By Julia Roberts
Fernandina Beach Waterfront Advisory Board members say they are frustrated that their recommendations for action at the Fernandina Harbor Marina were rejected by the city commission.
The WAB was formed earlier this year, consolidating the Marina Advisory Board and the Community Redevelopment Area Advisory Board. The board addresses issues and makes recommendations specific to the downtown waterfront area. The board consists of seven voting and one alternate member, including two members who are permanent slip holders at the marina.
At its last meeting, the WAB discussed two issues recently considered by the city commission: the continuation of a contract with Oasis Marinas to manage the city-owned marina, and plans for the location of Brett’s Waterway Cafe, a city-owned property that was leased out to a company that operated a restaurant at the marina. The lease expires later this year.
The WAB discussed both matters last month, and made recommendations to the city commission. One recommendation was to allow the contract with Oasis to expire and have the city manage the marina. The other recommendation was how the city would develop the Brett’s property.
“We are all on here (the WAB) because we have some form of expertise or knowledge, which was required for us to have a spot on the board,” board member Michael Sharpe said. “The two things that we asked them, based on all that knowledge, they rejected.”
Engineering firm Passero and Associates presented the city with plans for the Brett’s property with five options. Those options included a plan for a floating extension to dock A in the northern marina basin and plans for a timber pier extension to dock A.
At its June meeting, the WAB discussed the options, and recommended the timber pier extension. The city commission said they preferred the option of a floating extension to the dock. At its July 28 meeting, the WAB expressed concern about that decision.
Sharpe said the city commission based their decision to go with a floating dock extension on the desire to get the Brett’s project completed as soon as possible, as the marina will be partially closed during demolition and construction.
“That dock can be back in operation before that platform is completed,” Sharpe said. “Those gangways can still be in operation. That should not affect how long the marina is down.”
He said the city commission also said a platform could be added later, which he said was a bad idea, calling it “infinitely more difficult.”
“You are not going to get a crane down Centre Street to do that, you’re going to have to get a barge back in,” he said. “Once all that is in place, to go back in there and try to put pilings back in there to try to support that dock just doesn’t make any sense at all. It’s penny wise and dollar foolish to even think that is possible.”
He said the commission has not officially voted to go with the option of the floating dock, and so the WAB could appeal to them about that decision, as “the idea that we are going to have the yellow brick road of Centre Street dead end into a seawall and a gangway down to a boat ramp is just not a good look for Fernandina Beach. That is the focal point and the very end of Centre Street and it should have something on it, not just a dead end street.”
City staff at the meeting said they would pass along the wishes of the WAB to the city commission.
The WAB also discussed the contract with Oasis Marinas, which the city commission voted to extend for another year.
Sharpe said he has concerns about Oasis’ expenditures on advertising. He spoke of a magazine produced and distributed by Oasis. The magazine is Marine Life, and Fernandina Harbor Marina subscribes to it, at a cost of $2,700 per year. Issues come out twice a year. The Fernandina Harbor Marina is advertised in the magazine, along with other marinas managed by Oasis. Oasis distributes the magazines to boaters who rent a slip at the marina.
“I think (Oasis is) a waste of our money,” Sharpe said. “The least they could do is to … look at the Oasis contract, look at those expenses that are getting passed right through to us. Probably the most glaring one is advertising. We are paying for Oasis marina magazines to go boats that are already here, to go to other Oasis marinas. I don’t want to spend our money to advertise other Oasis marinas,” which he said was “paying to advertise in a magazine to boats that are already here to go to other Oasis marinas.”
“They (the city commission) asked us how they could save money, and we told them to do away with Oasis,” WAB member Allen Mills said. “Now they are going to keep them. They continue to not listen to the board, why are we up here? Why are we wasting our time when we aren’t getting paid a thing for it?”
Fernandina Beach Downtown Director Lisa Finkelstein said city staff has been directed to “look into what the plan would be to assume management of the marina and to create a budget for it.” She said staff would keep the WAB apprised of that process as those discussions move forward. She said the board can request the commission have staff look at the Oasis contract in order to identify expenditures that could be removed.
“I think we need to keep talking about it and not honor the decision they made,” WAB member David Cook said. “Keep the fire hot.”
jroberts@nassaunewsline.net
