The Kenai Peninsula Borough received a report of the current status of the Homer Harbor Expansion study.
Homer Harbormaster Brian Hawkins presented a slideshow regarding some of the completed tasks that the study has accomplished, alongside some other concerns that may slow down the process.
A project charter was completed with the City Council and the Port Commission, and they launched the project officially with a three-day public planning charrette.
“And in that process, the public had an opportunity to design 14 different harbors in different locations…And then the project development team worked to achieve those milestones. They refined those 14 down to five basic harbors, and from that, then we’re going to move forward with one harbor design,” said Hawkins.
With a design in mind, it would be ideal for the project to move forward, but some other concerns prevent that from happening.
One of the main concerns is the need for more geotechnical data.
“We had geotechnical data going into it, we though that it would be enough to get us through this first part of the study, but the Corps was convinced that we needed more.”
Although the port could be experiencing some funding issues that could slow down the project, Hawkins believes that getting as much research as possible would prove to be extremely beneficial in the long run when it comes to expenses.
“In the end, we can see this as a good investment to get the additional information.”
The funding of the project is a 50-50 split between Federal and Local funding.
The initial study is $3 million.
The next challenge was a funding delay. Congressionally Directed Funding (CDS) provided the federal match for the general investigation. The original intent was for the CDS to fund the full $1.5 million, would would have worked alongside the original intent of a 50-50 split.
But the CDS was only listed for $300,000 in the President’s fiscal year 23 budget for the first year of the study. There was also no continuation of funds included in the 2024 budget, therefor, the Corps of Engineers is predicted a pause to the Homer Study starting January 2024 through June 2024, or potentially even longer, depending on the source of continuation funds.
Many vessels use Homer as a port, as well as an area to deliver goods and services.
“We actually tracked that our fleet is serving 47 non road connected communities and villages and work sites throughout central and western Alaska,” said Hawkins.
For more information about the Homer Harbor, visit their website at homerharborexpansion.com.
