Bids awarded, beach projects begin
BY LISA NEWELL Gulf Breeze News lisa@gulfbreezenews.com

Franklin Hayes/Gulf Breeze News The new restroom/public safety building under construction on Pensacola Beach is due to be completed by May 1.

The Santa Rosa Island Authority is sprucing up in anticipation of tourist season 2007.

Board members awarded several bids last month, the the pressure is on to get projects finished before turtle season and before tourists arrive. All bidders were given until May 1 to complete their projects.

Vital Signs of Pensacola was the only bidder on a project to produce updated street signs at a bid of $695.

SRIA General Manager Buck Lee said the street signs will be a 4 by 4 pole topped with a fiberglass sheath. Each sign will feature a seagull at the top to add to the ambiance of the beach neighborhoods.

Bill Smith Electric of Gonzalez won the bid to light Fort Pickens Road and the bike path with 35-watt low pressure sodium lamps. The bid incudes furnishing and installing 89 lighting assemblies including concrete poles, pole foundations, two Holophane Mongoose fixtures or the equivalent, grounding lugs, conductors within poles, photocells and disconnect switches. The bid was $524,589.

F l o r i d i a n Construction of Destin won the bid to repair damage to Casino Beach. Floridian will repair the sand wall, install a ramp and shower, repair paver deck, repair pavilion roof and install and repair benches. Their bid was $331,770.

These projects should not conflict with the beach's popular concert series, which was renamed "Bands on the Beach" to reflect the array of musical styles. The concert series begins May 1.

Coastal Marine of Pace and Sunrise Building Corporation of Pensacola will share the bid to produce 31 dune walkovers along the beachfront. This project was particularly timely because all work will be halted on May 1, when turtle season begins.

Roads, Inc. won the $482,450 bid to realign the Quietwater Boardwalk parking lot and install lighting. This project will include destroying the islands in the lot to make room for an additional 90 to 100 parking spaces.

Lee said he's going to document the upgrades underway through a series of "before" and "after" pictures.

"People are not going to recognize the beach," Lee said.