With $14.3-million in state and federal grants, the Town of Provincetown commenced the $18.2-million reconstruction of MacMillan Pier, for a facility that serves the needs of the next forty years. Upon the project's expected completion in FY 2003, MacMillan Pier will be operated by the Public Pier Corporation under the terms of a 20-year lease with the Board of Selectmen. It is the Town's intent to ensure that the Pier Corporation operates MacMillan Pier as a business, by providing adequate facilities to support the commercial fishing industry as a priority, while maintaining adequate facilities for ferries, whale watch boats, and other water dependent uses. The lease agreement will provide our commercial fisherman with self-governance in matters pertaining to commercial fishing on the Pier, through the Provincetown Fishermen's Association, with whom the Board of Selectmen entered into a memorandum of agreement on February 26, 2001.

The reconstruction project's completion date is now expected to be December 2002, so January 1, 2003 becomes the target date for commencement of the lease agreement between the Board of Selectmen and the Provincetown Public Pier Corporation established under Chapter 13 of the Acts of 2000. Pursuant to the Board of Selectmen's July 10, 2000 policy vote, the full costs of the Town's share of the costs of design and construction of the new pier will be passed onto the Pier Corporation through rent by the Corporation to the Town. Chapter 134 of the Acts of 2000 allows the Town to borrow for its share for a period of 40 years.

On July 29, 2002, the Board of Selectmen appointed members of the Pier Corporation's Board of Directors from nominations made by the Pier Nominating Committee. Between now and June 30, 2003, the form of the lease agreement will be finalized, as will the form of a proposed sublease between the Pier Corporation and the Provincetown Fishermen's Associatio (pursuant to the February 26, 2001 Memorandum of Agreement).. The Town will ensure that Provincetown-based commercial fishing vessels can afford the dockage fees charged by the Pier Corporation through lease agreement language that allows the Selectmen to annually notify the Pier Corporation of a rent reduction for the purpose of subsidizing the fees charged by Provincetown-based commercial fishing vessels. The rent returned will be used to reduce the fees paid by those Provincetown-based vessels.

FY 2003 will be a transition year, with the Town operating the Pier for most of the year-- at least through the Spring of 2003-- and the Pier Corporation, from then until June 2003. This is reflected in the detailed revenue and expense assumptions for the Town and the Corporation, described below. While the Pier Corporation would take over all revenues for float spaces and dockage and rentals on the pier once the reconstructed pier is delivered, the Town will continue to retain all mooring revenues.

MacMillan Pier Project Milestones

MacMillan Pier Redevelopment and Business Plan. With pre-development assistance from MassDevelopment, the Town engaged the firm of Byrne McKinney Associates to produce a redevelopment and business plan for MacMillan Pier. Click for the December 1997 final report. This Business Plan recognized the importance of public ownership of the pier, and public accountability, but advocated the creation of an "entrepreneurial management structure which whole-heartedly embraces market competition and engenders the confidence of public and private sector investors in the project. Without significant management autonomy, the critical objective of a business-like operation cannot be assured and it is unlikely that funding for the project can be obtained." The Business Plan made the rounds from funding agency to funding agency in the late 1990s, and was the blueprint for ultimately raising some $14.3-million in state and federal grants, for the reconstruction of MacMillan Pier.

Then Lt. Governor Jane Swift presented the Town with a ceremonial check for the state's share-- $11.2-million-in the Judge Welsh Hearing Room on November 30, 1999.

Public Pier Corporation Special Legislation, Amendment. To meet the vision of running the reconstructed pier like a business, April 5, 1999 Special Town Meeting voters approved filing a home rule petition to create the Provincetown Public Pier Corporation. Then-Governor Paul Celluci signed that bill into law on January 28, 2000 as Chapter 13 of the Acts of 2000. Section 3(b) of that act provides that "the town, acting through the board of selectmen, may lease for a term not to exceed 20 years MacMillan Pier to the corporation, upon such terms and conditions as the board of selectmen shall determine . . . . " Article 9 of the April 2, 2001 Special Town Meeting proposed perfecting amendments to this special act, as set forth in the February 26, 2001 Memorandum of Agreement. The resulting bill-- House No. 4976-- received final enactment by the Massachusetts House of Representatives on July 30 and the State Senate on July 31, 2002. Acting Governor Swift signed this bill into law as Chapter 260 of the Acts of 2002.

MacMillan Pier Lease. The proposed form of the draft lease between the Town of Provincetown and the Provincetown Public Pier Corporation-- which was appended to all of our grant applications-- was the subject of a Board of Selectmen's public hearing on October 25, 1999. At the hearing's conclusion, the Board voted "to approve the October 15, 1999 draft lease with the Public Pier Corporation for MacMillan Pier as recommended by the Town Counsel" [3-1].

The MacMillan Pier Construction project begins December 10, 2000. The project is expected to be completed by the fall of 2002. MacMillan Pier overview of reconstruction project by DPW. Includes links to several images of the design plan and "special conditions" by Conservation Commission, DEP, etc. Harbor Committee overview of Pier project. Specific comments on the benefits of the new pier, harbor goals addressed by reconstruction, small boat fisheries dockage and overall recommendations.

Pier Progress. Click to see the Powerpoint presentation on the progress of the MacMillan Pier reconstruction project [best viewed with Internet Explorer 6] Highlights - July 2001 Start of "T" Piles, East Side of "T", Fishing Vessel & "T" Construction. August 2001 Pouring "T" Slab. September 2001 Seafood Offloading before and after relocation. October 2001 Main Pier Demolition starts. November 2001 Main Pier Demo continues; demo Starts @ Lopes Square and Pier Entry

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For more information contact: 
Office of the Director of Public Works, Town of Provincetown, 26 Alden Street, Provincetown, MA  02657 (508) 487-7060