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Council approves $784,913 change order for Cooper Riverside Park bulkhead; TIF covers interim payment pending GoMesa funds
Summary
Council discussed and the agenda listed a change order (number 2) for the Mobile Riverfront redevelopment Cooper Riverside Park bulkhead replacement for $784,912.74; staff said the work will be funded with tax increment financing (TIF) now and refunded if GoMesa funds arrive later, and the substantial completion date was moved to Dec. 31.
The council’s agenda included an authorized change order for the Mobile Riverfront redevelopment Cooper Riverside Park bulkhead replacement, listed at $784,912.74, and staff and council members discussed project funding and schedule.
The agenda described the action as Change Order No. 2 with Robert Baggett for the Cooper Riverside Park bulkhead replacement. A council member asked whether additional GoMesa funds were available for the change order; staff replied that the city currently has TIF (tax increment financing) in place to avoid pausing the contractor and that the city would refund TIF if the GoMesa grant arrives in time.
“We are, but this is actually funded through TIF because we we don't wanna stop while the contractor is there. We wanna continue with that South Copper sale. So, we do have funding in place with TIF. If we can get the million dollar funding from Go Mesa before we have to make that payment, then we'll refund the TIF,” a city representative said during the meeting.
Staff described a design change prompted by dredging in the navigation channel that made the originally planned rock revetment incompatible. The new approach matches the north coff er cell work with a “dead man tieback system with a retaining wall.” A project presenter said inspections and coordination with the Alabama Department of Transportation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers informed the change; with the revised design the new substantial completion date is Dec. 31.
Why it matters: The change order is a sizeable contract modification for a high‑visibility riverfront park project. Using TIF for interim payment shifts the financing timing for the redevelopment while the city awaits GoMesa funding.
Next steps: The change order was listed on the agenda as authorized; staff described the revised design and the new substantial completion date. The transcript does not record a subsequent roll‑call vote in the provided excerpt.
