Designated Port Area Bulletin - June 1998

Port planning and dredge planning in the four major ports outside of Boston Harbor (Gloucester, Salem, New Bedford/Fairhaven, and Fall River) continue to be major priorities for Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management (CZM). This bulletin provides an update since April on these initiatives, which have been unanimously endorsed by the Seaport Council.

Massachusetts' Four Port Planning Initiative

Port Plans are being developed for the four ports as part of Governor Cellucci's Seaport Action Plan. Port planning activities over the last few months include:

Gloucester - CZM and the city are proceeding on schedule and with much community participation in development of the harbor plan. CZM continues to work closely with Gloucester's harbor plan project coordinator, Dale Brown, planning consultants, ICON Architecture, and the Gloucester Harbor Planning Committee. The Harbor Today and The Harbor Tomorrow deliverables have been completed. The Harbor Today report gives a picture of the current harbor and shows the step-by-step process that will be followed to develop a plan for the harbor of tomorrow, including a public participation strategy, goals and objectives, and decision-making structure. The Harbor Tomorrow report presents a market trends analysis and economic opportunities forecast to provide vital information for future development options.

Along with the regular meetings on the first Monday of each month, the Gloucester Harbor Plan Committee held a charrette on Saturday, May 9, to review the three preliminary development scenarios, which were prepared by ICON after months of data collection, analysis, and public input. The meeting was also attended by city councilors and other local officials and civic leaders. The second public workshop is scheduled for June 10 when comments on the scenarios will be received. The scenarios show various approaches to the revitalization of the fishing industry, increased tourism, and expansion of marine industrial uses.

The next step for the city is to conduct a feasibility analysis on the scenarios. Then the committee will decide which planning scenario best meets the goals and criteria established by the city, which will form the basis of the Draft Harbor Plan. The draft plan is expected to be released in October 1998.

Salem - Salem has moved ahead on developing its harbor plan with much enthusiasm and interest. CZM continues to work with project coordinator, Fara Courtney, and harbor planning consultants, The Cecil Group. Completed deliverables to date are The Harbor Today and The Harbor Tomorrow reports.

The Harbor Planning Advisory Committee meets the fourth Thursday of each month. Recently the committee held a lengthy brainstorming session to formulate the three planning scenarios, which will undergo a feasibility analysis by the Cecil Group. At the second public workshop on May 27 the general public had their first opportunity to provide comments on the scenarios. The scenarios focus on the development of a terminal wharf for commercial vessels, expansion of waterfront access, and an enhanced tourism link to the waterfront and its cultural and historical resources. Following public comments and feasibility studies, the committee will choose its preferred planning scenario as the foundation of the draft Harbor Plan, expected in October 1998.

CZM developed a scope of services for the second phase of the pre-development studies for the Port of Salem Expansion project, funded in October by the Seaport Council. The contract, signed by the Mayor on March 11, funds an engineering, environmental, and geotechnical impact study for the proposed pier construction for this "New Salem Wharf." The study is expected to be completed by December 31, 1998.

New Bedford/Fairhaven - Both communities are actively working to move the port planning process ahead for New Bedford Harbor. The newly constituted New Bedford/Fairhaven Harbor Planning Committee continues to meet regularly with much discussion on the potential alternatives for the harbor. Public workshop(s) on the various alternatives are being scheduled for the near future. These would be the third major step in the formal public input process. The potential alternatives include a range of options from major port expansion - through a more moderate port development with some mixed use commercial development - to a marine industrial focus with limited expansion.

The city held a public meeting in early April entitled Harbor Visions II: Bringing It All Together, where the status of the Harbor Planning Process and other key development projects in and along the waterfront were presented. "Working Group" meetings were held last fall with members of the Seafood Processing Industry, Recreational Boating Industry, and the proposed New Bedford Aquarium project proponents. New Bedford and Fairhaven are making progress in documenting the need for maintenance dredging to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help justify their participation in the project. New Bedford has recently had conversations with Executive Office of Transportation and Construction (EOTC) regarding the possibility of expanded ferry feasibility work in the harbor. The city has also requested an extension in completion date of the harbor planning process to sometime this fall.

Fall River - Fall River is moving forward on schedule with the development of its port plan, with support from CZM and leadership of local project coordinator, Mike Ferreira. The city, through its consultant, The Cecil Group, has completed tasks including the Organization of the Planning Process, The Harbor Today, and The Harbor Tomorrow. The Harbor Today report collected information about the harbor landside and waterside and used this to develop a set of key issues to be developed in the plan. The Harbor Tomorrow report looked at potential future activities in the planning area, including some market trend analysis, and then developed a set of goals for the development of the harbor. The Planning Committee recently met to discuss the potential alternatives for the harbor and a public workshop on these alternatives is scheduled for early in June. Each of the three alternatives currently being discussed has a different focus or theme; these include marine commerce and industrial development, mixed-use development, and tourism.

Massachusetts' Dredge Material Management Initiative

CZM is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a statewide Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP). The DMMP is focusing on the Gloucester, Salem, New Bedford/Fairhaven, and Fall River to coordinate with the Four Ports Initiative. Current DMMP activities include the following:

• Sediment sampling and the physical analysis of the material has been completed in all four ports. Chemical analysis is underway, and results are due in mid-June. Results of the sediment sampling will be discussed with the ports' planning groups in late June.

• CZM has hired Normandeau Associates to undertake the fisheries sampling at potential aquatic disposal sites in each of the ports. CZM and the Division of Marine Fisheries are coordinating the implementation and management of this DMMP component.

• The Environmental Affairs Secretary has issued Scopes for the EIRs in Salem and Gloucester; these Scopes incorporate the comments received from the local planning groups and the general public. Following a review period requested by the ports of Fall River and New Bedford, those cities will file with the Secretary by the end of May, with Scopes to be issued by mid-July.

• A series of workshops is being scheduled to address several fundamental aspects of the DMMP, including an introduction to dredging and disposal; a discussion of the regulatory framework; a review of the sediment quality in the respective ports based on the current sampling; and a discussion of the screening criteria that will be developed and applied as the site screening process moves forward.

  For More Information on the Port Planning Process and the DMMP, contact:

  • CZM Main Office, 617-626-1200
  • CZM North Shore Regional Office, 978-281-3972
  • CZM South Coastal Regional Office, 508-946-8990
  • Seaport Advisory Council, 508-999-3030