Fix for Marina freeze comes in under budget

Sheboygan Press, Phillip Bock SHEBOYGAN - The cost of installing aerators at the Harbor Centre Marina to prevent dock damage caused by winter ice floes is expected to cost significantly less than originally estimated. The city's Public Works Committee accepted a bid Tuesday from Flotation Docking Systems, the same company that installed the marina's docks and performed maintenance on them in the past, to buy and install aerators during the winter months to prevent ice from forming on the docks. The bid came in at $87,175 — well below the city's original project estimate of $200,000. After a particularly harsh winter caused $350,000 in damage to docks in the Harbor Centre Marina in 2013, city officials directed staff to come up with a solution to prevent such costly repairs in the future. In the past, the average annual cost of repairs to docks has been approximately $60,000. A study found that the cost of repairs is directly correlated to how thick the ice forms in the marina. Currents and wind moving through the marina cause the ice floes to move, which can damage docks as the ice twists and moves. Under the proposed plan, aerators will be attached to the underside of the docks and will be turned on periodically throughout the winter to prevent thick ice from forming within the harbor basin. The units run on the existing power in the docks, so further power infrastructure will not be needed. "The units bring the warmer water up from the bottom of the marina and potentially keep the surface from freezing -- or at least keeping from freezing to a point where it is 2.5- to 3.5-feet thick," said Bernie Rammer, purchasing agent for city and county.   The alternative to the aerators would have been to make costly alterations to the breakwater. With the aerators, there is a cost upfront to install the system and then an ongoing cost of electricity during the winter months. During a mild winter, the aerators would potentially be turned on an hour or two a night, but could run more often during cold winters. Consultants who proposed the idea told city officials a similar system installed in Michigan, during a particular cold winter, had an electrical cost of approximately $13,000. The aerators would be installed seasonally and removed each spring to be cleaned and maintained. Rammer proposed that the city buy a trailer at an estimated cost of $4,500 to store the devices during the summer. “We recognize there is nowhere good to store them at the marina,” he said. "The thought process was in the spring they would be loaded into the trailer and brought to the public works grounds to be stored." The total requested cost of the project, including the trailer, was $91,675.30. The funds were approved by the Finance Committee as an advance from next year's budget. The devices are expected to be bought and installed later this year pending approval by the Sheboygan Common Council.