The dredge project slated for the Coast Guard Channel and Old Pass Lagoon has been delayed, thanks to storm-related issues in the Intercoastal Waterway.
Given the heavy rains, the Army Corps of Engineers pulled the dredge from Destin to complete emergency work. The earliest the dredge could return is May 19, but that date is not a given.
“With that news, we contacted Gator Dredging… they said they could be ready to start dredging on the 13th of this month,” City Engineer David Campbell told city leaders during Monday night’s City Council meeting.
While a shift in dates from the 19th to the 13th doesn’t seem like much of a difference, the goal was to have the Old Pass Lagoon Channel cleared out to a depth of 12 feet by Memorial Day, so boats could easily navigate without scraping their hulls on the sandy bottom.
“We certainly don’t want to be in that channel during Memorial Day,” Campbell said.
The other issue is that a separate contractor has already begun removing the old sheet pile wall along Norriego Point in anticipation of the area being filled with sand from the Coast Guard dredge project.
Gator Dredging performed a similar project in Old Pass Lagoon last year, so Campbell said he is confident that they would be able to complete this project as well.
City Manager Maryann Ustick told the council that it was of the upmost importance that the city move forward with this emergency project to help preserve the integrity of the point and safety in the harbor.
“This truly is an emergency,” Ustick said. “We are hopeful we will be able to get the dredging for the same amount you budgeted.”
The city had agreed to spend a total of $211, 200 on the dredge project with Inland Dredging Company LLC before the storm. A contract must still be negotiated with Gator Dredging.
Given the magnitude of the news Monday night, Councilman Tuffy Dixon voiced a bit of displeasure about the situation.
“I’m very disappointed just learning this tonight,” Dixon said.. “I’m disappointed nobody said anything about this.”
He said it would have been nice to get an email update about the situation, especially since he’s been telling boat captains and others in the community that the project was a go.
While she understood the frustration about the situation, Ustick told the council that the city has been working over the past few days and over the weekend to get to this point.
“We were just trying to have accurate information,” she said. “We share the frustration expressed with our coordination with the Corps.”