  |
          
|
Waukegan Port District Cuts Ribbon on New Marina The sun was shining brightly on June 18, 2008 when Waukegan Port District Board Chairman Rodger Welker cut the ribbon to mark the official opening of the newly renovated South Pier docks. Others in attendance included the entire Port District Board members, marina staff and harbor tenants. This ceremony officially brought to a conclusion a project that had spanned over three years of feasibility studies, planning, permitting and finally construction. The District contracted with JJR, LLC of Madison Wisconsin to act as its design and project management team. After numerous plans were presented and studied the decision was made to demolish and replace half of the existing marina with new floating docks while retaining the basic overall layout of the original marina. One unique feature of the original layout was having two main piers extending from shore that connected all other piers to common access points. This configuration allowed maintenance and emergency vehicles to drive from shore to the docks to handle repairs as well as emergencies. It also allowed the Port District to operate golf carts to shuttle boaters and equipment from shore to each pier. The total number of slips was reduced from 361 to 321 to allow the new ones to accommodate larger and wider boats. The main fixed pier was retained with the floating units connected to it by ADA compliant bridge systems The Port District accepted bids in mid summer of 2007 for dock demolition, dredging and new construction. Dredging and demolition were eventually combined into one package with new construction as the second. In early fall of 2007 Durocher Marine was awarded the contract for demolition and dredging, while Skipper Marine Development was awarded the new construction. Demolition and dredging began in October and initial dock placement began in late December, 2007. In spite of a winter of record cold temperatures, 20 inches of ice and above normal snowfall the first of the new docks were being occupied in mid May. The new docks are manufactured by Galvafoam and include steel frames topped by concrete deck panels. Power pedestals feature snap in/out receptacles providing boaters with power, satellite TV and water service all in one unit. The dock design incorporates several large gathering areas along with two areas for installing jet ski docking ports. Additional improvements include new railings, lighting and security gates. The Waukegan Port District owns and operates both Waukegan Harbor and Waukegan Regional Airport. It is unique among governmental bodies in that it derives no income from taxpayers. It is totally supported through user fees and leaseholds.
Your comments are very important to us. Email to: wkgnport@waukeganport.com
|
