Mobile County Endorses Nearly $4 Million For Bayfront Park

The Mobile County Commission has advanced the Bayfront Park project by endorsing an additional $3.9 million of money allocated through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process, AL.com reports. The funds are in addition to $4.6 million in NRDA money that was originally allocated for the project in Coden in 2020. The project was approved a few years ago by a group of trustees charged with assessing and evaluating restoration projects to natural resources that suffered from losses because of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The costs to build a new beach and adjacent park amenities soared as general construction costs rose amid inflation and a struggle to ship supplies to the region. As the first phase of the project, the beach came in approximately $1.5 million over budget. Approximately 25,000 dry tons of sand was hauled to Bayfront Park last year and constructed in front of existing riprap. The additional NRDA funds are to pay for beach amenities, including a new boardwalk, pavilions, a restroom, a park office and a parking area.