Tropical Storm Irene certainly left her mark on the Town of Madison, but now, nearly four years later, the town has nearly completely rebuilt as the reconstruction of East Wharf is complete.

“East Wharf got torn up and battered pretty well,” said First Selectman Fillmore McPherson. “This is the last of the big reconstruction from Hurricane Irene.”

With damage stretching down Middle Beach Road, as well as at West Wharf, East Wharf, and the seawall at the Surf Club, the town has been working on repairs ever since. In August 2013, West Wharf’s reconstruction was completed and included “rebuilding the stone wharf from the rubble left by Irene, reconstructing the stone wall, resurfacing the walkway, bringing back the historic timber edging, and, perhaps most important, reinforcing the stone revetments on the water side to better protect the wharf in future storms,” McPherson said in 2013.

The cost to repair both wharves was bid at $1.2 million by Schumack of Clinton. Due to that cost, the town decided to begin with reconstruction of West Wharf, which cost $435,788. The repair of East Wharf was delayed.

Now, East Wharf is ready for the summer beach season. East Wharf was also completed with new timber sidings and heavy stone revetments on the Sound side and the stone jetty was repaired.

“It’s got some protection should another hurricane come along,” said McPherson. “The stone wharf has been closed, but now it’s beautiful just in time for summer.”

While the bulk of the construction and repairs are complete, a boardwalk is still in the works. The initial plan was to complete the boardwalk by Memorial Day, but due to the long-lasting winter, that part of the project was put off.

“We’ll build the boardwalk after Labor Day so as not to disturb the beach in the summer,” said McPherson. “Everything is still accessible.”