While waterfront development plans in port cities north and south of Salem flounder, projects like the reconstruction of the Blaney Street wharf and expansion of the Salem Maritime National Historic Site stand as examples of what can be achieved with consensus and strong leadership.
A recent focus of efforts to improve the city's historic waterfront has been Winter Island, the much-used but still rather forlorn-looking peninsula at the entrance to Salem Harbor.
Following months of study and discussion, Boston-based planner Steven G. Cecil rolled out his firm's vision for the property at a meeting of The Salem Partnership on Friday.
The plan is conservative in some respects, emphasizing recreation over the commercialization of the site, but ambitious in others, such as suggesting the construction of a wind turbine at the southwest corner of the property (facing the power plant) that might help fund needed improvements that, if fully implemented, could cost up to $10 million.
The goal, Cecil said, is a "financially sustainable" park geared toward providing recreational and entertainment opportunities for Salem residents.
A significant change he proposes: phasing out the long-term parking for recreational vehicles that generates significant revenues for the city, but takes up much of the prime space on the island. His plan would, however, create space where local scouting and similar groups could pitch their tents.
Like others before him, Cecil sees great potential in the reuse of the Coast Guard barracks building and seaplane hangar. The latter is one of only two such facilities still in existence in the U.S.; the other, in Miami, has been renovated and today hosts sailing and other community programs.
Such renovations involve major expense, Cecil acknowledged, however. If the city is sincere in wanting to preserve them, he noted, steps must be taken to at least shore them up within the next few years lest continued deterioration render them unusable.
Other things to like about the Cecil Group plan:
Replacing the current security shack with a more inviting entrance to the island.
Restoring the moat and otherwise improving historic Fort Pickering which sits on the northeast corner of the island.
Maintaining the short-term parking spaces on the Salem Harbor side of the island where people can sit in their vehicles and enjoy the view.
Proper restoration and use policies could make Winter Island one of the premier urban parks in New England. But Cecil made clear that realizing that dream will require continued leadership on the part of government, groups like the Partnership and the Friends of Winter Island, along with other interested parties.
Four decades ago, Winter Island was an abandoned federal facility off-limits to the public, and Pickering Wharf an ugly oil tank farm. The transformation that has occurred since then from one end of the harbor to the other is proof of what an effective partnership between the public and private sectors, along with a unified vision, can achieve.
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