Unalaska, AK – The Army Corps of Engineers recently awarded a $31.9 million contract to build the new Akutan boat harbor. Knik Construction Company will build two rock breakwaters and dredge an area large enough for 58 boats ranging up to 180 feet in size. The federal government is covering 90 percent of the costs, or $28.6 million, with money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Aleutians East Borough will pay the remaining $3.27 million and later will repay the federal government an additional ten percent of the total cost minus the amount the borough already spent on purchasing the land.

Steve Boardman, the chief of the Corps' civil project management branch in Alaska, said the funding of the harbor is unique.

"Normally berthing areas, the mooring areas, those costs are borne by the local sponsor. In this particular case, the dredging of Akutan, the breakwaters, the entrance channel, all of those are considered general navigation features," which means the federal government will fund them.

Congress decided to fund the project in that way gave it funding priority because Akutan does not have any protected waters for boats to moor. They can only anchor for a short time to offload their fish.

Boardman said Unalaska's boat harbor was not eligible for the initial pot of stimulus funding that eventually covered the entire cost of the Akutan Harbor.

"For whatever reason, because Unalaska had money in it from regular appropriations, [with] the ranking and stacking, it didn't come out on the ARRA list because it was already getting an adequate amount of money to initiate the project. We realize it doesn't finish the project and certainly it is still on our wish list for funds should additional money be made available."

To build the Akutan boat harbor, the construction company will use rocks to make two breakwaters totaling about 1,500 feet in length and will dredge 960,000 cubic yards of material.

"Because of the deep water in the Akutan area, we find it's more cost efficient and effective to start at the land and dig in. So this one we are actually digging a hole into the shore, and then we'll have two rubble mound rock breakwaters that will project out into the bay to form the entrance channel."

The dredged material will be used to build the uplands area. To mitigate the environmental impact of the project, Akutan designated 40 acres near the new harbor for conservation of streams and wetlands.

The Corps anticipates completing the harbor by September of 2012. It is up to the city of Akutan and Aleutians East Borough to build the inner harbor, including any floats, slips or docks.