The old Fashion Blacksmith building at the Crescent City Harbor. | Photo by Gavin Van Alstine
(Updated at 8:53 a.m. Monday to correct an error. The Crescent City Harbor District received a proposal to site a wave energy pilot project at the port.)
Among the items discussed at the Nov. 19 Harbor District meeting:
Old Fashion Blacksmith Building: Harbor commissioners unanimously approved contracting with SHN, a Eureka-based consulting firm, to conduct the first phase of an environmental assessment on the old Fashion Blacksmith building at 121 Starfish Way.
Phase one of the project is expected to cost $7,500 and would be paid for with Harbor Mitigation Grant Program dollars, interim harbormaster Mike Rademaker told commissioners.
This assessment comes about eight months after the Harbor District and the former boatyard operation reached a settlement agreement that had the port paying Fashion Blacksmith $2.6 million over a period of 10 years. In exchange, Fashion Blacksmith was ordered to vacate the premises by June 30, 2024. That $2.6 million, plus 5 percent interest, was meant to compensate Fashion Blacksmith for its projected profits had it served out the remainder of its 12 year contract.
The study seeks to identify any surface or subsurface contamination and determine if it’s a threat to the Harbor District. The first phase of the environmental assessment will take 30 to 45 days to complete, according to SHN’s report.
On Nov. 19, Rademaker told commissioners and the public that the environmental assessment is something the Harbor District is required to do as owners of the building. This is to avoid liability when a new tenant moves in, he said.
Wave Energy: A proposal from an Italian university to site a wind wave energy pilot project at the Crescent City Harbor piqued commissioners’ interests — especially when they learned it might involve shoring up the port’s breakwaters.
The proposal came from WaveEnergy.IT, which is using technology designed by the University of Reggio Calabria, Interim Harbormaster Mike Rademaker said. He said he was also approached by representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Rademaker said he wanted to introduce the public to the concept, noting that the Harbor District wouldn’t move forward with “any project of this scale” without their support.
He said if public response was negative, he didn’t want to spend Harbor District money.
The University of Reggio Calabria created the Resonant Wave Energy Converter 3, which converts wave energy to electrical energy via air turbines.
Commissioner-elect Annie Nehmer was skeptical about the technology. She noted that the proposed project includes constructing a concrete wall. She said she was worried that it would funnel a potential tsunami into the harbor
“When a tsunami hits, if there are no holes in the breakwater, it must funnel into the harbor, which is what happens right now,” she said. “If there’s a way to work with engineers to create holes through that [concrete wall] to allow wave energy to decrease rather than funnel, I would be more in favor of it.”
Current Harbor District Board President Harry Adams said he’d like to explore the wave energy project further. However, he noted that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers controls the breakwaters and jetties, so they should be on board with the concept.
