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Port of Manchester gets new south dock

Workers from Marine Floats Corp. install a new, 220-foot dock at the Port of Manchester. - Brett Cihon
Brett Cihon
Workers from Marine Floats Corp. install a new, 220-foot dock at the Port of Manchester.

January 6, 2012 · Updated 4:05 PM 

A new, environmentally friendly dock floated into the Port of Manchester on Friday, replacing a dock that had been in position since 1996.

Port of Manchester's 220-foot south dock, purchased from Marine Floats Corp. of Tacoma, has a surface of fiberglass grating and recycled plastic lumber, and sealed plastic floats, to limit the dock's environmental impact, said Dennis O'Connell, the Port's contract administrator. In comparison, the old dock utilized recycled tires filled with exposed styrofoam for flotation.

"The new dock has layer after layer of environmental benefits," O'Connell said. "You could never build like the old docks again."

Seventy-five percent of the new dock's $128,954 price tag was paid for with a grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, he said. The remaining 25 percent was paid from the capital improvements portion of the Port's budget.

Installation of the dock should be completed Monday. The old dock was attached to a tugboat and hauled to Marine Floats for dismantling.

The Port is hoping to install a new north dock in 2013, O'Connell said.

 

 

Chris Turney of Marine Floats Corp. inspects the new dock.

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