New Town Landing completed on Isle au Haut

A new Isle au Haut Town Landing that includes major design improvements required by the island community has just been completed

Prock Marine Company built the new wharf in two and a half months. It was a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) project funded by several sources and representing a cooperative effort. The Isle au Haut Town Landing is the main access point for approximately 50 year-round residents and hundreds more during the summer.

Belvia MacDonald, First Selectman and long-time resident of Isle au Haut says, "Because the town landing wharf is for the town's citizens it is very ‘important that the dock be in a healthy status to serve all who cross it. Without this dock, I do not feel the community could be a working, viable place to live."

The project was funded with a $350,000 grant from the state Department of Economic and Development CBDG program, a $150,000 grant from the DOT's Small Harbor Improvement Program, $150,000 through the state's Working Waterfront Access Pilot Program, and $20,000 from the Island Institute. Part of the grant funds were also used for expenses such as repairs to the old dock and for coming up with a new design so the project would stay within budget.

According to island lobster fisherman Bill Clark, a member of the dock committee, talk of needing new waterfront access first began two years ago when it became evident the dock needed replacing. Some of the pilings were rotted, and the pier wobbled slightly in heavy traffic. "We put together a committee representing all major users of the dock. Everyone had a voice."

There are several major improvements in the design of the new Town Landing that relate to efficiency and safety: The wharf extends an additional 24 feet into the thoroughfare to accommodate a 70 foot ramp (43 feet longer than the old ramp, which was considered difficult and unsafe during low tides).

It is wider by seven feet to help separate foot and vehicular traffic. The hoist, paid for by previously raised funds from the town, will be able to lift equal or greater amounts than the hoist in Stonington. The dock, with its reinforced concrete plank deck, is estimated to have a life of 50 years.

Ellard Taylor, dock committee member said, "The deck is constructed of precast steel reinforced concrete planks each measuring 4 feet wide, 30 feet long and 10 inches thick. The planks, barged from the mainland, were placed by crane side-by-side lengthwise to span across timber pile caps. The planks, fastened to the pile caps below, are also welded to each other by means of stainless steel brackets cast into their edges."

The new dock was originally scheduled to be built in the fall of 2008. However, initial bids were all above budget so the committee rejected those bids. The dock was then redesigned with a concrete, instead of wooden, deck. The subsequent re-bidding process successfully brought the project cost down and a new schedule was put in place.

"This held us back a year, but it came within budget," states Clark, whose mooring is one of three fishing boat moorings displaced by the larger dock.

During the summer of 2008, the Isle au Haut dock was inspected by a state DOT official—a requirement before the DOT provided funds for the project. The official determined immediate shoring up of the wharf was necessary before any car traffic could continue. The town issued an emergency work order, and the necessary repairs were made to keep it in usable until a new dock could be underway. During the initial patch-up period vehicle traffic halted, preventing anything bigger than hand-carried freight to the store or residents, effectively preventing some construction jobs moving forward for about a week.

The project also received funding from the state's Working Waterfront Access Pilot Program. The state granted the town $150,000 as part of the program, and in exchange the town agreed to allow commercial fishermen access to the dock in perpetuity.
Lobster fishing is one of the island's cornerstone industries and the public wharf is the only working waterfront accessible to all island fishermen. Explains Shaffer, "The Working Waterfront [program] is complicated, but in a nutshell it guarantees that the land will never be developed and the fishermen's access to the dock is never taken away. Also, all the rights that the town has had to use the dock still exist."

By mid-September 2009 a temporary passenger dock and floats were constructed and assembled by the Prock Marine crew to accommodate passenger, fishing and hand-carried freight traffic. The Point Lookout Association (PLA) donated the use of its private dock for major freight such as store produce and construction project material. The Prock Marine crew then demolished the old pier piece by piece as they built it anew.

Observed Clark, "Prock Marine and their crew have been absolutely fabulous to work with. They have been accommodating, professional, and ahead of schedule."

In addition to Shaffer, Clark and Taylor, the dock committee includes George Cole and Fred Meyers. A larger group of residents worked with the committee during the planning, grant application, design, bidding and construction phases.

Kate Taylor is a freelance writer, carpenter, and fisherman. She lives on Isle au Haut with her husband Ellard Taylor, and two sons.