A Navy ship tore a cleat off Kodiak's pier in a 100-mph storm

Replacing a mooring cleat torn off Kodiak's Pier II will cost $72,500, more than doubling the price of the city's emergency pier repair contract. The City Council votes on the change order at a special meeting Thursday.

The cleat came off the night of June 2, according to a report from Interim City Manager Tim Putney. The U.S. Navy vessel Mary Sears, a Military Sealift Command survey ship, was moored at Pier II when winds picked up to over 100 mph. Waiting for a tugboat changeout, the ship tore cleat No. 7 from the pier.

The report does not say whether the Navy owes the city anything. It records no claim, no insurance and no request for reimbursement.

The work would go to Highmark Marine Fabrication, a Kodiak marine repair contractor already on site doing similar work under the emergency contract. Handling the cleat as a change order to that contract minimizes repair time and saves mobilization and bonding costs, the report said. The city is not seeking new bids. "Highmark has consistently been the only bidder on these types of repairs and has consistent pricing," the report said, citing the code's bidding exceptions for emergencies and sole-source buys without saying which applies. Staff said the repair project has enough left in it to cover the work.

Pier II is Kodiak's Fisherman's Terminal, used by commercial freight, cruise ships, government vessels and fishing boats. If the council delays or declines, Putney wrote, "the cleat will not be repaired and mooring options will be reduced on Pier II."