The public dock in Round Pond harbor on Tuesday, March 19. The dock, owned by Round Pond Village Improvement Society, has been completely rebuilt after being destroyed in the January storms. (Johnathan Riley photo)
A public dock beloved by residents in Round Pond harbor was recently reconstructed after incurring significant damage in the dual January storms that hit the coastline.
Reconstruction of the dock was completed after five weeks of work by Round Pond Marine Services Inc. According to the businesses owner Jaime Brinkler, he and his crew started work on Feb. 1 and finished on March 8.
Brinkler said putting together the dock was a priority for him and that it was great “to be working down there in the heart of town.”
“It’s a great harbor that I’m proud to work out of and we want to keep it that way,” Brinkler said. “We had a lot of local folks stopping by to check on progress and let us know they appreciated us getting this done right away and in time for spring lobstering and all of the people who use it as part of their summer plans.”
According to Round Pond Village Improvement Society President B.J. Russell and Vice President Lori Crook, the two public docks in the harbor and the parking lot are owned and maintained by the society, not by the town. The society paid for the entirety of the project.
When the January storms washed out the dock where many Round Pond fishermen tied up their skiffs, Crook said she and Russell knew the society had to fix the dock immediately.
“It’s such an important part of our town,” Crook said. “We needed it done by spring because it’s the lobstermen’s dock.”
A dock in Round Pond in the middle of demolition on Feb. 3 after the structure was damaged in the Jan. 10 and Jan. 13 storms. (Johnathan Riley photo)
According to Crook, during the Jan. 10 and Jan. 13 storms that brought historic flooding and tidal surge to the coastline of Lincoln County, the dock was lifted right off the pilings and ruined the structures integrity.
The other dock, according to Russell, sustained no significant damage in the storm, due to it being built more recently and having ledge available to anchor into.
In anticipation of higher tides and stronger storms, Brinkler said the crew rebuilt the dock about 4 feet higher and brought three large mooring rocks to chain it down since there’s no ledge available to secure the structure.
Brinkler said there will be a 30-foot ramp to span over the paved areas that still gets wet on the big tides, “since there wasn’t the ability to raise the parking lot and the paved walkway to the pier while still having the dock ready for spring.”
“I have been in business since 2007 but have been building piers higher over the last 10 years as it’s been clear our environment is changing,” Brinkler said. “You can build a super rugged dock but if it’s bombarded by massive tides then it’s not going to survive if it’s too low.”
Brinkler said they followed the exact footprint of the previous dock and replaced its 20 pilings with new ones cut by Mike Reny for the project.
Russell also said there’s been a dock, in some iteration, at that spot in the harbor since the American Civil War. While it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact age of the previous structure, Brinkler said he found the year 1944 stamped on the cement block where the old dock was attached.
Crook said the society is hoping that some disaster relief funds from the state or the Federal Emergency Management Agency can offset the cost of the dock’s reconstruction. Additionally, a benefactor who left money in the 1970s to repair working waterfront in the harbor helped defray the cost.
For more information, follow Round Pond Village Improvement Society on Facebook.
The dock closest to Muscongus Bay Lobster in Round Pond Harbor was badly damaged in the Jan. 10 storm that brought record tides and a devastating storm surge to the coast of Lincoln County. (Johnathan Riley photo)
