HARBOR SYSTEM MASTER PLAN - City and Borough of Sitka

consistent maintenance procedures, the service life of most marine facilities can be extended. In Sitka, where
routine maintenance is performed, it appears that 40 years of safe and usable service life is achievable.
Combined with the field assessments, the review and examination of facility background information
including dates of construction, repair, and expansion produced an estimated remaining safe and usable
service life for each facility.
Budgetary Estimates
Budgetary estimates for the in kind replacement of each facility have been developed. In kind replacement is
defined as having a similar functional and geometric configuration as compared to the existing facility.
Elements of each facility that were found to be out dated by code or common practice were budgeted with
components that meet modern industry standards. When the time comes to replace a facility, additional
planning efforts will be necessary to address current and projected operational requirements such as the
makeup of the anticipated fleet. This may warrant some logistical or geometric changes to existing harbor
layouts. However, without conducting extensive planning at this time, in kind replacement was deemed the
most efficient means to develop baseline capital improvement budgets for all harbor facilities.
Budgetary estimates were prepared based on current bid costs for similar marine facilities located throughout
Southeast Alaska. Unit bid prices were researched for public waterfront improvements constructed within
the last five years and then escalated to 2012 dollars. In Sitka, Thomsen Harbor Replacement was
constructed in 2006-7. It is the most current moorage facility in Sitka and is considered by the Harbor
Department as the design standard to be used for estimating replacement costs for all moorage facilities.
Unit bid prices for the Thomsen Harbor floats averaged $65 to $70 per square foot in 2006. Six years later,
this study utilizes unit costs at $80/SF for standard moorage floats designed with HDPE floatation tubs,
galvanized steel and treated timber structural decks. As a comparison, timber float systems constructed in the
early to mid 90’s commonly bid around $25/SF. Notably, costs have increased over 300% in the last 20
years.
Capital Improvement Projects Plan
Sitka Harbor System Master Plan
Condition Inventory
PND worked closely with the CBS to establish facility replacement priorities. The objective of prioritization
was to assist the CBS in developing a Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) plan for the long term replacement
of all harbor infrastructure. Priorities were developed based primarily on the remaining service life of each
facility however priorities were also refined based on the CBS’s perception of user demand and a general
assessment of facility importance to the community.
Replacement budgets for each major facility were categorized to identify specific capital costs associated with
marine facilities (over water), upland access and parking, building facilities and interim electrical
improvements. This approach served to maximize the remaining safe and usable service life of each major
component, and to maintain project replacement budgets in an achievable range with the assistance of federal
and state grant funds.
The proposed Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) plan follows. The plan includes the estimated project
budget, remaining service life, anticipated funding sources, and anticipated construction year for each project.
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