Bucking the Tide

The waters of Battery Park Marina have been parted, thanks to some state-of-the-art technology and 22 ½-foot long sheet pilings.

As the first step in a half-million dollar renovation project funded by two $250,000 grants from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, contractor Willie Poloronis last month oversaw the damming of the waters as his firm and its subcontractors drove in a wall of sheet pilings, embedding them 13 to 18 inches into the sand to ensure the waters wouldn't interfere with the pouring of a new concrete boat ramp.

Poloronis Construction Inc. then braced the middle section, where the water was deeper than first thought, with six support beams. In addition, diver Joy Fichera took sawdust from Charles Golden's shop in Eastpoint and used it to plug gaps in the sheet pilings beneath the surface so the water wouldn't seep through.

"It's probably the most stressful part because anytime you're working with water and its pressure, you have to be very cautious," said Monica Poloronis, the firm's vice president. "We don't want to take any chances.

"A lot of older people have mentioned that this is a historical thing for them, that they don't ever remember in their lifetime seeing it done this way," she said.

Willie Poloronis said initial estimates were that the water in the center of the marina would be about eight inches deep, but it turned out to be closer to a foot deep.

"They (boaters) power up their motors and the rotors spray down there and it digs the dirt out," said City Administrator Betty Webb.

For much of the last two weeks of April, onlookers gathered to watch the work commence, which will eventually lead to a new 125' long by 50' wide concrete slab, reinforced with fiberglass rebar, where boats will launch from.

Willie Poloronis said the old slab was about four inches thick, while the new one will be double that, and will be all of a piece.

"There was never connection of the (older) concrete slabs, and that's what was catching," said Webb. "This is a one-pour type thing, with no connection joints."

Willie Poloronis said the new launching ramp will go further out into the water than before, and that the new finger piers will be built like the originals.

Because dirt has been removed that had built up from the sea floor on either end of the launching area, there now will be more room for boats to launch, with as many as six boats being able to launch or be picked up at any one time.

"We had six before, but the two at the end were not functional," Webb said.

Once the concrete is poured and the sheet pilings have finished their role as a dam, they'll become part of about 210' of reconstructed seawall on the Bay Avenue side of the basin, each topped with a concrete cap.

Two dozen new mooring piles are being driven into the water by subcontractor, Larry Joe Colson Inc. out of Apalachicola. Coastline Clearing Development LLC, out of Eastpoint, has the chore of digging out the muck and removing the existing concrete, which will be prepared for placement as rip-rap.

"We try to use as much as we can local people," said Monica Poloronis.

Webb said once the work is done (it is scheduled to be completed by August 1), the marina will be used as before, with no changes from existing policy. Rumors have circulated that oystermen will not be able to launch from the marina, but Webb said this is untrue.

"The use of it is not going to change," she said. "Anybody can launch there, first come, first served."

Current rules, which date back decades, are that only recreational vessels are able to moor there overnight, with the Mill Pond reserved for commercial users.

Webb said city officials have talked about a possible launching fee, perhaps voluntary, but no specific proposal has surfaced.

As the marina remains closed, boaters have opted for other locations, such as the Mill Pond, Bay City Lodge, the Junior Abercrombie boat launch and, if you have a non-motorized vessel, even one under the bridge.

Webb said she has heard some complaints that the work is being done during the busy summer season, but said such are circumstances beyond management's control.

"We don't have the luxury of picking the perfect time of year to do things," she said. "We have to do it as we can.

"We do appreciate everyone's patience during this project, and they can look forward to an enhanced facility," she said.