PORT TOWNSEND — It might get loud on Water Street today when placement of steel support pilings for the Wave Gallery will begin.
The process of replacing the rotting timber Wave Gallery supports with a permanent steel structure is scheduled to begin this morning and continue for two days.
The estimated $530,412 upgrade of the Wave Gallery, a portion of dock that sits out in Port Townsend Bay, began last month, when workers lifted the dock from its pilings and moved it 100 feet.
Once the new pilings are in place, a metal foundation will be built to support the gallery, and it will be secured onto the frame.
The renovated wave gallery is part of the city’s newly configured Pope Park, which is to include improvements to Pope Marine Park and replacement of the Tidal Clock.
Noise level
The noise of the work this week will not exceed the 80- decibel limit imposed by the city’s sound ordinance and “shouldn’t be all that noticeable” to downtown visitors, project manager Tom Miller said.
To protect birds and fish, the sound of the pilings being are driven into the ground will be muffled by a shield.
Specifically, the situation will be closely monitored to make sure the procedure does not disturb the habitat of the Marbled Murrelet, an endangered bird.
To that end, a team of four biologists will be on hand to observe the operation and will immediately shut it down if they determine the birds are being disrupted.
The operation is supervised by Grette Associates, a Tacoma-based environmental consultant hired by the city.
“If there are any issues with the birds, we will know right away,” said Grette’s Matthew Boyle.
60 feet long
The Wave Gallery pilings are 60 feet long, marked every five feet.
They will be driven into the sand until they can go no farther and they rest in the substrate, Miller said.
At that point, they will be cut off at the level where the gallery is to rest.
The project is partially funded by a $265,206 Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation grant from Fish and Wildlife’s Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account.
The city of Port Townsend will fund the remaining project costs with money from a 2008 bond.
Miller said the entire process is on schedule for its projected mid-August completion.
Tidal Clock
By that time, the city could be near approval to fill in the Tidal Clock and complete the construction of the proposed Pope Park.
Plans are to replace the Tidal Clock with a small amphitheater that can host music and public events.
Miller said he hopes to receive a permit to begin construction in about a month.
Boyle said the permit will be issued by the Army Corps of Engineers, which acts as a middleman between the city and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Boyle said he had easily answered Fish and Wildlife’s questions, which had to do with the material that will be used to build the amphitheater.
“I think their concerns were pretty minor and we were able to provide answers for them,” he said.
The Tidal Clock, created in 1987, was intended to fill with water and marine life as the tide changed.
It never worked as envisioned. Instead, it collected debris.
The city aims to finish the construction of Pope Park in time for the two major festivals, the Wooden Boat Festival and the Port Townsend Film Festival, which occur in September.
If the construction is not complete by then, it will shut down until the festivals are over, Miller said.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.