The city of Belfast, like many of Maine’s coastal communities, is racing to repair the devastation from two storms in January as it awaits word on federal funding that could eventually help with the recovery.
The first of those two storms, on Jan. 10, did an estimated $575,000 in damage to public property along the Belfast Harbor, including $256,455 just to the planked section of the harbor walkway that’s behind Front Street Shipyard. Almost two months later, that section of the walkway remains closed.
Gov. Janet Mills has requested that President Joe Biden declare the January storms a major disaster, based on an estimated $70.3 billion in public infrastructure damage.
During a city council meeting last week, Belfast officials said they expect that declaration to be approved, which would eventually lead to federal reimbursement for the repairs. But it could take years for the money to arrive, and in the meantime, they recommended that councilors approve spending up to $400,000 in local funds to get started ahead of the busy summer waterfront season.
“We really need to hustle,” City Manager Erin Herbig said. “Work needs to be completed in order for our harbor to be up and running for the 2024 season. The harbor is a significant revenue generator for the city of Belfast. It’s also a place that’s used by citizens and visitors to Belfast.”
Herbig added, “There are real structural and integrity issues that end up becoming real safety concerns if not addressed quickly.”
Councilors unanimously approved the spending request without any discussion. Some of the facilities that require repairs are the harbor walkway, foot bridge, boat house, public pier, public restroom and Thompson Wharf.
