Westport’s commercial dock has seen better days, and the town’s marine services director is contracting with engineers to determine what kind of repairs the aging structure needs, and whether significant upgrades to insulate it from rising seas and other climate change-related problems are appropriate.

The Westport Point town dock is open only to commercial vessels and is as busy as it’s been in years. There are currently 1,000 feet of fishing and other commercial boats tied up along its main docks and finger piers, and another 35 commercial boat owners on a waiting list for a space. But the dock hasn’t been refurbished in 25 years, and Leonard said its age is showing.

“There’s a lot of wear and tear,” he said. “We have wooden sections with rot and things are just kind of falling apart. We do our best to keep it up and keep the electric on.”

Another concern is the steady slew of unnamed storms that have hit Westport over the past two winters, flooding out the point, East Beach Road and in some cases topping the dock itself.

While Leonard said he understands that major events like hurricanes will always have an impact, that shouldn’t be the case with smaller, unnamed storms. Yet they have.

“It goes right over,” he said of the water level during such storms. “I think right now we’re just looking to keep the dock from going underwater.”

The feasibility study will be paid for with a $94,000 grant from the Seaport Economic Council that was secured by outgoing Rep. Paul Schmid. Leonard plans to sit down with the firm, TZA out of Boston, after the first of the year and go over the scope of study. Once that’s done, he and other Westport officials will have a better idea of what the next step should be.

“It’s just going to be a many phase process,” he said. “We need to assess it and then determine the next step.”

Give a gift subscription this holiday season at …

75% OFF the regular price!

Click HERE to access the offer and give the gift of local journalism.

Use Promo Code: GIFT2024 

Offer applies to annual, local, home-delivery new subscriptions only, regular price $66, available through this offer to you at $16.50. Offer available through Dec. 31, 2024.