Every spring in Naples, the ice on Long Lake thaws breaking into chunks to float downstream under the causeway. The icebergs crash against the shore, against the lakeside marinas and pilings. Often, private docks that have been been left in for the winter are ripped from their moorings and end up in the middle of the lake. Dock pilings are smashed by the ice, bent in the water and need be righted once the owners are ready to put the docks back on.

This year, the town of Naples had the misfortune of losing pilings from the town’s public docks. Ice that surrounded the pilings tugged them right out of the lakebed and carried them off downstream. Now the town must work quickly to replace the pilings before the onslaught of summer tourists and residents. During the summer months, private boats fill every inch of the public docks. Without the public docks, boaters might have to tie up elsewhere in order to access downtown Naples.

Ray Wetzel, an independent contractor, installed the wooden pilings. Great Northern Docks constructed the docks and shortly thereafter they were in use by boat owners tying off to visit the causeway. Now the town is reconsidering its decision to use the piling method. The question: whether to deal with maintenance of helix anchors, shortening and lengthening the chain, or continue to use pilings knowing that they will have to be replaced when the ice claims them again someday.

Town Manager Derik Goodine has already proposed that money for the pilings be included in the town budget as an unanticipated expense. Though the pilings only cost about $400 apiece, a discussion has risen as to whether the town should use pilings again to hold the dock in place or use helix anchors.

This is not the first time this discussion has come up. Three years ago when the town was planning to install the public docks, former town manager Philip Covelli presented Great Northern Docks with specs and asked whether helix anchors should be used to hold it in place.

“When the former town manager Phil Covelli gave me the specs, I explained to him the problem with helixes,” said Sam Merriam, owner of Great Northern Docks, “Because of its environment, (the helix anchors) were not going to be a sound way to secure a floating dock and ramp at walkway access from a permanent pier because of the motions that the helixs and the chain would allow. There are two problems: water changes all the time and you’ve got a large amount of wind and chop out there. It could be a disaster if a ramp failed and people went out and walked on it or the thing broke because it had been stressed so much by the previous windstorm or it let go during a windstorm.”

Merriam’s point of contention was that a dock secured with helix anchors can move in all directions because of the swag of their chains whereas piling hoops slip over pilings to restrict the dock’s movement to vertical movement. The chains from the helixs also get more swag in them, so someone who is certified to do so must be responsible to go down there every few weeks while the dock is in use and pull the chains in to the right length. Otherwise, the ramp to the concrete pier could roll right off.

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