Publications & Sites 
Harbor report sees big, small pricetags
To view the assessment report, visit the Wilmette Park District’s web site at www.wilmettepark.org and type in Wilmette Harbor Condition Assessment Report in the search field, to access a link to it.
Updated: September 12, 2012 10:14AM
WILMETTE -
The 23-page Wilmette Harbor condition report handed to Wilmette Park District officials last week by the Smith Group-JJR consulting team states the tiny harbor is functional, but with overall deterioration.
Some areas, including the south jetty and a rock wall bordering the park district’s dog beach, need more critical attention and repair. Those could cost up to $11.7 million over 15 years.
The report assessed repair or replacement needs over the next 15 years, with a 30 percent contingency cushion.
Only one item, a retaining wall next to the harbor’s dry mooring area, required immediate replacement at an estimated cost of $48,750.
However, another $2.06 million in work would need to be done within the next five years, consultants estimated; a further $4.06 million should be tackled within the next 10 years, and another $5.5 million in repair and replacement would have to be done within 15 years.
The harbor’s north and south bulkhead walls, which border the harbor, suffer general deterioration, consultants said. So do the north and south jetties that act as the narrow route from the harbor mouth into the open lake.
Consultants who did above and below-water inspections of the bulkheads and jetties said the south bulkhead needed more immediate improvement; some sections were in need of replacement to prevent walls crumbling or otherwise failing, they stated.
North bulkhead improvements could ultimately cost about $1.7 million. South bulkheads would require the most expensive repairs, at a total of about $2.6 million.
The jetties – created by sinking barges into the lake and building on top of them with rocks and other materials – were in similar shape, with the north jetty largely functional and the south jetty in need of immediate repairs or possible replacement of large sections, Smith Group-JJR reported.
Jetty work could be more expensive than bulkhead work, with north jetty improvements costing as much as $2.3 million over time, and work on the south jetty reaching $3.1 million.
Consultants also looked at the north rock pier between the harbor and the north side of the park district’s dog beach, which helps keep sand out of the harbor; it has settled and eroded enough to be an immediate concern, they stated, requiring replacement that could cost $1.5-$2 million sometime in the next 10 years.~.
