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Board approves beach restoration funding reallocation; arena project financing left unresolved
Summary
The Hancock County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 on March 20 to approve the county’s beach-restoration package and authorize use of GEO bond proceeds and general-fund money to pay the county share, while deferring a final decision on the arena project.
The Hancock County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 on March 20 to approve the county’s beach-restoration package and authorize use of GEO bond proceeds and general-fund money to pay the county share, while leaving decisions on the larger arena project and some bid packages for a future meeting.
Supervisors spent extensive time weighing three priorities: elevating Beach Boulevard (to reduce casino closures when road flooding occurs), completing a multi-stage beach-restoration program, and advancing the proposed arena project with multiple construction packages and alternates.
County staff and outside consultants summarized finances and procurement constraints. Staff reported a current GEO bond balance of about $6,000,900 and said engineering and land acquisition for the elevated road would total roughly $1,750,000; staff said that would leave additional local bond capacity for other projects. The board discussed $8.7 million in “restore” funds the county has received and was told those federal-state restore dollars cannot be used for certain local procurement approaches because spending them would trigger federal procurement procedures, including prevailing-wage rules, which was a key reason some funding could not be reallocated to later construction packages.
Suppliers’ bids for the arena packages were discussed at length; package 1 without alternates was described in the meeting as roughly $8.95 million, with alternates raising the package to about $10.5 million. Staff said completing both packages and the beach restoration could require approximately $24 million of local money depending on alternates and scope; the board heard that the full beach-restoration cost estimate (all packages) could run into the tens of millions and that local shares would need to be prioritized.
Multiple supervisors said the beach restoration should be the immediate priority to protect shoreline and county infrastructure. One commissioner said, “I feel like the beach project restoration is a must. I think that’s probably got to take priority.” Staff was directed to return with a detailed funding plan for the beach project and options for bonding additional amounts, and the board agreed to revisit the arena decision on the April 7 meeting.
District 4 moved to approve the beach project and authorize reallocating GEO bond proceeds from Beach Boulevard and using the remainder from the general fund; District 1 seconded. The board voted Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 — motion carries, 5-0.
No final vote was taken on the arena project on March 20; supervisors instructed staff to prepare funding scenarios and noted that the arena bid packages expire in late April, so a decision would be needed at the board’s April 7 meeting if the county intends to proceed.
