Fernandina Beach staff recommend awarding marina redevelopment bid after expanded dredging, $12.5M estimated cost

City staff on July 7 presented the Fernandina Beach City Commission with final bid tabulations and a funding plan for a long‑planned marina redevelopment and seawall project that staff said would cost roughly $12.5 million to build.

Glenn Acromoff, deputy city manager, told the commission the base bid that includes the bulkhead and central pier totaled "a little over 9,600,000," and that the project, with contingencies and fuel‑system work, brings the total to "roughly 12 and a half million dollars." Acromoff said he and project consultants want the commission to consider giving the city manager authority to approve change orders up to the project contingency to avoid delays.

The design firm Passerone Associates delivered the technical overview. "We're down over 60 pilings," Andrew of Passerone Associates said, adding the new pilings will be cylindrical rather than square, a change the firm said will improve water flow. The design splits the work into a base bid (center walkway and pier) and several bid additives, including a west extension and winged walkways that the commission may add or defer.

Andrew said the team broke the fueling work into two parts — an over‑water portion and a landward portion — so the city can decide whether to include the higher‑cost tanks and pumps now. "The base was everything from the tank all the way out to the dispensers...and then the 2nd piece was to try and do the fuel tanks and the pumps, which is a very big number," he said.

Staff also recommended taking advantage of grant funds to build the resiliency seawall first. Acromoff said the city has a $4,000,000 grant for the wall and that about $2,700,000 of the wall cost would be charged against that funding. He described an additional matching grant source and local funds already saved as the anticipated match.

Dredging near Brett's was a major focus. Andrew said subsequent survey work expanded the dredging footprint substantially to remove long‑accumulated debris and siltation. "We're going down to a certain depth...we set it at minus 9," he said, and cautioned contractors they would encounter concrete and pipe beneath Brett's. Staff said the maintenance dredging permit and other permit elements allow the larger dredge extent and that grant funds would offset much of the cost.

Acromoff outlined contingency planning: a 15% contingency for the higher‑risk seawall excavation portion and a 10% contingency for more predictable work, yielding the combined project contingency that contributed to the $12.5 million estimate.

On procurement, staff said four contractors bid on the project, three low bids clustered close together and one higher outlier. Acromoff said final bid vetting and math checks are ongoing and that staff will return with a recommendation to award on July 21. "We will report out when we get to the 21st which ones had some challenges," he said.

Commissioners pushed staff to clarify operations during construction. One commissioner asked for an operations plan for marina users and vendors, including kiosk operators and commercial users such as Amelia Cruise. Acromoff said marina operations will temporarily relocate to existing office space and that staff will provide a detailed transition and operations plan in the packet for the July 21 meeting.

Several commissioners expressed support for third‑party construction inspection. "I would be very happy to see a 3rd party inspection," one commissioner said, citing the importance of on‑site documentation to minimize later disputes over change orders.

Staff presented a tentative schedule that would allow awarding the contract July 21 and starting construction in mid‑August with a 478‑day contract; a completion date of 12/03/2022 was listed as tentative. Acromoff said the schedule accounts for event shutdowns including an eight‑day ShrimpFest pause.

Next steps: staff will finish final tabulations and verifications, complete the packet for the July 21 commission meeting and bring a formal award resolution and recommended language granting the city manager change‑order authority up to the project contingency. The commission gave informal consensus to allow the city manager to act up to the contingency and adjourned the workshop.