Baldwin County officials are looking to bring in a private operator to help breathe new life into Live Oak Landing, the county-owned riverside park north of Interstate 65 that reopened last year after a $1.2 million renovation but has yet to reach its full potential as a destination.
County commissioners verbally agreed this week to issue a request for proposals seeking a private company to operate the site’s shuttered general store and manage its boat launches. Looking further ahead, officials also hope to bring in a private operator for a planned recreational vehicle and camping area, with the county now exploring grant opportunities to help fund that future campground.
The approach marks something of a shift for Baldwin County, which has not historically pursued the kind of public-private partnerships more commonly seen in Mobile and other nearby municipalities. County Commissioner Tucker Dorsey said the goal is to bring in outside expertise rather than have county employees running a retail store or RV park directly. “We want to make a return on our investment there,” Dorsey said, adding that the county hopes to have an operator in place before the 2016 spring season.
Not every commissioner is fully on board with the pace of the plan. Commissioner Frank Burt Jr. said the county needs to proceed carefully in choosing a private partner, noting that while the county now owns the property, it ultimately belongs to the public, which needs to trust whoever ends up managing it.
The county purchased the roughly 30-mile stretch of riverside property northeast of Mobile in 2013 for $530,000, with the bulk of that funding coming through a $2.5 million grant from the federal Coastal Impact Assistance Program. The purchase was aimed at preserving land that had previously drawn interest from private developers. After closing briefly for renovations in late 2013, the park reopened in February 2014 following more than $1.2 million in upgrades to boat ramps, a weigh station, fishing piers, floating docks and a 140-space parking area. More than $900,000 of that renovation funding came through the BP oil spill settlement process.
County Engineer Cal Markert said additional oil spill funding could be tapped for the future campground project, and that officials are exploring several other federal grant sources as well. The county has also reached out to operators of the 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center to learn more about structuring similar public-private agreements.
For now, the park remains a quiet, largely undiscovered spot for local families. Regular visitors describe peaceful afternoons fishing and relaxing among the live oaks draped in Spanish moss, with many area residents still unaware the park reopened after its renovation. County officials are hoping a private operator, combined with new amenities like the planned campground, will help more people discover what Live Oak Landing has to offer.