Gulf State Park Pier Repairs Reach Milestone

As usual, the weather played a role in the amount of work that could be done with barges, but Pendergrass said delays were pretty much minimal.

"There were several days where they might work half a day and then have to take the barge back to Perdido Pass and leave it there," he said. "That takes time and effort to move to one area and bring it back. And the jack-up barge had to go in for repairs and was out of commission for a little more than two weeks. But once that jack-up barge was back, they were able to put the remaining piles in place, and it was all finished by April 1."

Pendergrass said current plans are to restore the octagon, which was extremely popular with the diehard pier fishing community, to pre-Sally condition. That includes restoring the 50-foot by 24-foot observation deck at the octagon, which will allow visitors and sightseers to observe fishing activity as well as experience the educational component of the pier from a new vantage point. An Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) certified lift will be on one side of the observation deck with stairs on the opposite side. Pendergrass said the ADA lift will be operated only by pier personnel.

"There will be at least one change," he said. "Previously we had a red line that went around the octagon that separated the fishermen from the sightseers. We think with the observation deck, it will provide a lot better place to view the fishing activity."

Pendergrass, who also oversaw the previous renovations, said new railings constructed of the durable ipe (pronounced eepay) wood will be replaced in the 200-foot section that collapsed as well as on the octagon.

"With the addition of the decking out to the octagon, they know what they're doing because they've done it twice now," he said. "Once everything underneath the decking is completed, I anticipate the work will pick up speed so we can get the pier opened as soon as possible.

"The target date for reopening the pier is late summer unless the weather turns really, really bad."

Commissioner Blankenship and Pendergrass were also recently on hand for the ribbon cutting for the cabins on Lake Shelby at Gulf State Park. Hurricane Sally destroyed 17 cabins on the lake. Those were rebuilt and three new cabins were added for a total of 20.

"Hurricane Sally literally picked up the roofs on some of the cabins and set them down on the ground," Pendergrass said. "The 10 Eagle Cottages on the lake sustained much less damage from the hurricane and, with minor repairs, remained open to rent."

The new cabins are top-notch with two bedrooms, two baths and a bunk room for children with a TV for entertainment. Also new is a laundry room with a washer and dryer underneath each cabin. The cabins can be booked online at www.eaglecottagesatgsp.com.

"We also renovated four woodside cabins nestled back in woods," Pendergrass said. "These are one-bedroom cabins. We spent a good bit of money renovating those."

Also, Gulf State Park's Hugh Branyon Backcountry Trail continues to reign as the top recreational trail in the country in the 2024 USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards, the second year in a row the trail has received the recognition.

The Alabama Gulf Coast trail prevailed over nine other trails located throughout the United States, including the 78-mile Greenbrier River Trail in West Virginia, a former railroad now used for hiking, biking and horseback riding, and Missouri's 240-mile Katy Bike Trail, one of the longest Rails-to-Trails projects in the country.

Gulf State Park's Romar Beach Access area has reopened with a new bathhouse, 40 additional parking spots and a shower on the boardwalk out to the beach.

At Gulf State Park Pavilion, the facility is receiving a complete facelift, with makeovers for the restrooms and bridal room.

On the north end of Mobile Bay, Meaher State Park on Battleship Parkway (Causeway) is also in the middle of renovations, with $7.5 million allocated for campground expansion, new cabins and an administration building.

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