Permit approved for Navarre Beach pier

NAVARRE BEACH - One of the final hurdles to rebuilding the fishing pier finally has been cleared.

Santa Rosa County officials were notified Tuesday that the Army Corps of Engineers has issued the permit to rebuild the pier on Navarre Beach.

"We'll get construction under way as soon as possible," County Commissioner Gordon Goodin said Tuesday night.

Although the permit has been issued, it still must be signed by Santa Rosa County and the Corps of Engineers before construction bids can be sought.

Goodin said he expected the county to seek bids in January and to award a contract in March. Construction would start soon after that.

Santa Rosa County will seek a number of bids to give the county a range of prices to best match the available funds, said County Engineer Roger Blaylock. The budget for the pier is $8.7 million, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency contributing 90 percent of the funds. The county and the state of Florida will contribute the remaining 10 percent.

The new pier has been designed wider and higher than the old 1,200-foot structure, which sustained heavy damage from Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Dennis in 2005. It also will have blowout panels on the walkway to help prevent massive damage from future storms.

The pier will be bid as a 1,500 foot structure with options to reduce the size by up to 300 feet. The county also wants price estimates for using stronger steel, for not installing lights and for a 12-month construction schedule and a 16-month schedule.

The new pier will be built about 100 feet to the east of the old pier and will extend south from the existing building that served the old pier.