Orange Beach to expand seawall work

City spends own money to upgrade state’s Perdido Pass

BY JOHN MULLEN johnm@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 12/14/16

ORANGE BEACH — As the city contemplates expanding its work on the state-owned fishing wall under the Perdido Pass Bridge, a citizen asked if perhaps the state could contribute some financial …

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Orange Beach to expand seawall work

City spends own money to upgrade state’s Perdido Pass

Posted

ORANGE BEACH — As the city contemplates expanding its work on the state-owned fishing wall under the Perdido Pass Bridge, a citizen asked if perhaps the state could contribute some financial help.

“It took us three years to get permission to spend our own money,” Mayor Tony Kennon said with chuckle. “But I’m used to it. It’s out of sight, out of mind to them.”

But Kennon said the state is not without its own money woes.

“Mr. Cooper was not going to put any money into a seawall,” Kennon said. “I guess from his perspective ‘I don’t have enough to get the roads done why am I going to fix the seawall?’”

John Cooper is the director of the Alabama Department of Transportation. His agency is responsible for the wall, but its money was soaked up by more pressing needs. The unsightly barricades when up in 2012.

The citizen, Bill Jeffries, along with fellow town rabble rouser Allen McElroy, played a big part mustering support for getting the wall reopened to the public. As the structure slowly crumbled into the pass, the state put up fence barricades around one of the most popular spots in Orange Beach.

Jeffries again raised the specter of money from the state for the fishing wall work.

“It never hurts to ask, Mr. Jeffries,” Councilman Jeff Silvers said. “When we did the first phase I asked, one more time, that we as a collective soul as a city, ask them one more time for some financial assistance. They said ‘you have permission to do it.’”

So the city’s successful pleading ended up with a go ahead to spend its own money to get the popular area reopened. After an initial investment of about $281,000, fishermen and sightseers returned to cast bait and gaze out on boats using Perdido Pass to access the Gulf.

“It is absolutely beautiful,” Jeffries told the council during a Dec. 6 work session. “And people are using it like crazy. I’m so proud of what we’ve done. If we could just get the state to help.”

Well, it’s beautiful to a point. To the point where the initial work by Orange Beach ends and the unsightly state barricade fence resumes.

Councilman Jeff Silvers suggested a full wrap under the bridge all the way to the Alabama Marine Police office on the north side.

“We’ve thought about that,” Kennon said. “The only concern I’ve had is we don’t know how the project is going to survive with high water, wave action anywhere. So, we thought let’s just go aesthetically to the bridge so there is no eyesore. Then give it a year or two to see what our maintenance costs are going to be.”

Coastal Resources Director Phillip West said he’s been monitoring the first phase of the project and is hopeful it can stand up to the pressures of the constantly moving pass waters.

“There’s going to be a whole lot of pressure coming up through those holes in the seawall, so we’re going to find out,” West said. “I think it’s going to be durable. It’s holding up to some pretty heavy rain so far. We’ve got one new hole we’re going to cover up with some new decking.”

Kennon said other funding options, including NRDA and RESTORE Act funds are being pursued to help rebuild the seawall.