Mass. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito cuts the ribbon on Thursday, 9/27/18, for Fairhaven’s Public Safety Marina at Union Wharf, which was built with funds from the Seaport Economic Council, a state agency. L-R: Fairhaven Selectboard member Charles K. Murphy, Sr.; Fairhaven Town Administrator Mark Rees; Fairhaven Selectboard member Bob Espindola; Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito; State Representative William Straus; Fairhaven Police Chief Michael Myers; Fairhaven Harbormaster Timothy Cox; Fairhaven Fire Chief Timothy Francis. Photo by Glenn C. Silva.
By Beth David, Editor
On Thursday, 9/27, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito joined local officials to celebrate improvements to Union Wharf and the creation of the Public Safety Marina. The project stabilized the wharf’s bulkhead and strengthened the fishing and public safety piers.
Improvements at Union Wharf have been underway for the last few years with more than $1 million in coastal infrastructure grants through the Seaport Economic Council (SEC) grants program. In August 2016, Fairhaven received a $950,713 grant for replacement of the west wall of the Union Wharf bulkhead. In August 2017, the SEC awarded a $72,000 grant to Fairhaven for the construction of a Public Safety Marina at Union Wharf, followed by another $40,000 in 2018 for security fencing and the installation of fender piles to berth three commercial fishing vessels and two lobster boats, allowing the town to generate an additional $40,000 in revenue a year.
Union Wharf is a key component to Fairhaven’s commercial fishing industry. The pier rehabilitation project is a multi-phased undertaking that has added new steel pilings to stabilize the bulkhead and the creation of a Public Safety Marina on the eastern corner of the wharf, including two gangways, two floats, fencing and security lighting. When fully built out, Union Wharf will accommodate 13 lobster boats, 16 fishing vessels, two commercial slips, 45 parking spaces and pilings to support a future building on the site.
Selectboard member Charles K. Murphy, Sr., emceed the ribbon cutting event, thanking a host of people who helped with the projects, and especially for the public safety marina, which will result in quicker response times in marine emergencies.
Previously, the various water emergency vessels, i.e., the police boat, fire boat, and harbormaster boats, were all in different places. Now they will all be in the same place, leaving from a centrally located spot.
“It’s all about response time,” said Mr. Murphy.
Mass. Lt. Governor Karyn Polito delivers remarks on Thursday, 9/27/18, at the ribbon cutting for Fairhaven’s Public Safety Marina at Union Wharf, which was built with funds from the Seaport Economic Council, a state agency. Photo by Glenn C. Silva.
“It did strike me as very challenging to have your public safety response coming from multiple locations and how difficult and challenging that was,” said Lt. Gov. Polito, adding it was an “honor” to be able to work to get all the apparatus near each other to improve response time.
The improvements are a message to the businesses on the waterfront and the fishing community that they are valued, she said, and noted that the legislature had authorized $50 million for the SEC for next year.
“So, more to come and more to do is the message here,” she said.
State Rep. William Straus said the public has access to places like Union Wharf because of the investments that maintain it. Fishing boats and other vessels come to the port because the support services are there, not because they were directed there by any authority.
“It’s because it is a great, working port,” said. Rep. Straus, adding that with the latest improvements. “We’re just enhancing what our port is able to do.”
Fairhaven police chief Michael Myers said that the police, fire and harbormaster always had a great working relationship, with great communications and great use of assets.
“The one thing we didn’t have was the location to put that all together,” said Chief Myers.
Fire Chief Tim Francis said that Harbormaster Tim Cox and Deputy Fire Chief Todd Correia should be singled out for going to the work site every day, making sure things went as planned, and helping to keep costs down.
“Timmy Cox had a shovel in his hand, my deputy had a jackhammer in his hand. This is not a word of a lie, we’ve got pictures,” said Chief Francis, adding that wire inspector John Cotrille worked with the NB Voc-Tech students to help keep costs down by doing so much of the work. “That’s how a community comes together and works together.”
The event was recorded by Fairhaven public access and will be available at www.fairhaventv.com •••
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