BARNSTABLE – Barnstable town officials have announced this week that emergency repair work on Barnstable Harbor pilings has not yet started.
The pilings were severely damaged from this winter’s storms.
The contractor hired to repair the pilings in no longer involved in the project and a new contractor has been hired.
Barnstable Town Councilor Ann Canedy said the work will be completed no later than Memorial Day.
She said the good news regarding the harbor is that work has been completed on the bulkhead to fix deficiencies from a recent construction project.
Canedy said officials originally thought that the bulkhead construction might not be completed in time for the harbor opening on Memorial Day—in which case the contractor would return in the fall of 2015 and complete it.
As for the pilings project, Canedy said contractual negotiations with the preliminary winner of the bid for installation of the pilings fell through and the town has secured a contract with the second highest bidder, as a higher price.
Work on the pilings will begin early next week and work will progress from west to east, according to Canedy.
Canedy said slip holders may be able to occupy slips as completed until their assigned slip is ready.
“This will be determined by the contractor working in coordination with the Harbormaster and DPW staff,” she wrote in a newsletter to her constituents.
She also said, the Harbormaster will possibly offer prorated refunds or credit towards future docking assignments to all adversely affected slip holders.
