One of Morro Bay’s most important piers will soon be able to begin construction on much-needed repairs after receiving $1.5 million in federal funding.
However, Harbor Director Ted Schiafone told New Times that this funding is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to solutions for Morro Bay’s harbor infrastructure needs.
“This funding is still completely separate from the funding we need to make repairs to our docks, piling, seawalls, and revetment,” Schiafone told New Times. “Grant funding for commercially leased docks is typically not available at the same level; however, we are continuing to look into opportunities regardless, and funding like this for a major project does help us.”
U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) secured the funds via a law signed in December that allocated $22 million for 14 projects in his district, which encompasses Santa Barbara County and parts of SLO and Ventura counties.
“The T-Pier is a perfect example of how supporting the improvements to one piece of community infrastructure can pay exponential dividends down the road,” Carabajal said in a written statement.
Schiafone echoed that sentiment, saying that while the $1.5 million won’t address the majority of the city’s harbor issues, the funds are still crucial to the long-term success of the city.
“North T-Pier is a critical component of Morro Bay Harbor as it supports Coast Guard operation on the Central Coast as well as the Morro Bay Harbor Patrol,” he told New Times. “It is also used to support commercial fishing operations and gives the general public a location to fish without a fishing license.”
Now that the funding has been secured, Schiafone said his department can begin to reassess the current conditions of the T-pier to see how far that $1.5 million can go.
“Since the federal funds are coming from the Department of Urban Housing, one of the requirements requires us to provide them with a full scope of the work needed to do the upgrades and repairs as well as a timeline,” he said. “The assessment will also tell what exactly we can accomplish with the $1.5 million. … Hopefully this funding will allow us to make some of the critical repairs to the structure.”
Schiafone said he expects that the city will need more money to fully complete the T-Pier repairs.
“We will prioritize upgrading our fire protection system and electric and water utility systems,” he said. “We anticipate requesting an additional $2.3 million in funds that would be necessary to complete the entire north T-pier project.”
Carbajal said in the statement that he feels this is a step in the right direction for making people aware of how important continued repairs to the harbor are—not just for the city, but the entire Central Coast.
“Whether it’s Morro Bay’s commercial fishing industry, its year-round tourism, its residents, our coast, or even our local Coast Guard and Fish and Wildlife operations,” Carabajal said, “funding repairs to this pier is a tide that will raise all of these boats.” Δ
This article appears in May 11-21, 2023.