Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
November 9, 2016 8:21 a.m.
City of Fernandina Beach Building Official Tony Perez has provided City Manager Dale Martin with a preliminary estimate of costs to repair Matthew-related damage to city property. By far the most damage—more than $25M worth—was sustained by the city marina and city properties in the area west of Front Street, including the boaters’ bathhouse, the Atlantic Seafood building and the leasehold for Brett’s Waterway Café. Engineering assessments are needed before these figures can be confirmed.
City Manager Dale Martin said that as soon as FEMA provides authorization, the city has funding in place to pay for 6 relatively small projects to get the city marina up and running once more. Also, because of conflicting engineering reports on the status of the underpinnings for the leasehold property at the marina (Brett’s, Front and Centre), representatives of both the city and the leaseholder will jointly examine the situation to issue a report with respect to safety concerns and necessary repairs.
The municipal airport reported $300K in wind damage to 9 buildings and Hangar B as well as $60K in damage to various parts of the airfield.
Both the municipal golf course and the Amelia River Golf Course (a city leasehold) sustained extensive tree damage due to winds. Each course lost about 50 trees. It is estimated to cost about $75K to handle tree issues and fix driving range repairs at the city course. Amelia River also sustained roof damage. Their repair estimate, including trees, stands at $80K.
City Hall escaped with relatively little damage. The elevator shaft collected 150 gallons of water below ground level that cost $300 to repair. Damage to various city signs is estimated at $3,000.
Beach Accesses 33 and 37 were damaged by wave action and together will cost $5,300 to repair. The Greenway Boardwalk damage from wind will cost about $15K to repair.
The Pop Warner concession stand on Beech Street sustained 15 percent damage to roof and trusses with an estimated repair cost of $30K.
As of public information request dated November 7, the total estimated repair cost for city owned property is $26,232,250.
Editor’s Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne’s many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.