New Private Pier Proposed

The long, private pier that Peter Etholm and Elisabeth Steinfeld propose to build in a cove off Salem Harbor may be just one of many similar piers that could be built off the Marblehead shoreline, according to opponents and advocates.

In a hearing this month before the Marblehead Conservation Commission, which is considering the proposed pier, one opponent called it "a bad precedent." And a commission member warned that Marblehead residents should expect to see a lot more private piers built off their shoreline in the future.

The proposed pier at 21 Neptune Road would extend more than 140 feet into the harbor. The length is needed, according to the proponents, to clear the shallow water in the cove.

The pier would have three sections – a permanent timber pier that would extend from the shoreline 94 feet and stand 12 to 13 1/2 feet above the water. There will also be a seasonal, movable aluminum gangway that extends another 40 feet into the harbor to connect with four floats that are eight feet by 20 feet. The pier would have a t-shaped float at its end to allow for about 40 feet of dockage space.

Greg Thibodeau, a nearby resident, told the Conservation Commission that the proposed pier "is inappropriate for this cove." He said the large pier, which he claimed would be two-thirds as large as the town's Village Pier, would have a "significant visual impact" on the shoreline.  

"Do you want to fill up the entire cove with piers?" Thibodeau asked.

Conservation Commission member Fred Sullivan responded: "You better get used to it. Everybody is going to build piers out there." 

The Conservation Commission postponed any action on the proposed pier until its August meeting when Etholm, Steinfeld and their engineer David Smith with Vine Associates in Newburyport will again respond to the commission's questions.  

Steinfeld declined comment on the proposed pier, saying it was "still in the (approval) process."

Commission Chairman Walter Haug said the commission has little authority regarding the pier beyond protecting the environment of the harbor and shoreline. "Our major concern will be the floats," he said.  

Neither the Marblehead Planning Commission nor the Zoning Board of Appeals has authority to rule on the pier. It is governed by the state's environmental regulatory agencies.

Harbormaster Charles Dalferro, after initially questioning how close the pier would come to some public boat moorings, has sent a letter not objecting to the pier.

Smith said the proposed pier will have little impact on the environment. There is little underwater grass or shellfish that would be disturbed by the pier.  "It is mostly a muddy, sandy bottom," he said.

The Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries raised questions about the types of anchors that will be used for the floats. Smith said he has done "his due diligence" on the various options for the anchors and would present those at the next commission meeting.

If the Conservation Commission approves the pier, Smith said he will apply for a license under the state's Chapter 91 laws that govern waterways and an Army Corps of Engineers' permit to build the pier.

Unless Thibodeau can persuade the commission to reject the proposed pier on environmental grounds, it will probably be built by next spring.