Though the initial estimates have come in higher than the maximum grant amount, the borough will proceed with seeking $25 million in federal money to rebuild the Inner Harbor, Reliance and Standard Oil floats.
The cost estimates for the entire project range from $26 million to almost $34 million, mostly depending on whether the work includes heavier-duty, custom-designed floats.
The borough will seek the maximum $25 million available under the federal grant program — Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity, or RAISE. There is $1.5 billion available this year under the highly competitive nationwide program administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
In its application, Wrangell will commit to coming up with the balance needed to fully fund the project, Interim Borough Manager Mason Villarma said Friday, Feb. 2. That could be with a revenue bond, repaid by harbor fees, though the borough will continue seeking additional federal and state funds to cover the higher costs, he said.
The grant application deadline is Feb. 28. The borough held a public meeting Jan. 31 at the Nolan Center to review preliminary designs and cost estimates prepared by PND Engineers, which has done a lot of work on Wrangell harbors.
Grant award decisions are expected this summer. If Wrangell does receive a RAISE grant, it would proceed with more detailed design and engineering work and would not need to find additional funding for the full financing package until it went to bid on the construction work.
The downtown harbor basin floats are about 60 years ago, according to discussion at the Feb. 1 port commission meeting.
The borough has applied for federal funds for the project since 2019.
The preliminary plans presented to the public last week would increase the number of moorage spaces for 34-foot and 40-foot vessels, increase maneuvering space in the aisles and between float fingers, maximize space for skiffs under 24 feet in length, and provide new electrical hookups at boat stalls, new lighting and water utilities to the floats.
The work would also include new ramps, steel pilings, dredging and expanded parking areas.
The lower-cost estimate would cover manufactured floats consisting of timber decking and framing built on pipe pontoons.
The higher-cost estimate for the three harbors would include a heavier-duty timber and “polytube” float design of foam-core fully encapsulated by polyethylene cladding.
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