The Codfish dredge
BARNSTABLE – Barnstable County officials are moving forward with plans to seek a third dredge for Cape Cod.
On Wednesday, the Barnstable County Commissioners approved issuing a request for proposals.
County Administrator Jack Yunits said they could possibly get a new dredge in place by September, which is the beginning of the usual dredging season.
Yunits said the RFP will inform county officials on what a third dredge would cost and the timetable for its delivery.
The county’s first dredge, the Codfish, has been in use for well over two decades and is approaching the end of its usefulness.
That vessel will come out of the water in April for a hull inspection.
“By the grace of God the hull is fine and we don’t need to replace the boat and we can fix it,” Yunits said.
“We can make relevant adaptations to it so it can service as a booster boat as well and keep it in service.”
Yunits said the county would still need a third boat to keep up with MassWorks grants in the fall.
Assistant Barnstable County Administrator Stephen Tebo does not share Yunits’ optimism when it comes to the Codfish.
“I don’t see that lasting another year,” Tebo said.
A second dredge, the Sand Shifter, was put into service last year. It will also be taken out of the water in the spring for modifications.
“It’s going to be a very effective piece of equipment for us, very effective,” Yunits said.
Tebo said even with multiple dredges there is usually just one dredge working at a time. The majority of the time is spent moving the dredge and setting up for the next project.
“What we are going to do is divide the teams so that one dredge will constantly be pumping, weather permitting,” Tebo said.
The county currently has enough money in reserves to cover the cost of the new dredge, but Tebo recommended bonding the vessel.
“If we don’t act we could really be in a bind in the fall,” Yunits said.
County Commissioner Chair Ronald Bergstrom said this is a service that Cape Cod communities depend on.
“It’s not optional,” Bergstrom said. “In other words, they have to dredge these things and right now we are in that business.”
Bergstrom said he has heard concerns from other elected officials in towns across the county about dredge availability.
“I just want to reassure them every way I can that we are on top of this and that we are going to have it done,” he said.
Tebo said the dredging service provided by the county saves local communities a lot of money.
“I was blown away on what we saw when we did the Barnstable job on just the costs comparisons to an outside vendor coming in,” Tebo said. “We were like a quarter of their costs and we were at $500,000.”
Bergstrom and fellow commissioner Mary Pat Flynn approved issuing a request for proposals.
County Commissioner Ron Beaty was not in attendance during the meeting.
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