Saved. Half a jetty better than no jetty at all …

IT’S final.Swakopmund’s most famous landmark, the jetty, will be saved – but only half of it.

If all goes well, the “new” jetty might be open by the time the annual Christmas rush to the coast starts. “By December most of the work would be completed and we hope for the best,” Freddy Kaukungua, PRO of the Swakopmund Municipality, told The Namibian.Since the closure of the jetty for safety reasons almost seven years ago, the campaign to save this 90-year-old historic structure has seen numerous suggestions, initiatives and development plans to restore it as one of the major attractions of the town.The structure, which has over the years become a symbol of the town, could no longer withstand the battering of the sea and needed urgent repairs.At its monthly meeting this week, the Town Council announced that the Tender Board had awarded the tender for renovating the jetty to the joint venture of Bicon Namibia and Kraatz Marine.The tenderer submitted six options of which option 5, costing almost N$3,3 million, was accepted as the most viable.The total cost of the job is indicated as N$3,8 million, which includes contingencies and engineering fees.The cost will be covered by the N$400 000 available in the Save-the-Jetty Fund and N$1,6 million allocated in the 2004-2005 Council budget.The balance of N$1,8 million will come from the 2005-2006 budget, where an amount of N$2,5 million was set aside under new projects for the renovation of the jetty.Option 5 entails the repair of existing cracked and damaged columns on the in-shore portion of the jetty, which comprises the first 17 pairs of concrete-encased columns.The existing superstructure will be removed and replaced with concrete beams, and a new two-metre-wide timber walkway will be constructed.The front section of the jetty will not be salvaged, but will be separated and left to the elements to help it disintegrate into the sea.A motivation in the Council agenda for the choice of contractor states that Bicon Namibia, a local company, has been involved in work on the jetty on two previous occasions.The first was the design and contract supervision for the repairs carried out on the jetty in 1984, and the second was a design for a new jetty in 1997 for the NamWater desalination project.Kraatz Marine Engineering Services of Walvis Bay will be responsible for the physical construction work.The other two tenders were submitted by Civil and Coastal Construction from South Africa and Shoreline Construction Namibia from Walvis Bay.”By December most of the work would be completed and we hope for the best,” Freddy Kaukungua, PRO of the Swakopmund Municipality, told The Namibian.Since the closure of the jetty for safety reasons almost seven years ago, the campaign to save this 90-year-old historic structure has seen numerous suggestions, initiatives and development plans to restore it as one of the major attractions of the town.The structure, which has over the years become a symbol of the town, could no longer withstand the battering of the sea and needed urgent repairs.At its monthly meeting this week, the Town Council announced that the Tender Board had awarded the tender for renovating the jetty to the joint venture of Bicon Namibia and Kraatz Marine.The tenderer submitted six options of which option 5, costing almost N$3,3 million, was accepted as the most viable.The total cost of the job is indicated as N$3,8 million, which includes contingencies and engineering fees.The cost will be covered by the N$400 000 available in the Save-the-Jetty Fund and N$1,6 million allocated in the 2004-2005 Council budget.The balance of N$1,8 million will come from the 2005-2006 budget, where an amount of N$2,5 million was set aside under new projects for the renovation of the jetty.Option 5 entails the repair of existing cracked and damaged columns on the in-shore portion of the jetty, which comprises the first 17 pairs of concrete-encased columns.The existing superstructure will be removed and replaced with concrete beams, and a new two-metre-wide timber walkway will be constructed.The front section of the jetty will not be salvaged, but will be separated and left to the elements to help it disintegrate into the sea.A motivation in the Council agenda for the choice of contractor states that Bicon Namibia, a local company, has been involved in work on the jetty on two previous occasions.The first was the design and contract supervision for the repairs carried out on the jetty in 1984, and the second was a design for a new jetty in 1997 for the NamWater desalination project.Kraatz Marine Engineering Services of Walvis Bay will be responsible for the physical construction work.The other two tenders were submitted by Civil and Coastal Construction from South Africa and Shoreline Construction Namibia from Walvis Bay.