Work delayed on Nahant town wharf

NAHANT – Work on the Nahant town wharf will not be completed this spring – in fact it won’t even be under way.Town Administrator Mark Cullinan said he had hoped the wharf could be rebuilt before the start of the 2009 boating season but that’s no longer possible. The project was put out to bid last fall and six marine contractors took out bid documents but none were returned, so the project has to be put out to bid again.Cullinan said he expects to put the project out to bid this spring and he hopes work would commence in the fall.Last April Town Meeting approved using Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds to pay for the project, which is expected to cost approximately $600,000. Cullinan said rebuilding the wharf itself is expected to cost approximately $400,000 and he expects it would cost an additional $200,000 to replace the structure that sits on the wharf, which houses the harbor master office and town sailing program offices.Cullinan said the CPA fund has approximately $200,000 in it but the CPA allows communities to borrow money for projects and pay it back with CPA proceeds in future years.Cullinan said the town has applied for funds for the project through the state.Massachusetts stands to receive billions in overall stimulus funds under President Barack Obama’s $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. As much as $2 billion will be available for spending within the next year on “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects within the state.Cullinan said the wharf project is considered “shovel ready” and could be completed within the two-year window required to qualify for the stimulus money.