End of 7-year breakwater project cause for celebration

After years of work, the City of Port Washington will formally reopen the breakwater at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1.

The occasion will be marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony, although weather will determine whether it will be on the structure or in the adjoining parking lot, officials said.

Crews from Michels Corp. of Brownsville were cleaning their equipment from Coal Dock Park, which was their staging area, as they completed punch list items during the past week. 

The reopening has been a long time coming — repairs have taken seven years to complete — and marks a success story for the community.

After all, when former Mayor Tom Mlada suggested the city take on renovation of the crumbling breakwater in 2013, no one thought it would happen.

The structure is owned by the federal government, which had no interest in the expensive repair project, even after the Army Corps of Engineers said in 2013 that the breakwater was structurally unsound. 

But recognizing the importance of the breakwater to the city, officials set out to make it happen. They got former U.S. Rep. Tom Petrie on their side, and he persuaded the Corps of Engineers to spend $1 million to stabilize the breakwater in 2014. While it was a significant amount of money, it was a drop in the bucket considering the estimated cost of repairs was more than $16 million.

The city also hired Foth Infrastructure and Environment and Smithgroup JJR to conduct a study looking at potential funding sources and preliminary designs for additional repairs.

Foth helped the city secure numerous grants, using one grant as matching funds for another to minimize the cost to local residents.

The work has gone on for years, and there have been a few glitches. Winter gales tore out a portion of the railing, which had to be replaced.

But what was once a treacherous pathway to the lighthouse is now a smooth stable surface ready to shepherd people as they make their way to the Port’s iconic lighthouse, where they can enjoy views of the city from the lake.