Mobile County to open Bayfront Park Sunday; officials cite oil-spill restoration funding for improvements

Mobile County commissioners said the county will hold a ribbon-cutting and grand opening for Bayfront Park on Sunday, with gates opening at noon and festivities from 2 to 4 p.m.

County officials said the park's new features include a playground, seven pavilions, restroom and office facilities, and a roughly 900-foot pocket beach. Commissioners said the county will add a boardwalk in a later construction phase funded separately.

The announcement came during the Mobile County Commission conference on March 6, when a commissioner described funding sources that paid for the work. The commissioner said Natural Resource Damage Assessment funds tied to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and GOMESA (Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act) allocations were the primary sources. "This doesn't cost taxpayers a dollar," the commissioner said, noting the county's use of federal settlement and GOMESA funds rather than general-tax revenue.

A county official described Natural Resource Damage Assessment funding as money allocated to restore lost public use following oil-spill impacts and said the county has used GOMESA funds and related allocations on prior waterfront projects. County staff said the boardwalk work required additional funding and that the boardwalk phase would begin in the coming weeks; the commissioner said the boardwalk will not affect the park's operating hours and that construction can proceed without closing the park.

County staff and commissioners invited the public and county employees to the Sunday event and listed planned activities including live music, a rock-climbing wall, face painting and free food while supplies last. The commissioner said state-level partners would attend; the county specifically named the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in thanking outside support for funding.

Officials said the park will be open daily following the opening, and emphasized the projects’ role in improving public waterfront access. The county noted other recent waterfront investments funded through the same non-tax sources, including work at Cedar Point Pier and shoreline restoration projects.

County staff added that the boardwalk will be about 1,500 feet and will connect to existing sidewalks to create a walking loop. Officials said the boardwalk construction will begin after the additional funding allocation is finalized and will not affect daily park access.

The commission did not take a formal vote on the announcement during the March 6 conference; the event was presented as an operational update and community invitation.