MOBILE, Ala. — The City of Mobile has opened bidding for an engineering and design firm to evaluate long-term improvements to the marine infrastructure at McNally Park, the city’s only public boat launch into Mobile Bay.
According to the request for qualifications, the city is looking for a firm to help evaluate how to best maintain the park’s boat launch, jetties and canal over the long term. A city spokesperson said the goal is to make improvements to the boat launch while also addressing sediment buildup in the canal, with the possibility that additional amenities could be added to the park through the project down the road.
Community Advocacy Behind the Push
The Peninsula of Mobile, a community organization representing residents on the Mobile peninsula, has been pushing the city to address the issues at McNally Park. In a Facebook post, the group said its advocacy helped bring the park’s condition to the city’s attention and that both immediate and long-term solutions are now being sought to keep the boat launch safe and operational.
“PoM fights for these projects alongside Buccaneer Yacht Club, one of the two sailing organizations here in Mobile, who actively operates out of the McNally Park channel and harbor,” the group’s post said, adding that repairs to the hazardous launch, sediment dredging in the canal, jetty restructuring and conceptual designs for a potential future fishing pier will all be part of the proposals under consideration.
Project Details and Timeline
The formal solicitation, titled “Request for Qualifications (RFQ): Engineering and Design Services, McNally Park Marine Improvements Project,” was posted by the city’s Programs and Project Management Department on June 22, 2026, with advertisements running in local publications on June 24, July 1 and July 8. A mandatory online question-and-answer meeting was held July 16, followed immediately by a mandatory site visit, with a representative from each prime consultant required to attend in order to qualify.
The city says the selected firm will be expected to provide a full suite of professional services, potentially including preliminary engineering, conceptual design, permitting assistance, cost estimating, construction documents, bid support, coordination on any grant funding opportunities that arise, and construction administration. Firms are asked to demonstrate experience with waterfront and marine infrastructure of similar scope, along with knowledge of coastal engineering, regulatory permitting, environmental considerations and public recreational waterfront design.
Submissions are due by noon Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, to the Programs and Project Management Department at 205 Government St., 2nd Floor, in Mobile. Residents with questions about the project can reach The Peninsula of Mobile at thepeninsulaofmobile@gmail.com, while questions about the bid itself can be directed to city contact Jake Clements.