Elizabeth City officials have given the green light to begin $2 million in waterfront renovations to accommodate the new Harbor Towns ferry system.
City Council gave unanimous approval for project manager A.R. Chesson Construction to commence the engineering and permitting processes for the renovations at Monday night’s meeting. The two steps are necessary before a list of renovations can be completed at Waterfront and Mariners’ Wharf parks, which have all been designed to accommodate two Harbor Towns fast-ferry vessels that will operate out of Waterfront Park.
The renovations are being funded by $2 million in state funding that state Rep. Ed Goodwin, R-Chowan, helped secure last fall. The $2 million was part of a total of $10 million that Goodwin secured to be used for infrastructure improvements for the five cities and towns — Elizabeth City, Hertford, Edenton, Plymouth and Columbia — that will be serviced by the ferry system. Each of the five towns was awarded $2 million each.
The renovations come from a list of recommendations from Elizabeth City Downtown Inc. Director Debbie Malenfant and Harbor Towns officials. The city approved the recommendations in January.
Malenfant reminded council of those recommendations, which include extending and renovating the existing community pier at Waterfront Park for ferry dockage, constructing a 30-foot octagonal pavilion at the end of the pier to serve as a waiting and viewing area, adding restrooms at Waterfront Park, installing needed electrical and water infrastructure at Waterfront Park and at neighboring Mariners’ Wharf Park and adding two more slips at Mariners’ Wharf.
Other recommendations include creating community perimeter pathways at Waterfront Park, adding more signage and lighting at Waterfront Park, expanding the shower facilities at the Mariners’ Wharf Park restroom facility and adding a roll-up concessions window to the building that houses the Mariners’ Wharf Park restrooms.
Malenfant said the original plans called for three slips to be added at Mariners’ Wharf, but it was decided to move forward with just two. The new slips were recommended to provide ample docking space for larger transient and recreational vessels.
Malenfant said A.R. Chesson has received estimates for the cost of all the work and right now it appears the $2 million will be enough.
“It is estimated that all of the elements that I mentioned earlier will fall within the $2 million allocation, so there are no cuts at this point that have to be made,” she said.
Malenfant said the engineering process to renovate the Mariners’ Wharf restroom facility is expected to take about three months, while obtaining required Coastal Area Management Act permits should take about six months.
“The restroom modifications can begin prior to CAMA permitting,” she said. “The total time of construction, after permitting, is six months. So, we’re looking at a timeline of about one year.”
Harbor Towns received $5 million in state funding several years ago — money that was also secured by Goodwin — to kick-start the ferry service. That money was spent last year building two high-speed passenger ferry vessels, the Penelope and the Moses Grandy, and purchasing a larger dinner excursion boat, a 99-foot paddle wheeler, the Albemarle Queen.
The two 45-foot long, 16-foot wide ferries are foil-assisted, catamaran-hulled vessels that gain extra lift from a hydrofoil, that raises the hull above submerged logs, choppy waves and other obstacles. They can travel 38 mph in river conditions and 33 mph in waves up to 5½ feet and each has a restroom.
The Penelope is based in Edenton, while the Albemarle Queen and Moses Grandy will operate out of Waterfront Park. The Albemarle Queen is currently in Edenton, after completing a long trek north from its previous location in Florida.
“The first ferry boat, the Penelope, is already in operation. It was unveiled at a ribbon cutting on April 18,” Malenfant said. “The second ferry boat (Moses Grandy) is awaiting (U.S.) Coast Guard approval and operations and tours for those will officially begin on May 17.
“The dinner boat, which is the Albemarle Queen, has arrived in the region and staff is being hired for operations,” she said.
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