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Commission awards marina redevelopment contract, adopts five‑year CIP and approves multiple projects
Summary
The Fernandina Beach City Commission on July 21 approved the Marina Redevelopment award to Baker Design Build, advanced a $47 million five‑year capital improvement plan and passed a series of resolutions including downtown water‑main design and an airport hangar lease. The marina project is budgeted at about $12.6 million and staff described an aggressive schedule and communications plan.
The Fernandina Beach City Commission voted unanimously July 21 to award the Marina Redevelopment project and to advance the city’s five‑year capital improvement plan as part of a larger package of approvals.
Deputy City Manager Glenn Cromoff told the commission the project encompasses dredging, seawall replacement, pier replacement and installation of an over‑water fueling system. Staff recommended Baker Design Build as the low bidder and listed multiple funding sources, including state grants, paid‑parking revenue and Community Redevelopment Area reserves. “That’s our total of 12.6 for the entire project at this point,” Cromoff said when summarizing costs. He estimated construction would begin in mid‑ to late August and set a tentative completion date of Dec. 3, 2027.
Cromoff described project controls the city will use: a communications plan with a dedicated project webpage, QR‑coded signage at construction fences, weekly inspection reports posted online, a stakeholders town hall (scheduled July 28) and multiple internal coordination meetings. The city will use external construction administration and daily observation services to document work and control change orders.
Commissioners pressed staff on schedule risks and the city’s capacity to run several large projects concurrently. Cromoff said the contractor will manage the construction schedule while the city holds the contractor accountable and runs an oversight team that includes an on‑site inspector and consultant staff.
The commission approved the award and associated contract authorizations in a 5‑0 vote.
Votes at a glance
- Resolution 2026‑92 (Marina Redevelopment award to Baker Design Build): Approved 5–0. - Resolution 2026‑91 (Five‑year Capital Improvement Plan): Approved 5–0. - Resolution 2026‑89 (Downtown water‑main design – Kimley‑Horn & Associates, $326,535): Approved 5–0. - Resolution 2026‑90 (Airport aeronautical ground lease — Amelia Island Air LLC): Approved 5–0. - Resolution 2026‑6808 (Name Central Park batting cages “Colin Helms cages”): Approved 5–0. - Ordinance 2026‑069 (Historic downtown design guidelines — second reading): Adopted 5–0.
The commission’s adoption of the CIP marks a planning milestone: staff said the proposed five‑year plan lists roughly $47 million in projects, with enterprise funds (marina, airport, wastewater) accounting for a large share. Budget analyst Alicia Brown noted ClearGov software was used to consolidate and present the capital program.
Next steps
Staff said they will finalize contract documents, schedule a pre‑construction meeting in early August, start mobilization and post regular progress updates to the city’s project page. Cromoff also said the resolution grants limited contingency spending authority to the city manager for efficient change‑order processing.
The commission closed the meeting with routine announcements and a request from staff to continue public outreach during construction.
