Unalaska, AK – The designers of the new small boat harbor are in the final stages of public comment collection and design. The designers and the construction team, PND engineers and Pacific Pile and Marine, presented the current design modifications to city council Tuesday evening. Pacific Pile & Marine's Jason Davis said they are only making minor changes.

"The project is still very similar to our original design. The fundamentals of the floats have stayed the same but where we have made some changes is in the finishes, where the community really interacts. We've found the need for more space in the office and some specific requirements of different vessels on the floats."

They are also discussing details like the angles of the slips and whether or not to lengthen the C-float, which has no slips. Other particulars include types of power access and how to make more room available for smaller boats.

The design-build team started collecting public input on the inner harbor and uplands design in December. Members of the public were invited to view and comment on the design at city hall, at a North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting, and during spot interviews on docks.

PND's Kate Mickelson said that people can submit comments until February 1, after that it's too late. "Right now, while we're in planning, it's much easier to change things, versus once the harbor is completely constructed."

The current plan is to finalize the design in February in order to start construction of the floats and planning logistics. The entire inner harbor and uplands construction should be completed by September 2011, even if the federal government does not build the outer breakwaters.

"We can proceed without the breakwaters in place," Davis said. "The design takes that into account to some degree. If it was determined that over a long-term period of time there would not be breakwater protection, there might be some restriction on the upper-end vessel criteria that could be moored in certain areas. They would be fairly insignificant restrictions, but if over a 50 year period there was not going to be a breakwater, that would be considered [in the planning]."

The original project budget was $24.5 million, but that may change slightly with the new design modifications.

If you want to make comments on the harbor design you can see full-color maps and comment at city hall or contact Kate Mickelson at kmickelson@pndengineers.com or 907-586-2053.