The question of how to exactly renovate the historic Rotunda at Tuck’s Point in Manchester has been studied for about two years. But on Monday, the Select Board proceeded at a “riptide” pace, taking just two minutes to approve a design to raise and renovate the historic structure without moving it inland.
The estimated $2.25 million project still requires funding approval at Town Meeting, but the direction endorsed by the board would raise the structure with steel pilings and renovate the Rotunda and its approaching pier to comply with new federal regulations and ADA requirements.
The elevated structure would also be protected from “50 year” storm surges and expected rising sea levels.
The path to a decision drew animated discussion and responses from the community, most in favor of keeping the Rotunda out at the end of a pier where it’s been for more than 100 years.
The spot is one of Manchester public gems, on the waterfront with open space, easy parking, the Chowder House, public bathrooms and a pier that extends out into the harbor and offers views out to the ocean.
The Rotunda is a recognized icon of Manchester used by regional organization to quickly identify the town. It’s also a favorite spot for everything from crabbing to wedding ceremonies and pre-high school prom photo opportunities.
An engineer with Foth Engineering, Christina Player, last week led the Select Board and public hearing attendees through 3D renderings of three options, with costs for each approach, which ranged from $1.75 million to $5.75 million.
Two options were identical in keeping the Rotunda where it is currently and raising the structure five feet to a 19’ elevation above mean low water tide (required by federal law). The only difference was sequence—do the project now (for $2.25 million) or in two phases separated by 20 years (for $5.75 million). The third option would have pulled the Rotunda on shore to the knoll just south of the Chowder House.
Manchester’s Cindy Rezza is a mainstay at Tuck’s Point for decades, earning her title of the unofficial “mayor” of Tuck’s Point Beach. She and her siblings grew up coming to Tuck’s Point, as did their father before them. Rezza said for children, especially, Tuck’s Point is a community asset that offers access to families of all types and income levels.
“I want kids to have the same experience I had … having fun on the Rotunda the way I did growing up, and my dad’s time too. Crabbing and jumping off the Rotunda into the water at high tide. Today, people might not get that some kids are poor, and to have the ability to go crabbing and have a ‘Wow’ experience at Tuck’s Point is special and it wouldn’t the be same without the Rotunda,” she said.
The Rotunda was originally built in 1896. At the time, the Chowder House was located at the water’s edge and the Yacht Club had just built its facility, blocking the Chowder House’s view to open water. The harbor at the time was mostly a large mud flat at low tide. The pier and Rotunda were built to reclaim the view beyond the Yacht Club.
Town Administrator Greg Federspiel said the town will be applying for grants to cover much of the project cost.
The issue of renovating the Rotunda first came into focus three years ago when Manchester successfully secured a state economic development grant to renovate and expand the docks at Tuck’s Point to support the town’s commercial fishing boats. Based mostly on its commercial lobster boats, Manchester Harbor is in the middle of the pack among Massachusetts commercial harbors, and Harbormaster Bion Pike has realized significant success applying for state grants supporting the industry, including nearly $1 million in 2018 for the reconstruction of Morss Pier, and renovating the Tuck’s Point docks.
When it came to planning the docks project at Tuck’s Point, engineers looked closer at the Rotunda pilings and recommended moving the renovation up from its original timeline of 2026-7.
And, to complicate matters further, Pike and the DPW learned for the first time that the Rotunda, built in the late 1800s before regulations, had never pulled a permit for construction—including in the 1970s when the entire Rotunda was replaced after the famous winter storm of 1978, when federal and state offices were in place.
The pier is in a “challenging state,” said Christine Player of Foth Engineering.
The project, if approved at Town Meeting, is expected to be done in 2025.
