City council approves Plover restoration contract

Blaine City Council unanimously authorized Drayton Harbor Maritime (DHM) to finish restoring the Plover ferry during its November 27 meeting.

DHM anticipates the repairs will cost $82,000, including taxes; city staff had originally set aside $75,000 for completing the Plover maintenance project in the 2024 budget.

In fall 2022, the U.S. Coast Guard discovered the vessel needed significant repairs, including fixing soft spots on the wooden hull and stem post, before it could transport passengers between Blaine Harbor and Semiahmoo Spit.

DHM, the nonprofit that operates the Plover, soon realized repairs were more involved than when it originally restored the boat in the 1990s, which pushed last summer’s completion deadline and required additional funding. City council originally allocated $30,000 for the repairs, and then approved another $16,800 after DHM spent that amount outside of the contract.

In September, the city solicited bids for a contractor to complete the Plover’s remaining repairs after its contract with DHM expired.

City manager Mike Harmon said the city tried to cast a wide net to solicit bid proposals and Blaine Public Works Department reached out to every shipwright in Whatcom County. DHM was the sole bidder.

The contract requires DHM to complete the repairs required by the U.S. Coast Guard no later than May 15. If DHM fails to restore the boat by the deadline, the nonprofit will pay the city $200 of liquidated damages per day.

In total, the city is expected to pay $128,800 on the Plover repairs.

“It’s an old wooden boat, and break out another thousand is the acronym for boat,” Harmon said. “It will be repaired to the Coast Guard’s specifications by May 15. Could something else go wrong? Absolutely.”