Published: July 14, 2006 08:40 am      

Marina work begins

CLINTON — Pat Quinn is getting a lot of knocks on his work trailer’s door this week.

As project superintendent of the north phase of Clinton Marina upgrades funded through Vision Iowa money, Quinn is the person curious onlookers are running into as they seek answers about the work now beginning at the site.

Quinn is employed with Tricon, the Dubuque company overseeing this phase of the marina’s work. His office is the little trailer at the north end of Riverview Drive near the Ninth Avenue North boat ramp. Just outside his window are several trees taken down this week as Tricon prepares the area for construction of the marina’s new amenities north of the floodgate.

Beginning Monday, the trees on the bank were cleared from just behind Quinn’s trailer to a cell phone tower located several hundred yards to the north. Quinn said he doesn’t know the number of trees that have been taken down, but most are indigenous voluntary trees that were growing along the riverbank. Three houses also have been taken down to make way for the work.

Quinn said people are very curious about the removal of the trees, which he said will be replaced by 50- to 60-tree and shrub plantings. He said the company did save some 100-year-old oak trees. In the coming days, the felled trees will be put in a grinder for recycling.

Then it will be time to move dirt, which will take place for a couple weeks, followed by removal of the houses’ foundations and ground preparation work. All of that will pave the way for changes that will include longer and deeper ramps at the Ninth Avenue North boat ramp, a parking area, sidewalks, lighting, utilities, the service building, expanded boat and trailer parking and the addition of a storm sewer. Road work also will be done for the neighboring houses. The service building is to be done Oct. 1; the entire north phase is to be completed Nov. 1.

John Kretschman, project engineer with marina developer JJR, said the north phase will cost about $800,000 and is on schedule.

Work also is taking shape for the south phase of the project, Kretschman said. The final design is being hammered out, with bids to go out Sept. 1. This portion will include new dockage, 132 slips, dredging, parking, sidewalks and curbing. This phase is expected to cost $4 million; however, it is still not known what it will cost to construct an amenities building. That portion of the plan currently is under discussion, Kretschman said.

The entire project is to be done by May 2007.

While the work is under way, Quinn has some advice for curious onlookers: Stay out of the area.

He said residents have been walking past warning tape and into the fallen trees, some to walk their dogs.

“There are 10-foot drop-offs in some places,” he said.

He also said people towing boat trailers need to park across the street from the work trailer because people face a fine for parking on the dike.