The Haines Borough this week released the 95-percent design documents for the Small Boat Harbor expansion project, with changes from the 65-percent design that include a shorter steel wave barrier, less dredging in the north part of the harbor, and a slightly expanded parking lot.

Public facilities director Brian Lemcke misspoke at a Monday meeting at the waterfront aesthetics committee when he said the parking area had decreased in the most recent design. Upon further inspection of the document, Lemcke said he realized PND Engineers reconfigured the southeast corner of the lot, adding a few square feet to the four-acre gravel area.

The 95-percent design plans for a 604-foot partially-penetrating steel wave barrier, but includes an alternative for building the previously-planned 700-foot barrier. The 700-foot barrier would cost an additional $1.35 million.

Another alternative, which would cost the borough $423,000, would add sacrificial anodes to both sides of the wave barrier and to all bearing support piles for cathodic protection.

The 95-percent design preserves Lookout Park in its present location.

The “base bid,” which includes the shorter breakwater and limited dredging, is $19.17 million. With the four added alternatives – the longer breakwater, the extra dredging, transient float work and sacrificial anodes – the total is $21.69 million.

Manager David Sosa said when the 65-percent design came in above budget, the borough took a look at how to cut costs.

“When we took at a look at the 65-percent design and we looked at what the potential cost was then, we realized that we couldn’t afford the project. So at that point, part of what you do is say, ‘Okay, how can we scale back or what can we minimize in order to get costs back where we need them?’”

For example, for every 10 feet of steel lopped off the breakwater, the cost decreases by about $100,000, he said.

“As the cost comes in, we can take a look at, ‘Alright, is there money left over? Can we include add alternates?” Sosa said.

It remains unclear where the additional $10 million will come from to buy floats and other inner structures of the harbor.

Though the 95-percent design includes some changes, public facilities director Lemcke said it was “substantially the same” as the 65-percent plan.

At this point, Lemcke said, there is really no room for maneuvering with the larger elements of the design like the parking lot and breakwater.

“There are some minor things that can change in this design. They would be pretty subtle at this point,” Lemcke said. “At this late in the game, some people – Jack Wenner for example – they want to talk to me about redesigning the breakwater and changing the whole project, and that was a discussion for two years ago. That ship has kind of sailed.”

“I personally don’t want to hear anything more about rubble mounds,” he said.

The borough expected to receive the 95-percent design in June, but PND Engineers was forced to delay the document because of issues with the mitigation plan and the Environmental Protection Agency taking longer than expected to sign off on the relocated sewer outflow.

According to PND’s new timeline, bid-ready documents should be ready by the beginning of September and the assembly should award the contract by January.

That deadline almost certainly won’t be reached, Lemcke said, because of the public review process of the 95-percent design. The Planning Commission will review the 95-percent design at its Sept. 10 meeting, and the assembly will review the design at its Sept. 22 meeting.

“I hope people can get together and review this and come up with some intelligent questions and comments we can pass through to the designer,” Lemcke said. “And (then we) come back to the assembly to present it and get the assembly’s blessing and proceed with the bid and everything else.”

The Port and Harbor Advisory Committee and Waterfront Aesthetics Committee will also consider the design. Input from those committees must be provided to the planning department by Sept. 4 to be included in the planning commission’s packet.

Construction is slated to last from spring of 2016 through summer of 2017.