Agate Bay marina plan limps along

• Boat launch construction

Work continued this week on the renovation of the boat landing on Agate Bay in Two Harbors. Photo by Mike Creger.

Talk about it

The Two Harbors marina project is moving along slowly, but surely, according to Cheryl Erickson of the North Shore Harbors program.

Erickson said the Two Harbors advisory committee is getting confirmation that the current “safe harbor” marina design can provide the required one-foot or less wave climate. JJR, the construction firm heading up the project, is also working on a contaminated soils report and is putting together a report on what wetland delineation and remediation needs to take place for the marina to be constructed on Agate Bay.

“A lot of things need to be pulled together at this point,” Erickson said. “It doesn’t appear that there’s a lot of progress but we’re still moving forward.”

One of the components that also needs work is to determine what should be done with the coal dock that now juts into the bay where the marina would be placed. Erickson said it’s in worse shape than anticipated, so a plan needs to be put together. Plans for the dock have included incorporating it into the marina design as a promenade and structure to tie up boats large and small.

Erickson said the committee needs to take care to make sure the coal dock is dealt with in a way that respects its historical significance.

Marina planning uses funding that has already been secured for the project, but funding for the actual construction of the marina does not exist. Because of this, a construction date is up in the air. “A lot will depend on funding, which is a difficult challenge both at the federal and state levels,” Erickson said. “We’re still moving ahead on the funding that’s available.”

The Two Harbors city council has $7 million authorized for the project. The entire project is expected to cost $33 million. A marina in Agate Bay has been a topic of discussion in Two Harbors for at least the past 75 years.

Renovations continue on the 25-year-old boat landing east of the proposed marina site. The project includes construction of a new crib dock for wind protection, improved deep-water boat launching ramps, a dedicated kayak ramp with dock, pedestrian walkways, and new parking ramps.

The construction has closed popular boat-watching parking areas and the boat landing most of the summer. The project was expected to be completed this month, but the state shutdown in July pushed the deadline back. It is expected to be completed in the spring.

The reconstruction includes three concrete launch ramps, a new launch ramp dock, a new kayak access dock and ramp, a crib dock, recreation and pedestrian trails, Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility, parking for vehicles and trailers, stormwater treatment, and a vault toilet building.

Tags: two harbors, agate bay, news