off the uppermost units around most of the wharf. That would cost an additional $10,000.

The second option, costing about $66,000, would require dismantling the entire upper level of the wharf walls, removing the next tier of concrete units, and then replacing the top level. This option would lower the deck level about six inches more than the less expensive option.

On July 7, Schatz proposed moving ahead with the less expensive option, but selectmen John Bannister and Duane Gray opposed the idea, citing, among other concerns, reports from engineers that indicated that changing the design could shorten the life of the wharf. Instead, they proposed finishing the wharf as designed and then considering any additions that might be needed.

According to harbor master Dennis Robertson, the fishermen probably will meet as a group before the town meeting to discuss which option they prefer.

Robertson expressed some concern that the ongoing delay may affect the price of materials. He noted the situation in the Middle East already has affected oil prices and the price of asphalt has increased since the project was halted.

Further delay, he said, also could delay the project past October, when fishermen will be pulling their gear out.