Homer Harbor expansion project leaders announced during a quarterly report at the Aug. 11 Homer City Council meeting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ “tentatively selected plan” for the project.

Ronnie McPherson, coastal lead for the West Coast with engineering company HDR, said the corps had a “tentatively selected plan milestone meeting” on July 23 that resulted in them selecting Alternative 2.

Alternative 2 would meet the existing harbor needs and demands by adding a new, exterior harbor and relocating some vessels from the small boat harbor to the exterior harbor, according to the Homer Harbor expansion website. The move would accommodate vessels that use the deep-water dock; provide additional small craft moorage in the existing harbor; provide large vessels with dedicated stalls in the new harbor basin; eliminate rafting; and create additional uplands that could provide opportunities for local service facilities, including the potential for a fuel dock or a barge ramp.

McPherson said the project development team is finalizing the last pieces of the draft feasibility study, which is scheduled to be released Sept. 22. He said that release day “may flex, though.”

The design of the harbor “is iterative and will progress,” McPherson said, noting that what appears in the draft report “is not necessarily what will actually get constructed if the project continues forward,” and that there may be additional changes.

Once the draft feasibility study is released, there will be a 30-day public review period. McPherson said all comments submitted during this review period will be addressed by the Army Corps of Engineers.

More information on the Homer Harbor expansion project can be found online at homerharborexpansion.com. Questions can be directed to info@homerharborexpansion.com or by calling 907-268-2909.

A screenshot from the Homer Harbor Expansion project website shows one idea for Alternative 2, which the Corp selected in July as their tentative plan, moving forward.