Stabilization efforts coming for Lorain's aging Finger Piers

LORAIN — Lorain will stabilize the longstanding Finger Piers to make way for developments along its waterfront. The Finger Piers, man-made peninsulas once used for lakefront commerce, date to the 1940s and are starting to show their age, Stormwater manager Kate Golden said. Renovations are underway to turn the piers into public green space as part of an overhaul of the city's public waterfront, and that means protecting those upcoming investments through preventive measures. Announced in early 2023, the city plans to redevelop the Pellet Terminal site, Hot Waters boat ramp and Finger Piers into a blend of public green space and mixed-use development as part of a multimillion-dollar project to spur reinvestment in the city and mitigate former brownfield sites. Under the plan, the Finger Piers will become Sunset Pier Park, with better fishing amenities, including a fish cleaning station, and improved safety measures. A grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Office of Coastal Management helped fund a structural review of the two piers made of sheet pile bulkheads and backfill. Over time, that sheet pile deteriorates, Golden said. "It's kind of a unique situation in that these piers were built by industry and are leased to the city through a submerged land lease, but we don't have a maintenance obligation for them," she said. "But yet, we also have a shared interest in these things not falling into the river. Not only do we want this space to be usable for the public, but we also want it to be maintained and not negatively affect the harbor." That means either the city must replace the sheet piling — and have these same issues 80-plus years down the line, she said — or buttress it with rocks similar to the process of creating a breakwall. She compared the process to the old-school video game Tetris, where a player must fit together blocks falling from the sky. So too, must the rocks placed to reinforce the piers be pieced together strategically to provide long-lasting support. To buttress both piers eventually will cost about $20 million, she said, making it a long-term project. In the immediate future, the city plans to use $3.5 million of the $4 million Congressional earmark it received from U.S. Rep. Bob Latta's office to shore up the most immediate needs, including the area between the two piers. The buttressing is preventive, Golden said. While the piers are 80 years old, they have not shown signs of failure. "What we don't want to do is put a boatload of money into making public improvements in this and then have the pier fall apart around it," she said. Structural engineers cannot predict when failures may occur, only that if left unattended, they will happen. The permitting process is extensive, she said, including work with the Army Corps of Engineers, as its property sits adjacent to the finger piers. She estimated work could start on the buttressing in the latter half of 2027. Overall, the pier project could cost upward of $25 million to $30 million, buttressing included. Golden expects the work will be phased in over time, with the city seeking grants and outside funding sources to offset the high costs. Golden hopes to see the buttressing and park space completed in the next two to five years. Work is underway elsewhere on the waterfront, with a new roadway built off West First Street to connect visitors to the upcoming park, and Hot Waters slated for its new boat ramps and concrete improvements this spring. A river walk is also in the works, connecting pedestrians to nearby Black River Landing. The new roadway will serve to divide the public and mixed-use developments. To the north will be the park space, to the south will be a mixed-use development driven, in part, by private development, Golden said. That mixed-use development is on the former Pellet Terminal site. The old Brush Berylium site was turned into a parking lot, with the asphalt serving as a cap for any remaining environmental concerns. In total, work across the waterfront is expected to top more than $42 million, with a mix of local, state and federal funding spurring the project forward. The overall waterfront project already has about $13.5 million invested, Golden said. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.