When the budgeting process ended on a living shoreline project at Orange Beach’s Waterfront Park, city officials looked up to find money left over.
That happens sometimes, and it usually means something good. In this case, it means the city can add elements to the project with the leftover funds.
What the Extra Money Buys
Councilors discussed the project during the work session portion of a joint regular and work session meeting on Sept. 1. The earliest it could be voted on is the Sept. 8 regular session.
For Orange Beach, it is a welcome windfall that will help achieve all the goals of the project without having to return later to find money for the remaining work. A $12.8 million grant from the Nature Conservancy for the overall Perdido Watershed Project provides the funding.
“The bids came in lower than anticipated, creating the potential to use available project funds to complete the remaining components at the Coastal Arts Center of Orange Beach and the recreational beach area and, therefore, complete the overall project,” a memo from Assistant Coastal Resources Director Nicole Woerner states.
From One Phase to Three
Initially, the grant covered phase one at the Wind & Water Learning Center and a wooden bulkhead east of the center.
Now the grant can also fund the shoreline north of the Coastal Arts Center and the 350 feet of recreational beach next to it, west of the park’s fishing pier.
“Completing all three components would provide a comprehensive shoreline restoration project and establish Waterfront Park as a highly visible demonstration of nature-based coastal resilience for the community,” the memo states.
Why Doing It All at Once Matters
Shoreline restoration is one of the few kinds of public works where phasing carries a technical penalty as well as a financial one. A living shoreline works by dissipating wave energy across a continuous stretch of vegetated, graded bank; an unfinished gap between restored sections concentrates energy at that gap and can undermine the work on either side.
Completing all three components in one construction window also means one mobilization of contractors and equipment rather than two or three — which is a substantial part of why the bids came in where they did.
Other Council Business
During the regular session, the council also:
Paid vendors $951,945 for goods and services from Aug. 19 to Sept. 2.
Proclaimed Sept. 17-23 as Constitution Week in Orange Beach. Sept. 17 — besides being Hank Williams’ 103rd birthday — marks the 239th anniversary of the framing of the Constitution.
Approved contracts with Station Automation and PS Trax for the fire department for narcotics and supplies tracking software and an inventory supply module. According to a memo from Fire Chief Jeff Smith, tracking medications, specifically narcotic medications, is a DEA requirement; the request also includes an inventory supply module to help personnel track consumable supplies.
Reappointed architect Sted McCollough to the Fire Code Board of Appeals.
Authorized contracts with CourtReserve for tennis center event management software to manage resident court reservations, program and event registrations and other tennis-specific operations.
Bought a video surveillance system for the Fire Training Center from Vision Security Technologies for $47,409.
Sea Turtles and a $500,000 Agreement
The council approved a two-year, $500,000 agreement with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for the Sea Turtle Stranding Network and Enhanced Rehabilitation Restoration Project.
The money will support operations and maintenance of the facility, turtle transport and professional development. The turtle triage center near the Cotton Bayou Trailhead on the Backcountry Trail was paid for with RESTORE Act money, and the $500,000 will also come from Act funding.
More Actions
The council postponed a vote on a bid for restoration of the former finance building into the Orange Beach Medical Center South.
It awarded the bid for a drone system for the Community Development Department to Earl Dudley for $52,950.
It adopted a comprehensive plan for Orange Beach — the long-term vision for the city’s future and a guide to decisions on land use, transportation, housing, environmental protection and community design — which the planning commission adopted at its Aug. 10 meeting.
It approved a contract with Desiree Hodge and DSH Event Consulting for professional services for the 2027 Orange Beach Festival of Art. Hodge will retire as director of the Coastal Arts Center of Orange Beach on Oct. 30 and will run the long-running festival as an independent contractor. An earlier agenda listed her compensation at $60 an hour, not to exceed $38,000 in a year.
It accepted a donation of emergency lights for a police golf cart from Haynes Emergency Lighting of Montgomery, which has a Robertsdale location. The lights are valued at $6,852 and will be used at the Middle/High School campus and the Sportsplex.
It approved a contract with GeoCon Engineering and Materials Testing for geotechnical testing for tennis courts, a multi-use field and parking improvements for $6,860.
Work Session Items
During the work session, the council discussed authorizing modifications to the terms of sale of the Orange Beach Event Center to The Wharf, and authorizing expenditures and promotional donations of city money.
Council members also reviewed the purchase of a 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe for $60,011 for the police department, replacing a 2024 Ford F-150 totaled in an Aug. 21 crash at Roscoe Road and the Foley Beach Express when another vehicle ran a stop sign. The replacement would be funded with insurance reimbursement money.
Also discussed: a $26,123 video surveillance system for the jail from Vision Security; a $6,000 contract with Gerald Mills for the 2027 spring theater production of “Finding Nemo: The Family Musical” and other productions for the city’s performing arts division, paid at $2,000 a month for October, November and December; and a second $2,000 contract for the same production with TIDULHUE Creative.