July 8, 2016 โ The Jodrey State Fish Pier is the best performing and most well-run of the stateโs four fish piers, emerging as a model for potential changes to Massachusettsโ other three fish piers, according to an evaluation of the state fish pier system by the administration of Gov. Charlie Baker.
The evaluation, funded by the Seaport Economic Council and performed by a working group of representatives from a number of state agencies, has resulted in two positives for the 78-year-old fish pier named for Edward R. Jodrey, the Gloucester barber who championed its construction in 1930s:
The Baker administration announced this week it will fund $1.1 million in renovations at the pier that covers approximately 8 acres at the head of the harbor, part of what the administration says is its continued โcommitment to deepening the economic impact of state maritime facilities.โ
Those funds will be used to repair the deteriorating roof atop the 40,000-square-foot cold storage and freezing operation that is one of the array of businesses housed in the three buildings on the pier.
Perhaps more important in the long run, the evaluation showed the Jodrey State Fish Pier, which is operated at a profit by MassDevelopment, is at the top of the class among the stateโs four fish piers, an operations model for those located in New Bedford, Fall River and Plymouth.