Part of marina has been shut down for months. But it’s about to get a big renovation

Boat slips in need of repair in the eastern portion of Twin Dolphin Marina have been shut down for many months and an empty slip doesn’t provide revenue.

Plans to spend $5 million to rebuild and expand that section of the marina were expected to be underway by now, but now the work could start within the next 60 days.

Economic Development Director Carl Callahan said Hugh Miller, who holds the lease on the city-owned marina, and a selection committee made up of city staff “continues to work through the bidding process. Things were higher than they wanted to be so they are looking at summer. Fortunately, we are in good grace as far as the grants for the expansion, so they are still good to go to move forward.”

The city received $870,000 in grant funding from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission in March 2016 to put toward the project being funded mostly by the Miller Development Corp. The city also agreed to lower its percentage of slip rentals from 8 percent to 2.5 to help offset costs, but the deal had no effect on the 5 percent of the proceeds the city receives in profits from the restaurant.

Typically, grants must be used in a specific time frame and FWC’s boating infrastructure grant is no exception, but the city was granted an extension. Miller and the selection committee interviewed two contractors in December, but both proposals came in over budget.

Miller said the delay was due to failed negotiations with the first contractor, so the selection team moved on to the second contractor.

“It’s been challenging to get through all the hurdles,” Miller said. “But everything is full speed ahead again and hopefully we’ll get these contracts agreed on and we are at the end of that process and can proceed forward quickly from there. I wish we had already started, of course. That would have been better.”

Miller said there is some “fine tuning” to do with the contractor and dock supplier and as soon as those documents are in order, it will come back before the city council for final approval, “and I hope we will be banging away on this within 60 days.”

City officials have long heralded the project as an economic development tool that will enhance the marina’s capacity, bringing more and larger boaters into downtown. The scope of work includes reconfiguring the eastern part of the marina with 129 new slips and updating floating docks with full amenities.

Of the 129 new slips, 86 will be designed for larger vessels up to 50 feet in length and 15 slips for boats up to 105 feet long.

This story was originally published May 4, 2017 at 12:56 PM with the headline "Part of marina has been shut down for months. But it’s about to get a big renovation."