Contractor selected for new Marion harbormaster building

MARION — The next step in the lengthy process of building a new harbormaster facility was revealed at a Nov. 7 meeting of the Marion Select Board when the board announced that Marion-based South Coast Improvement Company submitted the lowest bid to build the facility.

Marion residents voted to borrow an additional $922,000 for construction of the project at Fall Town Meeting on Oct. 23.

The total cost of the building is estimated to be just over $3.5 million. According to Marion Town Administrator Geoff Gorman, seaport grants and a previous Town Meeting appropriation already cover about $2.3 million of the cost.

According to its website, South Coast Improvement Company has worked on Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School in New Bedford and LA-Z-BOY Furniture in Dartmouth among other projects.

The new 1500 square foot harbormaster facility would allow all functions of the harbormaster’s office to be performed in one place, rather than employees having to divide their time between the current building and Town Hall, said Marion Harbormaster Adam Murphy at an information session on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

The new facility would be a single story raised about 22 feet off the ground. A raised deck that faces the water will surround the facility, which will also include an elevator to make the structure handicapped accessible, engineers working on the project have said.

The current harbormaster building is 225 square feet. The building also falls short of code requirements in certain areas, former Marion Harbormaster Isaac Perry said, with only one exit and entrance, for example. Only the doorknobs of the current facility meet standards for the Americans with Disabilities Act, said Perry.

According to Gorman, South Coast Improvement Company is now putting together a construction team, with the contract expected to be signed next week.