Saxon Harbor construction picks up

By RICHARD JENKINS

[email protected]

SAXON, Wis. - While boaters still have a week or two before Saxon Harbor's boat launch closes May 14, the public is being asked to stay away from the harbor during construction this summer.

"The biggest thing is that the facility is closed - and I mean the whole thing is closed for construction - for the safety not only of the people trying to work, but the people that are coming to look, too. Harbor Lights is going to be open, that's a good location to see things," said Iron County Forestry and Parks Administrator Eric Peterson. "The whole facility will be closed; lakeshore, landings - everything.

"That includes people coming down to just sit and look at the lake," he continued. "The whole area is going to be considered a construction zone and be closed to unauthorized traffic."

While work rebuilding the harbor, which was destroyed in a July 2016 storm, has been happening at the harbor on a small scale since Feb. 27, activity will be picking up after the boat launch dock is removed on May 14. This will mean the harbor will be a relatively small space with multiple contractors working around each other, which Peterson said will only be complicated by people visiting the harbor.

"Everybody's excited to see what's going on. It's understandable; we are, (too), but please respect the work zone," Peterson said.

Roen Salvage Company, which was awarded a $993,000 contract for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' portion of the dredging at the harbor, is expected to arrive with two 100-foot barges and equipment by May 15, depending on ice conditions in Lake Superior.

"They can start officially on the 16th and assuming road restrictions are off, they're going to start on the 16th and they plan to work around the clock until they're done," Peterson said. "And that could be two-and-a-half months, two months."

Along with the dredging at the harbor, work repairing the old County A bridge over Oronto Creek and building the new bridge over the creek is also expected to start soon.

Merrill Gravel and Construction, which won the contract with a low bid of $1,440,712, will be repairing the old County A bridge so it can be used by trucks working on the rest of the harbor while the new bridge is built over Oronto Creek.

In preparation for these projects, M. Jolma Inc., of the Ashland area, has been removing debris and sediment from Oronto Creek between the marina's boat lift and Parker Creek, as well as Parker Creek, from its confluence with Oronto to Lake Superior, since February.

The creek is open wide enough so spawning rainbow trout can access upper reaches of Parker Creek.

The $220,542 Jolma project will be mostly done by May 29, according to Peterson, with everything complete by June 29. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation will be responsible for dredging the rest of Oronto Creek as part of County A bridge project at the harbor.

While Saxon Harbor is closed to outsiders during construction, Peterson said County A will remain open to local traffic only.

While Peterson stressed everything was in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's hands regarding timelines at the harbor, the harbor's marina was largely on track to possibly be completed this fall for a planned 2019 re-opening. There is a chance the campground may be delayed, according to Peterson, as FEMA may require an environmental assessment. This would be a four- to six-month process, Peterson said.

Other than the possible environmental assessment, Peterson said design work for both the marina and campground should be completed by the end of May. This means the county is planning to seek bids for much of the work it's responsible for in the marina later this month.