Boardwalk ambles along

The town is poised to begin work on the third section of the boardwalk, which will run from the old Palmer’s restaurant to just south of Calico Cupboard.

“It’s still on schedule,” said Town Administrator John Doyle. “Despite a pause in work, this phase should be done by about the end of the year.”

The unexpected pause came in August, when some of the composite decking material was found to be defective. With the potential of cracks forming in the installed material, the town’s public works crew replaced those sections with leftover decking, and temporarily closed off portions as an added precaution.

The temporarily closed sections behind Nell Thorn’s and the old Palmer’s restaurant will be reopened as soon as the new material is installed.

“The replacement material will be here this week,” said Doyle. “It will take about a week-and-a-half to install, but in the meantime, the boardwalk will continue south in earnest.”

Since mid-August, preparations for the boardwalk’s expansion were made: boat docks along the path were repositioned and a series of long, metal pilings were driven into the ground for the boardwalk’s foundation.

Once completed, the last section will extend the public boardwalk all the way through town from the Lime Dock Building on the north end, south to Calico Cupboard at Douglas Street.