By Dan Parker
dan@portasouthjetty.com
A floating dock, rebuilt ramps and a boat haul-out facility are among major construction projects set to get underway relatively soon at Dennis Dreyer Municipal Marina.
Those are just a few of the many city projects going on right now in Port Aransas, some in the planning phase and others undergoing actual construction, adding up to millions of dollars worth of work. Dave Parsons, the city’s planning and projects manager, provided the city council with updates on each project’s status when the council met on Thursday, Aug. 20.
Acting on a matter separate from Parsons’ updates, the council delayed plans to pick a firm to install the floating dock in the marina. Council members said they want a clearer picture of the dock’s features before they move forward.
The lowest bidder on the project was Galva Foam Marine, bidding $789,860, which was “significantly” over budget, said Orlando Ortiz, an engineer with Urban Engineering, the city engineer on the project.
Urban Engineering worked with the firm to reduce the contract price, was able to lower it by $184,860, getting it down to $604,587.12, which still was higher than the project budget, according to City Manager Michael Kovacs. But council members expressed concern that the dock's quality could suffer as a result of changes that were planned to reduce the price.
Other large projects either in the planning or construction phase include:
• Reconstruction of 25 streets in town;
• Construction of trails, boardwalks, observation towers and other features at the Port Aransas Nature Preserve at Charlie’s Pasture;
• Installation of a harbor water exchange system;
• Repairs to the rock revetment along the edge of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel at the Port Aransas Nature Preserve at Charlie’s Pasture;
• Improvements at Mustang Beach Airport, including expansion of airplane parking by eight spaces;
• Construction of a skate park at Port Aransas Community Park;
• Obtaining a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit to move beach sand toward the water for general purposes of beach maintenance;
• A re-write of the city’s zoning and subdivision ordinances;
• Creation of an Americans with Disabilities Act transition report, which is a federal mandate requiring state and local governments to conduct self-evaluations of their facilities, programs and services with regard to how they serve people with disabilities.
(For a full report on the city’s projects, see the Aug. 27 South Jetty.)