Allan Appel Photo
The fish run thickest often near the piers of bridges. That’s why several fishermen recently were casting their lines from above the newly finished seawall on the newly repaired promenade at Brewery Square in Fair Haven.
As part of that nearly $1 million state-funded project, there’s a broad new pedestrian walkway and even a crescent of concrete where anglers can set up a circle of chairs to bide the time until there’s a bite.
A fisherman doing what he shouldn’t.
That scene unfolded last week as the seawall project nears completion. The new railing got painted a deep green matching the existing railing. And fishermen no longer had to poke through a broken fence and negotiate deeply cracked pieces of concrete to access the spot on the Q River by the Ferry Street Bridge.
According to City Engineer Giovanni Zinn, the long-delayed repair, which after years of delays launched in September, “consists of over-sheeting, that is, placing new steel sheets in front of the existing wall and installing structures to secure the new sheets.”
The walkway has been restored, including a half circle that extends back into the grass, allowing room for fishermen to filet a really large blue fish, should they be so lucky.
The large sewer outflow pipe has also been extended as needed.
The project’s $940,047 funding all came from a federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) disaster relief grant administered through the state’s Department of Housing It came to the city as part of a community development block grant. Zinn said the project has come in on or even slightly under budget.
New Benches Are Also Coming
The parcel of grassy land behind the seawall is owned by the city. It was quit-claimed to the city as part of a refinancing agreement in 2014 between the owners of the Brewery Square Apartments and the city.
The land, which has panoramic views of the river and Ferry Street Bridge, had originally been conceived of as the setting for Brewery Square townhouses.
Zinn said he is not aware of any plans to sell or develop the land that abuts the new walkway and the seawall, which is “a coastal access amenity.”
“The city has no immediate plans for the property, and it will be maintained as open space for the time being,” confirmed Frank D’Amore, deputy director of city government’s anti-blight neighborhoods agency, the Livable City Initiative (LCI). “In the event there is a development opportunity in the future, the city would initiate a process in consultation with the neighborhood.”
Zinn added that there are only a few punchlist items (such as paint touch-up) yet remaining to be done. He termed the crescent area of concrete as designed “to bring a bit of interest to the area.”
To help with the filetting or singing or whatever interest takes root there, Zinn said that soon, benches will also be installed.
While I can appreciate the work that the city did to fix the seawall, my challenge as a neighborhood resident is with the comments about "only a few punchlist items (such as paint touch-up) yet remaining to be done". Where is the lighting? This area is not safe at night with the drugs and illegal activity that go on in the park. We were told be several people that the non functioning lights would be fixed as part of this project, as well as new lighting installed in the newly repaired areas. Also, this is an area that desperately needs more trash and recycling cans. The trash cans that are in place on the other side of the park are constantly overflowing which leads to trash blowing around and ultimately polluting our water.
I am thankful for the improvements that have been made, but there are big strides that need to be made to bring this park up to the level it should be. Lets make Fair Haven Great Again.... or something like that!