Despite the strong winds and rain Tuesday, Dr. Arthur and Doris Rowe were among the many to make their way down to Cummings Park in Stamford for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the rebuilt pier. Rowe said it was about time that Stamford did something about the pier.

“It’s long overdue … too long,” Rowe, the commodore of the Cummings Boat Club, said after the ceremony. “Nevertheless it’s done.”

“I am happy to see it here,” Doris Rowe said as she examined the pier. It was originally built in 1966 and became a place for fathers to take their kids to learn how to fish, the Rowes said. It was severely damaged in a hurricane in 2006, as the dock separated from its supports. Without the pier, people began using the rocks near the beach for fishing, which is dangerous, the Rowes said.

“They’re lucky there were no serious accidents,” Arthur Rowe said.

The city had been applying for funding for the project since the hurricane and finally secured funding last fall, a statement says. The Engineering Bureau, after consulting with engineers who specialize in marine structures, decided to build a new pier rather than fix the old one. Construction started in November. “I applaud the work of the Engineering Bureau in expediting the construction process prior to the start of the summer,” Mayor Michael Pavia said in the statement.

The pier, built of galvanized steel, is wider than the previous one. At the end of the pier is a designated fishing area. Other new amenities include a wooden railing cap with holes for fishing poles, benches spread out along the pier and glare-free cut-off lighting.

Will you be using the rebuilt pier? What will you use it for? Share your opinion below and become a part of the conversation.