Work Starting on Sasquatucket Harbor Marina Renovations

The City of Harwich, Massachusetts, started the renovations on the recreational slips and commercial docks at Sasquatucket Harbor.

“Our docks are in bad shape; some of them have been around since the early 1970s. We have hundreds of people walking out onto the docks daily, loading the ferry, loading the passenger boats and fishing boats and the recreational boats,” said Harbormaster John Rendon. “We are redoing the entire marina, taking out all of the docks and the piles, dredging 17,000 cubic yards of material and reconfiguring the harbor by adding 11 new slips.”

The reconfigured marina will feature tropical hardwood finger piers coming off eight-foot-wide concrete main floating docks. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a special permit to allow construction 27 slips in the federal navigation channel.

The marina will offer 202 slips for a mix of 20-, 30-, 40- and now 50-foot boats. All will offer electric and water. There will be some transient slips, but the majority will be seasonal permitted slips. The new boarding ramps for the passenger boats will be ADA accessible.

Planned landside improvements include construction of a new harbormaster’s building, new maintenance building and snack shack.

BTT Marine Construction is the general contractor on the $7 million project, which began in mid-October and should be completed by Memorial Day 2018. The city received a $1 million grant from Massachusetts Seaport Economical Council for the project; voters approved the City spending the additional $6 million.