ANNA MARIA – The city is entering into a $239,500 contract with Quality Marine Construction to demolish and remove what remains of the hurricane-damaged City Pier walkway.
The buildings at the T-end of the pier will not be demolished.
On May 27, city commissioners authorized Mayor Mark Short to execute a contract with Quality Marine. Short told commissioners three qualifying bids were received and reviewed.
The meeting agenda mentions two proposals, the Quality Marine proposal and the $2.19 million proposal received from Ballard Marine Construction. Commissioner Chris Arendt mentioned a third proposal that was even higher but the Quality Marine proposal was the only one included in the meeting packet.
“This particular bid was well within the range of what the engineers told us to expect,” Short said regarding Quality Marine’s proposal.
Short said he didn’t know why the other bids were so much higher and he guessed it may be because Quality Marine is a local company with lower staging and deployment costs.
Quality Marine will demolish the remaining walkway and support structure above the water, demolish the damaged concrete pilings below the waterline and remove any underwater debris as well.
According to the proposal, Quality Marine Construction is a small, Bradenton-based business that’s served the Manatee County area for more than 18 years.
The proposal states Quality Marine previously worked on the City Pier: “We are uniquely qualified for this project, having played a key role in the 2018 demolition of the City Pier as a subcontractor for Speeler and Associates. That experience, combined with our deep familiarity with local waters and permitting requirements, gives us valuable insight into the scope and sensitivities of this work. As the owners of Blenker Boat Works and Marina, we also have the distinct advantage of being able to launch and operate all necessary equipment directly from the water, eliminating the need for road closures or land-based staging.”
Blenker Boat Works and Marina is located at 2504 88th St. Court N.W., at the mouth of the Manatee River, between the De Soto National Memorial and Robinson Preserve. The pier debris will be delivered to the marina by boat or barge.
Quality Marine recently completed for Manatee County the demolition of the Seafood Shack and Annie’s Bait & Tackle buildings, marine structures, docks, boatlifts and over-the-water buildings at that Cortez location.
“Quality Marine Construction will not be utilizing any subcontractors for this job; we will be 100% self-performing,” the proposal says.
