Homer System 4 float estimate tops $22 million as city asks which parts matter most

The estimated cost to replace Homer Harbor's System 4 floats has climbed past $22 million, up from about $17 million, Port Director Bryan Hawkins told the Port & Harbor Advisory Commission in a Nov. 5 memo.

As a result, Hawkins wrote, staff expects some project elements may need to be prioritized so the final scope fits available funding. Any significant scope reduction or change must be approved by the U.S. Maritime Administration for Homer to keep its federal grant. The city won $11.2 million from the agency's Port Infrastructure Development Program this year after three application cycles.

The state built System 4 in 1964 for the original harbor and transferred it to the city in 1999 with extensive deferred maintenance, according to the city's capital improvement plan. A 2022 harbor condition survey rated the floats in serious to critical condition. The city says System 4 serves about one-third of the harbor's vessels.

The project aims to replace aging moorage before it becomes unsafe and unusable, the memo states. The grant application argued that losing moorage would increase congestion and overcrowding across the harbor.

Other funding includes a $1.1 million Denali Commission grant, a $250,000 federal appropriation and city match money. The city has a design-build contract with Turnagain Marine Construction, authorized at $22,459,855.

The city council will consider a $681,217 project management contract with Moffatt & Nichol on Nov. 9. On Nov. 12 at 5:30 pm, staff will ask the commission to rank the project's components. Any recommendation goes to the council as a motion.