Nahant accepting bids for wharf reconstruction

NAHANT – Bids have been opened for the wharf reconstruction project and town officials hope the work gets under way this fall.Town Administrator Mark Cullinan said he initially had hoped the wharf could be rebuilt before the start of the 2009 boating season but when the project was put out to bid last fall none of the marine contractors who took out bid documents submitted a bid. This time around the town received 10 bids for the project ranging from $349,000 to $666,000.Cullinan said the low bid was submitted by RDA Construction Corp. of Canton.”Their references checked out and they appear to be very good at what they do,” he said. “They did a good job on the seawall on Devereux Beach in Marblehead. I will be meeting with them next week about going forward.”Cullinan said the rebuilding of the wharf is long overdue. He said it was rebuilt in 1978 after it was destroyed by a severe coastal storm and in 1993 the “No Name Storm” that ravaged the eastern United States wiped out the pier at the end of the wharf, which was rebuilt the same year.”With the exception of repairs after those storms very little work has been done on the wharf,” he said.A complete assessment of the wharf, which was conducted a couple of years ago, says the pier needs to be rebuilt due to degradation of the underlying supports.Cullinan said he hopes the project would get under way in September.”The upper parking lot will be blocked off for the winter so there will be no boat storage up there,” he said. “We are hoping we can get most of the boats in the lower lot.”Cullinan said demolition of the structure that sits on the wharf, which houses the harbormaster office and town sailing program, is included in the initial phase of the project. He said he expects replacing that structure would cost approximately $200,000 and it would be bid separately.