ANNA MARIA – Mayor Dan Murphy is one step closer to securing the $500,000 needed to design and install the Mote Marine Education Outreach Center on the Anna Maria City Pier.
Today, the Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC) unanimously supported the city of Anna Maria’s request to use $500,000 in county commission-controlled tourist development tax revenues to fund the city’s share of the anticipated $555,600 start-up costs.
Serving as a recommending body only, the TDC now recommends county commission approval of the city’s funding request.
Murphy told TDC members Mote Marine would cover the remaining $55,600 in initial design and installation costs, as well as any Mote-related cost overages. Murphy said Mote will then spend about $444,000 per year to staff and operate the marine-themed education outreach center.
If the funding is approved by county commissioners, Murphy estimates it will take five to seven months to transform the vacant 1,800 square foot, city-owned pier building into the proposed education outreach center.
Murphy said the center will consist of three primary elements: exhibits, educational components and community partnerships.
He said the live marine life exhibits will include an invertebrate touching pool containing horseshoe crabs, starfish, lobster and other species. There will also be live baitfish and live sport fish exhibits that reflect the area’s strong ties to fishing, and an interactive kiosk that will help people identify the fish they catch from the pier. There will also be a “sounds of the sea” component that allows visitors to hear the marine life living under and around the pier.
The educational components will include seminars, storytelling events, fishing workshops, field trips, science tours, beach exploration and more.
TDC member Ed Chiles said he hopes the education components also address the vital importance of protecting the quality of the waters that surround Anna Maria Island and Manatee County.
When discussing potential partnerships, Murphy mentioned Anna Maria Elementary school, The Center of Anna Maria Island, the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring organization, The Anna Maria Island Historical Society and possibly the Manatee County School District.
Murphy said admission to the education outreach center will be free. However, it was noted at previous city meetings that fees may be charged for some of the special programs and activities that take place outside the education outreach center, or inside the facility after normal business hours.
Water taxi connection?
Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director and TDC staff liaison Elliott Falcione mentioned the possibility of a water taxi service potentially playing a role in transporting area students to the Mote Marine facility.
“There may be a way that the city of Bradenton and the city of Anna Maria can procure a water taxi company that we may be able to sponsor through wrapping it with brand elements that gets a pilot program going from downtown Bradenton to the Anna Maria Pier. How cool would it be for the kids to get an educational exploration of the river, get to the pier and learn about Mote’s education endeavors? They can picnic up there. They can walk Pine Avenue and get back on the boat and go back,” Falcione said.
Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown alluded to a possible water taxi service earlier in the meeting when discussing a TDC-supported funding request for up to $850,000 in matching funds made by the city of Bradenton Beach for the expansion of the public dockage next to the Bridge Street Pier and a new dinghy dock near the Bridge Tender Inn.
“We have the pier already and we have the parking in place. Now it’s just getting that vendor that wants to do it,” Brown said.
