Nearly 18 months after the Japanese tsunami whacked the ends off three of its docks, Noyo Harbor District has a final settlement of $2.072 million in the bank.
Navigators Insurance had already paid about $600,000 of that amount to make repairs such as the end of two docks.
The work can”t start until next summer, due to the time it takes to obtain the permits and seasonal environmental restrictions on working in Noyo River, said Noyo Harbor Commission member Tommy Ancona.
At last week”s regular meeting, Noyo Harbor commissioners gave the initial nod to Ancona”s proposal that the cash first be used to entirely replace C dock with a completely modern concrete dock. C dock is the only dock that couldn”t be repaired and put back into service, at the loss of 12 of the district”s biggest and most expensive berths.
The docks proceed alphabetically starting with A Dock as one heads along Basin Street inland toward Dolphin Isle.
A half-century ago, wooden piers were used to create the mooring basin, probably coated with creosote to protect them from rot. Today, using creosote would be a water pollution felony. The wooden piers, with their distinctive tin hats to prevent pooping birds, are nearing the end of their useful life below the water. The district hopes to remove the most derelict of the wooden piers and replace them with concrete. Some modernization of plumbing and electric is also planned with any concrete replacement.
“Concrete has no pollution, no deterioration and it”s stronger. It is a little more difficult to install,” said Ancona.
The district would also like to improve the moorings and end ties on docks B, D and E, which were also initially wrecked by the March 11, 2011 tsunami.
“That would pretty much exhaust our funds,” Ancona said.
What actually gets replaced and repaired will depend on the bidding process and what surprises are found as the process goes along.
The district had help from two representatives, led by The Greenspan Company Adjusters International, which acted as the district”s advocate for getting more money. Greenspan was paid 9 percent of the settlement or about $186,000.
“They were worth every penny we paid them,” said Ancona.
SHN Consulting Engineers and Geologists was also awarded a $90,000 contract for services related to the tsunami, which will include helping with the rebuild effort.
Early estimates of $4 million in damage proved to be too high. The ancient marina held up better than locals, experts and inspectors originally predicted.
After numerous rounds of inspections and harbor tours for the insurance company, the district waited and waited for the first sign of money. Ancona said Navigators Insurance first offer to the district was just north of $700,000, while the district and its advocates sought $2.7 million.
Ancona said the gap was bridged in a marathon one-day negotiating session last month that started at 9 a.m and ended with an agreement at 10 p.m. Once the agreement was in writing, the commission signed off on it at last week”s meeting. Ancona said the settlement came with the agreement that the district use the money as it sees fit to repair its aging floating mooring basin.
An immediate rate hike followed the settlement.
The district”s annual insurance rates were raised from $52,000 to about $60,000, although some of this was an unrelated increase in marine liability rates.
The harbor”s mostly floating assets are valued at $3.7 million; the insurance company would only pay $1.7 million if the mooring basin were a total loss tomorrow.
That”s because of the $2 million in payments Navigators just made. The insurance company said the district will have to spend that money on improvements before they will raise the value of the harbor district”s South Noyo Harbor holdings back to $3.7 million.
That struck commissioners as unfair, as they are paying for the same and now increased policy to insure far less value and the $2 million will be spent on construction and consultants, not just improvements. There was much bemusement among the commissioners about how the district would recompute the value of the property when the reduction is based on repairs, not value. Additionally, replacing the entire marina in any condition would cost far more than $3.7 million by anyone”s estimate.
At an emergency special meeting on Monday, commissioners voted 4-0 to renew the policy at a higher rate and seek an adjustment to account for the discrepancy; the policy had to be renewed Tuesday. The district is required to carry insurance because of a state loan.
The district”s insurance broker looked for other sources of insurance but wasn”t able to find another interested company.
Ancona said it will be easier to shop for insurance once repairs have been made to the docks.
“I can”t really approach somebody new until we are whole again. The question right now, while repairs are ongoing, is what are we insuring?” said Ancona
The short but powerful ocean surge, traveling at 500 miles per hour wasn”t much to see when it arrived on the Mendocino Coast 10 hours after crushing Japan, disappointingly diminutive to those who defied warnings to watch it arrive at the mouth of the harbor.
There was no big breaking wave. Instead, dramatic home videos show a scene in the mooring basin that looked like a bathtub being quickly drained, refilled at a terrifying rate, then the water draining out again. No boats were lost, but 22 berths were destroyed on B, C and D docks. Thunderous cracking of the docks could be heard all over town. Most boats were quickly put out to sea just before the wave hit, thanks to quick early morning work by the U.S. Coast Guard, boat owners and the Harbor District.
The action can still be seen online in a MCTV video at:
http://www.mendocoasttv.org/FirstTsunamiSurgehitsNoyoHarborMarch112011.html#featured.
