Town of Sedgwick Letter Head

Town of Sedgwick letter head

Melissa Anson, c/o Maine Coastal Program
93 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0093

May 5, 2015

Melissa Anson:

Please find with this letter an application submitted by the Town of Sedgwick for a Shore and Harbor Planning Grant. The timing of this grant program could not be better. The town has already raised sufficient matching funds so that we will be ready to go if a grant is awarded.

Furthermore, we have been deemed eligible for a Small Harbor Improvement Program grant provided we are able prepare the required planning and engineering documents. This means that an award through your program will put us on a fast track to implementation.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or need information supporting this proposal.

Sincerely,

Town of Sedgwick Select Board

Cover Sheet

Title: Benjamin River Harbor Design and Engineering

Town:Sedgwick, Maine

Amount Requested: $15,000

Budget

MCP Grant / Non-Federal Match 50% / Total Cost
$15,000 / $5,000 (cash in hand)
$2,500 (in kind staff) / $22,500

Detailed budgetincluded in full proposal.

Project Manager and contact information

Ben Astbury, Selectman or Designee

Town of Sedgwick

PO Box 40

Sedgwick, ME 04676

Phone and Fax: 207-359-2275

Project partners/supporters

Town of Sedgwick

Project start and end dates (month and year)

Start: Upon receipt of grant award
End: Final presentation at a public hearing one month before the 2016 Sedgwick Town Meeting (Saturday, March 5, 2016)

Project summary statement (3-5 sentences)

Sedgwick’s Benjamin River traditional wood cribwork town pier and walkway are deteriorated and the larger harbor facility experiences congestion at times that might be relieved by access improvements.This grant matches local funds to pay for conceptual design of Sedgwick’s Harbor facility and a final engineering design for reconstruction or replacement of the pier.

Executive summary

This project will pay for conceptual design of Sedgwick’s Benjamin River Harbor facility and engineering design for reconstruction or replacement of the existing wood-crib pier.

The conceptual design will coverthe entire site including parking, boat preparation, boat ramp, cargo loading and off-loading, pier, floats and utilities. Public participation will be encouraged to identify strengths and weaknesses of the current facility and improvements that will better meet user needs.

The immediate priorityis to create an engineering design for reconstruction or replacement of the aging wood-crib pier. Construction funding for this project has been approved through the MaineDOT-Small Harbor Improvement Program. In order for construction to proceed, Sedgwick must prepare an engineering design.

This grant matches local funds to hire an engineering consultant to plan the facility and prepare design documents and permits required for construction of the pier. .

Project description

Sedgwick’s Benjamin River Harbor is located on Carter Point Road. This public access facility serves roughly equal numbers of commercial fishermen and recreational boaters. This facility provides a very important service to Sedgwick residents and visitors. The Benjamin River is well protected from storm surges, offering 24 hour water access.

The current facility includes gravel parking area, unpaved access roads, a boat ramp, traditional wood-crib pier, main float, finger floats and a beach area also used to trailer small boats. The town places a portable privy at this site during the warmer months.

A number of improvements have been recommended in past public outreach efforts. The pier is old and deteriorated. The town continues basic maintenance, but needs to make a more substantial investment to assure long-term functionality.

Past recommendations have included:

Pier construction alternatives:
reconstructing the existing cribwork and walkway
driving pilings to replace the cribwork
removing the pier and replacing it with an approximately 80’ walkway from the shore to main-float
Other pier suggestions
replacing walking ramp from pier to the float
reducing slope from pier to main float
Other suggestions
grading and paving the entrance road
grading and organizing the gravel parking area
adding informational signage for facility users
building vault privy
Repairing damaged sections of the concrete boat ramp

The Town of Sedgwick submitted a proposal for a Small Harbor Improvement Program specifically to repair or replace the existing, but increasingly deteriorated pier. The newly configured Small Harbor Improvement Program accepts applications on a continual basis and places awardees in a construction queue. Sedgwick’s proposal was approved for construction and placed in a cue pending permits, design and funding. In order to advance through this queue, the Town of Sedgwick must prepare an engineering design for the reconstruction or replacement.

This Shore and Harbor planning grant will help Sedgwick move ahead in two-ways. A more general conceptual plan that outlines a long-range vision for the facility will help the town to prioritize future capital investments. The engineering design for pier repair or replacement addresses a more immediate need to make this facility safe and accessible for all users.

Project Schedule

The planning process has already begun with the participation of the Sedgwick Select board, Harbor Committee and Harbor Master discussing options for facility improvement. The next phase will be to hire an engineering firm to assist in designing the needed improvements.

2015 / 2016
Jul / Aug / Sep / Oct / Nov / Dec / Jan / Feb / Mar / 2016+
Grant Award
Engineering Bid
First Public Meeting / √
Engineering Design
Second Public Meeting / √
Design Revision
Public Hearing / √
Town Meeting Vote / √
Implementation

Public Participation Process

The town of Sedgwick will work with an engineering firm to host a series of three public meetings.

1)August, 2015- Exploratory meeting to identify priorities

2)November 2015 – Presentation of Draft plans

3)February, 2015 – Public Hearing on Final Plans

Between these three public meetings, the select board and a designated design committee will work with the engineering firm to clarify priorities, select among design alternatives and review draft documents.

Project Budget

Part 1, Estimated Personnel Expenses (Grantee staff only)

Position Name
& Title / Hourly
Rate / Number of Project Hours / Salary &
Fringe / Total Grantee Personnel Expenses

Town Staff

/ $25 / 100 / $2,500
Totals / $2,500

Part 2, Budget Estimates by Cost Category

Cost Category / MCP Grant / Non-Federal Match / Total Cost
Personnel / $0 / $2,500 / $2,500
Fringe Benefits
Travel / $0 / $0 / $0
Equipment / $0 / $0 / $0
Supplies / $0 / $0 / $0
Contractual (Engineer) / $15,000 / $5,000 / $20,000
Other (specify) / $0 / $0 / $0
Indirect
Totals / $15,000 / $7,500 / $22,500

Note:

1. This proposal provides 50% match, with 33% in cash on hand and 17% through in-kind support from selectmen, town staff and committee members.

Part 3. Sources and Types of Match

Source of Match / Cash / In-Kind / Total

Town of Sedgwick

/ $5,000 / $2,500 / $7,500
Total / $5,000 / $2,500 / $7,500