Port of Alsea Starting Marina Replacement

After a year’s delay due to environmental mitigation issues, the Port of Alsea on the Oregon coast has launched its long-needed dock replacement project.
Roxie Cuellar, the port manager, said that current marina dates back to 1986. It has 39 side tie slips, with most boats in the 17 to 19-foot range. There was also an ADA-accessible crabbing and fishing platform and a daily-use boat launch, but Cuellar had to shut down some sections of these deteriorating wood and concrete docks.

Cuellar had hoped to start the renovation last year, but had to wait for environmental agencies to determine what mitigation projects it wanted the marina to perform before it would give permission for work to proceed. Work finally got underway in late October.

The general contractor for the project, Bergerson Construction, will remove the existing marina and build a new one a little further to the east. The new dock will extend an additional 40 feet into the water because the marina is replacing its side ties with slips. The Port basin will be dredged to remove16,000 cubic yards of material, which should put the depth at seven feet throughout the marina.

The docks will be built with high-density polyurethane tubes for buoyancy, topped by a steel encapsulated frame. The decking will be a grated surface that allows the sunlight to penetrate under the dock. The idea is to discourage predator fish from lurking in the dark waters of the dock and going out to grab the salmon smolts that travel down the Alsea River.

The marina is rebuilding the 18-square-foot, ADA-accessible crabbing and fishing platform, and will be enlarging the daily boat launch ramp to two lanes with a boarding platform between. The parking lot, which is currently three-quarters paved, will be completed with new paving.

The Port of Alsea has taken on two mitigation projects in conjunction with the dock replacement project. It will mitigate the new boat launch with the removal of broken-up concrete blocks on the north side of the bay, west of the marina. For the marina itself, the mitigation will involve removal of an earthen dam on the north side of the bay, east of the marina.

The costs of the project will be partially covered by a $3.3 million bond approved by voters in the Port District. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife awarded the Port a $325,000 grant for the boat launch and another $100,000 grant for the floating fishing and crabbing platform. The Oregon State Marine Board provided a $28,000 grant for the boat launch and $40,000 for the parking lot paving, and Lincoln County gave the marina $13,000 to buy a new pay station for daily launches.

The in-water work, which started in November, must be completed by February 15th. The remaining work should be done by spring, with a planned reopening date of April 15th.