DECC Official Updates Status Of Irvin, Vista Affected By Seawall Project

DULUTH, Minn. – The city of Duluth is anxiously waiting for approval by the State historical Preservation Office to begin work on the delayed seawall project in the Minnesota Slip. That approval is expected this week. Meanwhile, plans are underway to get the Vista Fleet open on time for tourists May 7. But as for the William A. Irvin, there is still some uncertainty, in part, because of its size, as FOX 21’s Dan Hanger reports.

There’s reassuring news for the Vista’s Fleet.

“The Queen will be here. The Star will be here. He’ll be open for business guaranteed,” said Steve Rankila, the DECC’s project manager.

Rankila says the city is in the process of extending electric and water further down the dock wall behind the DECC to operate not only the Vista Star, but also the Vista Queen this year.

“In this project, there’s lots of moving parts. There’s a lot of agencies involved to make sure this is happening — make sure it gets done on time,” Rankila said.

The Queen is normally docked just inside the Minnesota Slip because the smaller boat can’t handle being out in the bay during rough weather.

4-19-18: Construction Halted On Already Delayed MN Slip Seawall; Irvin, Vista Affected

The dock was torn out earlier this year to make way for the seawall reconstruction. However, the pilings are still there and the city says crews will build a temporary platform of sorts for Vista crew members to safely house the Queen when not in use behind the DECC for passengers.

“It was a little bit of a challenge, but we’ll have everything ready for him,” Rankila said.

Meanwhile, it was not clear Monday when the Irvin will open, as it’s pushed away from the unfinished seawall.

“There might be a slight delay. We’re not sure yet. Everything is still up in the air with the actual date of the opening of the Irvin,” Rankila said.

The DECC says they might move the ship out through the Slip Bridge and behind the DECC with the Vista Boats to start the season if it’s delayed too much.

But that process is an uneasy one.

“Will it fit through the Blue Bridge? So that’s the challenge we are having right now — to make sure it will fit,” Rankila explained.

Chelly Townsend, the DECC’s executive director, says there would only be roughly 4” of room on each side of the Irvin as it passes through the Slip Bridge, which is why AMI Consulting Engineers performed a beam survey on the Irvin Monday to determine its exact stats.

Rankila says if the Irvin can’t make it out of the slip, the Irvin would most likely be delayed for opening until June.