LIKE THE UGLY DUCKING — these gray dock sections, that are stacked like totes at Kent’s Landing, will be stretched out into the water and assembled as the dock design for Naples Public Dock on the Causeway. (De Busk Photo)

By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer  

NAPLES — Like the ugly duckling that turned into the graceful swan, these synthetic dock sections will be assembled in the water and transformed into a new extension, long-lasting dock design at the Town Dock.

The material used and the engineering applied makes these docks capable of absorbing waves and reducing movement. So, it is the people who are standing on the dock who might appear more graceful. Certainly, more graceful than people have looked on the current dock system. But, not for much longer.

As they say, “Out with the old; and in with the new.” And, just in time for the holiday when the boat traffic in Naples peaks.

By Friday — the official kickstart of the weekend before the Fourth of July, half of the dock system that was ordered will be a welcome addition to the town’s lakeside infrastructure.

This week, the docks that were delivered and are staged at Kent’s Landing will be going into the water on that beach, where half of the dock system will be assembled and floated over to the town dock, according to Naples Town Manager Ephrem Paraschak.

“About half the dock sections are going into the water. The divers are going to be in the water putting the anchors in tomorrow,” Paraschak said Wednesday morning at press time.

“There will be a significant amount of boat parking for the Fourth of July weekend,” he said. “That’s the worst case scenario. The best case scenario is we may have the rest of [the dock system installed] by the Fourth of July.”

The total cost of the docks with installation is $40,000. That money will be taken out of TIF district funding, Paraschak said.

“We did get an alternative price, other vendor were looking at $80,000. Great Northern Docks is giving the town the product at cost to get it out there,” he said.

One big plus, the new docks will save the town with little- to no-maintenance costs needing to be budgeted every year, he said. Additionally, the docks come with a 20-year warranty.

At the Naples Annual Town Meeting, the residents approved $24,000 to support the purchase of a new dock system. That is something residents thought to be a worthwhile investment.

The remaining money will come from a contingency fund and reserve fund, Paraschak said.

On Monday, the Naples Board of Selectmen decided to use TIF funds to replenish the money that went toward the docks.

After the Fourth of July, the dock design on the Causeway will continue to transform with work being done.

“The whole thing will be in by July 5 or July 6, and maybe even including public safety dock,” Paraschak said.

A docking area for the Naples Fire and Rescue’s water rescue boat and Jet Ski as well as the Harbor Master’s boat was discussed on Monday.

“I talked to Great Northern [Docks] and they agreed to ship it on same shipment. The price per block is the same as main dock sections,” the town manager said.

“It is great of Great Northern to be able to do that. It’ll be nice for public safety people to have their own place to moor,” he said.

“The important thing to take away is that at least half of the dock will be at the town dock,” he said. “Half of them make a good-sized dock for the” boating public on a busy water-recreation weekend.